Geocachers: the creative tourism experience

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the geocaching online survey – the implications of geocaching to social interaction and tourism as useful for making small segments such as adventure tourists (geocachers) active participants in the development process of creative tourism experience in adventure tourist destinations.

Design/methodology/approach

The case study approach presented is an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary problem within its real‐time context. The main goal of this case study was to gain detailed understanding of the current and future geocacher's positive and memorable experiences in the creative tourism context. This case study was gathered by internet survey for geocachers in October 2009, and is based on 52 responses. The study was approved by the Unit of Human‐Centred Technology, Tampere University of Technology. Geocaching players were told that their responses would be kept confidential. Secondary material is based on geocaching stories in magazines all over the world, linked to Geocaching.com, that are used here to expand the description of creative tourism products and of how geocaching is used in tourism or to design new applications around the game.

Findings

The main contributions of this study are the increased knowledge of creative tourism, especially geocacher's needs regarding sharing positive and memorable geocaching experiences, and the new creative tourism services and events by creating geocachers.

Practical implications

The paper's findings are used to discuss broader implications for location‐based creative tourism experiences and present guidelines based on results of case study.

Originality/value

The paper discusses how geocachers created a new format in adventure tourism and in the wellness tourism business.

Citation

Ihamäki, P. (2012), "Geocachers: the creative tourism experience", Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 152-175. https://doi.org/10.1108/17579881211264468