Travel Innovativeness and Self-Image Congruity

One of the important challenges of new travel product marketing is identifying characteristics of travel consumers likely to purchase products early in their product life cycle. To help understand these travellers, two valuable marketing concepts, innovativeness and self-reference theory, have been applied. The research finds that tourism innovators have a distinctly unique self-image when compared to late adopters and suggests means that tourism marketers of innovative products can use to target these important potential customers.