An exploration of adventure tourism participation and consumption

Growing demand for and supply of adventure tourism activities, particularly packaged adventure holidays, means there is a need to understand adventure tourists. At the start of my research journey, the embryonic nature of adventure tourism research and the limited extant literature about adventure tourists provided the impetus to develop understanding of these tourists as a unique group of adventurers. Accordingly, the aim of this programme of research is to demonstrate the empirical and conceptual contributions that my published works make to the knowledge and understanding of adventure tourism participation and consumption. My research ethos reflects an interpretivist approach and my empirical publications predominantly report on qualitative data drawn from interviews and surveys with adventure tourists. The research contribution is achieved through two Focal Concepts. Firstly, adventure tourism participation, i.e.: the different elements which influence tourists to take adventure holidays in the first place. My work explores the distinctive characteristics of adventure tourists and how these influence their decision to participate in adventure tourism, their motivational decisions, risk perceptions, flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975) as a motivation for continued participation in adventure tourism, and their lifestyles. My publications are some of the first academic studies to develop new thinking relative to key influences which drive package tourists and independent tourists to participate in adventure tourism. Secondly, adventure tourism consumption, i.e.: tourists’ experiences of actually consuming adventure activities while on holiday. Adventure is often all-consuming and challenging and this means it can prompt diverse and conflicting emotions, ranging from feelings of fear and risk to deep satisfaction and elation. Consequently, my work investigates the emotional journeys which adventure tourists experience during activity consumption. Additionally, it examines the benefits which tourists gain from consuming adventure, and the influences on their adventure tourism experiences. My publications are some of the foremost studies to develop understanding of adventure tourism consumption