Identifying Travel Motivations of Saudi Domestic Tourists: Case of Hail province in Saudi Arabia

Resumo

This study focuses on Saudi domestic tourists visiting Hail province. The objectives of this study are to explore the perception of tourists regarding Hail province and to identify the main motivational factor that attracts them to travel to Hail. This study was conducted in Hail region, south of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Visitors over 18 years of age in attraction sites in the destination were potential respondents for the present study. Convenient sampling technique was applied to gather data from respondents. Over 650 questionnaires were distributed among visitors in Hail region, out of which 380 were used for analysis as the remaining questionnaires were not fit for use due to their incomplete responses. Factor analysis and cluster analysis was undertaken to identify travel motives or intentions. The identified motivational factors illustrated that "œtaking part in new adventures", "œrelaxation", "œincreasing tourism knowledge", and "œescaping routine" were the most important reasons of Saudi tourist to visit Hail. The cluster analysis result shows that "œrelaxation" is the top motivational factor for tourists who visit Hail followed by "œincreasing tourism knowledge".