INDEPENDENT TOURIST KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Independent travel has become an important trend in modern tourism. However, past research has never explored the construct of independent tourists' knowledge and skills. The purposes of this research are to conceptualize independent tourists' knowledge and skills and develop a scale for them. We define them as knowledge constructs of independent tourists. Through literature review and in-depth interview, this study developed initial constructs and survey questionnaire. Two surveys with respective sample sizes of 359 and 319 were conducted. Through a rigorous instrument development process, three knowledge constructs were identified: onsite travel capability, pre-trip preparation, and emergency response. Implications of these findings for practical applications and suggestions for future research are also provided.