Classification of Tourists
Dec 16, 2015
Do you stay in your bubble?
Environmental bubble - Surrounded by similar living environment when travelling abroad
What makes you feel comfortable and safe when
travelling?
Find the points in your travel leaflets!Brainstorm with your neighbour!
Write down your findings inside the bubbles.
Environmental bubble?• A coach with air-conditioning• Include travel insurance• A comfortable hotel/
accommodation• Choose a reputable travel
agency• Well planned itinerary• Eat Chinese food• Chinese-speaking tour guide• Staff with professional training
• Speak or read the same language
• Sufficient rest time • Breakfast at hotel• Buffet, choose your
own food• Fastpass in theme park• Special queue
Cohen’s ClassificationTourism combines
curiosity to seek out new experiences with the need for
security of familiar reminders of home
seek out new experience
Curiosity
familiar reminder of home
Security
ExplorerDrifter Individual mass tourist
Organized mass tourist
Non-Institutionalized Tourists
are loosely attached to the tourist establishment
expose to host community
Institutionalized Tourists
are dealt with in a routine way by the tourist establishment
e.g. travel agencies, hotel chain
Explorer Drifter Individual
Mass Tourist
Organized Mass
Tourist
Cohen’s Classification
Where is the tourist? p.2
Spend most of the time inside/ always inside
Still confined
by it/ Often
inside
Dare to leave/ rarely
inside
Go further away from it/ far away from
Organized Mass Tourist• least adventurous• spend most of their time in their comfortable
“environmental bubble” throughout their trip
• the itinerary is decided in advance• attractions are guided and well fixed• tourists have no decision on their trip
Cohen’s Classification p.3
Individual Mass Tourist• similar to the organized mass tourist• the tour is not entirely fixed• have certain control over their time and
itinerary• but all the major arrangements are still made
through travel agencies
Cohen’s Classification
Explorer• arrange their trips alone• go somewhere unusual• look for comfortable accommodation and
reliable transportation• retain some of the basic routines and comforts of
their native way of life• try to mix with local people and speak their
language• dare to leave their “environmental bubble”
Cohen’s Classification
Drifter• go further away from the “environmental bubble”• keep away from the accustomed ways of life in
home countries• no fixed itinerary• plan trips wholly on their own• live with local people• often take odd-jobs to keep themselves going
Cohen’s Classification
What’s your travel personality?
• Do the psychological test to know your travel personality at besttripchoices.com
• Jot down your type and some keywords of your characteristics
Plog’s Classification p.4• Destination popularity VS traveller’s personalityYour travel personality• Authentic = Psychocentric• Mid-authentic = Near psychocentric• Centric authentic = Mid-centric• Centric venturer = Mid-centric• Mid-venturer = Near allocentric• Venturer = Allocentric
Plog’s Classification p.5Allocentric Type • seek new experiences and
adventure• outgoing and self-confident• enjoy meeting ppl from different
cultures• explore an area• make own travel arrangements• choose activities and tourist
attractions
Plog’s ClassificationPsychocentric Type• conservative, inhibited and unadventurous• return to familiar destinations• want to relax• expect the type of food and activity• prefer heavily structured itinerary• safety and security are important
Plog’s ClassificationMid-centric Type• between allocentric and psychocentric• not particularly adventurous• receptive to new experience
Can you classify the destinations into 5?• South Africa• Canada• Kuala Lumpur• Antarctica• Macau• India• Singapore• Russia• Cambodia• United Kingdom
• Bangkok• Guangzhou• Czech Republic• Australia• South America• Congo• Shenzhen• France• Vietnam• USA