Intimacy Theory
Ritchie and Hudson (2009) point to Intimacy Theory as applied to the study of ‘‘destination
image and experience of place in tourism’’ (Trauer and Ryan, 2005. p. 116). The four types of
intimacy are: physical, verbal, spiritual, and intellectual. Austin (2009) found that ritual and
boundaries existed at a BMW motorcycle rally in a campground setting which supports the
idea of spiritual elements. Hathaway (2007) suggests that the use of field techniques of
geography (which are helpful in studying motorcycle tourism) and marketing theory,
especially destination branding, are useful in studying tourists. Initial qualitative analysis
shows trends that are consistent with Intimacy Theory demonstrated by the following
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