The impact of push-pull motives on internal tourists' visit and revisit intentions to Egyptian domestic destinations: the mediating role of country image

Tourism motivation is a complex field of study, crucial for understanding tourist behavior and preferences. Existing literature has explored various theoretical frameworks, including Maslow's hierarchy of needs and the push-pull model, to explain why people travel. The push-pull model distinguishes between push factors, which motivate individuals to leave their home environment (e.g., escaping routine, seeking novelty), and pull factors, which attract them to specific destinations (e.g., attractive facilities, cultural attractions). This study focuses on the Egyptian tourism context, which, despite its significant economic role and historical richness, has received limited attention in the academic literature, particularly regarding internal tourism. The study further acknowledges the impact of global crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, on travel motivations and patterns. This research aims to bridge this gap by investigating how push and pull factors influence visit and revisit intentions among internal tourists in Egypt, and the mediating role of country image in this process. The study emphasizes the significance of understanding these factors in the context of Egypt's economic development, which is heavily reliant on tourism.

The literature review extensively explores existing theories of travel motivation, focusing on Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the travel career pattern, the escape-seeking model, and, most importantly, the push-pull model. The review examines various push factors, including rest and relaxation, ego enhancement, and novelty and knowledge-seeking, and pull factors, such as tourism facilities, environment and safety, and cultural and historical attractions. The review highlights the lack of research on internal tourism within the Arab context, specifically Egypt, and the importance of understanding both push and pull motives simultaneously, as tourists are often motivated by multiple factors. Country image is identified as a key mediator, significantly influencing both visit and revisit intentions. The review demonstrates the extensive research on international tourism in other countries but emphasizes the need for further investigation into the specifics of the Egyptian tourism market.

The study employed a quantitative methodology using a self-administered online questionnaire. The questionnaire, validated through pilot testing, consisted of six sections: travel characteristics, push and pull motivational factors (19 and 18 items, respectively, adapted from previous studies), country image (4 items), visit intention (4 items), revisit intention (3 items), and socio-demographic data. Data were collected from a sample of 349 Egyptian internal tourists in Cairo, Egypt. The sample consisted of 70.2% females and 29.8% males, with age, education, occupation, marital status, and travel companion details collected. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess the reliability of the questionnaire scales, with all values exceeding 0.7, indicating good internal consistency. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) and path analysis to test the research hypotheses.

The findings revealed significant positive relationships between several push and pull factors and visit intention. Specifically, ego-enhancement (β = 0.152, p < 0.05) and novelty and knowledge-seeking (β = 0.406, p < 0.001) were significant predictors of visit intention. However, rest and relaxation did not show a significant relationship with visit intention. Regarding pull factors, environment and safety (β = 0.089, p < 0.05) and cultural and historical attractions (β = 0.209, p < 0.001) positively influenced visit intention; tourism facilities did not show a significant relationship. The SEM analysis supported the mediating role of country image, demonstrating significant positive indirect effects on visit and revisit intentions through both push and pull factors. A strong positive direct relationship was found between country image and both visit intention and revisit intention. However, the direct effect of push and pull factors on revisit intention was not significant. The overall model showed an excellent fit, explaining 98.9% of the variance in visit intention.

The results highlight the importance of push and pull factors in shaping internal tourist behavior in Egypt. Novelty and knowledge-seeking proved to be the most influential push factor, suggesting the significance of experiences and cultural discovery. The significant role of environment and safety and cultural and historical attractions emphasizes the need for destinations to focus on safety and maintain cultural heritage. The mediating role of country image is crucial, suggesting that positive perceptions of the country enhance both visit and revisit intentions. The lack of significant influence of rest and relaxation and tourism facilities on visit intention may be due to various factors, such as the specific sample or a greater emphasis on other motivators among this population. The absence of direct effects of push-pull factors on revisit intention, despite the mediating role of country image, requires further investigation to understand the distinct factors contributing to repeat visits.

This study provides valuable insights into the motivational factors influencing internal tourists in Egypt. The findings emphasize the importance of novelty and knowledge-seeking, environment and safety, cultural and historical attractions, and country image in shaping visit and revisit intentions. For future research, it would be beneficial to explore the reasons for the insignificant impact of rest and relaxation and tourism facilities on visit intention. Further studies could investigate the specific components of country image and how they influence different tourist segments. Comparative studies across different regions of Egypt could also provide a broader understanding of internal tourism behavior.

The study's reliance on a sample from Cairo might limit the generalizability of findings to other regions of Egypt. The cross-sectional design limits causal inferences. Future research should consider longitudinal studies and broader geographical representation. The use of a self-reported questionnaire might also introduce bias; future work could utilize diverse data sources to validate the findings.