Cody Paris

The tradition of tourism businesses and regional tourism industries is to measure their value to the host community by jobs, wages, and tax revenues even though every member of that community is affected on a daily basis through a broad variety of impacts. This article demonstrates a conceptual approach for measuring the relative importance of the major dimensions of community quality of life that can be influenced by the tourism industry in order to calculate an indication of overall impact on the well-being of community residents. Furthermore, we have formulated an example conjoint model that values this overall performance in monetary units. This model is successfully implemented using samples of college students and tourism industry professionals in the United States and Cyprus. A monetary version of triple bottom line impacts is calculated for the impacts of changes to a specific hypothetical tourism business. Recommendations are made for the extension and application of this approach to implementing sustainable tourism.

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The proliferation of digital devices and online social media and networking technologies has altered the backpacking landscape in recent years. Thanks to the ready availability of online communication, travelers are now able to stay in continuous touch with friends, family and other travelers while on the move. This article introduces the practice of ‘flashpacking’ to describe this emerging trend and interrogates the patterns of connection and disconnection that become possible as corporeal travel and social technologies converge. Drawing on the concepts of ‘assemblages’ and ‘affordances’, we outline several aspects of this new sociality: virtual mooring, following, collaborating, and (dis)connecting. The conclusion situates this discussion alongside broader questions about the shifting nature of social life in an increasingly mobile and mediated world and suggests directions for future research at the intersection of tourism and technology

The purpose of this study is to examine the emerging flashpacker sub-culture in relation to the backpacker culture. Cultural Consensus Analysis is employed to examine the potential cultural divergence between flashpackers and non-flashpackers. A mixed-mode dual-frame sampling procedure was employed for data collection, as surveys were administered through Facebook backpacker-groups and in hostels in Cairns, Australia. The results indicate that flashpacker and non-flashpacker groups have a shared cultural understanding of backpacking. In addition to the conceptual clarity of the emerging flashpacker, this study also provides some interesting insights into contemporary backpacker culture and the continuing convergence of physical travel with information and communication technologies.

The main purpose of this study was to conceptualize backpacker
motivation within the framework of the travel career pattern (TCP) theory of travel motivation. An online survey was administered to backpackers targeted in backpacker-specific online communities in order to obtain a diverse sample. The relationship between backpackers’ previous travel experience and motivations was examined, and six underlying dimensions of motivation were extracted. Four of the motivations,  personal/social growth, experiential, budget travel, and independence were found to be fluid in relation to backpackers’ travel experience. Notably, two dimensions, cultural knowledge and relaxation, were found to be constant in relation to the backpackers’ travel experience, which suggest that the two dimensions constitute the core motivations for backpackers.

This study examines passengers’ motivations for taking a cruise vacation, their travel-related activities while on vacation, and their preferences to return to each destination for a land-based vacation. The study is based on a survey of cruise passengers on a 10-day itinerary with 6 ports-of-call from Miami, Florida to the Caribbean. Five underlying dimensions of cruise passengers’ motivations were found: Convenience/Ship Based, Exploration, Escape and Relaxation, Social, and Climate. The findings of the study indicate that while majority of respondents participated in shore excursions and a diverse range of activities in port, they had mixed rankings of destinations on the itinerary. Generally, passengers ranked the more developed destinations higher, spent more money in port, and traveled further from the port area. Furthermore, destinations that were ranked high were also those that respondents indicated preference to return for land-based holidays, suggesting that the satisfaction with a port destination and the activities participated in could influence passengers’ intent to return.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential and challenges facing tourism development in Kuwait.  The first part of the paper will examine the current state of tourism in Kuwait. Next, the current political events, economic reforms, and development plans will be discussed to provide a foundation for understanding how tourism fits within the economic diversification plans in Kuwait.  Finally, the paper will use the proposed development of Failaka Island to illustrate the obstacles and opportunities for the development of tourism in Kuwait.  The critical discussion of tourism development on Failaka will focus on three main narratives: preservation of heritage vs. the development of an iconic modern destination, the role of Failaka Island development for the economic diversification in Kuwait, and the implications of the Kuwait’s democratic system and rentier economy on large-scale developments.  The discussion is based upon analysis of secondary data, materials from official sources, and fieldwork observations. 
Failaka Island has the potential to be developed into a iconic destination for tourists in Kuwait.  It has a rich mix of cultural heritage, natural climate, and is strategically located.  While there are many obstacles for the development to come to fruition, mostly surrounding the political instability and in-fighting between the National Assembly and the executive branch, there is hope that the economic reforms outlined in the Kuwait Vision 2035 will allow for the development to move past the conflicts between the private sector and the government that have plagued the proposed development in the past. Additionally, the island’s development will need to take into consideration the preservation of the historically important sites.  The struggles faced in the development of the tourism projects on Failaka Island are reflective of the wider challenges facing Kuwait as it seeks to diversify its national economy.

This paper explores the relationship between tourism and the challenges of governance in the Arctic region. Recently, both political and academic interest in the Arctic has been on the rise as a result of the increasing geopolitical importance of the region. Changes of the climatic conditions and melting of the Arctic ice caps have resulted in increased access to the “world´s last wilderness”. The increased access and interest are contributing to a growing number of tourists visiting the North. As yearly arrivals continue to rise, a number of problematic issues need to be addressed. This paper reviews the main instruments relevant to the discussion of tourism currently employed in the governance of the Arctic, and critically evaluates the insufficiencies of the current legal framework for Arctic governance and regulation of tourism in the Arctic. It concludes that although tourism in the Arctic has a number of advantages, particularly for the indigenous populations, the current legal and regulatory framework in the region lacks the scope and authority to minimize the potential (and increasing) environmental, economic, and social risks associated with increased tourism and other human activity in the region.

The emergence of social media has created a new medium for administering surveys for tourism research. While social media has great potential for tourism researchers, several aspects need to be considered. In the case of backpackers, a traditionally ‘difficult to sample’ group, destination based surveys, email surveys, survey links posted in online forums, and social media sites like Facebook, have all been used to administer surveys.  The purpose of this paper is to present the case for a mixed-mode dual frame sampling procedure as an optimum for targeting backpackers.  The sampling procedure discussed in this paper included self administered surveys through backpacker specific groups on Facebook.com, and self-administered surveys at backpacker hostels in Cairns, Australia. This paper argues that for this particular group, the combining off-line and on-line sampling modes allows the research to minimize errors while maximizing the diversity. Additionally, this paper provides some insights and recommendations into administering surveys through Facebook for tourism researchers.

Backpackers are pioneers of mobility, who provide a unique domain for critical tourism research. The lineage of backpacker ideals, including pursuit of authentic experiences, independence, escape and social interaction, can be traced back to the 'tramps' of the 1880s and the 'drifters' of the 1970s. The recent emergence of the 'flashpacker' suggests a cultural divergence from 'traditional backpackers'. Flashpackers are 'digital nomads', members of a 'new global elite' that symbolize the ongoing convergence in society of technology, physical travel, and daily life. The enduring ideals, history of mobility and the emerging flashpacker subgroup provides a rich context from which to the study the relationship between contemporary society, tourism and technology. This dissertation represents a critical turn in backpacker research, building upon the perception of backpacking phenomenon as a metaphor for the complex mobilities of the global contemporary culture. The New Mobilities Paradigm provides the theoretical and methodological basis for this study. Cultural Consensus Analysis from the field of cognitive anthropology was applied in the analysis of the backpacking culture and the apparent emergence of the flashpacker subculture. A survey was administered in Facebook backpacker groups, in Cairns, Australia, and key informant flashpackers (n=493). Findings from the CCA suggest that backpackers share a common cultural model and that flashpackers and non-flashpackers do not operate from separate cultural models. The findings suggest that even though flashpackers appear to be an emerging independent subculture, they in fact share the same cultural ideals of traditional backpackers. The only major difference is the usage and importance of technology for flashpackers. This study further examined the virtual spaces of backpacking through a mobile-virtual ethnography and in-depth e-interviews with eight flashpackers. Findings provide important insight into the usage and meanings associated with social media for backpackers, the virtual infrastructure of the backpacker culture, and the role of social media as a mediator of the backpacking experience. Micro and macro level analysis of the virtualization of backpacker culture are examined through the conceptualization of the virtual backpacking spaces via the notion of the blogosphere and statusphere and through the analysis of the socio-technographics backpacker behavior.

There is general agreement that tourism education should strive to balance vocational and liberal characteristics of tourism in order to cultivate well-rounded and employable students. In order for students to be successful in the “real world”, tourism educators strive to provide a
space that nurtures critical and technical skills; knowledge of the theoretical and conceptual underpinnings of tourism; and, the ability to translate the skills and knowledge in occupationally functional and relevant situations. The purpose of this paper is to critically explore factors involved in “successful” learning in tourism education by drawing from Vygostky’s (1978) “situated social constructivism” learning model and examples from the author’s own teaching.

The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding of the impact of the convergence of ICT and independent travel from the perspective of a small group of tech-savvy flashpackers. Key informant e-interviews were conducted with a small group of eight flashpackers with an established virtual presence. This paper employs the mobilities paradigm to discuss the convergence of technology and backpacking tourism. The study of the flashpacking phenomenon through a ‘mobilities lens’ provides a vehicle for developing an understanding of the complexities of the intersection of physical travel, technologies, and daily life. Several themes emerged from the interviews including the conceptualization of connection and disconnection, impact of technologies on traditional physical spaces of backpacking, social interaction, and increasing fluidity of ‘tourist’ and ‘non-tourist’ experiences.

A short online survey of Kingman Arizona residents included two approaches for determining the relative importance of social, cultural, environmental and economic attributes to community quality of life. A simple multi-attribute choice approach gave noticeably different results from a standard independent attribute ranking approach and lead researchers to recommend socially oriented tourism development projects over economically oriented ones.

Backpackers have been distinguished by their demographics,
motivations, behaviors, and activities. This transnational study proposes a valueactivity
model that examines the causal relationship among personal values and
travel activity participation for backpacker tourists. Backpackers’ values, using
a modified Rokeach values scale, and activities were measured using a questionnaire
that was administered through Facebook and Lonely Planet’s Thorn
Tree Forums. The structural equation model suggests that backpackers’ personal
values can significantly influence the activities they participate in, and that the
personal values of backpackers are hierarchical which in turn creates a hierarchical
structure for the activities they participate in.

Backpacking is a culture symbolic of the increasingly mobile world. The purpose of this study is to develop an understanding of the stabilization and creation of the social structure of the backpacking culture that has resulted from the convergence of technology and ideology. Using
theory from the field of evolutionary anthropology, the backpacker culture is examined as an integrated system composed of technological, sociological, and ideological subsystems. Age cohort analysis is used to examine the differences between age groups in terms of their online
information search, participation in backpacker specific forums, usage of social networking sites, and the virtual connection to the backpacker culture. While previous studies have considered the mainstreaming of backpacking as the main barrier to examining backpacking as
a culture, the results of this study suggest that the convergence of backpacker ideology with the advances in communications technologies have created the social structure to support the mainstream backpacker culture of today.

The primary purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between Facebook usage and the corresponding impact on travel relationships within the hostel and backpacker community. An online survey was administered to backpackers which were both hostel and Facebook users by way of travel-centric online communities. The impact of Facebook on backpacker behaviors, decision making, and relationships was examined. Analysis indicates that Facebook is shaping the evolution of social, behavioral, and communicative norms within the backpacker hostel environment and that there is still a gap in the research that examines the impact of social networking websites on the hostel experience.