Backpackers in Australia
Literature Review on Backpackers in Australia
1. Introduction
The literature review is confined to the topic of backpackers in Australia. The backpackers are generally the people who use budget accommodation, are involved in longer rather than brief holidays, have flexibility in their itineraries and also portray a willingness to be involved in social and participatory holiday activities.
Various trends in the tourism domain have not supported the backpacker industry. Backpackers are not simply vacationers; they are likewise regularly understudies, working holidaymakers, profoundly talented expert specialists, and even, occasionally, long-haul semi-changeless inhabitants.
Step by step instructions to characterize this gathering of physically and theoretically portable voyagers is regularly tricky, particularly for neighborhood powers. It is hard to observe what social space and personality this kind of portability and this classification of voyager involve.
Concentrating on the strains in private groups that have grown as an aftereffect of hikers going through and occasionally abiding by the set-up, the exposition investigates the ‘explorer wonder’ as a complex and transforming blend of working, occasion, and private encounters that need to be seen inside a system of increasingly uneven, assorted, and challenged motilities.
But in Australia, backpackers have experienced great development. This literature review mainly studies four aspects of the hypothesis in accordance with backpackers’ culture in Australia. Below are the different hypotheses described in this literature review.
H0: The backpacking culture has been dominant and effective in Australia.
H1: Backpacking improves cultural exchange in Australia.
H2: Backpacking provides working opportunities.
H3: Technology potentially resulted in behavioural issues among backpackers in Australia.
Thus, in accordance with the above-listed hypothesis, the literature review centres on providing a complete and well-accomplished overview of backpackers in Australia.
This paper will present arguments under academic parlance to explain the evolving backpacking culture in Australia in the last many decades.
This would majorly include contributions made by academic researchers, which would add more weight to the arguments produced.
This report is expected to help other researchers and practitioners better understand the backpacking culture in Australia.
1.1 The backpacking culture has been dominant and effective in Australia.
The backpacking market in Australia was originally quite homogeneous. The continued globalization and mainstreaming of backpacker culture have resulted in an increased and diverse backpacker population. Cohen (2004) explains in detail the changes and diversity observed in the backpacker market since he was studying in the 1970s.
The backpackers’ culture or demographics are never specific, as they come from various places irrespective of their nationalities. Social interaction with other backpackers and locals is a significant part of the backpacking culture in Australia. It has been seen that in Australia, backpackers are interested in interacting more with people from their own nationalities than with others.
Australia has a diverse population and means of entertainment. One of the main desires of backpackers in Australia is to interact with the locals to learn more about Australian culture. However, this behaviour is not universally observed among backpackers.
By this measure, it has been seen that the backpacking culture have been very effective in Australia as people are mixing with each other and also coming to know one or other knowledgeable things.
Thus, the culture of backpackers in Australia has been prevailing for a very long time, and most importantly, the government also encourages it. The aim of the Sydney 2030 strategy is to develop a city that is culturally attractive, edgy, and sharp (City of Sydney 2030).
Tourism is being seriously considered an integral part of the country so as to grab the status of a global city. Significant efforts are being made to increase the tourism rate so as to promote cultural vibrancy.
In 2006, over 2.6 million international visitors visited the Sydney metropolitan area, boosting the city’s economy. In fact, global tourism, like other industries, has evolved to be quite fragmented and flexible.
Apparently, the industry has been significantly transformed with the emergence of what economists like Pine and Gilmore (1999) have described as the ‘experience economy’. Among all the reasons of this shift is the emergence of Australia as a cultural attraction.
More than 50% of international travellers to Australia prefer Sydney, and a major proportion of them are young travellers and backpackers ( Allon, 2008).
Apparently, backpackers have shown surprising resistance to adverse economic conditions. As per Tourism Research Australia’s ‘Niche Market Report,’ the backpacking section of tourists showed increased resilience in times of adversity (Tourism Australia 2006: 2; see also Tourism Australia 2005).
Thus, it could be asserted that irrespective of the reason, backpacking remained one of the most talked-about tourism facts for Australia, which not only boosted the economy but also expanded Australia as a preferred holiday destination for backpacking. It is still evolving.
1.2 Backpacking improves cultural exchange in Australia.
Even though academic researchers have contributed much to defining culture, no clear definition is available (Brumann, 1999).
Cross-cultural differences could actually encourage cultural exchange, but not necessarily. Hottola (2004) however argued that cultural assimilation is least feasible when it comes to tourism and other visits.
Contrary to expectations during backpacking, the acculturation process is less likely to happen if backpackers are not interested in the local culture.
There is another discreet aspect of global orientation in culture, namely backpacking (Featherstone, 1990). Compared to other tourists, backpackers have their unique way of traveling (Muzaini, 2006; Paris, 2010).
From a managerial perspective, backpackers could be considered a homogeneous section of tourists, but in reality, they do have different cultural settings, education, ethnicity, etc.
While social interactions with other backpackers and locals seem normal, it has been pointed out that most of the time, interactions are based on their travelling purpose only (Murphy, 2001). Contrary to the assumption, many backpackers prefer to mingle with backpackers belonging to the same nationality and language (Murphy, 2001; Maoz & Bekerman, 2010).
Nonetheless, exceptions exist. Many backpackers’ primary motive for backpacking is to interact with other cultures. Many are seen enjoying activities such as sightseeing, shopping, or other adventures(Paris, 2010b). In addition, social media access has reduced the need for direct interaction with locals about cultural heritage.
Evidence indicates that backpackers are majorly seen as reluctant to participate in cultural activities to understand local culture (Muzaini, 2006; Scheyvens, 2002; Visser, 2003). However, this observed behaviour could significantly reduce their chances of learning something really valuable about the culture of the host country. This could potentially be seen as a major concern area for backpackers as they are not engaging in the cultural exchange to expand their learning.
1.3 Backpacking provides working opportunities.
Ever since the start of the 21st century, backpacker tourism has grown beyond expectations, not just because of travel preference but also as an attractive tourism destination. There has been a glaring increase in the visitation rates of backpackers compared to international visitors.
Backpacker tourism has been reported as among the fastest-growing niche tourism markets worldwide (Richards and Wilson 2004).
Weighing the pace at which backpacking tourism was expanding, the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources ‘Tourism White Paper’ in 2004 recognized the value of backpacker tourism as a significant market while highlighting the amount of investment made for backpacker visitors as compared to other travelers (Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources 2004: 29).
In an interview, the Research Manager at the City of Sydney Council shared that backpackers must be viewed not only as consumers of services but also as providers of labor (Phillip Raskall, City of Sydney) to instigate the need for Sydney to attain global city status.
Seeing the potential of backpacking tourism, the government introduced Australia’s Working Holiday Maker Program (WHMP) to invite young travelers between the ages of 18 and 31 from selected countries around the world. This program provided them with the legal right to live and work in Australia for a certain period.
The program, introduced in 1975, aimed to promote cultural exchange and allow international youth to tour and learn about the host country for an extended duration while supporting their traveling with paid employment (Gallus 1997; Harding and Webster 2002; Tan et al. 2009).
Even though employment restrictions exist, changes have been made to encourage backpacking tourism. In addition, government-funded studies are also being promoted ( Dignam 1990; Withers 1991; Bell and Carr 1994).
Contrary to the image of backpackers as young, budget-minded tourists, Allon, Bushell, and Anderson (2008) stated that backpackers also pursue study and work. Having a working tourist in the country only added to the economic strength.
As defined by Uriely and Reichel( 2000), a working tourist is involved in work and tourism. This is a broad definition. However, as per Wilson, Fisher, and Moore( 2009), working holiday involves long stays in a foreign country by holidaymakers who would eventually immerse, albeit in varying proportions, in the social, cultural and economic dimensions of the host country.
While there are different notions about backpackers emerging, Allon, Bushell, and Anderson (2008) state that the mix and match of work, play, and fun defines backpackers today.
As much as backpacker tourism is promoted in Australia, consistent efforts are made to study the impact of the pros and cons of foreign labour among the national populace. Considering the amount of tourist investment in WHMs, more job opportunities are created for them in Australia (Harding and Webster 2002; Tan et al. 2009), thereby justifying why WHMP is expanded and promoted in such a way.
1.4 Technology potentially resulted in behavioural issues among backpackers in Australia.
With the emergence of social media and dynamic communications, behavior of backers has changed a lot in last many years. Among all the issues, the ‘backpacker’ behaviour that has drawn attention is noise. Sadly, illegal backpacker premises have also been reported. With the Internet and social media, desired information would be easily accessible in context of backpacker destination(s) without feeling the need to ask the locals (Paris, 2009).
White and White (2007) apparently admitted that changing means of communication in a digital environment has had a profound impact on the way backpackers conduct themselves in Australia. The concept of ‘away from home’ is apparently facing a transformation as backpackers are mostly connected with friends and family on a constant basis.
Research evidence indicates that backpackers were found to be less involved in cultural activities to understand local culture (Muzaini, 2006; Scheyvens, 2002; Visser, 2003). There is significant relation between age and indulgence in social communication.
The average age of Australian backpackers was found to be much younger (25.2 years) than noted by other researchers (Cave et al., 2008; Chitty et al., 2007; Hecht & Martin, 2006). Thus, it comes out to be a big challenge for the host country to reconnect the disengaged backpackers so that they can take more interest in the cultural exchange rather than indulging in other technological activities.
This behavior, whether conscious or not, makes backpackers reluctant to interact rationally with the locals, thereby limiting their learning growth. This often results in rising distances with fellow backpackers from other countries as well. Some researchers are duly concerned about such unexpected behavior among backpackers (Aziz, 1999).
Apart from technology, backpackers have shown other behavioural issues as well, such as misconduct and drugs. Among them are indulgence in drugs (Maoz & Bekerman, 2010; Uriely & Belhassen, 2006), alcohol drinking (Howard, 2007) and sexual encounters (Aziz, 1999).
Such conduct apparently put wrong impression in the mind of the host country ( Aziz,1999). There is a sense of desperation to share experiences while traveling among the travelers as seen among backpackers as well. Parris ( 2010a) states that these devices resulted in blurring the differences between the ‘road’ and ‘virtual’ backpacker cultures while being connected with others virtually( Hannan, Butler & Paris, 2014).
Conclusion:
While backpacking has been a growing industry for Australia, it has allowed foreign nationals to understand the extent and their learning beyond their own country. Contrary to the image of backpackers as those looking for fun and play, there is a lot to do in Australia with the introduction of WHMs allowing tourists of other countries to work along with holidaying.
This not only helps their economy but adds more weight to their intensifying need to grow as a hot spot for international travelers. Backpackers contribute 19% in total tourist expenditure in Australia ( Allon Anderson, and Bushell, 2008).
This further intensifies the government’s efforts to develop Australia as the most preferred backpacking destination. It also provides foreigners with more potential job opportunities in a culturally diverse country. However, it could snatch away jobs from the locals.
With the emergence of technology as a life line, there is a restrain felt between the backpackers and Australians. Instead of facilitating cultural exchange, most of the backpackers were found to be distracted in other recreational activities and social communication.
In fact, many prefer using technology to access vital cultural information instead of making direct connections. Another issue is complaints about backpackers’ misbehavior, which has affected the people of the host nation.
Backpacking possesses huge potential for learning about other cultures and developing a globalized culture. However, there are hurdles emerging, such as rising misconduct among backpackers and indulgence in virtual communication, which significantly limits the backpacker’s capacity to achieve a quality learning experience in Australia.
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