Decision making process of the senior cultural heritage
tourist
Master of Science, Business Administration Small Business & Entrepreneurship
May, 2011
Master‟s Thesis Heleen N. Hofstra
S 1808591
University of Groningen Faculty of Economics and Business
Postbus 800 9700 AV Groningen Supervisor (1): Dr. C.K. Streb Supervisor (2): Dr. C.H.M. Lutz
Jan Hofstra Reizen bv Burg. Wuiteweg 162
2
Abstract
The decision making process of the senior cultural heritage tourist is the key element of this study, which is commissioned by the cultural travel organization Jan Hofstra Reizen. A literature review, combined with surveys and interviews form the basis for the results of this qualitative study on decision making. The senior cultural heritage tourist attaches explicitly value to the learning aspect and the cultural activities offered. Besides, they rely mainly on personal and commercial sources, and less on public sources and internet. When evaluating alternatives, the focus is primarily on the subject of the voyage, instead of the price.
3 Table of contents Introduction ... 4 1. Profile of JHR ... 7 1.1 Product ... 7 1.2 Customers ... 8 1.3 Marketing ... 8 2. Literature review ... 9
2.1 Decision making process and consumer behaviour ... 9
2.2 Segmenting the market on the base of age ... 11
2.2.1 Cohort analysis ... 12
2.2.2 Examples of a cohort analysis ... 13
2.2.3 Psychological, social and biological aging ... 14
2.2.4 Cognitive age ... 15
2.3 Segmentation of seniors in the travel industry ... 17
2.4 Segmentation in cultural tourism ... 19
2.4.1 The cultural tourist ... 19
2.4.2 Segmentation of activities ... 20
2.4.3 Segmentation on interest/motivation and depth of experience ... 21
2.4.4 Linking clusters to the customer profile of JHR ... 22
2.4.5 Senior cultural heritage tourism ... 23
2.5 Research question ... 27 2.6 Propositions ... 28 2.6.1 Need recognition ... 28 2.6.2 Information search ... 29 2.6.3 Evaluation of alternatives ... 31 2.6.4 Purchase decision ... 32
2.6.5 Post purchase behaviour... 33
2.7 Conceptual model ... 34 3. Research design ... 35 3.1 Research strategy ... 35 3.2 Research approach ... 37 3.3 Data collection ... 38 3.4 Respondents ... 41 3.5 Data Analysis ... 42 4. Findings ... 45 5. Analysis ... 49
5.1 Analysis regarding propositions ... 49
5.2 Diagram of findings ... 55
6. Discussion ... 57
7. Recommendations for Jan Hofstra Reizen ... 63
8. Conclusion ... 67
Limitations ... 69
Implications for future research... 69
References ... 70
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Introduction
Entrepreneurs and marketers show an increasing interest in seniors. Not surprising, because the number of seniors in the Netherlands grows from 2.5 million in 2010, to 4.2 million in 2050 (CBS, 2010). The CBS1 defines seniors in this case as people of 65 years and older. Besides the general growth in the number of the elderly, some other motives explain the interest in this target group, including their amount of free time, the wealth of the market, and their good health and physical condition (Roberson, 2002; Sniadek, 2006; Dann, 2001; Horneman, Carter, Wei & Ruys, 2002). The travel industry is an area where the growth of the number of seniors has significant impact (Shoemaker, 2000). Nevertheless, travel agencies seem to face difficulties in reaching them (Sudbury & Simcock, 2009). Mainly because the elderly are not one, but exist of several different markets (Fox, Roscoe & Feigenbaum, 2001; Horneman et al., 2002; Carrigan, 1998).
This study is commissioned by the Dutch travel organization Jan Hofstra Reizen bv (further called JHR). A small firm which is established in 1978 and focuses on cultural and art related voyages. The current target group of the firm can be summarized as well educated people in the age of 50 until 80 years old, with a high interest for art history, religion and culture. Currently, the number of travellers is reducing at JHR, while the number of seniors in the Netherlands is increasing. Jan Hofstra would like to know whether there is an opportunity to continue his firm, perhaps on a different scale, or if it would be better to liquidate the firm. To facilitate the answer on this question, it is relevant for the firm to
5 identify the decision making process of seniors in the area of cultural voyages. This will give the firm the opportunity to adapt their voyages to the needs of this group and develop a focus in their marketing strategy. A decision making process is part of consumer behaviour and understanding this behaviour is the key to business success (Sheth, Mittal & Newman, 1999). It provides basic knowledge necessary to make successful business decisions and gives the firm a competitive advantage in the market (Schiffman & Kanuk, 1994; Sheth, Mittal & Newman, 1999). Due to growing levels of competition, obtaining information about customers is for small firms extremely important (Callahan & Cassar, 1995). It provides valuable information about the products and services delivered by the firm (Cegarra-Navarro & Sanchez-Polo, 2008).
6 of JHR and trends in the travel industry. Previous studies show a tendency towards cultural activities of seniors during their vacation. Silberberg described in 1995 already a positive trend in the cultural travel market, and predicted a positive shift due to the following social trends: higher levels of education, increasing number of women with a high position in the society (women tend to be more culturally oriented) and the aging baby boom generation. Silberberg (1995) also mentions a greater emphasis on quality time experiences which cultural events and facilities offer. Shoemaker (2000) concludes in his investigation of segmenting the senior market that more than 50% of his respondents included cultural activities in their preferences on vacation. Horneman et al. (2002) state that 41% of the senior travel market in the UK are labelled as „culture hounds‟. This means that their main motivation to travel are cultural and heritage related activities.
The research objective of this study includes: “What is the decision making process of seniors in the area of cultural related voyages?” In order to give an appropriate answer on this question, the following sub-questions will be answered: - How is decision making related to consumer behaviour?
- What is known regarding the segmentation of different age groups?
- What kind of segmentations exist regarding seniors in the travel industry, and regarding the cultural tourist?
- Which factors influence the senior cultural heritage tourist in their decision making process?
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1. Profile of JHR
Before the research question and sub questions will be answered, the characteristics of JHR are described. A distinction is made in the product, customers and current marketing activities.
1.1 Product
8 During the past 10 years, JHR also offers voyages by boat (in combination with bus transport), mostly in The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. JHR offers voyages from March until October, with departures on pleasant times of the day.
1.2 Customers
The current customers of JHR consist of 60% alone travelling women, 15% alone travelling men and 25% couples. The majority of the customers has an age between 50 and 80 years old. Geographic figures show that 50% is living in the Western part of the Netherlands, 27% in the Northern part, 16% in the Eastern part and just 7% in the Southern part of the Netherlands. Regarding social classes, customers belong often to the upper and middle class. The upper class includes CEO‟s of large companies and highly educated specialists. The middle class consists of CEO‟s of small and medium sized enterprises, government officials in semi-high positions. Currently, the database of JHR contains 2700 addresses.
1.3 Marketing
JHR publishes once a year a travel guide containing all the voyages they offer. This travel guide has been published from the early beginning of the firm, and became for customers a collectors item. JHR also has a website2, where all the
voyages are displayed. Travellers can book voyages online. Besides the annually travel guide and the website, there is little attention paid to advertising and other forms of marketing tools.
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2. Literature review
The literature review is based on the systematic literature review process of Brereton et al. (2007)3. It begins with an explanation of the decision making
process in relation to consumer behaviour. The subsequent paragraphs provide overviews of existing literature regarding the segmentation of different age groups, segmentation of seniors in the travel industry, and segmentation in cultural tourism. Finally, the existing literature is linked the profile of the current travellers of JHR and the research gap is explicated, followed by the final research question and propositions.
2.1 Decision making process and consumer behaviour
Consumer behaviour concerns the behaviour that consumers show in searching for, purchasing, using, evaluating, and disposing of products and services that they expect will satisfy their needs (Schiffman & Kanuk, 1994). Blackwell, Miniard and Engel (2001) formulate it in a different manner and describe consumer behaviour as the activities people undertake when obtaining, consuming, and disposing of products and services.
Several authors developed models regarding consumer behaviour (Schiffman & Kanuk, 1994; Blackwell et al., 2001; Kotler, Bowen and Makens, 2010; Hoyer, 2001; Sheth et al., 1999). These models show similarities. Models start with identifying external characteristics which can influence the behaviour of consumers. These characteristics differ from economy, climate and technology to
10 product, place, price and promotion. The subsequent element is about the characteristics of the buyer. Culture, social class, family, roles and status, lifestyle and age and lifecycle stage belong to this aspect. Some authors, e.g. Sheth et al. (1999) and Kotler et al. (2010), distinguish psychological elements like motivation, perception, learning, beliefs and attitudes. Once the characteristics of the buyer have been identified, the models continue to the process of decision making. The decision making process is a central element in this study. The process includes five stages, whereby consumers pass through all five stages with every purchase they make (Kotler et al. 2010). The five stages include problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision and post- purchase behaviour (Kotler et al., 2010; Sheth et al., 1999; Hoyer, 2001). More detailed information of the decision making process is presented in paragraph 2.6. At last, the buyer decision making process leads to certain responses. These responses include the choice of product, brand and dealer, and the purchase timing and purchase amount. Figure 1 visualizes the model.
It is clear that the decision making process is part of the behaviour of consumer. Hence, studies regarding consumer behaviour also cover the decision making process. As already mentioned in the introduction: knowledge about consumer behaviour provides basics necessary to make successful business decisions and
External
characteristics Characteristics of the buyer Process of decision making Response of consumers
11 give firms a competitive advantage in the market (Schiffman & Kanuk, 1994; Sheth, Mittal & Newman, 1999). Entrepreneurs‟ and sales peoples‟ main concern is how they can increase the consumer‟s willingness to buy a product (Hervé & Mullet, 2009).
2.2 Segmenting the market on the base of age
Segmentation is the cornerstone of the marketing effort (Kyle, Kerstetter & Guadagnolo, 2002). It is necessary in order to identify groups of people with similar interests and needs, and distinguish them in terms of their characteristics and behaviour. Since seniors are an important part of this study, it is helpful to identify different ways of segmentation on age and what kind of age groups exist.
12
Figure 2, cohort and age differences (Rentz & Reynolds, 1980)
Rentz and Reynolds (1980) present three traditional research designs to study age, cohort and period effects in consumer behaviour. They separate cross-sectional design, longitudinal design and time-lag design. The cross-sectional design compares younger and older cohorts at a certain time, the longitudinal design focuses on differences of earlier and later measurements of the same cohort. The time-lag design is often used to compare cohorts, it shows the difference of two age classes at two or more points of time.
2.2.1 Cohort analysis
13 moments: veterans (1922-1943), baby-boomers (1944-1960), generation Xers (1961-1980) and generation nexters (1980-2000). Seniors belong to the veterans and baby-boomers. The core values of the veterans are dedication, hard work and respect, and their defining moments include „the great depression‟ and world war II. The baby-boomers‟ core values are optimism, personal gratification and growth, and their most significant events are the assassination of John F. Kennedy, civil rights and women movement.
2.2.2 Examples of a cohort analysis
An example of a cohort analysis is the investigation of Hervé and Mullet (2009). They used the cross-sectional design to study the influence of age on consumer behaviour regarding clothes. Their study is specified on what they call the „intrinsic factors‟ like price, durability and suitability. Hervé and Mullet (2009) distinguish four different age groups: 18-25, 35-50, 65-74 and 75-90. Their main results show that the oldest age group seems to care the least about the price, and the most about the durability of clothes. The age group between 65 and 74 cares the least of all groups about the suitability. Regarding price and durability they show an average result.
14 show that there are some significant differences in the preferences of these two generations.
Where Hervé and Mullet (2009), Reisenwitz and Iyer (2007) and Letho et al. (2008) base their cohorts just on the chronological age, Carrigan (1999) also includes biological, social and experiental aging. Carrigan (1999) investigated the consumer behaviour of seniors in terms of sports and leisure. In her classification of seniors she distinguishes four types, which include the young old, new old, middle old and very old. The young old are characterized by pre-retired, no health restrictions, independent and restricted leisure times. The very old are retired, have extensive health restrictions, require extensive assistance and have substantial leisure time.
2.2.3 Psychological, social and biological aging
15 time increases for healthy seniors Grégoire (2003). According to Von Dras and Blumenthal (2000), the cohort group people belong to influences social changes, due to the defining moments they have in common. Psychological changes are related to the cognition (human development) and personality of people (Moschis, 1991). Attributional biases, coping style, control and personal characteristics are examples of factors that influence psychological change (Von Dras and Blumenthal, 2000).
2.2.4 Cognitive age
In the previous paragraphs presented a discussion of several aspects of age. To be exact: age groups, cohort analysis‟, and factors which can influence age.
17 2.3 Segmentation of seniors in the travel industry
It appeared that it is not wise to segment seniors on the basis of age. Therefore, it is interesting to look for other ways to identify groups of seniors, and distinguish them in terms of their characteristics and behaviour. A few authors segmented seniors on the basis of their travel motivations and preferences.
Shoemaker (2000) segmented seniors in clusters and adapted his study to the pleasure travel industry. Shoemaker (2000) distinguishes three clusters: escape and learn group, the retirees, and the active storytellers. These clusters are mainly based on the motivations for travelling, in combination with demographic figures. The escape and learn group like to visit new places, get rest and relaxation, escape for the daily routine and experience new things. The retirees prefer to return to a certain destination rather than visit a new one. The active storytellers are most likely to travel. Their motivations include escape from daily routine, experience new things, spend time with family, meet people and socialize, visit festivals, seek intelligent enrichment, tell friends about their trip, engage in physical activities, seek spiritual enrichment, be with members of the opposite sex, and visit museums and festivals (Shoemaker, 2000).
Horneman et al. (2002) investigated the senior travellers in Australia on their travel preferences and motivation, and demographic and psychographic characteristics. They distinguish the following segments: conservatives, pioneers, aussies, big spenders, indulgers, enthusiasts4.
18 The segmentations of Shoemaker (2000) and Horneman et al. (2002) both focus on seniors in the travel industry. The next question is: To which segment belongs the senior traveller looking for culture? According to Shoemaker (2000), the active storyteller is mostly interested in visiting museums and festivals, seeking intelligent enrichment, and experiencing new things. However, the learn and escape group is also interested in experiencing new things and visit new places. The voyagers interested in culture will be probably positioned between those two groups. According to the „preferred holidays‟ of the clusters of Horneman et al. (2002) one could estimate that the traveller interested in cultural voyages will be the pioneer. The pioneer prefers to go to places where tourists rarely go, where you can pioneer new places, people and experiences. Due to the fact that the authors used preferences and motivations, one could guess and estimate to which cluster the senior cultural tourist belongs. However, more research is needed to specify the motivation and preferences of this target group. Table 1 shows an overview of existing literature and their limitations.
Table 1, literature on segmentations of seniors in the travel industry
author variables clusters limitation Shoemaker
(2000) motivations for travelling, combined with demographic figures
escape and learn group, the retirees, and the active storytellers
Related to seniors in the pleasure travel industry, but not specifically to cultural tourism.
Horneman et al.
(2002) travel preferences and motivation, and demographic and psychographic characteristics
conservatives,
pioneers, aussies, big spenders, indulgers, enthusiasts.
19 2.4 Segmentation in cultural tourism
Since literature regarding seniors in the travel industry is mainly focused on the travel industry as a whole, it is necessary to immerse in the literature of cultural tourism. This paragraph provides first of all a discussion of the definition of culture, followed by several ways of segmentation in the area of cultural tourism.
2.4.1 The cultural tourist
Cultural tourism is difficult to define and includes many elements (Dolnicar, 2002). Starting with the definition of culture according to Smith (2003): “Culture is something ordinary, every society has its own shape, its own purpose, it own meanings. Every society practices these, in institutions, and in arts and learning”. Cultural tourism varies from people interested in national parks, to pop concerts, museums or festivals. Lord (1999) defines cultural tourism as “The practice of travelling to experience historic and cultural attractions to learn about a community‟s heritage in an enjoyable and educational way”.
20 tourism, neither there is a clear distinction of the several types of cultural tourists (Hughes, 2002).
The lack of research on the cultural tourists resulted during the past decade in several segmentations from different points of view. Where some authors base their investigation on the activities travellers undertake, others study the level of interest, and the height of interest or depth of experience.
2.4.2 Segmentation of activities
The study of Kim et al. (2007) contains four clusters, which are based on links between cultural activities and demographic factors: festival and musical activities, theme parks and amusement parks, local fairs and events, and knowledge seeking.
Smith (2003) separates seven types of cultural tourists, with each their own typical places and activities of interest. The seven types of cultural tourist include: heritage-, arts-, creative-, urban cultural-, rural cultural-, indigenous cultural- and popular cultural tourists5. Smith (2003) describes some demographic characteristics of the heritage tourist. She mentions the following characteristics: better than average education, age groups 20-30 or 45 to 60, in the older age category or above average income, actual or aspirant member of the middle class, travelling without children, experienced in foreign travel, chooses catered accommodation forms, relatively high per diem expenditure.
Dolnicar (2002) made an activity based market segmentation, which resulted in nine different clusters. These clusters include: standard culture tour participant,
21 super active culture freak, inactive culture tourist, organized excursion lover, event-focused, individual culture explorers, theatre musical and opera lovers, super lean culture participants, and organized culture tourist. The main difference between the three segmentation methods is that Kim et al. (2007) as well as Smith (2003) differentiate cultural attractions and relate this to demographic variables. Dolnicar (2002) also distinguishes type of activities, but includes other motives and preferences. For example how people like to travel (by bus or car), if they prefer to travel alone or within a group, organized or non-organized trips, their source of information, and what things are important to them (safety, low budget, cultural offers).
2.4.3 Segmentation on interest/motivation and depth of experience
22 is not at the core. The incidental peripheral sees culture as a reason for choosing a destination, but secondary to other reasons. For the accidental peripheral, culture did not influence their decision, but they visit cultural attractions accidentally.
McKercher and du Cros (2003) also segmented the cultural tourist. However, they argue that the height of motivation and the depth of experience are the most important factors in determining different typologies in cultural tourism. McKercher and du Cros (2003) separate five types of cultural tourists: the purposeful cultural tourist, the sightseeing cultural tourist, the causal cultural tourist, the incidental cultural tourist and the serendipitous cultural tourist. Within these clusters the purposeful cultural tourist has the highest motivation for cultural tourism and the deepest experience. The incidental cultural tourist has the shallowest experience and the lowest motivation for cultural tourism.
2.4.4 Linking clusters to the customer profile of JHR
The current activities and focus of JHR are comparable to the clusters mentioned above. Regarding the activities during voyages, JHR shows the most similarities with the knowledge seeking tourist of Kim et al. (2007), the heritage tourist of Smith (2003), and the organized culture tourist of Dolnicar (2002). To provide some examples: journeys of JHR include voyages to the royal county Kent in South England, and voyages to the Greek monks‟ republic Athos.
23 motivated and have mostly a deep experience in culture. The links between the profile of JHR to the segmentations above are displayed in the table below.
Table 2, segmentations in cultural tourism
2.4.5 Senior cultural heritage tourism
Hughes (2002) states that further research is needed in order to focus on the individual parts of cultural tourism, instead of focusing on cultural tourism as a
Authors variables Cluster that fits best to JHR
Characteristics of this cluster Kim et al.
(2007) Activities, related to demographic variables
knowledge
seeking Interested in art galleries, theatre, historical replicas of cities, historic sites, general historic museums, science or technology museums. Middle, or higher educated people, high income, mostly female, no difference in age categories. Smith (2003) Activities and
demographic variables
Heritage
tourist Tourist like to visit castles, palaces, country houses, archaeological sites, monuments, architecture, museums, and religious sites; better than average education, age groups 20-30 or 45 to 60, in the older age category or above average income, actual or aspirant member of the middle class, travelling without children, experienced in foreign travel, chooses catered
accommodation forms, relatively high per diem expenditure. Dolnicar
(2002) Activities, travel motivations and preferences
organized culture tourist
Every single member participates in organized excursions and organized bus trips. Shopping, visiting
museums, sightseeing on average interest.
Hughes
(2002) Level of interest Primary culture core Choice of destination based on the cultural attractions they want to visit, highly motivated.
McKercher & du Cros (2003) Depth of experience sought, motivation to travel for cultural reasons.
purposeful cultural tourist
Major reason for visiting a
24 whole. To facilitate the investigation of the decision making process of a specific group, it is necessary to determine the outline of this group. What are the exact similarities between the profile of the travellers of JHR and the clusters explained in the previous paragraph? How can this group of senior travellers be defined, and what are their characteristics?
Kim et al. (2007) studied the cultural attractions in relation with demographic variables of the knowledge seeking tourist, and concluded that there is no significant difference between the age groups (under 30, between 30 and 60, 61 and older). This means that the other outcomes can also be related to seniors. Which proposes that these tourists are mostly female, have middle and high education levels, and have a high socio-economic status. These demographic characteristics overlap with the findings of Smith (2003). She states that heritage tourists have a better than average education, can be in the older age category, are actual or aspirant member of the middle class, and spend relatively much money per traveller. The outcomes of Kim et al. (2007) and Smith (2003) regarding the demographic characteristics of the travellers are considerably equal to the current profile of the customers of JHR described in paragraph 1.2.
25 importance of the educational motivation for heritage tourism. Bonn, Joseph-Mathews, Hayes and Cave (2007) affirm that heritage tourism goes beyond a simple interest in the past and state that it focuses on a destination‟s historic, natural and cultural value. The product JHR offers matches largely with heritage tourism. Current customers have a high interest for heritage, culture and history. Besides, the voyages JHR offers are not just a simple sum of cultural hotspots, but emphasize a specific topic regarding history, religion, landscapes and culture. Bonn et al. (2007) state that the market for heritage tourism is one of the fastest growing tourism sectors. However, there is still much scope for future studies (González, 2007). Referring to the similarities of the travellers of JHR and the existing clusters regarding cultural tourism, it can be assumed that JHR focuses on „senior cultural heritage tourists‟.
27 2.5 Research question
In order to design the final research question of this study it is necessary to define precisely what has been researched already and what still needs to be researched. In paragraph 2.2 various aspects of age are discussed, namely age groups, cohort analysis‟, and factors which can influence age. It appeared that investigating age-related differences is discouraged, due to the cognitive age of people and the biological, social and psychological factors which influence age. Therefore, the decision is made not to continue with investigating segmentations based on age-related differences, but focusing on clusters based on other variables.
Paragraph 2.3 shows that authors studied the consumer behaviour of seniors in the travel industry (Horneman et al., 2002; Shoemaker, 2000). However, this research does not in particular focus on cultural heritage tourism. Current literature on the cultural tourism made it possible to define a profile which explains the characteristics and activities of the senior cultural heritage tourist. However, there is little known about the decision making process of this specific group. This gap in research is supported by statements of Hughes (2002), who states that additional research is necessary in order to focus on individual parts of cultural tourism, but also by González (2007), who states that there is still much scope for future studies in heritage tourism.
28 behaviour helps entrepreneurs to better meet the buyer‟s needs (Kotler et al., 2010). The final research question of this study includes:
“What is the decision making process of the senior cultural heritage tourist?”
2.6 Propositions
Kotler et al. (2010) adapted their model of consumer behaviour to the travel and leisure industry. For that reason, this model will be used as a guideline for developing the propositions. Figure 4 illustrates the decision making process.
Figure 4, Decision making process, Kotler et al. (2010)
2.6.1 Need recognition
Need recognition is the first element of the decision making process. It concerns the needs or problems that lead buyers to the purchase of a product or service. Need recognition can explain the main motivation of customers for booking a voyage and what customers are looking for in a cultural heritage voyage. In paragraph 2.2.4 existing clusters of cultural tourists are linked to the profile of the current JHR traveller. Known is that these tourist base their decision on the cultural activities offered, but also on the learning aspect (Hughes, 2001; McKercher & du Cros, 2003). Is it true that a high level of learning during a voyage increases their motivation to book the voyage?
Evaluation of alternatives Need
recognition Purchase decision purchase Post decision Information
29 Besides, JRH has some questions regarding the wishes of travellers. First of all regarding the length of stay. JHR currently offers short and longer voyages, between 6 and 15 days. What do customers prefer, short or longer voyages? Nicolau and Más (2009) studied the relation between age and the length of stay and concluded that older tourists are associated with longer stays. Travelling generally satisfies a traveller, and extra days of travelling increase this satisfaction (Eugenio-Martin, 2003). However, the satisfaction of later days do not provide the same satisfaction as the first days (Eugenio-Martin, 2003).
Proposition 1: A high level of learning has a positive influence on the decision to book a cultural heritage voyage.
Proposition 2: A long length of the voyage (more than a week) instead of shorter voyages (less than a week) motivates seniors in their decision to book a cultural heritage voyage.
2.6.2 Information search
31 Proposition 3a: The senior cultural heritage tourist mainly relies on information from personal sources, instead commercial sources, public sources and the internet.
Proposition 3b: The senior cultural heritage tourist uses public sources as their main source of information.
2.6.3 Evaluation of alternatives
32 heritage tourist? Assuming that the cultural heritage tourist first separates voyages on the cultural attractions included (Hughes, 2001; McKercher & du Cros, 2003), the following proposition considers the value of the price of a voyage.
Proposition 4: A high price of a voyage negatively influences the decision of the senior cultural heritage tourist to purchase the product.
2.6.4 Purchase decision
33 focussing on seniors with a need for medical care? Will it lower the barrier in the decision to book a voyage?
Proposition 5: Offering medical assistance during a cultural heritage voyage, positively influences the decision for people who need medical assistance to book a cultural heritage voyage.
2.6.5 Post purchase behaviour
34 2.7 Conceptual model
The propositions presented in paragraph 2.6 are visualized in a conceptual model.
P3a P3b + P1
+
P4
P5 - +
Figure 5, conceptual model
Public sources Personal sources
High level of price of a voyage
A high level of learning during a voyage A long length of a voyage (more than a
week)
The decision to book a cultural heritage voyage
Offering medical assistance
Evaluation of alternatives Unexpected situational factors P2
Need recognition
35
3. Research design
This chapter concerns the plan and structure of the investigation. The research design presents a blueprint for the collection, measurement and analysis of the data (Cooper & Schindler, 2003).
3.1 Research strategy
36 cultural tourism in paragraph 2.4 also mainly apply quantitative research, except for McKercher and du Cros (2003). They conducted interviews to gather more information on the depth of experience sought, and the motivation to travel for cultural reasons. The number of respondents of the quantitative studies mentioned above varies from 234 to 1203 respondents. Focusing only on quantitative data collection is no option for this study, due to time restrictions. Therefore, the decision is made to use a mixed method research method, where qualitative data can support the quantitative data.
Quantitative data is collected with the help of surveys, supported by qualitative data collected from case study research. Both data is collected at the same time. The research approaches and data collection process are described more in depth in subsequent paragraphs. Collecting qualitative and quantitative data at the same is by Tashakkori & Teddlie (1998) described as parallel / simultaneous mixed method design. Creswell (2003) uses the term concurrent strategy to define this kind of strategy and separates three
kind of strategies: concurrent triangulation strategy, concurrent nested strategy and the concurrent transformative strategy. For this study the concurrent nested strategy is used. It was the intention to integrate the qualitative data into the quantitative
Qualitative data Quantitative data
Analysis of findings
37 data, referring to the fact that most studies on consumer behaviour mentioned in the literature review are based on quantitative data. However, the responses on the surveys appeared to be less valuable than expected. Respondents gave short answers or understood questions in a wrong way. Therefore, the decision is made to embed the quantitative data into the qualitative data, as presented in Figure 6. Besides, it appeared necessary to gather additional qualitative data due to a shortage of valuable data.
3.2 Research approach
38 The qualitative part is performed according to case study research. During a case study, the investigator explores in depth a program, event, activity, process, or one or more individuals (Creswell, 2003). Yin (2003) distinguishes three kind of case studies: exploratory, descriptive and explanatory. A descriptive case study fits the best for this study, which is according to Yin (2003) a study that presents a complete description of a phenomenon within its context. There are some points of attention regarding descriptive studies. According to Yin (2003), the main objective of many descriptive studies is description: collecting information about everything. Though, Yin (2003) argues that a theoretical base is important in this case, in order to limit the scope of the study. The case study is done with the help of in-depth interviews. Regarding Emans (2004) the purpose of interviewing is to gather objective information, from statements made by one or several interviewed persons, in order to answer one or several pre-formulated questions. Chirban (1996) does not really agree with the „objective‟ part of his statement and explains that the word interview provides, in the true sense of the word, an „inner view‟ of the interviewed person. The main task of interviewing is comprehending the essence of an individual, his or her emotions, motivations, and needs (Chirban, 1996).
3.3 Data collection
39 The analysis of data starts during the collection of data. According Miles and Huberman (1984) this can be very helpful; it provides the possibility of collecting new data to fill gaps. It proved valuable to analyze in the early process of data collection, because it appeared that the outcomes of phase one did not gave the expected result. Regarding the first phase of data collection: the interview and survey contain similar questions. These questions are divided into several parts and related to the propositions presented in paragraph 2.6, referring to Yin (2003) who mentions that a theoretical base is important in the data collection process in order to limit the scope. The order of the questions in the actual interview and survey is different and based on the difficulty and depth of the questions. Starting with simple question to enhance the interviewer-interviewee interaction and encourage the respondents. Regarding the instructions for the interview, unstructured questioning will be applied. All the interviews are conducted by the same person, who has an active attitude. A summary of the given answers is written down in keywords, which are elaborated on the day of interviewing. The interview and survey of phase one are based on the interview guide of Emans
Phase 1
Qualitative data: Case study research
+ Additional qualitative data: Case study research Quantitative data: Surveys Analysis of data Phase 2
40 (2004)6. Table 3 presents an overview of the conceptual variables and their raw
variables / indicators.
Conceptual Variables Raw variables / indicators
1. Importance of the level of learning
1.1 Reasons for defining to which extent the level of learning during a cultural heritage voyage is important.
1.2 Reasons for defining the role of the tour guide during a cultural heritage voyage. 2. Length of a cultural heritage voyage. 2.1 Reasons for defining the length of a
cultural heritage voyage.
2.2 Reasons for the decision to travel in a certain period of the year.
3. Information sources used. 3.1 Reasons for defining the degree to which personal sources are used as a source of information for booking a cultural
heritage voyage.
3.2 Reasons for defining the degree to which commercial sources are influencing the decision to book a cultural heritage voyage.
3.3 Reasons for defining the degree to which public sources are influencing the decision to book a cultural heritage voyage. 3.4 Availability of internet
3.5 Reasons for defining the degree to which internet is used as a source of information for booking a cultural heritage voyage.
3.6 Reasons for defining the degree to which internet is used to book a cultural heritage voyage online.
4. Influence of high prices of a voyage 4.1 Reasons for defining the degree of the prices of JHR.
4.2 Reasons for the decision to book a
cultural heritage voyage regarding the price. 5. Offering medical assistance 5.1 Reasons for the degree to which a
cultural heritage voyage had to be cancelled/ could not be booked , due to health circumstances.
5.2 Reasons for participating in a cultural heritage voyage where medical assistance is offered, when voyagers are not able to travel without medical assistance.
Table 3, conceptual variables and raw variables / indicators
41 The interviews of phase one have been carried out face-to-face during a short journey of JHR in the north of the Netherlands7. The surveys have been send to a group of 26 people from the Northern part of The Netherlands. The respondents of both groups have different characteristics, which will be clarified in paragraph 3.4. The second phase of the data collection process contains in-depth interviews, conducted by telephone8. The interview questions are derived from the initial
interview in phase one. However, adjustments are made in order to collect information on specific parts that need more attention.
3.4 Respondents
Recalling paragraph 2.4.5, the senior cultural heritage tourist has the following characteristics: a middle and high education level, middle or higher socio-economic status, mostly female, in the older age category, relatively much money to spend per traveller. These characteristics are considerably equal to the characteristics of the current travellers of JHR.
The interviewees of the first phase belong to group one. This group of people is coming from different places in The Netherlands, and has a medium to high socio-economic status. Group two consists of the respondents from the surveys, which have been send to 26 people in the Northern part of the Netherlands. The response rate of the surveys is 38,46%, which results in ten completed surveys. This group has on average a medium socio-economic status. All the respondents equal the characteristics of the senior cultural heritage tourist. In order to get a
42 balanced and valuable result, the interviewees are selected on gender, age and hometown. Group three contains ten interviewees of phase two. These people have been questioned with the help of telephone interviews. The demographic characteristics of the respondents of all groups are presented in table 4, see below.
group one
(interviews) group two (surveys) group three (telephone interviews) age distribution 66-84 62 - 83 65-84 average age 78,7 69,7 76,9 percentage male 20% 40% 30% percentage female 80% 60% 70% socio-economic
status medium- high medium Medium-high
geographic
characteristics 70% Western part of the from the Netherlands, 30% from the Southern and Eastern part.
All respondents come from Friesland, a province in the Northern part of the Netherlands.
50% from the Western part of the Netherlands, 20% South-West, and 30% from the Northern part of the Netherlands.
Table 4, Demographic characteristics of respondents
3.5 Data Analysis
43 These steps include the following actions: immersion in the data, coding, creating categories, and the identification of themes. Figure 8 presents an overview.
Although the process seems very clear, it is still somewhat general. Miles and Huberman (1984) present in their book diverse methods that can be used in different situations, and in different stages of the analysis. The latter is separated in „analysis during data collection‟ and „within-site analysis‟. Due to their more specific approach, the literature of Miles and Huberman (1984) will be used as a guideline for the analysis.
During the data collection, the analysis is done with the help of a contact summary sheet. This is a single sheet with a series of focussing or summarizing questions about a particular field contact. After a review of the field notes made during the interviews, the topics on the sheet are filled up to get an overall summary. Examples of questions and topics on the contact summary sheet include: most remarkable issue in this contact, summary of the received information for each variable, new questions that appeared after this contact. When the data collection process is fulfilled, a within-site analysis is conducted. This analysis is performed using a checklist matrix. The choice for the checklist matrix is based on the fact that it gives the opportunity to compare the outcomes of the interviews and surveys. Besides, it provides the possibility to relate field data to survey measures
Data
immersion Coding categories Creating Identifying themes
44 of the same variable. The basic idea behind the checklist matrix is that it organizes several components of a single coherent variable. Before the data can be entered in the matrix, codes are assigned to the answers and quotes on the contact summary sheets. These codes help to note patterns and themes in the matrix. The contact summary sheets are reviewed and a few quotes are described in a box of the matrix. Also rating will be added to show how many respondents used this kind of quote. An example of the matrix is presented below.
Phase 1:
surveys interviews Phase 1: telephone Phase 2: interviews Importance of the
level of learning Very important: “It broadens your mind and gives content to the voyage” (6)
Important-very important:
“You are never too old to learn” (4) The role of the
tour guide Etc..
Table 5, example of the checklist matrix
45
4. Findings
In this chapter the findings of the interviews and surveys will be presented. Thirty contact summary sheets are coded and transformed into one checklist matrix. The order of the checklist matrix equals the order of the interview questions.
Interviews (n=10)
(phase one) Surveys (n=10) (phase one) Telephone interviews (n=10) (phase two) Amount of travelling “2 or 3 times a year” (7),
“once a year” (3). “once a year” (3), “twice a year” (6), “three times a year” (5), “four times a year” (2).
“once a year” (2), “twice a year” (4), “in the past 3 times, now just once/ twice because of health” (2), “in the past 3 times, now just short trips” (2), “4-5 times, because of retirement” (1). Amount of cultural
heritage voyages “always a cultural voyage” (7), “mostly a cultural voyage” (3).
“once a year” (5), “half of the voyages” (4), “always a cultural voyage” (1).
“always a cultural voyage” (9), “once a year a cultural voyage” (1). Preferable length of
a cultural heritage voyage.
“until ten days” (6), “two weeks” (6), “three weeks” (1), “I also like short trips” (1). “5 to 10 days” (2), “one or two weeks” (3), “10 to 15 days” (4), “depends on destination” (1). “one week” (1), “10 to 14 days” (5), “two weeks” (2), “in the past 3 weeks, now just shorter trips” (1), “depends on the destination/subject” (2). Preferable season of
a cultural heritage voyage.
“in spring or autumn” (4), “early spring” (3), “in the summer” (1), “not in high season” (2), “around the year, depends on the program” (1).
“in spring or autumn” (7), “spring” (1), “Mai, June, September” (1), “whole year, depends on destination” (1).
“in spring or autumn” (4), “spring” (2), “summer” (2), “September” (1), “depends on the program” (2), “summer is too warm” (3), “not in winter or summer” (1).
Willingness to travel in the summer, in case the subject is very attracting
N.A. N.A. “when the subject really has my interest I am willing to travel in the summer” (4 out of 5) First contact with
JHR “via friends/word of mouth” (7), “via a discussion group”(1), “via a course art history”(1), “via Karmelklooster Drachten9” (1).
“via friends” (6), “via the Olterterperkring10” (3),
“via a travel magazine” (1).
“via word of mouth, during a trip with another cultural travel agency” (3), “I do not remember anymore, probably via word of mouth” (3), “via an advertisement in a newspaper” (2), “word of
9 Karmelklooster Drachten: former monastery, offers a cultural program.
46
mouth” (2), “via Antieke Wereld11” (1).
Process of booking “I receive several brochures and base my decision on these
brochures” (3), “I always book at JHR, because of good experiences” (2), “I book via tour operators, because of personal contact” (1), “First I choose the subject, then the period” (1).
“first I choose the subject, then the period” (1). (no further
information)
“I just base my decision on the brochures I receive, do not look further for other info sources” (5), “I study the brochures I receive, then choose an interesting subject, then determine the period” (2), “I study the brochures I receive, then choose the period, then the subject” (1), “I always book at JHR” (1), “I study the brochures, but also look at
newspapers and internet” (1).
Influences by family
and friends “sometimes opinions of family or friends do influence me” (7), “I am often influenced by opinions of family or friends” (1). “I am sometimes influenced by opinions of family or friends” (3), “friends or family influence me the most” (5), “I am not influenced by family or friends” (1).
“opinions of family or friends do not influence me” (4), “I am not influenced by family or friends, contrary: I support them to travel!” (2), “family/friends influence me sometimes” (2), “family/friends influence me a lot, they have always good suggestions” (1). Influences by
editorials / consumer rating organizations
“editorials can influence my decision” (2), “I am not really influenced by editorials” (6).
“editorials do influence me sometimes” (4), “editorials can trigger me” (2), “I am barely
influenced by editorials” (1), “not influences by editorials” (2).
“I am not influenced by editorials” (5), “editorials trigger my interest” (1).
Influences by
advertisements “I am not influenced by advertisements” (6), sometimes,
advertisements do influence me” (4).
“I am not influenced by advertisements” (3), “barely influenced by advertisements” (2), “sometimes influenced by advertisements” (3), “advertisements influence me a lot!” (1). “I do read advertisements” (2), “sometimes advertisements can influence me” (1), “I am not influenced by advertisements” (4). Internet available? “yes” (7), “no” (3).
reasons for not using internet: N.A.
“yes” (10). “yes”(5), “no”(5). reasons for not using internet:
“because of my age: I will never start using it because it seems too complicated to me” (3), I am considering to buy a
11 Antieke Wereld: Connected with JHR by ‘Koepel Cultureel’, a partnership between six specialized travel
47
computer: it probably costs a lot energy to learn it, but it also has a lot advantages” (2). Internet as a source
of information “I do not book online, because I don‟t trust it” (5), “I do not book online, because it‟s too
impersonal” (1), “I use it after booking, for more information on a certain topic” (5).
“I do not use internet as a source of information for booking” (4), “I do use internet as a source of information, and also for booking” (4), “I use internet after booking, for more information” (2), “I do not book online, because I don‟t trust it” (1).
“I use internet before booking, but do not compare different trips, that is too complicated” (1), “when I do not find what I want in the brochures, I surf around the internet” (1), “I use internet, also for booking” (1), “I use internet only after booking, for more information on a certain topic” (1), “I use internet, but I do not book online, because I do not like to pay online” (1). Opinion regarding
website JHR N.A. N.A. “the website of JHR is fine and provides a good overview, however the website is not up to date!” (3), “I did not know that JHR has a website, I always look at the brochure” (1), “I have never seen the website of JHR, I always look at the brochure” (1).
Prices of JHR /
influences of prices. “the prices are fine” (5), “other people think it is expensive, but for me it is fine” (1), prices are high, but it is worth it” (3), “I the first instance I perceived the prices a high, but when you experience what you get for it , it is definitely worth it” (1).
“expensive, but the quality is good and it‟s worth it” (6), “prices are high” (3), “good, value for money” (1).
“prices are fine” (2), “prices are high, but value for money and I would not travel more if the prices were lower” (2), “I never pay attention to the prices, the subject is more important to me” (1), “I am used to the prices of JHR, they are not that high to me anymore” (2), “at JHR everything is included, you need little pocket money (no hidden costs), compared to other agencies” (2), “prices are high and make me sometimes decided not to book” (1), “additional charge for single room is expensive” (1). Importance of the
level of learning “learning is a very important aspect during a cultural heritage voyage” (7), “you are never too old to learn” (1),
“learning is important, but
“gathering new knowledge is very important to me” (6), “the learning aspect is for me the main reason to book a cultural heritage
48
not my main reason to make a cultural heritage voyage” (2).
voyage” (2), “learning is an interesting aspect of travelling, it provides insides in other religions and cultures” (2).
“learning is important to me during a cultural heritage voyage” (3). Role of the tour
guide
“the tour guide should be an expert / professional” (10), “he or she should also be flexible and have a talent for organizing” (3), “the tour guide should be a binding factor for the group” (3).
“being professional and an expert” (9), “he/she should create a binding atmosphere” (3), “takes care about the voyagers” (2).
“being a specialist in his/her field” (8), “provide information, but also be thoughtful and listening” (1).
Health
circumstances / willingness to travel.
“yes, that could be an option” (7), “it depends on the care I need, I don‟t like to depend on others / I don‟t want to hinder others” (2), “no, I don‟t like to depend on others” (1).
“probably I will” (3), “no, in that case I prefer to stay at home” (4), “ possibly yes, but it depends on my financial situation” (2), “no, if you need medical assistance, you better join „de Zonnebloem12‟” (1).
“yes, I will, but shorter trips” (1), “yes, I will, but not outside the
Netherlands anymore” (2), yes, I will, but in that case I would choose for „seniorvakantieplan‟” (1), “yes I will, medical assistance would give me a relaxed feeling” (1), “my wife does not walk very good anymore, medical assistance does not help in this case” (1), “difficult to say, some people say: in this case you better join „de Zonnebloem‟” (2), “no, I won‟t, I do not like to bother others” (2).
Table 6, Checklist Matrix
Extra information from the telephone interviews of phase 2 (n=10)
Unique selling point of JHR “the voyage starts immediately from the beginning, they take you on a journey” (1), “there are no big differences between JHR and other cultural travel agencies” (1), “voyages of JHR have more immersion, tour guides are specialists and provide qualitative strong information” (4).
Improvement points for JHR “during the previous years JHR did not came up with new destinations” (1), “does JHR still exist?” (1), “sometimes voyages are cancelled because of too few participants, this makes me scared to book” (1), “brochure is very late!” (2), “website not up to date” (3), “I cannot think of something that JHR should improve” (1).
Table 7, Extra information from telephone interviews
49
5. Analysis
The challenge of this chapter is to draw conclusions from the matrix presented in the previous chapter, regarding the pattern finding tactic. Miles and Huberman (1994), describe two kinds of patterns. „Patterns of variables‟ involve similarities and differences among categories, where „patterns of processes‟ include connections in time and space within a context. The latter can provide a good overview of the process of decision making. The analysis follows the sequence of the propositions of paragraph 2.6 in order to maintain a structure. It is important to remember that respondents are divided into three groups. These respondents have in common that they are travellers from JHR. However, one should take into account that they origin from different parts in the Netherlands and have a different socio-economic status. Besides, one should keep in mind that the results of group 2 are less valuable compared to the other groups, due to short answers in the questionnaires. The characteristics of the respondents are explained in depth in paragraph 3.4.
5.1 Analysis regarding propositions Level of learning
50 statement. Two respondents of group one state: “Learning is important, but not my main reason to travel”. A remarkable quote of two respondent of group three is: “It is interesting to meet other intellectual people during cultural heritage voyages”.
The tour guide has a major role in the learning aspect of a cultural heritage voyage. He or she should transfer knowledge to the participants. Therefore, the respondents is asked to summarize the role of the tour guide. The opinions are congenial: a tour guide should at least be an expert and professional in his or her field. Besides, the respondents expect the tour guide in particular to be social, organizing, and a binding factor for the group. Group three is asked to mention a unique selling point of JHR. Four out of ten people state that the tour guides of JHR gives the voyages an extra dimension: “They are specialists and provide qualitative strong information”.
Length of a voyage
The respondents travel on average two to three times a year. Remarkable in group three is that four out of ten people travel less than before or stay closer to their home due to their age or health circumstances. Nearly all respondents of group one and three only make cultural heritage voyages. Group two is an exception in this case, they book once, or sometimes twice a year a cultural heritage voyage. This can be explained by the fact that the majority of this group is related to the Olterterperkring, who make a journey once a year.
51 shorter trips and respondents who mention that the length of the voyage depends on the destination or subject.
Regarding the period of travelling, it appears that more than half of the respondents prefers to travel in spring or autumn. They avoid the high season for several reasons: “I do not like to travel in the summer because it is too warm, which takes half of my energy” , “I do not travel in the summer because of the temperature, but also because in this period there are too many tourists” However, there are a few exceptions. One respondent of group three is not retired yet and is therefore only able to travel in the summer period, and four other respondents state that they first choose the subject and then the period. Besides, four out of five respondents from group three who do not like to travel in the summer state that they are willing to travel in the summer when the subject is very attracting. Although the period of travelling has no influence on the proposition, it can contain important information for the firm.
Information search
52 Group three, as well as a part of group one, answered questions concerning their process of booking. Regarding the information sources, it appears that most of the respondents receive brochures of several cultural travel organization, and base their decision on the offers in these brochures. “I receive brochures from JHR and „Seniorvakantieplan‟. I base my decision on these two brochures and I am not someone who is looking around for the most suitable voyage”. However, one of the respondents of group three states that she uses besides the brochure information from the internet. A few respondents mention that they always book at JHR. They simply had good experiences and never wanted something else. Finally, a couple of respondents state that they study the brochures, then decide which topic has their interest, and finally decide the period of travelling. Just one person first decides on the period and then chooses the subject.
53 It seems that the respondents of group one and three are not really influenced by editorials in magazines or consumer rating organizations. In total just three respondents mentioned that editorials can trigger their interest. Group two is obviously more influenced by public sources. Six out of ten people state that they are sometimes influenced by editorials. On average 40% of the total respondents says that they are (sometimes) influenced by advertisements. They read advertisement in a newspaper like „Trouw‟. Commercial sources have no influence on the other 60% of the total respondents. The majority of this group gave the following reason: “I am not influenced by advertisements, because I receive enough brochures to make a good decision”.
54 The five respondents of group three who are used to internet is asked what their opinion is regarding the website of JHR. Three of them state that the layout of the website is fine and provides a good overview. Though, they also note that the website is not up to date. The other two respondents did not have a look of the website yet.
Influence of price
Regarding the prices of JHR, a difference can be seen in the opinion of group two, compared to group one and three. All the respondents of group two experience the prices of JHR as high, compared to just half of the people from group one and three. Nevertheless, most of these people consider the price as “value for money”. The remaining respondents of both groups say that the prices are fine. Moreover, they seem to care less about the price. “I am used to the prices of JHR, they are not that high to me anymore”, and “I never pay attention to the price, the subject is more important to me”. Just one person of group three states that the prices made him once decide not to book the voyage. The difference in experience of the price regarding group two can probably be explained by their lower socio-economic status.
Medical assistance
55 would still book a voyage. However, some of them mention a few conditions. Two respondents from group two state that it depends on their financial situation. Respondents from group three say: “Yes, I will, but in that case I would book shorter trips”, or “Yes I will, but in that case I would choose for „Seniorvakantieplan‟, JHR should not start with these kind of voyages”.
More than half of the remaining respondents would rather stay at home in case they need medical assistance. Some of them do not want to bother others, or do not want to depend on others. Finally, there is a small group who finds it difficult to answer this question as a healthy person. They argue that it will depend on their physical situation at that moment.
5.2 Diagram of findings
The diagram presented below visualizes the findings of the process of decision making of seniors with an interest in cultural heritage voyages. The model is just based on the findings from the interviews and surveys and provides a general view of the process. The thickness of the arrows refers to the number of respondents that agrees on the statement. The black arrows represent all the respondents, where the colored arrows show the differences between the groups.
6. Discussion
The analysis of the previous chapter provides an overview of what is happening during the process of decision making of seniors. This chapter continues by trying to understand why certain things are happening. Though, connecting an explanation to findings and literature should not be underestimated. Miles and Huberman (1994) clarify that an explanation is not just a comparison of theory and data. They rather see „theory‟ as first order concepts “so-called facts of a qualitative research, which never speaks for themselves”, and „data‟ as second order concepts “notions used by the researchers to explain the patterning of the first order concepts”. Which means, that the „facts‟ we discover are already the product of many levels of interpretation. Besides, Miles and Huberman (1994) remind that it is important to be careful with „explaining‟ events. People tend to misperceive and misinterpret data, by paying too much attention to indefinite data and end up with biased results. The choice for an „explanation‟ and not for a „causality‟ is based on the fact that a „causality‟ is too complicated because it concerns human behavior. “People are not billiard balls, but have complex intentions operating in a complex web of others‟ intentions and actions” (Miles & Huberman, 1994).
58 Proposition one proposes that a high level of learning has a positive influence on the decision to book a voyage. It is true that most of the respondents find it really important to learn about new cultures and voyages. However, it cannot be concluded that the higher the level of learning, the sooner people will book the voyage. Reasons for this statement are that some respondents mention that learning is not their main reason to travel. Though, the link between the cultural heritage tourist and the „primary culture core‟ (Hughes, 2001) and the „purposeful cultural tourist‟ (McKercher & du Cros, 2003) can be confirmed. Which implies that the cultural heritage tourist bases their decision on the cultural activities offered, as well as on the learning aspect. The importance of the learning aspect is also emphasized by Bonn et al. (2007), who state that the educational component is a significant motivation for visitors to heritage sites.
The next proposition concerns the length of the voyage. The statement of Nicolau and Más (2009), that older people are associated with longer stays can be validated. Most of the respondents preferred cultural voyages of more than 10 days. However, the oldest respondents (above 80), seem to prefer shorter trips, due to their health circumstances. Despite this finding, a positive relation between a long length of a voyage and the motivation in the decision of senior cultural heritage tourists to book the voyage is not proven.
