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
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Information communication technology has changed tourists’ perceptions and behaviours.
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Tourists use technology to connect with home while experiencing the destination.
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The study adopts a qualitative approach and results are based on 51 in-depth interviews.
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A six-fold tourist typology is established to portray tourist behavioural patterns.
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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
