Exploring dimensions of slow tourism motivation

Abstract

Today, the tourism industry has altered from a steady structure to a dynamic one in order to match the emerging needs, wants and demands of tourists. Given this, understanding the motivations of tourists is key to designing better products and services. Motivation is closely linked to satisfaction, and is a crucial ingredient in terms of understanding visitors’ decision-making processes. Thus, destination marketers need to understand what motivates people to choose slow tourism, as well what segments are interested in that specific type of tourism. Examining slow tourists, this study identified seven tourist motivation factors thereof. In terms of push factors, “Relaxation”, “Self-reflection & Discovery”, “Escape”, “Novelty-seeking”, “Environmental Concern” and “Social Interaction” were identified, along with “Engagement” as a pull factor.

Keywords:

• Slow tourism
• tourist motivations
• decision-making
• tourism marketing
• Turkey