Beyond ‘a trip to the seaside’: exploring emotions and family tourism experiences

Abstract

Family tourism is a key tourism segment, yet it is often taken for granted, and therefore passed over in contemporary research studies. Little research exists in the tourism literature that explores the experiential aspect of how families perform tourism in various spatial settings. Furthermore, the emotional aspects of such family tourism performances receive little attention. The concepts of existential authenticity and of ‘interpersonal authenticity’ are used to assess how families construct ideals of ‘their real’ (collective) selves, while on holiday at the beach, together. A case study of Brighton in the UK assesses family holiday experiences in a traditional British seaside resort. The primary research findings show that emotional connections are strengthened during family coastal holidays. These connections are not without complexity and contestation, particularly in terms of intra-family power relationships, gender and the social reproduction of domestic/holiday roles. The concept of quality time is revealed as a varied but important value in family tourism motivations. Wellbeing improvements (emotional, physical and psycho-social) are reported widely across the sample. The creation of memorable tourism experiences is shown to be a key driver for families as they attempt to come together away from the busyness of everyday stresses. Human-seascape interactions form a meaningful socio-spatial context for these explorations. The sea space itself facilitates the myriad of idealised expectations around family holiday connections. Deeper insights are therefore offered into a key tourism offering, ‘the family holiday’, through a lens that is often overlooked.