PUSH TRAVEL MOTIVATIONS AS A BASIS FOR SEGMENTATION OF TOURISTS IN EMERGING RURAL TOURISM DESTINATIONS: THE CASE OF CROATIA

Zeljka Mesic (), Viktorija Primorac () and Marija Cerjak ()
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Zeljka Mesic: University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture
Viktorija Primorac: University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture
Marija Cerjak: University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture

Economic Thought and Practice, 2022, vol. 31, issue 1, 303-325

Abstract: Rural tourism has become one of the most popular strategies for rural development, and motivation is one of the most important criteria for identifying market segments. The aim of this paper is to explore the travel motivations of domestic rural tourists in Croatia and to identify a profile of rural tourists based on push travel motivation and tourist behaviour. An online survey was conducted on a convenient sample of 307 respondents. The collected data were analysed using factor analysis followed by cluster analysis. For rural tourists in Croatia, the most important travel motives are seeking relaxation and learning new things. Using a factor–cluster approach to market segmentation, the following four segments were identified: (1) Rural researchers and seekers of relaxation (16.8%), (2) Excitement seekers (29.0%), (3) Passive tourists (22.8%), and (4) Family rural tourists (31.4%). The study confirms the appropriateness of the push motives for segmenting tourists in emerging rural tourism destinations. The findings may help destination marketers to develop effective promotional and business strategies.

Keywords: market segmentation; push motives; rural tourism; Croatia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L83 Z32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.17818/EMIP/2022/1.14

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