CONSUMER BEHAVIOR IN THE DIFFERENT SECTORS OF TOURISM

Consumer behavior is a fascinating but difficult subject to research. This statement is particularly relevant in the tourism field, where the decision to purchase by a consumer is of emotional significance. The consumption of tourism products is dependent on discretionary time and income. Thus, much attention has been devoted to determining motives for travel behavior, both in terms of choosing one tourism product over another and regarding the decision to commit time and money to tourism, as opposed to alternative uses of those same resources (Todd, 2001). The holiday that the consumer buys will probably provide the consumer with the major highlight of the year - a chance to escape from work. Consumers are influenced in their decision making processes by many internal and external motivators and determinants when they choose products. It is very difficult to research how these many motivators and determinants affect the consumer when they are making their choices. They may be affected in different ways, according to the type of product or service that they are purchasing (Swarbrooke&Horner, 2007).