Prøveforelesning og disputas - Master in Management, Innovation and Marketing Ingvild Blomstervik

The defense will take place 21 FEB at 10:15 - 14:00. Thesis title:

"Preference for Novelty in Tourism: Investigating the role of personal values through variable- and person-centered approaches"

Head of department at HHT, Mette Talseth Solnørdal, will lead the disputation.

Popular Science Summary

This thesis explores why tourists prefer either new or familiar experiences by looking at their personal values. Using surveys from people in the UK and US, the study examines how values related to openness to change and conservation influence these vacation preferences.

 The findings show that people who are open to change often seek new experiences when they travel, while those who prioritize conservation prefer familiar places. Interestingly, people who value both openness to change and conservation often prefers vacations that mix both novel and familiar elements. This suggests that understanding a traveler's personal values can help predict their preferences for either novelty or familiarity in their destinations. The practical takeaway for the tourism industry is significant.

By knowing more about tourists' values, companies can better design travel options that cater to both novel and familiar preferences, potentially increasing traveler satisfaction and loyalty.

Evaluation Committee:

• Professor Janne Liburd, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark (1 opponent)
• Associate Professor John Armbrecht, University of Gothenburg, Sweden (2 opponent)
• Associate Professor Line Mathisen, HHT (internal member and leader of the committee)

Supervisors:

• Professor Svein Ottar Olsen, HHT
• Professor May Kristin Vespestad, HHT

Streaming site

Both the defense and the trial lecture will be streamed and recorded from panopto:

• Trial lecture
• Disputation

Thesis

The thesis is available through Munin