The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the structure and
antecedents of travelers' behavioral intentions. Understanding travelers' behavioral
intentions is an important goal of both destination marketing organizations and host
destinations. However, little research has contributed to the theoretical development in
this area, and the lack of a solid theoretical framework has negatively influenced the
validity of existing research. Thus, this study attempted to explain travelers' behavioral
intentions, using a model which was developed based on existing human behavior
theories: the theory of reasoned action and the theory of planned behavior. Another major
objective of the current study was to test the validity of the proposed model.
Based on the theory of reasoned action and the theory of planned behavior, a
conceptual framework was established to explain travelers' behavior intention in a
tourism context. Attitude was conceptualized as destination image which is a
two-dimensional construct including cognitive and affective components. Subjective
norms were conceptualized as the combination of normative beliefs and motivation to
comply. Perceived behavioral control was conceptualized as constraints which is a
three-dimensional construct including intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural components.
An online panel survey was launched in September 2008 to collect data.
Respondents were specially asked their perceived image about Texas, what were the
barriers preventing them from traveling to Texas, and how their reference groups affected
their travel decision to Texas. Totally, 1,448 completed surveys were received and
utilized for analysis which included both visitors and non-visitors.
The data analysis procedures included six major steps, from descriptive analysis and
preliminary data analysis, to model and hypothesis testing. To do so, the Statistical
Package for the Social Sciences 16.0 (SPSS) and Amos 16.0 were utilized.
The structural relationships between all variables were tested with using structural
equation modeling (SEM). Results of the study showed that destination image and
subjective norm positively impacted behavioral intentions while constraints negatively
affected behavioral intentions. Hence, this research provides important direction for the
development of a more comprehensive theoretical framework to explain travelers'
behavioral intentions, and presented a step toward offering practical as well as theoretical
implications for future research.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2009-05-498 |
| Date | 2009 May 1900 |
| Creators | Huang, Yu-Chin |
| Contributors | Petrick, James F. |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Book, Thesis, Electronic Dissertation, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
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