Ethnographic Methods

Although ethnographic methods derive from the discipline of sociocultural anthropology, because of their potential for producing insights into human actions and behaviors they have come to be embraced by sociologists, psychologists, and other social scientists interested in gaining insights into human behavior. Ethnographic methods fall into the broader category of qualitative methodologies and are aimed at nnderstanding cultural practices, human beliefs and behaviors, and sociocultural changes over time. As such, ethnographic methods are particularly apt for tourism-related research and for tourism policy planning, as noted by a number of recent tourism scholars (Cole, 2005; Grabum, 2002; Nash, 2000; Palmer, 2001, 2009; Salazar, 2011; Sandiford and Ap, 1998). This chapter(\) introduces the key elements of ethnographic methodologies, (2) examines the types of tourism research problems for which this research strategy is suited, (3) reviews challenges entailed in using ethnographic methods in tourism settings, ( 4) surveys key tourism studies grounded in ethnographic research, and (5) closes with a discussion of new visions for this technique in tourism research.