Counting countries: Exploring performance-driven travel trend

Abstract

This thesis explores the emerging phenomenon of country-counting travel, where individuals pursue visits to numerous countries to project a curated image in a performance-driven society. It examines how such travel practices contribute to the construction and expression of identity in a cultural context that places high value on achievement. The study contributes to broader debates on the symbolic role of travel in identity formation by addressing a gap in the existing literature.

Drawing on existing research that frames frequent travellers as experience collectors and bucket list tickers and applying Erving Goffman’s performance theory to examine how individuals construct and perform their identities through travel, the study further investigates how travellers curate and share experiences, e.g. via social media, to shape the self within social norms around success and achievement. The study asks: How do travellers use country-counting for selfpresentation?" with sub-questions focusing on how identity is constructed, and social validation is sought within the context of country-counting travel. The research methodology adopts a qualitative approach with a social constructionist philosophy, utilizing thematic interviews to capture interplay between individual desires and societal influences, by utilizing thematic analysis.

The findings reveal that country-counting travel practices operates as a cyclic process: travellers build identity through personal travel narratives, reinforce it with emotional experiences, externalize it through social media, and further shape it through goal setting. For some travellers, counting countries is the primary driver of their travel behaviour, while for others it remains a secondary or background element. These insights are relevant to researchers, educators, industry professionals, and travellers navigating the evolving landscape of tourism and self-expression.