NEW PUBLICATION Fan, D., Buhalis, D., Lin, B., 2019, A tourist typology of online and face-to-face social contact: Destination immersion and tourism encapsulation/decapsulation, Annals of Tourism, Vol.78,  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2019.102757


NEW PUBLICATION 


Fan, D., Buhalis, D., Lin, B., 2019, A tourist typology of online and face-to-face social contact: Destination immersion and tourism encapsulation/decapsulation, Annals of Tourism, Vol.78,  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2019.102757


Download from https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1ZQH0aZ3ER7eS

Highlights

Information communication technology has changed tourists’ perceptions and behaviours.

Tourists use technology to connect with home while experiencing the destination.

The study adopts a qualitative approach and results are based on 51 in-depth interviews.

A six-fold tourist typology is established to portray tourist behavioural patterns.

A contact–immersion nexus is developed to indicate the tourist attachment tendencies.

Abstract

The sense of tourism encapsulation/decapsulation is increasingly determined by the level and type of connectivity enabled by advanced Information Communication Technology (ICT). This study explores tourists’ online and face-to-face social contacts and their effects on travel experiences. A six-fold tourist typology is established, namely: Disconnected Immersive Traveller, Digital Detox Traveller, Diversionary Traveller, Dual Zone Traveller, Daily Life Controller and Social Media Addict. A contact–immersion nexus is also developed to indicate the attachment tendencies of different tourist types between their home and away zones. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed.

Keywords

Online social contact

Face-to-face social contact

Contact–immersion nexus

Tourism encapsulation/decapsulation