Abstract
This study proposed a holistic approach to understanding the usage of travel guidebooks. Guidebooks were revealed to outperform other travel information sources in the stages of "during" and "post-travel" but lost their competitiveness in the pre-trip planning to the Internet, especially on the search for information on destination and accommodation. A factor analysis on an 18-item instrument concluded that travelers possess six underlying need dimensions when using guidebooks: reflective, security, confirming, destination, itinerary, and functional needs. Therefore, recommendations were provided for practitioners to reconsider the positioning of travel guidebooks when formulating product development and marketing strategies.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 720-735 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2011 |
Keywords
- Hong Kong travelers
- information search
- itinerary needs
- security needs
- Travel guidebooks
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management
- Marketing