Amplifier

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- Currently not significant, but it’s getting more popular - More common to see among Western families

- Not the main attractor, but may function as a supporting reason to attract tourists with family

Perception of Destination

CTA suggests that the keywords representing ‘image and awareness’ and ‘capacity’

are quite significant. Most of the keywords representing them are meant to capture the situation whereas travelers are considering other’s opinions. It then shapes their perception toward a destination. The examples are taken from the online posts as follows.

“Heard about a ferry which takes approximately 3.30 hours. Is that true?”

“..we were told Layshe is open to independent travellers”

“Kyoto area is more popular and crowded.”

The emic participation finds that the perception of a destination is inevitable.

Travelers get information from various sources, which mostly are internet or books, and the stories of other travelers. They have their perception and awareness toward a destination shaped through external or secondary sources. This doesn’t apply only to an attraction, but also the image and awareness of transportation, accommodation, and other attributes. Some backpacker enclaves have reached a high level of awareness.

Backpackers are visiting them simply because it’s popular and no longer research is needed. The popularity of “3Ks” of Asia, which are Kathmandu in Nepal, Khao San in Thailand, and Kuta in Bali, is an obvious example of how image and awareness play an important role in attracting backpackers.

On the other hand, it is also observed that there is a possible gap of information between the tourism industry and the market or travelers. Travelers might not be aware of what a destination offers, how to get there, etc. This situation likely affects the interest

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of backpackers to visit that destination, because of the unmanageable risk that has been discussed earlier. They might wonder if there is any affordable lodging, whether the local atmosphere is pleasant, etc. Japan could be an example of this case, in which many travelers are not aware of the availability of a budget-friendly transportation option called

“seishun juhachi kippu” which allows travelers to use local trains anywhere in the country for the whole day with affordable cost. The unawareness leads to a perception that Japan is an expensive destination, amplifying its image to be less attractive for backpackers.

One of the most common categorizations in the topic of image is whether one destination is crowded or not, that confirmed by CTA showing the keyword “crowd” is quite significant. The crowd clearly relates to the destination’s carrying capacity. Field observation and participation reveal that most backpackers love to be in a crowd or even in an overcrowded destination. On the other hand, another much smaller group of backpackers prefers a less-visited or quiet place.

Market Extension

The result of CTA reveals that the keywords representing market ties are virtually non-existent. The attribute ‘language’ is found to be quite significant only in three Northeast Asian countries, marking the concern of encountering communication problems. Another autoethnographic note is that the researcher has not had any encounter with backpackers who visit a destination mainly because the place is connected to his or her background. But it doesn’t mean that relatability is entirely irrelevant. For instance, the research notes one encounter with a Mexican backpacker in 2015 during a bus trip crossing the border of Cambodia and Vietnam. He planned to go to the Philippines and

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stated his reason by referring to San Agustin Church in Manila. While the church might not be the whole reason for visiting the Philippines, it seems to center his trip planning.

“Many, many reasons. One of them is that I want to visit a church there. The church looks exactly like a famous church in Mexico.”

In regard to Asian travelers, a note is taken particularly for the Chinese-descents.

This research categorizes them into two terms: majority’ and ‘Chinese-minority’. The former one refers to Chinese travelers whereas their country of origin is dominated by ethnic Chinese such as mainland Chinese, Hongkonger, and Taiwanese.

While the latter one represents Chinese-descent travelers coming from a country whereas ethnic Chinese is the minority or significant migrants in the country, such as found in many Southeast Asian nations. The observation notes that they both are looking for novelty, but in different forms.

Chinese-majority travelers tend to put more interest in attractions that have linkage to Chinese cultures, such as Chinatowns, temples, or the Chinese community in the host destination. There was one encounter with a Hong Kong traveler who visited Malaysia, he mentioned his reason as follows, representing the market ties as well as the image of the destination.

“I want to live in a Cantonese community abroad. And I heard there are many Cantonese-speaking people in Malaysia. It would be interesting to see whether their culture is still the same as Cantonese in Hong Kong"

However, different behavior is observed in the Chinese-minority travelers. Their interest to visit Chinatown enclaves is much lesser. One Malaysian-Chinese traveler had this reply when the researcher asked him about his interest in visiting Chinatown in Nagasaki.

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“I’m a Chinese (Malaysian) myself. I’m not interested to see Chinatown”.

Chinese-minority travelers are very familiar with the atmosphere of Chinatown enclaves. Therefore, in the context of Chinese-influenced destinations, they are more interested in exploring non-enclaved destinations in a destination whereas the Chinese culture is predominant. They are more interested in Chinese temple architecture in China or night markets in Taiwan, rather than Chinatowns. In other words, they are looking for the “strangeness” and perhaps the authenticity of being in the “real” China, either culturally or geographically.

Lastly, it is the only newly-found attribute ‘family-travel’ which represents the factor ‘others’. It is recognized through CTA that the keyword ‘family’ is quite significant. Participant observation finds that a very small portion of backpackers travel with their family. When they do, usually they are Western families, which can be a full- or part-time drifter. The researcher met a Belgian backpacker family in Thailand who travelled around Southeast Asia for a month, which represents a family of part-time drifters. In Australia, the researcher met an Australian family who travels around the continent with a bus and they do home-schooling while travelling, implying they are a full-time drifter family. Meanwhile the researcher had not had any encounter with any Asian family yet so far.

To conclude, the factor ‘amplifier’ is important in shaping the perception of backpackers toward a destination that influences backpackers to make a visit, as well as the possibility of extended market segment through market ties and family travel in the future. Image and awareness is the amalgam of the perception that sourced from all attributes and factors. It is then juxtaposed with tourist preferences. If the offering is matched, then travelers will likely make an actual visit as visualized by Figure 4.6.

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Figure 4. 6. The Relationship Between Attributes and Factors in Amplifier Source: Researcher’s interpretation based on autoethnography