Backpackers: The next generation? - Scholarly Commons Home

Backpackers: The next generation?
friendships with them, and in participating in high adrenalin, adventure-
oriented activities, than in interacting with local cultures.
Conversely, the market segment similar to the Cohen’s adventurer was identified
by Ateljevic and Doorne (2000b) as populated by “traditional, long-term, budget
travelers”. These “real travelers” are often in New Zealand as part of a round the
world, year (or more) long itinerary. This market segment typically travels to
more out of the way destinations and most commonly uses public
transportation, hitch-hikes, cycles or has a private vehicle. They are often on
work-holiday visas. These older, longer range travellers see travel as transition, a
form of escape from their everyday lives, and as a process of transformation and
personal growth. Cultural immersion, social relations and getting “back to
nature” are all important (Ateljevic & Doorne, 2000b, p. 133).
This thesis explores the possibility of a third market segment – New Zealand’s
Interactive Travellers who choose to use backpackers’ accommodations during
their holidays. More akin to Cohen’s explorer than his adventurer, these
individuals are looking for comfortable accommodations, reliable transportation,
and social interactions with their host communities, but not full cultural
immersion. They are on true holidays – temporary respites from their everyday
lives. Most expect to return within weeks or months to their homes and careers.
Notably, they are also post-Fordist consumers fully engaged in the complexity of
travel, creating individuated itineraries and holidays that are uniquely their own
by combining preferred touristic experiences. They are FITs who prefer budget
accommodations to help stretch the affordability (and length) of their holidays;
they choose backpackers’ accommodations in particular because they enjoy the
social interactions with others guests and their hosts. The Ministry of Tourism
would define them as backpackers. But, as this thesis explores, the more
important question is, how will this next generation of backpackers choose to
define themselves?
In New Zealand, the word "backpacker" refers to those people who use the
budget facilities called "backpackers”. This can lead to unnecessary confusion.
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