Application of Advanced Mixed-Method Research in Tourism: Case of Moderated Influence of Psychographics in Homestay Tourism

Research in tourism and its impacts are demanding extensive periods of context-bound immersion. More ethnographic studies are required to capture the subjective vitality, authentic experiences, and experiential qualities involved in the transactions between tourists, entities, and phenomenon. This need for immersion sprouts from the evolution of the tourism industry itself as it strives to meet the demands of an increasingly fragmenting market centered on individual experiences. A number of contemporary researchers have opposed to the “false dichotomy” of the conventional mono-methods (quantitative and qualitative) and observed that forced polarization of mono-methods is in stark contrast to the social realities. This study focuses on the advanced application of mixed methods and multimodal data assimilation to assess the moderating impacts of psychographics on the relationship between the value-belief proposition of the tourists and their behavioral pattern. The study used explanatory equal-status sequential (QUAL-to-QUAN) convergence design in mixed-method approach and deployed crossover data analysis techniques to examine the data. Primary data was collected from the tourists opting for homestay tourism in the district of Sikkim, West Bengal. The study revealed the subdimensions of tourist psychography, namely, subjective vitality and emotional valence. The moderating impact of tourist psychography was found to be significant on the relationship between the value-belief proposition of the tourists and their behavioral pattern. Mixed-method research allowed seamless integration of qualitative data with the quantitative data. Future extrapolation of the study can be done by incorporating complex decision-making process in the context of community-based tourism.