Short description:

The first to focus solely upon qualitative research in tourism, this book combines discussions of the philosophies underpinning qualitative research, with reflexive chapters demonstrating how these techniques can be used.

Long description:

The first to focus solely upon qualitative research in tourism, this book combines discussions of the philosophies underpinning qualitative research, with reflexive chapters that demonstrate how these techniques can be used.

Incorporating a range of case studies written by leading international scholars, this book makes clear the ways in which these pieces of research have been informed by the authors' epistemological, ontological and methodological standpoint. Based on a range of empirical tourism studies set in the context of theoretical discussion, it demonstrates the benefits of using a range of qualitative approaches to research tourism, exploring the ways in which a number of techniques, including participants observation, memory work, biographical diaries, focus groups and visual exercises, have been adopted by researchers from a range of disciplinary backgrounds to undertake empirical research in tourism.

An indispensable text for final year undergraduates, Masters and PhD students embarking on research in the field, it also will be a valuable title for academics with an interest in either tourism research or qualitative methodology. Linking theory with research practice, it offers a holistic account of qualitative research in tourism.

Table of Contents:

Part 1 1. Progress in Qualitative Research in Tourism: Epistemology, Ontology and Methodology 2. The Inquiry Paradigm in Qualitative Tourism Research 3. Knowing About Tourism: Epistemological Issues 4. A Primer in Ontological Craft: The Creative Capture of People and Places Through Qualitative Research 5. Ontological Craft in Tourism Studies: The Productive Mapping of Identity and Image in Tourism Settings 6. (Dis)Embodied Experience and Power Dynamics in Tourism Research 7. Standpoint Research: Multiple Versions of Reality in Tourism Theorising and Research 8. Reflexivity and Tourism Research: Situating Myself and/with Others 9. Trustworthiness in Qualitative Tourism Research 10. New Wine in Old Bottles: An Adjustment of Priorities in the Anthropological Study of Tourism 11. From Ontology, Epistemology and Methodology to the field Part 2 12. The Research Process as a Journey: From positivist traditions into the realms of qualitative inquiry 13. Let your Data do the Talking: Researching the Solo Travel Experiences of British and American Women 14. The Life and Work History Methodology: A Discussion of its Potential use for Tourism and Hospitality Research 15. Memory 16. Contributions of Qualitative Research to Understanding the Politics of Community Ecotourism 17. Shared Benefits: Longitudinal Research in Eastern Indonesia 18. Translators, Trust and Truth: Cross-Cultural Issues in Sustainable Tourism Research