The findings of this study are of both theoretical and practical importance. They help explain
motivations of tourists who travel in summer during financial crisis. The most important travel motivations
of the three clusters to travel during the financial crisis were summer holidays, discounts, and safe and short
distance destinations, as can be seen from an overlap of the three factors among the three clusters. This is not
surprising, due to the fact that during financial crisis, people become more prudent in spending money.
Hence, a short distance destination becomes a popular travel alternative because it saves time, effort, and
travel costs. Hence, marketers must integrate these three travel motivations into their tourist products when
communicating their marketing message to their target markets in order to motivate them to travel during
financial crisis. This study also segments Thai tourists based on their travel motivations in summer. Three
market segments of tourists who travel during financial crisis are discount seekers, resort holiday seekers, and
novelty seekers.