Keep it real: Assessing destination image congruence and its impact on tourist experience evaluations

Inaccurate promotional information about tourist destinations may result in tourists' negative evaluations. This study proposes a new approach to measure the congruence between projected and received images of a destination's attractions. Based on online textual data, this study investigates how image congruence influences tourists' evaluations of their destination experiences. Using promotional messages and reviews of attractions in Hainan, China obtained from a leading Chinese online travel agency (Ctrip) and a three-way fixed-effects regression model, this study demonstrates that image congruence positively affects tourists' appraisal of their destination experiences. External crises (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic), the readability of promotional messages, and tourists' expertise moderate this relationship, reducing the positive impact of image congruence on tourist experience evaluation. This study bridges theoretical and empirical gaps in destination image (in)congruence research, informing tourism marketing agencies of effective promotional strategies in different contexts.     

Bundling attractions for rural tourism development

Tourism is often regarded as a viable solution to economic crisis, especially for remote areas without many development options. While many tourism destinations have strong cultural or heritage assets, not all destinations have primary attractions that can bring visitors to the region. Rather than developing special interest “themes”, rural areas that do not have enough of any one type of tourism resource to act as a primary draw may consider bundling different attraction types to increase visitation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the preferences of visitors to secondary heritage sites and explore the relationship between heritage tourism and alternative, non-heritage activities in rural areas. Findings revealed that motivation to visit small-scale heritage sites consisted of two dimensions: learning and recreation. The two motivational dimensions influenced visitors’ interest in different heritage attractions and likelihood of visiting heritage tourism “scenarios”. As for alternative activities, there was a cluster of “popular” activities that were enjoyed by both learning-oriented and recreation-oriented respondents, but recreation-oriented visitors were more interested in nature-based activities and sport-related activities than learning-oriented visitors. Findings can help rural communities improve secondary attractions and diversify their tourism product by bundling heritage attractions with non-heritage activities.     

A framework of tourist attraction research

Although tourist attractions are fundamental to the very existence of tourism, there have been few attemps to come to terms with the breadth of approaches that have been employed in their study. An examination of research methods used in the study of tourist attractions and the tourist attractiveness of places reveals that most studies can be classified into one or more of three general perspectives: the ideographic listing, the organization, and the tourist cognition of attractions. Each of these perspectives shares a distinct set of questions concerning the nature of the attractions, as expressed through the typologies used in their evaluation. At the same time, all three perspectives make comparisons based on the historical, locational, and various valuational aspects of attractions. This framework can be applied in the comparison and evaluation of tourist attraction related research.     

Antecedents and consequences of destination image gap

The purpose of this study is to examine the antecedents that explain changes to the image that first-time tourists have (pre- and post-visit image gap) of a destination and its impact on satisfaction and loyalty through the design and validation of a model. The research has been carried out using a sample of 411 tourists in Tenerife (Spain). The involvement with the trip, the time dedicated to the search for information, and the number of attractions visited influence the change in cognitive image. The factors that explain the time spent searching for information are uncertainty, involvement, and duration and intensity of the visit. The positive gap in the image generates greater satisfaction, which has a positive impact in the loyalty.     

江苏省乡村旅游地空间分布及其影响因素研究

本文以江苏省657家星级乡村旅游地为研究样本,综合运用最邻近指数、核密度估计、缓冲区分析、地理探测器等多种空间分析与统计方法,探究江苏省乡村旅游地空间分布特征及其影响因素。研究结果表明：（1）江苏省乡村旅游地呈集聚分布,在苏北地区呈单核心空间分布,在苏中、苏南地区连绵呈环状分布格局。（2）江苏省乡村旅游地具有“沿路傍水” “环城近景”的分布特征,100万城镇人口是乡村旅游地集聚发展的门槛,大城市周边更容易形成乡村旅游地聚集区。（3）单因子探测结果发现,江苏省乡村旅游地空间分布受多种因素的综合影响,其中经济因素影响程度最高,其次是自然因素和社会因素。（4）双因子交互探测结果显示,经济、社会、自然因素间的交叉作用显著性突出,空气质量与第一产业是乡村旅游地发展的前提条件,交通运输是基础性保障因素,邻近拥有富裕客源的大城市是促使乡村旅游地集聚发展的根本原因。研究结果可为区域乡村旅游产业的布局优化与可持续发展提供参考。     

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。     

The search for vernacular identity: Maratha temples in Maharashtra,India

The vernacular architectural tradition of Maratha temples in Maharashtra is an unexplored asset for cultural and heritage tourism. Based on a conceptual framework that is embedded in historical circumstances, this paper presents and analyses three major problems that have hampered the tourism potential of Maratha temples: viz. the lack of canonization from governments at various levels; the conflicts and contradictions of Hindu nationalism for promoting identifiable tourist attractions; and lack of infrastructure and investment to bolster the hybrid architectural identity and visual character of Maratha temples. It is suggested that the ambiguities intrinsic to Maratha temple architecture result out of disparate socio-cultural and architectural influences and create ideal circumstances for an authentic vernacular experience.     

多主体视角下广府庙会的形象表征及差异

随着互联网发展,节事形象的表征主体日益丰富。现有关于旅游形象的研究多从主客.视角出发,忽略了对媒介形象的考察。本文以广府庙会为案例,选取涉入群体的访谈材料和媒介文本进行分析。研究发现:广府庙会的表征可划分为政策偏好、定位功能、产品策划、氛围环境及地点场所5个维度;主办方对广府庙会的表征可以看作官方建构的投射形象,参与者的表征是其对广府庙会的感知形象,投射形象与感知形象之间存在一定差异;媒介在主办方与参与者之间起到联结作用,媒介形象成为投射形象与感知形象之间的过渡形象。     

旅游吸引物权不可统一立法之辨析

旅游吸引物在旅游学上属于一个集合概念, 在法律上没有相关规定, 但不同属性的旅游吸引物作为个体在《物权法》上的权属性质往往是有法可循的。文章运用物权法理论, 结合新颁布的《旅游法》, 分析几个典型旅游吸引物的权属, 试图澄清几个与此相关的问题, 论证设立旅游吸引物权、为之统一立法的不合理性和不可行性, 并进一步提出充分运用《合同法》、《旅游法》以及相关法律解释等现有法律规定, 解决农村土地旅游开发中社区权益保护问题, 而不是简单地采取修改法律的方式解决此类问题。     

The Influence of Service Quality on the Positioning of Five Star Hotels—The Case of the Lisbon Area

Abstract

Tourism in Portugal has expanded very rapidly over the last decades. At present, it accounts for about 8% of the GDP and directly employs more than 300,000 people. The growing numbers of arrivals in Portugal have also led to a rapid expansion of the hotel industry. However, this expansion has been followed by some worrying drops in the occupancy rates of five star hotels. Fierce competition has then become one of the cornerstones of the Portuguese hotel industry. Research conducted in the field of market positioning has highlighted the importance of understanding the preferences attributed by consumers to a given product (“perception”) and how and why products and services are evaluated and purchased. Based on research conducted recently among tour operators and business companies, this paper will look at the way in which service quality influences the positioning of five star hotels. The analysis and conclusions presented in the paper offer grounds for discussion about the way in which five star hotels located in the Portuguese capital and in the surrounding area may improve their image, attract larger numbers of tourists and, as a result of this, prepare themselves for growing competition that has developed in Lisbon and its outskirts. Some of the findings are applicable to other European capitals.     

Experiencing culture in attractions,events and tour settings

This paper develops a measurement scale for cultural experiences across different contexts, including attractions, events and tours, in Hong Kong. Four dimensions of experience (cognitive, conative, affective and novelty) are identified through structural equation modelling. The scale is applied to compare visitor- and context-related influences on the experience and on subsequent behavioural intentions. We find that the conative dimension of experience elicits the highest experience scores from visitors, but affective experiences are more significant in distinguishing between different experience contexts and visitor groups. The strongest experiences were attributed to event contexts, followed by tours, and finally permanent attractions. The experience is also enhanced when various sites are combined by visitors to provide a ‘destination journey’.     

乡村节事旅游活动品牌形象的实证研究——以罗平油菜花节为例

乡村节事旅游成为地区经济发展的动力之一,但也面临着旅游目的地形象同质化的影响,亟需从产品竞争意识向品牌形象竞争意识转变.本文以罗平油菜花节为例,分析了该节事旅游活动在满足旅游者文化体验过程中的品牌形象问题,并利用SPSS15.0统计软件进行因子分析,得出了消费者关注的尊重度、熟悉度、关注度、归属度、信任度、忠诚度和发展度7个品牌形象因子,提出了改善罗平油菜花节品牌形象的对策建议.     

Barriers to offering special interest tour products to the Chinese outbound group market

As Chinese outbound tourists expand in numbers and diversity, they may seek more challenging special interest tourism (SIT) activities. Tourists' participation in SIT activities can be profitable to a wider range of providers, enhance destination image, and enrich tourists' experiences. This research investigated the opportunities for offering SIT products to the China outbound group market by interviewing 20 Chinese outbound tour operators to examine the extent of interest in developing the product as well as factors driving or hindering the development. Findings revealed four types of barriers that influence operators’ willingness to incorporate SIT activities in their product offerings. Drawing on a critical social theory approach that focuses on 'enlightenment' and 'critique', this paper argues the validity of these perceived barriers - operators are risk-averse for institutionalised practical, social, cultural, and policy-related reasons.     

Thanks for the memories: Exploring city tourism experiences via social media reviews

This study uses online reviews to explore memorable tourism experiences of tourists visiting different city attractions. Seeking to identify a collection of themes and concepts reflecting tourists' memorable experiences during their attraction visits, this study reveals the most shared tourism memories in cognitive-emotive-behavioral themes. By developing a matrix that categorizes tourist city attractions based on an ideographic approach, the study also argues that there are different types of tourist memorable experiences at different types of attractions (i.e., human-marker, nature-sight and human-sight tourist attractions). The findings extend previous understanding of the research in tourism experience and attractions by analyzing 156,986 TripAdvisor tourist reviews of the top ten most popular tourist attractions in London. This study also provides recommendations for destination management organizations and various city tourism stakeholders to plan, market and manage city tourism products and services.     

Resilience to crises of Thai MICE stakeholders: A longitudinal study of the destination image of Thailand as a MICE destination

The COVID-19 outbreak has changed rapidly the business operation and travel behavior of global communities and calls for research on resilience. This study aims to identify the changing destination image of Thailand as a MICE destination during crises and examine the resilience of Thai MICE stakeholders. A mixed method of qualitative and quantitative design was employed using interviews, observations and questionnaire surveys. A longitudinal study of Thai MICE stakeholders during 14 years revealed that the Buddhist concepts of resilience and Thainess contribute to psychological resilience. Buddhism and Thainess cultivate the concept of crisis concierge. Surveys showed unchanged image of exhibition facilities during the political instability. Thailand's incentive travel benefits from the availability of bleisure (a combination of business and leisure) attractions. Good value for money, Thai hospitality, bleisure attractions, and international standard venues are key resilient factors.     

Achieving Attraction Accountability Through an Attraction Response Matrix

Whereas investments in new attractions continue to rise within the theme park industry, knowledge regarding the effects of new attractions on theme park performance and attendance remains scarce. In order to predict the impact of new attractions on the performance of European theme parks, this article presents an Attraction Response Matrix (ARM). The Attraction Response Matrix offers an integrated framework in which research into the effects of new attractions can take place in a systematic manner. The ARM attempts to transform post priori knowledge into a priori knowledge by better understanding the impact of a new attraction and its' mediating causes. The main premise of the ARM is: “in situation A, attraction B will most likely have effect C on target audience D.” By performing research into the relevant effects within certain cells of the ARM and consecutively investigating the relationship between the various cells, a better insight will be gained in the working of new attractions. ARM is based on an extensive ZMET study conducted in The Netherlands.     

Ecotourism-related products and activities, and the economic sustainability of small and medium island chalets

Environment-related products and activities in the tourism industry are popular among visitors to Malaysia. Such is the case off the coast of East Peninsular Malaysia, where several coral islands offer various ecotourism activities. The present study examines the products and activities offered in the four islands and related issues on the economic sustainability of small and medium island chalets (SMICs). Through the multi-method approach, results show that island hopping and combination tours are the most popular products. Meanwhile, snorkeling, round-island trips, and diving are the most highlighted activities. These ecotourism-related activities are mainly due to the attractiveness of the environment, which has drawn large numbers of tourists to the chalets on these islands. SMICs established their businesses in the late 1990s on the back of growing confidence in the tourism industry in the 1980s. Visitors include almost equal numbers of both local and international tourists. SMICs’ product and activity development are highly correlated with environmental attractions, thus positively contributing to the economic sustainability of SMICs. The present study proposes that the most appropriate business model for SMICs would be that of a small local business community operating in the island. This model would help maintain the sustainability of the island-tourism sector.     

Destination Image and Brand Personality of Jamaica: A Model of Tourist Behavior

The study examines Jamaica’s destination image and brand personality, and how they relate to future tourist behavior. An integrative model of tourist behavior, involving destination image (cognitive, affective, and overall), destination personality, and behavioral outcomes was developed and tested for first-time and repeat visitors separately. In additon, qualitative questions about destination images and characteristics were used to reveal Jamaica’s specific brand image and personality characteristics. The study found varying influences of cognitive image, affective image, and destination personality on global image and behavioral intentions for first-time and repeat visitors. The qualitative responses revolved around attractions, culture, and environment. The practical implications are discussed.     

Dark tourism on Netflix: From place to person-dependent

Dark tourism has recently garnered significant interest as a niche market on an academic level, witnessed by the increasing number of papers on the subject. Despite various attempts having been made to categorize different types of dark site, most of these have been place-dependent, therefore overshadowing the role of the cultural intermediary at a dark site. This conceptual research attempts to offer a different categorization of dark attractions based on the Netflix documentary series Dark Tourist. The aim is to show that, given the role played by the cultural intermediary in dark storytelling, some dark attractions are basically person-dependent and award little importance to the place, which opens up new marketing options within the dark attraction spectrum. Six fundamental roles of dark intermediaries are identified, ranging from typical tour guides to the villains themselves; that is, from light to darker person-dependent attractions.     

Applying the caption evaluation method to studies of visitors’ evaluation of historical districts

A historical district is a comprehensive form of historical attractions, and has diverse features that visitors can gaze on. This study proposes the application of the caption evaluation method, participatory research involving photographing by subjects, to a study of visitors’ evaluation of a historical district as a tourism destination. Thirty Japanese undergraduates who majored in commerce and 27 Japanese adults with an interest in architecture and/or town planning photographed settings of their choice in a Japanese historical district and stated how they perceived the captured settings in an open-ended form. Their statements were subjected to analysis using a software package as well as manual analysis. The results indicate relationships between various elements in the district and the subjects’ feelings and desires. Particularly, favourable evaluations of old objects and unfavourable perceptions of modern objects were implied. The results also suggest the types of activities visitors may wish to participate in.