Alison McIntosh

A Cultural Encounter through Volunteer Tourism: Towards the Ideals of Sustainable Tourism?

International volunteering is increasingly recognised as a form of alternative tourism. However, the nature of the ‘alternative’ experience gained, and the ensuing narrative between host and volunteer, remains under-explored in published research, especially in volunteer tourism research within a cultural context in a developed nation. This paper examines the nexus between volunteer tourism and cultural tourism in the search for alternative and sustainable experiences through tourism. Qualitative research using in-depth interviews, diaries and participant observation was conducted to examine the pre-, during and post-trip experiences of 12 Australian visitors undertaking organised volunteer activities in an indigenous Maori community in the North Island of New Zealand during January 2005. Members of the indigenous Maori community were also interviewed to provide an important host perspective. Findings suggest that the nature of the interaction and cultural experiences gained were perceived as mutually beneficial and seemingly different from those gained from traditional cultural products. In particular, the volunteers experienced an alternative Maori cultural product and engaged in a different narrative with their Maori hosts through their volunteer work, one rich in authentic cultural content, genuine and reflective of modern Maori life in New Zealand society.

An Exploration of the Experiential Nature of Boutique Accommodation

There has been increased attention given in the tourism literature to the experiential consumption of tourism. This article addresses the lack of attention in previous studies to the experiential nature of accommodation products, especially with regard to boutique or specialist accommodation. Attention to tourists’ experiences with accommodation is essential for determining guest satisfaction and the personal benefits that guests derive from their stay. In-depth interviews with 19 hosts and 30 guests at boutique accommodation establishments in Nelson in the South Island of New Zealand highlighted the emotive aspects of the experiences gained by guests and revealed five key experiential dimensions that are seen as important to the success of boutique accommodation product: unique character, personalized, homely, quality, and value added. Ways in which the experiential qualities offered by boutique accommodation are perceived to differ from that provided by other traditional and specialist types of accommodation are also discussed.

An Insight into the Personal and Emotive Context of Wildlife Viewing at the Penguin Place, Otago Peninsula, New Zealand

The personal and emotive context of visitors’ experiences has been neglected in much sustainable tourist attraction management. This paper applies ASEB demi-grid analysis as a consumer-orientated management tool to facilitate an understanding of the beneficial experiences gained by international visitors to a penguin-watching tourism attraction on the Otago Peninsula, New Zealand. Forty in-depth interviews with visitors showed that the main beneficial experiences gained included reported enhanced environmental awareness (cognition) and ‘mood’ benefits (affection). In addition, several consistent themes emerged from the beneficial experiences reported by tourists, including issues related to viewing, proximity, authenticity and wonder. Findings thus included the perceived importance of visitors to be able to view endangered penguins ‘up close’ in their natural habitat to elicit feelings of exploration and privilege, to appreciate the simplicity and naturalness of the setting and to increase their knowledge of the species through interaction with an experienced guide.

Volunteer Tourism: Evidence of Cathartic Tourist Experiences

This Department is devoted to research reports, notes, conference résumés and other significant research events. Two copies of write-ups, not exceeding 3,000 words, may he mailed to the Section Editor, Professor David A. Fennell, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada L2S 3A1; e-mail: david.fennell@brocku.ca. In all cases, one copy of the report should be mailed to the Chief Editor, TRR.

Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF): the alternative farm stay experience?

This paper aims to contribute to knowledge about the farm stay experience by providing exploratory insights into the characteristics that are common to a hosted stay on a WWOOF farm and to investigate whether the experiences provided for visitors by WWOOF hosts are notably different from those offered by other farm hosts. The paper reports the findings of in-depth interviews conducted with 12 WWOOF hosts and 22 visitors staying at WWOOF farms located in the rural region of Canterbury in the south island of New Zealand. The findings of the study, while indicative, show that the hosted experience on an organic (WWOOF) farm may be notably different from that provided at a commercial farm stay, with four key dimensions: the rurality of the experience; the opportunity to learn about organics; the personal meaningfulness of the experience; and the element of sincerity in the experience.

Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF): A Neglected Aspect of Farm Tourism in New Zealand

Despite the importance of farm tourism to many rural communities in New Zealand, there has been no attention given to the contribution of the Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF) venture to farm tourism in New Zealand. While the primary objective of the venture is organic farming, the facilitation of tourism experiences on the farm remains an additional concern among WWOOF hosts. This paper is based on a postal survey of 67 WWOOF hosts located in four main regions of New Zealands South Island. The study sought to understand the management of WWOOF farms in relation to their role in providing tourism opportunities, to determine the reasons for becoming a WWOOF host, to provide a demographic profile of hosts and evaluate the environmental values and attitudes held by hosts. The study findings highlighted that WWOOF hosting has over recent years provided an increasing contribution to farm tourism in New Zealand. The study also provided some evidence to suggest that the motivations and experiences of WWOOF hosts were notably different from that of other farm tourism hosts. In particular, environmental ethic and shared knowledge of organic practices were considered essential.

My Home Is My Castle: Defiance of the Commercial Homestay Host in Tourism

The intrinsic nature of small tourism business provision has rarely been captured in previous literature, but it has recently gained momentum within scholarly discourse exploring the role of the “home” in tourism and hospitality. This article contributes an examination of the commercial homestay host in New Zealand with a particular focus on the hosts’ personal relationship with their “commercial home.” The article reports the findings of in-depth interviews conducted with commercial homestay hosts in New Zealand. Findings allude to the tyranny of the homestay hosts in their tourism hosting role, their oppressive social need, self-marginalization, and distinctive identity—one that is notably defiant of other commercial hospitality and tourism business norms. In contrast, previous studies rarely showcase the personal perspectives, conscious defiance, or marginalization of commercial hospitality provision. Consequences for understanding the tourism and hospitality phenomenon of commercial home hosting are thus discussed.

The return from travel: a new beginning?

Within the context of the return from long-term travel, this paper uncovers the transitional and at times traumatic nature of return for 24 OE (overseas experience) travellers. Important considerations are raised in respect of easing repatriation distress among those returning from long-term travel. Contributing an understanding of the experience of return from travel, this paper proffers that return to the place one left to travel from does not necessarily mark the end of the journey. Conversely, it can mark a new beginning. As such, we argue that a broader framework for examining the travel experience is called for; notably, one that extends the examination of the travel experience to the return phase and beyond.

The Monasteries of Putuoshan, China: Sites of Secular or Religious Tourism?

ABSTRACT The article reports an analysis derived from a sample of 640 respondents visiting the Buddhist site of Putuoshan that is sacred to the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokitesvara. Drawing on literature and observation over a 12-month period, the article adopts a fourfold designation of visitors: Xiankes, Sushi, Sightseers, and Cultural/Heritage Visitors. Three scales are developed and exploratory factor analysis supports distinctions between the clusters with reference to motives, activities and beliefs, and the categorization is supported by logistic regression analysis. The findings are discussed in the context of destination management with reference to two considerations—namely: (a) sites of religious importance often possess secular as well as religious significance; and (b) the numbers of tourists appear to be growing, thereby raising concerns of future negative tourism impacts.

Sustainable tourism planning and development: Understanding the capacity of local government

Abstract Through decentralization, local governments play an increasingly important role in tourism development. While there has been much research on local governments role in achieving sustainable tourism, relatively little research has been conducted on the capacity of local government to achieve sustainable tourism. This is particularly the case for developing countries such as Thailand. Applying the Nominal Group Technique and using in‐depth interviews with key stakeholders, this paper seeks to examine the capacity of a local Thai government administration, namely, the Tambon Administrative Authority (TAA). This research also examines the local governments influences on and responses to sustainable tourism development. The research findings demonstrate the TAA has adequate capacity in terms of legislative authority mandate, but limited capacity in terms of its resources including insufficient knowledge of tourism issues, budget and staffing. The paper concludes these limitations have resulted in a number of tourism issues affecting the ability to achieve sustainable tourism development in Koh Tao. Such issues may also affect sustainable development in other developing countries which have similar patterns of tourism development.