With the increase in large-scale cruise tourism worldwide, researchers have highlighted the inauthenticity of the cruise experience and the reconstruction of space. This research deals with new aspects: fast tourism through time-space compression, and the formation of enclosed, customized ‘tourist bubbles’ that confine the tourists and promote a constructed authenticity of the experience on-shore. The second aim is to advance applied research in slower cruise excursions, especially in emerging cruise destinations. The research is based on extensive field work conducted during nine cruise-excursions to the sand desert and an oasis in the Sultanate of Oman. Oman is in the early stages of developing mega-cruise tourism while having received little attention in tourism research. For this study, in-depth interviews were conducted with German-speaking cruise tourists, cruise employees as well as with local cultural brokers and the Minister of Tourism. Moreover, participant observation, travel ethnography and photography were applied. Results indicate while moving from one customized ‘tourist bubble’ to the next one, time is controlled and enhanced through fast modes of transportation and a tight schedule of the excursion. The tourists and their cultural brokers are ‘contained’ in time and space, while some are struggling for more authentic experiences. They are shielded off from the local environment, ‘grazing’ destinations within a short time.
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In spite of renewed attention for practices in tourism studies, the analysis of practices is often isolated from theories of practice. This theoretical paper identifies the main strands of practice theory and their relevance and application to tourism research, and develops a new approach to applying practice theory in the study of tourism participation. We propose a conceptual model of tourism practices based on the work of Collins (2004), which emphasises the role of rituals in generating emotional responses. This integrated approach can focus on individuals interacting in groups, as well as explaining why people join and leave specific practices. Charting the shifting of individuals between practices could help to illuminate the dynamics and complexity of tourism systems.
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This research addresses the question on how Delfzijl can take advantage of the dykes referred to recreational activities within the next five years. In order to investigate this problem statement, the elaboration was started with the definition of research questions and secondary research. Here, brochures, websites, books and other researches were used to gather significant information about Delfzijl. Next, quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in order to collect data and information about the different stakeholders, the current situation of the municipality and the expectations of the people concerning the future. Thus, a fieldtrip was done to interview stakeholders and to distribute questionnaires to the sample. Additionally, a benchmarking was done with the German city `Nessmersiel` in order to compare and discover development possibilities. The research outcome is that Delfzijl suffers from a decreasing population number, a low level of recreational attractiveness and lack of money. Many people claim that the dyke is a significant resource that should be used for recreational developments. Hereby, developments can be done on a small budget.
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