Tourists' decision making in motion: a scenario analysis

Abstract

Information and communications technology (ICT) continues to evolve rapidly. Given the perceived ease of travel, particularly thanks to ubiquitous Internet support at destinations and location-based smartphone services, less pre-trip planning is required; tourists can adopt a more flexible approach to trip activities and rely on their smartphone to determine on-site experiences. Exposure to new information and the provision of alternative views of information spaces may inspire substantial deviations from original travel plans and trigger spontaneous needs or behaviours. Postponing decision making until the consumption phase, deviating from pre-existing plans, and engaging in unplanned behaviours have become increasingly prominent in travel. These patterns have shaped a specific type of decision making: decision making in motion. Decision making in motion, characterised by bodily movement and information processing on the go, is time-sensitive, rapid, spontaneous, and intuitive. The process involves a complex series of choices such as selecting a restaurant, finding one's way, and deciding what to do next, all of which tend to be made while consuming the destination. Within today's mobile technology era, one can reasonably assume that tourists' decision-making processes have changed accordingly. Empirical research is needed to promote theory development in this area and provide a clearer understanding of tourists' decision making in motion. Although numerous theoretical and empirical efforts have focused on tourists' decision making since the 1950s, corresponding theories have several deficiencies. First, studies on tourists' decision making have tended to be limited to either specific stages in the travel decision-making process (e.g., the pre-trip stage) or to particular decision items (e.g., the destination choice). Little is known about tourists' on-site decision making in terms of consumption of food, attractions, routes, modes of transportation, and shopping. Second, a major gap in decision-making research persists regarding decision making in motion. The characteristics of decision making in motion have not been adequately elucidated in the literature. Third, although several studies have recognised the influential roles of context in the decision-making process, few studies have examined the dynamic and complex interactive process between individuals, decision tasks, decision contexts, and decision strategies in natural settings. Finally, although several studies have been conducted on ICT and its relationship with decision making, smartphones—a key component of ICT widely adopted by modern tourists—have not been formally integrated into conceptual decision-making models. This study fills the void in the literature by empirically investigating the process of tourists' decision making in motion through various real-world scenarios. Following a phenomenological approach, this study adopts a qualitative research design to understand contexts, information cues, information searches, and information processing behaviours relevant to tourists' decision making in motion, as well as the role of smartphone usage in decision making in motion. Data were collected using a process-tracing technique called verbal protocols and semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Participants who were (1) free independent visitors; (2) first-time visitors; (3) visitors who have planned at least one day for sightseeing, shopping, or both were recruited for this study. Pre-trip interviews were conducted before selected tourists began their day trips. To capture tourists' information cues and information spaces, travellers were equipped with wearable cameras and GPS data loggers. Tourists were also asked to share their thoughts aloud while exploring the city. Post-trip interviews were conducted in the evening after tourists finished their trips. Different types of data (i.e. audio records of pre- and post-trip interviews, videos of day trips from wearable cameras, audio records from tourists' think-aloud activities, tracking files exported from GPS data loggers, and written transcripts of audio records) were collected and analysed. Nvivo 12, a qualitative data analysis software, facilitated data organisation, preparation, and analysis. The findings delineate the process of tourists' decision making in motion. On-the-go tourists' decisions about four types of tourism products and services (attractions and places, food and restaurants, shopping and purchases, and routes and transportation) emerge within seven contextual dimensions: servicescape, social, information, intrapersonal, geo-position, time, and weather. Dimensions of tourists' immediate contexts prompt their decision making in motion. The findings revealed three information processing patterns and strategies used by tourists during decision making in motion. These approaches affect how tourists interact with information and which decision criteria they use. Smartphones appear to play unique roles in tourists' decision making in motion. The empirical results demonstrated that tourists use various smartphone functions to acquire spatial knowledge, access real-time information, and maintain local and distant social networks. Smartphone use can influence decision making by playing different roles in the three patterns of participants' information processing. Theoretically, this study adds to the decision-making literature by identifying and investigating a prominent phenomenon in travel and tourism with limited research: decision making in motion. In response to the call for more research focusing on the dynamic and complex interactive process between individuals, decision tasks, environments, and decision strategies in natural settings, this study has discovered how tourists make decisions while on the move in real-world settings through the lens of naturalistic decision making (NDM). This study advances NDM by focusing on non-expert decision-makers, by investigating decision making in contexts that have not been captured by NDM, and by considering the influence of information technology on decision making which NDM has not yet incorporated on decision making. This study offers a holistic understanding of multidimensional contexts in tourism destinations. The findings of this research provide a foundation for future work on tourists' contexts. Moreover, this study probes tourists' information processing in naturalistic settings. Empirical findings of tourists' information sources and rules or strategies provide a comprehensive picture of tourists' information processing. Furthermore, the present study supplements previous studies by focusing on on-the-go tourists' smartphone use and the extent to which smartphones affect their decision making. Results offer a detailed explanation of the effects of smartphones on tourists' decision making. Practically, the findings from this study provide several insights helpful to practice in the areas of destination marketing and management, and digital marketing, most notable in terms of the design of travel information services on smartphone platforms. Understanding how tourists make real-world decisions throughout a destination can help various stakeholders better support tourists' decision making. Knowledge of the multidimensional contexts within which tourists are immersed during decision making offers a foundation for constructing effective mobile systems. Furthermore, the findings of this study showed the effects of push alert functions in smartphone apps on tourists' decision making. Context-awareness and push alerts should be incorporated into travel information services on smartphones to inform tourists' decisions. The qualitative nature of this research involves some limitations. Future research could adopt quantitative techniques to test the identified variables and examine relationships between constructs. Besides the variables proposed in this study, researchers could explore other antecedents related to decision making in motion. Examples include tourists' expectations about their trips, prior knowledge of their destination, personal involvement, travel distance, and length of stay. This study provides limited information about factors supporting or inhibiting smartphone use during decision making in motion. Future studies should examine mechanisms behind smartphone use and non-use during tourists' decision making in motion.