The SAGE International Encyclopedia of

Travel and Tourism

Plog’s Model of Typologies of Tourists

Contributors: Oliver Cruz-Milán

Edited by: Linda L. Lowry
Book Title: The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Travel and Tourism
Chapter Title: "Plog’s Model of Typologies of Tourists"
Pub. Date: 2017
Access Date: July 12, 2017
Publishing Company: SAGE Publications, Inc
City: Thousand Oaks
Print ISBN: 9781483368948
Online ISBN: 9781483368924
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483368924.n356
Print pages: 954-956
©2017 SAGE Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This PDF has been generated from SAGE Knowledge. Please note that the pagination of
the online version will vary from the pagination of the print book.
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One of the best-known models in the travel and tourism field is one proposed by Stanley
Plog. According to Plog, destinations rise and fall in popularity because they appeal to
specific types of tourists over time, and follow a relatively predictable pattern of growth and
decline in popularity. Plog delineated these types of tourists according to personality-based,
psychographic traits along a continuum in a bell-shaped, normally distributed curve. The
tourist typology proposed in the model describes the destination characteristics and activities
that are preferred by tourists while on vacation. Thus, Plog’s model has been used as a
reference for planning and designing tourism infrastructure and marketing projects. In
addition, researchers have examined the model’s ability to predict what kinds of destinations
people choose. This entry discusses the history of Plog’s model, types of tourists and the
destinations they choose, using the model in tourism development, and academic research on
the model.

Origins of the Model

Plog’s model was published in 1974 as an article titled, “Why Destination Areas Rise and Fall
in Popularity,” in the Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly. The journal article
was a version of a 1972 conference presentation at the Southern California Chapter of the
Travel Research Association (now the Travel and Tourism Research Association). However, the
core concepts in the model originated in 1967 as part of a consulting project assigned to
Plog’s market-research company, Behavior Science Corporations (also known as BASICO).

Sixteen domestic and foreign airlines, airframe manufacturers, and various magazines
sponsored Plog’s research in order to understand the psychology of certain segments of
travelers. With the introduction of commercial jet airplanes, it was estimated that new capacity
for the airlines was about to develop much more quickly than the previously expected growth
in air travel. Therefore, the purpose of the project was to visualize what companies could do to
broaden the base of the travel market in order to turn more nonflyers into flyers. The
proprietary study consisted of a qualitative phase based on face-to-face, 2-hour personal
interviews with flyers and nonflyers, followed by a quantitative test using a national sample of
1,600 in-home surveys. The result from that research, as well as other related projects Plog
conducted, was the delineation of a personality-based, psychographic typology of travelers.

Tourist Types and Destinations

In Plog’s psychographic typology, tourists are classified based on personality traits along a
continuum, with allocentrics on one end of the spectrum and psychocentrics on the other.
Allocentrics, who Plog also called venturers, are individuals who feel that what happens to
them is largely under their own control. They are thus comfortable making choices that involve
some degree of variation, adventure, or risk. The term allocentric comes from the root words
allo (varied in form) and centric, meaning these individuals focus their interest patterns on
varied activities. Conversely, psychocentrics (or dependables) believe that what happens to
them is largely beyond their control. They thus try to make safe, consistent choices by
preferring popular things. The term psychocentric comes from the root psyche (self) and
centric, meaning these individuals center their thoughts or concerns on the small problems of
daily life. In the middle of the continuum, mid-centrics are those travelers that have a
balanced combination of both psychographic traits. In addition, tourists might lean to one
direction or the other on the continuum, either as near-allocentrics or near-psychocentrics, but
without falling completely into the extreme types.

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According to Plog’s model, destinations typically move through the allocentric-psychocentric

continuum, appealing to the various tourist types. The first tourists to “discover” a new place
are allocentrics. These allocentrics enjoy visiting unusual destinations, so they prefer non-
touristy, novel locations that are unfamiliar to most people. Allocentrics start talking to other
people about the vacations they had, marketing by word-of-mouth, and recommending the
exotic place they visited. This leads to a larger number of people traveling to the still-
underdeveloped tourism area, which is then being visited by near-allocentrics. After some
time, as the destination becomes more popular among travelers, more tourist infrastructure is
provided and marketing and promotion activities increase. Mid-centrics begin visiting the
destination, and the continuing increase of tourist arrivals stimulates further development of
hotels, restaurants, shops, scheduled tours, and other tourist-oriented business that charge
higher prices. Eventually, allocentrics are turned off by the destination because it has lost its
sense of novelty and unique atmosphere, though some near-allocentrics keep visiting the
area.

The destination reaches a point in which it is widely popular with a well-established image that
attracts mass tourism. In Plog’s model, as the area becomes touristy and commercialized, the
number of near-allocentrics visiting decreases, but the destination begins to appeal to more
near-psychocentrics. The area eventually loses positioning in the tourism market, the total
tourist arrivals decrease gradually over the years, and the destination moves toward the
psychocentric end of the continuum. Psychocentrics then become the main type of visitors,
since they prefer destinations that are well known with plenty of the services, facilities, and
activities that they are familiar with at their places of residence. However, because
psychocentrics constitute a small proportion of the overall tourism market, the destination has
fewer visitors than before, losing the popularity it once enjoyed. According to Plog, a
consequence of this is a price reduction to remain competitive against competitors,
contributing to the decline and demise of the destination.

Use of the Model in Tourism Planning

Plog’s model focuses on describing the typical evolution in a destination as a result of its
popularity in the tourism market. As a place becomes more crowded and commercial, it
appeals to a different audience with different tastes and preferences. However, Plog also
noted that such patterns can be influenced or modified by the intervention of planners,
stakeholders, and decision-makers at the destination. For example, new attractions or
infrastructure development may add a sense of freshness to a place, repositioning it in the
travel market. That was the case in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where the introducing casinos
attracted different segments of tourists. The once mature, decaying summer beach resort was
transformed into a popular gambling destination. Similarly, the town of Calvià, in the Balearic
Islands, implemented a plan to offset the destination’s decline due to massive tourism
overdevelopment. The initiative included renovating tourism facilities and demolishing several
deteriorated hotels, which were replaced with green areas and recreational infrastructure to
recover tourists’ visitation.

According to Plog, the concept of allocentrism-psychocentrism has been effectively employed

in the formulation and design of tourism development plans. For example, when conceiving a
development project for Branson, Missouri, its planners purposely aimed to target
psychocentric tourists. Because of its focus on country music, its accessibility as a drive-to
destination, and the type of attractions offered, the place was successfully positioned among
psychocentric tourists. Likewise, Plog’s psychographic system served as reference in the

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development of Pine Plantation, a resort community in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
During the early stages of the project, Plog provided advice on what type of facilities and
features were appropriate to appeal to buyers with near-allocentric characteristics.

The model proposed by Plog has also been used as the basis for tourism promotional and
communication strategies. For instance, the marketing and sales campaign of a new resort
development in Waikoloa, Hawaii, was based on his psychographic model. When the sales of
lots, homes, and condos fell short of expected forecasts, the advertising campaign was
refocused to with the psychographic profile of tourists in mind. Instead of depicting golf
courses and sunny beaches in the advertising material, they emphasized the mystique
atmosphere, cultural heritage, and history of Waikoloa. According to Plog, sales quickly
picked up because the new campaign emphasized attributes and characteristics that made it
more attractive for allocentrics.

Plog’s psychographic typology has been utilized as a conceptual basis for developing
marketing and communication campaigns for various destinations. For example, when Tahiti
faced the problem of falling numbers of travelers, its tourism officials realized that something
different was needed to reposition the destination. Following Plog’s psychographic model, the
tourism board and an advertising agency successfully repositioned Tahiti as a destination for
“stressed-out” allocentrics. The new marketing campaign targeted allocentric tourists who
needed a quiet place to relax and recharge their psychic batteries, escaping the frenetic pace
of urban life at an exotic place with no easy access to telephones, television, or newspapers.
Tourism arrivals grew consistently during the years that followed after the image change. In a
similar manner, Plog’s model has been used in other positioning and communication
campaigns, in destinations such as Switzerland, Honk Kong, and Portugal, among others.

Academic Research on Plog’s Model

For years, tourism and marketing scholars have empirically studied the validity of Plog’s
concepts. Segmentation studies have assessed the psychological dimensions of the typology,
corroborating the identification of groups with characteristics corresponding to Plog´s
psychographic continuum. Other studies have instead focused on testing the model’s ability
to predict tourists’ destination choice as suggested by Plog. These investigations have
provided varying degrees of support, yielding inconclusive results.

According to some studies reported in various academic publications, allocentrics are more
prone to choose destinations classified as novel or non-touristy, mid-centrics tend to prefer
destinations in a moderate level of tourism development, and psychocentrics are more likely
to choose destinations that are well positioned and heavily commercialized. For example, one
study showed that allocentric tourists have a higher preference for destinations such as a
primitive South Pacific island, and psychocentric tourists have a higher preference for places
such as major amusement parks. However, other research failed to corroborate Plog’s
psychographic traits as predictors of destination choice. These findings showed no correlation
between allocentrism-psychocentrism and the type of destinations preferred by participants.
In a number of rejoinders and commentary articles, Plog argued that the reason for conflicting
results was that studies in which no support was found failed to employ the original scale he
developed to measure allocentrism-psychocentrism. He also noted issues in the
methodological designs of those studies.

Current Standing

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Plog’s model is considered seminal and has been widely cited in the tourism literature.
Because of its intuitive appeal and simplicity, the model is found in most tourism and
hospitality textbooks worldwide. Even though the concept of allocentrism-psychocentrism is
not exempt from criticism by scholars in the discipline, Plog’s model is still being used as
conceptual framework and is still subject to academic scrutiny, as attested in recent journal
publications.

After more than 40 years, the fundamental implications of Plog’s model seem to remain valid.
As Plog notes, destinations that become successful in the tourism market also carry with them
the seed of their own potential destruction, because such places tend to become more
commercialized, overdeveloped, and eventually lose the qualities that originally attracted
tourists. Thus, destinations’ managers must not let unfocused development trample the
beautiful areas that appealed to tourists originally.

Oliver Cruz-Milán

See alsoButler’s Tourism Area Life Cycle and Its Expansion to the Creative Economy; Cohen’s
Model of Typologies of Tourists; Psychology of Travel; Sustainable Development; Theme Park
Tourism

Further Readings

Plog, S. C. (1974). Why destination areas rise and fall in popularity. Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 14(4), 55–58. doi:10.1177/001088047401400409

Plog, S. C. (1991). Leisure travel: Making it a growth market . . . Again! New York, NY: Wiley.

Plog, S. C. (1994). Understanding psychographics in tourism research. In J. R. Brent Ritchie

& C. R. Goeldner (Eds.), Travel, tourism, and hospitality Research: A handbook for managers
and researchers (2nd ed.). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.

Plog, S. C. (1995). Vacation places rated. Redondo Beach, CA: Fielding Worldwide.

Plog, S. C. (2001). Why destination areas rise and fall in popularity: An update of a Cornell
quarterly classic. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 42(3).
doi:10.1016/S0010-8804(01) 81020-X

Plog, S. C. (2002). The power of psychographics and the concept of venturesomeness.

Journal of Travel Research, 40(3), 244–251. doi:10.1177/004728750204000302

Plog, S. C. (2004). Leisure travel: A Marketing Handbook. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Education.

Plog, S. C. (2006). “One Mo’, Once”: A commentary on the Litvin paper on the plog
psychographic system. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 47(3), 254–259.
doi:10.1177/0010880406289436

tourism
allocentrism
tourist infrastructure

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travelers
hotels
travel
marketing campaigns

Oliver Cruz-Milán
http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483368924.n356
10.4135/9781483368924.n356

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