Changes in Host Community Reactions to a Special Sporting Event

Special events are a popular component of tourism and economic development strategies for communities and regions in many parts of the world. Researchers continue to develop an understanding of the positive and negative aspects of the events, and to assess residents' support for these events and their views about impacts. The main objective of this paper is to assess residents' reactions over a one-year period to hosting a special sporting event. The analysis is based on three community surveys, one undertaken before the event, the next immediately following the event, and the final one six months later. The research found that support remained high over this period, though a decline in overall support was evident. Over time, views about changes to facilities and services in the community shifted and there were distinct differences in residents' opinions on the impacts of hosting the event. The paper concludes that longitudinal studies must include a time-frame that extends beyond the immediate post-event period and, further, that a comprehensive event hosting impact scale would be useful for research in this field.     

Exploring the effect of geographic convenience on repeat visitation and tourist spending: the moderating role of novelty seeking

This article investigates the relationships among geographic convenience, tourists' visit frequency and travel spending as well as the moderating effect of novelty seeking. A curvilinear relationship between geographic convenience and visit frequency is first identified. The mediating role of visit frequency is then tested through path analysis, followed by an invariant model test that examines the moderating effect of novelty seeking. The findings reveal that frequency of visit fully mediates the relationship between geographic convenience and travel spending. The moderating effect of novelty seeking is also warranted in that the effect of geographic convenience is only significant for low-novelty seekers while the frequency-of-visit effect is more salient for high-novelty seekers.     

Predicting car drivers’ intention to use low cost airlines for intercity travel in Libya

This study used an extended version of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to predict the travel intention of car drivers in Libya with regard to using the new low-cost carriers (LCC). In order to understand the willingness of travellers to accept the LCC in Libya and its antecedents, this study has added three constructs to the original TPB model, namely novelty seeking, trust, and external influences. The respondents in this study are 338 car drivers in Libya. The results of this study indicate that attitude towards LCC, perceived behavioural control, and subjective norm all have positive effects on the behavioural intention of taking LCC. Furthermore, novelty seeking and trust have indirect positive effects on behavioural intention. Trust, on the other hand, has an indirect positive influence on the three antecedents of intention in accepting LCC in Libya. Results also revealed that external influence (i.e. advertising campaigns by the media) has a significant indirect influence on car users’ intention to accept the new LCC via subjective norm and perceived behavioural control, and indirect influence on the behaviour intention of car users via novelty seeking with regard to attitude towards LCC and trust to perceived behavioural control.     

Exploring the experience value of museum visitors as a co-creation process

Museums’ visitors can play an active role both during and after the visit that will allow them to shape a significant experience. The present work explores this role of the visitor as co-creator of experiences. Prior knowledge and interest enable visitors to participate and interact during the visit, all of which basically allows them to build a more intense experience in those areas that require their involvement. It is these more active experiences, and only these, which drive the individual’s intention to continue participating actively after the visit, seeking information and revisiting the museum, following it on social networks and making recommendations on opinion pages.     

Big mountain,big name: globalised relations of risk in Himalayan mountaineering

The paper explores how visitors' perception of a destination's heritage management affects satisfaction with actual visits to the sites and overall perception of the destination's cultural image, using Macao as the case setting. The study will also look at how site visit satisfaction influences the intention to revisit and recommend to others. The findings indicated that perception of the quality of heritage interpretation was significantly associated with destination cultural image and site visit satisfaction. However, associations between site visit satisfaction and intention to revisit and recommend were weak. The findings also led to a discussion on whether the labels ‘cultural’ versus ‘non-cultural’ tourists remain stable over time.     

Towards a new approach of destination loyalty drivers: satisfaction,visit intensity and tourist motivations

This study explores the linear and non-linear effects of previous experiences in a tourist destination (satisfaction and visit intensity) on the intention to return and to make a positive recommendation to others. We also consider the external drivers or the appeal of the destination as well as individuals' internal drivers as moderating factors in intensity–loyalty and satisfaction–loyalty relations. The analysis conducted on a sample of 687 tourists in a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Spain supports a non-linear effect of satisfaction on the intention to return. Moreover, time intense and expenditure intense visits positively impact the intention to return when the motivation for the trip is internal, yet have a negative effect if tourist motives are external.     

Intention to Revisit Traditional Folk Events: A Case Study of Qinhuai Lantern Festival,China

The present study aims at analyzing revisit intention of traditional folk events based on the Theory of Planned Behavior and a Consumer‐based Model of Authenticity. The survey data were collected by a questionnaire survey in Nanjing Qinhuai Lantern Festival 2012, China. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed research model. The result shows that perceived behavioral control, motivation and perceived food authenticity of the event, but not attitude and perceived overall authenticity of the event, are valid predictor constructs for visitors' intention to revisit Qinhuai Lantern Festival. The findings have implications for the promotion of traditional events and festival tourism. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A model of wine tourist behaviour: a festival approach

The study constructs a temporal model of wine tourist behaviour on the basis of the social psychologist' theory of consumer attitudes and related concepts with regard to past behaviour, satisfaction, perceived value and behavioural intentions. More importantly, this study added two dimensions to this model by proposing that satisfaction and perceived value had an impact on the attendees' intentions (i) to visit a local winery and (ii) to buy local wine products. Using a path analysis approach and data collected from the attendees at a regional wine festival, the study examined the above relationships. The results of this path analysis can be summarised as: (i) past behaviour influenced the intention to revisit and the level of perceived value, but had no effect on the level of satisfaction; (ii) perceived value strongly affected the level of satisfaction; (iii) satisfaction had a strong impact on future intentions to revisit and also an effect on intentions to visit local wineries and to buy local wine products; and (iv) perceived value affected the intentions to revisit the festival and to visit local wineries but did not influence the intentions to buy local wines. It is believed that the results of the present study will be useful to organisers of wine festivals and/or wine tourism developers. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessing the effects of perceived value (utilitarian and hedonic) in LCCs and FSCs: Evidence from South Korea

In the airline industry, passengers choose and buy service based on their perception of which airline delivers better value. Thus, it is important to compare two types of airlines, Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) and Full Service Carriers (FSCs), to measure how much their product or service is worth and the effect of perceived value on passengers' purchase decisions. This study examined the relationship between perceived value, satisfaction, and purchase intention in both FSCs and LCCs. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were performed for data analysis. Our findings reveal that passenger satisfaction in LCCs is affected by hedonic value and utilitarian value, but passengers' future purchase intention is not dependent on satisfaction even when passengers are satisfied. In FSCs, moreover, utilitarian value is not a significant factor for satisfaction and purchase intention. This research provides implications for airline marketers and directions for future research.     

Developing Local Citizenship through Sporting Events: Balancing Community Involvement and Tourism Development

Cities throughout the world have struggled to remain competitive in an era of globalisation and devolution. As a result, many have turned to tourism-related activities, such as hosting sporting events or mega-events, as part of development strategies (Hall, 1992). Within this context, questions of how these short-lived events affect resident and nonresident identities have been raised. In essence, questions of citizenship, community, and identity have become central with the on-going use of itinerant tourism strategies. Lepofsky and Fraser (2003) reasoned that community citizenship can no longer be viewed as a static concept, where rights to local citizenship are guaranteed by virtue of residential status. They propose the notion of flexible citizenship, where residents and nonresidents alike determine their level of citizenship by their ability to negotiate their contributions within the community. This paper uses this conceptualisation of citizenship to explore how community involvement in the hosting of sporting events – by organising, watching, or participating in an event – affects notions of community citizenship, and how these newly articulated citizenships affect tourism development.     

The Scottish Highland Games: evolution,development and role as a community event

This article provides an in-depth review of the Highland Games as an event that has achieved worldwide recognition, staged not just in Scotland but across the globe where Scottish Diasporas exist, although the focus here is on Scotland. Highland Games events are complex to categorise and conceptualise considering their multi-layered nature and scope, encompassing a multitude of activities each based on diverse local histories and traditions. The article commences with a detailed historical analysis of the Highland Games in Scotland to illustrate the distinctiveness and uniqueness of this type of event. A review of the event literature follows to illustrate the complexities and problems that conventional event typologies pose for seeking to classify or categorise the Highland Games, emphasising the community basis of such events as a starting point for understanding this phenomenon. The article reports the results of an empirical study of Highland Games events in Scotland and addresses a number of the current concerns and debates associated with the staging of Highland Games, including the challenges that non-profit Games organisations face in continuing the community tradition of event hosting. One particular issue that features is an acknowledgement of the dangers posed by the more commercial priorities of contemporary event management to the rich cultural heritage that underpins the Highland Games which could easily become neglected or even eradicated through more professional organisation.     

Profiling Sport Tourists: The Case of Super 12 Rugby Union in the Australian Capital Territory,Australia

The concept of sport related tourism has become more prominent in the last few years as both an academic field of study and an increasingly popular tourism product (Gibson, 1998). Sport tourism includes travel to participate in a passive (e.g. sports events and museums) or active sport holiday (e.g. scuba diving and cycling), and it may involve instances where sport or tourism itself is the dominant activity or reason for travel. However, little research has been undertaken to examine the profile of sport tourist market segments in an attempt to understand these segments and their potential as tourism markets. This paper will examine one such attempt to profile sport tourist spectators through surveying sport tourists attending Super 12 Rugby Union matches at Bruce Stadium, Canberra in April/May 2000. The paper discusses the preliminary results of this exploratory study, and examines the sporting behaviour and travel behaviour of spectators. The paper will then discuss differences between spectator characteristics with an emphasis on examining high yield segments based on sport and travel behaviour, and will conclude with a discussion of future research possibilities.     

‘Does it Really Affect Me?’ Tourism Destination Narratives,Destination Image,and the Intention to Visit: Examining the Moderating Effect of Narrative Transportation

The extent to which tourism destination marketing narratives with different themes influence readers by imaginatively ‘transporting’ them is quite varied. This study investigates the different degrees of influence such narratives have on destination image and the intention to visit, exploring how the intensity of readers' experiences of being transported by narratives with different themes can influence their intention to visit the places described. Our results reveal the extent to which different narrative themes affect destination image and significantly influence readers' intention to visit. The extent to which narratives with different themes make readers feel transported also has a significant moderating effect on their intention to visit. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determinants of collective transport mode choice and its impacts on trip satisfaction in urban tourism

The continuous growth of tourism has important environmental impacts and transports account for a large proportion of the CO₂ emissions generated by tourists. Understanding the motivations and characteristics of collective transport users in contemporary cities may contribute to promote more sustainable forms of tourism. Based on an extensive questionnaire to international tourists in Barcelona, this study employs a multinomial logistic regression to explore the links among visitors' characteristics, motivations, and means of transportation, while an ordinal logistic regression is applied to investigate whether the preference for collective transport has an impact on the satisfaction with the trip. The novelty of our approach is testing the hypothesis that the choice of collective transports is more related to trip motivations (professional, leisure, or personal) than to socio-demographic or personal characteristics of tourists. The results show that professional travelers are more oriented to the use of private cars, but they prefer collective transports when the length of stay is higher and combined with other trip motivations. Also, using collective transports is linked to high satisfaction with the visit for the tourists using this form of transportation. This study puts forward policy implications and suggestions for future research directions, in particular regarding the utilization of non-motorized forms of transportation cities.     

Shopping value,tourist satisfaction and positive word of mouth: the mediating role of souvenir shopping satisfaction

We propose new insights into key satisfaction outcomes for souvenir retailers, such as positive word-of-mouth recommendations, seeking deeper comprehension of overall tourist satisfaction determinants, by analysing the mediating role of tourist souvenir shopping satisfaction. We apply variance-based structural equation modelling by means of partial least squares to a sample of 408 tourists all of whom had purchased souvenirs. The results suggest that tourist shopping satisfaction partially mediates the relation between shopping value and positive word of mouth, while tourist shopping satisfaction completely mediates the relation between shopping value and overall tourist satisfaction. The results and their implications are then discussed to arrive at pertinent conclusions on tourist souvenir shopping satisfaction.     

Creative tourism and visitor motivation

Creative tourism has been explained as a new genre of tourism that offers the visitor an opportunity to develop their creative potential through an engaged experience in the destination visited. Despite a growing literature on the topic, little attention has been given to examining what motivates creative tourists to visit particular places and events. This paper aims to address this research gap by applying the push-pull framework to investigate the travel motivations of creative tourists. To do so, the responsive interviewing model was employed to survey 20 of such tourists who had visited creative spaces and spectacles in three of China's UNESCO-designated creative cities. Through a qualitative thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews, a new push-pull framework is introduced to conceptualise the travel motivations of creative tourists. Our paper concludes with practical considerations for destination managers seeking to design and market creative tourism experiences.     

Tourist satisfaction and the souvenir shopping of domestic tourists: extended weekends in Spain

The satisfaction dimensions of domestic tourists when buying souvenirs are studied in relation to the overall satisfaction of the same tourists, a theme that has received little attention in the prior scientific literature. The research data were gathered from interviews with domestic tourists visiting Seville over an extended weekend. The results show that souvenir shopping satisfaction consists of four factors: internal attraction, service differentiation, service provision and external attraction. The last two, moreover, influence the overall tourist satisfaction rates. A discussion of these results and their implications help contribute to a better understanding among both scholars and practitioners of tourist satisfaction.     

How Far does Overall Service Quality of a Destination Affect Customers' Post‐Purchase Behaviours?

In tourism management literature, there are numerous research papers focusing on the determinants of the customers' destination evaluations and how they affect each other. The chief variables to be examined in the literature have been customer satisfaction, perceived value, behavioural intention and service quality. In this study, the authors were inspired by the ‘indirect model’ by Cronin et al. (2000) and generated a conceptual model to determine the overall service quality of a destination and its effect on perceived value, customer satisfaction and behavioural intention by structural equation modelling technique. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Up in Smoke? The Impact of Smog on Risk Perception and Satisfaction of International Tourists in Beijing

This research explored the perceptions of on‐site international tourists towards the smog in Beijing. A scale measuring the degree of tourists' concern about smog conditions was developed. The links among smog concern, risk perception, trip satisfaction and destination loyalty were tested with a structural equation model. Direct relationships were found for the hypothesized effects of smog concern on risk perception and satisfaction. Further, the influence of risk perception on reducing satisfaction as well as the role of satisfaction in forming revisit intention (loyalty) was identified. The broad concerns of this study are applicable across all key Chinese tourism cities visited by international tourists. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The loyalty process of residents and tourists in the festival context

Few attempts have been made to find out if the loyalty process for residents and tourists in the context of cultural festivals is the same. This study investigated the influence of involvement on satisfaction as factors contributing to the likelihood of returning to an annual festival for residents and tourists. A sample of 412 attendees of a cultural and historic festival in the Midwest region of the USA was surveyed. The results showed that both residents and tourists who were more involved with the festival had higher satisfaction levels. However, only residents who were highly satisfied with the festival were more likely to attend again, whereas tourists' satisfaction level did not significantly influence their likelihood of returning. For tourists, it is likely that their quest for novelty is influential in shaping their future intentions. Implications of this result for the sustainability of cultural festivals are discussed.