Open AccessThe joy of riding or walk of shame? The theme park experience of obese people
Author(s) -
Yaniv Poria,
Jeremy Beal,
Arie Reichel
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
european journal of tourism research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.467
H-Index - 16
eISSN - 1314-0817
pISSN - 1994-7658
DOI - 10.54055/ejtr.v24i.414
Subject(s) - humiliation , theme (computing) , theme park , shame , exploratory research , psychology , social psychology , qualitative research , tourism , perception , sociology , social science , history , archaeology , neuroscience , computer science , operating system
This exploratory study focuses on obese people’s perceptions of their theme park experience. Given this study’s objective and the gap in the literature on obese people’s tourist experience, a qualitative research approach was adopted. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted. Participants revealed that their theme park experiences included a strong sense of humiliation. This is clearly associated with the interaction between their body, the physical environment and most importantly the human environment. Managerial implications are suggested.