Philippa Hunter-Jones

Backpacking Your Way into Crisis: An Exploratory Study into Perceived Risk and Tourist Behaviour Amongst Young People

SUMMARY Risk and tourism have become more closely interlinked in recent years. Recognising the complexity of tourist behaviour, research by Cohen (1972) classified tourists according to the degree of novelty or familiarity sought. Whilst the subject of extensive debate, many questions remain including to what extent perceived risk can be used as an indicator of tourist roles. Focusing upon the growing youth tourism market, backpackers in particular, travel patterns and attitudes towards risk were questioned and possible responses to a crisis differentiated through an exploratory qualitative study. The findings challenge both the resilience of the market alongside Cohens (1972) typology suggesting backpackers exhibit different roles (drifter and explorer) dependent upon the risk in question. Given the exploratory nature of the work, the paper concludes calling for further targeted research.

Understanding the relationship between holiday taking and self-assessed health: an exploratory study of senior tourism

The senior market is particularly attractive to the tourism industry. Alongside evidence of a growing propensity to travel and spend, consumption is often deliberately linked to low seasons, balancing out the peaks and valleys for tourism suppliers. Health is one variable which is particularly significant to this consumer. Personal health influences all patterns of consumer behaviour regardless of age, although the full extent to which this models senior tourism activity is unclear. An exploratory qualitative study was undertaken in the spring of 2005, with 22 senior consumers (aged 55 years plus) interviewed. Utilizing the earlier work by Zimmer et al. into self-assessed health as a framework, travel propensity, the perceived effects of travel and factors inhibiting full participation were questioned. Conclusions drawn outline both a senior tourism typology and areas for future research. Notably the relationship between caregiving and tourism consumption is singled out for further investigation.

Young people, holiday-taking and cancer - an exploratory analysis.

Abstract This paper reports the empirical findings of a qualitative study undertaken to investigate factors which may inhibit tourism participation for young people experiencing problems related to cancer. Participation in leisure activities has long been recognised as playing an important role in the personal development of young people, contributing to identity and self-concept. Holiday-taking represents one expression of leisure participation yet is not an activity universally enjoyed. Socio-economic factors are commonly recognised as inhibiting full participation. The contribution of ill health has been less so considered. To address this, 25 informants, accessed through the Young Oncology Unit (YOU) at Christie Hospital NHS Trust, Manchester, UK, a specialist cancer hospital covering the northwest of England, were questioned about the key barriers inhibiting travel post-diagnosis. Key barriers identified included fear of being unable to cope on holiday, a lack of confidence and self-belief. Such barriers were found to be consistent with the intrinsic, environmental and interactive barriers identified in Smiths (Ann. Tourism Res. 14 (1987) 376) earlier study of disabled tourists. The paper concludes by considering the implications the research poses for the Tourism Industry.

The continuum of learner disengagement: Ethnographic insights into experiential learning in marketing education

This article explores the changing worldview of a new generation of learners and the threat that this poses to the future of experiential learning (EL). Initially the differing characteristics of three generations of learners, X, Y, and Z, are outlined, along with key educational reforms they have been subject to, particularly in the United Kingdom, the case study location. Following this, a series of ethnographic EL snapshots, collected between 1991 and 2010, are used to develop a continuum of learner disengagement. This continuum includes academically challenged, ambivalent, and formulaic learners. Of these, it is the formulaic learner who presents the greatest threat to EL. This is a discerning and discriminating learner who wishes to be in control of his or her own achievements and who sees EL activities as a threat to his or her success. Practical ways of responding to the changing EL landscape are proposed. These proposals include moving away from a linear learning experience, embracing EL projects that capitalize on learner technological capabilities, and reviewing the timing and conditions within which EL activities are situated.

Consumer vulnerability and exclusion: A study of carers in the tourism marketplace

Abstract Carers – a growing, multidimensional, context-specific, yet transient community (three in five of the population during a lifetime) – have been largely neglected in the marketing literature. Focusing upon the impediments to tourism participation this consumer group faces, the paper explores issues of carer engagement, consumer vulnerability, and societal exclusion from the perspective of two carer groups: senior carers and cancer carers. Conclusions reached demonstrate how challenging many carers find tourism-marketplace engagement and confirm carers can indeed be considered as vulnerable consumers. They introduce us to a range of circumstances that prompt exclusion and call upon policy makers to recognise the existence of multiple categories of vulnerability in accommodating the needs of this consumer. A future research agenda is outlined. This argues for the need to review the wider implications of the findings beyond the geographical constraints of this study, and to explore also their application to other vulnerable consumers.

Changing family structures and childhood socialisation: a study of leisure consumption

Abstract How children learn to function as consumers has been extensively reviewed in the consumer and marketing literature, although early childhood (5 to 7 years of age) has received relatively limited attention to-date. This study examines this process specifically in relation to the role of socialisation agents. It questions whether parents/guardians, who have traditionally been acknowledged as the primary socialisation agents, retain this influence in an era of changing family structures. Leisure-travel provides the context for review with children aged 5–7 the research population. Findings confirm parental influence to be pivotal across different family structures, but note that, in some structures and circumstances, this influence is shared, particularly with grandparents and the leisure industry. Future research opportunities include the need to examine this shared role further, to investigate leisure industry awareness and response to their influence and to investigate further the implications of social class and ethnicity upon the findings.

The role of charities in social tourism

The aim of this paper is to examine the extent to which charities contribute to social tourism activity and the forms which these contributions might take. The needs of those disadvantaged because of personal, economic or social circumstances are central to the enquiry. An earlier piece by Turner, Miller and Gilbert (2001), which explores the broader role of UK charities in the tourism industry, suggesting them to operate outside, within and above the tourism industry, provides a framework for initial consideration. Primary qualitative data collected from 20 charitable organisations are considered next with fundraising, accommodation support and signposting activities, all common areas of charitable involvement, noted. This paper concludes by extending the earlier framework presented by Turner et al. (2001) [The role of UK charities and the tourism industry. Tourism Management, 22, 463–472] to include a surrogate dimension. It also comments upon the piecemeal support offered by charities to disadvantaged consumers, makes the case for the charitable and private sector tourism industry to seek ways of working together in the future and offers some tentative suggestions for future research. These suggestions are linked to both the research methodology employed in the study and the need for further research linked to consumer attitudes towards charitable giving.

Strategic B2B customer experience management: the importance of outcomes-based measures

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to critique the adequacy of efforts to capture the complexities of customer experience in a business-to-business (B2B) context using input–output measures. The paper introduces a strategic customer experience management framework to capture the complexity of B2B service interactions and discusses the value of outcomes-based measurement. Design/methodology/approach This is a theoretical paper that reviews extant literature related to B2B customer experience and asks fresh questions regarding B2B customer experience at a more strategic network level. Findings The paper offers a reconceptualisation of B2B customer experience, proposes a strategic customer experience management framework and outlines a future research agenda. Research limitations/implications This paper is conceptual and seeks to raise questions surrounding the under-examined area of B2B customer experience. As a consequence, it has inevitable limitations resulting from the lack of empirical evidence to support the reconceptualisation. Practical implications Existing measures of customer experience are problematic when applied in a B2B (services) context. Rather than adopting input- and output-based measures, widely used in a business-to-consumer (B2C) context, a B2B context requires a more strategic approach to capturing and managing customer experience. Focussing on strategically important issues should generate opportunities for value co-creation and are more likely to involve outcomes-based measures. Social implications Improving the understanding of customer experience in a B2B context should allow organisations to design better services and consequently enhance the experiences of their employees, their customers and other connected actors. Originality/value This paper critiques the current approach to measuring customer experience in a B2B context, drawing on contemporary ideas of value-in-use, outcomes-based measures and “Big Data” to offer potential solutions to the measurement problems identified.

Managing health and safety on international school trips

Organising international school trips can be a demanding experience because of the age of the participants, the unfamiliar surroundings and the excitement associated with the foreign trip. As many organisers are full-time teachers, without a background in the travel sector, the pressures can be even greater. The need to anticipate potential risks to the health and safety of pupils and comply with the law can be one of the more difficult aspects of the organisation. Many of these risks and legal demands are often present in the organisation of international travel by tour operators. Drawing upon the wider travel scene, this paper outlines the potential risks attached to international school trip participation, suggests measures to reduce such risks, details the legal framework for schools in England and Wales and indicates a range of information sources available to the trip organiser.

Tourism experiences through the eyes of a child

ABSTRACT Children are viewed typically as unsophisticated or incompetent research respondents. We challenge these assumptions by collecting data directly from 39 children, aged 9 and 10 years, which captures how they experience their holiday destination through ‘real time’ recordings. The findings reveal that children like to be physically active, have freedom and safety to play and make new friends independently. Holidays represent time spent with family and offer an escape from everyday routines and environments. Conversely, children dislike bad weather and queuing in traffic, restaurants and attractions; journeys are spoiled by travel sickness. This paper makes a number of major contributions to existing research. It adds to our understanding of the physical and emotional proximity of tourism experiences within an age specific context. It explores childrens views and opinions as articulated by themselves and not adult proxies. It provides ‘real time’ data on tourism experiences, rather than using recollections.