| Consumer behavior has been studied extensively in Marketing, with several comprehensive models recognizing the role of situational variables in predicting purchasing behavior. The Hospitality, and Travel and Tourism fields also acknowledge this potential influence, yet no study has used a consumer situational analysis to predict travel purchasing behavior. Past research has primarily used demographic and psychographic variables, which are static over time. However, vacationers are faced with various consumer situations, potentially influencing their decision-making.; The present study examines the purchasing behavior of vacationers faced with the situation of the presence or the absence of a young child in the travel-party to overseas destinations. The predicted behavior is operationalized through vacationers' choice between package and non-package travel. Belk's (1975) situational paradigm, positing that a particular situation interacts with the object and the personal characteristics to determine a particular behavior, provides the theoretical foundation for the present study.; The study population consisted of the overseas vacationers to Tanzania. A systematic sampling of the departing travelers was conducted on-site, at the country's three international airports, from June through September, 2005. Using a three-page questionnaire, 1,039 survey solicitations were made, of which 983 questionnaires were usable, for a response rate of 95%.; The binary logistic regression results show that purchasing behaviors between the situations of children presence and absence differ significantly (chi2 = 13.98, df = 1, N = 959, p < .05), with vacationers accompanied by a young child more likely (P = 79.65%) to choose package travel than are those unaccompanied by a young child (P = 62.41%). The child presence/absence factor also adds significantly to the predictability of choice between package and non-package travel (chi 2 = 10.249, df = 1, N = 959, p < .05) in addition to, though not outstripping, the influences of the demographic, psychographic and trip characteristics.; These findings support Belk's situational paradigm, through documenting that consumer situational variables, specifically child presence/absence, increases the understanding of the choice between package and non-package travel. Furthermore, tourism practitioners could use this additional knowledge to design better marketing plans and more productive promotional strategies. |
