A Cross-Country Investigation of Bottom-of-Pyramid Consumers' Tourism Preferences and Consumption Drivers and Patterns

The focus of extant literature on tourism at the bottom of the pyramid is on the location of destinations in the bottom-of-pyramid markets and the role of the bottom-of-pyramid consumers as employees in the sector rather than as actual potential consumers of these services. This paper uses empirical evidence from India and Zimbabwe to identify relevant tourism formats that bottom-of-pyramid consumers prefer and investigate their perceptions and factors that influence them to engage with these specific tourism formats. The study contributes towards a comprehensive understanding of the determinants of tourism demand at the bottom of the pyramid, thereby expanding the ongoing debate on tourism's role in markets such as the BOP beyond the economic benefit argument.