Development of Tour Uriely 2005
Development of Tour Uriely 2005
Development of Tour Uriely 2005
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NATAN URIELY 205<br />
tion was challenged by Cohen who proposed that ‘‘different kinds <strong>of</strong><br />
people may desire different modes <strong>of</strong> tourist experiences’’<br />
(1979:180). In line with this premise, Cohen developed a typology <strong>of</strong><br />
five modes <strong>of</strong> tourist experiences that span between the quest for mere<br />
pleasure on one end and the search for meanings on the other. His notion<br />
<strong>of</strong> plurality is also the premise <strong>of</strong> other categorizations, aiming to<br />
capture the existing variety in the practice <strong>of</strong> tourism (Cohen 1972;<br />
Krippendorf 1984; Pearce 1982; Plog 1977; Smith 1978).<br />
The emergence <strong>of</strong> typologies marks one step in the shift from essentialist<br />
and unifying depictions <strong>of</strong> the tourist experience as a general<br />
type toward an approach that stresses its diverse and plural characteristics.<br />
Another step in this direction is carried out in recent studies,<br />
which deconstruct well-established typologies by stressing the diversity<br />
within each <strong>of</strong> the existing categories in these typologies. This trend<br />
could be exemplified with regard to the four-fold tourist typology (drifter,<br />
explorer, individual mass, and organized mass) which construct<br />
the differentiation between noninstitutionalized and institutionalized<br />
tourists, respectively (Cohen 1972). With respect to the latter, the existing<br />
variety <strong>of</strong> experiences within the category <strong>of</strong> individual mass tourist<br />
is revealed in a recent study <strong>of</strong> British holidaymakers in Chalkidiki, in<br />
the region <strong>of</strong> Northern Greece (Wickens 2002). The study indicates<br />
that these holidaymakers are akin to the individual mass tourist type,<br />
but they are characterized by highly diversified patterns <strong>of</strong> interests<br />
and activities. Accordingly, they are further classified into five subtypes<br />
in accordance with dominant motivations: placing a strong emphasis<br />
on the local culture, searching for sensual and hedonistic pleasures,<br />
wishing for a romantic experience, questing for sunshine and hot climate,<br />
and enjoying the familiarity provided in a destination to which<br />
they return on an annual basis (Wickens 2002). Consequently, Wickens<br />
suggests that ‘‘...future studies should focus on multiple types <strong>of</strong> tourism,<br />
by identifying and examining the different micro-types, which are<br />
specific to the study’s particular situation’’ (2002:849).<br />
While Wickens’ study points toward the existing diversity among<br />
institutionalized tourists, a recent study <strong>of</strong> Israeli backpackers in various<br />
destinations stresses the multiplicity <strong>of</strong> experiences among noninstitutionalized<br />
tourists (<strong>Uriely</strong> et al 2002). Specifically, this study reveals<br />
that while most <strong>of</strong> the backpackers conform to the conventional forms<br />
(length <strong>of</strong> trip, means <strong>of</strong> transportation, category <strong>of</strong> accommodation,<br />
flexibility <strong>of</strong> the itinerary, etc.), they comply with the different modes<br />
<strong>of</strong> tourist experiences suggested by Cohen (1979). While some were<br />
mostly interested in mere pleasure-related activities and thus corresponded<br />
to the ‘‘recreational’’ or ‘‘diversionary’’ modes, others pursue<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>ound meanings and conform to the ‘‘experiental’’, ‘‘experimental’’,<br />
or ‘‘existential’’ modes (<strong>Uriely</strong> et al 2002). Based on these findings,<br />
the study places doubt on the implicit inclination to couple<br />
together external practices and internal meanings and to assume that<br />
tourists who travel in a similar form share the same experiences. Moreover,<br />
the study <strong>of</strong> these backpackers illustrates another dimension in<br />
the growing notion <strong>of</strong> the tourist experience as a diverse and a plural<br />
phenomenon. Specifically, while this study shows that different people