Aspects of Tourist Behavior

Book excerpt: As in other fields of research, the behaviour of consumers has also received a great deal of attention in tourism research over the past few decades due to its growing importance in the efficient marketing and management of tourism operations. The rapid development of IT applications and the equally swift changes of needs and wants have influenced consumers in terms of the behaviour involved in searching for information and in decision-making processes. As such, this book encompasses a collection of chapters addressing various aspects of tourist behaviour, from need-recognition to post-consumption, supported through selected practical examples from a range of countries, such as Portugal, Italy, New Zealand, Jamaica, Taiwan, Malaysia, and South Africa, among others. The book, systematic in structure and thorough in content, is very useful for people who wish to improve and update their current knowledge of tourist behaviour, and also to those carrying out further research on this field.