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The Resource Perceptions of authenticity: : Aboriginal cultural tourism in the Northern Territory, by Renata Hodgson

Perceptions of authenticity: : Aboriginal cultural tourism in the Northern Territory, by Renata Hodgson

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Contributor
Summary
"Since the 1970s there has been a growing interest in Indigenous cultures globally. In Australia, the recognition that Aboriginal art and culture represents a distinct component of Australian identity has resulted in increased promotion of Aboriginal cultures and heritage sites as unique tourist attractions, mainly since the 1990s. Research indicates that there is a significant international interest in Australian Indigenous cultures. In particular, it has been suggested that tourists want to experience 'real' Aboriginal culture and that they desire 'authentic and genuine' Aboriginal cultural experiences. Despite the fact that the concept of authenticity remains important to the different stakeholder groups of Aboriginal tourism, including tourists, tour operators and promoters as well as State/Territorial Governments, limited understanding exists as to what 'authentic' Aboriginal culture and, in particular, 'authentic' Aboriginal tourism experiences constitute in the minds of these stakeholders. Whilst an abundance of research exists that has addressed the issue of authenticity in different tourism settings, the majority of studies have treated the concept of authenticity as something given and have used quantitative tools to analyse the authentic-inauthentic binary. However, research utilising such methods has failed to uncover the different perspectives and meanings respondents may hold of the notion of authenticity. Notably, the perceptions of authenticity in Indigenous tourism have received little attention. The few existing studies on authenticity in Indigenous tourism settings have given emphasis to differing agendas, and have therefore provided only a piecemeal understanding of how authenticity is perceived and interpreted by the different stakeholders of Indigenous tourism. More importantly, research on Aboriginal hosts' perceptions of authenticity is virtually non-existent. Yet, clarification of how tourists and hosts perceive authenticity in Aboriginal tourism is essential when addressing issues of accreditation and branding as well as key marketing objectives that aim to promote 'authentic' Aboriginal tourism experiences. This study seeks to address the gaps within the tourism literature surrounding authenticity in Aboriginal tourism. The aim is to understand the concept of authenticity in Aboriginal tourism from a stakeholder perspective. The study is guided by two main research questions: What are the perceptions of authenticity of tourists as well as tour providers and their employees' and Are theoretical perspectives of the notion of authenticity shared by those stakeholders? More specifically, this study investigated five important issues: 1) tourists' perceptions of authenticity at three different Aboriginal cultural tours; 2) the perceptions of three Aboriginal cultural tour operators and their employees in regard to authenticity; 3) whether there were any discrepancies and/or similarities between the perceptions of tour operators/employees and tourists about what constitutes an authentic Aboriginal tourism experience; 4) whether any of the different theoretical perspectives of authenticity were shared by tourists and tour operators/employees; and 5) whether a conceptual framework could be developed that provides an overview of salient elements explaining the formation of perceptions of authenticity within Aboriginal cultural tourism experiences. In order to examine the research questions a qualitative research methodology grounded in the constructivist paradigm was adopted. This paradigm was chosen as it reflects the exploratory nature of the research and allows for flexibility throughout the research process. This study utilised qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews as the primary data collection method together with participant observation. Data was collected from 92 interviews, consisting of 72 tourists and 20 employees, within three Aboriginal cultural tour companies in the Northern
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Note
A thesis presented to the University of Western Sydney, College of Business, School of Management, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Contents
  • Introduction; Intellectual context - Aboriginal cultural tourism and authenticity; Intellectual context - theoretical perspectives of authenticity; Research methodology; Findings and discussion; Implication and conclusion; List of references; Appendices
Link
http://researchdirect.uws.edu.au/islandora/object/uws%3A3806/datastream/PDF/view
Instance
Label
Perceptions of authenticity: : Aboriginal cultural tourism in the Northern Territory
Title
Perceptions of authenticity:
Title remainder
Aboriginal cultural tourism in the Northern Territory
Statement of responsibility
by Renata Hodgson
Creator
Contributor
Subject
Language
eng
Summary
"Since the 1970s there has been a growing interest in Indigenous cultures globally. In Australia, the recognition that Aboriginal art and culture represents a distinct component of Australian identity has resulted in increased promotion of Aboriginal cultures and heritage sites as unique tourist attractions, mainly since the 1990s. Research indicates that there is a significant international interest in Australian Indigenous cultures. In particular, it has been suggested that tourists want to experience 'real' Aboriginal culture and that they desire 'authentic and genuine' Aboriginal cultural experiences. Despite the fact that the concept of authenticity remains important to the different stakeholder groups of Aboriginal tourism, including tourists, tour operators and promoters as well as State/Territorial Governments, limited understanding exists as to what 'authentic' Aboriginal culture and, in particular, 'authentic' Aboriginal tourism experiences constitute in the minds of these stakeholders. Whilst an abundance of research exists that has addressed the issue of authenticity in different tourism settings, the majority of studies have treated the concept of authenticity as something given and have used quantitative tools to analyse the authentic-inauthentic binary. However, research utilising such methods has failed to uncover the different perspectives and meanings respondents may hold of the notion of authenticity. Notably, the perceptions of authenticity in Indigenous tourism have received little attention. The few existing studies on authenticity in Indigenous tourism settings have given emphasis to differing agendas, and have therefore provided only a piecemeal understanding of how authenticity is perceived and interpreted by the different stakeholders of Indigenous tourism. More importantly, research on Aboriginal hosts' perceptions of authenticity is virtually non-existent. Yet, clarification of how tourists and hosts perceive authenticity in Aboriginal tourism is essential when addressing issues of accreditation and branding as well as key marketing objectives that aim to promote 'authentic' Aboriginal tourism experiences. This study seeks to address the gaps within the tourism literature surrounding authenticity in Aboriginal tourism. The aim is to understand the concept of authenticity in Aboriginal tourism from a stakeholder perspective. The study is guided by two main research questions: What are the perceptions of authenticity of tourists as well as tour providers and their employees' and Are theoretical perspectives of the notion of authenticity shared by those stakeholders? More specifically, this study investigated five important issues: 1) tourists' perceptions of authenticity at three different Aboriginal cultural tours; 2) the perceptions of three Aboriginal cultural tour operators and their employees in regard to authenticity; 3) whether there were any discrepancies and/or similarities between the perceptions of tour operators/employees and tourists about what constitutes an authentic Aboriginal tourism experience; 4) whether any of the different theoretical perspectives of authenticity were shared by tourists and tour operators/employees; and 5) whether a conceptual framework could be developed that provides an overview of salient elements explaining the formation of perceptions of authenticity within Aboriginal cultural tourism experiences. In order to examine the research questions a qualitative research methodology grounded in the constructivist paradigm was adopted. This paradigm was chosen as it reflects the exploratory nature of the research and allows for flexibility throughout the research process. This study utilised qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews as the primary data collection method together with participant observation. Data was collected from 92 interviews, consisting of 72 tourists and 20 employees, within three Aboriginal cultural tour companies in the Northern
Member of
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Hodgson, Renata
Dissertation note
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Sydney, 2007.
http://library.link/vocab/relatedWorkOrContributorName
University of Western Sydney
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Anangu Tours
  • University of Western Sydney
  • Tiwi Tours
  • Manyallaluk Aboriginal Tours
  • Aboriginal Australians
  • Authenticity (Philosophy)
  • Cultural awareness
  • Culture and tourism
  • Heritage tourism
  • Intellectual property
  • Intercultural communication
  • Perception
  • Research
  • Tourism
  • Tourism
  • Tourists
Label
Perceptions of authenticity: : Aboriginal cultural tourism in the Northern Territory, by Renata Hodgson
Link
http://researchdirect.uws.edu.au/islandora/object/uws%3A3806/datastream/PDF/view
Instantiates
Publication
Note
A thesis presented to the University of Western Sydney, College of Business, School of Management, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographies
Contents
Introduction; Intellectual context - Aboriginal cultural tourism and authenticity; Intellectual context - theoretical perspectives of authenticity; Research methodology; Findings and discussion; Implication and conclusion; List of references; Appendices
Control code
000043637699
Form of item
electronic
Specific material designation
remote
System control number
(OCoLC)277184151
System details
System requirements: Reader required to view pdf document
Label
Perceptions of authenticity: : Aboriginal cultural tourism in the Northern Territory, by Renata Hodgson
Link
http://researchdirect.uws.edu.au/islandora/object/uws%3A3806/datastream/PDF/view
Publication
Note
A thesis presented to the University of Western Sydney, College of Business, School of Management, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographies
Contents
Introduction; Intellectual context - Aboriginal cultural tourism and authenticity; Intellectual context - theoretical perspectives of authenticity; Research methodology; Findings and discussion; Implication and conclusion; List of references; Appendices
Control code
000043637699
Form of item
electronic
Specific material designation
remote
System control number
(OCoLC)277184151
System details
System requirements: Reader required to view pdf document

Subject

Member of

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