Flow Phenomenon as a Tourist Experience in Paragliding: A Qualitative Research

Abstract

Tourist experience has become popular recently. There are some customer experience approaches in the literature. One of them is flow theory which has intrinsic rewards. Flow theory as a good material to understand tourists’ experience has researched in many studies like web and education applications. Though it's also investigated in adventure activities and the importance of the concept, limited research has been carried out. Paragliding is an exciting form of air adventure that satisfies the tourists’ need, thereby explaining why it has become a popular adventure activity. Although a few studies have analysed multiple tourist experience, there is still a lack of research adopting the flow experience perspective to understand tourist experiences when participating in paragliding activities. Therefore this study adopts the concept of flow phenomenon to examine the tourist experience in paragliding. The study asked the attendees the extent to which they experienced flow. Open-ended questionnaire was conducted to gather data. The study employs content analytic procedures to analyse open-ended questionnaires to directly elicit attendees’ flow experience. According to results, gliders experience challenge-skill balance, a sense of control, time distortion, clear goals, and focused attention dimensions of flow theory. Results of this study provide baseline data on the existence of flow phenomenon in the paragliding environment. It also provides knowledge about the factors associated with the flow experience and attendees’ feelings and enjoyments in paragliding. Finally, the research findings and theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

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