THE ROLE OF PUSH AND PULL MOTIVATIONS IN BRANDING FOR RURAL TOURISM: LAKE TISZA COMPLEX PROJECT

The aim of this study is to understand the push and pull travel motivations of domestic tourists in Hungary and examine its importance in building a positive destination brand of Lake Tisza region that will affect the decision process of the individuals. An interview was done with Tisza office to have a closer look to the development project of Lake Tisza; the existing brand image of the region was examined through destination observation and several on-site interviews. The data, collected through an online questionnaire and analysed using different statistical methods, shows that the push motivation which is relaxing away from the ordinary life is the most important for the domestic tourists in Hungary; nevertheless, the pull motivations are the basis which triggers the push motivations. It is suggested to brand the destination attributes of Lake Tisza region as a way of relaxing away from the ordinary life.