Group Profiles of Women as Tourists and Purchasers of Souvenirs

Abstract

This study describes women tourists andforms group profiles of them. The42 women represented early adulthood (ages 17–42) and middle adulthood (ages 43–65) and werefrequent travelers who purchased many souvenirs. Qualitative analysis yieldedfive group profiles of women tourists based on the emergent themes of trip‐planning and souvenir‐purchasing styles: (a) goalattainment travelers preplanned their trips and made both planned and unplanned purchases; (b) low‐involvement travelers made minimal trip plans, unplanned purchases, and thefewest purchases; (c) eclectic travelers used combination planningfor trips, made both unplanned and planned purchases, and made the most purchases; (d) centrist travelers made preplanned trips but unplanned purchases; and (e) laid‐back travelers were minimal trip planners who made unplanned, planned, or both unplanned and planned purchases. Each profile represents a target market with its own planning and purchasing styles. Souvenir marketers could design advertising themes and new productsfor each profile.