Isn't change the only constant in life? Exploring tourist perceptions, values and motivations in Last Chance Tourism
Authors
Walter, Nina ; Börjes, Laura ; Graefe, Lena
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2019
Abstract
Last Chance Tourism (LCT) betegner rejser motiveret af troen på, at det er sidste chance for at opleve steder eller egenskaber, som opfattes som forsvindende eller under forandring. Selvom denne form for turisme kan skabe opmærksomhed, rummer den et paradoks ved at lægge yderligere pres på sårbare destinationer. Med udgangspunkt i manglen på global forskning i LCT samt i turisters værdier og motivationer undersøger specialet, hvordan turister opfatter LCT, hvad der motiverer dem til at deltage, og hvordan online mediers framing kan præge disse opfattelser. Et blandet metode-design kombinerede en kvalitativ indholdsanalyse af online medier om LCT med et kvantitativt online spørgeskema rettet mod potentielle LCT-rejsende. Resultaterne indikerer, at mange turister drives af en søgen efter autenticitet, en følelse af nostalgi og frygt for forandring; de vil se steder, før de bliver for turistede eller ramt af overtourism. Deltagerne udtrykker også personlige værdier, der ser det at rejse som en personlig ret, selv når dette indebærer afvejninger i forhold til andre værdier. Overordnet fastholder turister ofte statiske, tidsfrosne billeder af destinationer og opfatter forandring som noget negativt. Specialet udfordrer den gængse brug af LCT-begrebet og argumenterer for at omformulere det, så socio-kulturelle dimensioner inkluderes, og destinationer forstås som dynamiske frem for fastlåste.
Last Chance Tourism (LCT) refers to travel motivated by the belief that it is the final opportunity to experience places or attributes perceived to be disappearing or changing. While such travel can raise awareness, it also creates a paradox by adding pressure to fragile destinations. Addressing limited global research on LCT and on tourists’ underlying values and motivations, this thesis examines how tourists perceive LCT, what motivates participation, and how online media framing may shape these perceptions. A mixed-methods design combined a qualitative content analysis of online media discussing LCT with a quantitative online questionnaire targeting potential LCT tourists. The results indicate that many tourists are driven by a quest for authenticity, a sense of nostalgia, and fear of change; they want to see places before they become too touristy or affected by overtourism. Participants also express personal values that position travel as a personal right, even when this involves trade-offs with other values. Overall, tourists often hold static, time-frozen images of destinations and tend to view change as negative. The thesis questions prevailing uses of the LCT label and argues for reframing it to include socio-cultural dimensions and to recognize destinations as dynamic rather than fixed.
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