Motivations of Youth Tourism: The Case of University Students in the Porto and North Region

Abstract

Tourism nowadays allows for the development and enhancement of many places and countries, leading to improvements in economic, social, cultural, and environmental aspects. It is considered to provide unique experiences to both tourists and the local population through the interaction of different cultures. With various tourism products available, it is essential to identify the motivations and attributes that tourists, especially young tourists, seek and possess regarding a destination. Therefore, we aim to identify and understand the profile and motivations of young tourists/visitors, particularly university students. The World Tourism Organization (WTO) classifies motivations for tourism into two main categories: the first is called Rational Type, which includes concepts such as trust, security, savings, tradition, and modernism. The other is called Affective Type, encompassing curiosity, novelty, sympathy, freedom, and friendship. Currently, young people travel to visit friends and family, for studying or exploring new places, and for the cultural heritage of the destinations. Regardless of the various reasons presented, cultural motivations (such as visiting historical monuments) and motivations to explore new places stand out in most of their visits. The present study aims to identify the profile of youth tourism in Portugal, specifically focusing on young individuals attending higher education, who engage in cultural tourism based on their motivations, behaviours, activities, travel data, and accommodation choices. To achieve this objective, a non-probabilistic convenience sample was used, and a questionnaire survey was developed, resulting in 94 completed questionnaires within the time frame defined between October 1 and December 31, 2022.