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Backpackers: The next generation?
disruptive), most baby boomers dismiss the potential of using backpackers’
accommodations for their own needs. Two simple preliminary questions could
ascertain this theory’s legitimacy. How do baby boomers travelling in New
Zealand view these facilities? What images or thoughts do the words
“backpackers’ accommodations” conjure up for non-users? The instrument of
this second phase of questioning built directly on the first; the two data sets were
constructed to see whether the qualitative results might be confirmed and
generalised.
Passengers on the ferry route between Auckland’s Central Business District and
the outlying community of Devonport, a popular day excursion, were
approached during non-commuter hours. Seeking to complement the existing
qualitative data, only baby boomers – people of European origin who appeared
to be over 40 years of age – were approached. By their accessories (daypacks,
clothing, maps, cameras, guide books) they appeared to be tourists to Auckland
and/or New Zealand. Fifty-six parties were approached. Of those, one was local
and one refused to participate, which left 54 viable responses to be examined.
The interview consisted of a simple and quick series of pre-written questions
asked of one party member pertaining to their age, nationality, length of travel,
booking patterns and accommodation choices. Two open-ended questions were
then asked about familiarity with the word “backpackers”, and their perceptions
of backpackers’ accommodations. The interview lasted less than three minutes.
The survey instrument is located in Appendix E.
Weighting the two resulting data sets appropriately is key (Creswell & Plano
Clark, 2007; Morgan, 1998). The qualitative data – the 24 in-depth interviews
with actual backpackers and accommodation hosts – are the dominant data of
this study and are presented as such in the findings. The sequentially designed
survey of baby boomer tourists was an exploratory investigation to see if the
results could be confirmed on a (somewhat) broader scale, and must be
interpreted as such. The strength of this mixed methods design is to cross-check
the initial findings by querying the obvious (missing) participants – in this case,
50