Ethnographic approaches to tourism research

Best understood as a prolonged period of study at a given research site (or series of sites), during which time the ethnographer employs various methods to get closer to the lived reality of those being researched, fieldwork is one of the cornerstones of ethnography. The other, as Campbell and Lassiter (2014) observe, is writing. This chapter provides an overview of both aspects of the ethnographic approach. Commencing with an introduction to the method, the chapter will examine some of the key issues that emerge in ethnographic research today, including debates around the role of the researcher and associated concerns with subjectivity and objectivity, representation and the question of ‘voice’. The chapter will also discuss different types of ethnography and consider the contribution that these can make to interdisciplinary research on tourism. Though it is tempting to refer to ethnography as a ‘new’ or ‘emerging’ research method in tourism studies (and indeed, many do), there is a long history of ethnographic tourism research being carried out, particularly within the sociology and anthropology of tourism. In canvassing some of this research, as well as more recent developments, the chapter provides a clear pathway (with established precedents), for those interested in gaining an in-depth understanding of tourism-related issues.