CACTUS CACTUS J Tour Bus Manag Econ CACTUS – Journal of Tourism Business, Management and Economics 2247-3297 ASE Publishing House Bucharest, Romania 10.24818/CTS/6/2024/2.03 cactus-2024-10 Research Article Z30, C10, D91 Are there 'hygiene-motivation' factors in the choice of India as a tourist destination? A structural equation modelling approach Diaconescu Vlad https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7840-5849 diconescuvlad17@stud.ase.ro Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania 15 12 2024 6 2 15122024 Copyright © 2024, The Author(s) 2024 The Author(s) This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

This study examines the role of motivational factors in the selection of India as a travel destination, using Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivation (Hygiene-Motivation model) as a theoretical foundation. By examining how stereotypes about India influence tourists' decision making, this study categorises motivational factors into hygiene and motivation categories and examines their influence on destination choice. A survey conducted at the Romanian Tourism Fair in February 2019 with 729 participants forms the basis for this analysis. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied to assess the relationships between these factors. The study reveals two main types of factors that influence tourists: Hygiene factors (e.g. accessibility, comfort, food and overall quality of services) and motivational factors (e.g. cultural richness, scenic beauty and local traditions).The study shows that stereotypes about India play a crucial role in shaping tourists’ priorities — those who have negative stereotypes are more likely to focus on hygiene factors, such as ensuring that basic service expectations are met. In addition, while motivational factors still play an important role, elements such as natural beauty and cultural experiences take center stage in the travel decision.

 Keywords stereotypes in tourism Hygiene-motivation theory destination choice India Structural Equation Modelling (SEM)

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