Special Forces-Style Tourism:Characteristics,Antecedents and Effects
In the spring of 2023,a novel form of tourism emerged among college students,characterized by its brevity,tight itineraries,numerous destinations,and high intensity.This phenomenon has been dubbed"special forces-style tourism."To examine the core attributes of this trend,this study analyzed online comments on social media platforms,leveraging a vast array of relevant textual data.First,a virtual ethnography approach was adopted to explore the origin and evolution of"special forces-style tourism,"followed by the application of text analysis methods to synthesize its fundamental features and emotional inclinations of"special forces-style tourists"toward it.Subsequently,interviews were conducted with active users who consistently provided high-quality,recently posted content,contributing significantly to the overall high frequency of posts in the history of the platform.Through thematic analysis,the study examined the nuanced characteristics,underlying causes,and repercussions of"special forces-style tourism."The research findings indicate that"special forces-style tourism"possesses distinctive temporal,spatial,economic,and sightseeing features,setting it apart from traditional tourism models;its emergence is primarily attributed to peer influence,rapidly spreading among the younger demographic,particularly college students,via the Internet;it has both individual and collective impacts;and its features,causes,and effects can be conceptualized using a three-stage model.The contributions of this study are,first,clarifying the distinctions between"special forces-style tourism"and other forms like check-in tourism and budget travel,enhancing explanatory power from a peer-to-peer perspective;second,providing strategic insights for tourist destinations and attractions to cater to and attract"special forces-style tourists";and third,offering guidance for young demographics emphasizing cultural immersion,self-identification,and self-image formation through tourism activities.
special forces-style tourismmilitary-style tourismpeer influencecollege student tourism
万方数据
维普
