TOURISM EXPERIENCES, MOTIVATIONS, AND TRAVEL LIFESTYLES PREFERENCES FOR DOMESTIC TOURISTS: A CASE OF JORDAN

Abstract

It is acknowledged that domestic tourism activities and movements have grown considerably in recent years, particularly, after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, different dimensions of domestic tourism have received scant attention in tourism research literature up till now. Therefore, the main purposes of the current study are to identify the push and pull motivations, tourism experiences and travel lifestyle preferences for a sample of tourists undertaking domestic tourism experiences in Jordan. Furthermore, this study seeks to explore the potential relationship between the push and pull motivations and travel lifestyles preferences with the tourist experience for such tourists in Jordan. A quantitative approach was used in this study, comprising of a self-administered questionnaire that involved inviting a convenience sample of 232 domestic tourists in Jordan. The present study utilized validated and reliable scales that have been extensively applied across various tourism settings to measure the motivations, tourists’ experiences, and travel lifestyles. Non-parametric methods, correlation analysis and a series of multiple regressions were employed to examine the potential relationship between the different study variables. Taken together, the results revealed that the major push factors behind tourists engaging in a domestic tourism experience were relaxation, escape, and enjoyment, while the highest pull factors were weather and nature, available activities, and cost. Also, the study showed that motivations were good predictors for tourist experience and there was a weak and negative relationship between travel lifestyle and tourist experience. It is interesting to note that motivations for domestic tourism experiences for the respondents have been driven more by internal factors than by external motivations. The findings of this study have gone some way towards enhancing our understanding of tourist experience, motivations, and travel lifestyle constructs for domestic tourism in Jordan. Moreover, this study provides additional evidence about the relationship between the motivations of domestic tourists and their experiences and their lifestyles preferences. Collectively, assessment of the study variables can be helpful for evaluation of the effectiveness of domestic tourism’s products, services and activities to fulfil the domestic tourists’ needs and preferences.

Keywords

• tourism experiences
• motivations
• travel lifestyles preferences
• domestic tourism
• the middle east