Tourism has become one of the most attractive sectors of economy as more and more tourists leave their homes to obtain new experiences in different countries or in other states of their homeland.
This segment of economy is developing very fast but it is still rather unclear what pushes tourists to come to this or that country, and, what is more important, what makes them go to a place several times. Melbourne is becoming one of the busiest touristic destinations (O’Toole 2011). Therefore, the city attracts attention of researchers as well.
For instance, Campo-MartÃnez, Garau-Vadell and MartÃnez-Ruiz (2009) concentrate on the revisit intention. The researchers note that the group composition plays an important role in formation of tourists’ intention to come back.
However, the researchers also point out that negative experiences have a greater impact on tourists than positive experiences. Thus, the researchers make a valuable contribution noting that managerial errors can negatively affect the development of tourism. On the contrary, proper management and marketing strategies make tourists motivated to come back.
Interestingly, Prayag and Ryan (2011) looked into the correlation between nationality and motivational aspects between repeat and first-time travellers. For instance, German and South African travellers tend to strive for new experiences.
Thus, it is essential to develop certain strategies to provide such tourists with services and experiences they long for. Melbourne is a place where people can obtain a variety of experiences. This city has a high livability index and travellers pay a lot of attention to attributes included in this measurement.
Frost et al. (2010) provide valuable insights into the strategies aimed at developing proper image of touristic destinations. Thus, the authors claim that Australia (and Melbourne, in particular) has developed proper image that attracts travellers.
The researchers note that Melbourne is characterised by major attributes of liveability (e.g. stability, healthcare, culture, environment, infrastructure, education), but it is possible to focus on a specific attribute to attract more visitors (Frost et al. 2010). Coffee traditions and development of the café traditions have made a considerable contribution to the development of tourism in the area.
Richards and Palmer (2012) consider numerous strategies aimed at attracting travellers. The researchers stress that Melbourne is becoming a centre of numerous events which are potentially interesting to numerous groups of people (Richards & Palmer 2012).
Sport events are excessively used to attract travellers. This is one of the most effective strategies to attract tourists to the city. Music and a variety of art festivals also attract lots of tourists to the area. The researchers note that the events are held annually, which contributes to creation of revisit intention in travellers.
O’Toole (2011) focuses on various strategies developed and claims that conceptual methodologies used have proved to be effective. The researcher notes that convergence sampling technique, which is used in the field, is also very effective and helpful in revealing peculiarities of traveller’s motivation.
The researcher also emphasizes that launching numerous events enables marketing managers to attract travellers from different countries. These events include business, sport, and art events.
In a nutshell, it is possible to note that the major focus of researchers is measuring tourists’ satisfaction and development of strategies to attract travellers. It is necessary to note that there are still numerous gaps to be filled and further research is necessary. It is still unclear what destination attributes attract visitors and make them return.
Notably, though the major attributes of liveability have been analysed in detail, their influence on tourists’ choices is still unclear. It is important to understand which liveability attributes attract first-time tourists and repeat visitors to be able to develop proper strategies applicable for the two groups of travellers.
More so, Melbourne as one of the most attractive destinations of the present-day travellers should be a topic of further research. Thus, it is crucial to look into the impact Melbourne’s liveability attributes have on the choices made by first time and repeat visitors.
Reference List
Campo-MartÃnez, S, Garau-Vadell, JB & MartÃnez-Ruiz, MP 2009, ‘Factors influencing repeat visits to a destination: the influence of group composition’, Tourism Management, vol. xxx, pp. 1-9.
Frost, W, Laing, J, Wheeler, F & Reeves, K 2010, ‘Coffee culture, heritage and destination image: Melbourne and the Italian model’, in Jolliffe, L (ed), Coffee culture, destinations and tourism, Channel View Publications, Bristol, UK, pp. 89-99.
O’Toole, W 2011, Events feasibility and development: from strategy to operations, Routledge, Oxford, UK.
Prayag, G & Ryan, C 2011, ‘The relationship between the ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors of a tourist destination: the role of nationality – an analytical qualitative research approach’, Current Issues in Tourism, vol. 14. no.2, pp. 121-143.
Richards, G & Palmer, R 2012, Eventful cities, Routledge, Oxford, UK.