TITLE:
Apply Ground Theory to Interpret Escapist Experiences in Mudanwan Villa
AUTHORS:
Tase-Lung Chen, Li-Shiue Gau, Tain-Fung Wu
KEYWORDS:
Experiencescape; Experience Economy; Escapist Experience; Mudanwan Villa
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.2 No.3,
March
6,
2014
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 theirdaily 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.