This study attempted to investigate the perceived risk that had a direct effect on backpacking product choice using the potential motive for backpacking to Europe of college & university students occupying the majority of international backpacking, ...
This study attempted to investigate the perceived risk that had a direct effect on backpacking product choice using the potential motive for backpacking to Europe of college & university students occupying the majority of international backpacking, an important part of overseas travelling in Korea, and to analyze the plan to reduce the risk.
And it attempted to make an intensive analysis of individual backpacking, hotel pack and collective backpacking products, the major products currently leading the European backpacking market through 15 travellers' agencies at home dealing with backpacking products and investigate what product potential backpackers wanted of the three forms of products.
The purpose of this study was to provide the basic material for formulating the product planning and marketing strategy that could activate the travelling behavior of potential backpackers. For this purpose, this study conducted the questionnaire research for unexperienced persons of college students enrolled in 4-year college and junior college located in Seoul for empirical research. And data were analyzed using SPSS 10.0 WINDOWS at the confidence level of 95%.
The findings were summarized as follows:
First, it was found that the preferred product was hotel pack products for female students and individual backpacking products for male students in the choice of European backpacking products according to demographic characteristics and that older students had a greater preference for individual backpacking products.
Second, it was found that there was a difference in the travelling motive according to demographic characteristics. Female students showed the higher level of motive for rest and enjoyment and motive for self-realization and that older students had the strong motive for rest and enjoyment and students within the age group of 21 to 25 years old had the highest level of self-realization.
Third, an attempt was made to analyze the difference between the travelling motive and the perceived risk. As a result, it was found that college students with the higher social motive and self-realization motive had the higher level of psycho-social risk and those with the motive for enjoyment had the high level of functional risk and physical risk.
Fourth, an attempt was made to investigate the significant difference in the risk reduction plan preferred according to the level of perceived risk by type. As a result, it was found that compared to the low group the group of college students with the high level of risk had the higher level of preference for the human information factor in the physical risk, the mass media/guidebook in the functional and financial risk and the travellers' agency factor in the risk of time loss.
Based on the above findings, the following suggestions could be presented:
First of all, marketers of the travelling business firm need to plan and market the products that can meet the potential motive related to the particular situation of consumers but induce college students to change the resulting perceived risk. And they should change travellers' perceived risk of the product through the risk reduction plan such as services or advertisings to induce the desire stimulated by the motive directly to the purchase behavior.