International Journal of Culture Tourism and Hospitality Research

Marylouise Caldwell; Paul Henry

2011 International Journal of Culture Tourism and Hospitality Research

doi: 10.1108/17506181111174619

Purpose – The purpose of this editorial is to introduce six audio‐visual and written pieces that communicate research findings about contemporary popular culture. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a summary overview of the papers in the special issue, highlighting similarities across submissions as well their distinctive contributions. Findings – The authors conclude that researchers apply audio‐visual material to communicate their research findings in at least two ways: as stand‐alones to convey key messages; and to validate and/or dramatize highlights of their written work. Originality/value – The paper provides an introduction to a special issue that features the application of multi‐media to communicate research findings associated with contemporary popular culture.

Cynthia M. Webster; Vanessa A. Rennie

2011 International Journal of Culture Tourism and Hospitality Research

doi: 10.1108/17506181111174673

Purpose – Some consumption activities are inherently interesting, pleasurable, gratifying and potentially important to consumers' lives. The primary aim of this paper is to further understanding of the role pleasurable consumption plays in consumers' lives. Design/methodology/approach – To explore consumer value in pleasurable consumption experiences, the consumer value typology in conjunction with the subjective personal introspection (SPI) approach, is applied to experiences captured in travel photographs. Findings – Analysis identifies all eight consumer value types with play, aesthetics and, surprisingly, spirituality the most evident. Pleasure is shown as much more than immediate, self‐gratification. Issues of competency, both active effort and appreciation of others' abilities, individual growth and development as well as sharing and feelings of relatedness are all important components of pleasure. Research limitations/implications – The use of consumer value as a conceptual framework in combination with a reflective tool such as SPI suggests not only alternative approaches for future research into pleasurable consumption, but also indicates some innovative strategies to put into practice. Practical implications – Communicating the different value types prior to consumption and incorporating active reflection, possibly could assist in improving consumers' enjoyment of their experiences which, in turn, could reduce post‐purchase dissonance. Besides being used as a promotional tool to increase customer satisfaction, the consumer value framework could facilitate product bundling and possibly expand product benefits. Originality/value – The paper illustrates the multidimensional nature of pleasure through two research methods infrequently used, SPI and the photo essay, positioning both as valuable tools for exploring and enhancing pleasurable consumption.

Russell Belk; Joyce Hsiu‐yen Yeh

2011 International Journal of Culture Tourism and Hospitality Research

doi: 10.1108/17506181111174628

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the reasons that tourists capture images of their trips on cameras or camcorders. Design/methodology/approach – Over a period of approximately five years, the authors observed, photographed and interviewed tourists taking photos or videos in diverse international locations. Upon returning home, informants e‐mailed their trip photos together with descriptions of what the images meant and what they had done with them when at home. These data were archived and interpreted in line with the central research questions. Findings – Why does almost every tourist carry a camera or camcorder? What are they doing making these images? And what do they do with them once they return home? The accompanying video conveys most of the findings, while the manuscript elaborates on certain theoretical points and provides contextualizing and supportive evidence from the literatures dealing with tourism and photography. Originality/value – The paper suggests that the images form part of an identity project, serving as a means of conveying internal tales to the self rather than as a means of, beyond the immediate family, communicating with others. The images act as tools for displacing meanings that are too fragile and tenuous to be contained in the fragile present as Grant McCracken describes more generally with regard to tying hopes and dreams to places and times of the past and future.

Shelagh Ferguson

2011 International Journal of Culture Tourism and Hospitality Research

doi: 10.1108/17506181111174637

Purpose – People arguably create “storied lives”; including constructing accounts of their leisure that become part of their personal and social identities. These stories are valuable and relevant, not just to themselves, but also to others with whom they choose to share their stories. This paper and accompanying film aim to further understanding of how consumers visiting the second highest bungy jump in the world construct and convey stories of this experience. Design/methodology/approach – The research approach is exploratory. The researcher observed, interviewed, and filmed informants at the primary site of investigation. The interview transcripts were transcribed in full. Emergent themes were validated through constant cross‐checking. The themes provided the foundation for the accompanying video. Findings – Several themes regarding narratives and high‐risk leisure emerged including the construction of factual accounts and rehearsed accounts, the use of markers to symbolize and make more tangible the consumption experience, and the role of technology in the communication of the stories. Research limitations/implications – This exploratory research offers insight into the components of narratives for Generation Y tourists consuming in New Zealand. These findings do not claim to generalize to other samples or activities. Originality/value – The paper extends the knowledge of how stories figure in consumers' lives; particularly in the context of the consumption of high‐risk leisure.

Linden Dalecki

2011 International Journal of Culture Tourism and Hospitality Research

doi: 10.1108/17506181111174646

Purpose – This paper is a companion piece to the short documentary Breakin' Away . The paper aims to touch on Texas b‐boy culture and tourism, the hip‐hop industry at large, book publishing, intra‐industry media‐synergy, the Hollywood film industry and related aspects of pop culture. Design/methodology/approach – Part ethnographic memoir, part confessional, part anecdotal how‐to, the article is written in the first person and fits within the tradition of autoethnography. Findings – Given its autoethnographic focus, the paper follows several unique cases rather than attempting to abstract generalizable principles. Originality/value – The paper provides an inside view of Texas b‐boy subculture and reveals specific aspects of the hip‐hop industry.

Seth R. Ellis

2011 International Journal of Culture Tourism and Hospitality Research

doi: 10.1108/17506181111174655

Purpose – This paper and video aim to present findings of an investigation into the consumption of weeklong music camps for adults. Design/methodology/approach – Video‐ethnography is an emerging research technique in marketing academe. The technique derives from the ethnographic tradition in anthropology and incorporates a blend of participant observer and thick description interview techniques. The video evidence does not replace field notes. Rather the video evidence contributes strongly to an edited deliverable that complements and in some instances substitutes for a traditional manuscript. Findings – Participants spend hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars purchasing a week of music classes, concerts and jam sessions located in campus‐like venues, often rural and remote and without many of the comforts of home. Three strong themes emerged from the observations and interviews. Consumer immersion in a musical enclave for a week to develop their musicianship is the first theme. The second theme intertwines the third: a sense of the liminoid in which a personal transition or transformation occurs; and the emergence of communitas, in which community ties strengthen as a consequence of experiencing these transitions within a group. Practical implications – The video ethnography is remarkable because music camp organizers forbid filming. Indeed, for the first time in the history of this music camp (of 16 years standing at the time of the research), filming occurred in the camp. After a while, the presence of the researcher videographer appeared to go unnoticed by participants, arguably becoming an integral part of the music camp experience. Originality/value – Little research has been done about the consumption of music camps. This written and audio‐visual ethnography addresses this gap in knowledge.

Maria Kniazeva

2011 International Journal of Culture Tourism and Hospitality Research

doi: 10.1108/17506181111174664

Purpose – This paper aims to: better understand the country of origin (COO) construct by adopting a lens of marketplace mythology; and develop a conceptual framework delineating the process of mythologizing a country through the use of packaging. Design/methodology/approach – Analysis of narratives on food product packages that claim a connection to Italy lets this qualitative study join two streams of research – on COO effect and marketplace mythology. Findings – The work proposes four mythological properties of the country of origin construct, discusses their major dimensions, establishes their relationship, and develops a conceptual framework delineating the mythological nature of the country of origin construct. Research limitations/implications – Several directions for future research may enhance this study. For example, the interpretation of the narratives by the consumers of food products claiming an Italian connection will allow exploring how the mythic structures employed by marketers are read by the intended readers. Practical implications – The importance of COO effects on consumer decision making is expected to become even stronger with current globalization trends that increasingly move products across countries and force marketers to engage in a battle to differentiate their brands – in many cases by capitalizing on the origin of products. Originality/value – By exploring food package stories, the paper focuses on the carrier of mythic meaning that is under‐researched in both COO and marketplace mythology studies. The present study adds to the understanding of how geography ceases being a mere informational “Made in” statement and is transformed into a powerful cultural marker, full of symbolically framed meaning.