Push and Pull Factors in Tourism: 20 Brilliant Examples Made Simple

Last updated: 8 October 2026

Why do people travel? Why do some tourists head for the beach while others choose a city break, a safari or a meditation retreat? One of the simplest ways to answer these questions is to look at the push and pull factors that influence tourist behaviour. In this article, push and pull factors in tourism are explained in simple terms, with plenty of examples, the key academic theories and the criticisms of the model.

Push and pull factors are taught on most travel and tourism courses, from BTEC and NCFE qualifications to Cambridge IGCSE, A level and university degrees, so understanding them is essential for any tourism student. Ready to learn more? Read on…

What are push and pull factors in tourism?

Push and pull factors are the forces that explain why people decide to travel and where they decide to go. The idea is that tourists are pushed away from their home environment by internal needs and desires, and pulled towards a particular destination by its attractions.

• Push factors are the internal, psychological motivations that make someone want to travel in the first place – for example, the need to escape stress, to rest or to spend time with family.
• Pull factors are the external features of a destination that attract a tourist to it – for example, a warm climate, beautiful beaches, famous landmarks or cheap flights.

Put simply, push factors answer the question “why travel?”, while pull factors answer the question “why travel there?”. Most travel decisions involve a combination of push and pull factors working together.

The concept is closely linked to tourism demand and to theories of motivation such as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. It also helps to explain the many different types of tourists that we see around the world.

Where does the theory of push and pull factors come from?

The idea of push and pull factors originally comes from migration studies, where it was used to explain why people move permanently from one place to another. Tourism researchers adapted the concept in the 1970s to explain temporary travel.

Dann (1977)

Graham Dann’s 1977 article “Anomie, ego-enhancement and tourism”, published in the Annals of Tourism Research, is usually credited as the starting point. Dann argued that tourist motivation should start with push factors, because a person must first want to travel before a destination can attract them. He identified two main push factors:

• Anomie – a feeling of isolation or meaninglessness in everyday life, which creates a desire to escape and connect with others.
• Ego-enhancement – the desire for recognition and status, which travel can provide (think of the bragging rights that come with an exotic holiday).

Crompton (1979)

John Crompton built on this work by interviewing pleasure travellers. He identified seven socio-psychological push motives and two cultural motives that are more closely linked to the destination:

1. Escape from a perceived mundane environment
2. Exploration and evaluation of self
3. Relaxation
4. Prestige
5. Regression (behaving in ways that are not possible in everyday life)
6. Enhancement of kinship relationships
7. Facilitation of social interaction
8. Novelty (cultural motive)
9. Education (cultural motive)

Since then, researchers such as Uysal and Jurowski (1994) have shown that push and pull factors are linked – people who are pushed by a desire for relaxation, for example, tend to be pulled towards destinations that offer peace, sunshine and comfort. Today, push and pull factors remain one of the most widely used frameworks for studying tourist motivation.

10 examples of push factors in tourism

Push factors come from inside the tourist. They are linked to personal needs, emotions and circumstances. Here are ten common examples:

1. Escape from routine – the desire to get away from work, school or everyday life.
2. Rest and relaxation – recovering from stress or burnout.
3. Health and wellbeing – wanting to improve physical or mental health, which can lead to wellness breaks or medical tourism.
4. Adventure and excitement – seeking thrills, which drives adventure tourism.
5. Prestige and status – wanting to visit somewhere impressive, sometimes encouraged by social media and Insta tourism.
6. Family bonding – spending quality time with loved ones.
7. Visiting friends and relatives (VFR) – a major reason for both domestic tourism and international tourism.
8. Learning and self-development – wanting to learn a language, a skill or about a culture, as seen in educational tourism.
9. Spiritual or religious needs – the motivation behind religious tourism and pilgrimages.
10. Social interaction – the desire to meet new people, which is common among solo travellers and backpackers.

Notice that none of these push factors mention a specific place. A person who wants to relax could do so in Spain, Thailand or a cottage in Cornwall. This is where pull factors come in.

10 examples of pull factors in tourism

Pull factors are the attributes of a destination that attract visitors. They are closely linked to the appeal of tourist destinations and to the different types of tourist attractions. Here are ten common examples:

1. Climate and weather – guaranteed sunshine, snow for skiing or cooler summer temperatures.
2. Natural landscapes – beaches, mountains, lakes, national parks and wildlife.
3. Culture and heritage – historic sites, museums, food and festivals that attract cultural tourists.
4. Iconic attractions – landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, Machu Picchu or the Great Wall of China.
5. Events – concerts, festivals and sporting events, which drive event tourism and sports tourism.
6. Price and value for money – a favourable exchange rate or cheap accommodation.
7. Accessibility – direct flights, good transport links and easy visa rules.
8. Safety and political stability – see safety factors influencing travel and tourism.
9. Accommodation and facilities – from luxury resorts to campsites.
10. Media and image – destinations featured in films and TV shows, which drive film tourism.

How do push and pull factors work together?

Push and pull factors rarely work alone. Researchers often describe a two-stage decision-making process:

1. First, push factors create the desire to travel. For example, a teacher feels exhausted at the end of the school year and wants to relax.
2. Second, pull factors help the tourist choose a destination that will satisfy that desire. The teacher chooses a Greek island because of its sunshine, beaches and affordable all-inclusive hotels.

The same push factor can lead to very different destinations depending on the pull factors that appeal to each person. One person who wants to escape might book a city break in Barcelona, while another books a quiet cabin in the Scottish Highlands. This is why push and pull factors are so useful for understanding different market segments.

A worked example

Imagine a group of university students planning a summer trip. Their push factors include the desire for adventure, socialising and a break after exams. Their pull factors include cheap flights, a lively nightlife, beaches and budget hostels. This combination might lead them to choose a destination such as Ibiza, Croatia or Thailand. A retired couple, by contrast, may be pushed by a desire for relaxation and learning and pulled by culture, comfort and accessibility, leading them to choose a river cruise or a guided tour of Italy.

Why are push and pull factors important in the tourism industry?

Understanding push and pull factors is not just useful for students – it is essential for tourism businesses and destinations. Here is why:

• Marketing – destinations and businesses can design advertising that speaks to tourists’ push factors (e.g. “escape the stress”) while highlighting their pull factors (e.g. “300 days of sunshine”). See the marketing mix in tourism for more.
• Product development – tour operators can create packages that match specific motivations, such as wellness retreats or adventure holidays.
• Market segmentation – push factors help businesses group tourists by motivation rather than just age or income.
• Destination management – destination marketing organisations use pull factors to compete with rival destinations.
• Forecasting demand – changes in push or pull factors (for example a rise in prices or a new direct flight) can affect visitor numbers.

Push and pull factors can also change over time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, health and safety became a major pull factor, and many people chose a staycation instead of travelling abroad. More recently, record numbers of people have returned to international travel – UN Tourism reports that there were around 1.52 billion international tourist arrivals in 2025.

How do push and pull factors link to other tourism theories?

Push and pull factors are often studied alongside other models of tourist behaviour:

• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – push factors can be linked to different levels of need, from rest (physiological) to self-actualisation (learning and personal growth).
• Plog’s model of allocentricity and psychocentricity – allocentric tourists are pushed by novelty and adventure, while psychocentric tourists are pulled by familiar, safe destinations.
• Cohen’s tourist typology – drifters and explorers are motivated differently from organised mass tourists.
• Butler’s Tourism Area Life Cycle – pull factors often change as a destination develops, stagnates or declines.
• The tourist gaze – explains how images and expectations shape what tourists want to see.

Criticisms of push and pull factors

Like any theory, the push and pull model has its limitations:

• It can oversimplify complex decisions – in reality, budget, time, family commitments and work schedules play a huge role.
• The line between push and pull factors is not always clear. Is “the desire to see the Northern Lights” a push or a pull factor?
• It focuses on the individual, but many trips are group decisions.
• It does not fully explain why people return to the same destination year after year, where habit and loyalty matter.
• Tourists may not be fully aware of their own motivations, which makes push and pull factors difficult to measure through surveys.

Despite these criticisms, push and pull factors remain a simple and effective way to understand tourist motivation, which is why they continue to appear in textbooks, exams and research projects.

Push and pull factors in tourism: to conclude

Push and pull factors explain both why people travel and why they choose particular destinations. Push factors come from within the tourist, such as the need to escape, relax or learn, while pull factors are the features of a destination, such as its climate, attractions and price. By understanding push and pull factors, tourism businesses can create better products, target their marketing and meet the needs of their customers more effectively.

Push and pull factors in tourism: FAQs

Below are answers to some of the most common questions about push and pull factors.

Push and pull factors in tourism: further reading

If you found this article helpful, you may also like these articles:

• What is tourism demand?
• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: made simple
• Plog’s model of allocentricity and psychocentricity
• 21 fascinating types of tourists
• The appeal of tourist destinations

About the author

Dr Hayley Stainton is a tourism academic, examiner and the founder of Tourism Teacher. She has a PhD in tourism and more than 20 years’ experience teaching travel and tourism at school and university level. Read more about Hayley