Visitor motivations and use of Information communication technology at a coastal destination: the case of limbe – Cameroon

Abstract

Understanding visitor motivations provides an opportunity for destination managers to be better prepared to meet visitor expectations. In the increasingly competitive tourism environment, the uptake of ICT, particularly in developing countries avails an additional avenue to enhance visitors’ experiences and simultaneously promote the destination. This study aims to explore tourists’ motivations for visiting the coastal town of Limbe and the use of Information Communication Technology to enhance the experience. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 250 randomly selected visitors to the beachfront. Using both exploratory statistics and analysis of variance, the study finds that the motivation to rest and rejuvenate is rated quite highly (mean score = 3.49) by the respondents and ICT is used mainly to capture and share experiences (3.47). Further examination of the analysis of variance reveals no statistically significant difference between females and males (p = 0.2), but statistically significant differences among age groups (p = 0.05). This study recommends, inter alia, that destinations such as Limbe make ICT a functional and complementary aspect of their product experience. The study contributes important insights to the literature on visitor motivations and the use of ICT in the global South and Cameroon in particular.

Impact Statement

This paper discusses the reasons why people are interested in visiting coastal attractions such as beaches and how visitors to coastal destinations use their mobile phones to share information about attractive experiences at the beach. The goal of the study is to find out how managers of coastal destinations can encourage the sharing of images from the beach in order to promote their tourism destination. The study finds that the reason why most people visit coastal destinations is to rest and refresh themselves and that they mainly use their mobile phones to send beautiful pictures of the activities they do at the beach to their family and friends. The study recommends that coastal destinations consider making complimentary wi-fi available to visitors as this will encourage visitors to attract more people to coastal destinations.

Keywords:

• Visitor motivations
• ICT
• coastal destinations
• limbe
• Cameroon

Reviewing Editor:

• Pier Luigi Sacco, Humanities, IULM University, Milano, Italy

Subjects:

• Tourism Behaviour
• Tourism Management
• Tourism Planning and Policy

Introduction

The centrality of motivation as an aspect of tourists’ behaviour has been extensively researched (Aebli, 2019; Albayrak & Caber, 2018; Elvis et al., 2020; Jaapar et al., 2017; Munar & Jacobsen, 2014). While some studies have approached the subject of tourists’ motivation from the perspective of destination image (Ai-Ping, 2016; Sancho-Esper & Rateike, 2010), others have examined the impact of tourist motivation on destination loyalty (Huang & Hsu, 2009; Lee, 2010) and destination choice (Njagi et al., 2017). Similarly, particular attention has been devoted to exploring the relationship between tourist motivation and satisfaction. This strand of literature articulates that tourists’ post-purchase behaviour, such as recommendations and return visits, is driven to a large extent by the satisfaction experienced during previous visits (Correia et al., 2013; Devesa et al., 2010; Vigolo et al., 2018).

However, the global surge in digitisation and the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) has brought to sharp focus the incorporation of these tools into tourism operations and experiences (Munar & Jacobsen, 2014). This, therefore, creates a research gap as there is a need to investigate how the new and increasing uptake of ICT influences visitor motivation in tourism. The current study explores visitor motivations and the prevalence of ICT use among respondents in the coastal town of Limbe in Cameroon.

There has been sustained interest in understanding the meaning that visitors draw from tourism experiences, partly because cognitive and emotive experiences contribute to tourists’ perceived wellness and inherent psychological well-being (Acha-Anyi et al., 2019; Caber & Albayrak, 2016; Filep & Higham, 2014; Mak et al., 2017). Jang & Wu (2006) define motivation as a psychological state in which an individual feels the urge to attain a certain level of fulfillment. Nevertheless, Swanson and Horridge, 2006 cited by Van der Merwe et al. (2011), posit that travel motivation is the over-arching trigger that pushes an individual to participate in tourism. Chen et al. (2008) on their part consider travel motivation as a process that directs, activates and maintains a person’s behaviour during the travel experience. Yoon & Uysal (2005) argue that motivation is a psychological and biological force that stimulates, directs and steers tourists’ needs and wants towards defined activities. It has also been suggested that travel motivation reflects the reasons why tourists decide to participate in certain activities, but can also be measured in terms of the amount of time they are prepared to spend on an activity and the intensity with which they are prepared to engage in it (Dörnyei, 1994; Mill & Morrison, 1985).

Conceptual paradigms in tourist motivation

The diversity in approaches to motivation has been attributed to a number of researchers attempting to define the concept from the perspective of its synonyms (Dann, 1981). In his critique of previous definitions of motivation, Dann (1981) argued that motivation is an expression of why an individual or group of people act or intend to act in a certain way. It seems, therefore, plausible to conceptualise motivation based on need, expectations and satisfaction. However, despite motivation and satisfaction having an indirect relationship, Fluker & Turner (2000) caution against these constructs being confused.

In an attempt to forge an operational understanding of motivation, Albayrak & Caber (2018) identify four strands of motivation theory, namely: needs-based, benefits sought or realised, value-based and expectancy theory. While needs-based motivation is premised on studies such as the hierarchy of needs theory (Maslow, 1943), the classification of needs theory (Murray, 1938), and the theory of learned needs (McClelland, 1955), the value-based approach to motivation adopts the view that motivation is based on personal values that can be investigated, measured and predicted. From this perspective, researchers and marketing professionals engage in the study of personal values as a way of predicting behaviour and undertaking market segmentation (Albayrak & Caber, 2018). Motivation has also been studied based on its association or relationship with the intended gain or benefit from a purchase action. Such benefits have been identified as being of a tangible nature, such as the physical characteristics of a destination, psychology such as the emotional satisfaction derived from a service or both. On the other hand, the work context propounded by Vroom (1964) provides the basis for the expectancy theory of motivation. The theory suggests that individuals are motivated to participate in an activity on the expectation that they will successfully accomplish the task and reap both the desired outcome and the personal value of all outcomes associated with the activity (Hsu et al., 2010). Research premised on this context explores motivation-related values and expectations that influence tourists’ travel decisions and motivations.

Two additional approaches to motivation are considered in this study in view of their relevance to the aim of the study. The pull-push framework (Dann, 1977) and the Optimal Arousal Theory (OAT) proposed by Iso-Ahola (1982) elucidate the study context. Dann’s (1977) pull-push theory has attracted great interest in research aimed at identifying tourists’ motivations. The theory holds that the decision to travel for tourism purposes is motivated by both personal intrinsic factors and attractive factors in the external environment that pull the individual towards a particular destination (Khuong & Ha, 2014). It is noted that while the push factors are associated with the motives that drive the tourist to participate in tourism, the supply environment embodies the pull factors that are attractive to the tourist (Mohammad & Som, 2010). Similarly, the Optimal Arousal theory (Iso-Ahola, 1982) suggests that tourists are attracted by activities that give them new experiences and provide psychological satisfaction by availing avenues for visitors to ‘escape’ or forget about their personal problems. Biswas (2008) asserts that the optimal arousal theory can be viewed as adopting a multi-motive approach in that both the seeking and escaping motivations have personal and interpersonal facets.

Despite the plurality of approaches to motivation literature, there appears to be convergence around the fact that tourists’ activities are a function of their motivations. This is significant as exploring visitor motivations could prove critical in several areas, including getting a better understanding of why tourists engage in leisure activities, determinants of visitor destination choices, and influences on general satisfaction with leisure activities (Castaňo et al., 2003). In this regard, gaining insight into tourists’ motivation presents a valuable path towards achieving greater visitor satisfaction, increasing visitor flows, making better forecasts of tourism demand and tailoring tourism products to meet visitor demand.

The use of ICT in tourism

Information Communication Technology (henceforth, ICT) has emerged as an inescapable phenomenon in modern society (Buhalis, 2013; Cerezo & Guevara, 2015; Lamsfus, 2014). Arguably, the impact of ICT has been more profound in the tourism sector than in any other sector of the economy (Wang et al., 2016). Sigalat-Signes et al. (2020) assert that using ICT has not only transformed the modus operandi of tourism but has equally triggered changes in the organisational configuration, tourism processes and prompted the development of new products and services due to consumer demands. The overwhelming influence of ICTs on tourism can be attributed to the fact that ICTs incorporate a wide range of electronic instruments that have transformed the rules of stakeholder engagement, facilitated operations, and orchestrated changes in strategic management (Gretzel et al., 2000; Parra & Santana, 2014). Hence, ICTs have revolutionised the tourism sector (Gretzel et al., 2000). Moreover, the global penetration of ICTs in tourism has affected supply-side operations mainly through management and marketing and influenced demand requirements through information channels, reservations, purchase, and visitor experiences (Ivars, 2016). The incorporation of new ICT tools in tourism has also led to new customer experiences which have been greatly enhanced by the increasing uptake of mobile technologies by visitors (Lamsfus et al., 2015; Wang et al., 2012). As Sigalat-Signes et al. (2020) point out, the onset of the digital revolution and its impact on ICTs has created the urgency and imperative for greater investment in the tourism sector. Ruiz & Hernández, (2017) echo the same stance by affirming that private and public sector investment in digital technology and ICT tools is essential if destinations are to maintain a competitive edge in the tourism sector.

Extant research (Abor et al., 2018; Asongu et al., 2019; Asongu & Acha-Anyi, 2020; Tchamyou, 2017) has highlighted that investment in ICTs will accrue returns far beyond the tourism sector as general productivity and development would improve. Through public sector and private sector investment in ICTs, countries could better align and coordinate management processes (Sassi & Goaied, 2013), improve efficiency (Asongu et al., 2019), and ameliorate their global business competitiveness standing (Boamah, 2017).

However, studies exploring the relationship between tourism and ICT have focused more on the individual tourist experience than the macro perspective. For this study, three strands of literature examining the influence of ICT on tourism are discussed below: the new destination concept, smartphone technology, and youth tourism.

The motivation to escape from usual activities and environments has featured prominently among the reasons why people take tourism trips (Wang et al.,2016, Cohen et al., 2014). Lehto, (2013) suggests that the physical and mental distance created by traveling away from the home environment contributes to the tourists’ relaxation and recovery from exhaustion. However, Buhalis & Sinarta (2019) argue that the advent of ICT has offered tourists the opportunity to breach the destination gap by interacting with their home environment while enjoying the holiday experience. This dual-destination experience accorded by the ICT tools allows tourists to engage with their social networks in the origin region during the tourism trip. This encapsulation in the tourism experience and decapsulation to engage with the home region is a special feature of tourists’ experience and a unique contribution of ICTs (Fan et al., 2019).

Secondly, introducing smartphone technology has revolutionised the tourism experience (Kim et al., 2008; Kramer et al., 2007; Rasinger et al., 2009). Research (Paris, 2012; Sharma et al., 2020; Tussyadiah & Zach, 2012; Wang et al., 2012 Aebli, 2019) the extensive impact of smartphone technology on tourism, with particular reference to access to information, waiting gaps for services, decision-making at attraction sites, and the documentation and sharing of experiences. The significance of these studies on previous research has been profound considering the blurring of terms hitherto described as inimical, such as authentic/unauthentic experiences, origin/tourism destination, leisure/work, host/guest, present/absent, among others (Hannam et al., 2006). In essence, the pervasive use of smartphone technology has resulted in the ‘overflow’ of home destination activities such as work, routines, participation in social networks, news updates and others into the travel and tourism space, hence allowing tourists to engage and disengage with the two destinations (Fan et al., 2019). Smart phone technology has thus enabled digital elasticity (Pearce, 2011; Pearce & Gretzel, 2012) in which the tourist is able to stretch between multiple spaces.

The third strand of literature delving into the relationship between tourism and ICT can be traced to the smart city concept. The smart city/smart tourism destination concept has emerged as the prototype of urban development where ICT, innovation and collaborative management merge (Sigalat-Signes et al., 2020). The concept of smart cities has been defined as a harmonious blend of social investment, human capital, communication and infrastructure in order to foster sustainable and efficient socio-economic development through the reliable use of ICT (Caragliu et al., 2011). With urbanisation expected to increase unabated to 7 out of every 10 people living in cities by 2050 (Ritchie, 2018), the realisation of sustainable cities with integrated systems seems to be an immense feat.

In the same vein, the intelligent smart tourism destination concept is a derivation of the smart city phenomenon, with an accent on the tourism development aspect (Ivars, 2017). The role of the smart tourism destination within the smart city space is to serve as the economic engine driving the city (Fan et al., 2019). In this context, López de Ávila et al., 2015) define a Smart Tourism Destination (STD) as an accessible tourism-oriented space propelled by innovative and cutting-edge technological infrastructure with sustainable territorial development that facilitates visitor interaction and integration within the environment, providing optimal visitor experience and enhancing residents’ quality of life. While the smart tourism destination concept is an amalgam of a number of facets, suffice to underscore that the STD concept takes the tourism–ICT nexus to a new notch, considering that technology seems to be the foundation and fiber of STD (Hjalager, 2015; Kim & Law, 2015; Lamsfus et al., 2015). On the other hand, a number of challenges associated with the effective management of STDs have been documented, not least of which are stakeholder management, environmental impact management and governance (Alcantud et al., 2017; Buhalis & Amaranggana, 2014; Díaz, 2017; Gómez & Martín, 2015; Santos-Júnior, 2016; Tomàs & Cegarra, 2016). However, for the purpose of this study, the smart tourism destination concept epitomises the model tourism – ICT symbiosis.

Background

Coastal tourism and ICT penetration in Cameroon

The current study was carried out in the coastal town of Limbe in Cameroon. Cameroon is situated in the central African region of Africa and is a member of the Economic Community of Central African States (United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), 2016). The country has land borders with Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to the south, Nigeria to the west, Chad to the north and The Republic of Congo (Brazzaville to the east (Nations on line, 2020). Situated in the Gulf of Guinea, Cameroon’s coastal tourism footprint is firmly established through access to the Atlantic Ocean, notably the towns of Limbe in the Southwest region of the country and Kribi in the south.

Economic impact data from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) indicates that travel and tourism contributed 8% (XAF 365.1 BN) to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 8.3% (907, 800 jobs) of total employment in 2019 (World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), 2020). Generally referred to as Africa in miniature because of its rich and diverse tourism resources, Cameroon’s tourism sector still operates in its nascent stages as tourism is under-resourced, poorly managed and under-valued (Nyikana & Tichaawa, 2018; Kimbu, 2012).

Cameroon’s coastline of 402 km has attracted a significant number of local and international tourists over the years and presents an important asset for tourism development in the country (Abam, 2019; Abossolo et al., 2015; Kimbu, 2012). A study by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) on sustainable tourism governance and management in coastal areas of Cameroon and other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), 2013) revealed that important benefits such as revenue generation, job creation, sustainable community livelihoods, among others accrue to these countries from coastal tourism. However, the same study (World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), 2013) equally underscored the imperative for coastal tourism destinations in Cameroon and elsewhere to be more creative in product development, adopt innovative destination management strategies and excel in the delivery of tourism services. The exponential growth in ICT penetration in Cameroon from 0.25% in 2000 to 23.2% in 2020 (Clement, 2020; Miniwatts Marketing Group, 2020) represents a great opportunity for tourism managers to re-energise tourism in the country.

The location of the town of Limbe in the Gulf of Guinea, with direct access to the Atlantic Ocean and at the foot of the Fako Mountain makes it quite favourable to tourism development. Until 1980, the town was known as Victoria, a name the British Baptist missionary Alfred Saker gave in 1858. This is also a pointer to the rich historical significance of the town of Limbe with monuments littered around the city. Limbe’s strategic location and rich history are well complemented by the diverse fauna and flora found at the Limbe Botanic and Zoological Gardens. Economically, Limbe is a powerhouse as it is endowed with petroleum deposits and huge agricultural products from plantations that thrive on the rich volcanic soil (Tiafack et al., 2014). Understanding these key attractive features of Limbe as a tourist destination provides a foundation from which to understand why visitors frequent the destination.

Methods

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into visitors’ motivations for spending time at the Limbe waterfront and their use of ICT in order to suggest ways of improving visitors’ experiences at the destination. To this end, a quantitative research approach was employed through the use of a questionnaire to collect data from visitors to the Limbe beach on their main reasons for visiting and use of ICT prior and during the visit.

Study instrument

The questionnaire used in gathering information from the visitors was divided into three sections labeled A, B, and C. Prior to presenting the questionnaire, there was a brief introduction reminding respondents of their basic freedom of choice to participate in the study or not and the right to anonymity as their individual identity would under no circumstance be sought or disclosed. Section A of the questionnaire was structured in the form of a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 – strongly disagree, 2 – disagree somewhat, 3 – not sure, 4 – agree to 5 – fully agree. The literature review on visitor motivations provided 15 constructs on which the respondents were asked to indicate the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with motivating their visit to Limbe Beach. Details of the specific tourists’ motivational elements included in the list of options for respondents to consider were drawn from relevant literature by Daia et al. on the motivation of cruise tourists regarding culture, Fodness (1994) on the measurement of tourists’ motivation and Kessler et al. (2020) on tourists motivation scale and Xin et al. (2024) who delved into the segmentation of tourist motivation. The second part of the questionnaire consisted of 14 elements emanating from the literature review (Acharjee & Ahmed, 2023; Hussain et al., 2024) on the use of ICT in tourism. As in the previous section, this part of the research instrument was structured on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1- not at all important, 2- not important, 3- minimal importance, 4 – important, to 5 – very important. The respondents were asked to indicate how important ICT had been during the three phases of (i) planning the visit, (ii) traveling (transiting) to the destination, and (iii) part of the destination experience. Lastly, part C of the questionnaire captured the demographic details of the respondents such as gender, age and place of origin.

Pre-testing of the instrument

In order to ascertain that the developed instrument was suitable for use in the Cameroon context, pre-testing was considered necessary. In addition to ensuring contextual relevance, the research instrument had to be tested to avoid language ambiguity and ensure clarity of expression and understanding. In this regard, twenty questionnaires were distributed to students in the tourism program in Buea, 23 kilometers from the study site (Limbe). For example, the pre-test led to the realisation that the words entertainment’ and ‘surrounding’ had been incorrectly spelt. After this, the questionnaire was finalised, formatted and printed.

Ethical considerations

As is the case with credible research, an application for ethical clearance was submitted to the relevant structure of the local University for approval. The name of the local University is withheld for purposes of review anonymity. The ethical clearance certificate bearing reference number 2019/STAFF/THS/1352 was issued on the 22nd of April 2019.

Data collection

Data for this study was collected over six weekends (Friday to Sunday) between the 25^th of October 2019 and the 8^th of December 2019. In preparation for the data collection exercise, five field workers from Achas University Institute of Tourism and Business Management were trained on ethical conduct in data collection. All field workers were final-year students studying towards a tourism and hospitality management degree. During the data collection exercise, the fieldworkers approached individuals spending time at the Limbe beach and asked if they would be willing to take part in the study. People who agreed to participate in the study were handed the questionnaire to complete. All respondents could read and write in English so there were no language impediments. A total of 264 questionnaires were completed and returned over six weeks.

Data analysis

The 264 returned questionnaires were screened for completeness and consistency and 14 were discarded as they were not fully completed. The 250 duly completed questionnaires were captured in Microsoft^® Excel^® spreadsheet and analysed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 25. While the descriptive analysis followed an examination of frequencies and mean values, the exploratory factor analysis was used to reduce the large data set into easily manageable sizes in order to reveal the underlying patterns (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011).

Results and discussion

The findings of this study are presented in the following sections, starting with the demographic characteristics of the respondents, followed by factor analysis, the analyses of variance (T-test and ANOVA) and results of the effect sizes.

General profile of respondents at the beachfront

The data presented in Table 1 below reveals that a slight majority of females (52%) took part in this study compared to males (48%). Furthermore, most of the respondents were of a youthful age (63%) as they were 30 years old or younger. It is not surprising that most of the respondents (80%) came from the Southwest region of Cameroon, considering that the study site is in the town of Limbe in the Southwest region of Cameroon. Interestingly, most respondents (45%) indicated that their main internet access point where they gather travel information is a cybercafé, followed by their mobile phones (37%).

Table 1. General profile of respondents at the beachfront.

Demographic characteristic	Category description	Frequency (N)	Percentage
Gender	Female	131	52%
	Male	119	48%
Age (in years)	18–20	88	35%
	21–30	71	28%
	31–40	48	19%
	41–50	37	15%
	50+	6	3%
Visitor origin	Southwest Region	200	80%
	Northwest Region	4	2%
	Litoral region	34	13%
	Central Region	12	5%
Principal source of ICT access	Personal computer	46	18%
	Cyber cafe	112	45%
	Mobile phone	92	37%

Factor analysis of respondents’ motivations for spending time on the beach

In order to gain a better understanding of the key push factors motivating the respondents to spend time at the beachfront, the large quantity of data collected from 250 respondents was ­subjected to a factor analysis using IBM’s Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. The output of the analysis was first observed for suitability for factor analysis and the results (Table 2) revealed a Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy (KMO) of .741, above the minimum recommended value of .6 (Kaiser, 1974) and a Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity result of .000, below the maximum accepted value of .05 (Pallant, 2013), thereby confirming the validity of the data set.

Table 2. Results of the KMO and Bartlett’s Test.

Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy.		.741
Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity	Approx. Chi-Square	1279.234
	df	105
	Sig.	.000

The results presented in Table 3 below reveal how the 15 motivational items loaded on four key factors. Based on the examined similarities among the items, the four factors were labelled as: quest for novelty (factor 1), Foster relationships (factor 2), rest and rejuvenation (factor 3) and personal development (factor 4).

Table 3. Results of the factor analysis on motivations for spending time at the beach.

My main motivation for visiting the beach today is to …	Component
	Factor 1: Quest for novelty	Factor 2: Foster relationships	Factor 3: Rest and rejuvenate	Factor 4: Personal development
Have fun	.612
Spend time with friends	.833
Meet new people with similar interests	.874
Enjoy natural surroundings of the ocean	.371
Spend time with someone special		.457
Spend time with Family		.746
Enjoy some entertainment		.538
Spend quality time with Children		.709
To relax			.474
Break away from daily pressure			.333
Rest			.667
Enjoy the Ocean view			.351
Break away from work				.532
Do Something new				.362
Check out new business opportunities				.565
Cronbach alpha	.676	.603	.561	.455
Mean	3.16	3.22	3.49	2.77

From the mean values displayed below the four factors, it is clear that the motivation to rest and rejuvenate (relax, break away from daily pressure, rest and enjoy the ocean view) is the greatest push factor among the respondents with a mean value of 3.49, followed by the desire to foster quality relationships (Spend time with someone special, spend time with Family, enjoy some entertainment and spend quality time with Children) with a mean value of 3.22.

Results of the analysis of variance

With the extraction of the key motivational variables from the factor analysis completed, the study proceeded to the analysis of variance to test for any significant differences in the mean values of key independent variables such as gender and age groups, and the key visitor motivational elements (dependent variables) extracted through the factor analysis. Hence, the gender variable was subjected to an independent-sample T-test, while age groups were tested through a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Results of the independent-samples t-test and effect sizes

Results obtained from the independent samples T-tests comparing the mean values of females (n = 107) and males (n = 140) are presented in Table 4 below.

Table 4. Results of the independent samples T-test.

Gender My motivation for being by the beach today is to …	Female (n = 107)		Male (n = 140)		t	Sig. (2-tailed)	Effect sizes
	Mean	Std Dev	Mean	Std Dev
Factor 1: Quest for novelty	2.68	1.4	3.4	1.16	−2.9	0.19	−0.9
Factor 2: Quality relationships	3.24	1.38	3.20	1.32	1.8	0.14	0.02
Factor 3: Rest and rejuvenate	3.52	1.17	3.46	1.11	0.6	0.20	0.01
Factor 4: Personal development	2.62	0.97	2.94	1.13	−2.04	0.13	−0.2
Total	12.06	1.23	13	1.18	0.8	0.2	−1.07

The results reveal no statistically significant difference in scores for females and males as all values (0.19, 0.14, 0.20, 0.13) were above the 0.05 significance level (Pallant, 2013; p. 250). The magnitude of the effect sizes was calculated as: $$\text{Eta\hspace{0.17em}\hspace{0.17em}squared\hspace{0.17em}}=\hspace{0.17em}\frac{\hspace{0.17em}{t}^2}{t^2+\left(\text{N1\hspace{0.17em}}+\text{\hspace{0.17em}N2\hspace{0.17em}}-\text{\hspace{0.17em}2}\right)}$$

The effect sizes revealed one value of .01, and all other scores of less than .01, hence the conclusion that the effect sizes between females and males can be described as having minimal effect (Cohen, 1988, cited in Pallant, 2013, p. 251) on the visitor motivational elements.

Results of the one-way analyses of variance (ANOVA)

The analyses of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to find out if there were any statistically significant differences based on the age groups of the respondents and their motivations for participating in coastal tourism. The four visitor motivational constructs obtained from the factor analysis were identified as fostering relationships (factor 1), spending quality time with family (factor 2), rest and rejuvenate (factor 3), and quest for novelty (factor 4).

Results of the analysis of variance between age groups and beach leisure motivation

The study further sought to establish if there was any statistically significant difference in the age groups of the respondents and their motivations for participating in coastal tourism. In line with the age brackets featured in the questionnaire, five age groups were defined as 20 years or less (group 1), 21 – 30 years (group 2), 31 – 40 years (group 3), 41 – 50 years (group 4) and above 50 years (group 5). All five age groups were tested for statistically significant differences by means of ANOVA. Results obtained from the analysis are presented in Table 5 below.

Table 5. Results of the analysis of variance based on age groups.

Age group (in years) Key motivating factors	≤R20		21–30		31–40		41–50		50+
	Mean	Std dev	Mean	Std dev	Mean	Std dev	Mean	Std Dev	Mean	Std dev	P Value	Effect size
Quest for novelty	2.71	1.28	3.38	1.21	3.23	1.29	3.68	1.30	3.42	1.00	0.009	0.09
Quality relationships	3.17	1.36	3.24	1.18	3.39	1.40	3.15	1.52	2.79	1.21	0.06	0.04
Rest and rejuvenate	3.34	1.12	3.63	1.04	3.51	1.19	3.65	1.18	3.04	1.25	0.13	0.06
Personal development	2.56	1.14	3.01	1.22	2.87	1.28	2.86	1.09	1.83	1.10	0.002	0.09
Total											0.05

The results of the analysis of variance revealed statistically significant differences at the P ≤ 0.5 (Pallant, 2013) between the age groups with regard to the quest for novelty (p = 0.009) and personal development (0.002). A close examination of the mean values of these two factors reveals that while the younger respondents (20 years or younger) exhibit less affinity towards the quest for novelty (2.71), the mean value tends to increase with age groups, hence, 21 – 30 = 3.38, 31 – 40 = 3,68 and 50+ = 3.42. On the other hand, the younger respondents are more motivated by opportunities for personal development (2.56) than the older persons, especially those above 50 years old (1.83).

Further examination of the effect sizes, calculated as, $$\text{Eta\hspace{0.17em}\hspace{0.17em}squared\hspace{0.17em}}=\hspace{0.17em}\frac{\text{sum\hspace{0.17em}\hspace{0.17em}of\hspace{0.17em}\hspace{0.17em}squares\hspace{0.17em}\hspace{0.17em}between\hspace{0.17em}\hspace{0.17em}groups}}{\text{Total\hspace{0.17em}\hspace{0.17em}sum\hspace{0.17em}\hspace{0.17em}of\hspace{0.17em}\hspace{0.17em}squares}}$$ revealed scores were within the range of 0,04 and 0.09 and therefore considered to be of moderate effect (Cohen, 1988).

Information communication technology (ICT) and leisure participation

Ruiz & Hernández (2017) assert that the tourism sector has been heavily impacted by the digital technological revolution and ICTs, making its incorporation into destination management and tourist product development an imperative. Hence, this motivated the current study to find out the extent to which ICT formed part of the respondents’ experience at the coastal destination of Limbe in Cameroon. Results of ICT use in various travel and tourism engagements by the respondents are presented in Table 6 below.

Table 6. ICT use for tourism purposes among respondents.

The prevalence of ICT in respondent leisure practice	N	Mean	Std. Deviation
	Statistic	Statistic	Statistic
Making the decision on place to visit	250	3.12	1.129
Get information about travel destination	250	3.20	1.183
What to take along	250	2.48	1.268
Planning the travel route	250	2.08	1.087
Inviting friends	250	1.96	1.115
Choice of accommodation	250	2.32	1.252
Check out security at the destination	250	3.13	1.463
Place to eat	250	2.66	1.436
Taking photos	250	3.47	1.287
Sharing photos	250	3.44	1.067
Checking cleanliness of the beach	250	2.67	1.089
Find out if it is safe at the beach	250	2.84	1.204
Places of entertainment	250	2.50	1.197
Potential health risk	250	2.16	1.126

Source: Author, 2020.

Results from the mean values in Table 6 indicate that the principal use of ICT during leisure travel among the respondents is to take photos (3.47), followed by sharing photos (3.44). In terms of tourism industry operations, many of the visitors use ICT to get information about the travel destination (3.20), find out about security at the destination (3.13), and make decisions about the place to visit (3.12). It is, however, surprising that the use of ICT to invite friends to be part of the experience is rated quite low (1.96).

Discussion

This study explored visitors’ motivations for visiting the Limbe waterfront and their use of ICT in organising the trip and during the experience. The motivation was to gain a better understanding of the push factors behind people visiting the waterfront and the influence of ICT in their visiting experience, but importantly, to suggest ways of improving the quality of visitors to the Limbe waterfront. The ensuing discussion sheds light on how this goal was achieved and suggests various implications of the study findings.

It is evident from the findings of this study that the strongest motivation among the respondents at the Limbe waterfront is to rest and rejuvenate (3.49). This is explained by the desire to relax, break away from daily pressure, rest and enjoy the view of the ocean. This is in line with findings by Carvache-Franco et al. (2024) that the primary motivation in tourists is the intrinsic value they derive from attending an event or visiting an attraction. From a conceptual perspective, these findings would align with the push factors explained in Dann’s push-pull theory (1977) theory.

This motivation is closely followed by the desire to foster relationships (3.22). In this regard, the respondents are interested in spending time with someone special, having time with family, entertaining themselves and spending quality time with Children. A number of previous studies (Chen et al., 2014; Korcha et al., 2016; Wang et al., 2020) also reached the conclusion that most leisure participants enjoy spending time with loved ones and fostering personal bonds. In the context of the motivational framework advanced by Albayrak & Caber (2018), this would align with the needs-based strand of motivation.

The motivation to experience novelty (3.16) and pursue personal development (2.77) also attract significant traction among the respondents. While these are not new motivational elements in tourism studies (Kessler et al., 2020; Korcha et al., 2016; Wang et al., 2020), Mishra et al. (2022) agree with the findings in this study that novelty and personal development are hardly the primary motivation in tourism contexts. However, the two motivations in this instance resonate with the optimal Arousal theory proposed by Iso-Ahola (1982) as the respondents indicate that they are motivated by new environments and activities.

Even though results from the independent samples T-test reveal no statistically significant difference between the mean scores of females and males, it is difficult to ignore the fact that females place higher values on the motivation to spend quality time with family (3.24) and to rest and rejuvenate (3.52) than males (3.20 and 3.46 respectively). On the other hand, male respondents appear to be more motivated by the quest to foster relationships (3.4 and novelty (2.94) than females (2.68 and 2.62 respectively). Several studies have revealed differences in tourists’ motivation across gender (Carvache-Franco et al., 2020; Korcha et al., 2016; Wang et al., 2020).

The third conclusion from this study stems from the results of the analysis of variance between the age groups. A close examination of the results of variance between the age groups reveals that motivations vary as the respondents grow older. While the respondents who are 40 years or younger indicate that their greatest motivation is to rest and rejuvenate, respondents older than 40 years give preference to the quest to foster relationships. Previous research (Cristina & Dwayne, 2008)

Finally, it is interesting to observe that the predominant use of ICT among the respondents is to take photos (3.47) and share with friends (3.44). This should constitute indirect marketing on behalf of the destination and any products that have a positive connotation from the visitors’ perspective. Nonetheless, the use of ICT for capturing and sharing tourism experiences is not new as Bizirgianni & Dionysopoulou (2013); Mostafanezhad & Norum, 2018; Aebli, 2019; and Sigalat-Signes et al. (2020) reached a similar conclusion. However, this conclusion differed significantly from that reached other researchers (Chen et al., 2014; Sarantopoulos et al., 2014; Sharma et al., 2020) who found the use of ICT in tourism to be mainly in communicating more serious situations such as health, work and security.

Implications

The conclusions from this study reveal direct implications for tourism policy, planning and development in Limbe and Cameroon in general.

At the level of tourism policy, it is important for policymakers and tourism operators in Limbe in particular and Cameroon in general to recognise the close proximity between tourism and ICT, especially with the high penetration of ICT use in the country. There is a need to update tourism policy in a manner that considers ICT tools as an inseparable part of all tourism functions. Facilities such as free internet access should be considered at all tourist hops across the destination as this will attract tourists and provide a platform for tourists to assist in destination and product marketing.

Furthermore, the high prevalence of ICT use in capturing and sharing tourism experiences has implications for tourism destination marketing. With visitors taking pictures of their experiences and sharing with family and friends in other places, it is evident that visitors have become an important medium of tourism destination marketing. This implies that visitors have moved beyond the consumer function to become important marketing instruments in tourism.

Finally, this study reveals important implications for tourism destination branding considering that there is evidence of differences in motivation across gender and age groups. Tourism destinations such as Limbe need to re-think how to formulate their destinations in a way that cuts across genders and appeals to diverse age groups.

Contributions of the study

Even though a number of studies (Dai et al., 2019; Lee et al., 2023; Neuhofer et al., 2014) have examined the use of technology by tourists while visiting attractions, most of those studies have focused on destinations in the global north. This study, therefore, contributes to the literature on the use of technology in coastal tourism in the global South, notably Cameroon. Further to this, despite the potential for coastal tourism in Cameroon, there is little or no promotion of the coastal tourism niche. This study intends to make a contribution by drawing attention to the sleeping beauty of coastal tourism in Cameroon. Finally, by delving into specific demographic details such as gender and age groups, this study hopes to encourage destination managers to pay attention to different needs that could exist within tourist groups.

Limitations

It is worthwhile pointing out a few limitations that apply to this study. Firstly, the sample was limited to those who agreed to participate in the study. Therefore, the data used in the analysis does not represent the views of all tourists to the Limbe waterfront. Secondly, the demographic distribution of respondents is not even, hence any conclusions reached in this regard should be generalised with caution. Finally, the quantitative research approach adopted in this study did not give respondents an opportunity to explain or give details of their views. Based on these limitations, future research on tourism and ICT use in Limbe is recommended to consider using a larger sample and a qualitative approach.

Acknowledgments

This paper’s authors appreciate the reviewers’ constructive input and suggestions.

Disclosure statements

There is no conflict of interest to declare.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Paul Nkemngu Acha-Anyi

Paul Nkemngu Acha-Anyi research focus is on the impact of tourism on communities. My research aims to explore ways of developing tourism in a sustainable manner by ensuring that communities, businesses and other stakeholders benefit from tourism. This has been the focus of my research papers, published books and conference presentations for the past fifteen years. The present paper examines coastal tourism because visitors are attracted to waterfronts and water activities but coastal destinations can also be more proactive in ensuring that tourism continues to grow in these destinations so that all stakeholders can continue to benefit.

Vikelwa Judith Nomnga

Vikelwa Judith Nomnga is a seasoned academic with over ten years of experience in the delivery of lectures in hospitality management. Her expertise and exposure to hospitality industry operations are clearly reflected in her research publications. Dr Nomnga has also served in various management positions, notably as Head of the Tourism, Hospitality and Sports management programme at Walter Sisulu University.