Travel career ladder

This chapter concentrates on the modification of one of the existing theories of tourist motivation - the travel career ladder (Pearce, 1988, 1991b, 1993b). Much potential exists for other research on travel motivation to advance parallel conceptual endeavours such as Plog s allocentric-psychocentric theory (Plog, 1974, 1987,1991), Iso-Ahola s optimal arousal theory (Iso-Ahola, 1982) and Beard and Ragheb s leisure motivation... 

The travel career ladder approach was developed by Pearce (1988, 1991b, 1993b), Pearce and Caltabiano (1983) and Moscardo and Pearce (1986a) and was based in part on Maslow s (1970) needs-hierarchy theory of motivation. The travel career ladder (TCL) describes tourist motivation as consisting of five different levels relaxation needs, safety/security... 

Some empirical studies demonstrated that this research model was an acceptable initial tool in understanding travel motivation (Kim, 1997 Lee, 1998 Loker-Murphy, 1995 Mills, 1985). As Ryan (2002b 50) reports, the evidence was not always clear cut but at a descriptive level it has an obvious appeal. Furthermore, it has been proposed that the travel career ladder can be utilised as a blueprint for the design of motivational studies for special markets such as for ecotourists and for theme park patrons (Blayney, 1998 Pearce Rutledge, 1994). 

Travel career ladder (TCL) An older theoretical model describing travel motivation through five hierarchical levels of needs/motives in relation to travel career levels. 

Ryan, C. (1998) The Travel Career Ladder An appraisal. Annals of Tourism Research 25 (1), 936-57. 

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