Who am I? Where did I Come from? Where do I go to Find out? Genealogy, the Internet and Tourism

Abstract

Genealogists seek to answer the questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? Who were my ancestors? For answers, genealogists today use the Internet. However, genealogists still need to travel. Genealogy related tourism involves covering distances, studying places, and learning while traveling, while satisfying personal needs. Major questions of interest that this study researched were: Who are genealogists? What are their travel patterns and motivations? How has the Internet impacted their travel?A total of 1,374 respondents completed Internet based surveys. Respondents were subscribers to genealogy focused e-mail lists. The average respondent was college educated, “working on genealogy” for six to ten years, and had travelled 200 to 299 miles for a genealogy related trip. Over 75% planned to travel out-of-state in the coming year by car. Males and older people spent more money on travel. The majority of the respondents indicated that the Internet had increased their travel, and that they had used the Internet for travel arrangements