Apply Ground Theory to Interpret Escapist Experiences in Mudanwan Villa

Tase-Lung Chen, Li-Shiue Gau, Tain-Fung Wu

Department of Business Administration, Asia University, Taichung, Chinese Taipei.
Department of Leisure and Recreation Management, Asia University, Taichung, Chinese Taipei.

DOI: 10.4236/jss.2014.23009                

Abstract

The escapist experience requires great immersion and participation. Tourists participating in escapist experiences embark from their daily life and voyage to a specific place and do activities worthy of their time (Oh, Fiore, & Jeoung, 2007; Pine & Gilmore, 1999). This study attempted to apply the ground theory to interpret escapist experiences and use Mudanwan Villa in the south of Taiwan as an exemplary place for the escapists to be away from their daily life. “Mudanwan Villa was used as a key word in the traditional Chinese Google to search for comments left by the villa visitors or other online respondents. Secondary data were then collected from 25 blogs, Pixnets, or discussion forums in travel advisor websites. Content analysis was used, following the grounded data techniques to do the coding and find the themes by an inductive reasoning. The findings provide three propositions. First, temporary residents coming to Mudanwan Villa actively pursue positive experiences such as relaxation and enjoyment. Second, the destination is so unique and special that visitors are willing to pay the high price and endure the long-range transportation difficulties in order to arrive at the villa. Third, the emphasized values associated with the escapist experiences in Mudanwan Villa are detachment, pleasure, wealth, and social recognition (Struch, Schwartz, & van der Kloot, 2002). The detachment value indicates that visitors in the villa can get away from the daily routine and immerse into the destination (Oh, Fiore, & Jeoung, 2007). The pleasure value implies that the escapists can enjoy the space, experience the environment nearby, and actively use any facilities here in the villa. The wealth value suggests that those people who come to the villa are able to afford the high price. The value of social recognition means that escapist experiences in this unique destination become a status symbol to share with others. This study provides useful information for managers to design a unique experiencescape particularly perhaps to attract independent tourists from Mainland China.

Keywords

Experiencescape; Experience Economy; Escapist Experience; Mudanwan Villa

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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