Backpacker Market Research Articles

Understanding Backpacker Behavior Through Market Basket Analysis

The backpacker market is important and diverse for many destinations. Understanding what backpackers do on their trip is important for tourism businesses so they can cater to their needs and wants. Market basket analysis uncovers associations between products by looking for combinations of products that frequently co-occur in transactions. We apply this technique to activities that backpackers do while on vacation in Fiji. This study demonstrates the utility of market basket analysis to better understand backpackers' experiences participating in different activities. Combined with factor analysis and cluster analysis, segmentation based on activities backpackers participate in is more significant than demographic segmentation. In the current study, backpackers can be segmented into active visitors seeking diverse experiences, cultural adventurers, and passive fly and flop tourists. Considering the "fly & flop" segment is the second most common segment, the results suggest backpackers are drifting further away from the original counterculture and towards mass tourism.

Slow hospitality: Family perspectives of holiday experiences at beach fale in Samoa

In Samoa, customarily most tourism accommodation is locally owned and operated. Against a backdrop of increasingly foreign-owned large hotels and resorts, local families have built low-cost beach fale accommodation (consisting of thatched beach huts) in coastal locations. These beach fale, traditionally frequented by the backpacker market, are proving increasingly popular with visiting families from overseas. A major attraction at these beach fale is the local food experience. Yet, only a superficial understanding exists of the tourists’ perspective on food preferences and beach fale experiences, especially for families and their children. There have been several development research studies on fale operations but none on the growing international family tourism market. This article provides insights into the neglected family perspectives of social hospitality experiences at Samoan beach fale accommodation and to elicit the key elements of the emerging slow hospitality concept. This exploratory study is based on ten semi-structured whole-family group interviews conducted with New Zealand and Australian families (30 parents, grandparents and children [aged 7–17]). The findings support a trend towards families seeking more authentic, immersive and socially interactive experiences on holiday that are more akin to the local way of life or Fa‘asamoa. It emerged that beach fale tourism provides culturally, culinary, socially and sensually richer experiences as part of slow hospitality offerings for families. This study contributes to broader academic debates about whole-family perspectives on holiday, slow hospitality, beach fale accommodation, seaside or thalasso tourism and understandings of family well-being.

Differentiating Asian working holiday makers from traditional backpackers on the basis of accommodation preferences

Abstract The Australian working holiday maker (WHM) program has contributed to the international youth travel market in Australia for many years. Despite a recent increase in the number of participants from Asian countries, their travel behaviours, including accommodation preferences, have not yet been fully explored. In fact, Asian WHMs have often been treated as backpackers in previous studies. The purpose of this study was to explore whether Asian WHMs differ from traditional backpackers on the basis of accommodation preferences. The study employed a sequential mixed methods design consisting of six focus groups followed by a self-administered questionnaire survey. Analyses of both the qualitative and quantitative data revealed that similar to European WHMs, backpacker accommodation was used by many Asian WHMs. However, a sizeable proportion of this market did not stay at this type of accommodation for reasons such as concerns about cleanliness and safety, cultural and language barriers and unfamiliarity with the style of accommodation. Whereas, shared accommodation with people from similar cultural backgrounds was a preferred accommodation style. The main implication of this study is that Asian WHMs cannot be fully understood when they are simply categorised as part of the wider backpacker market. Further consideration of their unique characteristics is required to obtain a comprehensive understanding of this cohort in the current youth travel market.

Backpackers in Hong Kong – motivations, preferences and contribution to sustainable tourism

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the backpacker market in Hong Kong, in terms of profile, motivation, preferences, and contribution to sustainable tourism development. The purpose is to provide an understanding of this market to help in marketing and promoting services and products that meet backpackers’ needs as part of expanding Hong Kong’s target market. Currently, Hong Kong relies on tourists from mainland China and recent reports reveal the issue of social conflicts between mainland tourists and Hong Kong residents. Based on a survey of backpackers in youth hostels and hiking trails in Hong Kong, this study revealed that backpackers are pushed by the search for new ideas and pulled by the uniquefood culture of Hong Kong, preferring to experience such a unique food culture in a traditional setting. Moreover, they are less likely to spend on international brands in Hong Kong as part of promoting sustainable tourism development.

Backpackers’ views on risk in the Cape Coast-Elmina area of Ghana

AbstractThe backpacker market segment is recognized as one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism trade. Despite its growth, literature suggests that the peculiar characteristics of backpackers predispose them to varied forms of risks. Consequently, the study sought to examine backpackers’ perspectives on issues concerning risk in the Cape Coast-Elmina area. Data were obtained from 387 backpackers to the Cape Coast-Elmina area in Ghana using the systematic sampling method. A Chi-square test was performed to explore the relationship between backpackers’ perception of risk and their travel and socio-demographic characteristics. Making inference to the perceived risk theory, the study identified three main risk areas, health, finance and crime, to be of concern to backpackers surveyed from the study area. The results suggest significant associations between some socio-demographic characteristics (gender and highest level of education) and risk perception. Likewise, some significant associations were ...

Tourism development and the backpacker market in Highland Scotland

Backpacking is an emerging market within the tourism sector. Despite its growth limited research has been conducted in Scotland, or even Europe, in relation to this form of travel. Qualitative data were gathered utilising a combination of interviews and focus groups to help achieve the aim of understanding backpackers’ motivations for visiting Scotland. It emerged that the primary push factors were escape and knowledge seeking. Both of which can be related to the optimal arousal theory; those seeking escape as experiencing over stimulation in their normal lives, and those who were seeking knowledge as experiencing under stimulation. Pull factors for visiting Scotland included: Scotland’s scenery, positive word of mouth recommendations, geographic location, genealogy, the English language, job opportunities, outdoor activities and tangible aspects including cultural and natural features. Results suggest that the backpacker market is highly heterogeneous regarding motivations and there is a necessity for more research in this area so that backpackers’ needs are fulfilled which will help facilitate destination loyalty.

Backpacker tourism: sustainable and purposeful? Investigating the overlap between backpacker tourism and volunteer tourism motivations

Alternative tourism, particularly backpacker and volunteer tourism, has developed significantly in recent times. This rapid development has contributed to criticism of potential negative effects, notably of the environmental, cultural, economic and social impacts associated with backpacker tourism. Volunteer tourism, by contrast, has been seen in positive terms as more sustainable, combining altruistic motivations with the travel concept. This paper explores backpacker interest in volunteer tourism and identifies overlaps in motivations between the two forms of tourism; 249 self-administered questionnaires were collected from backpackers within backpacker hostels in central Melbourne, Australia. The findings of this study suggest that a motivational overlap exists between backpacker and volunteer tourists, indicating potential for the creation of volunteer tourism products catering specifically for the backpacker market. This may encourage more sustainable tourism experiences within the burgeoning backpacker market, thus addressing some of the negative criticism of the latter. This paper also discusses the implications of these findings for the marketing and development of volunteer tourism products for both the backpacker and volunteer tourism markets.

BACKPACKERS IN CHINA-THEIR CHARACTERISTICS ANDTRAVELEXPERIENCES

This study was conducted to identify the characteristics of backpackers and their travel behaviours in China. Specifically, the study sought to explore backpackers' expenditure patterns, activity preference and travel experience while traveling in China. A self-administered questionnaire was used in this study. The results were analysed based on 233 completed questionnaires distributed tobackpackers staying at youth hostels in Xi'an. The research findings confirmed other previous studies on backpackers. It was found that majority of the backpackers in this study were primarily young and European. The results also indicated that respondents are highly motivated by seeking such goals as self-development and novelty and preferred to participate culture-based travel activities. Although respondents were satisfied with travel experiences in China there was room for improvement. The major issues pointed out by respondents were low standard of hygiene and public toilets, unfriendly frontline service employees at restaurants and train stations, and booking train tickets. It is hoped that the findings of this study will contribute to developing promotional strategies for the backpacker market in China.

Victims, hooligans and cash-cows: media representations of the international backpacker in Australia

Australian government tourism policy has actively targeted the international backpacker market since 1994. However little is understood of the unique host/guest dynamic which occurs when long-staying, predominantly youthful visitors seek to ‘merge’ with rather than merely visit resident communities. This study seeks to further understand this relationship by examining the framing of international backpackers in the Australian print media from 1990 to 2005. Using a content analysis approach, we find that media interest in backpackers in part reflects government representations of the segment as economically beneficial to Australia, particularly for regional destinations. In addition, the media emulates the concerns of government and the tourism industry over fluctuating backpacker arrivals in the country and related investment potential. However, Australia's print media depicts backpackers more commonly as victims of crime or accidental death, of engaging in reckless or criminal activities and of being in direct conflict with the host community over the use of shared residential amenities. These findings suggest tourism planning must consider the diverse social and environmental impacts of this segment on the host community and that more analysis is needed to determine the effect of Australia's reputation as a safe destination for travellers on future market trends.

A Lifestyle Segmentation Analysis of the Backpacker Market in Scotland

ABSTRACT The purpose of the research outlined in this article is to provide a travel lifestyle segmentation analysis of one particular tourist group, commonly known as 'backpackers', who reside in Scottish Youth Hostel Association hostels. This research was undertaken due to the lack of understanding and knowledge of this market in the United Kingdom, specifically their needs, wants and motivations. Five cluster groups were uncovered in total: Typical Backpackers, Discoverers, Outdoors, Family Ties, and Routine Travellers. The aim of this article is to provide a wider understanding beyond the demographics of the backpacker and thus provide useful marketing and promotional advice for suppliers to the backpacker market. It also aims to contrast the Scottish backpacker market with findings in Australia, to determine whether cluster groups uncovered are similar in both countries.

Exploring social interactions of backpackers

This study employs the concepts of social situation analysis to examine the nature of interactions among backpackers in an attempt to better understand their informal networks of information dissemination. Results indicate that gathering information on destinations/businesses is a motivation for them to interact with one another. However, several factors influence the value placed on information, including the consistency of reports received, personal feelings or attitudes towards the provider, and previous expectations regarding the destination/business under discussion. Recommendations are made regarding steps businesses catering to the backpacker market can take to encourage positive word-of-mouth promotion and facilitate social interaction among customers.