Reframing tourist segmentation: a personality-based approach to enhance sustainable destination management

Moisa, Delia ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9365-7893 (2025) Reframing tourist segmentation: a personality-based approach to enhance sustainable destination management. Doctoral thesis, University of Cumbria.

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Abstract

In an increasingly competitive and dynamic tourism landscape, Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) face the dual challenge of attracting diverse groups of visitors, while also protecting the unique character of their destinations. Market segmentation is key in finding a balance between these two, allowing DMOs to attract the right tourist segments. However, traditional segmentation methods, which rely primarily on socio-demographic and typological approaches, fail to capture the complexity of tourist behaviour. To address this, the current study integrates the Big Five personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism) aiming to advance current segmentation models, offering a comprehensive understanding of visitor behaviour and supporting sustainable destination practices.

Conducted in Cumbria, a tourist destination with UNESCO World Heritage Sites including the Lake District National Park and Hadrian's Wall, the research adopted a mixed-method approach, including visitor surveys, focus group discussions with industry practitioners, and interviews with visitors. Five visitor clusters were identified: Reserved Explorers, Culturally Curious, Diligent Adventurers, Social Explorers, and Balanced Explorers, each with unique profiles. Industry experts emphasised the potential of psychographic targeting for sustainable strategies, while visitor interviews revealed additional factors including financial considerations, and travel companions' influence on their activities. Moreover, the findings reinforced the effectiveness of personality-based segmentation, with technology providing continuous and adaptive support to enhance sustainable destination management.

This research contributes significantly to theory and practice. Theoretically, it advances sustainable tourism management by proposing proactive, data-driven strategies which could reshape destination trajectories rather than accepting stagnation and decline as consequences of mass tourism. Moreover, it expands the application of personality traits in tourism segmentation by bridging psychological theories to understand tourist behaviour. Practically, it proposes a forward-thinking model for destination management, one that involves change, employs psychographic insights, and supports the use of technology to enhance visitor experiences while ensuring the destination’s long-term sustainability.

Item Type:	Thesis/Dissertation (Doctoral)
Departments:	Institute of Business, Industry and Leadership > Tourism Management
Additional Information:	A thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Institute of Business, Industry & Leadership, University of Cumbria, March 2025, word count: 79,090.
Depositing User:	Anna Lupton
Date Deposited:	28 Oct 2025 10:52
Last Modified:	29 Oct 2025 08:00
URI:	https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/9139

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