Backpackers: The next generation? - Scholarly Commons Home

Backpackers: The next generation?
dorms, lists of chores, and curfews. In re-reading journals from those years, I
was obviously not warmed by either the hospitality or facilities on offer. After
two years of adventures as a long-term budget traveller, I returned to the United
States. I worked in tourism marketing for 24 years, creating and directing
marketing for businesses ranging in annual sales from $US 500 (in Ghana,
Bolivia, and Belize) to $US 150 million (for corporations in US national parks). I
am particularly interested in helping small and medium sized entrepreneurs
achieve sustainability. I came to New Zealand recently to study as a graduate
student with an eye to migrating to and working fulltime in this country.
Upon returning to New Zealand, I stumbled upon a backpackers’
accommodation one night when a town’s motels were all full. I vaguely knew
the term, but had no connection with it: I was no longer a young kid with a
backpack, but rather a mature, independent traveller. I discovered that many
backpackers’ accommodations now offer private rooms (many with ensuites) in
small homes and historic villas. They’re friendly, they’re in great locations, and
they’re extremely affordable. So why, I had to wonder, aren’t many older
travellers using them? I was intrigued, and gradually formulated the core
research questions that this thesis seeks to address.
Research questions
Using New Zealand as a case study, this thesis aims to explore, qualitatively, the
preferences and perceptions of older travellers who are currently using
backpackers’ accommodations, specifically focusing on the following research
questions:
• What are their demo- and psychographics?
• What are their perceptions of self?
• What are their motivations for choosing these accommodations?
• What are their reactions to the term “backpacker” and its related lexicon of
words?
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