Theory of Planned Behavior, Past Behavior and Familiarity: Analysis of the Efficiency of these Predictors in the Intention to Visit Diamantina-MG Vesperata, Brazil

Abstract

Tourism is an important economic sector. Understanding people's travel intentions can be useful for planning destinations, meeting demand as well as possible. In this sense, this study aims to assess what would influence the intention to go to the Diamantina Vesperata, in the State of Minas Gerais [Brazil], using the Theory of Planned Behavior for this purpose, with the inclusion of the constructs past behavior and familiarity. The methodology included bibliographic research for questionnaire elaboration, followed by quantitative research with 125 respondents, 101 of which are valid. The results showed relevance in the inclusion of the new constructs, which had a positive effect on the intention to attend the event. On the other hand, the attitude and the subjective norm did not present significant effects on the intention, corroborating with studies that deal with the complexity of the choice of tourist destination and the difficulty of forecasting the intention, as in other more common behaviors.