Sustainability indicators for managing community tourism

The purpose of this study is to develop indicators to measure community tourism development (CTD) within a sustainable framework. In order to develop such objective indicators, this study employed a modified Delphi technique. A panel of 38 academic researchers in tourism provided input into developing the indicators. After three rounds of discussion, the panel members reached consensus on the following set of 125 indicators: political (32), social (28), ecological (25), economic (24), technological (3), and cultural dimensions (13) for CTD. This set of sustainable tourism indicators can serve as a starting-point for devising a set of indicators at the local and regional level. Further study shall develop a set of sustainable indicators relying on communities’ distinctive characteristics and employing indicator experts from the social and physical sciences and from all stakeholder groups, including residents of the host community, industry experts, government planners, policy-makers and non-governmental organizations [United Nations (2001). Managing sustainable tourism development: ESCAP tourism review, No. 22. New York, NY: UN].     

An Examination of Changes in Residents' Perceptions of Tourism Impacts Over Time: The Impact of Residents' Socio-demographic Characteristics

This study investigates whether there has been a change in residents' perceptions of various tourism impacts over time and the impact of residents' socio-demographic characteristics on those changes. A survey of local residents (n?=?732 in 2004 and n?=?590 in 2009) was carried out for collecting the data for this study which was then followed by focus groups, conducted in 2012, consisting of academics, local residents and the tourism experts to validate the outcome from the survey. The results suggest that there has been significant increase in the level of agreement of the Sunshine Coast residents during this period on some of the tourism impacts such as job creation, attracting more investment, providing more business for local people and more cultural exchange between tourists and residents. The results also suggest that there is a significant decline in their perceptions of tourism negatively affecting the way of living of local residents and likelihood of residents suffering from living in a tourism destination. The residents also feel that there will be a decline in parks and other recreational areas for local residents with growth in tourism. The study also found that demographic variables such as age, gender, income, education and occupation are likely to influence residents' perceptions of tourism impact over time. Implications for future tourism development plans for the region are discussed.     

Communicating risk to tourists: A mental models approach to identifying gaps and misperceptions

This study compares the perspectives of government agencies, academic experts, and tourism suppliers on providing tourists with tsunami risk information. Previous studies highlight that government agencies are often in charge of developing tourism-oriented risk communication plans; academic experts are recognized as having a more in-depth understanding of the technical aspects of a risk, as well as the hazard development and potential effects; and tourism suppliers play a fundamental role during the risk communication process, due to direct connection with the tourists. However, tourists are often found to be insufficiently informed about risks and warning systems. We use the Mental Models approach, aiming to analyze the communication between the aforementioned categories of stakeholders. We carried out interviews and conducted field trips in Japan between April and December of 2018. Results highlight an increased general awareness regarding tourists' preparedness, poorly supported by risk-communication gaps, misperceptions, and a lack of efficacy analyses.     

Comparisons of stakeholder perceptions of tourism impacts in rural eastern North Carolina

The purpose of this study was to discover if differences in perceptions of tourism's impacts on a rural community existed between four stakeholder groups in eastern North Carolina: residents, entrepreneurs, government officials, and tourists. Data were collected from stakeholders using a mail-back questionnaire, which included nine Likert-style questions inquiring about attitudes and perceptions of tourism development in the community. To discover if differences existed, an ANOVA test was conducted for each question, followed by a Scheffe test to determine which groups were different. The analysis indicated that there were differences in the perception of tourism impacts between stakeholder groups. More specifically, the results of the ANOVA test indicated that there were statistically significant differences between stakeholder groups for seven of the nine questions. Differences were identified between the entrepreneurs and government officials, residents and governmental officials, residents and entrepreneurs, and residents and tourists.     

Factors influencing social capital in rural tourism communities in South Korea

This study aimed to identify the factors influencing social capital as it affects community conflict management for community residents in rural tourism villages. An on-site survey consisting of self-administered questionnaires was conducted with residents of rural tourism communities. These self-administered surveys were obtained from 380 community residents in the study area. A factor-clustering method identified distinct segments: high social capital (52%) and low social capital (47.7%). The estimation of a binary logistic regression model determined the characteristics of community residents who were most likely to be associated with each type of social capital. Results indicated that fruit, vegetable and rice farmers who also operated farm-stay businesses and rural activity programmes for tourists had the most social. We suggest that certain types of government policy programmes are helpful for increasing social capital and managing community conflicts by means of involvement in the tourism business.     

Aggravated fragmentation: A case study of SME behaviour in two emerging heritage tourism regions

This paper investigates the behaviour of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) within the heritage tourism supply chain (HTSC), in two emerging heritage regions. SMEs are conceptualised as implementers, working within the constraints of government level tourism structures and the heritage tourism supply chain. The research employs a case study approach, focusing on two emerging regions in Northern Ireland. In-depth interviews were carried out with small business owners and community associations operating within the regions. The research identifies SME dissatisfaction with the supply chain and the processes in place for the delivery of the tourism product. To overcome the perceived inadequacies of the heritage tourism supply chain SMEs engage in entrepreneurial behaviour by attempting to deliver specific products and services to meet the need of tourists. The challenge for tourism organisations is how they can integrate the entrepreneurial, innovative activities of SMEs into the heritage tourism system.     

The role of family decision makers in festival tourism

This study assessed the role of family decision makers in participating in a festival according to five stages of festival participation. A survey process was conducted using two sampling groups: the sample for families with children and the sample for families without children. According to the results of the study, a number of marketing implications were generated. For example, the husband was revealed to more actively join transportation-related activities including driving, deciding travel routes, automobile safety checks, and filling up with gasoline. The wife was a strong decision maker in selecting restaurants or menus in the festival tourism management process. Likewise, the role of the wife is very significant, from suggesting the festival participation at the first stage to determining a revisit to the festival at the last stage. However, the children or joint decision-making patterns were not distinctive as they are said to be in other tourism literature. Findings of the study are expected to offer valuable insights for all festival stakeholders including festival vendors, local government, local residents, and festival organizers.     

The Influence of Food Expenditure on Tourist Response to Festival Tourism: Expenditure Perspective

Festival tourism, which combines the theme of a festival with the local characteristics of an area, has become an extremely attractive marketing method in recent years. In addition, local food and beverages are items that many visitors enjoy consuming and that can become attractions in their own right. The aims of this study are: (a) based on expenditure theory, to explore how spending on food and beverages and other items such as accommodations and transportation influences intentions to revisit and make positive recommendation; and (b) to examine whether or not tourists with different lifestyles use or experience different sources of information, evaluation criteria and travel expenses. A questionnaire survey was conducted using visitors to the 2009 Penghu Sea fireworks festival, and 308 valid samples were collected. The results were as follows. First, food and beverages had a significant positive influence on revisit and recommendation intentions. Second, the total expenditure on a tourist visit had a significantly negative effect on revisit and recommendation intentions. Third, there were statistically significant differences with regard to information searching, evaluation criteria and tourism expenditure among tourists with different lifestyles. Based on these results, we can conclude that food and beverage expenditure during festival tourism is an important factor in whether or not tourists plan to revisit an area and recommend it to others. The findings also show that more tourists can be attracted if festivals are well suited to local conditions and characteristics (such as the availability of seafood in the example examined in this work).     

Constructing an intangible cultural heritage experiencescape: The case of the Feast of the Drunken Dragon (Macau)

Given the minimal attention that researchers have given to how various stakeholders contribute to festival experiencescapes in destination settings, this paper examines how an intangible cultural heritage (ICH) experiencescape is constructed, focusing on a local- and national-level listed heritage item in Macau. In-depth stakeholder interviews are conducted to identify involvement in the event by government officials, organizers, performers, shop owners and tourists. Organizers and performers were found to play key roles in delivering experiences and the researchers determined that participation by most visitors is spontaneous. Government plays a supporting and coordinating role, with local community representatives engaging actively in operational aspects. The participation by local shop owners in creating the experiencescape is modest. This study contributes to knowledge by proposing an ICH experiencescape framework that conveys a multidimensional “-scape” concept, and shows the progressive formation and refinement of experiences before, during, and after visitation.     

Tea tourism development in Xinyang,China: Stakeholders' view

Tea continues to be a popular beverage in the world. As a new niche tourism market, tea tourism has developed both in China and many other countries for decades, but academic research has lagged behind tea tourism development. This paper focuses on stakeholders' views of tourism development, their potential roles and concerns in the case of tea tourism in Xinyang prefecture of central China. Interviews and open ended questionnaires were conducted in 2007 and 2008. Qualitative analysis indicates the following: 1) According to stakeholders' view, tea tourism development in Xinyang failed despite many good tea tourism attractions, and better tea tourism planning, marketing and collaboration between stakeholders in Xinyang is required for successful tea tourism development; 2) Local government, tea garden owners, media, travel agencies and tea tourists are thought to be the principal stakeholders with different roles to develop tea tourism; 3) Collaboration between stakeholders is crucial for tea tourism development. The implications of the findings are discussed with a view to permit recommendations to be made.     

Wellness tourism and spatial stigma: A case study of Bama,China

This study focused on the stigmatisation of an emerging wellness tourism destination due to patient travel for tourism. The concept of spatial stigma was adopted to explore how local residents perceive, experience and manage the particular negative effects of wellness tourism. The study investigated Bama Yao Autonomous County, colloquially known as ‘Bama’, in China, to which many tourists with cancer and other chronic diseases travel. The results showed that the influx of wellness tourists brought significant challenges in this area. The residents reported ambivalent experiences of and feelings about wellness tourism in local communities, and disagreed with the vilification of wellness tourists. However, they were concerned about the potential consequences of wellness tourism. To manage and resist spatial stigma, the residents deliberately separated themselves from the places occupied by wellness tourists. The theoretical contributions and managerial implications of the study are discussed.     

Holiday Home Owners,a Route to Sustainable Tourism Development? An Economic Analysis of Tourist Expenditure Data

Although sustainable tourism comprises economic, social and environmental aspects, economic analysis has been less evident in the literature. This paper takes an economic perspective to evaluate the contribution of holiday home owners to a local economy. Tourism destinations which are at the mature stages of the tourism lifecycle wish to maximise revenue from tourism while minimising costs such as overcrowding. A prime objective has to be to attract the more economically valuable tourists. In this paper an analysis of North Wexford in Ireland poses questions such as: How does the holiday home owners’ expenditure in the local area compare to that of traditional tourists? Do they purchase different types of goods? What levels of local expenditure do holiday home owners engage in for the upkeep or development of their second properties? What are the implications of these findings? The results show that there are clear economic benefits for an area that people deem attractive enough to build or purchase a holiday home in. This type of tourist has a high annual spend relative to other tourists and much of this expenditure seems to be concentrated in the local area. These findings need to be incorporated into the broader debate regarding the advantages and disadvantages of holiday home owners and the possibility of them comprising a route to sustainable development for local tourist areas.     

Determinants of tourism ticket pricing for ancient villages and towns: Case studies from Jiangsu,Zhejiang, Shanghai and Anhui provinces

Tourism in ancient villages and towns represents a typical form of heritage tourism in rural China. It has always been regarded as an effective way to promote cultural heritage protection and rural community development. However, this type of tourism involves many stakeholders with different interests and demands, which sometimes results in conflicts. In the process of protecting against heritage and tourism exploitation, tourism in ancient villages and towns can face numerous challenges. Among these is the mode of ticket pricing, which directly relates to the interests of each stakeholder, and problems of competing demands that may become the focus of disputes. Through field research and inductive analysis of the ancient villages and towns in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Anhui provinces, four kinds of ticket pricing is identified: (a) the fully enclosed charge mode with a single-ticket ticket system for whole scenic spots; (b) the half-closed charge mode with binding ticket system for some consumption items; (c) the half-opened charge mode with limited ticket system for some self-operated scenic spots; and (d) the fully opened charge mode with a free ticket system for the whole scenic spots.By comparing the similarities and differences of typical ancient villages and towns that have adopted differing charge modes, we conclude that resource grade, local condition, tourism market factors (e.g., size, range), product orientation, business value, participation of residents and profit model are the potential influencing factors for these modes. Resource grade and regional condition are two objective factors. The remaining five factors are subjective and are connected with interests of the four main stakeholders: the tourists visiting the ancient villages and towns; external merchants; community residents; and companies that are responsible for tourism management.From the four related stakeholders' behavioral responses to different ticket charge modes, we can see that the enclosed charges will affect tourists entering the ancient villages and towns, thus impeding foreign merchants' participation and strengthening each local company's dependence on tickets. Open charges will be more convenient in allowing visitors to enter the ancient towns and villages, and will attract foreign merchants to join in and thus increase cooperation with residents. The various stakeholders therefore have an influence on ticket charge mode, and the final choice about the mode is the result of balancing their competing rights and interests. The implications of each is discussed.     

Residents’ quality of life and attitudes toward tourism development in China

The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of quality of life (QOL) and residential status on resident attitudes toward further tourism development. The measurement of tourism and quality of life (TQOL) is modified. Using a sample of 562 residents from Shenzhen OCT community of China, this study has identified six TQOL domains and examines the effects of each TQOL domains based on the residential status and residents' attitudes in supporting further tourism development. The results reveal that the positive supporting attitudes of residents depends on the selected TQOL domains, especially on non-material improvements of TQOL. Tenants and dormitory residents have more positive attitudes than those house owners. This study also identifies four resident clusters with different attitudes and it is found that the residents’ attitudes of tourism development depend on whether they perceive the community as a place for earning a living or a place to live.     

The perceived impact of tourism by residents a case study in Santa Marta,Colombia

Studies of the local population's perception of tourism impact are useful in setting up programs to minimize friction between tourists and residents, and in formulating plans to gain resident support of tourist ventures. This study identifies the positive and negative aspects of tourism as perceived by the Santa Marta residents, and the influence of selected variables on resident response. It is hypothesized that the perception of tourist impact varies with the distance a person lives from the tourist zone and with the resident's socio-economic status. It is found that despite the perception of some serious negative aspects, Santa Marta residents consider the overall impact of tourism to be beneficial. They want their government to offer more economic incentives and eliminate any restrictive measures in order to stimulate tourism in the area. The positive attitudes of the Santa Marta residents toward tourism may be a function of the incipient stage of tourism development in this area.     

Present-centered dialogue with heritage representations

This study aims to examine heritage representations of a metropolitan city in the United States, using a dialogical present-centered approach. Heritage themes and icons contextualized by the local agencies are identified. Views of a purposeful stratified sample of local residents are sought. Statistically significant differences in perceptions and level of connectedness to heritage expressions and icons are determined between the Whites (the mainstream population), the Hispanics and the Asians. Information is also elicited on preferred themes and images that hold potential to showcase local heritage in an equitable manner to heritage tourists. Traces of heritage dissonance and societal exclusion are identified and proactive dialogical initiatives are suggested that portray meaningful present-centered public heritage representations to promote sustainable heritage tourism.     

Applying Fuzzy Multiple Criteria Decision Making approach to establish safety-management system for hot spring hotels

Taiwan’s hot spring tourism has been booming for decades. In this study, a new procedure using a Fuzzy Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) integrated with a linguistic scale is proposed to set up measurable indicators and determine their weights for safety management in hot spring hotels. Twelve experts, including five professors, four hoteliers, and three officials, were invited to participate in this survey. To aggregate the results, water supply system gains the most weight (.426), followed by the bathing space design (.391) and maintenance system (.307). The main contributions of this paper are: (1) to integrate the Fuzzy MCDM with linguistic scale that converts the subjective cognitions of groups including scholars, owners and officials into a set of objective safety management indicators for hot spring hotels, and (2) to provide the governments and hoteliers with criteria to formulate reasonable regulations for hot springs tourism in terms of safety management.     

The evolution of a festival : Creole Christmas in New Orleans

Creole Christmas is a month-long festival created in 1986 to boost the fortunes of the tourism industry in New Orleans during the lowest point in the season. This is a case study about the development of the festival and the economic impact it has had on the tourism community in the city. An evaluation of the festival shows that it has turned out to be a success in economic terms but the social and cultural benefits have not yet been proven. The success of the festival can be traced to the cooperation between the major constituents of the tourism industry such as the city government, the hospitality industry and the merchants and residents of New Orleans.     

生态节事活动投射形象与感知形象的差异研究——以2019北京世界园艺博览会为例

生态节事活动的成功举办与形象传播对建设生态城市、弘扬生态文明理念具有重要意义。以2019北京世界园艺博览会为案例,基于"投射形象-感知形象"的分析框架,运用内容分析、对应分析、成分分析方法,评估了典型生态节事活动的形象投射与感知差异。研究发现：（1）北京世园会形象可以划分为旅游吸引物、环境与地方氛围、设施与服务、旅游体验4个维度。（2）投射形象与感知形象仅在旅游吸引物维度方向差异小,在环境与地方氛围、设施与服务、旅游体验维度方向差异大。（3）投射形象与感知形象在旅游体验、环境与地方氛围维度上成分差异大;在旅游吸引物和设施与服务维度,投射形象内部存在明显分异,反映在官方微博的投射形象与感知形象成分差异大,设施与服务维度官方公众号的投射形象与感知形象成分差异大。（4）北京世园会努力建构的绿色生态的环境与地方氛围在游客感知层面接受度较差,核心原因是供需两侧的目标、需求与策略的不匹配。本研究对北京世园会投射形象与感知形象的方向差异与成分差异进行了重点分析,揭示了其在不同主题维度的区别化特征。这有助于促进生态节事活动的科学化、精细化评估,为其形象传播效果提升提供支持。     

Local arts agency participation in cultural tourism management

The tourism literature does not consider the role of the local arts agency in destination management. This paper explores the extent to which local arts agencies engage in programming and partnerships related to the development of tourism. It proposes that participation in cultural tourism management is determined by both organizational and environmental characteristics. Drawing on a national survey of local arts agencies, the analysis compares survey measures of these characteristics to estimate their influence on the likelihood that agencies are involved in cultural tourism programming. Two-thirds of subject local arts agencies report that their organization is currently working or partnering in programming aimed at cultural tourism. Smaller agencies with a range of programs are more likely to have adopted the innovation. Agencies responsible for management of a cultural facility develop audiences through cultivation of tourists.