Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Sensing Tourist Experiences Regarding Pride Events: Authenticity in LGBTQ+ Tourism

Ma, Yushu LU and Zhu, Hui (2025) SMMM40 20251
Department of Service Studies
Abstract
LGBTQ+ tourism has attracted many tourists. As more and more tourists share their feelings
and comments on social media, tourist experiences regarding this type of “niche tourism” are essential to be studied. Among all forms of LGBTQ+ tourism, pride events, one of the most popular LGBTQ+-related activities, are unique to pay attention to since they are usually held in public areas and are easy to attend. Regardless of the identity and belongingness of the LGBTQ+ community, participants enjoy the freedom to join in the pride events. Since pride events have their roots in political movements, participation in them conveys different meanings for different participants with different backgrounds and appeals. Therefore, by applying the... (More)
LGBTQ+ tourism has attracted many tourists. As more and more tourists share their feelings
and comments on social media, tourist experiences regarding this type of “niche tourism” are essential to be studied. Among all forms of LGBTQ+ tourism, pride events, one of the most popular LGBTQ+-related activities, are unique to pay attention to since they are usually held in public areas and are easy to attend. Regardless of the identity and belongingness of the LGBTQ+ community, participants enjoy the freedom to join in the pride events. Since pride events have their roots in political movements, participation in them conveys different meanings for different participants with different backgrounds and appeals. Therefore, by applying the theoretical lens of authenticity, this thesis focuses on tourist experiences on pride events. We choose qualitative methodology to get access to individual experiences of participating in pride events. Our analysis includes tourist experiences in pride events and reflections on them from shallow to deep, for instance, tourist decision-making, feelings, identity cognition, as well as social and political appeal. Considering pride events as the bridge, this research provides nuanced perspectives both for tourist experiences in LGBTQ+ tourism and for different perspectives of authenticity. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Ma, Yushu LU and Zhu, Hui
supervisor
organization
course
SMMM40 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
LGBTQ+ tourism, pride events, authenticity, tourist experiences
language
English
id
9206409
date added to LUP
2025-08-04 11:10:52
date last changed
2025-08-04 11:10:52
@misc{9206409,
  abstract     = {{LGBTQ+ tourism has attracted many tourists. As more and more tourists share their feelings 
and comments on social media, tourist experiences regarding this type of “niche tourism” are essential to be studied. Among all forms of LGBTQ+ tourism, pride events, one of the most popular LGBTQ+-related activities, are unique to pay attention to since they are usually held in public areas and are easy to attend. Regardless of the identity and belongingness of the LGBTQ+ community, participants enjoy the freedom to join in the pride events. Since pride events have their roots in political movements, participation in them conveys different meanings for different participants with different backgrounds and appeals. Therefore, by applying the theoretical lens of authenticity, this thesis focuses on tourist experiences on pride events. We choose qualitative methodology to get access to individual experiences of participating in pride events. Our analysis includes tourist experiences in pride events and reflections on them from shallow to deep, for instance, tourist decision-making, feelings, identity cognition, as well as social and political appeal. Considering pride events as the bridge, this research provides nuanced perspectives both for tourist experiences in LGBTQ+ tourism and for different perspectives of authenticity.}},
  author       = {{Ma, Yushu and Zhu, Hui}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Sensing Tourist Experiences Regarding Pride Events: Authenticity in LGBTQ+ Tourism}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}