Push and Pull Travel Motivation: Segmentation of the Greek Market for Social Media Marketing in Tourism

Abstract

The intense competition in the tourism sector increasingly pushes tourism destination marketers to seek more effective promotional practices, so that they remain competitive and attract more visitors. The fast expansion of the Internet and social media provides the opportunity for destination marketers to approach potential tourists in a simple and cost-effective way. While managing the official pages of destinations on social media, the basic question that arises is the configuration of the content, and how attractive this content could be for potential tourists. The purpose of this study is to investigate what elements of a destination, when displayed on social media, could be attractive factors for tourists. Through the analysis of push and pull tourism motivation factors in particular, this study focuses on the segmentation of the Greek market for those traveling abroad and the emergence of the basic elements that could attract each segment through social media. The respondents have been classified into four segments, according to the motives that more greatly influence their desire to travel. This analysis also shows the important relationships between these segments and the pull motivation factors on social media. The study concludes with findings and suggestions that can contribute to the planning of an effective social media marketing plan.

Understanding of Travel Motivations of Domestic Tourists

“…It has an implication on the intention to revisit and recommend to other travelers. Katsikari et al (2020) state that the commonly recognized analysis of tourism motivation is based on push and pull factors of travel motivations. The analysis claims that people are pushed by their internal forces to travel, whereas they are fascinated by the special characteristics of a destination.…”

“…Pull factors apply tangible and intangible attributes that define the attractiveness of the destination. On the contrary, most attributes of push factors are intangible and display the internal needs of travellers such as the need for relaxation, adventure, and prestige (Katsikari et al, 2020). Crompton's (1979) study identifies the conceptual framework of push and pull factors of travel motivation based on the destination selection behaviour of tourists.…”

“…It is crucial to understand the factors affecting domestic tourists' travel motivation, the relationship between factors, perceived benefit, and perceived value from domestic travel. In addition, positive behavioral intentions, perceived benefit and perceived value are related to some important outcomes, including delivering a positive impression about products and services; recommendation to others; intention to revisit and loyalty; more expenditure on products and services (Katsikari et al, 2020;Hwang et al, 2020). The examination of push and pull motivations, its relations to perceived benefits and value is critical for understanding domestic tourism demand, market segments, launching new products and services, and designing marketing strategy, and policy on destination development (Baloglu & Uysal 1996).…”

The Role of Social Media in Health Safety Evaluation of a Tourism Destination throughout the Travel Planning Process

“…Social media has become a reliable source of information in the consumer decision making process for a variety of products and services. In the tourism industry, taking into account the intangibility of tourist services, consumers are more inclined to use social platforms to gather information both on a tourism offer [10], and on other aspects that are less easily controlled by tourism suppliers (e.g., the factors of risk a tourist might confront during a trip) [62]. Social media is a very prolific means of communication, as it has the capacity to concentrate and to disseminate information from various categories of providers.…”

“…Tourists are looking for the most comprehensive information about the destination where they choose to spend their vacation, with the intention to minimize risk and uncertainty about the quality of services and safety [9]. They gather information about destinations, transport and accommodation offers, compare prices and services and search through photos and videos from these destinations [10].…”