The Role of Niche Tourism Products in Destination - Repository ...

Paper 11
Pragmatism
Mixed Methods
Theoretical
Yoga tourism Operator Surveys
Key contribution to the wellness tourism literature, awareness of the
development of yoga tourism as a distinct niche market.
The key contribution of the papers in this section is the recognition that niche tourism products are a critical component of the
overall tourism product. This research reveals how their development can be seen as a response to the more contemporary,
educated tourist who, no longer content with a homogenised mass tourism product, seeks holiday experiences that challenge and
engage. A number of distinct niche tourism products are presented in this critical appraisal (e.g. wine; festival and events; students
and wellness) and a key contribution of this work is the cross product evaluation and the placement of these products along the
niche tourism life cycle (Figure 2). Two papers address the emergent niche products of student and wellness tourism. One key
conclusion from paper 5 is the recognition of the student travel market as a distinct market segment with a major contribution to
export earnings of the Australian economy and Western Australia’s tourism industry. It contributes to the limited body of work
available on international students travelling abroad by addressing key perception issues that lead international students to travel to
tourist destinations. This is cited by Michael, Armstrong and King, (2004), Shanka et al., (2005) and Poh and Townsend (2006) as
providing a critical insight into the economic value and travel preferences of this valuable market to tourism providers and DMOs.
Wellness tourism development is addressed in Paper 11, in my examination of the development of yoga tourism. The significance
of this research is that it identifies the influences on the growth of yoga as a niche tourism product and is one of only a few studies
(Smith and Kelly, 2006; Lehto et al., 2006) that tries to identify the core concepts of the yoga tourism package. Another key finding
of the research was the awareness of the promotion of yoga tourism, alongside other niche tourism products, to attract a wider