Understanding Tourism: Memorable moments in a complex timeframe

This theoretical paper raises four issues. First, it suggests that another
element needs to be considered to fully understand the nature of
tourism in our time: control. In addition, this paper leads to the idea
that tourism is not a monolithic activity for an individual, but consists
of many different layers of experiences such that the phenomenon or
essence of tourism cannot be understood without acknowledging
these different layers. Third, it provides a rationale for distinguishing
between tourism sub-groups instead of the current approach which
highlights the space attributes in which the tourist is located. Fourth,
we argue here that although a tourist experience may be spread over a
long timeframe, it may be that only a few moments constitute the
essence of the tourism experience. Finally, possible contributions
arising from the novel approach presented to researchers and
practitioners alike are highlighted