Using Concomitant Freelisting to Analyze Perceptions of Tourism Experiences

Abstract

This study showed the benefits that can be accrued by using a common technique in cognitive anthropology—free listing—but less common in the tourism scholarship. This article discusses the use of free listing as applied to a particular tourism experience popular in North America, Spring Break. The findings of this study suggest that a cohesive cultural domain concerning this experience exists and that it was shared by the participants in this study. Results further showed that participants’ cognitive representations of Spring Break were consonant with the “Spring Bacchanal” stereotype of Spring Break but, paradoxically, were at odds with the participants’ own Spring Break experiences. This cognitive-behavioral discrepancy is discussed in light of existing literature. Implications for scholars and practitioners as well as directions for future research are suggested.