An existential conceptualization of the vacation cycle

Utilizing the notions of existential authenticity and normal anxiety, we propose the five-phase model of vacation cycle and elucidate mechanisms behind vacation and fade-out effects. Departing from a purely philosophical view on existential authenticity, we focus on its understanding via the existential psychology lenses, arguing that existential authenticity is a relative, dynamic, and four-dimensional concept. Supported by the current empirical evidences and theoretical advancements in existential psychology, this study posits that, accompanied by anxiety fluctuations, authenticity varies during a vacation across four dimensions of human existence: Umwelt, Mitwelt, Eigenwelt, and Uberwelt. We suggest that these changes are associated with vacation (when evoked by liminality and awe) and fade-out effects (when prompted by the lack of existential courage and anxiety tranquilization).     

‘The smell of death and the smell of life’: authenticity,anxiety and perceptions of death at Varanasi’s cremation grounds

ABSTRACT

This paper contributes to an understanding of existential authenticity and existential anxiety in tourism studies through an investigation of tourists’ perceptions of death, the Self, and ‘others’ at the Hindu cremation grounds in Varanasi, India. Encounters with death at dark tourism sites serve as reminders of one’s own mortality affecting one’s attitude towards death, perception of self, and even challenging one’s personal values. Existentialists assert that anxiety is a condition of existential authenticity, and therefore moments of the existentially authentic experience are not always pleasurable. This paper argues that confrontation with death, as exemplified by the Aghori rituals and the cremation grounds in Varanasi, offers tourists an opportunity to examine the inevitability that life will end and to engage with this existential predicament and anxiety in an embodied sense, thereby pushing some of them towards life changes in the pursuit of existential authenticity.     

Why Heidegger did not travel: Existential angst,authenticity, and tourist experiences

“Authenticity” continues to be debated within tourism studies, as seen in the extensive number of articles published in ATR since 1999 on this subject. Advocates of existential authenticity have used the work of the German philosopher Martin Heidegger to argue that tourists seek experiences that counter the emptiness of everyday life in modern societies and provide them an opportunity to be more authentic. This is, however, based on a partial reading of Heidegger. His work implicitly questions the efficacy of travel as a means of experiencing a greater awareness of one’s own place in the world and explicitly rejects cosmopolitanism as a worldview. Rather than a new intervention, ‘existential authenticity’ is a return to a familiar travel/tourist dichotomy.     

‘Moments to be Had’: Understanding The Experience of Memorable Tourism Moments

Memory research in cognitive science indicates people will come to remember a few fleeting moments from a past tourism experience, but not the entire trip. Accordingly, the goal of this research is to understand the experience of travelers' most ‘Memorable Tourism Moments’. The results from a qualitative inquiry helped develop a conceptualization of the Memorable Tourism Moment as a fleeting temporally short experience which emerges unsuspectedly and is highly intriguing. Four types of Memorable Tourism Moments were also identified. The existence of the Memorable Tourism Moment proved to have direct positive impacts on present and future trips. This study also helps showcase how important the experience of a few standout moments is for the overall memorability of our past trips. Accordingly, there are several implications for destination marketing practices.     

Experiencing the real village – a netnographic examination of perceived authenticity in rural tourism consumption

There is an upsurge of research interest regarding authenticity in contemporary tourism consumption as modern tourists have been found to prefer involve in real backstage experiences to participating in pseudo-events and mass congregations. This paper presents a netnographic analysis of tourists’ reviews on village destinations and explores how authenticity is experienced by tourists in a village setting and the indicators pertaining to it. Trip Advisor reviews of three Indian villages were downloaded and analysed. Findings reveal that tourists consider authenticity as a critical factor in rural village experience. The indicators of rural authentic experience and their implications are also highlighted.     

旅游研究中的"真实性"理论及其比较

"真实性"理论从旅游动机和旅游者认知角度对旅游吸引物进行理论阐释,是旅游研究的核心概念之一,在旅游界引起了热烈的讨论和广泛的争议.本文回顾了旅游研究中的"真实性"理论及其主要流派--客观主义真实性、建构主义真实性和存在主义真实性,在此基础上对旅游研究中的真实性理论流派进行比较研究,以期提高对旅游真实性的认识,更好地指导旅游资源开发.     

回望“真实性”(authenticity)(下)——一个旅游研究的热点

麦坎内尔掀起的"真实性"研究热已逾30年,其间,研究视角逐渐从"客观"转向"主观",这既反映出真实性内涵的延展与变迁,亦凸显旅游主体—游客体验的重要性。然而,就研究者日渐褊狭的视域来看,旅游客体真实性对旅游体验真实性的影响从松散到几近断裂,旅游主体甚至以"悦纳万物"的信仰姿态视一切"存在"为真,从而收获真实的体验。客观真实与主观真实,究竟是谁决定或影响了谁?对此问题的探寻导致学界对旅游客体之"虚假"的重新界定和对旅游体验之"真实"的再度好奇,并因此形成旅游真实性研究的纷争局面。有鉴于此,对国外真实性研究做一番缘起、视角、界定等方面的梳理和反思,或将对国内相关研究与应用有所裨益。     

回望“真实性”(authenticity)(上)——一个旅游研究的热点

麦坎内尔(MacCannell)掀起的"真实性"研究热已逾30年,其间,研究视角逐渐从"客观"转向"主观"。这既反映出真实性内涵的延展与变迁,亦凸显旅游主体—游客体验的重要性。然而,就研究者日渐褊狭的视域来看,旅游客体真实性对旅游体验真实性的影响从松散到几近断裂,旅游主体甚至以"悦纳万物"的信仰姿态视一切"存在"为真,从而收获真实的体验。客观真实与主观真实,究竟是谁决定或影响了谁?对此问题的探寻导致学界对旅游客体之"虚假"的重新界定和对旅游体验之"真实"的再度好奇,并因此形成旅游真实性研究的纷争局面。有鉴于此,对国内外真实性研究做一番缘起、视角、界定等方面的梳理和反思,或将对国内相关研究与应用有所裨益。     

Understanding guests’ behavior to visit green hotels: The role of ethical ideology and religiosity

The main aim of this study is to develop and test a model to understand guests’ behavior to visit green hotel by merging the theory of planed behavior (TPB) with theories of ethics and religiosity in a single model. Furthermore, it examines the moderating role of ethical ideology. This research utilized a quantitative method to assess the suggested conceptual framework. Data were gathered from 871 participants and analyzed through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). According to the study results, the suggested model shows a favorable prediction level of guests’ behavior, which confirmed the superiority of the proposed model. Our study indicated that TPB and ethical theory adequately explain guests’ behavior to visit green hotel. Ethical ideology was found to be a key driver of guests’ green decision-making process. Our study makes several contributions to the practice and theory by providing useful insights on drivers of consumers’ behavior to visit green hotels in the Egyptian hospitality environment.     

Modeling ethics: The impact of management actions on restaurant workers’ ethical optimism

Unethical behavior is a significant problem for all members of society. One of the ways workers learn acceptable ethical behavior is by observing successful members of the organization. This paper examines the actions of management and the subsequent affect on the ethical optimism of workers in the restaurant industry. Ethical optimism refers to the belief that if an individual behaves ethically they will enjoy success within the organization. Beyond extending the work on ethical optimism this study produced several results of particular interest. Significant differences were identified between ethnic groups, men and women, and length of employment of workers.     

Tourist experience of slow tourism: from authenticity to place attachment – a mixed-method study based on the case of slow city in China

ABSTRACT

This study connected slow tourism with the concept of authenticity and place attachment using a mixed-method approach. Different factors were seen as likely to influence the behavioral intention. Yaxi town (the first international slow city in China) was chosen as the research site. Results show that authenticity in the context of slow tourism include objective authenticity, constructivism authenticity and existential authenticity. Authenticity partly influence place attachment and behavioral intention; two dimensions of place attachment have significant effect on behavioral intention. Findings of this study can be applied to slow tourism marketing and slow destination management.     

关子旅游真实牲问题的批判

自真实性引入旅游研究以来,学者们从多学科及多种意识形态来解释真实性,衍生了大量的真实性概念,但这些概念大多不在同一个逻辑层面上来探讨问题,致使真实性问题扑朔迷离。文章通过事实的、认识的、信念的三个层面来考察“真实性”,从逻辑层面上理顺并构建了从客观性真实性、相对性真实性到绝对性真实性的“真实性”体系。事实上,只有在信仰的层面上,才会有绝对的真实性,对客观性真实性和相对性真实性的讨论,在本质上是没有多大意义的,旅游者通过体验,在旅游地完成了“诗意地栖居”,仅此而言．旅游对于人类生活,功莫大焉。     

本真性理论在旅游研究中的应用

本文回顾了现代旅游中"本真性"概念及从"客观主义--建构主义--后现代主义--存在主义"的发展阶段,分析了"本真性"概念在西方旅游研究中所涉及的"本真性、旅游动机与旅游体验"、"本真性与文化商品化"以及"本真性、怀旧与遗产旅游"等主要问题.文章指出,"本真性"作为20世纪60年代以来西方旅游社会学研究中的核心概念,它是人们对现代旅游"好恶交织"的心理反映,揭示了现代旅游现象中的社会现实及存在的问题.