Interpretive Description. Advancing Qualitative Approaches in Tourism and Hospitality Research

• Buissink-Smith, Nell ^[1] ; McIntosh, Alison ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Otago

     University of Otago

     Nueva Zelanda

     
• Localización: Tourism analysis, ISSN 1083-5423, Vol. 4, Nº. 2, 1999, págs. 115-119
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The quality of the service encounter is of paramount importance to the success of the tourism and hospitality industries, both in its delivery and perception by customers. Research into the service encounter has traditionally been concentrated within the realms of qualitative or mixed methodologies. Based on perceived inadequacies with traditional quantitative and qualitative descriptive research methodologies, this article argues for a methodological approach that allows for a deeper understanding of the skills and qualities of the employees in the service encounter without diminishing the importance of the individual, on either side of the service encounter. To this end, the article reviews a new methodology, interpretive description, founded in the discipline of nursing. Based on epistemological similarities between tourism service encounters and nursing, the method has application to service quality research in a tourism and hospitality context. Both are “caring" disciplines that are holistic, interpretive, relational, and practical. Such skills are crucial to the delivery of a service that exceeds visitors’ expectations and essentially “wows" the visitor.