Visitors’ diversified motivations and behavior – the case of the pilgrimage center in Krakow (Poland)

The article presents the visitors’ motivations and behavior at the pilgrimage center in Krakow (Poland). Here, the relation between these elements, i.e. whether their motivations have a correlation with what buildings they visit, is emphasized for the first time. The most important motivations for visits were religious and tourist ones, often rated equally high by the same respondents. They visited religious, cultural and tourist buildings and facilities. The stay of visitors with religious motivations was not limited to religious practices, but was extended by tourist behavior. Similarly, visitors with tourist motivations visited religious buildings and participated in religious practices. However, they visit tourist and cultural facilities more often. Additionally, the three groups of respondents were categorized and, on the basis of importance of the religious and tourist motivations, three types were distinguished, i.e. pilgrims, religious tourists and tourists. Their characteristic has been expanded by the analysis of their behavior. Nowadays, visitors’ motivations and behavior at pilgrimage centers include those typical for pilgrims and tourists in the traditional meaning. In addition to their religious function, these sites offer cultural and tourist facilities. The article highlights the dedifferentiation approach to visitors’ motivations and behavior, and in respect of the spatial organization of pilgrimage centers.     

Intimations of Postmodernity in Dark Tourism: The Fate of History at Fort Siloso,Singapore

In this paper, we examine what a few scholars have referred to as postmodernist intimations within contemporary tourism practices, and their potential implications on the way that history is portrayed within ‘dark tourism’ sites. Drawing upon the case of one such site, Fort Siloso, we emphasise two main implications: (1) the privileging, at the site, of the ‘visual’ and ‘experiential’ over the need for historical interpretations, and (2) the dilution of local specificities to make it universally appealing. We then analyse the views of visitors to the site, mainly tourists, to show that, while they appreciate the former, they are also critical of the fact that the past has been ‘watered-down’ at the site. On a broader note, we highlight a few paradoxes emerging within postmodernist conceptions of tourism today, and how the increase in demand for the enhancement of ‘the gaze’ does not necessarily mean a concomitant compromise on, and ideally should not be done at the expense of, historical rigour and depth.     

Understanding Dutch visitors’ motivations to concentration camp memorials

This study examined the motivations to visit concentration camp memorial sites in the Netherlands. Nine hundred and seventy-five Dutch respondents participated in a panel survey. The data were analysed by means of an exploratory factor analysis, to yield underlying motivational factors. The findings revealed that potential visitors were motivated to visit Holocaust concentration camp memorial sites for “memory”, “gaining knowledge and awareness”, and “exclusivity”. We generalize the motivations from Dutch concentration camp memorial sites to a universal level and discuss the future stages to achieve a universally valid motivation scale for visits to concentration camp memorial sites.     

Re-thinking Anne: representing Japanese culture at a quintessentially Canadian site

ABSTRACT

The Anne of Green Gables National Heritage Site in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, Canada, centers around the farmhouse where author, Lucy Maud Montgomery, was raised, and serves as the setting for her classic novel, Anne of Green Gables (1908). This is thus a heritage site about a fictional character, but very real and historical to the author of the well-loved book. This paper centers on a 2015 visit to the site, where I encountered not only the expected thousands of Canadian pilgrims traipsing up and down ‘Lover’s Lane’, but a half-dozen Japanese college students interning for the summer – in costume, scattered around the site, demonstrating Japanese crafts and games for tourists. As a visitor to the site, I found myself asking: How do these Japanese traditions fit into the interpretation of this most quintessential of Canadian sites? And, how does their presence alter the touristic encounter for both Canadian and Japanese visitors? The presence of Japanese interpreters at the site will thus be used to interrogate notions of the production of knowledge about ‘the other’, as well as pointing to the creation of new narratives about cultural tourism, challenging traditional notions of heritage and authenticity.     

Cruise visitors' experience in a Mediterranean port of call

This study aims to provide a better understanding on cruise travel experience by studying cruise ship passengers motivation, satisfaction and likelihood of return to the port of Heraklion (Crete, Greece). From the findings, it is evident that ‘exploration’ and ‘escape’ were among the main motivations of visitors, and ‘product and services’ as well as ‘tour pace’ were significant dimensions in shaping overall satisfaction levels. Nevertheless, onshore activities were restricted to sightseeing and shopping, because of the limited available time. Based on these findings, relevant proposals are made in order to provide positive port experiences. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Big mountain,big name: globalised relations of risk in Himalayan mountaineering

The paper explores how visitors' perception of a destination's heritage management affects satisfaction with actual visits to the sites and overall perception of the destination's cultural image, using Macao as the case setting. The study will also look at how site visit satisfaction influences the intention to revisit and recommend to others. The findings indicated that perception of the quality of heritage interpretation was significantly associated with destination cultural image and site visit satisfaction. However, associations between site visit satisfaction and intention to revisit and recommend were weak. The findings also led to a discussion on whether the labels ‘cultural’ versus ‘non-cultural’ tourists remain stable over time.     

A cross-cultural study of on-site film-tourism experiences among Chinese,Japanese, Taiwanese and Thai visitors to the Daejanggeum Theme Park,South Korea

There has been a growing research interest in the film-tourism phenomenon and its associated film tourist motivations, expectations and experiences at filmed locations of popular media programmes, in particular, in film and television series. However, with some exceptions, research into non-Anglophone linguistic and cultural settings remains relatively unexplored. There is also a lack of cross-cultural studies of film tourists’ experience in this research area. This current study addresses this gap and contributes to the existing film-tourism literature by examining the impact of nationality on film tourists’ actual experiences. The study looks at those experiences at filmed locations associated with Daejanggeum, a Korean historical television drama in the inter-Asian context. Adopting a structured survey questionnaire, the primary research data were collected at the Daejanggeum Theme Park (the main filming location of Daejanggeum in South Korea) among international visitors mainly from China, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand. Exploratory factor analysis identifies three salient dimensions to the film-tourism experiences, namely, ‘novelty and prestige’, ‘beyond screen experiences and re-enactment’, and ‘intimacy and memory’. In addition, it is empirically suggested that nationality does affect film tourist's on-site experiences. These findings provide important implications for destination marketers in relation to film-tourism destination development and experience design and management.     

The inner struggle of visiting ‘dark tourism’ sites: examining the relationship between perceived constraints and motivations

Numerous conflicting factors impact the tourism decision process especially as it relates to dark tourism, that is, tourism that focuses on mortality. This research examines the relationships among constraints and motivational factors that affect tourists’ decision to visit the Memorial of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre in China. Seven dimensions of constraints were revealed with the most important factor being an interest in other leisure activities. Of the three motivational factors discovered, the obligation the respondents feel to visit the site was discovered to be the most important. The major contribution of this research is its analysis of the relationship between motivations and constraints and the discovery that there are both positive and negative relationships between constraint and motivation factors. The most important finding may be that an increase in curiosity motivation may result in a decrease in disinterest constraints but an increase in the strength of the constraint of Chinese cultural perspectives on death and taboos. The findings suggest that the most effective marketing might not focus too much on the development of curiosity but on other motives, such as obligation and education.     

Valuing natural heritage: park visitors' values related to World Heritage sites in the USA

The World Heritage Convention rests on the assumption that World Heritage sites hold value for people globally and that these values promote protection of sites. This study focuses on natural sites, selected for environmental significance. All World Heritage sites are also supposed to be of ‘outstanding universal value’, with a variety of values attributed to them in World Heritage and other documents, including aesthetic, cultural and spiritual values. This study investigates via a survey whether such values are recognized by visitors to natural sites in the USA, and how useful they are for generating support for sites. Most visitors appreciated sites primarily for their environmental importance; a minority recognized other values listed in World Heritage documents, even though most visitors had little understanding of the Convention itself. In general, recognition of World Heritage status did not translate into greater protection or support for sites beyond what they already receive as national parks, even though most visitors and park personnel were supportive of World Heritage goals. For a minority of visitors, the global framework in which the World Heritage Convention operates had negative connotations, owing to questions of how ultimate responsibility for sites should be divided between national and international scales.     

Experiencing ‘natural’ heritage

There have been a number of studies conducted on visitation patterns to the Wet Tropics rainforest in north-east Queensland, Australia. However, little has been undertaken in exploring the visitors' attitudes and behaviours (based on activities pursued) in the rainforest, and their ‘experience’ of this World Heritage environment. This papers sets out to advance research in this area by drawing on over 1000 surveys conducted with domestic and international visitors in various sites in the rainforest throughout 2008. Broad trends emerged that when on-site, visitors demonstrated a propensity to learn from the environmental and cultural information relevant to these rainforest sites. In terms of activities, visitors participated in a range of passive and active rainforest activities, the most popular of which included rainforest walks (76.4% of respondents), viewing scenery (72.6%) and viewing wildlife (59.3%). The significance of these findings is that they deepen our understanding of how ‘natural’ heritage visitor sites are gazed upon, experienced and consumed by visitors.     

Evaluating heritage: tourists and holiday visits to heritage sites

This paper analyses ‘top of the mind’ evaluations of respondents who had visited three cultural heritage sites in New Zealand. Unlike many studies, this paper reports data derived from answers written to open-ended questions. The research sought to assess to what extent respondents are purposeful seekers of knowledge, or alternatively are simply seeking experiences that contribute to an overall satisfying visit and to their holiday experiences. While it may be suggested that the needs for relaxation, social bonding and knowledge lead to an evaluation of sites via the importance tourists attributed to factors such as uniqueness, it is found that, for the majority of tourists, uniqueness is either given little importance or is engaged with in shallow ways. The visit to the site is hence evaluated by the contribution it makes to enjoyable holiday-taking, rather than holidaymaking.     

Millennials’ travel motivations and desired activities within destinations: A comparative study of the US and the UK

Millennials are one of the largest groups to be targeted by tourism companies. This paper compares the travel motivations of Millennials from both the United States and the United Kingdom by ratings, rankings and perceptual structures of both push and pull factors. This exploratory study used a questionnaire to examine the inner motivations (e.g. push factors) and preferred destination activities (e.g. pull factors) of American and British Millennials (n?=?322). Data analysis included the non-parametric Mann–Whitney U test, Kendall’s coefficient of concordance, an alternating least-squares algorithm (ALSCAL) model and ordinal regression. The results reveal that American and British Millennials are quite homogeneous in their push travel motivations and destination activity preferences. The most important motivational factors for both are ‘to relax’ and ‘to escape from the ordinary’. Both nationalities also agree that the most attractive destination activities are ‘to try local food’ and ‘to go sightseeing’. The findings indicate that the US and UK samples are similar and that there is room for segmentation according to demographics.     

Planning for stingray tourism at Hamelin Bay,Western Australia: the importance of stakeholder perspectives

Stingray tourism continues to be developed at various locations around the world with the concept being marketed on television travel programmes, documentaries, internet sites and travel brochures. Food provisioned stingray tourism, for example, now attracts some 100 000 visitors a year to ‘tingray city’ in the Caymen Islands. At Hamelin Bay in southwest Western Australia, up to 16 large stingrays (Dasyatis brevicaudata and Dasyatis thetidis) and numerous eaglerays (Myliobatis australis) are fed by visitors from the waters edge. This study reports on stakeholder perspectives relating to tourism development and potential management of the Hamelin Bay site. From the results of this study it is clear that there is sufficient interest in stingray tourism (by all the stakeholders surveyed) to develop Hamelin Bay as a permanent feeding site. Visitors on average gave their experience with the rays a satisfaction value of 8.9 out of 10. Twenty‐five per cent of visitors surveyed did not want commercialisation, tour groups or excessive visitor numbers. Their main concern was that the health and safety of the rays may deteriorate with an increase of visitors if the situation is not managed correctly. Visitors desire to be educated about the rays, and how to best interact with them safely. Visitors also acknowledged that the site needs management through more signs, information and a management plan. Management for the site is therefore likely to be best implemented through the application of signage, development of guidelines/codes of conduct, protection of the rays and zoning the beach according to specific recreational purposes. Management regimes should also use various indicators to monitor the impacts of stingray tourism at Hamelin Bay. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Resident perception of dark tourism impact: the case of Beichuan County,China

ABSTRACT

‘Dark tourism’ has become an accepted terminology in tourism academics, but there are omissions in its research. Often it concentrates on the nature of the event and the psychological consequences for tourist. Rarely has the research considered ideas of the local residents. This study thus examines the perceptions and attitudes of local residents. Beichuan County in Sichuan Province of China, where the Great Sichuan Earthquake occurred in 2008, was considered as the research site. Survey questionnaires were undertaken in site plus the use of the web to capture the views of younger family members no longer working in the immediate area. The total sample numbered 516 respondents. Analyses indicated that in the dark tourism contexts residents’ perceptions of tourism impacts confirm the three traditional dimensions – economical, socio-cultural and environmental; residents tended to form positive attitudes towards dark tourism development. ANOVAs particularly found that no differences existed in the perceptions and attitudes towards dark tourism development among people who had experienced different levels of sufferings or economic losses. Such observations help to solve the debates between the proponents and opponents of dark tourism. Based on the findings, discussions and dialogues with the literature are provided.     

Heritage and cultural tourism: the role of the aesthetic when visiting Mỹ Sơn and Cham Museum,Vietnam

Research on motivations and perceptions of tourists at a cultural heritage site is not rare but the personal and aesthetic context of visitors’ experiences have been neglected in much of the literature on cultural tourist attraction management. Using qualitative methods, this study explores the nature of demand for heritage tourism with particular attention to the appreciation gained by visitors of indigenous Cham culture, its arts of exotic sculptures, and its monuments and architecture. These dimensions describe an evolutionary experience of place that moves some tourists from a position of relatively shallow interest to an almost spiritual position due in some part to the role of the aesthetic that rises from landscape and dance.     

Tourism: a sacred journey? The case of ashram tourism,India

Religious tourism — tourism that is motivated by faith or religious reasons — has been in evidence for centuries. In more recent times, however, it has been suggested that modern tourism has become the functional and symbolic equivalent of more traditional religious practices, such as festivals and pilgrimages. In other words, it is claimed by some that tourism is a sacred journey. To date, however, little work has been undertaken to explore this position; the purpose of this paper, therefore, is to contribute to this debate. Based on an exploratory study, it considers the motivations and experiences of Western tourists visiting the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the nearby utopian township of Auroville in Pondicherry, south east India. It identifies two principal groups of visitors, namely ‘permanent tourists’ who have immersed themselves indefinitely in a spiritual ‘Other’, and temporary visitors. The latter are categorised into sub‐groups which point to a variety of spiritual and non‐spiritual motives. The paper concludes that there is a continuum of spirituality inherent in tourism, though this is related to tourists' experience rather than initial motivation. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Regional destination image perception of tourists within a winescape context

This study's purpose is to conceptualise a wine regional destination's perceived image, in the process integrating multiple theories such as servicescape, place-based and destination choice. The research (n?=?334 respondents) outlines the conceptualisation of a wine region destination's image in the form of a winescape framework as perceived by visitors. The winescape construct is identified within a framework of eight dimensions for a well-known US wine region. The most important winescape dimension is the natural beauty/geographical setting. The first-time and repeat visit dynamic impacts upon visitors' wine tourism behaviour and perception of the region's winescape. For in-state and out-of-state-based visitors there are pronounced differences in their perception of the region's winescape dimensions. Increasing distance from the destination region is pivotal in the perception of the winescape dimensions. The decision to engage in wine tourism is seemingly impulsive from a timing viewpoint, and the motivations guiding the visitors' behaviour are mainly of a hedonic nature.     

Travel motivations of Japanese senior travellers to Thailand

This study applies the conceptual framework of push and pull motivations to investigate travel motivations of Japanese senior travellers to Thailand. Using factor analysis, three push and four pull factor dimensions are identified. The three push factors are labelled ‘novelty and knowledge‐seeking’, ‘rest and relaxation’ and ‘ego‐enhancement’, while the four pull factors are ‘cultural and historical attractions’, ‘travel arrangements and facilities’, ‘shopping and leisure activities’ and ‘safety and cleanliness’. Among them, ‘novelty and knowledge‐seeking’ and ‘cultural and historical attractions’ are regarded as the most important push and pull factors respectively. The results of multiple regression analysis indicate that psychological well‐being (i.e. positive affect) and education are the two factors influencing travel motivations of Japanese senior travellers to Thailand. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Exploring the experience value of museum visitors as a co-creation process

Museums’ visitors can play an active role both during and after the visit that will allow them to shape a significant experience. The present work explores this role of the visitor as co-creator of experiences. Prior knowledge and interest enable visitors to participate and interact during the visit, all of which basically allows them to build a more intense experience in those areas that require their involvement. It is these more active experiences, and only these, which drive the individual’s intention to continue participating actively after the visit, seeking information and revisiting the museum, following it on social networks and making recommendations on opinion pages.     

Conviviality and everyday life: the appeal of new areas of London for visitors

Literature on tourism development in converted cities or new districts of polycentric cities emphasises planned processes to create attractions, often resulting in standardised tourism zones. The demands and experience of tourists themselves have been neglected. Qualitative research with overseas visitors to new tourism areas suggests that character and sense of place that visitors enjoy derives from a combination of unlike elements, ‘lashed up’ to create a distinctive place, in which everyday life plays an important role. Rather than familiar stories of conflict between ‘hosts’ and ‘guests’, the emphasis in some areas is on conviviality among different groups of city users. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.