The purchasing decision-making process in scholastic educational travel

In the tourism market, the educational segment has experienced significant growth, and a continued increase is expected in the future. Field research was carried out on this important phenomenon in which tourism and education collide. This study investigates the demand side of educational travel, particularly the purchasing decision-making process in Sardinian schools. The model of “buying centre”, theorised by Webster and Wind (1972) for the industry sector, is considered suitable for this research. This study examines schools as buying centres, and the individuals intervening in the decision-making process and their roles in Sardinian schools are tested using questionnaires and two focus group discussions. This analysis is important for the selection of educational products suitable for the school actors that intervene in the decision-making process, and it provides a model that may be applied in other school environments around the world.