Negotiating Backpacking Constraints

Abstract

Travelling as a backpacker is gaining popularity among Asians and women in particular, emerging as an exciting segment. Despite advances in gender equality in the context of travel, there have been discrimination and restriction among women due to perceived constraints. The current study advances the use of the full constraint-negotiation model to understand Asian women’s participation in backpacking trips by examining the relationship between motivation, perceived constraints, and the negotiation strategies used by them to enhance their participation. Survey responses from 246 women travellers were collected, and the structural model was tested using PLS-SEM. Findings reveal that constraints negatively influence intention, and out of all the constraints, structural constraints have a more substantial influence on choice than intrapersonal and interpersonal. Negotiation and motivation positively impact women’s intention to participate in backpacking trips.