Sun, sea, sociability, and sightseeing: Mediterranean summer holidaymaking revisited

Abstract

Popular summer holidaymaking in the mainstream and much-visited destination of Mallorca is segmented and versatile in terms of tourist motivations. This study demonstrates unanimous touristic interest in pleasant weather conditions and a majority emphasis on sociability, relaxation, and beach life, along with cultural sightseeing and landscape experience motivations. Moreover, the findings indicate quite stable motivations in this holidaymaking context. There are very few motivational differences between Mallorca visitors using package tours or charter flights and their fellow tourists going by scheduled flights. The questionnaire-based survey results thus challenge conventional wisdom about Mediterranean seaside package tours as undifferentiated “sun and sand mass tourism” for “ordinary people” lacking individuality. Although air travel and package tours may still be standardized, the tourists themselves do not become homogenous simply by the mere utilization of such products.

Keywords::

• motivation
• package tour
• charter flight
• stratified travel
• Spain

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Ana María Munar and Bjarke Møller for contributing to the Mallorca survey.