ABSTRACT
This study examines the relationships between tourist motivations and tourist spending across cultural, nature, and leisure experiences, and the role of religious affiliation in moderating the relationships. A survey conducted at Kuching International Airport, involving international tourists who travelled to Sarawak, Malaysia, found a significant positive relationship between tourists’ social motivation and their spending on seeking cultural, nature and leisure experiences. The study also found a significant negative relationship between nature and ego status motivations and tourist spending on similar experiences. The relationships are moderated by religious affiliation. This study taps into an unknown area of tourism research and provides evidence on how the factors could relate to different types of tourist spending.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Hassan Daronkola Kalantari
Dr. Hassan Daronkola Kalantari is lecturers in Marketing in the Department of Management and Marketing, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. Their research interests are in consumer behaviour, sustainable tourism and tourism marketing.
Chamila Roshani Perera
Dr. Chamila Roshani Perera is lecturers in Marketing in the Department of Management and Marketing, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. Their research interests are in consumer behaviour, sustainable tourism and tourism marketing.
Maryam Safinia
Maryam Safinia is a PhD student at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. Her research interests include tourist behaviour, art marketing and community-based tourism.