Perceived Crowding: Consumers’ Lived Experiences of a Tourist Destination
Crowding, driven by population growth, urbanisation, industrialisation, and tourism, extends beyond physical density to encompass psychological, social, and cultural dimensions. This thesis with publications, integrates prospective and retrospective perspectives to offer a more comprehensive understanding of perceived crowding (PC). Data from a single two-phase qualitative empirical study is utilised to map lived crowding experiences longitudinally with a particular emphasis on perceived risks and consumer vulnerabilities. Paper 1 introduces the two-phase research method, extending visual research through a sequential photo-elicitation approach to explore pre- and post-experience accounts. This method enables richer contextual insights into crowding as a temporally situated phenomenon. Paper 2 conceptualises crowding awareness (CA), describing how consumers anticipate risks and establish pre-experience expectational standards that guide their responses during crowded experiences. These subjective benchmarks influence how consumers anticipate and mitigate perceived risks and form attitudes towards crowding, typically perceived as a negative but inevitable aspect of popular destinations. Paper 3 examines the implications of PC for consumer vulnerability, distinguishing between categorical and contextual vulnerability. The findings reveal that PC exacerbates dispositional vulnerabilities. Crowding is framed as a socio-psychological construct shaped by cultural norms, tourist thresholds, and the dynamic interplay of expectations with actual lived experience. By integrating prospective and retrospective perspectives, this two-phase methodological approach advances the understanding of crowding as a temporally situated and multi-dimensional experience. The study provides a new methodological framework and offers theoretical insights into how perceived risks and consumer vulnerabilities shape interactions in crowded environments.
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