Producing a sense of meaningful place: evidence from a cultural festival in Hong Kong

Festivals are social and cultural phenomena that represent the living culture of a local community. However, studies on festivals have mainly focused on the economic contributions to the community and place. Relevant studies that probe into the intertwined relationship between festivals and uniqueness of place and locale are lacking. To fill this gap, this study explores the extent to which festivals contribute to the construction of a sense of place and its respective locality. Based on a case study of the Cheung Chau Bun Festival, a community-based local festival in Hong Kong, this study examines place-related conceptions associated with community festivals. In-depth interviews were conducted to investigate local residents' perceptions of festival meanings and the underlying relationships with the construction of place uniqueness. Findings suggest that festivals are among the possible elements that can contribute to the ontological construction of the place. Three underlying themes of festival meanings, namely, religion and heritage, social bonding, and imagined locality, are crucial elements attributing to the sense of place that eventually shape the identification of a unique place. Therefore, festivals are a potential channel through which the history of a community can be narrated and a sense of place uniqueness can be established.     

The Fromelles Interment 2010: dominant narrative and reflexive thanatourism

The heritage and tourism appeal of the First World War (1914–1918) battlefield sites holds similarities with past capital cities’ attractions and the cultural heritage, built structure and commemorative events fostered by government-backed narrative. Governments and associated institutions manage and communicate the ‘dominant narrative’ of official culture that generally concerns moral and emotional aspects of history, myths or legends. On the other hand, the ‘little narrative’ or vernacular attributed to individuals complements and enriches the significance of official narrative and links closely to public memory. Vernacular narrative derives from personal information, family history, diaries and privately held records that eventually become part of the dominant, government narrative. The combination of these narratives contributes to the continually emerging and reassembled discourse of the First World War because it links local and foreign people with one another in seemingly viable and tangible ways. The narrative passed from generations with first-hand experience to the present day intergenerational narrative that enhances the austere facts of history. Battlefield visitors are active consumers of historical events and builders of meaning that generate from a broad spectrum of sources covering government, ancestors and family. Consequently, events such as the Fromelles Interment highlight the impact of planning, promotion and management of specific tourism events by governments, various contributing agencies, the press and the general public. The idea of an interment moves away from thanatourism to the concept of restorative or reflexive nostalgic tourism because visitors related to the relaxed, festive atmosphere of the Fromelles ceremony as well as the dominant narrative behind this unique, singular event of remembrance. The Fromelles story, the creation of a new cemetery and the visitors' insights are unique because such an event is unlikely to be repeated for any other First World War battlefield.     

The influence of a film on destination image and the desire to travel: a cross‐cultural comparison

The objective of this study was to measure the immediate impacts of a film on the perceptions of viewers from different countries. The film chosen for this experiment was the Motorcycle Diaries in which South America was featured prominently in the film. Using established scales from the tourism and marketing literature, viewers from the USA, Canada and Spain were surveyed before and after seeing the film, and results showed that the film did change the viewers' perceptions of South America. After watching the film, a large percentage of the respondents expressed a desire to visit the countries seen in the film, with Canadians showing a significantly higher desire to visit South America than the US and Spanish participants. Those who were motivated to travel by the film were especially influenced by the scenery, landscape and the cultural attractions of the destination as depicted in the movie. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The role of destination personality in predicting tourist behaviour: implications for branding mid-sized urban destinations

The purpose of this study was to explore urban tourists' perceptions of the personality of a mid-sized city destination in Greece and to assess the effect of destination personality on the city's overall image and tourists' behavioural intentions. Experience with the destination was taken into account as the sample consisted of three distinct groups of urban tourists: local residents, past visitors of the city and non-visitors. Through a mixed-methods approach, excitement and sincerity were found to be the predominant personality characteristics of the destination across all respondents. Further analyses offered support for the significant role of personality in influencing overall destination image and predicting tourists' intention to (re)visit the city or recommend it to others. Differences among the three groups as well as implications of the findings for branding small or mid-sized urban destinations are also discussed.     

The effect of a destination branding strategy for rural tourism on the perceived value of the conservation of the indigenous resources of the rural tourism destination: the case of Spain

The identification of mechanisms that encourage the tourism sector to contribute to sustainable conservation is of great interest. The present work proposes the use of destination branding based on contribution to the conservation of the indigenous resources of the rural tourist destination, and studies the effect this has on perceived value for the tourist visiting the destination. A scale of destination brand identity is validated, along with a scale for destination brand positioning and another for perceived value, as viewed by the tourist, of contribution to sustainable conservation. The perceived value scale offers an overall perspective which includes: functional-affective factors; benefits–sacrifices; the pre-visit stage; and the stay in the rural tourism location. These findings make a new contribution to both literature and to the professional sector.     

Critical issues in health and wellness tourism: an exploratory study of visitors to wellness centres on Gran Canaria

The growing commodification of health care and therapeutic landscape, as well as the recent growth in international demand for wellness services and treatments, has led to the proliferation of destinations and enterprises that have selected health and wellness tourism as part of their corporate strategy, including coastal tourism destinations such as the Spanish island of Gran Canaria. This study discusses the commodification of health care and landscape, the relationship between everyday life and going on holiday, as well as the motives for medical and wellness tourism. Wellness tourism development on Gran Canaria is also analysed as a case study that could prove useful for those working on diversification within coastal tourism. An exploratory study of European visitors to wellness centres on the island is also presented. Major findings and contributions relate to socio-demographic characteristics, motives for the visit to the island, the importance of the wellness offer, tourist and travel behaviour and wellness behaviour both at the destination and at the place of residence. Another contribution refers to differences in the use of wellness centres and treatments among visitors, based on their place of origin, gender, age, marital status and job situation. Management and marketing implications are also suggested.     

The impact of destination attributes on Muslim tourist's choice

The success of marketing destinations for Muslim tourists could be guided by observing Islamic teachings in tourism activities. This study is a trial to explore which Islamic attributes of destinations could be used a base for tailoring Halal tourist packages. Qualitative data were collected by conducting two focus group discussions and fifty three interviews in Malaysia. Two major aspects are identified which may attract Muslim tourists. Some suggestions are also presented to satisfy Muslim tourists. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

The growth of literary places in ancient town tourism destinations: based on the theories of Bourdieu,Danto and Dickie

Literary literature and tourism are closely connected, but the research on that connection is limited. Literary tourism spots are no longer just the places where historical accidents happened or were sites of a writer's birth or death, they can be any other places which have actual or even imaged linkages with the authors or their works. Based on Bourdieu's 1992 field theory and the ‘Artworld’ described by Danto [1964. The artworld. The Journal of Philosophy, 61, 571–584] and Dickie [1974. Art and the aesthetic: An institutional analysis. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press; 1984. The art circle: A theory of art. New York, NY: Haven], this study proposes an analytical framework comprising the atmosphere, activities and agents of art field development in order to understand the formation of a literary tourism product. San Mao teahouse in Zhouzhuang, China is used as an example. On-site observations, interviews and secondary data were collected for this study. The study finds that San Mao Teahouse as a literary venue is the result of the interaction of the literary field of San Mao and the tourism field of the historical town of Zhouzhuang. In the early stage of development, the owner and manager of San Mao Teahouse played the role of producer and marketer, and later on, tourists took more active roles by writing more literary works and promoting the site on websites based on their faith in San Mao, her work and the place. The research also finds that literary tourism is not a conventional art product, but a special experience of literature in the tourism world. Overall, the research contributes to the current knowledge by presenting a new case of formation of literary venues in tourist spots, introducing a new analytical framework and also facilitating the understanding of cultural change in tourist destinations.     

The Importance of Internal Resources and Capabilities and Destination Resources to Explain Firm Competitive Position in the Spanish Tourism Industry

This study draws on the Resource‐Based View to analyze the effects of distinctive competences in tourism firms and location in a tourism district on competitive position, and explores the moderating effects of the tourism destination. Multiple linear regression was used to test the research hypotheses on a sample of 1019 Spanish tourism firms. Results reveal that financial resources and dynamic and production capabilities favor a better competitive position for tourism firms in general; however, coordination and marketing capabilities are key factors for firms embedded in a tourism district, while dynamic capabilities have a negative effect in this case. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessing the contribution of flagship projects to city image change: a quasi‐experimental technique

The aim of this paper is to identify a simple technique that can be used to indicate whether flagship urban projects contribute to city image change. The quasi‐experiment outlined is grounded in established marketing efficacy measures and involves establishing the relationship between awareness levels of projects and image change. After an explanation of the proposed technique, it is applied to projects in Birmingham, Manchester and Sheffield to demonstrate its potential value. Despite raising some concerns, the paper concludes that the technique provides a useful indicator of the effects of flagship projects, particularly when longitudinal research is not possible. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The influence of service performance and destination resources on consumer behaviour: a case study of mainland Chinese tourists to Kinmen

This paper draws upon the responses of 603 mainland Chinese tourists in Kinmen and attempts to understand their consumer behavior on the aspects of intentions, preferences, decision‐making process, satisfaction, and willingness to revisit. Variables such as service performance and destination resources that affect visitor's satisfaction are also tested. The findings reflect a ‘myth of mysteriousness’ of mainland Chinese visitors to the destination and suggest that it is essential for the market segmentation to participate in the tourism planning of Kinmen to develop an integrated policy for promotion and marketing, in order to enhance consumers' interest. In addition, this research has implications for tourism planning in Kinmen and provides references for other destinations striving for tourists from mainland China. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The contribution of holiday trips to life satisfaction: the case of people with disabilities

This study analyses the contribution of holiday trips to the life satisfaction (LS) of people with disabilities as compared to people without disabilities. Particular attention is paid to the effects of the intensity of taking part in holiday trips on LS. We are interested in testing two different hypotheses: (a) holiday trips increase individuals' LS and (b) the effects of holiday trips on LS are different for people without and with disabilities, being greater for this latter group. Using longitudinal data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, we estimate LS equations (running generalised least square random-effects models) for people without and with disabilities which include a set of variables measuring participation or not in holiday trips and its intensity. Although people with disabilities are less likely to participate in holiday trips than people without disabilities, the results indicate that people with disabilities obtain higher levels of LS than people without disabilities from their participation in holiday trips, especially when this participation is more intense. Policy-makers and the tourism industry must promote and facilitate full access and participation of people with disabilities in holiday trips by eliminating all barriers, understanding their differential needs and providing an inclusive leisure environment.     

The influence of perceived discrimination,orientation to mainstream culture and life satisfaction on destination loyalty intentions: the case of international students

This study examines three psychological phenomena (perceived discrimination, orientation to mainstream culture and life satisfaction) in explaining destination loyalty of international students. A sample of 489, short-term (n?=?174) and long-term (n?=?315) international students completed an online survey. Results from structural equation model-AMOS (analysis of moment structures) indicated that (1) orientation to mainstream culture positively influences destination loyalty intention and (2) orientation to mainstream culture mediates the relationship between perceived discrimination and destination loyalty intention. These results suggest that to facilitate destination loyalty intention, institutions may need to develop a support system that can promote positive cross-cultural adjustment.     

Haptic routes and digestive destinations in cooking series: images of food and place in Keith Floyd and The Hairy Bikers in relation to art history

Taking modern television travel cookery series as a starting point, the article investigates the cultural significance of food and place in visual culture. The examples are, respectively, The Keith Floyd Cookery Collection: Floyd Around The Med [2000. BBC DVD, 2007] and The Hairy Bikers Cookbook Series 1 & 2 [BBC DVD, 2006]. The series illustrate the strong connection between travel, food and place in tourist consumer culture, as well as the way motion and emotion are related to sensuous and digestive aspects of touristic food. The series also illustrate the emblematic connection between food and the media in which aesthetical, cultural and symbolic values are related to the way food is mediatised. The main argument is that cooking television series produce haptic images of place and food that include a specific sensuous and emotional relation between screen and viewer. The haptic imagery is reflected in popular visual culture and tourism as well as in art history and aesthetics.     

The Relative Importance of Social and Personal Norms in Explaining Intentions to Choose Eco‐Friendly Travel Options

Changes in current travel patterns are important in order to move towards a more sustainable future of tourism. This paper reports findings from a study (N = 762) investigating the relative importance of social and personal norms in explaining intentions to choose eco‐friendly travel options. Personal norms showed the strongest association with behavioural intentions and further mediated the link between injunctive social norms and behavioural intentions. Overall findings indicate that social and personal norms seem both related to travel choices but that a particular emphasis should be given to the role of personal norms. Further implications of these findings are discussed. © 2015 The Authors. International Journal of Tourism Research Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.