Research Methods in Tourism

Aims of the course

- This course aims at developing students' understanding of the key steps and issues in the research process within the framework of tourism.
- It is designed to give students a solid foundation for doing their own research and the ability to be a knowledgeable consumer of other people's research.
- Upon completion of the course, students should be able to independently and effectively use the methods and tools covered in this course for analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of complex issues related to tourism at supranational, national and industry level, destination level and tourism organisation level.

Course syllabus

1. The research process
- Difference between theory and practice: getting started.
- Steps in the research process.
- The measurement challenge in tourism.
2. Desktop research
- Preparation of the critical literature review.
- Identification and use of relevant official data sources.
3. Exploratory field research *
- Observation studies.
- In-depth interviews.
- Focus groups.
4. Confirmatory field research *
- Questionnaire surveys.
5. Toolbox of data analysis
- Methods of qualitative data analysis (vignettes, story-telling, content analysis).
- Methods of quantitative data analysis (univariate, bivariate and multivariate statistics).
6. Toolbox of data synthesis
- SWOT analysis.
- PEST analysis
- Benchmarking.
- Case study.
7. Levels of analysis in tourism with related specific research topics and tools
- Supranational, national and industry level (official tourism statistics, tourism satellite accounts, international comparisons, PEST analysis).
- Destination level (PEST analysis, industry benchmarking, ad hoc projects **).
- Tourism organisation level (SWOT analysis, Six Sigma and continuous quality management, ad hoc projects **).

* When discussing each method of primary data collection these specific related issues are addressed:
- Concerned parties.
- Issues of access.
- Ethical issues.
- Sampling issues.
- Generalisability, reliability and validity of measurement.

** Ad hoc projects can be focused on employee and tourist satisfaction, employee and tourist loyalty, employee motivation, etc.

Course director(s)