Exploring the Concept of Novelty Space to Recreational Vehicle Travels

ABSTRACT

The concept of novelty space provides a new approach and technique by proposing an inverse correlation between learning compatibility and its experience during field trips. In the context of recreational vehicle travels, novelty space encompasses psychological, cognitive, social, geographic, and mechanical domains. This study tests the mediating effects of novelty space for the travels in Xinjiang, China, based upon the photographs taken during the journey. Findings show that novelty space offers insights into the mental images of a destination, as well as represents actual traveler’s behavior. It affirms that photographs serve as a behavioral proxy for the concept of novelty space which is multilayered but decreased in the travel process.

摘要

新奇空间概念通过对实地考察中的学习适应性与其经验成反比关系的假设, 提出了一种新的尝试和研究方法。在房车旅行的语境中, 新奇空间涵盖了心理, 认知, 社会, 地理和机械等领域。本研究以在新疆旅游过程中所拍摄的照片为依据, 测试了新奇空间对该旅游活动的中介作用。研究结果表明新奇空间提供了目的地的心理表象, 同时也代表了旅行者的实际行为。本研究肯定了照片能够成为新奇空间概念的行为代理, 同时, 新奇空间概念也是多层次的, 但随着旅行过程的推进会不断衰减。

KEYWORDS:

• Novelty space
• photographs
• psychological
• social
• cognitive
• geographic

关键词:

• 新奇空间
• 照片
• 心理
• 社会
• 认知
• 地理

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Philip Feifan Xie

Philip Feifan Xie is Professor in Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management Program at Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA. His research interests are tourism planning and morphology of tourism (E-mail: [email protected]).

Kun Cheng

Kun Cheng is Lecturer in School of Management at Beijing Normal University Zhuhai, Zhuhai, China. His research interests are tourist behavior, drive tourism, and tourism mobility (E-mail: [email protected]).