The “Pull” of Tourism Destinations: A Means-End Investigation

Means-end theory provides a practical framework for examining the relationships between the pull attributes of a destination (i.e., “the means”) and the higher level motivational forces important to the individual traveler (“the ends”). To the extent that these higher level forces correspond to the push factors that influenced one’s decision to travel in the first place, the means-end perspective provides a useful alternative approach for examining the relationship between push and pull factors in motivating and guiding travel behavior. This article examines the potential of using the means-end approach to examine push-pull relationships, demonstrates the use of the approach in an empirical study of spring break destination choice, and discusses key implications for future research and application.