MARKETING INPORTANCE IN CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR IN THE ALBANIAN DOMESTIC TOURISM.

This paper aims to provide an analysis of the consumer behavior in the Albanian domestic tourism market with substantial growth potential. As the research is mainly exploratory, the research methodology is inductive and it rests on qualitative techniques. In-depth interviews were carried out with ten couples staying at four different resorts in four different accommodation establishments on the Jonean and Adriatic costs of Albania. Interviewees were selected from the accommodation establishments' guest lists on a random sampling basis by choosing one in every five couples with children up to the age of fifteen. The determination of the criteria were based on the fact that families represented 80% of domestic holidays in Albania. 22 executives (managers responsible for domestic tourism market in a travel agency) and 26 sales representatives were interviewed from 22 travel agencies. Of the 22 agencies, 11 were major players in the market in terms of market share, and the remaining 11 travel agencies were small independent travel agencies. The sampling method used was convenience based. Two groups of panellists; one consisting of males (5) and the other one consisting of females (6), as the role of husbands and wives were different in the holiday decision making process, were selected from the academic and administrative personnel of a local university and a school. All of the participants were married, were between the ages of 21 and 45 with children up to the age of 15.