A Geography of British Backpacker Tourists in South Africa

Backpackers’ Tourism and Health: A Narrative Literature Review

“…Bearing in mind the heterogeneity of this group [6], research on backpacking tourism has approached the phenomenon from various angles [7]. For instance, Sorensen conducted an ethnographic study [8], while empirical studies have explored it in terms of tourist origins and visited destinations [9]. "A challenger of mass tourism and, more broadly, of Western consumer society, the backpacker is at the same time described as alienated from his own illusions of freedom and reduced to signposted itineraries and accommodation" [10].…”

“…On this basis, this article presents a narrative literature review as a preliminary exploration of the backpacker phenomenon, subsequently contextualizing it within a geographical framework. It is worth noting that backpackers have received minimal attention in the field of geography, with rare exceptions like the works of Visser and Barker [9] and Le Bigot [14]. Surprisingly, the sub-discipline of health geography has not studied this population any further, despite the fact that their mobility patterns, frequented spaces, and associated health issues fall squarely within this disciplinary field.…”