Ascending Mount Kosciusko: An Exploration of Motivational Patterns

This paper explores what, if any, usable market segments exist within those tourists visiting Mt Kosciuszko over the Easter period based upon their rating of a set of motivations. An assumption that might be made about visitors to Mt Kosciuszko is that their prime motivation was to ascend the summit of the highest point in Australia, however what this paper highlights is the wide range of motivations that inspire people to be on Mt Kosciuszko to visit and to return to the summit. This paper draws on previous research of visitors Mt Kosciuszko, investigates systematic motivational patterns among them and the association of such psychographic sub-groups of tourist with different wilderness perceptions to better understand those tourists visiting the Mt Kosciuszko area in order to assist tourism providers and land managers.