A General Theory of Tourism Consumption Systems: A Conceptual Framework and an Empirical Exploration

Abstract

A tourism consumption system (TCS) is defined as the set of related travel thoughts, decisions, and behaviors by a discretionary traveler prior to, during, and following a trip. The central proposition of a theory of TCS is that the thoughts, decisions, and behaviors regarding one activity influence the thoughts, decisions, and behaviors for a number of other activities. Using exit interview travel data and quick clustering analysis, this article empirically examines seven basic TCS propositions pertaining to decisions made once the destination has been selected. The findings support and extend the basic propositions specifically indicating clear patterns in the behaviors of visitors to Prince Edward Island, Canada. The authors conclude by recommending that this approach is useful for tourism marketers and practitioners in general. Suggestions are provided for analyzing TCS to increase the effectiveness of tourism marketing strategies.

Destination images, holistic images and personal normative beliefs: Predictors of intention to revisit a destination

“…The conative component of destination image represents tourists' active consideration of a place as a potential travel destination (Gartner, 1993). Although conative destination image has been considered by many scholars as synonymous to intention (King et al, 2015;Pike & Ryan, 2004;Prayag, 2009;Woodside & Dubelaar, 2002), representing how and why knowledge and feelings of new or repeat visitors contribute to the selection of a specific destination for vacations (Pike & Ryan, 2004;, there is evidence that conative destination images and intentions are distinct constructs (Perugini & Bagozzi, 2004;Prestwich et al, 2008;White, 2014). Hence, destination image theory suggests that cognitive and affective images represent individuals' subjective associations or perceptions related to a destination's characteristics (Chen & Uysal, 2002;Gartner, 1993;Kim & Richardson, 2003) and conative image outlines the idealized and desired future situation the individual wants to develop for himself/herself (Dann, 1996).…”

A look at the consumption behaviours along Ghana’s Slave Routes

“…In particular, it would be interesting to test the validity of Woodside and Dubelaar's (2002) proposition that planned and realized attraction visits play an a priori role as stimuli that are antecedent to tourism behavior. This is quite important, particularly when data collection for the current study coincided with the staging of two major slavery events, i.e., the Pan-African Historical Theatre Festival (PANAFEST) and Emancipation Day celebrations.…”

Implications of tourism development on islets: Ilot Bernaches, Mauritius, as a destination management case study

“…The study by Cave and Brown (2012) (Ioannides, 2008), environmental audit (Diamantis& Westlake, 1997) on the Greek island of Mytilini; destination knowledge mapping in Korea (Pyo, 2005); the tourism consumption system (Woodside & Dubelaar, 2002); integrated technical economic modelling (Xu et al, 2003); and systems approaches that encompass multiple social, economic, cultural, and environmental dimensions (Carlsen, 1999;Northcote & Macbeth, 2006). These models are obviously underpinned by an awareness that tourism deals with finite-rather than infinitely renewable-markets and resources, leading to the need for sustainable approaches in the management of island destinations (Dodds, 2007).…”