Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Tribes in Tourism: A Socio-Cultural Perspective on Special Interest Tourism Consumption

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Consumer Tribes in Tourism

Abstract

This chapter discusses benefits of adopting a sociological angle to better understand social processes and structures that underpin tourism consumption. It more specifically argues that the study of special interest tourism can benefit from a perspective that embraces collectives as units of analysis. The chapter concludes by suggesting advantages of examining special interest tourism from the perspective of consumer tribes or neo-tribes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    We are aware that social psychology has had a strong influence on tourism research and that it is interested in the collective dimension.

References

  • Bennett, A. (1999). Subcultures or neo-tribes? Rethinking the relationship between youth, style and musical taste. Sociology, 33(3), 599–617.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biebuyck, D. P. (1966). On the concept of tribe/Sur le concept de tribu. Civilisations, 16(4), 500–515.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cova, B., & Cova, V. (2002). Tribal marketing: The tribalisation of society and its impact on the conduct of marketing. European Journal of Marketing, 36(5/6), 595–620.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cova, B., Kozinets, R. V., & Shankar, A. (2007). Consumer tribes. Abington, UK: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dinhopl, A., & Gretzel, U. (2018). The networked neo-tribal gaze. In A. Hardy, A. Bennett, & B. Robards (Eds.), Neo-tribes: Consumption, leisure and tourism (pp. 221–234). Milton Keynes: Palgrave.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dolnicar, S. (2017). Socializing new guests. In S. Dolnicar (Ed.), Peer-to-Peer accommodation networks: Pushing the boundaries (pp. 94–204). Oxford: Goodfellow Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durkheim, É. (1893). De la division du travail social: Étude sur l’organisation des sociétés supérieures. Paris: Félix Alcan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Featherstone, M. (1991). Consumer culture and postmodernism. London: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garcia Mestanza, J., & Svendsen Maza, L. (2015). Golf tourism. In J. Jafari & H. Xiao (Eds.), Encyclopedia of tourism. Berlin: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodfellow, D. L., Hardy, A., & Dolnicar, S. (2017). Communication-regulated social systems. In S. Dolnicar (Ed.), Peer-to-Peer accommodation networks: Pushing the boundaries (pp. 225–234). Oxford: Goodfellow Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goulding, C., & Shankar, A. (2011). Club culture, neotribalism and ritualised behaviour. Annals of Tourism Research, 38, 1435–1453.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, S., & Jefferson, T. (Eds.) (1976). Resistance through rituals: Youth subcultures in post-war Britain. Hutchinson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardy, A., & Gretzel, U. (2011). Why we travel this way: An exploration into the motivations of recreational vehicle users. In D. Carson & B. Prideaux (Eds.), Drive tourism: Trends and emerging markets (pp. 194–223). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardy, A., Hanson, D., & Gretzel, U. (2013). Travelling neo-tribes: Conceptualising recreational vehicle users. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change, 11(1–2), 48–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardy, A., & Robards, B. (2015). The ties that bind: Exploring the relevance of neotribal theory to tourism. Tourism Analysis, 20(4), 443–454.

    Google Scholar 

  • Higham, J. (1998). Tourists and albatrosses: The dynamics of tourism at the Northern Royal Albatross Colony, Taiaroa Head, New Zealand. Tourism Management, 19, 521–531.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jafari, J. (1979). Tourism and the social sciences: A bibliography. Annals of Tourism Research, 6(2), 149–194.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kriwoken, L., & Hardy, A. (2018). Neo-tribes and Antarctic expedition cruise ship tourists. Annals of Leisure Research, 21(2), 161–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowe, C., Brimah, T., Marsh, P. A., Minter, W., & Muyangwa, M. (1997). Talking about ‘tribe’: Moving from stereotypes to analysis. Africa Policy E-Journal, n/a.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maffesoli, M. (1996). The time of the tribes: The decline of individualism in mass society. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muniz, A., & O’Guinn, T. (2001). Brand communities. Journal of Consumer Research, 27(4), 412–432.

    Google Scholar 

  • Novelli, M. (Ed.). (2005). Niche tourism: contemporary issues, trends and cases. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Page, S. J., & Dowling, R. K. (2001). Ecotourism. Pearson Education Limited.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parsons, T. (1970). The social system. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearce, P. L., & Packer, J. (2013). Minds on the move: New links from psychology to tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 40, 386–411.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peter, J. P. (1982). Current issues in the philosophy of science: Implications for marketing theory-A panel discussion. In R. F. Bush & S. D. Hunt (Eds.), Marketing theory: Philosophy of science perspectives (pp. 11–16). Chicago: American Marketing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Polanyi, K. (1944). The great transformation. New York: Farrar and Rinehart.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radcliffe-Brown, A. R. (1940). On social structure. The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 70(1), 1–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ritchie, B. W. (1998). Bicycle tourism in the South Island of New Zealand: Planning and management issues. Tourism Management, 19(6), 567–582.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, V. (Ed.). (1977). Hosts and guests: The anthropology of tourism. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stratton, G., & Northcote, J. (2014). When totems beget clans: The brand symbol as the defining marker of brand communities. Journal of Consumer Culture, 16(2), 493–509.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trauer, B. (2006). Conceptualizing special interest tourism—frameworks for analysis. Tourism Management, 27(2), 183–200.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, V. (1974). Dramas, fields, and metaphors: Symbolic action in human society. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Veblen, T. B. (1899). The theory of the leisure class: An economic study of institutions. New York: MacMillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weaver, A. (2011). The fragmentation of markets, neo-tribes, nostalgia, and the culture of celebrity: The rise of themed cruises. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 18, 54–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weber, M. (1922). Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft. Tübingen: Mohr.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiler, B., & Hall, C. M. (1992). Special interest tourism. Belhaven Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Willis, P. (1978). Profane culture. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Curtin University, Perth, Australia

    Michael Volgger & Christof Pforr

  2. Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia

    Ross Dowling

Authors
  1. Michael Volgger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Christof Pforr
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ross Dowling
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christof Pforr .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Marketing, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia

    Christof Pforr

  2. School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia

    Ross Dowling

  3. School of Marketing, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia

    Michael Volgger

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Volgger, M., Pforr, C., Dowling, R. (2021). Tribes in Tourism: A Socio-Cultural Perspective on Special Interest Tourism Consumption. In: Pforr, C., Dowling, R., Volgger, M. (eds) Consumer Tribes in Tourism. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-7150-3_17

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation