With all the developments in the world today, medical tourism is becoming increasingly more popular. People have discovered that there is a chance to seek medical care elsewhere than in their country of residence, often at a lower price than in that country. The fact is that people are able to travel easily between countries for that purpose nowadays, and people have started to travel for various medical treatments. Dental tourism is a phenomenon that has been growing rapidly along with medical tourism in general. The reasons why people go abroad for dental treatments are various but, in most cases, the fact is that it is possible for them to have a treatment in a country where the costs are lower than in their country of residence. It has been argued whether going abroad is really worth it even with the lower prices at the dental tourism destination and with that said it is interesting to see how the dental tourists’ experience culminates. This research’s aim is to explore how satisfied Icelandic dental tourists are with their dental experience and what effect the dental experience has on other factors of the travel and, the travel experience. This research uses a qualitative research approach where semistructured interviews were conducted in person, through a phone call and through Zoom. The participants for the research are 11 total and they were found using the convenient sampling method and they all volunteered to participate in the research. The results were not identical, but overall, the participants were satisfied with their dental experience and all of the participants were satisfied with their tourism experience. The negative dental experiences were mostly with the after-treatment stage where some participants were experiencing problems with their dental treatment. The participants that traveled to the destination in company of their family all agreed that it made the experience for them more positive to have their family as support. The participants that traveled alone had different perspectives on whether having someone to support them would have made any difference on their experience. Only one participant was not able to say that they would recommend doing dental tourism to others. All of the participants would visit the dental tourism destination again, it did not matter whether the participant had a negative experience with the dental treatment received or a positive one.

This dissertation examines the effect of podcast tours on park visitor experiences. Podcast tours have emerged as a new medium in facilitating the interaction between tourists and destinations. Providing visitors with enhanced experiences through the use of interpretive technologies is especially important for national parks dealing with enhancing visitors' experiences which may influence visitors' perception of environmental stewardship and, in turn, positively affect preserving environmental resources. Furthermore, there has been a noticeable increase in consumer demand for podcast tours. Based on theoretical accounts that human voices convey rich social information, this dissertation proposes that podcast tours enhance perceived social presence and mindfulness which leads to enhanced tourist experiences (learning, enjoyment, and escape) and environmental stewardship (attitudinal and behavioral stewardship). A field experiment was conducted at Padre Island National Seashore using MP3 players containing podcast tours. The podcasts were manipulated using four experimental conditions: 2 information source compositions (single narrator voice vs. multiple narrator voices) x 2 narrating styles (formal style vs. conversational style). The questionnaire administered to subjects after they took the podcast tour included measures of social presence, mindfulness, tourist experience (learning, enjoyment, and escape), and stewardship (attitudinal and behavioral stewardship). The pre-questionnaire included question items regarding the nature of the visit, visitor characteristics, technology usage behavior, audio tour evaluation and socio-demographics. Responses from 221 visitors were analyzed using structural equation modeling with LISREL 8.7. The results provide evidence that multiple voices, and to some extent also narration style, positively increase social presence but neither experimental condition had any influence on mindfulness. The increased feeling of social presence influences park visitors' enjoyment and escape experiences but not learning. Mindfulness was found to affect visitors' learning, enjoyment, and escape experience. The results further show that enhanced experiences positively influence attitudinal stewardship which in turn leads to behavioral stewardship toward national parks. The results of this dissertation generally support the theoretical model suggesting that even if communicated through audio-only media, the human voice creates and sustains a positive social context for meaningful interaction which influences tourist experiences and stewardship. Mindfulness was also found to be an important construct impacting the quality of visitor experiences but could not be explained by the specific podcast tour designs tested. From a practical perspective, the findings provide important insights regarding the usefulness of podcast tours as interpretative media, and also suggest that specific designs are more capable of fostering feelings of social presence.

This thesis considers how 'day visitors' to the Peak National Park construct accounts for their behaviour. It takes an inductive approach to the problem of 'day visits' as an under-researched topic within tourism and leisure studies. The thesis examines the discourses within tourism studies and in particular the ways in which notions of what it is to be a 'tourist' are constructed and used in tourism studies. Further it seeks to relocate the notion of tourism within the realm of ordinary social member's understandings, and therefore tourism becomes an object of study within everyday life. The thesis is particularly interested in the concept of motivation for tourism. Rather than regarding tourism motivation as a set of fixed 'needs' the study sets out to demonstrate the inherently social, locally managed and produced nature of motivation for tourism within everyday conversation about tourism. The empirical analysis is based on a small number of semi-structured, conversational interviews with people who had recently been on a 'day visit' to the Peak National Park. It was found that the respondents orient to the production of accounts of their experiences and accounts for their behaviour that served a number of functions. Accounts were found to allow members to construct notions of identity as a resource to achieve credibility in their accomplishment of 'day visitor' experiences in talk. This study considers how 'being a tourist' is accomplished or resisted by the respondents in their talk. Identity construction is also considered in relation to the accomplishment of spatial practice in accounting for 'day visitor' behaviour.

Food tourism is an activity that can be promoted by destination marketers. The aims of this research are to provide a holistic examination of domestic tourists’ food experience in China, and to evaluate the potential of food tourism in promoting Chinese regions from the demand side. It has four specific research objectives, including (1) examining the food experience of domestic tourists at three different travel stages in China, (2) assessing the relationships between the food experience of tourists and their demographic profiles, (3) developing a structural model addressing the potential relationships between tourists’ food experience and loyalty intentions toward Chinese destinations, and (4) providing recommendations for marketers to achieve successful destination promotion through food tourism. In order to achieve the research aims and objectives, with the development of a structural theoretical model, a quantitative research design was employed in the study. Data was specifically collected from a sample of 1702 domestic tourists at ten representative destinations in Mainland China. The findings of this study revealed that: firstly, food is, overall, of great significance to Chinese domestic tourists; however, it plays a varying role in domestic tourists’ experiences at different travel stages in China. Secondly, demographic factors such as gender and age have influences on the food experience of Chinese domestic tourists, while educational level has been revealed to be of little influence. Thirdly, tourists’ food satisfaction and food-related behavioural intentions were in direct and positive correlation to tourists’ destination loyalty intentions. The findings highlighted the contribution of local food at a destination level in the context of China, and signified the great potential for destinations to utilise food tourism to attract and retain tourists. Moreover, given the interrelationships shown between the underlying factors of tourists’ food experience and tourists’ destination loyalty intentions, it is noted that tourists’ food experience is a complex multi-phase model among which different phases interrelate with each other exerting an influence on tourists’ loyalty intentions to specific destinations in China. Lastly, based on these findings, both theoretical and practical implications were derived. In particular, practical recommendations have been provided to marketers on how to effectively utilise food tourism to achieve successful destination promotion in China.

El presente trabajo identifica los factores principales de la variable tourism experience en un contexto local y se mide en relación a la satisfacción por parte de turistas que hayan usado algún alojamiento compartido en un viaje de ocio. / This work identifies the main factors of the variable tourism experience in a local context and is measured in relation to the satisfaction of tourists who have used some shared accommodation on a leisure trip. / Trabajo de investigación

This PhD by publication draws on a range of publications from the last five years. These books, papers and chapters explore tourist motivation and experiences in a range of contemporary contexts. The body of work moves from mainstream discussion around sustainability and slow tourism in the tourist decision making process to the use of visual media to explore, understand and co-create tourist spaces, investigating related tourist subcultures and counter-cultural destinations. In particular the work focuses on Urban Exploration and, later, on cold war sites. My papers consider both tourist decision making in relation to planned visits, and the subsequent publication of images of places which have been visited. The work considers authenticity and visuality as components of the dissatisfaction with modern tourism, and the experiences it offers, I argue that this dissatisfaction is driving tourists to understand, engage with and experience tourist sites in new ways, seeking liminality and embodiment within the tourist experience. The study will develop this analysis through four key areas:  A clarification of the role of tourism within advanced societies and as a multidisciplinary field of research.  An evaluation of authenticity, visuality and urban exploration  A critical review of tourist consumption, prosumption and co-creation  A review of the methodologies adopted through the papers submitted for this PhD by publication to explore the mixed-method approaches to data collection and the centrality of visual methodologies and discourses in understanding tourism and tourism geography. An exploration of the role of real and virtual experiences in deconstructing and reconstructing urban tourist experiences to evaluate the factors which influence and inform tourist decision making.

The aim of this study is to examine the development of the travel selfie phenomenon in contemporary media and culture, and its impact on tourist experiences. By discussing key issues surrounding the phenomenon, particularly commodification and social media such as Instagram, this thesis investigates the effects of the travel selfie on tourist experiences, through a qualitative study approach.By adopting dispositive analysis as a methodology, this study explores how the travel selfie phenomenon evolves from a photographic practice into a modern tourist trend and a travel commodity that has revolutionized the tourist industry. The results suggest that the travel selfie has evolved from a spontaneous photographic technique into a valuable commodity that empowers modern tourists in different parts of the world. The shared consumption of the travel selfie amongst tourists subvert dominant criticism about the selfie culture by suggesting how the travel selfie inspires and unites tourists through an ability to express themselves individually. The conclusions emphasize how the travel selfie has expanded amongst tourists and continues to transform the contemporary cultures.

Comment l’individu devient-il touriste ? Cette recherche vise à comprendre l’expérience de la redécouverte de l’espace quotidien : peut-on s’attendre à être surpris ?Dans un contexte postmoderne dans lequel l’individu devient un personnage hybride (entre visiteur et résident, portant un regard à la fois simple et complexe sur le monde qui l’englobe), nous souhaitons répondre à la question suivante : (comment) est-il possible de vivre une expérience touristique dans la région où on réside ?La méthodologie utilisée repose sur quatre actions : écouter les professionnels du secteur touristique et culturel, identifier l’offre et les thématiques proposées, observer des visites guidées destinées notamment à un public local et accéder aux expériences des visiteurs.Par le biais d’une approche qualitative, nous visons à déterminer si la distance est une composante essentielle de l’expérience touristique. La ville de Barcelone (Espagne) constitue notre terrain d’études. Nous nous penchons sur la manière dont différentes expériences sont contextualisées, d’abord, dans la biographie de chaque visiteur interviewé et, ensuite, dans le cadre spatial et temporel où l’expérience a lieu. Les résultats obtenus approfondissent la compréhension de la condition du touriste et de la valorisation des espaces ordinaires comme des espaces permettant la redécouverte. / How do we become tourists? This research aims at understanding the experience of rediscovering the usual environment. Can we expect to be surprised?In a postmodern context where individuals become hybrid (they are at the same time residents and visitors, temporal and permanent inhabitants, in a simple and in a complex relationship with the world surrounding them), we raise the following question: (How) is it possible to enjoy a tourist experience in the region where we live?Our methodology rests on four actions: listening to the cultural and tourist sector, identifying the offer and the existing themes, observing guided tours especially conceived for locals and accessing to visitors’ experiences.Through a qualitative approach, we aim at ascertaining if the distance is indeed an essential component of tourist experiences. The case of the City of Barcelona will be analysed, especially how different experiences are contextualised, first, within the biography of each interviewed visitor and, second, within the spatial and temporal frame where these experiences are carried out. The results provide deeper understanding of the tourist condition and of the transformation of ordinary places into highlights from a rediscovery point of view.

The cruise sector, despite being a niche in the tourism industry, stands out as one of the fastest-growing segments. The ‘cruisescape’ refers to the physical environment and atmosphere on a cruise ship, including elements such as interior design, services and interactions, all of which impact the sensory experience of cruise tourists. Theming plays a significant role in shaping and enhancing the tourist experience within this cruisescape. It has become a central aspect of tourism and consumption, significantly influencing experiences and choices in these domains. This study investigated the impact of theming on cruise ship experiences through deductive reasoning, employing a qualitative approach.The research involved conducting eleven semi-structured interviews with cruise ship tourists. Following a thematic analysis, the study aimed at uncovering patterns and themes within the collected data. Four distinct themes were found within the context of themed experiences on cruise ships: (1) Ever-changing Environment, (2) Perception of Authenticity, (3) Interaction and (4) Multisensory Stimulation. From these four identified themes, three fundamental contributors emerged that significantly influence the cruise ship experience- the themed cruisescape, guests themselves and onboard crew members. The findings offer valuable insights into how the cruisescape, guests, and onboard crew members contribute to shaping the experiences of cruise tourists. Despite the commonalities found in the study’s outcomes, it is crucial to acknowledge the limitation of not generalizing the results to the entire population. Therefore, further investigations will contribute to a better understanding of themed cruisescapes and tourist experiences, allowing for a judgment about whether the results obtained from the research can be generalized or considered valid for a specific set of circumstances.

The research question addressed by this dissertation is: How is the tourist experience formed and what constitutes the authenticity of the tourist experience for two market segments (motivated and not motivated by learning) of tourists visiting (political) cultural heritage sites in South Africa. The study explores the correlation between three types of authenticity, namely objective, constructed and existential on two independent tourist samples, motivated and not motivated by learning. This research was initiated for three reasons. The first reason forms part of the research problem; South African cultural experiences received the lowest ratings from the international tourists despite the fact that culture and heritage play a role in reimaging South Africa from Big 5 destination into ‘It’s possible’ and ‘Leave ordinary behind’. It was suspected that not all types of cultural heritage products justify such a low ratings, especially not the political cultural heritage sites South Africa is famous for. The second reason emerged from the academic literature on authenticity theories and calls from the influential group of postmodernist scholars to declare the objective authenticity obsolete and replace it with the existential authenticity. The argument that; the hyperreal nature of the postmodern experience and its detachment from reality makes the authenticity of the site redundant, seemed inapt for cultural heritage sites exclusively dependent on their historical and authentic values. The third reason was the inability of the postmodern paradigm to explain the new tourism phenomenon driven by the tourists search for selfdevelopment through authentic experiences. The new emerging paradigm, transmodernity seemed to offer better theoretical framework in explaining the omnivorouessness of tourists’ consumption and the authentic nature of tourist experiences. The correlational character of the research question required a descriptive correlational design and quantitative methodology. The selected research instrument for primary data collection is a self–administered questionnaire. The sampling strategy is a non–probability sampling, and the sampling method is a convenience or accidental sample. The data was collected from November 2010 to February 2011 at the Constitutional Hill National Heritage Site in Johannesburg. The final sample (436) consists of 254 foreign and 182 domestic tourists. The questionnaire was designed to identify the variables pertinent to each type of authenticity of tourists experience and of the resultant tourist experience. The data analysis provided very interesting results. Firstly, the results of crosstabulation proved that more than half (56%) of the tourists expressed strong agreement that the Constitution Hill provided them with authentic experience, hence a proof that political heritage sites are not responsible for the overall low experiential ratings of the country’s culture and heritage. Secondly, the results of the Spearman’s correlation coefficient proved that objective authenticity as an independent variable have strong positive correlation with constructed and existential authenticity hence a proof that objective authenticity cannot be declared obsolete and replaced with existential authenticity. Finally, the results of the t–test proved that motivation for learning and place of birth do not play an important role in how tourist evaluate and experience the authenticity of the site pointing to the omnivorous nature of tourist consumption. In line with the transmodern paradigm, motivation for learning plays a critical role in triggering the transformative, authentic experience distinctive of the existential authenticity. The results of the study also showed that 32% of tourists are in fact the purposeful, New Age, transmodern Cultural Creatives. Proposed theoretical model of authenticity of tourists experience presents a theoretical platform for future research studies. / Thesis (M.A. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.