Contagious behaviour or not? Tourists’ skills and practices in a Norwegian church

Abstract

Tourist-to-tourist interaction takes place in many forms at attractions such as museums, churches and historical sites. In many settings, this interaction is a well-functioning part of the tourist experience, where tourists conform to the social norms that govern the attraction. However, interaction with other tourists can also devalue the experience; their presence may be perceived as challenging and perhaps provocative. This study examines tourists’ skills and practices in Northern Norway’s most visited church, the Arctic Cathedral in Tromsø. With a particular focus on visitors’ behaviour, the study explores tourists’ presence and activities in the church from the moment they arrive until they leave. The data for this study were collected through observation of 64 visitors’ movement patterns and behaviour. One key finding is a distinction between the practices of the tourists who visit the church as ‘one of several attractions on the road’ and those who stay longer. With the church as an attraction, religion can influence the practice taking place, but my findings show that tourists’ skills, or lack thereof, also affect other visitors’ practices. The findings in this study enhance understanding of tourist-to-tourist interaction in various settings and provide insight into the contagious practices involved in the interaction.