“Touristic Fun”: Motivational Factors for Visiting Legoland Windsor Theme Park

Abstract

This study revealed the motivation constructs for visiting Legoland Windsor tourist attraction. Data was collected from visiting families using semistructured interviews and nonparticipant observations. Grounded theory was employed and the construct of “fun” that emerged as the main motivator for families to visit was deconstructed into its push–pull parts using traditional and revised push–pull frameworks, and contrasted to the travel career ladder model. The study offered an insight into the notion of fun as a motivator for families to visit a theme park. More importantly, by deconstructing the notion of fun associated with family theme park, a touristic setting, this study offered a significant contribution to knowledge; it provided a theorization of the concept, “touristic fun,” previously undertheorized. It also contributed to the literature on motivation, particularly, to visiting family theme parks. The study has also several implications for the development, management, and marketing of attractions of this type.