Grandparent’s segmentation by the tourism motivation: travelling with or without grandchildren

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to include grandparents' characteristics, identifying who they are, revealing the differences in their motivation while taking a trip with their spouses and with their grandchildren or without grandkids using a factor-cluster market segmentation approach.Design/methodology/approach -The sample population for this research consisted of tourists who are grandparents and visited the Rudkhan Castle in the city of Fuman in Iran. The push and pull motivation data were collected from a questionnaire and separated respondents into parts of with grandchildren and without grandchildren samples. The motivation factors were derived from 26 motivation items through factor analysis. Among 528 questionnaires distributed, 516 questionnaires were used for further data analyses.Findings -As a result of cluster analysis, grandparents with spouses and grandchildren were divided into three clusters including ''Family lovers'' which constituted nearly half of the sample, ''Multi-purpose seekers'' and ''Knowledge hunters'', while grandparents who were only with their spouses were segmented into four clusters. The first and the largest was ''Escapists, followed by ''Enjoy seekers'', ''Novelty seekers'' and ''Historical/Natural explorers''. Originality/value -Recognizing the differences between tourists is the first step toward competitive advantage. Segmentation allows the identification of groups of tourists who share some common characteristics and who are likely to respond similarly to marketing stimuli. However, there are a few studies about motivations of elderly tourists who experienced a holiday trip with their grandchildren or without them.

Respondents’ Involvement in Tourist Activities at the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…What is a very important factor in the organization of a journey is the reason for traveling. It is connected with a desire to go to a particular country or city in order to get to know its culture, wildlife or social life [38]. About 68% of the respondents from Poland and the USA planned a tourist journey in 2020.…”

Unveiling the antecedents of senior citizens′ behavioural intentions to travel: A mixed-method approach

“…Earlier studies indicate that there are various purposes and reasons that drive older adults to undertake tourism activities. The most important ‘push’ factors of senior tourists have been identified as improving health and wellness (Harvey et al, 2019; Lewis and D’Alessandro, 2019; Zolotovskiy and Stelnik, 2019), escape and relaxation (Alén et al, 2014; Le Serre et al, 2013; Mungall et al, 2010; Patuelli and Nijkamp, 2016; Shavanddasht, 2018), novelty and knowledge-seeking (Chen and Shoemaker, 2014; Woo et al, 2016), self-fulfilment and spirituality (Musa and Sim, 2010; Woo et al, 2016) and socialization and spending time with family (Chen and Shoemaker, 2014; Prayag, 2012; Wijaya et al, 2018).…”

“…Therefore, another comprehensive pull factor has been considered named ‘health safety and security quotient of a destination’ comprising of the dimensions of hygiene and cleanliness, access to necessary healthcare and medical services and preparedness of a destination to deal with public health crises. The third comprehensive pull factor of ‘ease of consumption of tourist experiences’ addresses the practicalities of a destination which attracts senior tourists including comfortable climate (Johann and Panchapakesan, 2016; Losada et al, 2017), affordability of products and services (Kim and Kim, 2020; Shavanddasht, 2018; Wijaya et al, 2018) and an accessible destination with well-connected transportation network (Losada et al, 2017; Oliveira et al, 2018; Kim and Kim, 2020) as per earlier studies.…”

How to Catch Family-oriented Cruise Tourists’ Hearts? Exploring Motivation and Demand via Three-stage Travel Experience

“…In recent years, with changes in family structure, family travel may consist of three generations, large families, or single parents traveling with children (Schänzel & Yeoman, 2015). Traveling together is the way to create family memories, reunions, and connections (Shavanddasht, 2017). Family travel refers to travel where at least two family members participate and leave home for more than 24 hours to spend time together, enhance family cohesion, and create memories together (Kennedy-Eden & Gretzel, 2016).…”