Tourist TypologiesClassifiying Tourists
Tourist Typologies
• The classifications of tourists
based on their behavior.
• Its number has grown over the
years
• These typologies serve as guide to
tourism business owners as to
what products, services and
facilities should be sold to certain
tourists having the same behavior.
Tourist Typologies
• The classifications of tourists
based on their behavior.
• Its number has grown over the
years
• These typologies serve as guide to
tourism business owners as to
what products, services and
facilities should be sold to certain
tourists having the same behavior.
Tourist Typologies• Marketers and planners as well as
managers of tourism businesses consider
these typologies to guide their marketing,
planning, and development and
management functions.
Plog’s Psychocentric-Allocentric
Model
• Stanley Plog classified tourists into
two major classifications based on
their personality and curiosity to
visit places:
– Allocentric type
– Psycho-centric type
Plog’s Psychocentric-Allocentric
Model
• Allocentric:
– Often adventure seekers and go for new experiences.
– Prefers outings and are self confident.
– Not only comfortable meeting strangers or new people but also it fascinates them for they explore into their cultures while such meetings.
– These people specify the area and make their own travel arrangements.
Plog’s Psychocentric-Allocentric
Model• Psychocentric:
– Generally conservative, inhibited and unadventurous.
– Traditional and have little curiosity to visit strange places.
– Frequently these members keep returning to familiar destinations to avoid troubles.
– They want to relax, love serenity and better happy when undisturbed.
– Tourists of Psycho-centric type expect the same food and activities.
– Ultimate factor is that they are too much worried about touring is safety and security.
Cohen’s Tourist Typology
• Eric Cohen categorized tourist into four:
– organized mass tourist
– individual mass tourist
– the explorer and;
– the drifter.
• This is similar to Plog’s model
wherein psychocentrics are further
divided into organized and
individualized and the allocentrics
into explorers and drifters.
Cohen’s Tourist Categories
The organized mass tourist
•package tour fixed itineraries, planned stops, guided organizers making the
decisions
•Familiarity at a maximum and novelty at a minimum
The individual mass tourist
•Tour not entirely planned by others
•Tourist having some control over his/her itinerary and time allocations
•Major arrangements made through travel intermediary
•Tourist remaining largely within the environmental bubble of home country
ways and mixing little with locals
•Dominant familiarity
The explorer
•Tourist usually planning his/her own trips and trying to avoid developed tourist
attractions
•Desire to mix with locals but still protected within the environmental bubble.
•Dominant novelty, tourist not fully integrating with locals
The drifter
•Tourist plan their trip alone
•Tourists avoid tourist attractions and live with the locals
•Almost entirely immersed in the host culture, sharing its shelter, food and
habits
•Novelty is dominant and familiarity disappears.
Global Travel Survey
• This survey done in the United Kingdom
in 2005 has a more general approach to
classifying tourists into adventurers,
worriers, dreamers, economizers and
indulgers.
• These are based on how tourists
perceived traveling.
Adventurers
• Are motivated to seek new experiences
• Value diversity
• Seek new activities, cultures and people
• Are independent and in control
• Travel plays a central role in their lives
• Don’t need to be pampered
• “I feel confident that I could find my way
around a city that I have never visited before.”
“I really hate traveling with a group of people,
even if they’re people I know.”
Worriers
• Suffer considerable anxiety about
traveling
• Travel is relatively unimportant to them
• Are not particularly adventurous
• “Most traveling is too stressful for me.” “I
worry a lot about home when I’m away.”
“I have a fear of flying”.
Dreamers• Are fascinated by travel
• Their own travel tends to be more mundane than might
be expected give their travel ideas.
• Their trips are oriented more toward relaxation than
adventure.
• Lack confidence in their ability to master the details of
traveling
• Anxious about the stresses of travel.
• “I like I have to travel to enjoy life fully.” I like to be able
to impress people by telling them about the interesting
places I’ve visited.” “I really rely on maps and
guidebooks when I travel to a new place.”
Economizers
• They travel primarily because they need a break,
travel is not a central activity for them.
• Seek value in travel
• Their experience of travel does not add meaning
to their lives
• Their sense of adventure is low
• “Traveling first-class is a waste of money, even if
you can afford it.”
Indulgers
• Like to be pampered
• Their travel is not a central or important
experience
• Are generally willing to pay for a higher level of
service when they travel
• Do not find travel intimidating or stressful
• “I don’t worry about how much things cost when
I travel.” “It’s worth paying extra to get the
special attention I want when I travel.”
Pearce’s Travel Category
• Pearce developed 15 traveler
categories based on major role-
related behaviors.
Pearce’s Travel Category
– Tourist
– Explorer
– Traveler
– Missionary
– Holidaymaker
– Overseas student
– Jetsetter
– Anthropologist
– Businessperson
– Hippie
– Migrant
– International athlete
– Conversationist
– Overseas journalist
– Religious pilgrim
Tourist
Takes photos, buys souvenirs,
goes to famous places, stays
briefly in one place, does not
understand the local people.
Traveler
Stays briefly in one place,
experiments with local food, goes
to famous places, takes photos,
explores privately.
Holidaymaker
Takes photos, goes to famous
places, is alienated from society,
buys souvenirs, contributes to the
visited economy.
Jetsetter
Lives a life of luxury, is concerned
with social status, seeks sensual
pleasures, prefers interacting with
people of his/her own kind.
Businessperson
Concerned with social status,
contributes to the economy, does
not take photos, prefers interacting
with people of his/her own kind,
goes to famous places.
Migrant
Has language problems, prefers
interacting with people of his/her
own kind, does not understand the
local people, does not live a life of
luxury, does not exploit people.
Conversationist
Interested in the environment, does
not buy souvenirs, does not exploit
the local people, explores places
privately, takes photos.
Explorer
Explores places privately, is
interested in the environment,
takes physical risks, does not buy
souvenirs, keenly observes the
visited society.
Missionary
Does not buy souvenirs, searches
for the meaning of life, does not
live a life of luxury, does not seek
sensual pleasures, keenly
observes the visited society.
Overseas student
Experiments with local food, does
not exploit the local people, takes
photos, keenly observes the visited
society, takes physical risks.
Anthropologist
Keenly observes the visited
society, explores places privately,
is interested in the environment,
does not buy souvenirs, takes
photos.
Hippie
Does not buy souvenirs, does not
live a life of luxury, is not
concerned with social status, does
not take photos, does not
contribute to the economy.
International athlete
Not alienated from own society,
does not exploit the local people,
does not understand the local
people, explores places privately,
searches for the meaning of life.
Overseas journalist
Takes photos, keenly observes the
visited society, goes to famous
places, takes physical risks,
explores places privately
Religious pilgrim
Searches for the meaning of life,
does not live a life of luxury, is not
concerned with social status, does
not exploit the local people, does
not buy souvenirs.
Market Segmentation
• Market segmentation is similar to
tourist typology.
• It is another way of classifying
tourists and understanding them.
• Segmentation is a sort of grouping
people with the same
characteristics such as geographic,
demographic, psychographic, and
product-related characteristics.
Tourist Market Segmentation
Geographic
segmentation
Grouping of potential tourists is based on their
location
Demographic
segmentation
Grouping is based on the tourist’s gender, age,
ethnicity, occupation, income, household size and
family situation.
Psychographic
segmentation
Grouping is based on how tourists live and on their
priorities and interests.
Product-
related
Grouping of tourists is based directly on what they
want and need in a particular good or service.
Demographics
– Identifies WHO your market is.
– Broken down by age, gender, income and
occupation.
Geographics
– Identifies WHERE your market is.
– A matter of place whether regional or national
or within a section of a city/mall (Macro and
Micro Markets)
Psychographics
– Identifies HOW and WHY your market buys.
– The behavior of your customers as they
purchase a particular product.
• Divides buyers based on social class, lifestyle, and
personality characteristics.
• Buyers can also be grouped according to the
product benefits they seek.