Research on disability tourism and accessibility has predominantly focused on visible disabilities, while research on invisible disability and tourism has received very limited attention. For the most part, work on invisible disability and tourism has featured primarily on social media platforms and has been written by individuals who are themselves People with Disabilities (PWDs). This has resulted in a gap in scholarly research on invisible disability and tourism and one which this dissertation sets out to address. This study considers invisible disabilities and how they feature within the tourism industry with the focus on accessibility. A Tourism Journey Model was devised within this context and a study was made of three counties: India, South Africa and Australia. The legislation and tourism experiences relating to invisible disability were analysed and compared in these countries that represent the global South and global North. While the most recent legislation and regulations in these respective countries were consulted as primary documents, the experiences of tourists with invisible disabilities were assessed through the creation of a fictitious scenario based on social media sources. This research intends to draw attention to the accessibility of tourism regarding disabilities, with a specific focus on invisible disabilities. It highlights the gaps in the legal systems of South Africa, Australia and India regarding invisible disability tourism and accessibility, as well as the issues experienced by tourists within this realm. As regards all the phases of the Tourism Journey Model, it appears that Australia and India have a slight advantage over South Africa in terms of accommodating invisible disabilities. However, in the final analysis the study emphasises the importance of making the invisible visible. / Dissertation (MSocSci)--University of Pretoria 2020. / Andrew Mellon Foundation / Historical and Heritage Studies / MSocSci / Unrestricted

This dissertation examines the pervasiveness of storytelling in theme parks and establishes the theme park as a distinct narrative medium. It traces the characteristics of theme park storytelling, how it has changed over time, and what makes the medium unique. This was accomplished using a mixed methods approach drawing data from interviews with creative professionals, archival research, fieldwork, and an analysis of more than eight hundred narrative attractions. The survey of narrative attractions revealed the most common narrative expressions to be dark rides and stage shows. Source material tends to be cultural tales (legends, fairy tales) or intellectual properties (generally films). Throughout major periods and world regions, setting, scenes, and visual storytelling are the most ubiquitous narrative devices. Three dozen techniques and technologies are detailed in this project. Significant impetuses for narrative change over time are the advent of technologies, formalization of the industry, explicit discourse on storytelling, formation of design philosophies, and general convergence of media. There are at least a half dozen key distinctions in theme park narratives compared with other mediums: dimensionality, scale, communality, brevity, a combinatory aspect, and a reiterative nature. Also significant is that creative professionals view themselves as storytellers, purposefully design with narrative systems, embed them in spaces, and participate in public dialogue surrounding narrative and design principles. This study was initiated to expand the literature on emerging media and narratives within the Texts and Technology approach and to fill a gap in the scholarship, as designer standpoint is rarely considered in analysis. This is the first large-scale study of storytelling in the global theme park industry. It uses underrepresented creative voices as participants and recognizes their contributions as storytellers. Finally, the project lays the groundwork for future inquiries into theme parks as storytellers and spatial narrative mediums.

Tourism is a topic that has gained much attention within the realm of anthropology over the past few decades. Anthropological research of the tourism industry has been largely devoted to the study of the tourist gaze and its subsequent sociocultural impacts as well as the benefits that travelers reap from their colonialist excursions. However, the voices of those who form the foundation of this industry, the laborers, remain almost entirely absent from said discourse. Furthermore, there is a lack of anthropological consideration for the relationship between tourism and mental health experiences of employees within the tourism industry. One specific region that is rife with information on tourism and its effects is Orlando, Florida. This research employs participant observation and semi-structured interviews to analyze the lived mental health experiences of current/former Disney cast members as a direct result of their employment within Disney and the Orlando theme park tourism industry. Not only does this thesis aim to backtrack the erasure of the perspectives of tourism employees and help create a space for them to make their voices heard, but it also attempts to bridge the gap of consideration for the impacts of tourism on the mental health of tourism employees within anthropology and touristic studies. Through the application of my own research as well as the minimal amount of relevant anthropological and touristic studies literature, I argue that Orlando theme park tourism exists as a type of structural violence that utilizes performativity and a neoliberal market to cast tourism employees in a slot of servitude that is nearly impossible to escape. As a result, this research possesses great potential to highlight the ways in which Orlando can become the happiest place on earth for its residents and employees, not just those who engage with it for their own leisurely gain.

Motivations behind heritage site selection was researched to glean information regarding heritage site selection. The objectives of the study were to determine: (1) The type of experience someone with an environmental preservationist and historic preservationist attitude seeks at a heritage site and (2) If the type of experience sought at a heritage site is related to the type of services and benefits sought at a heritage. Data was collected by utilizing a mailed questionnaire. Correlation analysis was used to determine if there were any relationships between Environmental Preservationist Attitude, Historic Preservationist Attitude, Benefits Sought at a Heritage Site, and Service Sought at a Heritage Site and the type of Heritage Experience preferred. The sample size consisted of 197 respondents or 29% of the 679 surveys successfully mailed. Of these respondents 37% were male and 67% were female. Most of the respondents were married (74%) and travel with their family (83%). Although no statistically significant relationships were found concerning the research hypotheses some interesting relationships surfaced relating to the value society has placed on heritage site visitation. Mainly, the great interest in a more authentic and rugged experience at a heritage site was a pattern found in the responses. This study gave a basis in which to build future research efforts in the area of heritage tourism. / Ph. D.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Adventure tourism is a fast-growing niche sector within tourism. This study aims to identify the primary motivations and constraints for individuals participating in adventure tourism. Emphasis was put on adventure participants' travel pattern behaviors (local residents/ tourists) and the new factor of COVID-19. Only some studies have examined constraints within adventure tourism, including motivations, travel, and COVID-19. A total of 240 individual's participated in a 10-15-minute survey that focused on 37 motivations and constraints pulled from previous literature. The findings highlighted personal improvement and destination experience as the key motivators to participate in adventure tourism, while traveler anxiety was the key constraint holding participants back. It also gave insight into how adventure tourism continues to be popular despite the pandemic.

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Yes / This paper evaluates the importance of trade in goods when modelling demand for tourism. It is argued that the limited literature testing causality between trade in goods and tourism does not consider the appropriate variables. This study utilises bilateral data for 16 UK tourist destinations in order to test Granger causality between trade in goods and tourism expenditure. UK imports, exports and total trade are tested separately, whilst controlling for real GDP and real bilateral exchange rates. The novelty of this paper is the variable specification, as well as testing the causal relationship for the case of UK outgoing tourists. Our findings suggest a causal relationship between the tourism expenditure of UK residents and trade in goods. These results support the inclusion of a trade in goods variable when estimating tourism demand, as well as adopting appropriate methodologies to account for this causal relationship. Furthermore, there is strong evidence that the trade-tourism link is important for both the UK and host countries.