Exploring attitudes of Omani students towards vacations

Abstract

This study uses the theory of ‘push’ and ‘pull’ travel motivations to investigate holidaying attributes of Omani students studying at the Colleges of Applied Sciences, Ministry of Higher Education in Oman. The results indicate that the three most important push motivations for Omani students to travel abroad were ‘to be mentally refreshed’, followed by ‘to learn something new or increase my knowledge’, and ‘to spend my time without worrying about my study’. The pull factors were such as ‘safety and security at destination even when travelling alone’, ‘natural attractions (sea, beach, coral, mountain, lakes, rivers, streams, wildlife)’, and ‘availability of mosques (places of worship)’. Furthermore, the study indicates that gender had a significant impact on some of the travel motivations.

Keywords:

• travel motivations
• holidaying
• Oman students
• push and pull motivations