| Over a decade has passed since the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) investigated the topic of adventure travel experiences. Despite growth in the adventure industry, studies of adventure tourism and its travelers remain scarce. Existing research is descriptive rather than predictive and has failed to identify the psychological underpinnings of consumer behavior related to adventure tourism (Swarbrooke et al., 2003). Drawing on the personality literature found in consumer behavior (Mowen, 2000) and leisure and tourism (Fodness & Murray, 1997; Godbey, 1981; MacKay, Andereck, & Vogt, 2002; Pearce, 2005; Pizam & Sussmann, 1995; Tinsley & Tinsley, 1986) literature, this dissertation seeks to explain the psychological roots of tourism behavior, specifically adventure travel. A multi-method approach was used to develop the survey instrument. Self-administered questionnaires were mailed to a stratified random sample (N=1000) of subscribers to National Geographic Adventure magazine (N=220,847) and data collected during the fall of 2007. Overall response rate (n=339) was 34%. Guttman Scaling Procedure was employed to categorize respondents in soft/hard categories as a context for understating the demographic and travel behavior characteristics of the study sample. Factor analysis was used to identify the underlying dimensions of adventure travel propensity, an enduring disposition to behave, and next a series of hierarchical regressions were performed to explore the relationships among variables.;Results indicated that the model that guided the study, Mowen's (2000) M&barbelow;eta-Theoretic M&barbelow;odel of M&barbelow;otivation and Personality (3M Model), was a useful organizing framework. Specifically, the 3M Model offers the advantage of a hierarchal approach to personality in that it identifies the basic elemental and compound traits that account for situational traits and surface level traits providing a means for identifying the more basic compound and elemental traits that act as references for behavior. Results of hierarchical regressions indicated that elemental trait need for arousal and the situational trait interest in cultural experiences were consistent predictors of the surface trait adventure travel propensity. The findings of this study enhance knowledge and understanding of the relationship between personality and tourism behavior, in addition to addressing the many problems that result from research which lacks a theoretically based organizing structure.;Keywords: adventure, consumer behavior, personality, hierarchical, Guttman Scaling... |
