Zhang, Carol X., and Pearce, Philip L. (2016) Experiencing Englishness: humour and guided tours. Tourism Recreation Research, 41 (3). pp. 259-271.

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Abstract

This study develops a small but growing cadre of work seeking to reveal how humour is used in tourism. It focuses on the presentation of three sites in southern England where guides use humour to enhance the presentation of the country's distinctive history. The study has two aims: to understand how tourists react to the guides' humour and, second, to identify how the humour works to portray a sense of Englishness. Using multiple sources of information, including an analysis of promotional materials, the text of the narratives, TripAdvisor comments from tourists and direct on-site observation, it was established that the humour was both carefully framed and successful. It was revealed that the guides employ their jokes and jibes to manage the flow of the visitors and control the atmosphere of the tour. Guides also employ interactive and direct joke routines where tourists are effectively co-actors and participants in the experience. Since research opportunities for considering the role of tourism-linked humour lie in portraying the distinctiveness of destinations, further work can capture new facets of the tourist experience and offer a fresh route to appraise tourism marketing and interpretation.

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