Tourist Typologies Flashcards
refer to classifications of tourist based on their behavior. It is an indicator of how
marketers have relied on understanding their consumers through their behavior.
Tourist Typologies
Stanley Plog classified tourists along a continuum with allocentric on one end
and psychometrics on the other end.
Plog’s Psychocentric-Allocentric Model
Seeks Adventures
Allocentric
seek the comforts of familiar surroundings in their tourism
experiences
Psychocentric
is the third type of travelers according to Stanley Plog. Centrics occupy
a psychological middle ground between Dependables and Venturers. Most
travelers fall into this category. They like a little adventure in their lives but not
too much.
Centrics
Eric Cohen categorized tourists 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 Typology
Cohen’s tourist Categories
- The organized mass tourist
- The individual mass tourist
- The Explorer
- The drifter
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 perceive traveling.
Global Travel Survey
UK Global Travel Survey Tourist Classification
- adventurers - are motivated to seek new experiences
- Worriers - suffer considerable anxiety about traveling
- dreamers - are fascinated by travel
- Economizers - they travel primarily because they need a break
- Indulgers - like to be pampered
Pearce developed 15 traveler categories based on the major role-related behaviours
Pearce’s Travel Category
Major role-related Behaviors for 15 Traveler Categories.
- Tourist
- Traveler
- Holidaymaker
- Jetsetter
- Businessperson
- Migrant
- Conversationist
- Explorer
- Missionary
- Overseas Student
- Anthropologist
- Hippie
- International Athlete
- Overseas Journalist
- Religious Pilgrims
Takes photos, buys souvenirs, goes to famous places, stays briefly in one place, does
not understand the local people
Tourist
Stays briefly in one place, experiments with local food, goes to famous places, takes
photos, explores privately
Traveler
Takes photos, goes to famous places, is alienated from society, buys souvenirs,
contributes to the visited economy
Holidaymaker
Lives a life of luxury, is concerned with social status, seeks sensual pleasures, prefers
interacting with people of his/her own kind
Jetsetter
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
Businessperson
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 local people
Migrant
Interested in the environment, does not buy souvenirs, does not exploit the local
people, explores places privately, takes photos
Conversationist
Explores places privately, is interested in the environment, takes physical risks, does
not buy souvenirs, keenly observes the visited society
Explorer
Does not buy souvenirs, searches for the meaning of life, does not live a life of luxury,
does not seek sensual pleasures, keenly observes visited society
Missionary
Experiments with local food, does not exploit the local people, takes photos, keenly
observes the visited society, takes physical risks
Overseas Student
Keenly observes the visited society, explores privately, is interested in the
environment, does not buy souvenirs, takes photos
Anthropologist
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
Hippie
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
International Athlete
