FACULTY OF BUSINESS, ECONOMICS & ACCOUNTING

UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SABAH

TOURIST BEHAVIOUR
(BY 30603)
Tutorial Presentation
BACKPACKERS
Prepared to: Dr. Balvinder Kaur Kler
Submitted Date: 06/11/2014
NAME

MATRICS NUM.

ASWENI KRISHNAN

BB12110043

SAHRILIZIA BINTI SERIE

BB12110512

CHANG XIN YI

BB 12160675

GUO KEHONG

BB12110643

OUYANG JIESHU

BB12170754

DEFINITION OF BACKPACKERS
According to Cohen (1972) , the studies generally defines backpackers as selforganized pleasure tourists on a prolonged multiple-destination journey with a flexible
itinerary. They are often keen to experiences the local lifestyle, attempt to look local,
and cite meeting other people as a key motivation. Their recreational activities are
likely to focus around nature, culture, or adventure. They also described as people who
search for authentic experiences, a search based on exclusion of other tourists. However,
according to Nash et al, defining who a backpacker actually is should be considered as a
challenging

task.

Backpackers

are

not

easily

distinguished

economically

or

demographically and might be best described in social terms (Pearce, 1990). To identify
a backpacker (Loker-Murphy & Pearce, 1995), aged frequently between 20 and 24, but
can range from 15 to 60 years of age, are preference for low cost accommodation
option, emphasis on meeting others travelers and having memorable experiences,
flexible and independently arranged travel plans, longer rather than brief vacations and
preference for informal and participatory recreational activities. Using the WTO
classification of tourists by purpose of travel, backpackers are in the group designated
'holiday makers' (Gamham, 1993:541). The term backpacker is also representative of
traveller styles where 'the emphasis is on movement and mobility'(Doorne, 1994:30).
Pearce (1990) defines a backpacker in the five following ways :1. A preference for budget accommodation
2. An emphasis on meeting other travelers
3. An independently organized and flexible travel schedule
4. Longer rather than shorter holidays
5. An emphasis on informal and participatory holidays

Philip Pearce1 argues that traditionally backpacker accommodation was primarily

dormitory style with communal self catering facilities and social areas but in recent years
the quality and services of establishments has improved dramatically. It is now not
unusual for some newer establishments to include en-suite accommodation with single,
double or quad occupancy rooms and offer free breakfast, air conditioning, pool and
linen. For travelers, the main benefits of backpacker accommodation include are the low

price of the accommodation compared to alternatives such as hotels and bed and
breakfasts, enough common areas such as kitchens, sitting rooms, pool rooms and bars.
It will encourage more interaction between guests than in traditional hotels. Besides that,
hostels are less formal than hotels because most hostels have a library of travel guides
for guests to use to plan out their journey and often provide DVD libraries and book
swap systems. In addition, hostel staffs are genuinely there to help, provide free,
independent advice on the best places to eat and drink, travel options and so on. Lastly,
many hostels provide activities for their guests for a nominal charge or no charge at all
Besides that, there is an emerging new backpacker market known as the Flash
packer that could be described as the affluent backpacker. They share many of the
characteristics of backpackers but are associated with greater disposable income and
tend to mix low cost and luxury travel, still travelling independently, but with greater
comfort. They also tend to travel with gadgets such as laptops, music/video players,
digital cameras, mobile phones or GPS devices.
Backpacking is a state of mind. In The Backpacking Phenomenon, Philip
Pearce1 suggests that backpacking is an approach to travelling and holiday taking,
rather than a categorization based on age or dollars spent. Pearce developed the
following criteria for distinguishing backpackers from other travelers a preference for
budget accommodation, an emphasis on meeting with locals and other travelers, an
independently organized and flexible travel schedule and longer rather than brief
holidays. Backpackers are generally characterized by their independent style and
extensive range of travel, coupled with their ability to extend their length of stay
through prudent budgeting.
In addition, Welk also argues that the backpacker community is not a real
subculture, but it does take on some of the characteristics of one constrained by a
constant assimilative pressure by mainstream tourism. Backpackers on the road are
temporary members of the road culture. The social interactions (Murphy, 2001)
between backpackers revolve around the shared ideology, but are constrained to just
the time spent while travelling. Welk (2003) proposed that the backpacker community
has evolved around a set of stable common symbolic lines of ideology. Five pillars of
backpacker ideology included, travel on a low budget, to meet different people, to be

free, independent and open-minded, to organize ones journey individually and

independently, and to travel as long as possible. On the others hand, Anderskov (2002)
concluded that the backpacker culture is hierarchically structured, with individual status
connected to the values of freedom, independence, tolerance, low budget, interaction
with locals, and the exchange of the most valuable object in the culture, information.
While the ideology of the backpacker market is represented in the value system, there is
a noticeable gap between the structure and the actual practice by backpackers.
Lastly, Hecht and Martin (2006) identify three type of backpacker, according to
travelers age group, as follows: the youth tourist backpacker are between 15 and 26
years old, for transition backpackers, the age are between 26 to 29 years old and the
contemporary tourism backpacker are 30 years old and older.

THE HISTORY AND ORIGIN OF BACKPACKER TRAVEL

There are a number of independent themes that contribute to an understanding of the
history of the backpacker phenomenon. Although people have always travelled, the
origins of backpacker travel lies within the broader history of tourism. This includes the
Grand Tours of the 17th and 18th century in Europe, hiking, the youth hostel movement
and non-institutionalized tourism.

BACKPACKERS CULTURE
Every year hundreds of thousands young people go travelling in the backpacker
manner. They call themselves backpackers and undertake long-term journeys on low
budgets to especially Third World countries. It has become the "done thing." Surely not
for everybody, but for an expanding number of well educated, young people from
Europe, North America, Israel, Australia and New Zealand.
Backpacking is a culture symbolic of the increasingly mobile world. With cultural
roots growing from the beatnik and hippie countercultures of the 1950s-1970s,
backpacking has been a mainstreaming phenomenon in tourism that has evolved and
adapted to technological, social, political and economic trends in both the home and

destination societies of backpackers. These global trends over the last 50 years have
lead to a democratization of backpacking to a large, heterogeneous, and globally diverse
group of people (Paris, 2008). The pillars of ideology of the backpacking subculture
(Welk, 2003) have persevered over the last few decades, but the social cohesiveness,
imparted early on by the close connection with the social countercultures of the time,
arguably, has not. One of the largest constraints to depicting backpacking as a
subculture is that it has become so mainstreamed (Scheyvens, 2002; Welk, 2003;
OReily, 2006) it is difficult to illustrate clearly the boundaries between the backpacker
community and other mainstreamed tourists. Recent developments in information and
communications technology have provided the basis for the backpacker culture to once
again gain the cohesiveness without the temporal or spatial constraints of the
backpacker trail. These developments allow backpackers to be fully integrated and
maintain a sustained state of co-presence between the backpacker culture and their
home culture (Paris & Teye, 2008; Mascheroni, 2007).

"Backpacking is the best way to meet local people and feel free... that's the main thing.
You really feel free; I don't like to plan what to do..." (Chantalle, 31, French)
One of the ways in which I have found out what values exist in the backpacker culture,
was by analysing the responses to the questionnaire question: "What is a real
backpacker?" Even though 2% out of the sample denied that such a category existed 98%
of the respondents answered the question with striking similarities.
But that is not real backpacker, "real backpacker." The "ethos of the real
backpacker" provides a guideline for how all backpackers ought to be and behave which
values to cherish and strive for and which not to. Furthermore, I believe that these
values form the fundamental structure of the backpacker culture. The "strongest" values
were: Freedom, independence, low budget, tolerance and interaction with locals, most
other values seemed to arise from these five basic values, and combined they form a
whole set of values.
Backpackers, as a specific tourist subgroup, also use symbols to sanction
themselves and to distinguish themselves from other types of tourists (Riley, 1988).
Contemporary backpackers are an adaptation of Cohens (1973) part-time, outward

oriented, mass-drifter, Vogts (1976) wanderer, and Rileys (1988) long-term budget
traveler. Contemporary backpackers are college-aged, educated and from the middle
socio-economic class. They are often at a juncture in life; their motivation for travel
includes the desire to meet others, and the desire for new experiences, particularly
those that offer personal growth. Contemporary backpackers also travel on a tight
budget, under flexible timetables, and enjoy inexpensive lodgings and eating-places.
There has been limited exploration into the specific symbols that are shared by
contemporary backpackers. Cohen (1973), Vogt (1976), Adler (1985), Riley (1988), and
Allon (2004) have all contributed to the research on the topic, and have, more
specifically offered insight into the symbols that unify such travelers. The symbols that
are often associated with backpackers include budget finances, seeking adventure, and
writing journals (Riley, 1988). Personal growth is a symbol of freedom to the
contemporary backpacker and confers social recognition and prestige within the
backpacker culture (Vogt, 1976). Wanderers, according to Vogt (1976), are motivated to
travel for experiences that offer personal growth. They will increase their status within
the wanderer community as they experience a growth of character during their travels.
Wanderers personal growth, leading to social recognition and prestige, is achieved
through independence, the exoticness of destinations traveled, and through the
exoticness of their mode of travel (Vogt, 1976).
The fact that backpackers interact so much and maintain a conversational focus
on the subject of travel matters means that norms, conduct, hierarchies, and other
aspects which are often analyzed by means of a concept of culture, may emerge, take
root, and be transmitted from experienced backpackers to newcomers, even without
fixed and permanent societal institutions to facilitate the intergenerational transmission.
To view backpackers social relations in this way is covered by earlier concepts of culture,
where it is perceived as social structures of unification and subsumption, and where the
individual human is viewed as a representative of and bearer of a certain culture.

BACKPACKERS MOTIVATION
The motivations behind backpacking that differ from the mass tourism ones. The
destination is not most of the times the major motivation for traveling. Backpackers tend
to seek personal development and a sense of discovery, to experience other cultures
and environments,to meet other people, to make new friends and to improve
knowledge/education. Backpackers were found to be significantly less motivated by the
needs for luxury than mainstream travelers. Loker's (1996) motivation based
segmentation study used Pearce's model (1988) to measure and evaluate the travel
career levels of backpackers by investigating their motives to travel. Loker expected that
a tourist would ascend the ladder as they travel more. She also recognised that the
same tourist may vary in their travel career level depending on the travel situation and
social reference group. Loker divided backpackers into categories based on motive
statements; they included selfdevelopers, social/excitement seekers, achievers and
escapers/relaxers. Based on their motivation to travel each group of backpackers were
at varying stages of their 'travel career'.

In their study, Hecht and Martin (2006) found that motivations, expectations and
demands about traveling and hostels vary according to backpackers age, gender and
country of origin. The youth tourists seek more interaction with fellow travelers and
value more excitement and thrill than transition and contemporary backpackers. They
also tend to be in a cross road in their lives since they have just completed their
education (or are about to) and are confused about future and the eventual entrance in
the job market. Traveling is considered a way for young people to postpone certain
socio-economic decisions, such as starting a career, settling down and marriage.The
contemporary backpacker demands a wider choice of room types and they are willing to
pay for their choices. With the increase of age, the budget for accommodation tends to
increase too, and privacy is a privilege contemporary backpackers value.
Regarding gender differences, female backpackers care more about cleanliness,
quality of the staff and security than the male backpackers. They are also more
influenced by reviews and ratings in websites like Hostel world and by other backpackers
recommendations. While male back-packers are more likely to arrive to a hostel without

pre booking, female backpackers tend to book in advance. The Australians and
Europeans tend to look more for social experiences and meeting other backpackers than
Asian and North/South Americans. Asians and Americans tend to be older than their
counterparts and demand a more complete hostel, regarding facilities, services and
security. They also value privacy more and prefer hostels that can offer that privacy.

SOCIAL INTERACTIONS OF BACKPACKERS

Social interactions can be defined as a process which we act and react for the
surroundings. It is clearly included any kind of action that people would show towards
each others. Social interaction are the major importance in sociology and it is including
a huge number of people with their own behaviour. In terms of tourism, social
interactions and functional interpretations among backpackers is divided into thematic
categories.
The first social interactions that mostly backpackers are intentions to is goals.
Goal is something that they strive to achieve during the period time of travelling.
Social interactions is an integral part of the backpacking experience. Most of the
backpackers usually would like to discuss or sharing experiences among them and
knowing goals or reason of they doing the backpacking travel. It is an important things
for the backpackers to ensure that all the activities, budgeting, accommodations, as well
as food is under the goal. For an examples, the backpackers had already set their costs
for their trip and they need to ensure that they spend their money by relaying on the
estimated budget before. The backpackers tend to sharing their own experiences during
their travel period. A part from that, the main goal of the backpackers is to seek an
informations during their conversation among them, it is the main ritual for those who
are always going to travel by backpacking. Usually the backpackers would travel to some
destinations according to influences by the trusted person, different perceptions among
backpackers as well as recommendations, expectations, and the information that they
get from others. The positives and negatives attitudes of the people in certain
destinations also would give an impact in final decision of backpackers.

Besides that, as a backpackers they considered that the environmental setting

also important in their social situations. Backpackers usually would choose to stay at the
hostels, lodge, or budget hotels, it is the most common setting in the occurs of the
backpackers social situations. The hostels or lodge managers should encourage their
employees to know about the important of word-of-mouth for backpackers in terms of
promoting the places or hostel. The backpackers considered that the hostels
atmosphere, the attitude of the staff or people in the hostels and the opportunity to met
people is the important things while they staying in the hostels. Other than hostels, the
backpackers also need others services such as pubs, buses, and transit centers. The
interior of the hostels such as dormitory rooms, communal eating, TV areas, common
rooms, and outdoor need to be comfortable and appears the touches of home to
ensure that they would love the experiences of friendly atmosphere. There is a lot of
backpackers sharing the same places and they put important about the personal space,
preserved their privacy and respecting others belongings in the shared places.
The social interactions among backpackers also related with sequences of
behavior. They are many of the backpackers usually would express their opinion and
experiences that they have and mostly would respond with an open-minded attitude
when they discuss about some topics. The backpackers are often to discuss about their
hometown and as well as their have been travel to certain places. Apart from that the
backpacker would always ensure that they would not include some sort of stereotyping
or ignorance of different nationalities because it is not suitable to discuss and they
wanted to avoid any uncomfortable situations among themselves.
Other than that, the backpackers also value importance on attitudes in repertoire
of cognitive structures. The backpackers would considered that it is important to travel
in this kind of manners since they are visiting other people places and it is to ensure that
they would not be insensitive. Backpackers usually will try to adapt themselves in
backpackers lifestyles, even if they need to talk to the strangers more often. The
individuals that could not adapt themselves would face the inability and difficulty to have
a memorable interactions with other backpackers.

A part from that, most of the backpackers would felt their roles more fulfilling
and occupying compared to other tourist. The backpackers also trying to put themselves
in the places that could help them to avoid the typical tourist and would capable to
share the same approach, goal, and minded with other fellow backpackers. The roles of
the employees and people in the places that they are traveling to is important. Their
expectations towards the people and the employees in the hotels is they would be
treated well during their staying period in the hostels. The staff should know to respect
them and treat them with understanding and equally. The roles of the hostels is to
satisfied the customers with a very polite attitude as they expected, because there is
some backpackers finding an satisfaction in certain places. As a backpackers they should
know their roles as a person that would be able to apply certain social skills and soft
skills , they need to be more open and capable to withstand different beliefs and
attitudes of others in certain places.
Lastly, Social skills are important for the individuals itself to adapt and confront in
social situations as a backpackers. The ability to tackle the situations, open minded in
other religions or different belief, and tolerate to strangers is needed. Some of
individuals tends to have a problem to adapt and absorb the social situations. The social
skills would help the backpackers to gain more experiences and improvise themselves.
Difficulties of adapting the situations and failed in tolerance to others belief would arise
boredom and stresses to individuals while travel as a backpackers. However, traveling as
a backpacker alone would be more easier to meet other people. Whereas the couples
backpackers are usually would seems to have more privacy without any invaded from
others and they would decided to choose staying in a twins rooms rather than
dormitories.

CASE STUDY
Problem statement
What is a real backpacker and why they choose to backpacking in Sabah?
The strongest values for backpackers are freedom, independence, low budget,
tolerance and interaction with locals, most other values seemed to arise from these five
basic values, and combined they form a whole set of values. Backpackers choose to
backpacking in Sabah because of this strongest values. Backpackers coming to Sabah
from late (1990s-2000s). The number of backpacker increased with cheaper flights from
Peninsular Malaysia which is Air Asia. Borneo previously became famous in high-end
tourism, eco-tourism and diving especially in Sipadan (world class site). In 2004
onwards, Mabul island mainly up-market tourism by employing experienced divers and
resorts are all inclusive. Some entreprenuers converted houses to 'homestays'. In 2009,
significant shift such as new dynamic and competitive backpacker operator opened.
They started to offer dive training and cheap diving for backpackers. There also a large
base in Semporna for mass backpackers such as dive shop, bar, restaurant,
accommodation and so on.
The value of freedom was often expressed by talking about what was the
opposite of freedom such as routine, both while travelling and at home, work and school
at home, having a set itinerary while travelling, like tourists have, non-mobility - not
being able to move around freely, feeling trapped, norms and expectations of family and
society, the settled life with house, children and mortgage, not having time for oneself,
not having time to explore oneself. The value of freedom was linked to the sub-value of
valuating the journey itself higher than the destination. So, backpackers willing to travel
to get away from all the stressful life while exploring the world.
The value of independence was seen in opposition to compromising on various
levels such as letting other people "decide" your trip, not doing what you really feel like,
trying to live up to the expectations of friends, family, work, and the norms of society,
not being able to manage on your own, not being able to deal with travelling as a
whole, clinging to travel companions, doing "touristy stuff". This value lead to other

interconnected values such as taking risks, exploring and being adventurous, which
again lead to a much cherished value in the backpacker culture - going off the beaten
track, which shows that you can truly manage on your own. So, backpacker will be very
independent when they are apart from their family.
Low budget was opposed to high budget, which for example tourists or people
travelling short term had, travelling short term, materialism both in terms of owning a
lot, which hindered mobility both at home and while travelling and in terms of material
living being somehow the cause of man's unhappiness. As an example of this attitude
towards materialism many of my informants expressed that one of the main things they
had learned from the locals was that though they were poor they were also friendly and
smiling, which according to my informants, meant that there was a direct positive link
between poverty (interpreted by my informants as non-materialism) and personal
happiness. Low budget was also opposed to what the backpackers defined as luxuries
such as expensive food, hotels, transportation, clothes and so forth.
The value of tolerance was opposed to people who "thought they were more
than others", which lead to a sub-value of equality, being unfriendly towards both locals
and backpackers, being intolerant towards locals and backpackers, being un-accepting
towards locals and backpackers. Interaction with locals was very highly valued as
opposed to tourists who, according to my informants, never got to know the "real"
locals, not "liking" the locals, being intolerant towards them, not accepting the local
culture, not trying to live on the terms of the local population, not going off the beaten
track to meet the locals.

Q&A Session
1. What are the reasons for a backpacker to choose backpacking in Sabah as
a means of travel?
Answer :

it's economical.

the social aspects, the opportunity to meet new people.

it offers a better/more "real" experience.

allows trip length to be extended.

independent.

flexibility.

easy/convenience.

it's a way to travel and explore Sabah.

previous backpacking experience.

it's may be recommended by others.

2. How is backpackers social interactions with locals in Sabah? Why?

Answer :

Social interaction appeared as an important factor in choosing backpacking as a

means of travel in Sabah for backpackers. Not all locals are open-minded and
take initiative to communicate with backpackers. Backpackers are people who
travel independently without a travel guide. Communication barrier happens
because locals can't speak in international language which is English. So,
backpackers social interactions with locals are not strong.

REFERENCES
1. Anders Kov, C. (2002). Backpacker Culture: Meaning and Identity Making Process in

the Backpacker Culture among Backpackers in Central America. Research report.

Denmark: Department of Ethnography and Social Anthropology, rhus University.
2. Cohen, E. 1973 Nomads from Affluence: Notes on the Phenomenon of Drifter Tourism.
The International Journal of Comparative Sociology 14 (1-2):89-103
3. Currie, R. R., Campbell-Trant, T., & Seaton, S. (2011). Joining the in-crowd: symbols
for backpacker identity. International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality

Research, 5(1), 4756. doi:10.1108/17506181111111753

4. Hecht, J.A, & Martin, D. (2006). Backpacking and hostel-picking: An analysis from
Canada. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 18(1),
69-77
5. Larsen, S., gaard, T., & Brun, W. (2011). Backpackers and mainstreamers. Annals of

Tourism Research, 38(2), 690707. doi:10.1016/j.annals.2011.01.003

6. Maoz, D. (2007). Backpackers motivations the role of culture and nationality. Annals

of Tourism Research, 34(1), 122140. doi:10.1016/j.annals.2006.07.008

7. Murphy, L. (2001). Exploring social interactions of backpackers. Annals of Tourism

Research, 28(1), 5067. doi:10.1016/S0160-7383(00)00003-7

8. Nash, R., Thyne, M., & Davies, S. (2006). An investigation into customer satisfaction

levels in the budget accommodation sector in Scotland: A case study of

backpacker tourists and the Scottish Youth Hostels Association. Tourism
Management, 27, 525-532.
9. Oliveira-Brochado, a., & Gameiro, C. (2013). Toward a better understanding of
backpackers motivations. Tkhne, 11(2), 9299. doi:10.1016/j.tekhne.2013.11.001
10. Paris, C. M. (2008). The Virtualization of Backpacker Culture.

11. Pearce, P. (1990). The backpacker phenomenon: Preliminary answer to basic

question. Townsville: James Cook University of North Queensland.
12. Scheyvens, R. (2002). BACKPACKER TOURISM AND, 29(1), 144164.
13. Srensen, A. (2003). Backpacker ethnography. Annals of Tourism Research, 30(4),
847867. doi:10.1016/S0160-7383(03)00063-X
14. Thyne, M., Davies, S., & Nash, R. (2005). A lifestyle segmentation analysis of the

backpacker market in Scotland. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality &

tourism, 2, 98-119.
15. Welk, P. (2004). The Beaten Track: Anti-Tourism as an Element of Backpacker

Identity Construction. In G. Richards, & J. Wilson (Eds.), The Global Nomad:

Backpacker Travel in Theory and Practice (pp. 77-91). Clevedon: Channel View
Publications.