It is clear that tourists, as consumers, have developed increasing levels of
expertise and experience of being tourists. Whilst this developmental pattern of
tourists may not always be linear, or simplistic as portrayed, for instance, in
Pearce’s Travel Career (1988, 1991), it is evident that tourists are increasingly
sophisticated in their needs and preferences, and similarly adept in ensuring that
their needs are met. Tourists have, as Robinson and Phipps (2003) argue, adopted
the practices and discourses of tourism and have embedded them in everyday life.
As part of this emergent culture of tourism, tourists have recognised their role and
influence as consumers of the world. Featherstone (1990) highlights that
consumption is more than a functional process that responds to the demands of
the economy.