Film-induced Tourism: Charting the Consumer Perspective usingGroundedTheoryApproach

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to conduct an investigation into the first-hand experiences of film-induced tourists, and thereby to map the consumer journey of such individuals    by identifying the underlying motivations and triggers behind various behaviours. The study involves in-depth telephonic inter- views of 20 individuals who were classified by prior behaviour   as film-induced tourists. A snowball sampling approach was used, and a grounded theory approach was applied to analyse the data. Through open coding inductive analysis conducted on the experiences and memorable events discussed by these individuals, common themes and drivers of behaviour were identified. Instagram posts were also used to derive themes and thus enable triangulation. The research charts out the motivators and influencing factors behind the decisions taken by the film- induced tourists at each step of their experience, creating a theoretical framework which can be tested by future research   for behavioural divergences from its occidental counterparts.Due to the relatively niche nature of the subject of study, snowball sampling method was used, which presented the best alternative for the research required, in spite of its limitations to generalize the findings. By examining the individual experiences of Indian film-induced tourists, the paper probes into uncharted territory due to both the Indian origin of the subjects of the study, as well asthequalitativenatureoftheinterviewsconducted