HTM314SL Research Proposal

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When completing this form you should write in prose, one word answers are not appropriate and do not demonstrate good use of language. Throughout your proposal you should be considering literature that has informed your knowledge and the decisions that you are proposing. In-text citations should therefore be used in order to support the statements that you are making. Answers should be typed in the white box directly below each question.

Student Name :

Student Number :

Supervisor :
Section 1: Rationale and Literature
What is the proposed title of your project? 2/2
Profiling adventure tourists visiting Weligama, Sri Lanka
What is the proposed research question for your project? 1/2
  • What are the demographic and socio-economic characteristics applicable to adventure tourists?
  • What are the psychographic characteristics of adventure tourists?
  • How is the adventure tourism, offer in Weligama?
  • What are the recommendations to improve Weligama as a successful tourist destination?
 Good questions but you need to summarise these
Identify the aims and objectives of your project 4/5
Aim: To investigate the profile of adventure tourists in Weligama with the aim of assisting adventure tourism companies and the national tourism organization to carry out their marketing and promotion activities more effectively

Objectives:

  • Review the literature relating to adventure tourism and provide a definition with respect to the adventure tourism offer in terms of product and capacity in Sri Lanka
  • To identify the demographic and socio-economic characteristics applicable to adventure tourists
  • To identify the psychographic characteristics of the adventure tourists
  • To explore the adventure tourism, offer in Weligama, Sri Lanka
  • To make recommendations to improve Weligama as a successful tourist destination
 Good aim clear and concise

Likewise the objectives are sound will you however be profiling adventure tourists generally or just in SL?
Why is this topic important? 5/8
As an alternative form of tourism adventure tourism makes high growing demand. So Weligama is being one of the best surf spots in Sri Lanka (The Culture Trip, 2020). Although the adventure tourism market in Sri Lanka is not very much characterized and tourism operators facing monstrous difficulties in drawing in and controlling adventure travellers to the country. This topic makes the present perspective of adventure tourists in Weligama by setting up a statistics profile of these tourists. Could be unpinned with more evidence but a clear explanation and fairly well written
Discuss one key piece of theory that you will use to underpin your work and frame your project.

This should include reference to a theoretical concept or model. The theory should be described and diagram provided if necessary.

 1/5
Tourists profile

Adventure tourists

Hereby describe the tourist’s involvement in adventure tourism marketplace by setting up a statistic profile of tourists in Weligama, Sri Lanka.

 More detail required and a model could have been used
Provide a review of twelve academically credible sources (i.e., journal articles, industry reports) that are relevant for your project (i.e., background context, justification of the problem, theory insights). You should consider, why it is relevant to your project, how the research was conducted and the main findings or conclusions, written as prose. 30/40
Adventure tourism is defined as someone who moves from outside their native environment for participating in competitive sport, where sport is the main motivational reason for travel and the touristic or leisure element could be acted to enhance the overall experience (Breivik, 1996).

Adventure tourism is becoming a very popular form of tourism which revives rapid development. As stated by ( Beedie, 2003 ), while adventure tourism usually involves some form of physical activity, some argue that a true sense of adventure can only be achieved with a certain degree of danger, risk and skill (Ewert and Hollenhorst, 1989). (Swarbrooke et al. 2003, p. 27) defined adventure tourism as “the hope that it will creates a rewarding adventure through travel and leisure activities” An adventure travel experience produces a variety of emotions and is the key to excitement. Experience is clearly separate from everyday life; facing intellectual, physical or emotional risks and challenges. It creates joy, motivates learning and stimulates self-development (Swarbrooke et al., 2003).

Tourists are more interested in adventure activities during their visits. During their visit’s tourist like to keep their interaction with nature and culture. Adventure trips and activities help to increase tourism (Siraj, 2014).

Adventure tourism introduces a new look to the tourism, since these activities introduce a new experience to the tourist. Also, tourists get satisfaction from their trips and it will help to increase future tourism (Williams and Soutar, 2009).

Tourist areas are implementing adventure tourism to improve the tourism industry in Sri Lankan tapping potentiality in Weligama. Weligama is being recognized as one of the best surf spots in Sri Lanka. It has been found that adventure activities attract more tourists. Earlier tourists are being forced to main three ingredients such as sun, sea and sand. But now it has been outpaced by activities like physical activity a cultural change or activities in nature and do not need to stick to normal routine of touring. Most of the tourist interested in taking pictures and publish in social media like Facebook and Instagram. Now it’s being a new trend of promoting adventure tourism destinations in the country (Zurick, 1992).

As said by (Swarbrooke and Horner, 2007), a tourist’s qualities in socio-economic and demographic stated statically. Such as Age, sex, level of education, income, marital status, vocation, etc. Further (King, et al. 2011) said that psychographic causes are much for effortless and biased nature. Also, it relates to customer behavior pattern. This is very useful in market segmentation. Its measures values, opinions, lifestyles, leisure activities, desires etc.

Most tourists like to take risk and challengers during their journey while looking for new experiences and adventure tourism can satisfy these objectives (Beedie and Hudson, 2003).

As per the (Hall and Weiler 1992; Sung, Morrison and O’Leary 1997) adventure tourism has been traditionally focused on adventure pursuits. (Walle, 1997) stated that expansion and redefining of adventure tourism was proposed through the model of insights. He argues that the pursuit of adventure tourism is the focus on insight and knowledge. It may seem obvious that traveling to unknown places adds a new element of adventure, yet the adventure tourism literature gives little acknowledgement to the ways an adventure experience is influenced by the tourism component (Weber, 2001).

 A good range of sources employed and some relevant discussions included but we need to refine your writing style to ensure that you are conveying everything that you intend with clarity and gain maximum marks for the work.
Section 2: Research Design
What data collection method will you adopt? 1/2
Research is to be conducted by using a Questionnaire

A little more explanation would be helpful
What are the benefits / constraints of this approach? 2/6
Easy to identify their ideas on what specific adventure experience they are interested in as well as identifying short comings to improve adventure tourism in the country.

A little more explanation would be helpful

 Im not sure you fully understand what is being requested here
Which sampling technique will you adopt? 1/2
Nonprobability sampling in the form of quota and convenience sampling method is used to draw the sample to reach the size of 150

A little more explanation would be helpful

 Definitions of these forms would be helpful and demonstrate understanding
10 Who/what will you collect data from? (Who/what will the sample be?) 2/2
The sampling frame is tourists in Weligama area
11 Why will you adopt this sampling technique? 3/6
Because it’s pretty much easier to pick up participants based on availability and willingness to take part. As quota sampling it specifies the proportion of representing. As an example, number of men & female participation.

A little more explanation would be helpful
12 How will you gain access to the sample? (For example, will you require gatekeepers? Special access to a database? Permission to collect data?) 1/2
I will get approvals from villa owners and hotel owners to hand out questionnaires to their guests. I would think of creating an online questionnaire and post in tourist groups and forums in social media (Ex. South Sri Lankan Surf Community Group – Facebook) You need to be very clear about your approach and the value of the responses likely as well as the credibility of the responders
13 What type of ethical decisions must be taken into account? If relevant, how will you mitigate these? 1/5
I should approach tourists politely to answer the questionnaire and should not disturb their freedom of time. You might want to give a little more thought to this process
Section 3: Data Analysis
14 What method of data analysis will you adopt? ½
Descriptive Statistic (Quantitative)

A little more explanation would be helpful
15 What are the benefits / constraints of this approach? 1/6
It would be easy to get overall idea about this area from statistics. I would not be embraced for those who are not interested in fill out a questionnaire, simply get into short conversation and figure out facts.
16 Will you use computer software (e.g., SPSS or Nvivo or similar) to help code data? Explain why this software is necessary to use. 1/1
SPSS is used to analyse the questionnaire findings
17 Why is / isn’t this software appropriate for your research? ¼
It is the most effective way to analyse data and identify the relationship between variables

A little more explanation would be helpful
Writing
18 Academic writing style

Throughout this proposal, responses should be written in formal English. Each response should be presented in prose with correct spelling / grammar, credible academic literature should be used consistently in order to support claims made. Harvard citations should be used in-text and all sources cited should be presented in the reference list (Q19).

 (-10)
19 Reference List (correctly formatted throughout) (-10) -1
The Culture Trip (2020) Available at: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/srilanka/articles/the-best-surf-spots-in-sri-lanka/ (Accessed: 1 January 2020).

Breivik, G., (1996). Personality, sensation seeking and risk taking among Everest climbers. International Journal of Sport Psychology, Vol.27, p. 308–320.

Beedie, P. (2003), “Adventure tourism”, in Hudson, S. (Ed.), Sport and Adventure Tourism, Haworth Hospitality Press, Binghampton, NY, pp. 203‐239.

Ewert, A. and Hollenhorst, S. (1989), “Testing the adventure model: empirical support for a model of risk recreation”, Journal of Leisure Research, Vol. 21 No. 1, pp. 124‐136.

Swarbrooke, J., Beard, C., Leckie, S. and Pomfret, G. (2003), Adventure Tourism: The New Frontier, Butterworth‐Heinemann, Oxford.

Siraj, A. 2014. Community Development Through Adventure Tourism in Arugambay Area. Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka.

Williams, P. & Soutar, G. N. 2009. Value, satisfaction and behavioral intentions in an adventure tourism context. Annals of Tourism Research, 36, 413-438.

Zurick, D. N. 1992. Adventure travel and sustainable tourism in the peripheral economy of Nepal. Annals of the Association of American geographers, 82, 608-628.

Swarbrooke , J. & Horner, S., (2007). Consumer behaviour in tourism. 2 ed. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann.

King, C., Wang, S. & Hji-Avgoustis, S., (2011). Perceptions about expanding a city’s tourism economy through sport and culture: the case of Indianapolis’ event tourism segment… Tourism Today, Vol. 11, pp. 40-53.

Beedie, P. & Hudson, S. 2003. Emergence of mountain-based adventure tourism. Annals of tourism research, 30, 625-643.

Hall, C. M., & Weiler, B. (1992). Adventure, sport and health tourism. Special interest tourism, 141-158.

Sung, H.H., Morrison, A.M. & O’Leary, J.T. 1997. Definition of adventure travel: conceptual framework for empirical application from the provider’s perspective. Asia- Pacific journal of tourism research, 1(2):47-67.

Walle, A. H. (1997). Pursuing risk or insight: marketing adventures. Annals of Tourism Research, 24(2), 265-282.

 This needs to be in alphabetical order
Total Marks 57/100
Markers Comments:

Generally good work you seem to have run out of energy towards the end of the proposal document – the beginning was much stronger and your answers more robust. Overall a sound plan for the project but consider the research approach in a little more detail. Make sure you maintain an academic style throughout.
 
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