The benefits of short stay caravan travel based on the lived experiences of grey caravanners in Australia

Recently there has been an abundance of research on “grey nomad” travel in Australia and this subset of drive tourism is regarded as an expanding travel market segment. Grey nomads are older people, 55 years and older, who travel independently for extended periods of time. However, little attention has been given to short-stay travel by older adults who are members of a caravan club. Such membership involves attendance at monthly rallies over a weekend at a selected destination that is usually approximately 200 km from the club's base location. A total of 30 interviews were conducted to explore the benefits of short-stay caravanning to older people's lives. A number of motivations emerged from the interviews, such as friendship with like-minded travelers; discovering new places; and experiencing feelings of enjoyment. Overall, short-stay travel was strongly linked to the importance of making new friends and being part of a social group, as well as the enjoyment received from discovering new and exciting places to visit

Knowledge as contributing factor affecting residents’ support towards a sailing event

The aim of this research is to determine whether knowledge in sporting event would have impact upon the residents’ views and support towards the Monsoon Cup event. This study utilized social exchange theory and data where data were collected through one to one in-depth semi-structured interview. A total of 14 individuals from the organizing team and 36 local residents were chosen. A purposive sampling and a snowball sampling method was used to gain data from among the most ingenuous respondents. Residents were selected according to their demographic background (gender, age and length of residency) and socio-economic background (type of occupation and level of education). Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the interviews. The results of this study revealed that with knowledge in sporting event such as water sport, residents would view the overall benefits and costs more positively and support the event. The results also confirmed social exchange theory principles, where knowledge is an exchange element which influences residents’ evaluations of the event as bringing greater benefits than costs. As a reward from the exchange process, residents generally supported the future holding of the Monsoon Cup event

Community engagement in an international sailing event: the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore resident perceptions of, and engagement with a staged sport event, the Monsoon Cup. The Monsoon Cup is an international yachting regatta which is held annually in Terengganu, Malaysia and is strongly supported by their Federal Government to raise the country’s international profile as a popular sport tourism destination. Previous studies have reviewed residents’ attitudes towards tourism development and the factors that influence their perceptions. However, little research has been conducted on residents’ expectations, interests and needs in terms of a specific mega sport tourism event such as the Monsoon Cup. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews was the principal means of collecting data. The sample consisted of local residents living in Pulau Duyong, five kilometers from the capital of Terengganu. Thirty-six residents were interviewed with the majority being male (N = 28), with ages ranging from 20 to 73 years. A number of questions were developed and pilot tested before being posed to the study respondents about the annual staging of the Monsoon Cup. NVIVO 9.1 computer software package was used to code, compare and classify the major themes that recurred or were common in the data set. Findings: The findings provided strong support for the critical importance of actively engaging local residents in the staging of such a large-scale event. In the first year of operation, many of the local residents of Pulau Duyong had enthusiastically participated in MC-related activities; however, the level of engagement had declined significantly in the recent years. In the future, every effort must be taken to focus on the development of better lines of communication and information dissemination with respect to the planning and actual staging of the annual event than is currently the case. Practical implications Community feedback suggested that key stakeholders involved in the staging of the Monsoon Cup have a critical role to play in the future in engaging local residents of Pulau Duyong more purposefully in the event itself. Greater effort must be made on the part of event organisers to actively recruit local residents to assist with the event planning, promotion and staging of the regatta. In addition, the distribution of brochures on a periodic basis to convey information about event-related activities and opportunities for community engagement were suggested to be a highly desirable first step. Practical implications: Community feedback suggested that the event company involved in the staging of the Monsoon Cup had a critical role to play in engaging local residents of Pulau Duyong more purposefully in the event itself. In particular, effort needed to be focussed initially on the development of better lines of communication and information dissemination with respect to the planning and actual staging of the annual event than was currently the case. Originality/value: This research will be of great benefit to the key stakeholders involved in the staging of the event, which includes local government, the event organisers, tourism professionals and community residents, by providing deeper insights into matters that residents expressed as being important. This will help to ensure that in the future, all stakeholders will be empowered contributors to the ongoing planning and annual staging of this international event

Residents’ needs and organisers’ goals towards the organisation of Monsoon Cup Event, Malaysia

The Monsoon Cup sporting event is an international yachting regatta held annually in Pulau Duyong, Terengganu, Malaysia during monsoon season between November and January. This research is significant for stakeholders (the community and organisers) in terms of promoting a more transparent process for managing and organising of the Monsoon Cup sailing event. The aim of this research is to examine the social and economic needs of the residents and the goals of the organisers’ (government and Event Company) in organising the Monsoon Cup event. This research used qualitative technique and data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interview with 14 individuals from the organizing team and 36 local residents from Pulau Duyong. The collected data was analysed using thematic content analysis. This research used social exchange theory to develop its theoretical framework. Several important themes emerged from the interviews with the residents that the event would provide positive economic impact especially in increasing income and providing new business opportunities. The interviews with the organisers revealed some important goals which were to promote Terengganu internationally, to provide source of income, to promote traditional boat making industry and to encourage the sport of sailing. Finally, this research had exposed the similarities and differences between residents’ needs and organisers’ goals which can provide strategies to achieve mutual understanding between the key stakeholders

Exploring Older Adult Educational Tourism Experiences, Satisfaction and Well-being: A Pre-Post Travel Approach

This study attempts to develop a comprehensive understanding of the older adult educational tourism experiences through exploring the relationship between self-determined motivations, preferred tour attributes, memorable experiences, emotions, overall satisfaction, behavioral intentions and life satisfaction. By applying a concurrent mixed method design, the data will be collected from both pre-post travel surveys and semi structured interviews completed by Australians (50 years old or older) who participate in both domestic and international educational tour packages. It is anticipated the results of this study will demonstrate that educational tourism experiences provide a path to personal growth and the discovery of new meaning in life for older travelers with such journeys offering not only an opportunity to escape from everyday life but also a ‘transitional’ or temporary platform for reflection which ultimately a mean to achieve purpose, meaning and joy in life

Interdisciplinary capstone course: synthesising theory and practice through an innovative mental health clinical placement

Given that people with a mental illness have a range of biopsychosocial needs, care and treatment is complex and is best delivered by a multidisciplinary team. In order for future health professionals to learn skills to understand consumers from an individualised and holistic perspective, students from Nursing, Psychology, Exercise Physiology and Dietetics participated in a therapeutic Recovery Camp alongside 30 people with a mental illness. The camp aimed to envelope consumers and students within an experience of therapeutic recovery. This interdisciplinary capstone course was to achieve learning outcomes via immersion in various indoor and outdoor activities nested within a strengths-based five-day camp held in the Australian bush. Students from different disciplines learned from and educated each other. They applied skills learned in theory in what can only be described as an innovative practice setting. The setting formed a fundamental part of the therapeutic milieu and students learned that a \u27clinic\u27, \u27unit,\u27 or \u27formal setting\u27 isn\u27t the only way care and treatment can be delivered to this marginalised and vulnerable group. This paper showcases how students from various disciplines worked with and learned from people with a mental illness

Exploring the motivations for engagement in sport tourism

[Abstract]: Sports tourism has become a primary catalyst for tourism activity with a range of researchers noting the growing recognition of the inherent relationship between sport and tourism over the last decade or so. Importantly, sport tourism is a significant and growing global industry with notable economic implications for the specific sport and/or the event as well as there being a variety of flow-on tourism and travel benefits derived by the host destination by its staging. Despite this fact, sport tourism remains an area of economic and social endeavor that has not been well researched. The primary aim of this exploratory study therefore was to identify the underlying motivations for participant in the Australian University Games. Primary data was collected by way of a self-administered questionnaire with the study sample comprising students registered as participants at the Games. In all, over the scheduled two day period of registration, approximately 6,500 participants formally registered for the event. Of this number, just over 1,100 agreed to complete the survey with 1039 returning it to the researchers in a usable form. Study results revealed that the primary reason participants chose to attend the Australian University Games was to socialize and be with their friends. Other motivations for attendance included the desire to compete with other athletics and to have a holiday away from home. The implications of these findings with respect to event planning and event management practices are discussed, as are recommendations for future research

The outer islands of Vanuatu: is there a synergy between tourists and locals?

The complex nature of destination development, particularly in remote regions have a number of associated issues that include cultural differences, infrastructure and an apparent confusion on the part of government on the implementation of proactive tourism development policies, has generated an anormous literature base and has identified many areas of study. This paper explores the residents of Espiritu Santo and Tangoa Island ideas on tourism and examines the type of tourist visiting these remote Vanuatu islands