The idea and the definition of tourist and tourism have been implicitly indicated in a particular article of Cohen, 1974. Tourism is just travelling or getting around for mental refreshment, leisure, recreation, business purposes etc. So, tourists can be defined by saying about the people who are travelling around and living moveable in the places, apart from their usual environment, for recreational, leisure, business activity and so on.
Table of Contents
1. Tourist types and roles
1.1 Temporary travelers
1.2 Voluntary travelers
1.3 Round-trippy
1.4 Long journey category tourist
1.5 Non recurrence of a trip
1.6 Non instrumental
2. What other roles can be postulated as similar to that of a tourist?
3. What roles are complementary or paired with the tourist?
3.1 Permanency
3.2 Voluntariness
3.3 Direction
3.4 Distance of the trip
3.5 Recurrence
3.6 Purpose of Trip
4. Why is it difficult to find a concept that fits all kind of tourists?
5. In what way is the tourist role defined by experiences or experimental modes?
5.1 Experiential mode
5.2 Experimental mode
6. Do you agree that tourists are in quest of authenticity?
7. Why is segmentation of tourists important in the tourism business?
Objectives and Topics
This paper aims to define the multifaceted nature of tourists and their roles based on sociological perspectives, primarily drawing on the work of Erik Cohen. It examines the complexities of categorizing travelers, the necessity of understanding tourist motivations, and the importance of authenticity in the modern tourism industry.
- Theoretical classifications of tourist types and traveler roles.
- The role of "fuzziness" and ambiguity in defining tourism concepts.
- Phenomenological modes of tourist experiences and experimental travel.
- The quest for authenticity in cultural and ethnic tourism.
- The strategic importance of market segmentation in the global tourism business.
Excerpt from the Book
Why is it difficult to find a concept that fits all kind of tourists?
Tourism is clearly a type of fuzzy idea. This is more or less very democratic concept. Anybody at any kind of situation could consider oneself as a tourist. Tourism could hardly be a profession. Very few individuals are paid to be tourists. For examples, a professor, a doctor, a student or people from any profession could be a tourist for a particular period. So in that particular moment, that person is still introduced by own profession. Therefore, the jurisdiction within the class of tourist and non-tourist roles are ambiguous, moreover, there are many intermediate categories. (Cohen, 1974). This type of fuzziness creates considerable reasons to be confused. The ordinary sensual and general ambiguous definitions of the tourist characteristics can easily direct the sense of the authors, researchers and readers only to the basic tourism phenomena. By this category, the researchers generally become aligned within modern mass tourism, which has been depicted as part of sociology of travelling and migration. (Cohen, 1974).
Cohen in the empirical analysis found that the marginal spots of tourists could often intersect. “The overlap may occur only along a single dimension. It is recognized that the conceptual effort undertaken is but a preliminary step to a more substantive sociological study of tourism and, indeed, of travelling in general.” (Cohen, 1974). So according to Cohen, without having a clear concept it is not possible to reach proper conclusion. Therefore, it has always been difficult to find one concept that fits all kinds of tourists.
Summary of Chapters
Tourist types and roles: This chapter introduces foundational definitions of tourism and classifies travelers into distinct types like temporary and voluntary travelers to demonstrate the complexity of tourist roles.
What other roles can be postulated as similar to that of a tourist?: This section discusses the necessity of identifying specific tourist roles and their connection to the types of travelers previously identified.
What roles are complementary or paired with the tourist?: The chapter explores dimensions such as permanency, direction, distance, and recurrence to differentiate tourist roles from non-tourist activities.
Why is it difficult to find a concept that fits all kind of tourists?: It addresses the "fuzzy" nature of tourism definitions and the ambiguity inherent in trying to apply a single concept to all tourists.
In what way is the tourist role defined by experiences or experimental modes?: This chapter categorizes tourist experiences into five modes, focusing specifically on experiential and experimental interactions.
Do you agree that tourists are in quest of authenticity?: An analysis of the tourist's desire for genuine cultural encounters and the impact of modernization on traditional ethnic groups.
Why is segmentation of tourists important in the tourism business?: The concluding section highlights the economic necessity of accurately targeting specific tourist groups for the success of the global tourism industry.
Keywords
Tourism, Tourist Roles, Tourist Types, Erik Cohen, Authenticity, Sociology of Tourism, Experimental Mode, Experiential Mode, Travel Segmentation, Globalization, Leisure, Tourism Business, Cultural Tourism, Mass Tourism, Traveler Behavior.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this document?
The document focuses on the sociological definitions of tourists and their roles, primarily synthesizing the research of Erik Cohen to explain the complexity and ambiguity of tourism concepts.
What are the central themes of the work?
The central themes include the classification of traveler types, the phenomenology of tourism experiences, the search for authenticity by travelers, and the economic importance of segmenting tourists.
What is the core research goal of the text?
The core goal is to provide a conceptual clarification of who a "tourist" is, highlighting why a single, universal definition is difficult to achieve in practice.
Which scientific method is utilized in this paper?
The work employs a qualitative, secondary analysis of sociological literature, specifically referencing seminal works by Cohen, MacCannell, and Bruner to build its arguments.
What is discussed in the main part of the paper?
The main part analyzes various classifications of travelers (such as voluntary vs. involuntary), differentiates tourist roles based on dimensions like distance and recurrence, and discusses five modes of tourist experiences.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is best characterized by terms such as Sociology of Tourism, Tourist Roles, Authenticity, and Market Segmentation.
What does the term "fuzziness" mean in the context of Cohen’s work?
"Fuzziness" refers to the ambiguity and overlapping boundaries between tourist and non-tourist roles, suggesting that tourism is a broad, democratic concept that is difficult to isolate as a single profession or activity.
How does modernization affect the "quest for authenticity"?
Modernization often threatens the authenticity of ethnic cultures, leading to "exhibitions" that might misguide tourists, as seen in the case of the Maasai people described by Bruner.
- Citar trabajo
- Jobaire Alam (Autor), 2013, Types of tourist. Why is it difficult to find a concept that fits all kinds of tourists?, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/413357
