Thesis
The tourist and the destination : evolving storytelling research
Southern Cross University
Master of Business (MBus), Southern Cross University
2020
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25918/thesis.127
Metrics
139 File views/ downloads
262 Record Views
Abstract
This thesis examines the ways tourist experiences are presented in tourist accounts and the marketing of those experiences by destinations. It examines the experiences told through blogs and adopted photography by combining the circle of representations with principles of storytelling. This study uses netnography to analyse 21 tourist blogs, 8 regional destination websites and 22 professional blogs related to Magnetic Island. Exploratory thematic analyses were employed to study both text and photography. This research adopts the pragmatic paradigm to use relevant methods that achieve insights into storytelling research and tourism experiences. Storytelling was also operationalised utilising a proforma, developed from the literature, for studying storytelling features within the text. Examining more than tourist texts, this study also assesses the role of photography in storytelling, as well as a combined analysis of tourist experiences and destination promotions. The findings revealed several commonalities between the tourists’ writing and destination marketing as well as some key differences that hold implications for practice. Both groups presented a consistent destination image for Magnetic Island as a natural environment offering experiences and activities that engage with nature, wildlife and the physical geography of the island. They were, however, different in their writing on experiences, with tourists’ blogs offering more depth, reactions, emotions and opportunities for self-discovery, while promoters focused on providing coverage of available activities without necessarily offering evaluations of them. Reviewing the structure of stories revealed everyday conversational stories that depict interactions important to tourists often overlooked by destinations and tourism research. Future research will need to examine and elicit stories directly from tourists to assess the influence of story structures on the writing of tourist experiences.
Details
- Title
- The tourist and the destination : evolving storytelling research
- Creators
- John Robert Pearce
- Contributors
- Kevin Markwell (Supervisor) - Southern Cross UniversityErica Wilson (Supervisor) - Southern Cross University
- Awarding Institution
- Southern Cross University; Master of Business (MBus)
- Theses
- Master of Business (MBus), Southern Cross University
- Publisher
- Southern Cross University
- Number of pages
- 214
- Identifiers
- 991012926100102368
- Copyright
- © JR Pearce 2020
- Academic Unit
- School of Business and Tourism; Faculty of Business, Law and Arts
- Resource Type
- Thesis