INCENTIVE TRAVEL - AN ATTRACTIVE OPTION

Travel incentives are currently enjoying widespread application in the organizational milieu. Unlike other incentives, travel incentives have 'trophy value' which implies that they provide long-lasting positive reinforcement, an element that adds to their motivational value. The literature supports the value of incentive travel as a motivational technique; however a paucity of empirically based research which examines the attractiveness and effectiveness of travel incentives suggests the need for further study. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine the comparable attractiveness of the most popular incentives and to determine the influence of social pressure on incentive attractiveness. The motivational effect of contests was also examined. The results indicated that the two 'travel-type' rewards received the highest attractiveness ratings and that the influence of social pressure on reward attractiveness was significant. Furthermore, respondents reported that contests improve their motivation and performance levels.