A systematic approach to personal travel motives (theoretical construct)

Abstract

The article discusses a systematic approach to personal travel motives. With the aim to perceive the links between main attitudes of the system of human motivation and tourist travel motives, the article presents a theoretical discourse on this topic. The author admits that the change in tourist travel motives has impact on the supply of tourism services; meanwhile the process is reciprocal and can be viewed as a transition from the prevalent form of ‘hard’ tourism to the new form of ‘soft’ tourism which is firmly establishing itself nowadays. The article defines the reasons of this shift. Besides, on the basis of the historical context of change in travel motives and up-to-date perspective, the author analyses the scientific position of famous tourism specialists (Faracik, 2008; Plog, 2005; Pearce, 2005; Kvartalnov, 2002; Rudnicki, 2010, and others) on travel motives and discusses models published in scientific papers. Special attention is given to the links between tourist travel motives and types of tourism. The author of the article notes that more research is needed in order to find out tourist travel motives according to the country of origin, religious, cultural and other dimensions. The article presents tourism situation in Lithuania in the context of ‘pull’ country.