Bollywood induced international travel through the lens of the involvement construct

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to determine the impact of Bollywood movies and television programing on the travel behaviours of Indian tourists. 670 usable surveys were gathered and analysed. The involvement construct was utilized to segment respondents into three significantly different groups both demographically and attitudinally. Indians were highly engaged with Bollywood movies and television shows, particularly those highly involved with foreign travel. Highly involved Indians were more likely to participate in tourist activities at destinations shown in Bollywood movies and television programmes, especially visiting specific film locations, and visiting festivals, events and attractions seen in movies. Highly involved individuals use movies and television as motivation to travel more frequently than those who are less involved with international tourism.

KEYWORDS:

• Bollywood movies
• film-induced tourism
• travel motivations
• involvement
• consumer behaviour
• India

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bharath M. Josiam

Bharath M. Josiam is Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management, College of Merchandising, Hospitality & Tourism, University of North Texas, USA. His research interests are in tourist consumer behaviours, movie-induced tourism, youth tourism and international hospitality & tourism. His articles have appeared in journals including Journal of Vacation Marketing, Tourism Management, Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, and British Food Journal.

Daniel L. Spears

Daniel L. Spears is Associate Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management, College of Merchandising, Hospitality & Tourism, University of North Texas, USA. His research interests are in tourism marketing, movie-induced tourism, sustainable tourism and services marketing. His articles have appeared in journals including Journal of Vacation Marketing, Journal of Travel Research and International Journal of Culture Tourism and Hospitality Research.

Kirti Dutta

Kirti Dutta is Dean & Professor of Marketing at the G. L. Bajaj Institute of Management and Research (GLBIMR) in Delhi NCR, India. She is a TEDx Speaker and text book author.  Her research interests are in consumer behaviour, services marketing, brand management and entrepreneurship. Her articles have appeared in journals including Hospitality Marketing & Consumer Behavior, Journal of Vacation Marketing and International Journal of Sales, Retailing & Marketing.

Sanjukta Pookulangara

Sanjukta Pookulangara is Associate Professor of Merchandising and Digital Retail, College of Merchandising, Hospitality & Tourism, University of North Texas, USA. Her research interests are in consumer behaviour, digital retail, customer loyalty and multi-channel shopping. Her articles have appeared in journals including Journal of Retailing & Consumer Services, Journal of Fashion Marketing & Management and International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management.

Tammy Kinley

Tammy Kinley is Associate Dean & Professor of Merchandising & Digital Retail, College of Merchandising, Hospitality & Tourism, University of North Texas, USA. Her research interests are in consumer behaviour, garmet sizing issues, tourism and shopping, and fashion marketing. Her articles have appeared in journals including Clothing & Textiles Research Journal, International Journal of Consumer Studies, Journal of Fashion Marketing & Management and Journal of Vacation Marketing.