The relationship between personality, gender, and tourism behavior

Abstract

This paper reports on a study that tested empirically the extent to which Holland's (1985a, Making Vocational Choices: A Theory of Vocational Personalities and Work Environments (2nd ed.), Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.) theory of personality types effectively explains individuals' visitation of, and likelihood of visiting, tourist attractions. A random sample of 500 adults were interviewed personally at their residences. They completed Holland's Self-Directed Search, and provided data on their past visitation of specific attractions, their interest in visiting such attractions, and their planned visitation in the future. The study found that there were significant associations between the respondents' Holland personality types, their gender, and their tourism behavior, for some attractions and some measures of behavior. The implications for tourism marketing are discussed.