A Journey Inside Tourist Souvenirs

Abstract

Through a naturalistic interpretive approach, our videography conducted in tourism research invites to travel inside tourist souvenirs around the world. To bring back souvenirs is as old as travelling itself. Tourist souvenirs are often considered as special possessions that may convey deep meanings to consumers’ lives and play a role in their identity construction. Through a grounded theory approach, the film presents the motives for buying and consuming souvenirs. Two major motives, that is, remembrance and enduring involvement, as well as more specific motivations (i.e., utility, hedonism, improvement of a collection, bargain hunting, gift-giving, or need to reciprocate a favor or a gift) are underlined. A typology of four types of symbolic souvenirs, that is, tourist trinkets, destination stereotypes, paper mementoes, and picked-up objects is also developed. Finally, it emphasizes five functions these souvenirs fulfil in terms of consumer identity construction, that is, connection, integration, socialization, self-expression, and sacralization.