Insights from Role Theory: Understanding Golf Tourism

Abstract

Role theory is one of the oldest perspectives used in the social sciences to describe and explain behavior. In this paper we draw upon role theory as it has typically been articulated in sociology. We examine the two traditional approaches to role theory, namely functionalist and symbolic interactionist perspectives, and we discuss the call for an integrated role theory (e.g., Biddle, 1986; Turner, 1979/80). We suggest that role theory and its applications in tourism studies might provide a framework to aid in the classification and explanation of different types of sport tourists. To illustrate this potential application, one form of active sport tourism, the golf tourist, is examined. Using data from a Canadian Tourism Commission study (Coopers & Lybrand, 1995) 492 respondents who indicated that golf was an important part of their travel were analyzed. Cluster analysis and discriminant analysis revealed four distinct types of golf tourist: the sport tourist; the discerning tourist; the resort tourist; and the reluctant tourist. We suggest these findings provide initial support for our proposition that role theory may provide some insights for sport tourism research, not only in classifying different types of sport tourist, but also in explaining preferences for certain sport tourist roles.