Towards a research agenda for post-disaster and post-crisis recovery strategies for tourist destinations: a narrative review

This paper presents the results of a review of the literature concerning post-disaster and post-crisis recovery for tourist destinations. A total of 64 articles on this topic published in peer-reviewed tourism journals between January 2000 and June 2012 were included in the review. These articles were written on a number of different disaster contexts, including weather-related events (floods and hurricanes), natural disasters (earthquakes and tsunami) and other events (such as pandemics and terrorist attacks). The key themes that emerged included a lack of communication between stakeholders, media sensationalism, the importance of selecting the most effective marketing messages, lack of disaster-management plans, damage to destination image and reputation, and the changes in tourist behaviour following crises and disasters. The review identifies ways to improve the speed and effectiveness of response to disaster, the importance of relationship marketing with loyal customers and the need to quickly repair destination image. Suggestions for future research arising from this review include the urgent need to encourage tourism operators to engage with crisis preparedness and disaster-management strategies and the importance of gaining a better understanding of the consumer response to disastrous events.     

Negative emotions in tourism: a meaningful analysis

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we critically examine the use of (negative) emotions in psychology, consumer behaviour and tourism. We find that (1) negative emotions form an integral part of the tourist experience in certain tourism contexts, particularly in dark tourism and types of travel that involve transformation of the self, (2) negative emotions can have multiple positive outcomes and (3) these positive outcomes are present in hedonic and non-hedonic tourism contexts, yet they occur occasionally in hedonic and more systematically in non-hedonic tourism contexts. We conclude that negative emotions contribute to eudaimonic experiences by affecting different types of meaning in life.     

Celebrity Attachment and Behavioral Intentions: The Mediating Role of Place Attachment

Film‐induced tourism has recently gained increased attention in academic research. Although previous literature has identified the existence of consumer–celebrity attachment, scant empirical studies have examined whether celebrity attachment influences behavioral intentions in a film tourism context. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between celebrity attachment and behavioral intentions as well as to clarify the role of place attachment. Survey data from 312 tourists in Taiwan indicate that celebrity attachment is positively related to behavioral intentions. Moreover, place attachment partially mediates the relationship between celebrity attachment and behavioral intentions. Implications of these findings for managing marketing strategies as well as future research directions are subsequently discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tourism,climate change and adaptation: a review

The relationship between tourism and changing climate has been discussed and studied for a relatively long time in tourism research. Over the past 15 years, more focused studies have begun to appear, and especially recently, the issue of adaptation has been emphasised as an urgent research need in tourism and climate change studies. This paper is based on a systematic review of the tourism and adaptation literature prior to 2012. It discusses adaptation challenges, the dimensions of vulnerability in a tourism context and the implications of such studies on communities. By dividing the current adaptation studies into business; consumer; destination; and policy- and framework-focused theme areas and traditions, the paper concludes that adaptation studies in tourism have so far had a limited focus on community perceptions, which in general has been an area of major interest in tourism research. More emphasis on community-based research in relation to tourism and climate change allows highly contextual adaptation challenges to be met in a more sustainable way.     

A narrative review of Asian female travellers: looking into the future through the past

Following the rise of tourism in Asia, a growing female travel market has been observed in the region. Nevertheless, limited research has considered the travel experience of Asian women. In response to the dearth of research on Asian female travellers, this study employs a narrative synthesis approach through a postcolonial feminist lens to review the extant literature on Asian female travellers, with the aim to contribute to a cultural understanding of the historical and contemporary travel practices of Asian women. Based on this review, it is evident that Asian women’s travel behaviour is influenced by cultural identities and gender stereotypes. However, existing literature has also demonstrated the agency of Asian women in resisting discriminatory gender practices in tourism, which is represented in the transformation of the identity of Asian female travellers. Accordingly, an agenda for future research is proposed and some implications for the industry are discussed. This study addresses the western-centric and androcentric criticisms in tourism field and provides an alternative reading of women’s travel behaviour from an Asian perspective. This study has contributed to the critical tourism scholarship in Asia and has built an important foundation for future research on Asian female travellers, an area that is not well investigated.     

The Politics of Tourism in Myanmar

The relationship between politics and tourism is complex and multi-faceted, and a subject which is assuming a higher priority in the research literature. This article examines the politics of tourism in Myanmar where tourism has been shaped by internal and external political forces while also becoming a highly visible and contested political issue. The political background and its effect on Myanmar's tourism are explained and the standpoints of the principal groups involved are discussed, with particular attention given to that of the government and its policies. Reference is also made to demands for a boycott and the ensuing debate about its value. The various parties are seen to interpret and make use of tourism as a political tool in contrasting ways which reflect their own interests and agendas. Finally, some general conclusions are presented about the linkages connecting the central concepts under review and the need to consider tourism within the framework of prevailing national and international political systems in order to fully appreciate its significance.     

Elite interviews: critical practice and tourism

The elite interview method has been applied to the study of politics and policy-making and to other social and organisational contexts, although it has been relatively little applied in a formal fashion in tourism research. Nevertheless it is a method that has the potential of enhancing the quality and quantity of research data given the power and influence of elite subjects. The conduct of elite interviews suggests that there are qualitatively different aspects in interviewing ‘up’ as compared to interviewing ‘across’ or ‘down’. The article provides a review of some of the major issues involved in the conduct of elite interviews and highlights some of the tactics that researchers may use in the interview process as well as some of the potential ethical and publishing constraints. Even though there are a number of potential methodological challenges in using this method it provides a valuable approach in tourism research, especially studies that aim to understand decision-making processes, policy-making and perceptions. It is shown that individual ingenuity and reflexivity are required in order to overcome some of the challenges reported in existing studies.     

Tourist use of public transport at destinations – a review

Understanding tourists' use of public transport (PT) at the destination is important for sustainable mobility, destination satisfaction, PT management and destination management. This paper provides an overview of research in PT and tourism since 2000. The review identifies main topics and issues including how PT is used for tourism purposes in different contexts. It also recommends policies and strategies for a modal shift to PT in tourism, and identifies potential areas for future research. The review indicates that there are differences in the level of PT use by visitors between rural and urban destinations. PT is often not favoured by visitors in remote areas, although the situation is more promising in urban destinations. However, the overall potential of PT as an alternative mode for travelling is unclear, given tourist motivations and behaviours, and provision of visitor-oriented PT services including the need for appropriate communication and social marketing strategies.     

Travel guidebooks and the construction of tourist identity

Tourist identity is an important component of the postmodern identity. This review paper unveils the role of travel guidebooks as identity construction agents at a time when tourism has become an important postmodern phenomenon. The review offers a processual look at roles played by guidebooks in tourist information gathering and formation of cultural tastes and preferences, and portrays the influence of guidebooks on social change. The review points especially to the lack of a broad theoretical perspective in the research of the role of guidebooks in tourist identity formation as well as tourist motivation and consumer behaviour formation. Consequently, the paper suggests that future studies of tourist identity should adopt a socio-historical and cultural interdisciplinary approach focusing on travel guidebooks, using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Based on this proposed framework, the article suggests several further research directions for the study of social construction of tourist identity within a spatio-temporal context.     

Community resilience to long-term tourism decline and rejuvenation: a literature review and conceptual model

Studied for decades in disciplines such as ecology, psychology, engineering and sociology ‘resilience’ can be defined as a system's ability to withstand and respond to change. The tourism literature has embraced the concept of community resilience by harnessing concepts of adaptive capacity and vulnerability. Many of these studies have focused on the tourism system's ability to respond to short-term disasters and hazards. With the growth of resilience studies in tourism, it is timely to take stock of the core premise of resilience as it is applied to tourism and to identify key gaps in current research. Consequently, this research aims to identify the core concepts of community resilience, with a focus on its application within tourism. The findings reveal that many studies have been conceptual, although there are an increasing number of empirical studies underpinned by resilience theory. Therefore, a conceptual model is presented to broaden existing resilience research and to guide future research into community resilience to tourism decline and rejuvenation.     

Wine tourism research: a systematic review of 20 vintages from 1995 to 2014

This paper provides a review of 176 papers on wine tourism published between 1995–2014, highlighting research fields, wine regions studied, theory and methodologies used, journals and authors publishing wine tourism research. This paper aims to provide a reference guide for future researchers through a systematic review of wine tourism research over 20 years. The study contributes to the existing literature reviews of wine tourism and consequently, identifies key gaps for further study. Wine production and wine tourism have very different business foci within wineries. However, the findings reveal the importance of strengthening the synergies between wine production and tourism to be successful. In addition, findings revealed different research agendas between New World and Old World wine countries, where the former has a focus on wine tourism while the later on wine production. There has been an increase in theory building which highlights the complexity of the wine tourism experience. Based on this review, the wine tourism research framework developed by Carlsen (2004) has been extended to include two themes: regional development and the experiential wine tourist. The results reveal relevant findings for academics, winemakers and tourism managers regarding the background and future trends of wine tourism.     

Social network analysis in tourism

Elements such as tourists, service-oriented organizations, tourism resources, destinations and public institutions all have a role in tourism activity. If we are to understand the world of tourism, we need to examine the ties between these elements. Social network analysis (SNA) provides tourism research with a set of methods and tools that allow us to comprehend the patterns and the structures of these ties. The objective of this work is to establish how SNA is being applied to tourism, to describe its principal elements and to inquire into its potential in the development of tourism research. To do so, the articles that apply SNA research methods, published in tourism and hospitality journals, and the network of citations between their authors are all analysed. It was found that the application of SNA in tourism-related contexts is rare and very recent, although a cohesive and relevant group of authors is currently applying it. An exciting opportunity for tourism research becomes apparent with the use of SNA and future lines of research are presented in which its methods may be applied.     

Air transport and tourism – a systematic literature review (2000–2014)

This paper reviews the literature at the intersection between air transport and tourism research. While air transport and tourism are mutually dependent sectors, there is little research on their interaction. A systematic literature review method was used to select and analyse relevant journal articles published in 54 Australian Business Dean Council (ABDC) A*, A, or B-ranked journals from 2000 to 2014. Research themes, leading researchers, their institutions, and geographical locations are discussed. An extended framework for classification of the literature is developed through the content and thematic analysis. Among the identified research themes, ‘environment’, ‘passengers’, and ‘airlines’ are found to be the most common. The use of a systematic review has identified gaps in the literature and directions for future studies. Some of the identified areas that are showing a growing interest in the interrelationship between aviation and tourism include air route/service development; passenger experiences; low-cost carriers and their impact on tourism; implications of new direct long-haul flights; and carbon offsets.     

The case for process approaches in loyalty research in tourism

The article reviews the literature on loyalty in consumer behaviour with particular emphasis on the difficulties of interpreting repeat purchasing in terms of loyalty. Problems of conceptual definition and measurement are examined in the context of tourism. A case is made for seeing the concept of loyalty as a process rather than as a state. In this respect two approaches related to information processing are suggested as possible research approaches. Psychological cost‐benefit technique and methods associated with optimum stimulation level are discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The net environmental impact of online shopping,beyond the substitution bias

Internet, digitalisation and access to technology have transformed contemporary consumption patterns and habits. Whether or not these changes hold beneficial or detrimental implications for society is subject to ongoing debate. Specifically concerning the environmental impacts of online and omnichannel retail, claims have been made on both sides: crediting the efficiency of home deliveries versus individual shopping trips on the one hand and pointing out complex consumer behaviour on the other hand. Despite intensive research efforts, a solid consensus lacks. The disperse and contradicting scientific knowledge base that is currently available prevents policymakers and practitioners from implementing sustainability improving measures and from steering consumers towards sustainable practices. Supported by a systematic review of the literature, this article presents a framework for understanding the net environmental sustainability of shopping. The debate is broken down in three impact categories that need to be considered simultaneously: individual purchases, consumer behaviour and consumption geography. The majority of research articles focus on the environmental impact of purchasing a single item or a basket of items, in which in-store purchases are substituted by purchases online. Such studies conclude in favour of e-commerce. The balance shifts when taking changes in behaviour and geography into consideration. While behavioural reflections are on the rise, hardly any empirical work takes the spatial (re)organisation of businesses and consumers into account. The article surpasses the case-study approach and in doing so comprises the body of literature in a solid framework that is able to guide future discussions and research in more sustainable directions.     

The contribution of Neil Leiper to tourism studies

Neil Leiper was an influential tourism scholar who died in February 2010. The paper provides a review of his work and his contribution to tourism studies. Four major themes are identified from the time of his first major publication in 1979 up until his death: tourism systems, partial industrialisation, tourist attraction systems and strategy. Works in the first three areas are identified as having a significant influence on tourism literature and the conceptualisation of tourism as a discipline and the manner in which it is defined for both research and educational purposes. The connections between theory and strategy are noted which led to an important tourism text as well as the development of several cases of business failures, which Leiper argues is a significant subject for tourism education. The review concludes by identifying his legacy for the study of tourism.     

Analysing mobility biographies with the life course calendar: a retrospective survey methodology for longitudinal data collection

Transportation research is in need of longitudinal data to better understand travel behaviour. This paper describes a new survey method to collect longitudinal data, called the life course calendar. We discuss the need for and the uses of this instrument with reference to specific case study material and explore to what extent the life course calendar is suitable for the study of individual life courses and travel behaviour. In the first part of this article we give an overview of current research on the causal relationships between certain life events and travel behaviour. Based on the outcomes of the literature review we analyse life course calendars of 646 respondents. Considering the explorative character of our case study material the results are quite promising. Most notably information on car purchases, on relocations, and changes of the work place has been well recorded which indicates that the life course calendar is suited for the study of changes of spatial contexts and accessibility. The data analysis has provided initial results on the distribution of key events over the life course and on the relation of such events to changes in travel behaviour. Significant effects were found for key events such as relocation, change of job, birth of first child, separation/divorce, moving in with partner and retirement. The life course calendar can be advantageous, especially if it is employed to supplement extensive panel studies.     

Big data in smart tourism: challenges,issues and opportunities

In the era of digital transformation, Big Data have assumed a crucial role in changing the global travel and providing significant challenges and opportunities for established companies, as well as new entrants into the tourism industry. All these companies can get valuable information on Big Data for predicting tourist demand, enabling better decision-making, managing knowledge flows and interaction with customers, and providing the best service in a more efficient and effective way. This can result in improved productivity, increased customer satisfaction, personalized marketing campaigns, and more efficient operations. However, open research issues about the role of Big Data in the tourism industry can be still recognized. With these premises, this Editorial aims to present the articles included in the special issue of Current Issues in Tourism titled ‘Big data in smart tourism: challenges, issues and opportunities’, which has called for research contributing to the recent debates on the implications and challenges of the adoption of Big Data to improve the competitiveness of tourism destinations and companies. Main topics considered by the accepted articles include a literature review proposing a novel theoretical investigative frameworks, metrics and critical dimensions, and empirical investigations of the use of Big Data in different tourism contexts.