This volume seeks to expose and illustrate new approaches and thinking in qualitative methods that are being developed and implemented in tourism research. The contributions bring together various qualitative methods and approaches while also providing suggestions for the juxtaposition of qualitative and quantitative methods in mixed methods research. The book has been written with a cross-disciplinary approach which provides an insight into the art of research development from business, sociology and tourism perspectives. The chapters provide readers with a context and practical application examples for each method. They present a distinctive opportunity for social researchers from a range of disciplines, in particular tourism, to examine how to adapt the wide variety of qualitative approaches to their particular research needs.

This volume seeks to expose and illustrate new approaches and thinking in qualitative methods that are being developed and implemented in tourism research. The contributions bring together various qualitative methods and approaches while also providing suggestions for the juxtaposition of qualitative and quantitative methods in mixed methods research. The book has been written with a cross-disciplinary approach which provides an insight into the art of research development from business, sociology and tourism perspectives. The chapters provide readers with a context and practical application examples for each method. They present a distinctive opportunity for social researchers from a range of disciplines, in particular tourism, to examine how to adapt the wide variety of qualitative approaches to their particular research needs.

This book examines the ways in which female backpackers search for authenticity during their travels throughout Australia. Qualitative methods, using participant observation and open ended, in-depth interviewing techniques, were used for the generation of insights and theory from the data. The study explores salient issues related to undergoing the 'real' or 'true' experience while travelling Australia. Current research, for the most part, is conducted mostly in capital city settings. It is apparent that backpackers travel for longer than other tourists. They show a pre-occupation with their budget while travelling and travel more widely than other tourists. They differ from tourists because they eschew packaged tourist products but, infrequently and selectively, succumb to the packaged tour. Backpackers also create or use existing networks of support throughout their journeys. This book is well suited to studies in tourism, gender, sociology and grounded theory studies.

This book examines the emergence of the occupation of the ecotour guide as part of an expanding service economy. Qualitative methods, using participant observation and open ended, in-depth interviewing techniques, were used for the generation of insights and theory from the data. From a sociological perspective, it is apparent that these tour guides provide an informed, interpretive guided ecotourism experience in the Australian outback. Their interpretive 'facts' are acquired from life experience in the bush. They are workers in an industry that, in some instances, offers little reward or return for extreme working conditions. This study explores salient issues related to the perceived professionalisation of a collective group of tourism business individuals called Savannah Guides. The guides' philosophy is based on a collective sense of identity and recognition as an exclusive ecotourism organisation. This has been used as a means of positioning themselves in the competitive ecotourism market. This work details the guides' way of life as individuals within the Savannah Guides organisation and the ecotourist industry.