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2222THS Hotel Distribution and Sales - Griffith University

Cultural and Other Influences On Travel Decision-Making

Aim: Develop understanding of international travel markets and how market segmentation, targeting and positioning influences travel behavior in tourism and hospitality industry

TASK:

This assessment item aims to develop your understanding of international travel markets and how market segmentation, targeting and positioning influences travel behaviour.

Your task:

You will need to select a person to interview for this assessment task. The person must be born in a country that is different from your own country in which you were born. For example, if you are born in Australia then you must select someone who is born outside of Australia, for instance, a person born in China. They can be currently residing in Australia but must be born outside of Australia. It would be preferable if they also spent their childhood in their country of birth.

This interview aims to gain an understanding of how culture can influence travel consumer behaviour. You will also consider how other socio-cultural influences and individual differences influence travel consumer behaviour and compare these influences on the influence of culture. You will write an essay based on their interview and consideration of these influences.

In presenting their answers to the questions, you should demonstrate your understanding of marketing concepts and justify their decisions using academically based resources (i.e. theory from reading materials or other academic sources).

Suggested contents in this essay:

• Introduction

• Profile of person
o Socio-cultural influences of their travel decision-making: Describe this person in terms of their social-cultural characteristics and how these characteristics influence their travel behaviour.

o Individual influences on their travel decision-making: Describe this person in terms of their individual personal and psychological characteristics and how these characteristics influence their travel behaviour. This could include age, life-cycle stage, occupation, education, economic circumstance, lifestyle, personality and self-concept as well as their motivation, perception, learning, beliefs and attitude towards travel.

o Compare and contrast the social-cultural and individual influences.

o Identify a destination in Australia that would be ideal based on their consumer profile and then identify two activities they would undertake and where they would stay on a holiday in this destination, based upon these characteristics. Provide your reasoning for the selection of these products based on their characteristics.

• Sales promotional tactic and distribution channel
o Having profiled your interviewee and identified their preferred accommodation option, please recommend the most appropriate sales promotional tool that could use to target that person and explain how the sales team could use that tactic to sell the accommodation experience to the person you interviewed. Based on the interview responses, identify the distribution channel the interviewee would use to book their accommodation.

o Your sales promotional tactic options include:
- Print, outdoor or broadcast advertising sales promotion;
- Online or social media sales promotion;
- Personal selling to generate sales;
- Competition or coupons;
- Point-of-purchase promotion;
- Publicity activity to generate sales;
- A direct marketing campaign. Select one (only) of these tactics.

o Remember that advertising says "buy our product". Sales promotions say "buy it now." What is your call to action? That is, what do you want the person to do as a result of receiving your communication.

o Determine a communication objective, design the message content and format, select the communication channel and the message source (see pages 220-226 of your textbook). Explain how you could evaluate the results, that is, the sales effect.

o Try to be creative and innovative in your approach! You can draw ideas from other campaigns and should adapt rather than replicate them.

• Conclusion

Use APA 7 referencing style for this report.

Assignment interview

This interview guide is for your consideration only. It is up to you whether you would like to make use of the below question examples or create your own questions on the four components of culture, social, personal, and psychological. You may also a mix of the suggested questions and your own questions.

Culture
• What are your nationality and ethnicity?
o How do people from your birth country generally think about holidaying or taking a vacation?
- How often and when do they typically holiday?
- What types of accommodation is most popular?
o Is your holiday behaviour similar or different to others in your birth country?
• How does your upbringing influence your travel preferences?
• Do you like to travel to places where people speak a different language to you? Why/why not?
• Do you think cultural awareness is important when travelling?
• Do you behave differently when facing a culture that is very different from your own? If yes, how do you behave differently and why?
• How do you explore and experience the local culture while travelling?
• What are your religious beliefs? Does this influence your travel decision-making?
• Do you have special needs or requirements when travelling (e.g. special diet - vegetarian, halal food/prayer room for Muslim, Kosher food for Judaism, etc.)?

Social
• What membership/reference groups do you belong to? (Consider family, friends, student or work groups, social networks etc.).
• Can you think of other groups that you would like to belong to (aspirational)?
• How do you inform yourself about your intended travel destination?
• How do your family and friends influence you when planning a holiday?
• Do you prefer to travel with a group (family/friends/colleagues) or travel solo? Why?
• How does social media influence your holiday choice/planning?
• Do you share your travel experiences on social media?

Personal
• What is your age?
• What is your occupation?
• What leisure activities do you enjoy?
• What is your favourite travel destination and why?
• What entertainment options do you seek most in your leisure time?
• How does your current occupation impact your lifestyle?
• How does your current economic situation affect your lifestyle?
• Do you think travelling is costly?
• How does travel promotion affect your decision making?
• How does price affect your holiday, activities, food and accommodation choice?
• Which type of accommodation do you normally stay at and why?
• What means of transport do you use while on holiday?
• Where do you usually book your holiday?

Psychological
• What motivates you to go on a holiday?
• Think back to your last holiday. What did you like about it?
• What did you dislike about your last holiday?
• How does travelling make you feel?
• Is travelling important to you? Why?
• How does the image/reputation of a destination influence your holiday choice?
• Do you prefer revisiting places or travelling to a new destination? Why?
• Do you feel guilty about going on holiday?
• What are the challenges/problems that you face when choosing a holiday destination?
• Do you consider safety and security when deciding where to travel? Do you feel it is safe to travel at present? Why/why not?

Other potential questions
• What travel experiences do you want to take following the end of the pandemic?
• What other factors are the most important for you when choosing a holiday destination/planning a trip?

Attachment:- Hotel Distribution and Sales.rar