Tourist or traveller? A typological approach

This theoretical paper provides an analytical review of a number of existing tourist typologies developed from a sociological perspective. Although current approaches to classification have contributed considerably towards an understanding of the tourist, they are still open to some salient criticisms. First, many of the typologies reviewed are based upon the unsystematic observations and/or a priori theoretical assumptions of their creators. Second, these taxonomies tend to focus on the individual (i.e., tourist), thereby neglecting social and cultural influences. Third, several of these typologies are constructed along just one or very few dimensions, such as number of tourists. In order to overcome these weaknesses, it is suggested that future research should adopt an ernic approach, focus on the home society and culture that the tourist inhabits, and finally, use several dimensions in the attempt to construct a tourist typology that provides explanation in addition to understanding.