An Investigation into Irish Luxury Travel Consumers and the Drivers that motivate them to invest in Luxury Travel Experiences

Maher, Kathleen (2019) An Investigation into Irish Luxury Travel Consumers and the Drivers that motivate them to invest in Luxury Travel Experiences. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

The luxury industry and its consumers have been heavily researched. However, most of the existing literature around luxury consumption focusses on luxury products, with little mention of luxury services, particularly luxury travel services. With the luxury travel industry set to be worth US$8460 million by 2024, a need for understanding this realm of the luxury world deserves to be explored. In alignment with the majority of the existing research being focussed on luxury goods, the majority of the existing literature on luxury consumers does not consider those who invest in experiences, such as luxury travel. Therefore, this dissertation aims to fill this knowledge gap.

The literature revealed that there are two consumer groups relevant to this study; traditional luxury consumers and aspirational luxury consumers. Five in depth interviews were carried out involving three traditional luxury travel consumers and two aspirational luxury travel consumers. These groups were noted in the literature to be motivated by opposing versions of the self, but the findings of this study found that they are indeed aligned in their internal drivers and in their motivating version of the self, i.e. the actual self.

Alongside of understanding their drivers and values, this study also aimed to understand what they expect from such services. Experiential marketing is at the core of tourism and in the context of luxury, an opportunity emerged from the literature to determine what is expected from luxury brands operating in this industry. The data revealed that luxury consumers invest in luxury travel in an attempt to achieve relaxation and escapism. They crave exceptional experiences, VIP treatment and favour those luxury brands who offer them ease, relaxation and a quiet environment on their holidays. They are in-fact, hedonistic, emotional beings who like to reward themselves with luxury getaways. While the research objectives of this project were met, the concluding chapter will detail opportunities for further research.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > Marketing > Consumer Behaviour H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > Specific Industries > Tourism Industry
Divisions:	School of Business > Master of Science in Marketing
Depositing User:	Caoimhe Ní Mhaicín
Date Deposited:	24 Oct 2019 13:37
Last Modified:	24 Oct 2019 13:37
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/4042

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