Backpacking in the Internet Age: contextualizing the Use of Lonely Planet Guidebooks
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[1] University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
Australia
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- Localización: Tourism recreation research, ISSN 0250-8281, Vol. 37, Nº. 2, 2012, págs. 145-155
- Idioma: inglés
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Resumen
The aim of this paper is to explore how influential Lonely Planet (LP) guidebooks are to backpackers.
Fmdings revealed LP to be of moderate influence, acting in a supplementary role to word of mouth information. The most ~portant. information source was word of mouth information amongst backpackers, followed by word of mouth information from locals, LP guidebooks and the Internet. Due to the difficulties of isolating LP guidebook use from these other information sources, systems thinking was applied in which these four most influential sources of information were conceptualized as subsystems which combined to comprise a larger backpacker information system.
LP ':as then used as the starting point for a wider exploration of information usage amongst backpackers, incorporating the ~fluence of the ~nter~et and word. of mouth information. Recent studies reveal that Internet usage amongst ~ounsts has substantially mcreased durmg the past few years, demonstrating the speed with which the guidebook mdustry and backpacking is changing.
