Exploring Motives and Segments in Nature Based Tourism: A Pilot Study in Glacier Tourism in Norway
The aim of this research paper is to enhance understanding of segments and motivations in nature-based tourism. This paper is a pilot study to explore possible motivations for nature-based activities from the tourist’s perspective and to identify preliminary segmentation criteria. The study adopts a qualitative research approach, in form of semi-structured interviews conducted among visitors in a nature-based activity, i.e. glacier tourism located in the western part of Norway. The results indicate presence of association and knowledge/image of the region, experience, choice of accommodation as motivators in decision process. Alongside, two top tier segmentation criteria are hypothesized: Segmentation by origin (international and local); and Segmentation based on planning length (Spontaneous visitors and Long term planning visitors). The results also indicate that lack of information and easy access to information are crucial factors in failing to highlight the region as a major tourism attraction. The results from this pilot study will be used as a basis for questionnaire development for a quantitative study for further examination and confirmation.
Publisert i Global Conference on Business and Finance Proceedings, 2016
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