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Narratives of place and self

Differing experiences of package coach tours in New Zealand

University of Otago, New Zealand

This article addresses narratives of place and self as they are constructed in the context of package tours. Based on participant observation and interview research conducted on two eight-day coach tours aimed at different age groups, the discussion explores the self-performances of tourists while participating in sightseeing tours in New Zealand. The research showed that the narratives that tour participants either brought with them or generated in interaction while on tour were based on a complex set of meanings regarding place and self. For the older tour group, visiting New Zealand brought some closure to aspects of their lives that had been unresolved, but their experiences also served to heighten their sense of nearing mortality. For the other group, visiting New Zealand on this particular group tour aimed at young people was an opening to new aspects of their identity. This research thus challenges previous conceptualizations of package coach tourism which have not allowed for the multiple ways in which touring experiences serve to write not only touring selves but also toured places.

Key Words: coach tours • narrative • New Zealand • performance • place • self

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