Tourism consumption and tourist behaviour: a British perspective
Gareth Shaw A1, Sheela Agarwal A2, Paul Bull A3

Tourism consumption and tourist behaviour are important but somewhat neglected topics in the geography of tourism. This paper provides the first review of British material on these topics and attempts to position the contributions of geographers within a wider multidisciplinary framework. It considers tourist motivation and decision-making along with the impact that tourists have on local communities.
http://journalsonline.tandf.co.uk/(bk1upw45axtjml45utiu3syv)/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=issue,3,8;journal,21,23;linkingpublicationresults,1:104407,1

The Australian and Croatian Youth Travel Markets: Are They Different?
Authors: Reisinger Y.1; Mavondo F.2; Weber S.3

The purpose of this study is to assess whether there are differences in the psychographic makeup of the international youth travel market. First, the article examines the relationships between major psychographic factors such as lifestyle, preferences for activities, travel motivation, personality, and cultural values. A path model is developed, separately for two youth travel markets: Australian and Croatian. Second, the equivalence of the model structure is tested. Finally, comparisons are made to test whether the regression coefficients are invariant across the two groups. The results suggest that the model is conceptually equivalent in Australia and Croatia. However, the regression parameters are significantly different. The article concludes by discussing implications for future studies.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/tcc/2001/00000003/00000002/tcc37

The young tourist: a case of neglected research
Neil Carr *
Abstract
This paper reviews the state of the young tourist population and the research that has been conducted on the young tourist. It shows that despite the number of young people taking vacations they have generally been neglected by researchers. The separate and heterogeneous nature of this market segment is described. Its current size, economic significance, and potential for the future is highlighted. The lack of a standardised definition of what constitutes a young tourist and the implications of this for research are also discussed. Finally, it is suggested that a wide variety of research on the young tourist is still required. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/20000197/ABSTRACT

Travellerscapes. Tourism Research and
Transnational Anthropology
Jana Binder

Even though tourism has been recognised as an important field for transnational research today, there are few attempts to place tourism in the context of transnational theories or to think about transnationalism from the perspective of tourists. I argue that in researching tourist practices one can add important aspects to transnational approaches. The prerequisites of mobility and interaction for example are the features chosen by backpackers to describe what their Round-The-World- Trip is about. A form of tourism is adopted, or created, that itself confronts many aspects of globalisation: First of all there is the immense dynamic that is involved. Backpackers try to cover as many places and experiences as possible, travelling at high speed. They adopt all kinds of touristic experiences ranging from beach to adventure to culture tourism. They don’t focus on a specific area or country but travel the world. They cross national borders perpetually. Additionally they form a transnational network in which they interact with strangers of similar backgrounds (other backpackers, tourist professionals). This ne twork helps them interacting with people from different backgrounds (the socalled hosts
or locals). Considering my research Backpackers forge a certain identity from these transnational practices which I want to name globedentity. Globedentity expresses a type of identity construction that not only refers to the individual (I) but reflects the world (globe) in this identity. This globedentity is not fixed but is perpetually re-created and re-defined. It also embraces the increasing popular awareness of globalisation which backpackers, coming from highly educated middle class backgrounds, in particular have identified with. Due to the constant awareness of the latest global social, cultural and economic developments in these educated milieus they know exactly which tools to use to become successful parts of their societies.

http://web.uni-frankfurt.de/fb09/kulturanthro/research/tn/wp/download/wp006_binder.pdf

Backpacker Tourism and Third World Development
http://www.pacificchallenge.org/credit/uo/SEA/SEAreadings/Scheyvens%20-%20%20Backpacker%20Tourism%20and%20Third%20World%20Development.pdf

"Tourists are tourons and travellers are very different;": How mainstream tourists and budget travellers are seen by backpackers
This study deals with a segment of tourism, budget travellers, in a third world context. The research material consists of interviews, questionnaires and observations made in several South American countries, mainly Ecuador, between the autumn of 1996 and the spring of 1997. Budget travelling or backpacking is a phenomenon whose roots lead back to the days of the Grand Tour and tramping. Modern backpacking, however, only developed in the 1960s and 1970s. During the last two or three decades the budget travel scene has normalized, the average budget traveller having turned to a middle-class Westerner from a drifting hippie. Budget travellers are very conscious of their own status and identity. They strive to maintain clear distance from tourists who are seen as a lower category to be looked down upon. This taking of distance can be divided into six different categories or dimensions. These are the temporal dimension, the dimensions of organization, planning, adaptation, reason, and the economic dimension. Several examples drawn from the questionnaires are given describing the distinction from the traveller's point of view. Also statistical data about budget traveller's ages, sex, national origins etc. are delivered.

Backpacker Heaven
The Consumption and Construction of Tourist Spaces and Landscapes in Sydney
Fiona Allon

This article explores the changing cultural dynamics of "amenity-rich" touristic landscapes in Sydney, Australia, focusing on the specific group of young budget travelers known as backpackers. The article also considers the consequences of diverse mobilities, including contemporary forms of travel, for the identities and social relations of places and communities. It also addresses recent suggestions that the focus of analysis should be turned away from fixed sites (field, society, community), to instead account for the flows and connections that transcend borders and boundaries. The article also considers the differential status given to various mobilities. At a time of escalating fears around "illegal" migration (refugees and asylum seekers), the expansion of tourism trategies, particularly for independent travelers, illuminates the highly uneven nature of transnational mobilities.
http://sac.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/7/1/49

THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENT TRAVEL MARKET: TRAVELSTYLE, MOTIVATIONS, AND ACTIVITIES
One sign of the growing interest in student travel both from the tourism industry and academic researchers is the global independent travel survey conducted by the International Student Travel Confederation (ISTC) and the Association for Tourism and Leisure Education (ATLAS). The survey, conducted in 2002, covers the profile and travel behavior of 1630 students booking travel from student travel organizations in eight countries. This article reports the initial results of this research. The survey showed that students are frequent travel consumers with extensive previous experience of relatively long trips outside of their own world region. Most students see their travelstyle as that of ``traveler,'' but a significant proportion of the market characterized their travel as ``backpacking.'' Motivations reflecting a desire for experience are prevalent with student travelers, particularly in terms of exploring other cultures. Motivations tend to be differentiated by destination region and travelstyle and are distinct between students and other young travelers. In spite of these differences in motivation, however, the activities actually engaged in showed little differentiation between students and others. The most frequently mentioned activities were visiting historical sites, walking, sitting in cafés and restaurants, and shopping, which were practiced by over 70% of respondents. In this and other respects, the article argues that comparisons of motivation and actual activities indicate a gap between the ideology and practice of travel.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/tri/2004/00000008/00000002/art00002

Tourism Geographies

The power of the visual image to inspire travel to distant places is well exploited by the myth-makers in tourism marketing and is important for understanding tourist behaviour. This paper explores the relevance of the 'circle of representation' concept to understanding one particular group of tourists: backpackers. First it reviews previous research on visual images and tourist photography, then it presents findings of research investigating the visual images of Australia promoted to and perceived by backpacker travellers. Specifically, the paper investigates evidence for the 'hermeneutic circle' whereby tourists (backpackers) reproduce the iconic images of destinations in their personal photographs. Brochure photographs projected to backpacker tourists and their own photography choices during travel are found to be part of a cultural 'circle of representation' or perhaps a 'spiral of representation' through which the iconic images of Australia are perpetuated.
http://journalsonline.tandf.co.uk/(dqxhaf2pavsclh45l1kb5b45)/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=issue,4,8;journal,9,23;linkingpublicationresults,1:104407,1

Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF): A Neglected Aspect of Farm Tourism in New Zealand
Alison McIntosh and Tamara Campbell

Despite the importance of farm tourism to many rural communities in New Zealand, there has been no attention given to the contribution of the Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF) venture to farm tourismin New Zealand. While the primary objective of the venture is organic farming, the facilitation of tourism experiences on the farmremains an additional concernamongWWOOF hosts. This paper is basedon a postal surveyof 67WWOOFhosts locatedin fourmainregions ofNewZealand’s South Island. The study sought to understand themanagement ofWWOOF farms in relation to their role in providing tourismopportunities, to determine the reasons for becoming a WWOOF host, to provide a demographic profile of hosts and evaluate the environmental values and attitudes held by hosts. The study findings highlighted that WWOOF hosting has over recent years provided an increasing contribution to farmtourism in New Zealand. The study also provided some evidence to suggest that the
motivations and experiences of WWOOF hosts were notably different from that of other farmtourismhosts. In particular, environmental ethic and shared knowledge of organic practices were considered essential.
http://www.multilingual-matters.net/jost/009/0111/jost0090111.pdf

Help around the world. Travel cheaper and experience more.
Help Exchange http://www.helpx.net/
WWOOF Association http://www.wwoof.org/
Peace Corps http://www.peacecorps.gov/
Habitat for Humanity http://www.habitat.org/

Travel - Backpacker
I don't mind staying at backpackers/youth hostels, but outside the doors of my hostel I strive to become invisable, to blend in.
I try not to carry a back pack. I keep my camera in my pocket and take photos carefully and quickly. I learn essential elements of the language, this includes enough knowledge of the language to keep the average stranger from discovering that I really am a global tourist.
Often I am embarassed around other Americans or near heavily touristic areas. I avoid them as much as possible other than the initial first glance. I lose myself to the local nature and surrounding neighborhoods.
Some of my favourite places to visit in other countries are the local grocery stores. Here I can often find the escape that I am looking for from loud tourism, and I can see some local culture played out right in front of me. I try the local vegetables and fruit. I discover the prices and the way the scale works, (do I need to weigh my own produce?) I trick the cashier into thinking I am not a tourist by clever dialouge and polite discourse. And I walk out with the cheapest meal in town. McDonalds is not even an option.
I travel to see other culture and assimilate to my surroundings as best as possible wherever I go. I want to be highly capable of adaptation to each cultural event/situation. But yet I still love the backpackers/youth hostel where the travelers share their stories and travel advice.
In Lisbon I met a man in his upper twenties who was from Serbia. He told me first hand his experiences of life as a teenager in his country while bombs affected and threatened his life and the lives around him. Under Mt. Blanc I questioned a white South African about life in Johannesburg, and I learned from his point of view. In New Zealand, I met other europeans and they would tell me about their views on Bush and America. Everywhere I went I learned about what it was like to experience these global trends from the specific points of view, young and old, men and women of different countries and religions, students, backpackers and those with professional jobs.
I feel that I learn about life through other people and the books will expand my curiosity of the world and send me on my way again.