Wine Tourism,Environmental Concerns,and Purchase Intention

Sustainable development and marketing are applied across the tourism spectrum, yet a need exists to make them relevant to specific forms of tourism, such as wine tourism. In this consumer-driven economy, tourism marketers often seek effective ways to market destinations. This study attempts to identify the environmental wine tourist by examining environmental personality characteristics and certain demographics on purchase intention, thus making it possible to better understand their concerns and motivations, which should aid marketing and advertising efforts. The results suggest wine tourists may be willing to pay for environmentally friendly wines with females possessing stronger environmental attitudes about protecting wine region destinations, thus influencing stronger behaviors toward purchase intention.     

Differences in Tourism Marketing Strategies Between Wineries Based on Size or Location

While the number of United States wineries has doubled and wine production tripled, only three states represent the majority of wineries and wine production. Yet, small wineries must contend with similar production issues that larger wineries face: cultivation of grapes, fermentation of juice, and finally bottling of the product.By comparison small wineries face an even tougher challenge—attracting consumers' attention to their products, much of which must be sold directly to consumers at the winery. These cellar door sales account for substantial dollar and case volume and are particularly lucrative.This study examined the relationship in off‐site and on‐site marketing strategies based upon winery size and location. The results indicated differences in tourism marketing strategies particularly with wine education at rural wineries and food/wine pairing techniques at larger wineries.     

Virtual wine tours and wine tasting: The influence of offline and online embodiment integration on wine purchase decisions

Applying the theory of embodied cognition as the research framework, the purpose of the current study was to explore the influence of virtual wine tours on young consumers' wine sensory experience and purchasing behaviors. A lab tasting experiment was conducted to compare the influence of a VR video with that of a traditional video featuring a vineyard and winery tour. Results indicated that the VR wine tour video evoked higher intentions to purchase and willingness to pay than the traditional video. Consumers with higher levels of wine knowledge appreciated the video presence and the tastes/aromas of the wine more than consumers with lower levels of wine knowledge. Combined with the taste/finish of the wine, video presence mediated the relationships between video types and consumers' purchase behaviors, revealing that the integration of offline and online embodiments makes a difference in consumers’ purchasing decisions. Recommendations were then provided based on these results.     

Hotel guests’ perceptions of environmental friendly practices in social media

Despite hotels’ managers spend substantial time and money on environmental initiatives; they are not sure whether their guests perceive their green efforts appropriately. The purpose of this study is to analyze guests’ perceptions of hotels’ environmental practices expressed through social media. Main results suggest that even though customers perceive green efforts regarding six items: Energy, Water, Purchasing, Waste, Site and Education & Innovation, they do not discern hotels' level of environmental commitment. Moreover, guests' perceptions of hotel efforts in environmentally friendly practices do not significantly differ by the mode of travel nor by the reviewer's experience in travel platforms. A relevant implication is that the communication about environmentally friendly practices needs to be redesigned and intensified by hotel managers in order to take advantage of these efforts.     

Willingness to Pay for Customization: The Impact of Choice Variety and Specification Assistance

Research in mass customization suggests that consumers are willing to pay more for customization, but limited studies to date have investigated product or process related factors that would affect consumers' willingness to pay for a customized product. In a foodservice context, we empirically tested the impact of choice variety and specification assistance on consumers' willingness to pay for the customized product. The study results indicate that consumers would pay more for the customized product if extensive choice variety was provided for each product component. However, specification assistance was not found to affect consumers' willingness to pay.     

Environmental consciousness and green customer behavior: An examination of motivation crowding effect

The motivation crowding effect suggests that external money intervention weakens intrinsic motivation. The purpose of this study is to examine whether the motivation crowding effect occurs during the process where consumers try to be environmentally friendly. Thus, this study will first investigate the effect of environmental protection consciousness on green customer behavior, and then investigate the effect that incentive mechanisms have on environmental protection consciousness and green customer behavior. 458 hotel guests are used as research subjects. The results show that environmental protection consciousness positively affects green consumer behavior. Cash discount incentives have no effect on the choice of hotel guests to reuse their bed sheet or towels; on the contrary, environmental protective alternatives are great incentives for hotel guests to maintain environmentally friendly behavior. Regarding the demographics of hotels guests, female and younger guests are more inclined to be environmentally friendly. The contribution of this paper is proof of the existence of motivation crowding through an empirical analysis of hotel guests, which enlightens the hospitality industry on how to introduce environmentally friendly strategies in order to respond to motivation crowding.     

The appeal of sustainability in luxury hospitality: An investigation on the role of perceived integrity

This research investigates the effect of a luxury hotel's marketing communication strategy on consumers' willingness to book a room. In particular, the article compares two types of communication message: one that mainly highlights the hotel's attention to environmental sustainability and the other that focuses on customer service. The paper tests the hypothesis that a sustainability-focused communication leads to a higher willingness to book a room (compared to the customer service-focused strategy) because it increases consumers' perceptions about the hotel's integrity. Moreover, the study proposes that consumers' dispositional environmental concern magnifies this effect. One online and one realistic field experiment provide empirical evidence for the research hypotheses. This article contributes to the literature on sustainable luxury tourism and hospitality by proposing a novel theoretical framework, grounded in perceived hotel integrity, to explain why consumers might react positively when learning that a luxury hotel is committed to sustainability.     

Tourist Attitudes Towards the Environment

Abstract

This article evaluates the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) as a tool for measuring the economic benefits of the provision of non-marketed tourism products. CVM was used to measure skiers' willingness to pay (WTP) for an environmentally friendly ski destination. Skiers from three different nationalities were surveyed, and although they were more likely to visit a resort that is environmentally responsible, not all of them would pay more for the privilege. Use of the CVM indicated a strong correlation between WTP and the cost of the holiday, level of income, and level of environmental conscience. The authors conclude that although CVM can provide useful data for tourism decision-makers, it does have its limitations.     

Eco-labeling motorcoach operators in the North American travel tour industry: analyzing the role of tour operators

Tourist transportation is a major contributor of emissions and environmental pollutants. Eco-labels can encourage more sustainable tourism by informing consumers’ purchasing decisions, while utilizing market forces to initiate environmental responsibility among competing firms. The Green Coach Certification pilot eco-label program was introduced to the motorcoach industry in 2009 as part of a university research program. Although the literature addresses relationships between end-user consumers and eco-labels, little research has been published on mid-supply chain actors and tourism eco-labels. Tour operators are intermediaries between end-users and motorcoach operators and are important potential consumers of eco-labeled transportation services. To understand the role of tour companies as both consumers and providers of green services and eco-labeled products, a survey was administered to North American tour operators. Results demonstrate tour operator interest in a tourism transportation eco-label; however, this interest may be secondary to traditional considerations like price, reputation for safety and service, and previous partnerships. Ninety percent of tour operators indicated that environmental practices held some importance when choosing a transportation provider; approximately 50% said they would pay between 1% and 5% more for an eco-labeled coach company. Findings have important implications for the design and implementation of eco-labeling programs for sustainable tourism and transportation.     

Virtual reality is so cool! How technology innovativeness shapes consumer responses to service preview modes

Today’s hospitality brands often gain a competitive advantage through being cool and employing cutting edge technologies. Virtual Reality (VR) is one of the most novel tools to advertise brands, introduce new products/services, and draw customers. Despite the marketing potential of VR, there is scant research revealing the psychological processes associated with the use of VR as a cool technology. To bridge the gap in the current literature, this research examines how consumers with different degrees of technology innovativeness respond to marketing of hospitality brands through three main service preview modes: VR, static images, and 360° tour. The findings from a lab experiment show that as consumers’ technology innovativeness increases, VR boosts self-brand connection that consequently elevates their visit intentions toward the hotel brand. The findings from this study would help hospitality marketers better target their efforts at a specific consumer segment.     

Destination brand authenticity: What an experiential simulacrum! A multigroup analysis of its antecedents and outcomes through official online platforms

Tourists' intensive use of information and communication technologies when planning travel has forced destination marketing organizations to design online simulacra of destinations in multiple formats. We focus our study on official online destination platforms to analyze preliminary experiences with destination brands and the online perception of authenticity. Previous consumption studies have theorized that consumers' encounters with products/services are antecedents of their perceptions of authenticity. In the tourism literature, however, the link between online destination experiences and online destination authenticity constitutes a research gap. To fill that gap, we used a multimethod approach to develop a causal-predictive model by which we observed that the online destination brand experience directly affects destination brand authenticity. The findings also show that both of these constructs directly and indirectly influence users' behavioral intentions toward the destination. We examine the moderating role of various official online destination platforms to enrich the theoretical and managerial implications discussed.     

Revisiting Attributes: How Important Is Green in the Consumer Selection of Hotel Rooms?

Consumers’ buying behavior is not always consistent with their positive attitude, particularly toward environmentally friendly products. In a survey of 197 travelers, the relative importance consumers ascribe to the attribute of green was assessed. Through a multi-methods study involving interviews, focus groups discussions, and forced-choice experiments that simulate market buying situation, it was found that consumers’ selection of hotel rooms is still much dictated by traditional choice factors. Through a conjoint analysis, it was found that consumers highly prioritized the price attribute. The green attribute was assigned a low relative importance of 4% among the respondents. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed.     

Environmentally friendly practices among restaurants: drivers and barriers to change

This study of environmental management in the food service industry in general and the restaurant sector in particular highlights food services’ impacts on the environment, and drivers and barriers to change. The study is based on research in Penang, Malaysia, which included a personally assisted survey of 26 restaurant managers operating casual upscale businesses. The survey findings show that implementation of environmentally friendly practices is weak in the restaurant sector. While top managers claim to be informed and concerned about environmental issues, they are reluctant to invest in environmental management systems, to change practices, to advertise environmentally friendly products or invest in the implementation of environmentally friendly practices. They note barriers to change, including weakly enforced environmental laws and regulations, scarce and intermittent green supply chain, non-existent trade pressure and poor customer and community demand for restaurant business to implement green practices. A model of barriers and drivers leading to the implementation of environmentally friendly practices is presented in this study. Government intervention, including public education, capacity building and support in the trade and agricultural change to grow more organic crops, is suggested. The study depicts the responsiveness of restaurateurs towards the implementation of environmentally friendly practices in the context of a developing country.     

The windfall gain effect: Using a surprise discount to stimulate add-on purchases

How can the business maximize revenue while providing discounts? This research suggests that hospitality operators may stimulate add-on purchases with the adoption of surprise discounts. Two experiments investigated factors that influence hospitality consumers’ ancillary spending. Study 1 tested the discount and product type effects on additional spending intentions for a cruise booking. Study 2 identified how the depth of surprise discount and add-on product type influence consumers' add-on purchase decisions for an online hotel booking. The findings indicate that a surprise discount and hedonic items induce consumers' unplanned purchases. A hedonic add-on item is preferred over a utilitarian item when a low discount is offered. Impulse buying mediates the effect of surprise discount and product type on unplanned purchase intentions. This research extends the traditional discount role, by demonstrating that a discount promotion can induce consumers' additional purchases. The findings provide guidance for effective pricing strategies and add-on marketing mix.     

From branded exports to traveler imports: Building destination image on the factory floor in South Korea

In international marketing, it is believed that a positive image of an exporting country positively influences consumer behavior toward products from that country. An emerging notion is that a reverse effect may exist in which positive evaluations of products lead to equally positive image of the origin country. Based on a sample of 500 American purchasers of South Korean products the relationship between product purchasing and intention to visit is explored using SEM in a model that links product evaluation with an intention to visit. The study confirmed that consumers' willingness to interact with South Korea based on past product purchasing was a significant indicator of their intentions to visit the country.     

Designing for more environmentally friendly tourism

The environmental (un)sustainability of the tourism industry has been debated for many decades. This debate generated ample empirical evidence of the environmental damage caused by tourism-related human activity. It is underpinned, however, by a passive position: one of largely accepting the tourism industry as it is, and lamenting its negative consequences. An alternative, more active approach, is to deliberately design for environmental sustainability. This article provides examples of how the tourism industry can drive a reduction of environmental damage by actively designing brand-owned touchpoints in a way that entice tourists to behave more environmentally friendly. The article concludes with an overview of promising design approaches and a framework to guide the future design of more environmentally friendly tourism services.     

Cross‐cultural tourist behavior: An analysis of tourist attitudes towards the environment

In a cross‐cultural tourist behavioral study, skiers from three different countries were surveyed in order to understand their environmental awareness and knowledge. The contingent valuation method (CVM) was also used to discover their willingness‐to‐pay (WTP) for environmentally‐friendly skiing products. The results point to a general lack of knowledge and even confusion amongst skiers about environmental issues pertaining to skiing. However, skiers say they will be more likely to visit a resort that is environmentally‐responsible. Use of the CVM indicated a strong correlation between WTP and the cost of the holiday, level of income and level of environmental conscience. The majority of skiers would pay more for a “greener” ski resort, but significant differences in responses were found between the three cultures. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Unhappy Campers: Exploring Consumer Resistance to Change

This article provides an examination of consumers' reaction to change that is consciously initiated by firm managers. Despite the best of intentions, some change is not welcomed by consumers. This article provides an explanation regarding why consumers resist change and suggestions are offered regarding ways that organizations can proactively work with their client base when change is needed without damaging their brand. This topic was examined using in‐depth interviews of customers of an experiential service: a family camp resort. The themes identified in this research are directly applicable to a broad range of experiential services including travel and leisure services.     

Mechanisms of consumers' trust development in reviewers' supplementary reviews: A reviewer-reader similarity perspective

The literature on online reviews tends to focus on initial consumer postings and reviews, but supplementary online reviews posted by the same reviewer remain an unexplored area in marketing in general and hospitality in particular. To address this gap in the research, this study offers a research model that examines the effects of reviewers' attributes on consumer trust and positive behavioral outcomes, using hotel attributes performance as a moderator. Using responses from 414 hospitality consumers in China, our findings reveal that reviewers whose supplementary reviews use similar identities to those of their initial review, review similar firms, and use similar websites gain consumers' trust. Hotel attributes performance has a strong positive moderating effect on the relationship between reviewers' attributes and consumers' trust, and the trust engendered in this way creates the psychological comfort that leads to positive behavioral outcomes. Implications for theory and practice are discussed along with suggestions for future research.     

The effects of environmental and luxury beliefs on intention to patronize green hotels: the moderating effect of destination image

Recent research has demonstrated a disconnect between environmental beliefs and behavior when it comes to the consumption of hospitality products. Unfortunately, while many consumers believe that hotels should engage in green practices, there is mounting evidence that such beliefs do not necessarily translate into actual purchases of sustainable products. The purpose of this research is to examine this issue by developing an integrated framework establishing the relationships among the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors associated with the consumption of the green hotel product. In particular, we are concerned with the effects of consumers' beliefs regarding the luxury-based trade-offs associated with staying in green hotels. Additionally, we seek to establish the role of destination image as a determinant of the relationships specified in the proposed nomology. The results support our overall hypothesis that the established disconnect between environmental values and sustainable hospitality consumption behavior is at least partially attributable to the cognitive evaluation of the attributes of the hotel's destination. Specifically, our results show that, while the belief that green hotels are less luxurious translates to unfavorable attitudes toward green hotels in urban tourism destinations, this relationship does not occur in nature-based tourism destinations.