Transformative tourism is investigated as a potential solution to the challenges currently facing the tourism industry. Tourism is facing a defining time as societies are attempting to manage the effect of fast path globalization and are confronted with the pressing issues of climate change that push us to implement fast and drastic changes in the way that we consume services and interact with others. Transformative tourism proposes to design travel experiences in which travelers are encouraged to self-reflect, become more tolerant of cultural differences, and are eager to become agents of change in their community by fostering social empowerment and taking concrete actions to promote a sustainable way of life. The dissertation takes on a three-manuscript approach, each investigating a facet of transformative tourism in terms of outcomes and strategies. The first article is based on in-depth interviews with tourism practitioners and investigate their use of glocalization strategies as a way to create partnerships with local community members and foster loyalty from travelers. The second article examines the development of a scale to measure the transformative process in travelers. The third article uses a multi-method approach to study the symbols and narratives present in the transformative travelers' experience with the objective of using those to develop marketing content. / Doctor of Philosophy / The dissertation focuses on transformative tourism which encourages travelers to become more tolerant of other cultures. Travelers' transformation occurs through the design of activities that push the travelers out of their comfort zone (e.g.; home stay, visit place where tragedy has occurred), encourage self-reflection and meaningful interactions between travelers and residents (e.g.; mediation, theatre, or art based activities). The dissertation is divided into three studies. The first study investigates how tour operators can design successful activities in their tour to foster transformation. The second one examines the creation of scale to measure the degree of transformation in travelers. The last study aims at understanding the symbols and images present in the transformative travelers' narrative.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/105141 |
| Date | 09 April 2020 |
| Creators | Soulard, Joelle Marie |
| Contributors | Hospitality and Tourism Management, McGehee, Nancy G., Knollenberg, Whitney G., Stern, Marc J., Lamoureux, Kristin |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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