Danish Homosexual Men in a Tourism Context: An Empirical Study of Holiday Preferences and Motivations of Danish Homosexual Men and Homosexual Identity Construction through Tourism Consumption
Author
Thomsen, Anita
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2008
Abstract
I de senere år har turismebranchen fået voksende fokus på homoseksuelle turister i jagten på den såkaldte Pink Dollar, som betegner den købekraft disse kunder repræsenterer. Homoseksuelle mænd ses ofte som særligt interessante, fordi de antages at have højere forbrug end lesbiske og heteroseksuelle. Også danske homoseksuelle mænd mærker denne opmærksomhed, men området er næsten uudforsket i en dansk turismesammenhæng, så branchen ved kun lidt om dem. Dette speciale kombinerer teori og empiri for at undersøge danske homoseksuelle mænds feriepræferencer og motivationer samt hvordan forbrug på ferien kan medvirke til at skabe en homoseksuel identitet. Målet er at give viden, som danske aktører i turismen kan bruge. Empirien bygger på både kvalitative og kvantitative data: interviews med fem danske homoseksuelle mænd og en spørgeskemaundersøgelse. Analysen viser, at deltagerne har mange forskellige præferencer og deler nogle, men ikke alle. Et flertal foretrækker storbyferier i Europa, fx Berlin, London, Paris og Amsterdam, mens kun få foretrækker aktive ferier. Motivationerne varierer med feriens type og formål, destinationen og dem man rejser sammen med, hvilket gør det svært at give entydige konklusioner om motivation. Med hensyn til identitet tyder analysen på, at ferier især bruges til at identificere sig med visse grupper og samtidig skille sig ud fra andre. Det skal dog understreges, at denne indikation bygger på fortællinger fra blot fem mænd. Overordnet peger studiet på, at danske homoseksuelle mænd er lige så forskellige som heteroseksuelle mænd og derfor ikke udgør et homogent markedssegment.
In recent years, the tourism industry has paid growing attention to homosexual tourists in pursuit of the so-called Pink Dollar, meaning the purchasing power associated with these consumers. Homosexual men are often seen as particularly interesting because they are thought to spend more than their lesbian and heterosexual counterparts. Danish homosexual men also experience this attention, yet in a Danish tourism context they remain little studied, so the industry knows relatively little about them. This thesis combines theory and empirical work to examine the holiday preferences and motivations of Danish homosexual men and the role of holiday consumption in shaping a homosexual identity. The aim is to provide knowledge that Danish tourism actors can use. The study draws on both qualitative and quantitative data: interviews with five Danish homosexual men and a questionnaire survey. The analysis shows a wide range of preferences; some are shared, others are not. A majority of participants prefer city breaks in large European cities such as Berlin, London, Paris and Amsterdam, while only few prefer active holidays. Motivations vary with the type and purpose of the trip, the destination, and who they travel with, making it difficult to reach firm conclusions about motivation. Regarding identity, the findings indicate that holidays are mainly used to identify with certain groups while differentiating from others. This is only an indication, as it is based on narratives from just five men. Overall, the study concludes that Danish homosexual men are as diverse as heterosexual men and do not constitute a homogeneous market segment.
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