世俗的朝圣:西藏旅游体验研究

西藏正成为越来越重要的旅游目的地,然而对西藏旅游体验具体的微观研究却相对缺乏。文章通过对西藏旅游者的深度访谈,来探讨他们的旅游体验。游客往往将西藏想象成一种神圣之地,西藏的旅游体验对于游客而言也具有神圣的意义,主要体现在游客对自然、宗教和藏族人的体验上。西藏纯净的自然可以净化游客的心灵,让他们联想到远离喧嚣的生活。西藏的寺庙和朝拜的信徒营造出一种虔诚而神圣的氛围,让游客内心备受震动。看到藏民的执着和虔诚,游客心中会产生一种满足感。而藏民淳朴的为人处世的方式更让游客感到一种自己社会所缺失了的真实。西藏的神圣不在于游客对其宗教的信仰上,而在于其社会文化意义,西藏提供了游客日常生活所缺失的自然与人文,满足了游客的精神需求。西藏的旅游体验与其说是宗教朝圣,毋宁说是一种世俗的朝圣。     

Food tourism experience and changing destination foodscape: An exploratory study of an emerging food destination

This research investigates how and the extent to which co-creation activities of food tourism in the context of the commercial tourism sector shape and influence the foodscape in an emerging food tourism destination. An exploratory qualitative study conducted in Yogyakarta, Indonesia discovers how and where co-creative food activities take place through the mode of interaction, customisation, and co-production. Moreover, this research uncovers how the act of negotiation and the creation of food experiences co-created by tourists and suppliers contributes to the evolving destination foodscape. These processes contribute to the invention of new food offerings; the inclusion of tourists in the local food space; and the expansion of the local gastronomic horizon. This research sheds light on our limited understanding of destination foodscapes in relation to commercial food tourism activities, providing implications for gastronomic destination management, especially for emerging Asian gastronomic destinations.     

强关系网络移动社交平台旅游分享行为研究——基于微信与QQ用户的资料分析

在移动社交媒体时代,旅游分享已成为当下旅游者的行为偏好,越来越多的旅游者选择微信、QQ这类强关系移动社交平台进行分享。国内学界对移动社交平台旅游分享行为的研究随之日增,但少有文章从理论上系统地揭示旅游分享行为的过程与动因。文章采用扎根理论研究方法,构建反映强关系网络移动社交平台的旅游分享动态过程理论模型。将旅游分享行为动态过程划分为分享前因、分享实现与分享结果3个阶段,总结每个阶段的行为特征、表现方式及阶段之间的演替规律,并探讨这类旅游分享行为的特点与动因。研究发现,在旅游分享动机上,强关系移动社交平台强调情感联结与互动,从而旅游者受到与个体相关动机的影响更为显著;分享内容上,平台的强关系特性与熟人社交促使旅游者尽量避免分享负面信息;分享结果上,强关系移动社交平台的旅游分享能调节旅游者行中、行后的体验水平,并形成兼具网络时空拓展性与熟人圈规模局限性的口碑传播。     

Managing the experience co-creation process in tourism destinations: Empirical findings from Naples

The aim of this study is to investigate the main antecedents and consequences of experience co-creation in tourism. Based on an in-depth literature review, a survey was designed, and data was collected from 385 tourists visiting Naples, Italy. A path analysis revealed that the interactions among tourists and tourism service providers and the active participation of tourists are antecedents of experience co-creation in the tourism industry. Experience co-creation positively affects the satisfaction of tourists, their level of expenditures, and their happiness. Study results also revealed that the attitude of tourists of sharing their experiences with others does not influence experience co-creation. As one of the first studies in this area in the field of tourism, this study contributes to the body of knowledge by proposing and empirically testing a model that shows three antecedents and three consequences of experience co-creation in tourism.     

Tourists to Lhasa,Tibet: How Local Youth Classify,Understand and Respond to Different Types of Travelers

Local residents in tourism communities are observers of those who gaze at them. This research extends host gaze studies using an emic approach. It explores how tourists are viewed in three different settings in the context of Lhasa, Tibet. The young Tibetans viewing tourists in these three different settings have different economic and social backgrounds. They also have different degrees of exposure to tourists. The study offers baseline information on how tourists are differently understood within Tibet across nationality differences. It was demonstrated that three different groups of young Tibetans variously use ethnic origins, travel and transport arrangement, and how tourists are hosted to develop their different classifications. Tolerance towards most types of tourists is high, though it varies subtly for different groups. These core perspectives can be helpful in establishing not only how Tibetan tourism is viewed but also how it can be managed and developed in the future.     

Among the piranhas: the troubling lifespan of ethnic tropes in “tribal” tourism to Vietnam

This article presents findings from mixed-method research into ethnic tourism in Vietnam. Drawing on critical discourse analysis and ethnographic research carried out in Sapa, northern Vietnam, the article examines how minority Indigenous groups are represented in ways that reproduce certain racial and gendered tropes that are drawn upon by tourists before, during and after actual tours. Findings from the study suggest that ethnic tourism is having a marginalising effect on minority ethnic women, who are becoming excluded from social, symbolic and economic space for behaviour that is deemed inauthentic. Tourists are drawing on a narrow range of Orientalist tropes throughout different stages of their participation in ethnic tourism and are carrying forward their pre-conceptions into tourism environments. Therefore, the ways in which indigeneity is packaged for tourists and the ways that tourists “authenticate” ethnicity inform their desires, which then shape their behaviour and interactions with locals. By bringing together ideas about authentication and gendered Orientalism and Othering, the analysis shows that the power play and its effects on Indigenous groups are considerable and troubling, with the whims and desires of tourists steering tourism organisation, including the surveillance and controlling of Indigenous women traders in and around the town.     

Tourism life cycle and sustainability analysis: Profit-focused strategies for mature destinations

Tourist destinations tend to follow similar development patterns. Eventually, all destinations enter the market maturity stage leading to a decline in visitors. To prevent visitor decline, tourism managers and policy makers try to reposition their destinations appealing to more tourist segments. A multi-segment strategy is expensive and may create a fuzzy destination image, further accelerating the decline. An alternative strategy extends Zeithaml, Rust, and Lemon’s (2001) customer pyramid theory. This paper applies customer pyramid theory to Turkey’s tourism industry. Precise targeting of the most loyal visitors (Platinum tourists) creates a less costly and more focused marketing strategy leading to a sustainable tourism industry. Loyal Platinum tourists tend to be less price sensitive than other visitors. The discussion includes strategies to convert Gold and Iron category tourists to Platinum providing additional growth opportunities.     

Elucidating the relationships among destination images,recreation experience,and authenticity of the Shengxing Heritage Recreation Area in Taiwan

A destination's image and on-site recreation experience can be regarded as precedents of the authenticity perceived by heritage tourists. Historic images attract tourists to experience the authenticity of a heritage destination. This study examines the linear relationships among destination images, recreation experience, and the perceived authenticity experienced by tourists at the Shengxing Heritage Recreation Area in central Taiwan. In total, 536 usable questionnaires were collected. Analytical results indicate that the cognitive and affective images of a destination directly and significantly affect the recreation experience of tourists at a heritage recreation area. Additionally, recreation experience directly and significantly affects perceived authenticity. Moreover, recreation experience has a significant mediating effect on the relationship between cognitive image and perceived authenticity. We conclude that when tourists visit a heritage-based tourism destination, such as the destination under consideration, these tourists gain tourism image and recreation experiences, which strengthens their perceived authenticity of heritage tourism; as a result, these tourists are more likely to contribute to the development of heritage tourism. Applying this theoretical framework to research on heritage tourism further extends our understanding of the behavioural model of heritage tourists. Finally, this study provides a valuable reference for managers striving to develop heritage tourism.     

The antecedents of behavioral intention regarding rural tourism destination

The main purpose of this study is to build an understanding of the effects of customer experience on trust and behavioral intention. The samples used in this study were 155 local tourists who made a one-time visit only to a village tourism in Sleman Regency, the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is the village that is located on the slopes of Mount Merapi, offering recreational activities, entertainment, cultures, and outdoor adventures for tourists. Generalized Structured Component Analysis is used to analyze the correlation between customer experience and trust and behavioral intention. The findings reveal that customer experience has a significant effect on trust. Moreover, it also indicates that customer experience has a significant effect on behavioral intention, and so does trust. The findings of this study suggest that customer experience on trust is the antecedent of behavioral intention.     

Female tourists and beach boys: Romance or Sex Tourism?

Previous studies of female tourists and beach boys in the Caribbean have defined these relationships as involving either sex or romance tourism. The objective of this study was to determine which of these definitions was more applicable to relationships in the Dominican Republic. Male and female tourists as well as beach boys and female sex workers were interviewed. Romance and sex tourism were conceptualized as the two ends of a continuum of motivations rather than as distinct categories. Although there was some gender overlap in the continuum of romance/sex motivations, more of the female tourists were located toward the romance end and more of the male tourists toward the sex end of the continuum.     

Value orientations and heritage tourism management at Petra Archaeological Park,Jordan

Involving different stakeholders, including tourists, in managing tourism and understanding their value orientations are key concepts to achieve sustainability of heritage tourism. However, tourists have been mostly ignored in managing heritage attractions. Given the importance of values in heritage tourism management, and the different tourists' preferences toward management actions, this article aims to explore the value orientations of different types of tourists at Petra Archaeological Park, and how these values influence their management actions preferences. Majority of the tourists were preservation value oriented, and they preferred direct management actions rather than indirect actions. Results indicated that whenever the level of the importance of heritage tourism increases in tourists' trip motivations, tourists tend to be more preservation value oriented and support direct management actions.     

Business resilience in times of growth and crisis

Natural disaster, economic recession and political turmoil pose major challenges to local tourism in developing countries. To address such challenges, this article investigates the multiple ways in which local tourism businesses respond to crises and the resources these businesses employ to build resilience in an unpredictable business environment. The data underlying this article have been generated in a longitudinal study of small-scale businesses in the accommodation sector in the city of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Based on qualitative research, comprising ethnographic methods, the study reveals that local tourism businesses show remarkable resilience during the decade of crisis that affected the Indonesian tourism industry. This resilience has to be understood in terms of the businesses’ embeddedness in a package of livelihood strategies.     

The female tourist experience in Egypt as an Islamic destination

In Islamic destinations female tourists face the added challenge of negotiating their way through male constructed local norms. This paper fills the gap in gender and tourism research with a focus on female tourists’ experiences in Egypt as an Islamic destination, outlining the diverse ways in which gender shapes and influences their experiences. A qualitative approach was taken to explore women’s coping strategies with the male sexualised gaze that they encountered during their holiday in Egypt, and sheds light on measures taken towards safeguarding themselves. Their experiences were highly influenced and often involuntarily altered by unwanted male attention and sexual harassment, as the women felt the need to fit into local female norms of behaviour in order to safeguard themselves.     

Tourists’ perceptions of ethnic tourism in Lugu Lake,Yunnan, China

This paper examines tourists’ perceptions of ethnic tourism and satisfaction with their experiences based upon empirical research conducted in 2009 in Lugu Lake, Yunnan, China. The quest for romance and exoticism has inspired mass Han Chinese visits to the lake area. The tranquility of the lake and unique minority culture impress many urbanites and satisfy their nostalgia for the untouched, the simple, and the natural. Most tourists are satisfied with their overall experience and appreciate a packaged version of minority culture and tradition. However, a small number of visitors were disappointed about the commercial setting, inadequate tourist facilities, poor service, and limited tourism programs. Many tourists are concerned about cultural change and the loss of traditional customs. It is argued that maintaining authenticity and cultural integrity is essential for sustainable ethnic tourism development. Diverse and high-quality ethnic products should be developed to suit the different needs of the various types of tourists.     

Bicycle tourism in the South Island of New Zealand: planning and management issues

Several emerging trends are pointing to the re-emergence of the bicycle as an important leisure and recreational transportation mode. Yet little research has been conducted into cycling within a tourism context. This paper examines the increasing phenomenon of bicycle tourism by defining bicycle tourists and bicycle tourism from a demand perspective, and describes the characteristics, infrastructure and travel behaviour associated with bicycle tourism through the examination of data collected on independent cycle tourists in the South Island of New Zealand. It illustrates through performance-importance analysis, the areas of major concern in the planning and management of bicycle tourism, and recommends that a demand side perspective is needed if the supply side of the industry is to be sustainable in the future. It makes recommendations for the future planning and management of bicycle tourism in New Zealand that may be of interest to countries currently developing cycle tourism.     

Body Relationships in an Urban Adventure Setting

This article examines a recent tendency amongst researchers of sex tourism to include women within the ranks of sex tourists in destinations such as the Caribbean and Indonesia. It argues that a careful attention to the power relations, context, meanings and effects of the behaviours of male and female tourists who engage in sexual relations with local people, makes it clear that the differences are profound. The similarities and differences are analysed here with the conclusion that it is the different positions of men and women in the sex class hierarchy that create such differences. The political ideas that influence the major protagonists in this debate to include or exclude women will be examined. The article ends with a consideration of the problematic implications of arguing that women do it too .     

客观地呈现中国消费者在全球旅游市场中的特性及形象

本文在对一位西方学者的新书进行简单评论的基础上,指出了对中国旅游消费者,尤其是中国出境游客进行研究的紧迫性和必要性.在这本出版于2006年的新书中,中国旅游者被描述成一个被动、无知的群体,而且这个群体在文化上受中国政府左右,缺少像西方游客一般的行为准则,缺乏欣赏西方景观的能力.该书集中代表了西方国家中对中国旅游业及中国旅游者普遍存在的偏见,以及对迅速发展的中国出境游的否定和不安.本文指出,作为扎根于这一崭新的消费群体的中国旅游研究者,是有责任而且有自身的优势向全世界客观地呈现中国旅游消费者的特征和形象的.为此,本文建议对3个迫在眉睫的研究课题,即对中国旅游者的出游动机、中国旅游者的组成成分及中国出境游客的需求进行多方位高层次的分析和研究.     

供需双方对景区文化偏好的差异性研究——以天柱山风景区为例

山岳型景区文化内涵的挖掘是提升景区质量的重要途径,但景区提供的文化旅游产品容易偏离旅游者的需求.文章以天柱山风景区为例,运用因子分析法、两独立样本t检验等方法,分析了供需双方对景区文化旅游资源偏好的差异,同时借助IPA模型帮助旅游经营管理者制定了景区文化旅游产品的开发方向.结果表明:(1)供需双方对天柱山风景区的整体印象差异不显著；而对文化印象具有显著差异,其中,旅游经营管理者对天柱山风景区文化印象较好,而旅游者对其印象较为一般；从文化资源要素上来看,供需双方对绝大部分文化旅游资源具有显著差异,且旅游经营管理者对其偏好的程度总体强于旅游者.(2)采用IPA模型,通过对比供需双方对天柱山风景区文化旅游资源的偏好差异,得出继续努力、过度表现、低优先改进、重点改进4个区域,并针对不同区域提出不同的解决方案.     

Characterizing destination networks through mobility traces of international tourists — A case study using a nationwide mobile positioning dataset

This article demonstrates how large-scale tourist mobility data can be linked with network science approaches to better understand tourism destinations and their interactions. By analyzing a mobile positioning dataset that captures the nationality and movement patterns of foreign tourists to South Korea, we employ a few metrics to quantify the network properties of tourism destinations, aiming to reveal the collective dynamics of tourist movements and key differences across nationalities. According to the results, the number of inbound tourists to destinations follows a log-normal distribution, which indicates a notable heterogeneity of destination attractiveness. Although this finding holds across different nationalities, we find that tourists from different countries tended to visit different places in South Korea. A community detection algorithm partitions South Korea into several tourism regions, each covering a set of destinations that are closely connected by tourist flows. The implications for transportation development and regional tourism planning are discussed.