The Journey is the Reward...

I'm not quite sure whether I agree with this path-goal theory in terms of me researching for my dissertation.

On the one hand, I like the idea of gaining knowledge throughout the process of research. But on the other hand, I absolutely adore the idea of actually finalising this project and frankly speaking 'getting rid of it'!

One way or the other, I'm trying to find my way through the jungle of information on research design at the moment. And this is what my absolutely structured way (...or not) of doing so looks like:

Having decided on a qualitative study in combination with a case study, I 'just' need to justify my choices on the basis of appropriate theories. There are a couple of good books, I can only recommend to others looking for information on research methods (for tourism). These are my favourite ones (and some of the few that I actually bought for myself to keep):

1) "Understanding Tourism - A Critical Introduction" by Hannam & Knox (2010)
2) "Research Methods for Leisure and Tourism", 3rd Edition, by Veal (2006)


I'd like to conclude today's post with a nice definition by Elias (1986) of what research really means:

“The aim, as far as I can see, is the same in all sciences. Put simply and cursorily, the aim is to make known something previously unknown to human beings. It is to advance human knowledge, to make it more certain or better fitting… The aim is… discovery.”

In this spirit - let's get the discovery started!

Research Proposal

Hello again!

I know, it's been a while... I could take some time writing down a couple of excuses now, like loads of work, holidays, etc., but actually, I just wanted to get all other assignments done before I can fully focus and concentrate on the research for my dissertation.

First of all, I'd like to share the presentation of my draft research proposal with you to give you a better idea of what my dissertation is going to be about. Here we go:

And here I am now, with the deadline of the final research proposal in front of me... right in front of me!

Having received some constructive feedback on my presentation, I needed to make up my mind and find a clear focus for my research topic.

On the one hand, I could focus on the city development side and try to find out what London has to offer for slow tourists, conduct interviews with reps from the city council, tourism marketing, etc.

But on the other hand, I could put focus on the tourist side, try to find out what kind of people would consider themselves as slow tourists (knowingly or not) and what their motivations, expectations and experiences are. I have decided to go for the second option as I am generally very interested in the field of tourist experiences.

London will serve as a case study. To me this is a very interesting option since this city is so fast-paced and one could assume that this leaves no room for slow tourism. Nevertheless, I expect to come across the phenomenon of 'everydayness' in tourism, the desire for making local experiences and socialising with Londoners.

But before I get to all of that, I will have to finish my final research proposal, read an awful lot in order to basically complete my literature review, elaborate on theories about tourist experiences, motivations, typologies, etc. and also adjust my research questions... GO GO GO!