The Development and Testing of a Behavioral Intentions Model: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

This paper develops and tests a model that illustrates the development of travel behavior intentions. Two separate studies were conducted, that measured the perceptions of German travel consumers regarding Northern Ireland (NI) as a tourist destination. The studies were conducted at the ITB Berlin (1999 and 2000) Travel Trade Fair. Northern Ireland was chosen as the travel destination because the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement gave hope that tourism to NI would again increase (after two years of decreases). We focused on German consumers because they are considered to be an important segment for NI tourism. The results of the study indicated that 81% of those interviewed had a good or very good impression of NI, and 59% considered it safe or very safe. The model itself illustrated that the travel consumers utilize both external and internal information for developing their perceptions and ultimately their behavioral intentions. Yet, the results also illustrated that travel consumers were more dependent on external information. Overall, the results of the study provide important managerial implications, and further the development and study of a model that helps to explain the development of behavioral intentions in travel consumers.