The effect of touristic personality characteristics on touristic product preference and purchase behavior

In the tourism industry, which is one of the rapidly developing industries in the world, the preferences and purchasing decisions of the tourists can also change constantly. Tourism enterprises that can analyze their needs, desires and preferences correctly will be able to gain advantage in the intense competition environment. When the literature is reviewed, it is seen that the personality characteristics of tourists affect their buying behaviors. In this study, it is aimed to contribute to the literature and tourism sector by analyzing whether the personality characteristics of tourists affect touristic product preference and purchase behaviors and whether tourist product preference and purchase behaviors differ according to the characteristics of tourists. The sample of the study consisted of 627 people living in Zonguldak with tourist characteristics. Demographic characteristics of tourists, their interest and preferences for tourism types, data on travel habits, touristic product preferences and purchasing behaviors were determined by using questionnaires applied to them, personality traits were determined using 5 Factor Personality Scale and their relationship with each other was examined. SPSS 19.0, Excel 2016 and R-Studio 1.1.463 software were used to analyze the data. In the study, it was found that the variables covering the demographic characteristics and the significant part of the variables covering the touristic product preference and purchasing characteristics showed significant differences in terms of personality sub-dimensions. In addition, personality traits have been found to affect some of the tourism types of interest and preference.