This paper presents and discusses how consumers are transformed in and out of immersion during extraordinary, long-lasting wilderness canoeing experiences. Based on a hermeneutic multi-phase empirical approach we show how extraordinary experiences can be dynamic, multi-faceted and emergent. The positive connotations of prior research are questioned as we find that consumers face various paradoxes and ambiguities throughout the various consumption phases. While a major part of research today focuses on the co-creation efforts of consumers when they combine various on-site resource of experiencescapes, our findings point to the importance of understanding consumer resources. The distinction held between the ordinary-extraordinary does not hold within the present context, and we discuss how role conflicts may influence transformation and immersion during consumption of experiences.

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This article presents and discusses a conceptual understanding of consumer experiences as multirelational. Based on consumer research, tourism research, and the being-in-the-world ontology, we propose a multirelational approach using four core concepts wherein consumers are situated ontologically in and across (a) time, (b) context, (c) body, and (d) interaction. We explore and propose how this multirelational approach can be applied to research by discussing the conceptual and practical consequences of this approach for understanding tourists' dynamic experiences and meaning. Consequently, the article presents an alternative approach that contributes to a broader understanding of consumer experience within tourism. This approach is illustrated with examples from consumer experiences in the arctic Svalbard.

ABSTRACT

This paper presents and discusses findings from extraordinary experiences in the Arctic Svalbard. Although extensive consumer research has focused on the positive, sublime and communal aspects of extraordinary experiences, little emphasis has been placed on the challenging aspects. By focusing on Arctic horse riding, Arctic adventure travel and dog sledding from a practice perspective, this study provides evidence that extraordinary consumption can be marked by challenges due to unrealistic expectations, troubling learning practices and connecting with others, and how one cope with tensions. We discuss how these four main types of challenges mark consumption and as such provide a nuanced interpretation compared to the positive connotations of previous research.