INFLUENCES OF PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS ON TRAVEL MOTIVES OF SLOVAK WOMEN ABROAD

Background: The sustainability of tourist destinations and tourism businesses relies on identifying markets supporting long-term growth. Success depends on understanding the needs of potential consumers and adapting to trends and shifts in source market conditions. This adaptability is key to ensuring continued development and competitiveness. Aims: This paper aims to find which motives are important to Slovak women when traveling abroad and which characteristics of women cause differences in the perceived importance of motives when traveling abroad. Methods: We use the Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis test to verify three hypotheses. We consider generation, parental status, and marital status as group characteristics. Sample: The research sample consists of 232 Slovak women. Results: The results showed differences between groups for some motives. Conclusions: The study reveals that age, parental status, and marital status significantly influence women's travel motivations, offering valuable insights for the travel industry to develop tailored, generation-specific, and life-stage-sensitive marketing strategies to enhance the travel experience. Implications: Understanding these differences can help cater to diverse needs, ensuring more personalized and satisfying travel experiences.