Introduction
Across the world, tourism is a major economic activity, which contributes significantly to the economic growth of many countries that have tourist attractions. Since people are social beings, they like travelling to various tourism destinations as tourists.
Since routine schedules of workplace and businesses are boring, people use tourism as a means of rejuvenating, gaining motivation, and reflecting about their lives. Over the recent past, tourism has experienced outstanding changes in terms of consumers and their preferences.
One of the main entrants into the tourism and hospitality market is the set of consumers that comprise of families and young children.
As opposed to the past, where fathers made major decisions concerning holiday destinations, mothers and children are now active participants in decision-making and even have the power to influence the choice of destinations that families visit during holidays.
Therefore, the essay describes the families as potential consumers of tourism products and cites the influence that children have in choosing tourism destinations.
Influence of Children in Holiday Decision Making
Children are part of the family and make up an influential segment of decision makers in the family and thus they participate actively in decision-making. Remarkably, the number of families that visit tourist destinations and hospitality facilities has risen over the recent past to a significant level.
The rising demand for tourism and hospitality products that cater for the needs of families has led to shifts and adjustments in various establishments, which provide tourism and hospitality products in the quest to meet family expectations.
Some of the ways that children affect the decisions that families make on holiday destinations include their preferences, purchasing decision, buying behaviours, choice of locations, accommodations, activities, and influences from their peers.
According to Blichfeldt et al. (2010), children have varied preferences in terms of location and activities, as well as the types of products that they like consuming. These differences usually determine the holiday choices of parents since they have to consider the differences when making decision about holiday destinations.
Purchasing decisions and buying behaviours of children are different from that of adults. As opposed to adults, who do not engage in impulse buying, children tend to purchase various products irrespective of the holiday budget.
Additionally, children love products such as snacks and games, which may not be in the set of adult preferences. Due to the existing differences in buying patterns and behaviours, families decide holiday destinations to visit based on the differences.
Several hospitality and tourism establishments are currently aligning their services so that they can provide services that do not only meet requirements of adults, but also satisfy the needs of children (Kang, Hsu, & Wolfe 2003).
The alignment of services by hospitality and tourism facilities happens because children are currently among the major consumers of tourism products. The influence of children in families has compelled several families to visit those destinations that offer services, which match the desires of both adults and children.
Children influence the choice of locations, accommodation facilities, and the type of activities that families engage in during the holiday. The influence that children exert transpires because of the diverse tastes, likes, and dislikes of adults and children.
Families that are on holidays usually try to ensure that each individual in the family enjoys the holiday. Therefore, families prefer visiting a destination that has the facilities, which satisfy adult and child requirements.
Theme parks, arboretums and other tourism facilities and establishments, which offer services such as face painting and bouncing castles, make up the main types of destinations that families prefer visiting. Conversely, destinations that only meet requirements of adults receive several adults as opposed to families.
Philips, Canter, and Abbott (2011) argue that the numbers of hotels that provide family facilities are increasing in several tourism and hospitality establishments.
The power of children in families implies that they dictate the locations that families visit, the type of accommodation facilities, and the type of activities that families undertake during the holiday.
Peer influence is another factor that affects the choice of holidays among families, especially children. Since children are vulnerable to influences and coercions from their friends, they are likely to use the pressure from friends to determine holiday destination for families.
Children can compel a family to visit a destination that their colleagues visit, as they need the company of their friends and peers. As a result, children are currently dictating the choices that families make concerning the locations and places to visit during holidays (Marino 2003).
In some instances, families compromise their likes and preferences with a view of satisfying the needs and demands of their children. The compromise that parents make regarding their preferences and needs evidently outlines the force and power that children have on the holiday choices.
Probability of Common Decision Making
Due to the diverse perceptions, motives and interests towards tourism and hospitality establishments, parents and children often vary in terms of locations to visit.
The variance can lead to dissatisfaction among parties in the family, who feels oppressed or undermined in line with the choice of place or holiday destination (Boterhill & Haven 2003). However, there is a chance of families coming to a mutual agreement on the destination that they want to visit during the holiday.
Compromise, involvement, safety, and attractions are some of the factors that families can use to achieve a common decision on the place to visit.
Since it is impossible to satisfy the needs of all individuals in a family, parents can compromise and adjust their perceptions, likes, and preferences so that they ensure that their children enjoy their holiday and the choices they make.
Families can involve their children in the decision-making process as it enables them to understand various needs and expectations that their children have concerning the choice of place to visit during holidays.
Poor participation of children in families on aspects like holiday destinations results in assumptions from parents, who believe that a certain place is good for their children when children hold contrary opinions.
Therefore, it is very crucial to involve all the stakeholders in the family, which are the children and parents, in holiday decision-making. When all individuals in a family take part in the decision-making process and present their opinions, feelings of satisfaction and fulfilment develops in their minds.
The feelings develop because the individuals know that other people in the family respect and honour their points of view. According to Goh et al. (2010), every individual has diverse opinions and perspectives on the types of tourism products that they love consuming.
Therefore, child involvement in decision-making is very instrumental in achieving a common decision in the choice of place to visit during family holidays.
Safety is another factor that compels families to make a common decision as it overrides personal preferences and likes. Regardless of the tourism and hospitality products offered by a tourism attraction, insecurity renders the subject location unsuitable for tourism.
Children and parents in the family opt to visit destinations, which are safe and secure for the safety of their families is crucial factor that they cannot overlook. Onder, Yoldorom, and Ozdemir (2013) explain that safety is one of the major factors that determine consumer’s choices of tourism locations.
Presence of insecurity in a destination drives tourists away from the region because it is a push factor in tourism. Travel advisories, and embassies are very important in the passage of information to the society on safe locations to visit.
The common agreement is obtainable in the context of safety because parents and children believe in the importance of peace and tranquillity and loathe the outcomes orchestrated by insecurity.
External Factors that Prompt Holiday Decision-Making
Families just like other types of tourists respond in similar ways to externalities that affect other tourists in decision-making. Some of the externalities that affect families in deciding the locations to visit include induced image of a destination, push and pull factors, pricing, and flexibility of tourism and hospitality establishments.
Families are likely to visit regions or establishments that have good reputation and image. Good reputation and image emerge due to the services provided by the facilities to consumers, who market them through a word of mouth to other potential consumers (Bjork & Jansson 2008).
The marketing image that a destination receives from past consumers and the level of advertisement influence the willingness of consumers, especially families.
It is imperative to understand that the image of a destination is dependent on factors such as security, economy, and the interrelationships among countries that service providers cannot manipulate or change.
Push and pull factors are those factors that either drive tourists away from the tourist attraction or bring them to the attraction. Goodrich (2014) asserts that the push factors scare tourists away from the attraction, while the pull factors attract tourists to an attraction.
Insecurity and conflicts among countries, recession, language barriers, and the inflations are some of the push factors that increase unwillingness of families to visit certain tourist destinations.
On the other hand, good relationships among countries, economic balance, and good security are among the factors that increase the willingness and the tendency of families to visit and consume tourism products in subject regions.
Remarkably, push and pull factors are not within the control of service providers in the tourism and hospitality industry, and thus, they have no control or power over the factors.
Pricing determines the choice of destination that families choose to visit because families are among the types of tourists, who value their money and need effective utility.
As opposed to past consumers, who focussed on the quantity of products that facilities offered, modern consumers emphasise on the quality of the services in relation to their attached value (Marino 2003). In this regard, consumers often go for services that promise value for their money.
Costs associated with labour and raw materials determine the price charged on a good or service. The rise in cost of raw materials causes a corresponding increase in the cost of production (Ballantyne & Packer 2009). The increase compels service providers to increase the cost of services that they offer.
The fact that food prices and the prices of other tourist services like sightseeing and transport depend on the changes in the economy and global product prices implies that service providers have very little influence on the price.
Flexibility of service providers in the tourism and hospitality industry is one of the essential factors that influence families using certain facilities and consume the services offered.
If a facility is flexible, then it quickly adjusts to the prevailing consumer requirements and provides consumers with what they expect, and thus, satisfy them (Ballantyne & Packer 2009). Tourism destinations also need to be flexible so that they can deliver what is best for the consumers, who comprise of children and adults.
When families realise that a destination quickly adopts modern technologies and copes with their changing requirements, their willingness to visit the destination increases.
According to Fuller et al. (2007), consumers in the tourism and hospitality industries are very trendy and ever changing, therefore, service providers in the industry must be flexible and adaptive.
The need for flexibility in hospitality and tourism establishments is due to the changes that consumers portray in the industry, which are unstoppable, uncontrollable, and unpredictable.
Conclusion
In the recent past, a new type of tourism has developed in the field of tourism. The new type of tourism comprises of families, which are increasingly travelling to various destinations and consuming the services provided by the establishments of tourism and hospitality.
As a new entrant in the tourism and hospitality market, families pose a challenge to the industry since they require the creation of new facilities that cater for the requirements of children and adults.
Remarkably, children have also changed the choice of holiday destinations that families visit as they dictate the families to choose places that meet their needs and preferences.
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