Couple dynamics in household tourism decision making: Women as the gatekeepers?

The purpose of this study is to explore household tourism decision making. There is an extensive literature on consumer choice in general.1-3 In terms of tourism, the main focus has been on motivational factors,4-6 but as part of the emergence of a literature which studies the issues of tourism and gender, there are some authors who focus on holiday decision making.7-9 In this context the focus here is on the distinctive roles and power relations within a couple. The study is exploratory in nature and employs a self-administered questionnaire.It is concluded that the overall consumption of a holiday is largely a joint decision, but when the purchase is broken down into different stages females have a dominant role in the early stages of the process, possibly making them the gatekeepers.