The relationship between tourist motivations and the interpretation of place meanings

Current approaches in cultural geography suggest that how a place is interpreted is directly related to the metaphorical perspective from which that place is viewed. In other words, the meaning attributed to place is dependent on the orientations of particular groups and individuals. This idea was tested in the context of one nature-based tourist place by investigating the link between place meanings and the motivational profiles of 879 visitors to the Daintree and Cape Tribulation area of far North Queensland, Australia. Motivational groups were identified using a factor-cluster segmentation approach, while the meaning structure was developed by Young. Analysis of variance between the motivational clusters revealed that place was interpreted in the context of the motivational orientation of visitors. It is argued that by attributing selected meanings to place, visitors benefit psychologically through the fulfilment of motivational needs. Implications for management and research are discussed.