How Differing Cultural Attitudes towards Leisure Affect How Travel is Marketed towards American versus French Audiences
College
College of Business Administration
Department
Management & Marketing
Abstract
In 2016, Americans as a whole forfeited 206 million of their paid vacation days, which numbered from zero to an average of 16 days per person in the private sector. Conversely, French workers receive approximately 31 paid vacation days a year, and 89 percent of their population takes their vacation days. Because of this obvious cultural difference in regards to vacation time, tourism companies need to vary their marketing cross-culturally to these audiences. Consumers in general are motivated to travel from both external and internal sources, and previous studies and literature prove that these motivations are taken into account when planning marketing strategies. However, literature has yet to investigate how consumers’ cultural attitudes towards leisure time affect how travel is marketed. This research seeks to understand how cultural differences in attitudes towards leisure time affect how travel is marketed cross-culturally, specifically towards French versus American audiences. Through a content analysis and cross-cultural consumer survey, we will analyze the differences in cultural attitudes towards work and leisure time, determining if they affect marketing strategies taken by tourism companies towards French and American audiences. This study will serve as information for tourism companies that market towards French and American audiences, as well as marketing professionals who seek information on cross-cultural approaches to the field.
Honors Thesis Committee
Stephanie Lawson, Ph.D.; Padmini Padwarthan, Ph.D.; and Jane Thomas, Ph.D.
Start Date
20-4-2018 12:45 PM
How Differing Cultural Attitudes towards Leisure Affect How Travel is Marketed towards American versus French Audiences
West 219
In 2016, Americans as a whole forfeited 206 million of their paid vacation days, which numbered from zero to an average of 16 days per person in the private sector. Conversely, French workers receive approximately 31 paid vacation days a year, and 89 percent of their population takes their vacation days. Because of this obvious cultural difference in regards to vacation time, tourism companies need to vary their marketing cross-culturally to these audiences. Consumers in general are motivated to travel from both external and internal sources, and previous studies and literature prove that these motivations are taken into account when planning marketing strategies. However, literature has yet to investigate how consumers’ cultural attitudes towards leisure time affect how travel is marketed. This research seeks to understand how cultural differences in attitudes towards leisure time affect how travel is marketed cross-culturally, specifically towards French versus American audiences. Through a content analysis and cross-cultural consumer survey, we will analyze the differences in cultural attitudes towards work and leisure time, determining if they affect marketing strategies taken by tourism companies towards French and American audiences. This study will serve as information for tourism companies that market towards French and American audiences, as well as marketing professionals who seek information on cross-cultural approaches to the field.
