Travel decisions of students at a US university: Segmenting the international market

Travel motivation is an important concept in understanding why and how individuals make travel decisions to preferred destinations. A total of 469 responses obtained from students at a US university were analyzed to determine push and pull motivation factors toward the top 10 overseas destinations and to assess if there were significant differences in the factors across the destinations. Analysis identified seven push and six pull factors and found substantial differences in the factors across the destinations. Marketing plans and implications are suggested for promoting travel products targeting the student market.