An exploratory study of links between individuals' perceptions of solo tourism and their desires for social interaction and solitude.

There is a continuing growth of solo tourism as a significant sector within the tourism industry. This growth reflects a general growth of solo lifestyle choices in areas such as housing, work, relationships and leisure pursuits. While reasons for the growth of solitary lifestyles are varied, one factor that has risen to prominence is the degree of choice available to individuals; the greater the level of choice, the more positive the perception of solitary experiences. Previous research has suggested studying solitude by placing individuals along two dimensions; one measuring desire for social interaction and the other measuring desire for solitude. This paper asked one hundred and three participants to subjectively self-select their perceived placement on both these dimensions. Despite the growth of solo tourism, there are relatively few papers exploring this perspective of solo tourism, with research more likely to report issues like gender, safety, and risk in the solo tourism industry. This exploratory research therefore aimed to identify links between individuals’ perceptions of solo tourism and their desires for social interaction and solitude. Results allowed for an initial typology to be proposed according to the desire for solitude/desire for social interaction dimensions. The research also indicated potential links between individual’s placement within this typology and their general perceptions of solo tourism and tourists. Further research will aim to test these exploratory findings through study of individuals who have personal experience of solo tourism. It is hoped outcomes will widen the current relatively narrow range of solo tourism research