Learning Through Play and Pleasure Travel: Using Play Literature to Enhance Research into Touristic Learning

Learning is increasingly seen as an important motivation for tourism, however, little is known about touristic learning. While descriptions are available, few have attempted to establish why it has become important or to distil theoretical foundations that can explain both its form and existence. Establishing a theoretical framework for touristic learning will assist in the development of products that better fulfil both consumers' needs and providers' objectives and perhaps illuminate our understanding of learning that is more incidental. Indeed, beyond this, a greater understanding of touristic learning may also provide new insight on why people travel at all. This paper discusses learning as a motivation for tourism and advocates the use of the notions of tourism as play and learning through play to enhance future research into touristic learning.