People, Places and Priorities: Opportunity sets and Consumers' Holiday Choice

Abstract

The destinations people choose to visit for their holidays away from home are likely to have a significant bearing on the level of satisfaction they derive from their holiday. For the tourist, however, the holiday is more than simply the activities at the destination – it is the whole experience, including attitudes and expectations, from the time of leaving home to the time of return. The tourist's visit involves a mix of travel, accommodation, excursions, attractions and facilities. These components are perceived by the tourist as the total tourism product (Medlik & Middleton, 1973; Middleton, 1988). All of these components, in the case of inclusive tours (ITs), can be purchased as a single package from commercial tour operators, i.e. the product of an individual tour operator may also be viewed as a total tourism product (TTP). Similarly destination tourism agencies at national, regional and local levels, although not making actual holiday sales, coordinate and present the product components in their area as a whole. Therefore, perception of the TTP would appear to be similar, if not the same, for the tourists and the marketing managers of tour operators and of destination tourism agencies.