| Author: | Thivyaashani, Sivasubramaniam |
| Title: | Self-representation of solo travellers |
| Advisors: | Hung, Kam (SHTM) |
| Degree: | Ph.D. |
| Year: | 2026 |
| Subject: | Travelers -- Psychology Tourism -- Psychological aspects Self-perception Identity (Psychology) Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | School of Hotel and Tourism Management |
| Pages: | xiii, 458 pages : color illustrations |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | Human thinking is diverse, and desires vary. These desires open the path for new market segments in the tourism industry. Linking travelling goals to travellers' interests creates an avenue for different types of tourism, amongst which solo tourism has been identified as an emerging tourism trend in leading online travel guides, websites and blogs. The purposes of travelling are general to all types of travellers, except for those who are looking for specific travel outcomes, such as solo travellers. Previous studies on solo tourism have largely focused on the reasons, motivations and constraints related to solo travel, with most scholars identifying transformative experience as the main reason for solo travelling. However, how such a transformative experience can be formed via solo travel remains largely unknown. To fill this gap, this study attempts to address the following questions: How do solo travellers define themselves? Does solo travel change their self-representation? Which critical moments may trigger solo travellers to change their self-representation? How do solo travellers adhere to the changes in their self-representation? By situating solo travel in the context of liminality, this study aims to explore the mechanism of the changes that solo travel brings to a solo traveller's self-representation. Interviews were conducted in China, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Thailand from June 2023 to June 2024. Experience-based snowballing and sampling criterion strategies were used to select the sample. Given that this study specifically focuses on solo travellers, the snowball sampling technique was adopted to recruit several 'information-rich' participants (Patton, 2002). This approach is particularly useful in improving the richness of the data, a feat that cannot be achieved using other sampling techniques, such as convenience sampling (Saunders et al., 2011). Location was considered a crucial factor during the participant selection. The selected sites were spacious, less crowded and offered a tranquil environment for travellers, thus allowing the researcher to approach potential solo travellers without disrupting their journey. Before conducting the interviews, the researcher checked whether the selected travellers satisfied the criteria, the most important of which is whether these travellers had travelled alone at least once. The participants were also asked to recommend other solo travellers they knew. The interviews were conducted in-person and online depending on the preference of the participants. The online interviews were conducted via Microsoft Teams and other online platforms. Given that this study was guided by the principles of phenomenology, following Englander (2012), experience was used the sampling unit and unit of analysis instead of the number of participants. After considering ethical implications, the sample size was limited to 40 participants due to data saturation, and pluralism analysis techniques, including exisitential phenomenological and thematic analyses, were used to analyse the data. This study offers a clear understanding of how solo travellers represent themselves during their travel and demonstrates that travelling alone leads to meaningful positive changes in travellers' self-representation, particularly with regards to their self-transformation. During the transitional phase, when travellers venture outside their comfort zones and face significant challenges during their solo travels, they often develop a newfound sense of self. Nonetheless, the degree to which these changes are internalised by solo travellers is contingent on their unique inclinations. This study also fills some gaps in empirical understanding and offers theoretical and practical implications. By situating the theory of liminality, the study emphasised how solo travellers adjusted their self-representation before and after significant moments encountered during their journeys. Based on their travel experiences and expectations, the study also proposed managerial implications for the relevant stakeholders in the travel and tourism industry. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | open access |
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