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-- Kitajima, M., Tahira, H, Takahashi, S., & Midorikawa, T. (2012)Kitajima, M., Tahira, H, Takahashi, S., & Midorikawa, T. (2012). Understanding Tourists' In Situ Behavior: A Cognitive Chrono-Ethnography Study of Visitors to a Hot Spring Resort. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 13, 247-270.
Understanding Tourists' In Situ Behavior: A Cognitive Chrono-Ethnography Study of Visitors to a Hot Spring ResortHot spring resorts are popular tourist attractions in Japan. However, little is known about why these resorts are popular destinations. This paper introduces a methodology, Cognitive Chrono-Ethnography, which is an ethnographical field study that is designed through the consideration of cognitive constraints. The method serves as an application to understand tourists' behavioral selections in terms of their chronological development. This study applies the method at a hot spring resort, Kinosaki-Onsen, located in the western part of Japan. Forty-three groups of study monitors with different visiting styles participated in the study. Each group arrived at and were asked to tour Kinosaki-Onsen. They were instructed to carry a GPS and a digital camera for recording their activities, as well as to write brief notes concerning their activities. We conducted interviews the next day with the recorded data. By analyzing the results of the interviews, we identified six types of tourist activities including: bathing, staying, eating, exploring, touring, and shopping. Each activity had its own characteristic behavioral pattern. Therefore, the typology derived is useful for designing services that match individual activity patterns.
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