Emerging youth tourism: fostering young travelers’ conservation intentions

Greening is one of the most important issues faced by the tourism industry today. Nevertheless, theoretical and empirical research on young travelers’ sustainable behaviors is scarce. This study developed a conceptual framework involving biospheric value, environmental concern, environmental awareness, ascribed responsibility, and moral norm in order to better explain young travelers’ pro-environmental decision-making process. A total of seven hypotheses were proposed and tested using structural equation modeling. Results revealed that the postulated theoretical model satisfactorily accounted for three dimensions of young tourists’ environmentally responsible intentions; the study variables are all significantly related; and the mediating impact of moral norm and environmental concern was evident. Moreover, the prominent role of moral norm in forming intentions was noteworthy. Our findings from the invariance test further indicated that environmental awareness and ascribed responsibility acted as moderators. The implications of these results are discussed.     

An alternative interpretation of attitude and extension of the value–attitude–behavior hierarchy: the destination attributes of Chiang Mai,Thailand

Thailand tourism and its attributes have not been sufficiently explored. This study attempted to identify the role of tourism attributes in Chiang Mai, Thailand, bring up-to-date advancements in attitude research, and build a comprehensive extended framework rooted in the value attitude behavior (VAB) hierarchy. A sample of 541 international tourists in Chiang Mai was used for data analysis. The results of the factor analysis presented five attribute factors. All five factors loaded strongly onto a higher order factor of destination attributes. Moreover, the attitude construct was tested in the VAB hierarchy. Our results indicated that the proposed theoretical framework and hypothesized relationships were generally supported. The emotion constructs were identified to be significant contributors for better prediction of intention to revisit Thailand. Our alternative interpretation of attitude was statistically supported. Overall, the findings of this study help destination marketers invent useful strategies to boost international travelers’ intention to repeatedly visit Thailand.     

The role of wellness spa tourism performance in building destination loyalty: the case of Thailand

ABSTRACT

Despite the considerable growth of the wellness spa tourism market, little research has examined the intricate procedure involved in travelers’ loyalty toward Thailand as a wellness spa tourism destination. This research aimed to explore such loyalty formation by investigating the relationships among performances of wellness spa tourism in Thailand, affective experiences, and overall satisfaction. A field survey methodology was used for data collection. Findings of the structural analysis revealed that product performances, affective experiences, and satisfaction were in general significantly associated, and that these variables contributed to a satisfactory prediction for destination loyalty. In addition, the adequacy of the second-order structure of the performances of Thai wellness spa tourism was demonstrated. Moreover, the relative effectiveness of satisfaction in building loyalty was identified. Both affective experiences and satisfaction were also found to have a significant mediating impact. Implications for destination researchers and practitioners are discussed.