The state of qualitative tourism research

Abstract

Previous reviews of tourism research methods have concentrated on studies underpinned by positivist science or assessments of quantitative methods and analyses. Conspicuous by their absence are reviews that focus on studies supported by the interpretive paradigm and assessments of qualitative analyses. This paper provides a descriptive review of the latter research using feature articles from four major journals in the field, employing 'moments of qualitative research' as the framework of analysis. This paper makes no attempt to assess methodological sophistication but provides baseline data about previous and present uses of the interpretive paradigm and qualitative methods. It reviews each journal from its inception through 1996.