Local impacts, global prospects : The future of VFR travel
- Authors: Backer, Elisa , King, Brian
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: VFR travel research : International perspectives p. 207-218
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Introduction - In this final chapter, the editors present readers with thoughts about the future of VFR travel, rather than summarise the various preceding chapters. This chapter synthesises the previous discussions about the profiles and characteristics of VFR travellers by considering prospective future trends and research opportunities. The future of VFR is apporached thematically and anticipates likely trends on the basis of examples drawn from the various settings that were explored in previous chapters. The link between VFR and events is introduced, in anticipation that this will be an important growth area. There is a brief discussion about citation trends as a means of understanding how research has been developing and will progress. The editors share some ideas about where VFR travel is heading and about industry and research opportunities. Though acknowledging that long-term speculations are possible, they note the statement by Abraham Lincoln that 'the best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time'. On the basis that the future of VFR begins today, the chapter adopts a short-to-medium-term outlook on the basis that this will be more meaningful for readers and for future scholarship about VFR travel.
VFR travel : Progressing towards greater recognition
- Authors: Backer, Elisa , King, Brian
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: VFR travel research : International perspectives p. 1-10
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Introduction - As a form of tourism, Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) travel is global in its reach and is recognised in academe and industry as being substantial in its scope. It may also be the oldest form of travel (Backer, 2011), with the first recognised VFR traveller being Celia Fiennes, who constructed travel schedules around visits to friends and relatives between 1685 -1712 (Leiper, 2004). Despite its size and long history, VFR has been largely overlooked by academics and practitioners. Whilst some academics have researched the field, VFR travel is considerably behind other spheres of tourism in terms of understanding and awareness.
VFR travel in practice : Case studies from Victoria, Australia
- Authors: Backer, Elisa
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 24th Council for Australian Tourism and Hospitality Education Annual Conference; Brisbane, Queensland ; 10th-13th February 2014 ; published in CAUTHE 2014 - Tourism and hospitality in the contemporary world : Trends, changes and complexity p. 44-56
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) travel has been highlighted through previous research as being historically ignored and underestimated by both researchers and tourism marketing practitioners. However, a new wave of research may be encouraging an awakening in industry circles as to the economic, social and political benefits. Through three case studies in Victoria, Australia of successful VFR marketing campaigns, the reasons why practitioners have developed such marketing campaigns dedicated to reach and optimise their VFR travel ‘market’ are discussed. In addition, the rationale for such campaigns, and their associated marketing activities along with the measures used to judge their effectiveness are explored. The conclusions outline the common themes and issues from the three case studies, and in particular highlight the need for the campaigns to provide economic, social and political benefits.
A content analysis of cross-cultural motivational studies in tourism relating to nationalities
- Authors: Soldatenko, Daria , Backer, Elisa
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management Vol. 38, no. (2019), p. 122-139
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The importance of outbound markets to a host country has increased scholars' interest in understanding motivational factors. Motivation is a basic determinant of tourists' behaviour and has a fundamental role in tourism. The awareness of motivational differences among tourists from main generating markets is a prerequisite for effective and successful destination marketing programs. However, cross-cultural motivation comparisons of tourists from different cultural backgrounds has received relatively little research attention. In addition, there has not been a content analysis undertaken on this topic. Therefore, the aim of this research was to examine and synthesise previous studies on cross-cultural tourist motivation comparison, reveal the gaps in the literature and indicate the future research trends. A review of 71 publications covering a period of 30 years, from 1988 to 2017, was conducted. This study focuses on both subject areas and research methods used. The findings of this content analysis identified a recent growth in cross-cultural comparison studies. The analysis also revealed an increase in more advanced analysis including multiple variables such as motivations, satisfaction, segmentation of visitors, intention behaviours, and information search behaviour. The analysis of nationalities compared in the reviewed studies indicated the shift of research interest towards Asian countries. In the case of research methods, quantitative design is more common for cross-cultural motivation studies.
VFR travel : Well-known but not known well
- Authors: Backer, Elisa
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 25th Council for Australian Tourism and Hospitality Education Annual Conference; Gold Coast, Queensland ; 2nd-5th February 2015 ; published in CAUTHE 2015 - Rising tides and sea changes : Adaptation and innovation in tourism and hospitality p. 55-66
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: In terms of visitor numbers, VFR is a large form of travel. Whilst VFR is well-known by tourism academics and practitioners, little is known about this form of travel. Research is relatively new, commencing in 1990; and few researchers have taken much interest in the topic. Only one study has attempted to measure the size of VFR, which developed a national size model based on extrapolating primary research undertaken in contrasting destinations to a national level. That study estimated that VFR represented 48% of Australia’s domestic visitor market. The aim of this research was to ascertain the size of VFR and reveal key profiles and characteristics using a large dataset, derived from Tourism Research Australia’s (TRA) National Visitors’ Survey (NVS) data (2010-2013). Analysis of those data (n=111,566) revealed VFR represents 48.3% of Australia’s domestic overnight visitor market, who stay the same length of time as non-VFRs but spend significantly less.
The evolution of visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel research : A content analysis
- Authors: Yousuf, Mohammad , Backer, Elisa
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 25th Council for Australian Tourism and Hospitality Education Annual Conference; Gold Coast, Queensland ; 2nd-5th February 2015 ; published in CAUTHE 2015 - Rising tides and sea changes : Adaptation and innovation in tourism and hospitality p. 363-375
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) travel is a significant form of tourism worldwide. Scholarly research into VFR commenced in 1990 and since then only one review of the literature has been conducted, which was a content analysis based exclusively on journal articles. That research, based from 1990-2010 highlighted that only 39 VFR articles had been published in tourism journals. Given the small number of publications identified, it was felt that an analysis encompassing a wider selection of publication forums would be valuable to scholarship. This research has undertaken a content analysis extending to 2014 that includes conference papers, book chapters and theses as well as tourism journal articles. The findings identified a growth in VFR travel conference papers and theses, but VFR has had little presence through book chapters. VFR research has historically focused on the commercial aspects, but more recently has turned to furthering understanding of the social aspects.
The relationship between VFR travel and social tourism in Australia
- Authors: Backer, Elisa
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 11th New Zealand Tourism & Hospitality Conference; Hamilton, New Zealand; 9th-12th December 2014
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
VFR traveller demographics : The social tourism dimension
- Authors: Backer, Elisa , King, Brian
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Vacation Marketing Vol. , no. (2017), p. 1-14
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The global phenomenon of visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel is substantial, including in developed countries. In profiling its dimensions, researchers have examined various VFR characteristics including length of stay, origins and travel mode, though no thorough exploration has been undertaken of VFR demographics. Surprisingly this is the first large-scale study to examine VFR demographics and to consider all destination-related VFR data, not only those that are confined to purpose of visit. The researchers drew upon official Australian domestic travel data (n ¼ 81,579) to undertake a profile of the respective demographics of VFRs and non-VFRs. This assessment revealed that many people who would be classified as socio-economically disadvantaged engage in VFR travel. Previous literature has documented the lower participation of socio-economically disadvantaged groups in tourism and this article shows that they participate actively as VFRs. It is concluded that stimulating VFR travel provisionmay provide a mechanism for extending leisure experiences to those excluded from other forms of tourism.
An introduction to the future
- Authors: Yeoman, Ian , Robertson, Martin , McMahon-Beattie, Una , Backer, Elisa , Smith, Karen
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: The future of events and festivals Introduction p. 3-9
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: What is the present state of events and festivals research? The growth of the events industry and the provision of events, in all its many forms, is documented often, and by many. However, there has been far less said about the growth of its content, of its research base and the progress of this research in the future. Lockstone- Binney, Robertson and Junek (2013: 176) comment that core areas of event management knowledge will ‘need to be rebalanced with new knowledge areas to ensure that the events industry is ready to adapt to global competition, the rapidly changing business environment and possible global crisis’. For some time, Professor Don Getz has charted the evolution of events as an area of study and research, its capacity to progress in new directions, and the opportunity to create new discourses (Getz, 2007, 2008, 2012). He suggests events can be considered as an area of study, and that it can develop with – as well as go beyond – the management disciplines, and, accordingly, build interdisciplinary theory. Currently, while there are many researchers representing an array of disciplines involved in the discussion of festivals and events, they rarely work together. "From introduction"
VFR travel : Do visits improve or reduce our quality of life?
- Authors: Backer, Elisa
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management Vol. 38, no. (2019), p. 161-167
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Quality of Life (QOL) has started to emerge as an important component across numerous disciplines including tourism. Whilst studies regarding QOL have been around for decades in many disciplines, the field is relatively new in tourism. The relationship between QOL and tourism is important given that there have been studies revealing that travel can increase an individual's perceived and actual QOL. Those studies that have examined the relationship between QOL and tourism have focused on pleasure/leisure travel. Thus, other types of travel, namely Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) travel have not been examined with respect to QOL. In terms of QOL, VFR can be derided in conversation, identifying it as an unwanted irritation that can hardly boost QOL. This is particularly relevant in terms of VFR hosting. However, the link between VFR and QOL has not been empirically tested and as such, it is unclear whether VFR can improve or reduce QOL. Accordingly, this paper examines the link between VFR travel and QOL. Based on a sample size of 552 across Australia, this research found that whilst VFR can reduce QOL in some situations, in most cases, positive QOL benefits arise from both hosting and visiting VFRs. © 2019
VFR purpose of trip does not always mean staying with hosts - Predicting VFR purpose of trip and choice of accommodation
- Authors: Backer, Elisa , Laesser, Christian
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 21st Council for Australian Tourism and Hospitality Education Annual Conference; Adelaide, Australia; 8th-11th February 2011; published in CAUTHE 2011 Conference Proceedings - Tourism : Creating a brilliant blend p. 913-917
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Whilst destination marketing organisations around the world invest many resources into tourism marketing, little focus is placed on Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) travel. A primary reason for this has been linked to the assumed lack of benefits to commercial accommodation operators. However, not all VFR travelers stay with the friends or relatives that they travel to see. This research aims to contribute to the small body of literature that has considered the behaviours of those VFR travellers who select commercial accommodation. Focusing on the Swiss market as a typical mature travel market, this research has found several key differences between VFR travelers who stay with their friends or relatives and those who choose commercial accommodation. A key finding has been a significant difference in length of stay, whereby VFRs staying in commercial accommodation enjoy longer periods of stay in the region. Those VFRs also travel greater distances.
VFR travel research : International perspectives
- Authors: Backer, Elisa , King, Brian
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Book
- Relation: Aspects of Tourism No. 69
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This is the first book to explore research on visiting friends and relatives (VFR). In many countries VFR is the largest single travel-related market and for some regional economies accounts for over half of all tourism flows. In assembling an international collection of quality VFR-related research the editors present the profiles, characteristics, opportunities and behaviours of VFR travel for the benefit of researchers, industry practitioners and educators. This holistic and international approach to understanding VFR travel provides a state of the art understanding of the context, dynamics and implications of VFR travel and will be an essential resource for postgraduate students, researchers and also practitioners.
The future of events and festivals
- Authors: Yeoman, Ian , Robertson, Martin , McMahon-Beattie, Una , Backer, Elisa , Smith, Karen
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Book
- Relation: Routledge Advances in Event Research Series
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
Visiting friends or relatives?
- Authors: Backer, Elisa , Leisch, Friedrich , Dolnicar, Sara
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Tourism Management Vol. 60, no. (2017), p. 56-64
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Visiting friends and relatives (VFR) contributes significantly to tourism activity and revenues, accounting for about 48 percent of domestic travel in Australia. Implicit in most discussions of VFR travel is that it represents one homogeneous market. This paper examines this assumption and demonstrates – based on data from 67,024 domestic and international tourists to Australia – that this is not the case. The profile of people visiting friends (VFs) differs significantly from that of people visiting relatives (VRs). This finding has major implications for tourism marketing which need to target VFs or VRs in distinctly different ways, rather than generically marketing to VFR travellers. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd
Implementing VRF travel stategies
- Authors: Backer, Elisa , Hay, Brian
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: VFR travel research : International perspectives p. 87-105
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Introduction - Visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel has been highlighted through previous research and through a number of the preceding chapters as being historically ignored and underestimated by both researchers and tourism marketing practitioners. As noted in Chapter 5, scholarly interest into VFR really only commenced in 1990, and for the next two decades only 39 tourism journal articles dedicated to VFR were published (Griffin, 2013). Due to definitional issues, the scale of VFR travel both in terms of the number of trips and their value remains unclear. The value of the segment is consistently raised in the literature (Backer, 2007, 2010a, 2011, 2012; Braunlich & Nadkarni, 1994, 1995; Morrison et al., 1995; Seaton, 1994; Seaton & Palmer, 1997; Seaton & Tagg, 1995; Yaman, 1996). Given the size and potential impact of the VFR market, it is surprising that the quanitity of VFR research is so limited. However, a new wave of academic research which seeks to better understand the full economic, social and political impact of VFR travel may be encouraging an awakening in industry circles, resulting in the development of more specific and targeted VFR campaigns. This chapter outlines seven case studies - from Australia, Scotland, Ireland and Wales - and discussed the rationale for such campaigns. The conclusions outline the common themes and issues from the case studies, and in particular highlight the need for the campaigns to provide clearer evidence of the economic, social as well as political benefits from VFR travel.
Family tourism : Multidisciplinary perspectives
- Authors: Schanzel, Heike , Yeoman, Ian , Backer, Elisa
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Book
- Relation: Aspects of tourism No. 56
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The family remains at the emotional heart of society, and makes up a significant proportion of the tourism market. However, the concept of family has changed over the decades and there are now different types of families that have their own unique attributes and needs. Families may have one parent or two, who may or may not be of different genders. This cutting-edge book constructs a multidisciplinary perspective on family tourism by discussing various types of families; how parents and children influence travel behaviours now and in the future and how family holidays may also be linked to stress. Family Tourism: Multidisciplinary Perspectives provides a compilation of issues from academic writers around the globe, to provide a range of perspectives linked by a common theme of family tourism with a futures perspective.
A content analysis of Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) travel research
- Authors: Yousuf, Mohammad , Backer, Elisa
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management Vol. 25, no. (2015), p. 1-10
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) travel is a significant form of tourism worldwide. Scholarly research into VFR commenced in 1990 and since then only one review of the literature has been conducted, which was a content analysis based exclusively on journal articles. That research, based from 1990 to 2010 highlighted that only 39 VFR articles had been published in tourism journals. Given the small number of publications identified, it was felt that an analysis encompassing a wider selection of publication forums and extended to 2015 would be valuable to scholarship. This research also considered citations and outputs by individual authors to determine where research is being derived from. The findings of this research identified recent growth in VFR travel research from wider publication forums, including conference papers and theses. However, VFR has made the most presence through book chapters in recent years. VFR research has historically focused on the commercial and marketing aspects, but more recently has turned to furthering understanding of the social aspects by giving particular importance to the VFR hosts and migration topics for the future direction of VFR research. © 2015 The Authors.
The propensity to engage in VFR travel across the family life cycle stages
- Authors: Backer, Elisa
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 26th Council for Australian Tourism and Hospitality Education Annual Conference; Sydney, Australia; 8th-11th February 2016; published in CAUTHE 2016 Conference Proceedings - The changing landscape : The impact of emerging markets and destinations p. 69-87
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Family Life Cycle (FLC) model is frequently used for understanding travel patterns and consumer behaviour. The model outlines the stages many people are considered to transition through from singles, to couples, to having children, retiring and then being a solitary survivor. The aim of this research was to consider the relationship between life cycle stages and travel engagement in Australia. In particular, this research aimed to determine whether there were any differences in travel behaviour between Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) travellers and non- VFRs across the FLC stages. Based on a sample size of 102,029 domestic visitors, an analysis revealed that VFRs and non-VFRs were significantly different in their FLC composition ( =6851.60, df=20, p<.05). Z tests of column proportions revealed differences across a number of the groups, with the strongest level of association identified for the older non-working single FLC stage (c = .14). This paper adds to the literature undertaken in the fields of family tourism and VFR travel with a focus on life cycle stages.
Travel and quality of life : Where do socio-economically disadvantaged individuals fit in?
- Authors: Backer, Elisa , Weiler, Betty
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Vacation Marketing Vol. 24, no. 2 (2018), p. 159-171
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Recently, there has been increasing scholarly interest in the relationship between tourism and quality of life (QOL). While the concept of QOL is contestable, a number of studies have revealed that travel can increase an individual’s perceived and actual QOL. To date, the focus has been on vacation travel, highlighting that travel primarily for the purpose of rest or recreation, whether to a holiday destination or touring, is a component of many people’s perceived QOL, and in some cases is a critical component. However, these more expensive forms of vacation travel are less accessible to those classified as socio-economically disadvantaged. Many such individuals can and do visit friends and relatives (VFR), suggesting that VFR may be a critical means by which socio-economically disadvantaged people can travel for pleasure and thereby maintain or improve their QOL. The article suggests a number of potential strategies based on the 8 Ps of the marketing mix, and these in turn inform avenues for future research.
Perceptions of Australian bachelor honours degrees in tourism
- Authors: Backer, Elisa , Benckendorff, Pierre
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 26th Council for Australian Tourism and Hospitality Education Annual Conference; Sydney, Australia; 8th-11th February 2016; published in CAUTHE 2016 Conference Proceedings - The changing landscape : The impact of emerging markets and destinations p. 1005
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The first tourism Honours degree in Australia was offered just over two decades ago, and since then Honours has become a well-recognised and important offering, particularly in terms of its role as a research pathway. The research intensive nature of Honours degrees produces graduates who are able to plan and execute project work, research and scholarship with some independence. These skills are highly sought after by some prospective employers. However, Honours programs tend to be ‗boutique‘ offerings and are particularly vulnerable to curriculum rationalisation efforts. The purpose of this research was to explore the value of Australian business Honours degrees by examining the perceptions of tourism educators. A survey of 100 academics from 19 Australian institutions revealed that Honours is highly valued and considered to be superior as a research training degree in comparison to Masters coursework and Masters by Research.