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From awe to satisfaction: immediate affective responses to the Antarctic tourism experience

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2011

Robert B. Powell ,
Matthew T.J. Brownlee ,
Stephen R. Kellert  and
Sam H. Ham
Robert B. Powell
Affiliation:
Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, 281 Lehotsky Hall, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-0734, USA (rbp@clemson.edu)
Matthew T.J. Brownlee
Affiliation:
Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, 281 Lehotsky Hall, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-0734, USA (rbp@clemson.edu)
Stephen R. Kellert
Affiliation:
School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, Sage Hall, 205 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
Sam H. Ham
Affiliation:
Department of Conservation Social Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844-1139, USA
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Abstract

Antarctica is a rugged, austere, and yet stunningly beautiful continent with charismatic fauna including several species of penguins, whales, and seals. Mass media, writings from the early explorers, and modern film all describe firsthand experiences as delightful, beautiful, challenging, humbling, and even awe-inspiring. This dramatic allure of Antarctica now fuels one of the fastest growing tourism markets in the world with over 30,000 visitors annually traveling to the continent. Despite the fact that Antarctic tourism has occurred for over 30 years, little research has investigated the psychological and affective influence of these immersive tourism experiences in the Antarctic environment. This study explored visitors' affective judgments regarding their Antarctic tourism experience. An onsite post experience survey was administered to Antarctic tourists to investigate their satisfaction with a range of tour attributes. In addition, the researchers used the open-ended question, “How did this Antarctic experience affect you?” to explore tourists’ affective response to their interaction with the Antarctic tourism environment. These open ended responses were coded using a priori themes generated from Kellert's environmental values typology. Additionally, each response was analysed for the presence of an awe experience. Further analysis revealed that tourists described five sub-dimensions of an ‘awe’ experience (nature-human relationship, spiritual connection, transformative experience, goal clarification, and sense of feeling humbled), with many individuals experiencing multiple dimensions of awe. Consequently, this analysis reveals that the impact of an Antarctic tour experience is powerful, rich, and extremely complex.

Type
Research Article
Information
Polar Record , Volume 48 , Issue 2 , April 2012 , pp. 145 - 156
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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