Backpackers’ travel motivations and revisit intention to Sri Lanka

Abstract

Backpacker Tourism is now becoming Sri Lanka's fastest growing sector which young and budget-minded tourists who travel to Sri Lanka and focus on meeting other cultures, organize independent and flexible itineraries, stay longer with focus on informal and participatory recreational activities. Backpacker tourism significantly contributes to spending largely on locally produced goods and services, and lodging facilities run by local communities by providing direct economic benefits to the host populations. Hence, relatively few studies have addressed the relationship between travel motivation and backpackers’ revisit intention to Sri Lanka. The purpose of this study was to investigate the direct influence of travel motivation factors; novelty seeking, culture, adventure and relaxation on backpackers’ intention to revisit Sri Lanka. A survey design which was quantitative in nature was based on an empirical study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the backpackers. The sample of 150 respondents was selected using a convenience sampling method, from Kandy, Dambulla and Anuradhapura between January and April 2020. The data were analyzed using SPSS 21 statistical software. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics applied to examine the backpackers travel motivation factors and their effect on revisit intention to the destination. Findings of the study revealed that novelty seeking, culture, adventure, relaxation and destination attraction have a significant positive relationship with backpackers’ intention to revisit. And the findings also indicate that social contact has positively but not significantly influenced on backpacker’s revisit intention. Further, this study provides valuable insight into the roots of the travel motivations of all backpackers and it demonstrates how some of the conventionally understood motivations of backpackers are dynamic during their travel careers.