The role of fashion in influencing the travel decision and destination choice

Given available time and resources, an individual can choose whether to travel andconsequently make a choice of where to travel. In this environment of discretionary demandand increasing supply as more locations seek to attract tourists, an understanding of the traveldecision and destination choice is imperative. A novel approach is to treat not only thedecision to travel (whether to) but also the destination selected (where to) as being influencedby fashion. Given the public nature of tourism, leisure travel may well be a fashion statementby an individual. This paper proposes a conceptual explanation of the role of fashion ininfluencing the travel decision and destination choice. It is intended to test the proposition ina detailed study. If confirmed, the application of fashion theory will have beneficialimplications for tourism operators and destination marketers.