“I think … I feel …”: using projective techniques to explore socio-cultural aversions towards Indigenous tourism

Holder, Afiya; Ruhanen, Lisa; Walters, Gabrielle; Mkono, Mucha

Abstract

Socio-cultural aversions encompass a multitude of avoidant behaviours expressed in different forms and intensities. While there has been an increase in research on aversions that are somewhat underpinned by racism and discrimination, little research to date explores the existence of these aversions within an Indigenous tourism context. This study utilises projective techniques to explore the extent to which socio-cultural aversions may exist and how they manifest towards Indigenous tourism in Australia. Three major themes identified suggest that implicit and explicit socio-cultural aversions exist: 1) racial and stereotypical projections, 2) implicit cultural distancing and avoidance, and 3) ambivalence and indifference. Although less prevalent, non-aversive sentiments were also identified. The study makes a theoretical contribution to Consumer Culture Theory (CCT), specifically to the “consumer identity”, “socio-historic patterning”, and “marketplace culture” streams of research. Practically, product repositioning and marketing strategies are provided for destination managers and tourism stakeholders responsible for Indigenous tourism experiences.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 14, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Apr 19, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023-10
• Deposit Date: Apr 25, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 26, 2023
• Print ISSN: 0261-5177
• Electronic ISSN: 1879-3193
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 98
• Article Number: 104778
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2023.104778
• Keywords: Socio-cultural aversions, Consumer culture theory, Indigenous tourism, Projective techniques, Tourist behaviour, Aversive racism