Perceptions of travel importance,travel motivation and demographic characteristics : an empirical study based on a large-scale telephone survey with Hong Kong residents

Using an optimal scaling regression model,this study examines how travel motivation and demographic characteristics of Hong Kong residents affect their perceived importance of travel and how demographic characteristics affect their travel motivation based on a large-scale telephone survey.Regression analysis results show that relaxation and discovering new things are the most important motivations in determining Hong Kong residents’ perceptions of travel importance,and that the residents with a higher average monthly household income and a higher level of education tend to have more importance perceptions on travel.The results also show that spending time with family,friends or relatives,meeting different people,rest and relaxation,getting away from daily routine,and discovering new places or things are most related to average monthly household income,age,average monthly household income,age,and level of education,respectively;gender has no significant influence on Hong Kong residents’ travel motivation.