Examining the Developing Process of Creative Tourism Experience: The Perspective from the Cultural Value of the Management Team

Abstract

With the rise of experience economy and globalization there is a fad of tourism development Cultural tourism is the one got the most attention while the problem of reproduction and homogeneity came with it The concept of ‘creative tourism’ was firstly proposed to serve as an alternative to such phenomenon so that tourists can engage with local culture and obtain unique experiences In recent years tourism industry in Taiwan is prosperous with various ‘little tour’ flooded in the market Many scholars have mentioned such problems and offered solutions Most of the research however focused on the perspectives of tourists with few having a deeper look into the nature of service providers Therefore this research aim to examine the core values of tour management team to investigate where their inspiration and creativity come from their relationship with each other and tourists and the experience they would like to convey to tourists The study used the methodology of qualitative research to understand how the team value culture and convey them in the tour design and to further understand experiences obtained by tourists The primary data was collected from interviews and participant observations Four members in the management team and six tourists visiting the site were chosen as interviewees The results indicate that operation of the team is mainly composed of products services and experiences which are based on the cultural values perception of members with their persistence in promoting culture and sharing historic stories and passing on culture Through the mutual support and cooperation among the team members and the distribution of resources by the team leader the team put their concept towards culture in the process of operation It also shows that management team plays a critical role for developing creative tourism in Taiwan For tourists to understand and recognize the value of local site it takes the introduction and guide of management team so as to be enhanced

Date of Award	2017 Feb 8
Original language	English
Supervisor	Hsiao-Ling Chung (Supervisor)