Present whilst absent: Home and the business tourist gaze

This paper reflects on business travel as a contemporary form of mobility and how it relates to family life. Through qualitative research with business travellers, insights are gained into the role digital technology plays in enabling connections to home and family. The paper argues that technology affords a ‘business tourist gaze’, characterised by a focus on ‘home’ rather than ‘away’ as might be the case for leisure tourists. The paper discusses how, through the business tourist gaze, the boundaries between the everyday and the exotic are dissolved and the business traveller is disconnected from the destination, simultaneously absent whilst present both at the destination and at home. Theoretical understandings of the business tourist experience are offered.     

‘Consuming’ tourist sites/sights: a note on York

Two perspectives on place-consumption are considered: a ‘business metaphor’ by which the city is viewed as a consumable ‘product’; and a cultural perspective whereby a relationship between tourist site and mythical meaning is theorised. MacCannell's theorised trajectory of discovery, by which tourists progressively seek out the ‘unmarked’ and ‘authentic’, appears to be validated by observation of supplyside visitor attractions in York. A conventional product extension strategy inspired by the ‘business metaphor’ and involving the acquisition of a new ‘icon’ attraction would arguably accelerate the process of commodification, simultaneously eroding the potential for self-authored experience on the part of the tourist. Such a strategy may thus prove incomplete in its capacity to secure the long-term health of tourism in a mature, successful destination.     

Understanding the tourist experience of cities

Economic, environmental and social forces have changed the way we are developing our cities. A range of theoretical constructs have been explored to provide direction for contemporary analyses of urban tourism experience. This paper engages with a feminist perspective in our understanding of the way tourists explore and experience cities. It achieves this by expanding current sociological frameworks that assume the tourist is simply a wanderer in the urban environment. Drawing on interactionist and post-structural critique and Wearing and Wearing’s (1996) theoretical framework of the flâneur and choraster, this paper demonstrates how a more feminized conceptualisation of the tourist experience as a creative and interactive process could have a transformative effect on our understanding of tourists’ experiences of cities.     

Co-Creation Experiences: Attention and Memorability

This study examines the on-site co-creation experience from a tourist perspective. A review of the literature and in-depth interviews with tourists who participated in a ‘swimming with dolphins’ experience are used to explore the importance of co-creation in enhancing attention and the memorability of the experience. Findings suggest that the co-creation experience influences memorability by focusing the tourist’s attention. This study contributes to the conceptualization of co-creation in the field of tourism by substantiating the usefulness of a psychologically based approach to experience design.     

对旅游社会学理论体系研究的认识——兼评国外旅游社会学研究动态(下)

本文是一篇文献综述与理论归纳类文章。文章的第一部分展示了旅游社会学在国外的开展状况 ;综合评述了主要的思想流派、理论观点、学术著作以及代表人物 ,具体包括旅游社会学研究的发展演进观、新迪尔凯姆学说、冲突批评理论、功能学派、韦伯主义、形式主义 现象学和民族方法学派 ,以及符号互动主义等 7种理论流派。文章的第二部分尝试性地建构了旅游社会学研究的理论体系 ;内容包括旅游活动主体类型、旅游系统与发展范式、主客交往、旅游吸引系统特征、旅游影响与社会文化变迁及现代化 ,以及旅游现象的两重性等旅游社会学研究对象的 6大基本属性与范畴。文章对旅游社会学研究的方法、手段和视角也作了简要的讨论     

海滨城市旅游目的地非功用性定位研究——以大连为例

全球化背景下旅游产品的同质化增强,传统依靠功用属性定位的方法日渐乏力。纳入"情感选择"和"自我一致"机制,研究开发并实际阐释了一个目的地非功用性定位的概念模型。以海滨城市目的地大连相对于其北方4个竞争对手的重定位分析为案例,借助实证研究,识别出最佳情感形象和品牌个性定位因子。最终,提出了对大连非功用性定位的建议性战略,并对研究的理论和实践启示进行了总结。     

Destination governance transitions in skiing destinations: A perspective on resortisation

While destination governance has grown into a mature research field, the dynamic analysis of destination governance transitions remains in its infancy. Therefore, this paper analyses and compares the destination governance transitions in the successful skiing destinations of Åre (Sweden), Whistler (Canada) and Dolomites (Italy). This multiple case study unveils development patterns in governance transitions and investigates the factors that trigger such transitions. In particular, the paper investigates whether leading skiing destinations get increasingly corporatised and ‘resortisised’. It also scrutinises what could trigger processes of ‘resortisation’ and focuses on the impact of crises. The study finds that governance is an adaptive phenomenon that transforms over time, but no strictly uniform transition pattern is detected. While differences arise from varying starting conditions and crises, the commonality is to be found in an apparent convergence of destination governance towards an intermediate stage of ‘socially licensed resorts’ with a minimum of community acceptance.     

Working leisure: entertaining guests in gated tourist resorts

In the contemporary tourism sector, entertainment is a particular type of service that is increasingly provided by specialised categories of tourist and leisure workers, such as (adventure) sport instructors, tour guides or reps, or ‘pub crawling’ cicerones. However, little attention has been paid so far to the complex intermingling between work and leisure that sustains the routine ‘working leisure’ practices of this ‘entertainment staff’. By building upon the Foucauldian concept of biopower and Hardt’s notion of affective labour, this article examines how entertainment is routinely generated as a service by tourist entertainers in an enclosed tourist resort in Italy. In particular, an in-depth qualitative analysis, combined with an account of a personal experience, was used to structurally frame tourist entertainers’ daily ‘playful working’ practices into three interrelated and functionally complementary dimensions: regimentation, hostessing and experiential rewards. The findings show that entertainment, and hence a successful tourist experience, is effectively (re)generated only when ‘working (through) leisure’ practices both constrain and gratify the workers. This result corroborates the ambivalence of entertainment as biopolitical affective labour that is a subjugating but also a liberating practice.     

Performing heritage: the use of live ‘actors’ in heritage presentations

This paper investigates the phenomenon of ‘living history’ presentations of heritage, using live ‘actors’ to portray historical characters. Its aim is to discuss these presentations in the context of what may be understood as ‘heritage’, and of the nature of ‘performance’. Four case studies of heritage sites, each important as a tourist attraction, have been selected for detailed study, together with a number of other examples of heritage performance. It is clear from the empirical work that different performance strategies are employed within the heritage industry and by individual ‘actors’. Most of the performers take part as a leisure activity, and many do not consider themselves to be ‘performing’ at all. The greatest concern of participants lies in the degree of authenticity of the performance. Through ‘living history’, the ‘actors’ are drawn into an experience of heritage which has real meaning for them, and which may contribute both to a sense of identity and to an enhanced understanding of society, past and present. The popularity of such presentations with visitors also indicates that similar benefits are perceived by the ‘audience’.     

旅游企业社会责任对目的地形象及游客忠诚的影响研究

在旅游市场竞争日趋激烈的背景下,由旅游企业经营所引发的社会责任问题受到广泛关注,但学界关于旅游企业社会责任的影响研究还不够系统和深入.文章将旅游企业社会责任划分为6个方面,将目的地形象划分为认知形象和情感形象两个方面,并构建了旅游企业社会责任对目的地形象及游客忠诚的影响模型.实证研究表明,旅游企业社会责任在目的地形象及游客忠诚形成中发挥非常重要的作用,其中,经济责任、环境责任、游客责任、员工责任和法律责任对认知形象有正向影响,游客责任、员工责任和慈善责任对情感形象有正向影响;认知形象和情感形象不仅对游客忠诚产生直接影响,而且通过游客满意对游客忠诚产生间接作用.相比认知形象,情感形象对游客满意和忠诚的影响作用更大.     

Modeling reference experience in destination choice

The complexity underlying the destination decision-making of tourists has prompted abundant research from various academic disciplines. This paper proposes the integration of the leisure tourists’ past reference experience into a model for long-haul destination choice. By analyzing the preference of tourists regarding various attributes of a tourist destination, this study consolidates the concept of reference-dependent behavior in the context of tourist destination choice and introduces the concept of reference-level bias. The research findings provide theoretical and managerial implications.     

Material Cultures of Tourism

Abstract

Despite the fact that tourists constantly interact corporeally with things and physical places, tourist studies have failed to understand the significance of materiality and objects in modern tourism. Like much theory and research influenced by the ‘cultural turn’, tourist (and leisure) studies have melted everything solid into signs. This article is inspired by current calls for a renewed engagement with the ‘material’ in social and cultural geography and sociology. It introduces questions of materiality and material culture into cultural accounts of contemporary leisure and tourism, in particular in relation to space and ‘human’ performances. In doing so it stresses the inescapable hybridity of human and ‘nonhuman’ worlds. It is shown that leisure and tourist practices are much more tied up with material objects and physical sensations than traditionally assumed and that emblematic tourist performances involve, and are made possible and pleasurable by, objects, machines and technologies. Thus we suggest that further engagement with the ‘material’ would be the constructive path to follow for future leisure and tourist studies.     

Effects of Gender Differences on Perceptions of Destination Attributes,Motivations, and Travel Values: An Examination of a Nature-Based Resort Destination

This study examines the perceptions of the potential tourist market to a nature-based resort destination from the gendered perspective. The research reveals that significant gender differences exist about the perceived importance of destination attributes and travel values when potential nature tourists consider destination choices. After controlling for demographic and travel behaviour variables, such as age, marital status, education, household income, preference of price quote and length of stay, most gender differences remain significant. In addition, more significant distinctions between men and women are demonstrated after controlling for age and income level. The study provides insights into gendered perceptions of nature-based tourism settings. Specific marketing implications are discussed in an attempt to successfully attract nature tourists and provide a high-quality nature destination experience.     

‘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.     

Eco-hypocrisy and inauthenticity: Criticisms and confessions of the eco-conscious tourist/traveller

Labels such as the ‘green tourist’, ‘ecotourist’, and the ‘ethical tourist’ are used to claim moral capital and distinguish this tourist from the alternative, viewed as a threat to the destination. However, these tourist groups open themselves up to feelings and criticisms of hypocrisy when they fail to live up to the moral standards they expressly espouse. This hypocrisy may be conceptualised as a form of inauthenticity—not being existentially true to one's own standards. The present netnographic study uses Graham, Meindl, Koleva, Iyer, and Johnson's (2015) typology of moral hypocrisy to illustrate the feelings of inauthenticity and dissonance, and the social condemnation the environmentally conscious tourist/traveller contends with. Findings point to the inescapability of moral weakness, and the inevitability of moral frustration.     

Smartphone (dis)connectedness and vacation recovery

Given ubiquitous connectivity provided by modern smartphones and tablets, this research aims to determine whether the use of smartphones for social purposes (work and non-work related) during a vacation enhances or hinders the potential of tourism environment to promote a sense of recovery. In other words, which role does omnipresent connectivity play in facilitating tourists’ recovery? Drawing on Attention-Restoration Theory, Social Presence Theory, and survey data of working Chinese population, we show that frequency of work-related social presence acts as a negative moderator while quality of work and non-work social presence are positive moderators in the relationship between destination restorative qualities and vacation recovery. We discuss how these results problematize the current understanding of tourist experience as liminal and “encapsulating.”     

Tourist experience quality and loyalty to an island destination: the moderating impact of destination image

This study aims to explore the relationships among tourist experience quality, perceived value, perceived price reasonableness, tourist satisfaction with tour experience, and loyalty to an island destination by considering the moderating effect of destination image. The survey was distributed in person at an international airport. The findings revealed that tourists’ involvement with tours is the core of perceived value and price reasonableness, which increases tourists’ satisfaction. Perceived value is a stronger mediator between involvement and satisfaction than perceived price reasonableness. The moderating effect of island image is also uncovered. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed based on the findings.     

INTERPRETATION,FILM LANGUAGE AND TOURIST DESTINATIONS: A CASE STUDY OF HIBISCUS TOWN,CHINA

The link between films and destination promotion has been well established. Less well examined is the role of ‘film language’ in the subsequent reconstruction of tourist destinations. This paper suggests that the way a film ‘speaks’ to its audience helps both shape tourists’ imaginaries of place, and the ways a place is reconstructed to meet tourist perceptions. For film tourism, ‘film language’ acts as a guidebook describing first the spaces where the film plots happened, second, shaping images of the places in an audience’s mind, and third, serving as a blueprint for the physical reconstruction of spaces to replicate the place representation shown in the film. This both meets and reinforces the perceptions held by audiences. Therefore, this paper suggests interpretation of ‘film language’ is a key to the promotion of destination image and transformation of a place. Based on the case study of the Chinese film Hibiscus Town (Xie Jin, 1986), some key parts of its ‘film language’ are interpreted with reference to the visual, and a relationship between film language and place reconstruction is discussed.     

Factors influencing tourist food consumption

This study attempts to identify the salient factors affecting tourist food consumption. By reviewing available studies in the hospitality and tourism literature and synthesising insights from food consumption and sociological research, five socio-cultural and psychological factors influencing tourist food consumption are identified: cultural/religious influences, socio-demographic factors, food-related personality traits, exposure effect/past experience, and motivational factors. The findings further suggest that the motivational factors can be categorised into five main dimensions: symbolic, obligatory, contrast, extension, and pleasure. Given the lack of research in examining tourist food consumption systematically, the multidisciplinary approach adopted in this study allows a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon which forms the basis for further research and conceptual elaboration.     

Battlefield sites as dark tourism attractions: an analysis of experience

There has been much discussion by scholars about the efficacy of the term ‘dark tourism’ with a call to move from a theoretical to a more evidence-based approach to research. Recent analyses of dark heritage sites have shown that research has yet to engage fully with the experiences of tourists at dark sites. This paper seeks to meet this challenge by providing more evidence of the actual experiences of tourists at those sites which are conceptually identified as ‘dark’ using the particular example of battlefields in the UK. Based on a wide-ranging survey of battlefield sites the study used a blend of quantitative and qualitative methods to determine the nature of tourist experience. Central to this was a content analysis of visitor comments and vocabulary used to describe the sites. The results showed that visitors had a wide range of experiences but there was no evidence of a considered appreciation of the sites’ ‘darker’ aspects. Visitor experience here is casual and dominated by a lighter set of values. This is affected by the commercial nature of the sites which supports the assertion that thanatopsis is a rare feature of tourist visits.