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.