Heather Gibson

TOURIST ROLES, PERCEIVED RISK AND INTERNATIONAL TOURISM

Abstract International tourists can be classified according to the degree of novelty and familiarity sought. This study investigated the hypothesis that tourists seeking familiarity would perceive higher levels of risk associated with international tourism than those seeking novelty. A random sample of US-born young adults was surveyed. Seven risk factors were identified: health, political instability, terrorism, strange food, cultural barriers, a nation’s political and religious dogma, and crime. Three-way ANOVAs revealed that women perceived a greater degree of risk regarding health and food. More experienced tourists downplayed the threat of terrorism. However, tourist role was the most significant variable, with familiarity seekers being the most risk adverse.

Sport Tourism: A Critical Analysis of Research

The concept of sport related tourism has become more prominent in the last few years both as an academic field of study and an increasingly popular tourism product. The purpose of this paper is to review and critique the sport tourism literature as it stands in 1998, and to suggest a future research agenda. Disparities in the definition of sport tourism are addressed and some of the difficulties which scholars have faced in establishing a standardised definition are outlined. In answering the question why has sport tourism suddenly become so prominent, a look back at history shows that people have engaged in sport related travel for centuries. However, in the past ten years, the popularity of this form of travel has increased. Various explanations, such as the increased emphasis on health and fitness and increased use of sports events by cities to attract tourists, are examined. The question of what is known about sport tourism includes a review and critique of the literature in the three domains of sport tourism: active sport tourism, which refers to people who travel to take part in sport; event sport tourism, which refers to travel to watch a sports event; and nostalgia sport tourism, which includes visits to sports museums, famous sports venues, and sports themed cruises. The overarching conclusion from this review is that the field suffers from a lack of integration in the realms of policy, research, and education. At a policy level, there needs to be better coordination among agencies responsible for sport and those responsible for tourism. At a research level, more multi-disciplinary research is needed, particularly research which builds upon existing knowledge bases in both sport and tourism. In the realm of education, territorial contests between departments claiming tourism expertise and those claiming sport expertise need to be overcome.

Tourist roles: needs and the lifecourse.

Abstract This study investigated the relationship between psychological needs and tourist role preference patterns for men and women over the adult lifecourse. A purposive sample of New England (USA) residents ranging in age from 17 to 91 years was surveyed. Three trends in tourist role preference over the lifecourse were observed: roles that decrease in preference, roles that increase in preference, and roles that demonstrate variability. Time series analysis revealed that roles engaged in while on vacation are a function of a complex interplay of satisfied and unsatisfied psychological needs which assert themselves at different stages in the adult lifecourse.

Roles tourists play.

Abstract The purpose of this article is to describe the process by which tourist roles are conceptualized, and measured, using three-dimensional scaling analysis. The findings indicate the existence of at least 13 leisure- based tourist roles that include the drifter, the escapist, and the independent mass tourist, among others. A three-dimensional solution suggests that people enact preferred tourist roles in destinations which provide an optimal balance of familiarity-strangeness, stimulation-tranquility, and structure-independence. A theoretical perspective is developed that addresses the possible relationship among tourist roles, psychological needs, and optimal destination characteristics.

Small-scale event sport tourism: fans as tourists

Abstract College sports events have the potential to increase city revenue and community spirit, while increasing travelers awareness of the local community. This two-part study focuses on the tourism-related behaviors of fans who follow the University of Florida (USA) football team (the Gators). In the fall of 1999, 181 Gator fans were surveyed. Descriptive statistics illustrated that Sport Excursionists and Sport Tourists spent money on food and shopping while attending games, but their main motivation was to see the game. In the fall of 2000, 20 Gator fans took part in follow-up face-to-face interviews. Three themes emerged from the data about their travel-related behaviors when attending football games: (a) being a fan; (b) pilgrimages to the mecca of Gator football; and (c) on the road with the team. Further analysis of the results revealed that Gator fans are more likely to engage in traditional tourist behaviors while attending away games. Therefore, it is hypothesized that the tourism benefits for small communities may lie in leveraging the events to the visiting teams fans.

The Effect of Risk Perceptions on Intentions to Travel in the Aftermath of September 11, 2001

Abstract This study examined the relationship between perceived risk and travel intentions among residents in the New York City area. The timing of the survey (November 2001) provided opportunity to examine the effect of perceived risk on travel intentions during the period of aftershock following September 11, 2001. The study found that intentions to take a pleasure trip in the next 12 months (at the time of the survey) was related to safety concerns, perceived social risk, travel experience and income. Results from the study hold potential for better understanding risk perceptions and their impact on travel behavior and in the marketing of travel services during periods of uncertainty like that following September 11, 2001

Active sport tourism: who participates?

Sport tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors in the tourism industry. This paper reviews the status of active sport tourism in the US. Taking a lead from sport sociologists who have repeatedly shown that sport in the US is still stratified on the basis of gender, class, and race among others, this paper examines the notion that by its evasiveness active sport tourism has gained mass appeal. Who is the active sport tourist? Are men more likely to be active sport tourists than women? Has active sport tourism become democratized? Male, affluent, and college educated are characteristics that describe the typical active sport tourist. A discussion focusing on gender, race, and social class is used to examine the participation patterns in active sport tourism and to suggest future avenues for research.

Moving beyond the “what is and who” of sport tourism to understanding “why”

In the US, most graduate students of sport, leisure and or tourism are likely to have been exposed to the research methods text the practice of social research authored by Earl Babbie. Babbie (1995) writes of three general purposes of research: a) exploration – the purpose of these studies is to investigate new topics and or to pilot methods that will be used in larger investigations; b) description – here the purpose is to generate knowledge about the patterns and trends of the topic under investigation; and c) explanation – here the purpose of an investigation is to explain the phenomenon being studied. Babbie suggests that a particular study can have one or two of these purposes, but they can also be viewed as hierarchical in that they are related to the amount of information we know about a particular subject. This sort of discussion has featured quite prominently in sport, tourism and leisure studies. All of these fields have amassed enough knowledge to theorize rather than continue to describe a particular phenomenon. Indeed, in some cases scholars have suggested that these disciplines should be working towards developing their own theories (e.g., Dann & Cohen, 1991; Kelly, 2000). Over the last twenty years, although particularly since the mid 1990s, researchers have turned their attention to the study of sport tourism. There have been various discussions as to what is sport tourism, in other words definitions (e.g., Gammon & Robinson, 1997/2003; Gibson, 1998a & 1998b; Hall, 1992; Hinch & Higham, 2001a; Standeven & DeKnop, 1999) and also papers that have provided descriptions of the phenomenon (e.g., De Knop, 1990; Gibson, 1998b; Hall 1992; Redmond, 1991). Certainly, relating the development of sport tourism research and practice back to Babbie’s ideas, there was a need to conduct exploratory and descriptive work. My argument in this paper is not to suggest a complete moratorium on this type of work, as there are many aspects of sport tourism that would benefit from exploration and description. However, if we continue to progress in our investigations and knowledge, then I suggest that it is time to move into the realm of explanation. I am not alone in this conviction, in conversations with other sport tourism scholars they have

Quality of Life, Event Impacts, and Mega-Event Support among South African Residents before and after the 2010 FIFA World Cup:

The purpose of the study was to explore the role of mega-event impacts on perceived satisfaction with quality of life and support among South African residents before and after the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Limited research has empirically tested whether quality of life (QOL) is perceived as an exchange benefit that facilitates resident support of mega-events. Intercept data were collected from residents in five host cities three months before (March 2010) and eight months after (March 2011) the event (N = 3,789). Results indicate significant differences in perceived impacts before and after the event. Before the event, the influence of political impacts, psychological impacts, and social benefits on perceived QOL was significant, while QOL mediated the relationships between political, psychological, and social benefit impacts and resident support. After the event, economic impacts emerged as a significant predictor of QOL in contrast to the preevent sample.

An integrative review of women, gender, and leisure: increasing complexities.

Abstract Research about women and leisure has grown consistently over the past 30 years. This paper extends four previous integrative reviews about research content regarding womens leisure. Research articles appearing from 2006–2010 in selected major English language research journals were analyzed through an integrative review to ascertain patterns and themes. Analyses indicate a continued use of qualitative approaches. New and recurring patterns in the content of the research emerged. Seven themes related to women, gender, and leisure: resistance and empowerment through leisure, feminist frameworks, international cultural descriptions, social support and friendships, family, physical and mental health, and social inclusion. Intersectionality is discussed as a promising paradigm for the future study of women, gender, and leisure.