Exploring adventure tourism trends through image content analysis of Instagram posts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5937/menhottur2400013SKeywords:
adventure tourism, adventure activities, image content analysis, geotag analysis, InstagramAbstract
Purpose – The main objective of the paper is to contribute to testing the usefulness of image content analysis in the assessment of trends in the tourism market, as well as to draw conclusions about contemporary tendencies in the adventure tourism market. Methodology – The image content analysis is a key methodological tool in this research, supported by comparative and cluster analysis. A detailed analysis of trends in adventure tourism is carried out through the assessment of geographical and temporal characteristics, types of adventure activities and user representation by gender. Findings – The results of the research indicated the significant role of developing countries as adventure tourism destinations, the absence of seasonality, the dominance of soft adventure activities and women as participants in this type of tourism. In addition, the research made it possible to identify certain new activities and conclude on the diversification of the offer, as well as the classification of activities according to the gender structure of the participants. Implications – The results can be useful to the creators of the offer on the adventure tourism market, but also to the tourists themselves in terms of ideas and motivation. In a theoretical sense, the paper should contribute to highlighting the prevailing views in the literature on the key features of adventure tourism.
Downloads
References
ATTA (2013). Adventure tourism market study 2013. Washington: Adventure Travel Trade Association and International Institute of Tourism Studies, George Washington University.
ATTA (2020). ATDI full ranking data set. Washington: Adventure Travel Trade Association and International Institute of Tourism Studies, George Washington University.
ATTA (2023). New adventure travel development index (ATDI) coming in 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024 from https://www.adventuretravelnews.com/new-adventure-travel-development-index-atdi-coming-in-2024
ATTA (2024). Adventure travel industry snapshot: State of the adventure travel industry. Washington: Adventure Travel Trade Association and International Institute of Tourism Studies, George Washington University.
Ayazlar, R. A. (2015). Flow phenomenon as a tourist experience in paragliding: A qualitative research. Procedia Economics and Finance, 26, 792–799. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(15)00845-X
Beedie, P., & Hudson, S. (2003). Emergence of mountain-based adventure tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 30(3), 625–643. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-7383(03)00043-4
Bichler, B. F., & Peters, M. (2020). Soft adventure motivation: An exploratory study of hiking tourism. Tourism Review, 76(2), 473–488. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-10-2019-0403
Boepple, L., & Thompson, J. K. (2016). A content analytic comparison of fitspiration and thinspiration websites. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 49(1), 98–101. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22403
Bott, E. (2015). ‘You can never cross the same river twice’: Climbers’ embodied quests for ‘original adventure’in southern Thailand. Tourist Studies, 15(1), 101–116. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468797614550959
Chen, X., Mak, B., & Kankhuni, Z. (2020). Storytelling approach of the self-reported slow adventure to Tibet: Constructing experience and identity. Tourism Management Perspectives, 35, 100679. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2020.100679
Doran, A. (2016). Empowerment and women in adventure tourism: A negotiated journey. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 20(1), 57–80. https://doi.org/10.1080/14775085.2016.1176594
Filipović, J., Šapić, S., & Dlačić, J. (2023). Social media and corporate image as determinants of global and local brands purchase: Moderating effects of consumer openness to foreign cultures. Hotel and Tourism Management, 11(1), 79–94. https://doi.org/10.5937/menhottur2301079F
Garanti, Z. (2022). Alternative and special interest tourism to mitigate the effects of tourism seasonality: The debate from Cyprus. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 14(5), 451–460. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-07-2022-0083
Gross, S., Sand, M., & Berger, T. (2023). Examining the adventure traveller behaviour-рersonality, motives and socio-demographic factors as determinants for German adventure travel. European Journal of Tourism Research, 33, 3307–3307. https://doi.org/10.54055/ejtr.v33i.2795
Haddouche, H., & Salomone, C. (2018). Generation Z and the tourist experience: Tourist stories and use of social networks. Journal of Tourism Futures, 4(1), 69–79. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-12-2017-0059
Hanna, P., Wijesinghe, S., Paliatsos, I., Walker, C., Adams, M., & Kimbu, A. (2019). Active engagement with nature: Outdoor adventure tourism, sustainability and wellbeing. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 27(9), 1355–1373. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2019.1621883
Higham, J., & Hinch, T. (2002). Tourism, sport and seasons: The challenges and potential of overcoming seasonality in the sport and tourism sectors. Tourism Management, 23(2), 175–185. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0261-5177(01)00046-2
Houge Mackenzie, S., Hodge, K., & Filep, S. (2023). How does adventure sport tourism enhance well-being? A conceptual model. Tourism Recreation Research, 48(1), 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2021.1894043
Hung, H. K., & Wu, C. C. (2021). Effect of adventure tourism activities on subjective well-being. Annals of Tourism Research, 91, 103147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2021.103147
Hunt, C. A., & Harbor, L. C. (2019). Pro-environmental tourism: Lessons from adventure, wellness and eco-tourism (AWE) in Costa Rica. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 28, 100202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2018.11.007
Kinnaird, V., Kothari, U., & Hall, D. (1994). Tourism: Gender perspectives. In V. Kinnaird & D. Hall (Eds.). Tourism: A Gender Analysis (pp. 1–34). Chichester: Wiley.
Kohlberg, L. (1966). A Cognitive-developmental analysis of children’s sex-role concepts and attitudes. California: Stanford University press.
Lazarević, S., Stanišić, T., & Ion, R.A. (2024). Slow tourism as a contemporary tendency in the tourism market: Image content and geotag analysis on Instagram. Economics of Agriculture, 72(2), 589–598. https://doi.org/10.59267/ekoPolj2402589L
Le Busque, B., Mingoia, J., & Litchfield, C. (2021). Slow tourism on Instagram: An image content and geotag analysis. Tourism Recreation Research, 47(5-6). https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2021.1927566
Lötter, M. J., & Welthagen, L. (2020). Adventure tourism activities as a tool for improving adventure tourists’ wellness. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 9(1), 1–10.
Maccoby, E. (1966). The development of sex difference. California: Stanford University press.
Mackenzie, S. H., Boudreau, P., & Raymond, E. (2020). Women’s adventure tour guiding experiences: Implications for well-being. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 45, 410–418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2020.09.006
Mason, M. C., Gos, L., & Moretti, A. (2016). Motivations, perceived risk and behavioural intentions in hard adventure tourism. A natural park case study. Sinergie Italian Journal of Management, 34(100), 181–199. https://doi.org/10.7433/s100.2016.11
McKay, T. (2016). The geography of the South African adventure tourism industry. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 5(3), 1–21.
Mu, Y., & Nepal, S. (2016). High mountain adventure tourism: Trekkers’ perceptions of risk and death in Mt. Everest Region, Nepal. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 21(5), 500–511. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2015.1062787
Palan, K. M. (2001). Gender identity in consumer behavior research: A literature review and research agenda. Academy of Marketing Science Review, 10(2001), 1–31.
Pegg, S., Patterson, I., & Gariddo, P. V. (2012). The impact of seasonality on tourism and hospitality operations in the alpine region of New South Wales, Australia. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 31(3), 659–666. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2011.09.001
Pomfret, G. (2019). Conceptualising family adventure tourist motives, experiences and benefits. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 28, 100193, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2018.10.004
Pomfret, G., & Bramwell, B. (2016). The characteristics and motivational decisions of outdoor adventure tourists: A review and analysis. Current Issues in Tourism, 19(14), 1447–1478. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2014.925430
Pomfret, G., & Varley, P. (2019). Families at leisure outdoors: Well-being through adventure. Leisure Studies, 38(4), 494–508. https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2019.1600574
Ramoa, C. E. A., Pires, P. S., & Añaña, E. S. (2021). Motorcycle tourism and nature: An analysis of motorcyclists motivations to travel. Leisure Studies, 40(3), 407–423. https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2020.1858327
Rantala, O., Hallikainen, V., Ilola, H., & Tuulentie, S. (2018). The softening of adventure tourism. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 18(4), 343–361. https://doi.org/10.1080/15022250.2018.1522725
Rantala, O., Rokenes, A., & Valkonen, J. (2018). Is adventure tourism a coherent concept? A review of research approaches on adventure tourism. Annals of Leisure Research, 21(5), 539–552, https://doi.org/10.1080/11745398.2016.1250647
Ritpanitchajchaval, N., Ashton, A. S., & Apollo, M. (2023). Eudaimonic well-being development: Motives driving mountain-based adventure tourism. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 42, 100607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2023.100607
Smith, S. P. (2021). Landscapes for “like”: Capitalizing on travel with Instagram. Social Semiotics, 31(4), 604–624. https://doi.org/10.1080/10350330.2019.1664579
Su, L., Cheng, J., & Swanson, S. (2022). The companion effect on adventure tourists’ satisfaction and subjective well-being: The moderating role of gender. Tourism Review, 77(3), 897–912. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-02-2021-0063
Swain, M. B. (1995). Gender in tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 22(2), 247–266.
Tajfel, H. (1969). Cognitive aspects of prejudice. Journal of Biosocial Science, 1(1), 173–191. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021932000023336
Tiggemann, M., & Zaccardo, M. (2018). ‘Strong is the new skinny’: A content analysis of #fitspiration images on Instagram. Journal of Health Psychology, 23(8), 1003–1011. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105316639436
Tirasattayapitak, S., Chaiyasain, C., & Beeton, R. J. S. (2015). The impacts of nature-based adventure tourism on children in a Thai village. Tourism Management Perspectives, 15, 122–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2015.05.003
Vaz, E. (2023). A Spatial Analysis of the Instagram hashtag# happy: An assessment of Toronto. In E. Vaz (Ed.) Geography of Happiness: A Spatial Analysis of Subjective Well-Being (pp. 11–32). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Wang, X., Mou, N., Zhu, S., Yang, T., Zhang, X., & Zhang, Y. (2024). How to perceive tourism destination image? A visual content analysis based on inbound tourists’ photos. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 33, 100923. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2024.100923
Welling, J. T., Árnason, Þ., & Ólafsdottír, R. (2015). Glacier tourism: A scoping review. Tourism Geographies, 17(5), 635–662. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2015.1084529
Wengel, Y. (2021). The micro-trends of emerging adventure tourism activities in Nepal. Journal of Tourism Futures, 7(2), 209–215. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-01-2020-0011
Xiao, X., Fang, C., & Lin, H. (2020). Characterizing tourism destination image using photos’ visual content. International Journal of Geo-Information, 9(12), 730. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi9120730
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Tanja Stanišić, Sonja Lazarević, Diana Kopeva
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
