Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

This thesis explores young tourists' perceptions of fear while they are on holiday. This work is important because it sheds light on tourists' emotional experiences on holiday, adding to our overall understanding of tourist behaviour. While the importance of investigating perceptions of fear has been recognized within a number of different disciplines (e.g. psychology, sociology, criminology, marketing), perceptions of fear have remained relatively unexplored within the tourism experience. This thesis also investigates young tourists' perceptions of fear from a gender perspective. Although gender has been regarded as one of the most important factors influencing perceptions of fear, gendered perceptions of fear among tourists in the holiday environment in general, and young tourists in particular, have received little attention. The thesis is based on three months of fieldwork conducted in the summer of 2007 on the island of Ios, Greece. The choice of Ios as a study site was based on the fact that the island is promoted as the 'party island of Greece' and attracts many young tourists. Twenty-five in-depth interviews were conducted among young tourists on the island. In order to explore gender-based similarities and differences in the perception and expression of fear, the interviews were conducted with 13 females and 12 males. Systematic observations were also carried out during the fieldwork. The findings reveal that, although some respondents perceived fear as a negative emotion, others referred to fear as a positive component in the tourism experience. In particular, it was found that while on holiday on Ios young tourists participated in activities that they perceived as risky in order to experience fear. However, only optimal levels of fear were conceived as pleasant. With regard to gendered perceptions of fear, the results show that gender, despite having been traditionally constructed as a binary concept, did not play a major role in influencing young tourists' perceptions of fear on holiday. Rather, with the exception of women's concerns of sexual violence, the findings of this thesis demonstrate that more marked differences occurred in the perception and expression of fear among the various masculinities and femininities than between men and women.

Bibliography: p. 324-335. / vii, 335 p. : ill., map ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / A framework of psychological processes which shape the experience of travel as a mediator between home and the Other; and a framework of various structures which affect the travel experience. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Geography, 1998

Tourists are now visiting some of the most remote and amazing places on Earth, travelling to �frontiers� on journeys that are psychological and emotional as well as geographical or physical. These extraordinary journeys to the Poles, the peaks of the highest mountains in the world, harsh deserts and even outer space test both physical and mental endurance and can be characterised as �unique� even in the current era. Travelling largely without the aid of a commercial tour operator or guide, the frontier traveller usually invests a great deal of time and resources in their travel experience, often with the assistance of sponsorship, and generally takes part in an extensive and arduous preparation period in their quest for the extraordinary. While the search for new and unique tourism destinations and experiences appears to be relentless in this post-modern era, the frontier traveller appears to be searching for the �authentic� beyond the �tourist bubble,� both in relation to self and setting. These frontier �trailblazers� are already being followed by guided adventure tourists and some of the former are supplementing their incomes and funding their own travel by leading tours or guiding others to the frontier. Studying the extraordinary experiences of the frontier traveller could therefore provide us with a glimpse of the future of travel, although likely to occur in a more structured and less risky guise. Uncovering the motivations for this form of travel will also assist with future marketing of these experiences, including elements of the marketing mix such as product development and promotion. This thesis examines the motivations behind frontier travel and considers the implications of the findings for tourism marketing. Unstructured, long interviews with 37 individuals were used to uncover the motivations behind these experiences, supplemented by content analysis of narratives produced by frontier travellers, encompassing 50 autobiographies, two online diaries and online interviews with two individuals. The interview participants were largely selected through purposive sampling, in that they were screened as fitting the criteria of a past or potential frontier traveller before being interviewed. They were predominantly born and living in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, and 29 of the 37 individuals were male. Ages of participants ranged from 24 to 60 years of age. Interviews continued until saturation of categories of motivation had been reached. Texts were mainly located through searches of bookshops and libraries, including the author�s personal library. A qualitative methodological approach was chosen in order to provide rich data and allow the researcher to enter the world of the frontier traveller. An interpretive paradigm based on a constructivist paradigm underpinned this study, with an ontological stance based on multiple realities and an epistemological position where participants and myself as the researcher created understandings. The methodology outlined above was consistent with this position and was designed to identify different constructions of the data and seek consensus, where possible. The literature on motivations provides a complex plethora of theories and models, many of which contradict each other, so a principal objective of this study was to work from first principles, grounding a theory of motivations pertaining to frontier travel experiences in the data, rather than seeking to test out a pre-existing model or theory. Overall, the research findings show that motivations for frontier travel can be analysed under the broad heading of �adventure,� which is composed of a variety of sub-motives such as achievement and competence, challenge, thrill-seeking and sensation, ego, dreams or fantasies, self-actualisation, cognizance (exploration/discovery), freedom/escape motives (autonomy), isolation and solitude, spirituality, camaraderie and communitas, authenticity, prestige (external rewards), pro-social motives and a love of nature and wilderness. Risk or danger is an element of these experiences and feeds into many of the motivations identified in this study. A theory of motivations behind frontier travel experiences has been developed, covering intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, as well as achievement-motivated behaviour. Pre-travel influences and inspirations such as literature, cinema, visual stimuli, childhood games, heroes and mentors, family influences and educative influences are also considered with respect to their effect on motivational behaviour. An exploratory typology was then developed for frontier travellers, based on common motivations, which might be used to segment the market. Four basic types have been identified and labelled or categorised as �Seekers of Truth,� �Enlightened Explorers,� �Concerned Elitists,� and �Freedom Seekers.� Key motivations behind specific frontier travel experiences have also been identified. Each frontier traveller will exhibit some, but not all, of the motivations highlighted in this study. Segmenting the market on the basis of motivations may therefore be a difficult, if not impossible task. However, marketers could use the information unearthed during this study in the marketing mix to develop new products aimed at satisfying some of the key motivations and use the findings as themes to be highlighted in promotional literature such as brochures and websites. This thesis also argues that the study of travel motivations in the future would be better served by considering motivations behind market niches such as frontier travel, rather than attempting to develop a comprehensive theory of motivations covering the whole travel industry.

Thesis (D. Min.)--New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 1993. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 228-233).

Thesis (M.P.H.M. (Primary Health Care Management))--Mahidol University, 2008. / LICL has E-Thesis 0038 ; please contact computer services.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Western Seminary, Portland, Or., 1997. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 202-206).

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (February 22, 2010) Includes bibliographical references (p. 48-49)

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 113 p. : ill. (some col.), col. maps. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 74-76).