Interpreting tourism experiences: the case of structured backpacker tours in New Zealand

This thesis reports on a study of structured backpacker tours in New Zealand. Quantitative and qualitative social research methods were used to explore the role of the natural environment, types of activity and the structure of daily routine in providing meaning for backpacker tour experiences. Results suggest that backpacker tourism experiences can be viewed as part of leisure when focusing on the types of activities and the range of perceived benefits that participants seek during such tours. However, tourism experiences also have distinct characteristics, including withdrawal and return, infrequency and exclusiveness. A focus on tourism experiences using the methods I adopted, allows the researcher to explore relationships between tourists' actions, their reflections on those actions, the social context in which they occur and the contrasts between routines and new experiences. Cohen's (1979a) notion of "escape", MacCannell's (1976) "search for authenticity" and Pearce's (1988) travel career model are extended to take account of tourists' socialising strategies, learning strategies and the use of tour experiences for personal development. A more refined model for understanding tourism experiences takes account of participants' work and leisure interests in relation to specific tour contexts. In this way the benefits and salient changes that result from tour experiences can be explored further