Do Tourists Travel for the Discovery of “Self” or Search for the “Other”?

Abstract

This exclusive department is created to include findings of special significance and to identify areas of subtle research nuances through mutual debates, discourse and discussions. Elenctic method is used wherein knowledge progresses through articulation, cross-examination and rejection of spurious hypotheses. Thus, probe aims at encouraging scholars to think against the grain by unmasking the stereotype and dogmatic that has taken the mould of research conservatism, holding back acquisition of new knowledge. Contact the Editor-in-chief for more detaas.

Context

The question of why tourists travel is a fundamental one in tourism that speaks to both how we define tourism as a phenomenon for study and how we build our understanding of its nature, processes, consequences and future. The debate and discussion covered in these three papers take a critical approach to this question but from three very different perspectives. Moscardo begins by providing a selective review of some of the key papers that have addressed this question beginning with MacCannell's (1976) The Tourist and finishing with discussions of the links between tourism consumption and identity (Bond and Falk 2012), the new mobilities paradigm (Cresswell 2010) and research into people who can but do not travel (McKercher 2009). Along the way she argues that despite a substantial growth in tourism as a research field in the 40 years since MacCannell's (1976) seminal work, very little progress has actually been made in addressing this fundamental question. Dann adds a number of significant references to the discussion and suggests a wider range of possible answers can and should be considered. He disagrees with taking a psychological needs approach to the question of why tourists travel, but concurs with the critique of the way tourism researchers have addressed this question. McKercher argues for a simpler answer, tourism is essentially a selfish pursuit and provides a variety of evidence to support this stance. The overall debate provides important reviews of critical papers in this field, highlights the challenges that exist in addressing this question, offers some ideas for meeting these challenges, and reaffirms the importance of returning to fundamental questions in tourism research.