Leisure-Tourism Connection (LTC): A Comparison of Active and Passive Activity Preferences

The leisure-tourism behavioral continuum proposes that there is a link between leisure and tourism activities. While there is some empirical support for a strong leisure-tourism connection (LTC) among physically active individuals few studies have investigated how leisure and tourism are psychologically connected and whether individuals with preferences for physically active or passive leisure activities exhibit the same or different patterns in tourism contexts. Using an on-line survey of university alumni the relationships among leisure involvement, leisure habit, tourism motivation, and tourism behavior were compared between individuals with preferences for active (n=316) and passive (non-physically active) (n=258), pursuits individuals using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), and independent t-tests. The results showed that the LTC was statistically significant only among physically active individuals. In particular, social identity played an important role in linking active lifestyles to tourism choices.