Temporal Tourism Booking Decisions and the Effect of Message and Goal Framing

Abstract

Travelers are often faced with a booking dilemma—to book early or to wait until the last minute. Two studies were undertaken to examine how different ways of framing the booking options can affect choice. Message framing was used in Study 1 and goal framing in Study 2. Study 1 participants were given the choice of a trade-off between a cheap but possibly inconvenient early bird fare and an expensive but more convenient later fare; involvement was included as a potential moderator. Study 2 participants were given the option of a rebate for early booking; the moderator was approach/avoidance motivation. Participants in both studies were more apt to choose the early bird option in the negative framing condition that described the negative consequences of not booking early, compared to the positive framing condition that described the positive consequences of booking early. The moderators made little difference. These findings enhance our understanding of framing effects in tourism contexts and so contribute to both marketing theory and tourism marketing practice.