People-First Tourism Lab Blog

As methods of communication proliferate, researchers are continuously exploring means to collect data from informants in ways that best fit their methodologies, populations and budgets. Conducting surveys through SMS has emerged as an alternative to more traditional paper-based and phone surveys because of the ubiquitous use of mobile phones, even among low-resource populations. In a recently self-published working paper we describe previous uses of the SMS platform to conduct survey research, and we discuss important methodological considerations when using this medium.  The purpose of this working paper is to encourage critical consideration of pros and cons of SMS surveying, and to inform the development of a web platform that might enable researchers to fully capitalize on the advantages of SMS while mitigating its most salient shortcomings. We invite all practitioners and researchers to send us questions, comments and advice as followers of this web blog, and/or to visit...

  Trolley Pub is a pub-crawling trolley powered by up to fourteen pedalers. Private groups can book the trolley for a two-hour tour of some of Raleigh’s most popular pubs including The RaleighTimes , Level Up , Flying Saucer , and Calavera . Individuals can also book a seat on a Mixer Tour. These tours include mixology lessons, tapas, and a handcrafted cocktail. The Trolley Pub, with its slogan “Pedal On Raleigh!” offers a unique, eco-friendly, fun-filled tourism experience. It is a great way to meet new friends and see Raleigh’s thriving downtown area. Donna Campbell, a second grade teacher in Raleigh, enjoys driving for Raleigh Trolley Pub on the weekends for some “fun money”.   She is a third generation Raleigh native with a finger on the pulse of Raleigh’s tourism industry. Her passion and enthusiasm for the city and its heritage are contagious. Raleigh is part of her identity, and she is dedicated to keeping Raleigh pride alive. In fact, Donna, is both an advocate ...

P1t performance: 2015 to 2016 Fourth Quarter Analytics The longitudinal comparison of the previous year’s website visitation performance with the most recent quarterly report provides a snapshot of the overall reach of the project, as well the performance of the website source links and micro-entrepreneur network pages. Additionally, the report includes data about the reach of the project’s scholarship to the general public through select social media tools – e.g., this web blog. Some significant changes in offer and marketing are tracked and have shaped the changes in the performance of the website. Here is the most recent report, P1t Dashboard Analytics Report for 4 th Quarter of 2016 ( see inset below ). The report for the 1 st Quarter 2017 will be appearing in an April posting on this blog.   This report revealed that new visitation to the www.peoplefirsttourism.com web marketplace has continued to decrease over the new visits for 2015 4 th Quarter (-28%)...

The longitudinal comparison of the previous year’s website visitation performance with the most recent quarterly report provides a snapshot of the overall reach of the project, as well the performance of the most visited micro-entrepreneurs. Additionally, the report includes data about the reach of the project’s scholarship to the general public through select social media tools – e.g., this web blog. Some significant changes in offer and marketing are tracked and have shaped the changes in the performance of the website. Here is the most recent report, P1T Dashboard Analytics Report for 3rdQuarter of 2016 (see inset below). The report for the 4th Quarter 2016 will be appearing in a January posting on this blog. . This report revealed that new visitation to the new www.peoplefirsttourism.com web marketplace has continued to significantly decrease over the new visits for 2015 3 rd Quarter (-26%). The returned visitors to the site have also decreased (-17%). Visitation t...

        Jimmy is a driver for Raleigh Rickshaw. Since he moved down from Washington D.C., he has enjoyed making a living from working a couple days a week at Raleigh Rickshaw and interacting with tourists and locals. While living in Washington D.C., Jimmy worked in other areas of the service and tourism industry, he has a background of working at restaurants and bars as a server and barista. As the years went on he looked to move to a less crowded city and closer to the coast. When he got to North Carolina he thought he would be going to Wilmington, he ended up liking Raleigh and the downtown area. Jimmy moved recently to Raleigh, at the beginning of summer 2016. He waited a couple of months for the temperatures to go down before he started working at Raleigh Rickshaw.  I grew up in Virginia and then went to live in Washington D.C. living in the suburbs until I moved with a roommate into the city.  I lived in the city for the ...