The socialization of families away from home: group dynamics and family functioning on holiday

The focus on individuals in tourism research has led to limited and fragmented research on family groups and their leisure experiences away from home. This article extends conceptual and theoretical understandings within family tourism research by offering a three-dimensional framework inclusive of group perspectives. A whole-family methodology was used with 10 families (10 fathers, 10 mothers and 20 children) in New Zealand as a more critical and holistic approach to tourism concepts. Empirical findings illustrate group dynamics along with the underrepresented generational perspectives of children and gender perspectives of fathers to provide insights into family functioning. This resulted in a three-layered model of family holiday experiences inclusive of group sociality. The collective intentionality of family togetherness on holiday is contrasted with more balanced modes in own time, highlighting the complexity of socialization within tourism theory and practice

Trends in family tourism

Purpose Families represent a large and growing market for the tourism industry. Family tourism is driven by the increasing importance placed on promoting family togetherness, keeping family bonds alive and creating family memories. Predictions for the future of family travel are shaped by changes in demography and social structures. With global mobility families are increasingly geographically dispersed and new family markets are emerging. The purpose here is to discuss the trends that shape our understanding of families and family tourism. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines ten trends that the authors as experts in the field identify of importance and significance for the future of family tourism. Findings What emerges is that the future of family tourism lies in capturing the increasing heterogeneity, fluidity and mobility of the family market. Originality/value The paper contributes to our understanding about the changes taking place in family tourism and what it means to the tourism industry in the future

Ephemeral Masculinities? Tracking Men, Partners and Fathers in the Geography of Family Holidays

The discussion presented in the following pages is anchored in data derived from a broader sociological study into contemporary family rituals. The core argument is that in heterosexual couples, the family–centred holidays presents an opportunity for the everyday gendered division of domestic labour and children care work to be negotiated and temporarily restructured. Through its focus on the role men play in family holidays, this chapter makes an important contribution to debates about masculinity, travel and familial relationships within heterosexual couples. While one needs to be attentive to the complex realities of the modern family life and intra-family relations towards travel and tourism, studying the traditional nuclear family remains an exciting and fruitful work to the extent that one cannot neglect the fact that this model is (still) behind many experiences and representations of families on holidays

Family time and own time on holiday: generation, gender and group dynamic perspectives from New Zealand

This thesis is about the family holiday experiences of the whole family group and its individual members by studying the anticipations before the holiday and the short- and longer-term holiday experiences/recollections after their holiday. This primarily qualitative study links a survey with data triangulation of whole-family interviews. The combination of different methods reflects the holistic and critical research approach within the interpretive research paradigm. It takes a symbolic interactionist perspective which allows a focus on inter-personal relations and forms the basis for a grounded theory methodology (GTM). There is an absence of family tourism research on the experiences of the father, the child, and on group dynamics which has excluded the individual and collective perspectives on the different phases of the holiday. The conceptual framework addresses the gaps identified (as reflected in the research question) by exploring the social experiences and meanings of family holidays over time using gender, generation, and group perspectives. This study is based on a parental survey through schools which was followed by three rounds of whole-family interviews (once before and twice after the holiday) conducted over about one year (2006–2007). The survey with 110 parents provided context and selection of participants for the intensive study of 10 families and their members (20 parents and 20 children). This study resulted in a definition of family holidays based on parental perspectives from the survey and familial perspectives from the interviews which encapsulated notions of togetherness, plurality of families, purpose, change of routine, fun, balance, individual pursuits, compromise, conflict, and length. The iterative research combined with the GTM resulted in a theoretical framework of the main themes on family holidays as governed by family time and own time. Family time encapsulates the time spent together with the immediate and extended family while own time encapsulates freedoms from family commitments to pursue own interests alone or with peers. The relationship between these notions of time leads to the internal family group dynamics of cooperation, compromise, and conflict which are influenced by contextual factors. While family time dominates the Western discourse on family life, it is the inclusion of more individualistic elements in own time that acknowledges a more realistic and sustainable presentation of family holidays. Other results highlight that parents and children bring different purposes on holiday in that parents are more deliberate about social identity formation whereas children seek fun and sociality. The findings also emphasise the undervaluation of the fathers’ role as main entertainer of the children. Thus, more debate is needed about the different generational, gendered, and group roles and understandings on holiday. Family holidays, then, have multiple meanings and purposes reflecting the multivocality of its members. A more holistic and critical approach in thinking and research is needed to allow for a homeostasis between social identities based on collective pursuits and on more individual interests

Research note: photography and children: auto-driven photo-elicitation

Visual research methods, such as using photography, are gaining acceptance in tourism studies. But there is scope to further extend their application to actively involve children in the research process. When photographs are inserted into a research interview, it is commonly known in the social sciences as photo-elicitation, and auto-driven photoelicitation incorporates photographs that informants have taken themselves (Harper 2002). This research note explores auto-driven photo-elicitation’s application to provide greater insight into children’s tourist behaviour within a family group

Destinations: tourists’ perspectives from New Zealand

Although tourists are frequently cited as the central focus of much destination management activity little is known about how they regard destination management. Through a series of focus groups with guests at youth hostels in three locations in New Zealand, this study provides empirical evidence as to whether tourists consider destinations need to be managed; why destination management is needed; what it should involve; and what differentiates good destinations from poor ones. Their views are then compared with destination marketing and management strategies in the three locations to assess how well current practices match the tourists’ perspective. The tourists’ responses endorse the need for destination management and show a broad appreciation of why destinations should be managed. The participants see a need for destination marketing, value the provision of information and acknowledge the importance of visitor management. However, they strongly expressed the view that destinations should not be over-managed, raising the question of where the boundaries lie between effective destination management and over-management. The factors which differentiate good destinations from poor ones might be grouped under two broad themes: those associated with tourists’ motivations and expectations and those related to a range of destination attributes. Comparison of the focus group participants’ views with the strategies and plans of the three destinations reveals a degree of concordance but also emphasizes that consideration of their perspective alone is critical but insufficient for comprehensive destination management which needs to take account of the views of all stakeholders

Impacts of Family Tourism on Families’ Quality of Life – Differences According to the Family Economic Profile

Tourism plays a significant role in our lives and is increasingly becoming associated with Quality of Life (QOL). Tourism offers opportunities to explore new environments, participate in new activities and to meet people as well as relax. While the effects of tourism on the QOL of individuals are nowadays recognized, the effects of family tourism upon families’ QOL are relatively blurred. This neglect is more worrying insofar as it is known that family tourism represents a significant share in the tourism market globally. This study aims to overcome this gap by analysing the effects of family tourism on some dimensions of families’ QOL, using survey data collected from a sample of Portuguese families (N = 825). Moreover, we explore whether the impacts of family tourism on families’ QOL vary across the economic profile of families. This study is of utmost relevance given that families with low income represent a significant share of the Portuguese population nowadays. The results reveal significant effects of family tourism on family cohesion and on the improvement of families’ QOL. The effects differ between families, with families with scarce economic resources being those that feel the effects with greater intensity. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the implications of the results for the design of family tourism experiences and also identifying paths for future research

Emerging research themes of food tourism in Asia: A cognitive mapping perspective

Using the process of cognitive mapping, this chapter layers, links and reflects upon the contributions of the preceding chapters to develop an aggregate cognitive of the emerging themes of food tourism research in Asia. This analysis represents the number of viewpoints of research narratives. First, changes in society is a symbol of the progress characterised by wealth creation, urban development, new social structures, cultural embodiment, mobility, education attainment and technology advancement. Second, film-induced food tourism is portrayed heavily in social media and film productions, as an embodiment and gaze of the destination culture and images with street food at heart. As society advances, food in Asia is caught up in modernity presented in the theme of regulation. History and culture dominates many of the narratives in this book. This chapter finally discovers the emerging theme of food tourism research in Asia that is engagement with tourism experience