Ten markers of quality in designing and publishing qualitative tourism research

The use of qualitative research methodologies in tourism is growing; however there are concerns over the quality and rigour of some studies and the way they have been written up and justified to audiences. This research note presents ten common problems with qualitative research that the authors have encountered while reviewing journal articles and examining theses, with the aim of stimulating discussion as to what constitutes good qualitative research and how best to present qualitative findings in a tourism context. Issues covered include the consideration of philosophical underpinnings, detail about the methodological approach, reflexivity, sampling, the use of thick description, the importance of creating a narrative and demonstrating the trustworthiness of the study.

How advertisers create affinity between destinations and American and British audiences: towards a theoretical framework

The purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical framework that explores how advertisers attempt to establish affinity between destinations and British and American audiences. The proposed framework consists of four spheres, five techniques, two message strategies and four means. This framework will be presented through a qualitative content analysis of 103 cases, selected from almost 2500 print advertisements and YouTube videos. The print advertisements were published in four major tourism magazines between 2007 and 2019. Besides the theoretical contribution, a study of audience affinity that analyses many cases might be helpful for marketers and policy makers, giving them ideas of how to reach and touch specific audiences.

When words become difficult: a critical reflection of the ‘MeBox’ method in understanding senior travellers’ responses to loss

Multiple dimensions of our experiences such as visual, embodied and sensory experiences cannot always be easily expressed in words. Traditional qualitative methods may struggle to access these deep-rooted complex and emotional aspects. Tourism scholars have called for innovative methodologies to unravel layers of diverse meaning in phenomena. This article critically reflects on a visual tool called the ‘MeBox’. It was adopted in our study to explore senior travellers’ responses to loss following a major life event. The ‘MeBox’ method enabled participants to express embedded and tacit knowledge to reflect on their lived experiences. We critically review the ‘MeBox’ methodology, and provide practical learnings for scholars who may want to adopt this method as a means to understand lived experiences that are difficult to express in words.

Observing tour operators’ interest in sustainability in Finland

The paper assesses how tour operators (TOs) address sustainability at the early stages of product development. TOs have potentially a large role in providing sustainable options for customers, and therefore contribute to sustainable tourism. The research took place during a TO familiarization trip (FAM) to a new destination. Participant observation was used as it allowed researchers unique access to participate in the same programme as the TOs. Altogether 14 tourism establishments were visited and they all provided information about sustainability. The TOs’ interest in sustainability was weak, which indicates that sustainability in the early stage is superseded by other significant factors, such as type of product, suitability, seasonality and quality. However, further research in examining when sustainability becomes an issue for TOs would be beneficial for local stakeholders.

#Bucketlist: exploring the motivations of tourists to swim with humpback whales in Niue

Swim-with-whales tourism has become a growing aspect of the marine mammal tourism scene. Several remote island destinations allow for these in-water experiences. Understanding swim-with-whales tourists’ motivations is an important aspect to effectively promoting and managing these interactions. This paper focuses on tourist motivations for swimming with humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Niue. A qualitative research approach using 21 semi-structured in-depth interviews was used to gain these. A thematic approach to understanding the data identified eight themes that describe intrinsic and extrinsic motivations in these whale-swim participants. Of particular interest was the emotional component of engaging in the activity. In contrast to other research on marine wildlife tourism motivations, the importance of learning was absent in this study. These findings highlight the personal and variable nature of individual motivations for participating in commercial whale-swims.

Revealing researcher engagement in museum-related research: a reflective account

The absence of extended discussions about the feasibility of carrying out qualitative research within the ‘research methods’ sections of most heritage and mainstream museum studies articles means there is not much direction provided to novice heritage and museum researchers as well as aspiring PhD candidates to augment their own methodological practices. Literature related to unexpected circumstances during fieldwork, the importance of human interactions in data collection and the self-reflection of researchers in heritage and museum-related research remains limited. This paper reflectively explores aspects of the author’s journey as a PhD researcher at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt, and the challenges encountered during fieldwork. The paper concludes that recognizing and encouraging reflexivity and interpersonal engagement and reflecting on challenging moments during the research process in museums and heritage sites brings insight to the study, and brings the researcher/researchee closer to the reader.