Segmentation of Foreign Backpackers by Travel Motivations for Visiting Central Vietnam

Abstract

Backpacking has flourished as a tourism model, with corresponding increase in its value as a market and as a topic of research. This study adds to that literature by identifying foreign backpackers’ motivations for traveling to Vietnam and using those motivations to provide an empirical market segmentation. We collected data from 401 international backpackers who visited the cities of Hội An and Da Nang, Vietnam, and used descriptive statistics, EFA, and cluster analysis to analyze the accrued data and perform the segmentation. Respondents were clustered into four groups: local food and psychological stability seekers, psychological stability seekers, obligatory backpackers, and multiple-motive backpackers. The identification of the four motivation clusters of backpackers and the descriptions of each have implications for cultural- and heritage-destination marketing and management.