Contexto de la evaluación

Tourism products or activities initiate tourism demand. The demand in tourism is defined as 'the process that alerts potential tourists to the existence of a particular destination,' (Prideaux, 1999, p. 227). According to Prideaux (1999), the demand for services is collectively attributed with several factors such as transport, accommodation, recreation and entertainment (p. 227). Economists view markets as networks of dealings between the sellers and buyers of a product; a particular market is defined by reference to the product, the sellers who supply it, and the buyers who provide the demand for it (Middleton, 2001). In this sense, the tourist market is a need or wants that occurs to encourage tourism marketers and providers to respond by producing tourism products or services for sale.

Since there is a multiplicity of tourism products, so too is there a correspondingly multiplicity of tourist markets. Within this, are more or less homogeneous groups of tourists who behave similarly and who buy similar tourist products. It is the function of marketing in tourism to identify these groups, to influence the development of tourism products at the destinations, and to bring the information about products to potential tourists (Middleton, 2001). An understanding of tourist market's demands is a staring point for the analysis of why tourism develops, who patronises specific destinations, and what appeals to clients (Hall & Page, 1999).

According to Dickman (1999, p. 201), demand refers to 'the portion of a market that is interested in purchasing a product, and has the means and desire to do so.' Applying this notion to tourism, demand may be explained as ' the total number of persons who travel, or wish to travel, to use tourist facilities and services at places away from their places of work and residence' (Mathieson & Wall, 1982, p. 1). So in this context, demand is viewed through the relationship between individuals' motivation to travel and their ability to do so.

2.4.1 Tourist Market Features

Tourist markets are formed by 'a function of characteristics of the individual tourist such as their income, age, motivations and psychological make up, which will variously affect their propensity to travel for pleasure, their ability to travel and their choice of destinations' (Morley, 1990, p. 5). Specifically, these characteristics form the demand for the characteristics and attributes of a tourist destination, their attractions, prices, and the effectiveness of the marketing of the destination.

According to Hall (1998, p. 52), a tourist market is considered to be 'a defined group of consumers for a particular tourist product or range of tourist products.' He further notes that how a market is defined is of great importance in determining the industry (supply) response to consumers' perceived motivations, expectations and needs, and the long-term relationship between supply and demand in the tourism development process. He also states that the characteristics of tourist markets are heterogeneous and this results in the tourism market being divided into a number of segments that share a set of common purchasing and behavioural characteristics.

2.4.2 Defining 'tourists'

Tourism, after all, is a human experience, enjoyed, anticipated, and remembered by many people as a very important aspect of their lives. Therefore, the tourist is the main character in tourism system. Just as there is much confusion out of definitions of tourism, the term 'tourist' is also not easy to define. In fact, the term is variously defined for particular purposes. However, no matter how the term is defined, it is essential that the element of travel is fundamental, such as the purpose of travel, the time involvement, the residence of the traveller, the distance or geographical location, and the type of travel (ie. independent or inclusive tours) (French, Craig-Smith & Collier, 1995).

The United Nations Conference on Travel and Tourism defines the tourist as 'any person who travels to a country other than that in which he has his usual residence.

The main purpose of whose visit is other than the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the country visited and who is staying for a period of one year or less ' (Ross, 1998, p. 5). For the World Tourism Organisation (WTO, 1981), it appears that there are two types of visitors, 'the international tourist' and 'international excursionist'. An international tourist is defined as a visitor in accordance with the above-mentioned definition staying at least one night but not more than one year in the visited area and whose main purpose can be classified under:

(a) pleasure: holidays, culture, active sports, visits to friends and relatives, and other pleasurable purposes.

(b) professional: meeting, mission, business.

( c) other tourist purposes: studies, health, pilgrimage' (Ross, 1998, p. 5).

Burkart and Medlik (1990) describe tourists as having the following characteristics.

They are:

(1) The people who undertake a journey to, and stay in, various destinations.

(2) Their destinations are distinct from their normal place of residence and work, so that their activities are not the same as those of the resident and working populations of the destinations.

(3) Their intention is to return within a few days or months, so the journey is of a temporary and short-term nature.

( 4) Their purpose for undertaking the journey 1s other than to take up permanent residence or employment remunerated from within the destinations (p. 42).

In Thailand, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) describes the tourist as any person visiting Thailand for any reason other than to exercise remunerated activity within the country. The person must stay at least one night, but not longer than 90 days and the purpose of his/her journey can be classified under one of the following:

leisure (recreation, holiday, health, study, religion, and sport); business, family, mission, meeting. This also refers to all arrivals by sea with overnight stay accommodation in establishments ashore and excludes cruise passengers who stay overnight on board, and direct transit passengers who do not pass through immigration (TAT, 1998).

In the light of the above discussion, this study defines a tourist as any international visitor to Thailand for any reason other than to exercise remunerated activity within the country. He or she must be a staying and/or outgoing visitor, whose purpose of travel is broadly defined as leisure (ie.recreation, holiday, health, religion, and/or sport), business, visiting friends and relatives, education, mission, meeting, a package-tour, and/or an independent visit.

2.4.3 Tourist Behaviour

Chambers, Chacko and Lewis (1 995, p. 1 99) suggest some basic beliefs about tourist consumer behaviour. They cover the following five notions: