Effects of Past Tourism Experience on the Current Travel Motivations of Japanese Travellers

ABSTRACT This study aimed to elucidate the influences of past tourism experiences, as well as the impact of sex and age on tourism motivations, targeting the Japanese population. A total of 1046 survey responses collected through a web‐based questionnaire survey were analysed by qualitative research methods. The analysis revealed five tourism motivations. Among these, ‘escape/relax’, ‘pleasure trip’, and ‘expansion of a personal point of view’ were more prominent in women compared with men. Conversely, the ‘autonomy’ factor was more pronounced in men than in women. Younger individuals with more tourism experience tended to have higher tourism motivations, whereas older individuals with less tourism experience exhibited lower tourism motivations. The results emphasise the need to develop more personalised tourism marketing strategies that consider an individual's travel history.