Economics of tourist's consumption behaviour: Some evidence from Australia

This study analyses the consumption behaviour of international tourists from Australia's four major source markets: New Zealand, UK, USA and Japan. A preliminary analysis of their consumption expenditures reveals intriguing similarities as well as diversities in consumption patterns. These are sought to understand in terms of the utility-maximising framework in which observed differences in prices and incomes play a key role. Based on the neoclassical economic theory of consumer behaviour, models incorporating five major components of tourist consumption – Accommodation, Food, Transport, Shopping and Entertainment- are estimated. Overall, the level of tourist consumption is found to be highly sensitive to incomes but less sensitive to prices. The low price sensitivity suggests tourists perceive the commodities as necessities and may also reflect their captivity at the destination, masking the underlying true price sensitivities. An important dimension underlying these findings is the possible lack of information about the destination leading to sub-optimal consumption choices.     

The influence of travel photo editing on tourists’ experiences

Photo editing has become a prevalent practice when people share their travel photos on social media. This study examines this understudied phenomenon by exploring travelers' photo-editing behavior and its impact on tourists' destination experiences. Three pilot interviews and 23 in-depth interviews were conducted using photo-elicitation. The results show that photo editing does not necessarily alter the objective part of the trip memories, but rather reminds tourists of more positive than negative memories. Compliments from the social media audience on the edited photos improve tourists' overall recall of their destination experiences and further enhance their reflection on these experiences. The findings also enrich the understanding of the hermeneutic circle of representation in tourists’ photo editing behavior.     

杭州旅游企业家(经理人)队伍现状研究

创建旅游经济强市(省、区、县)的关键要素之一是培育一批旅游企业家队伍。该文对杭州市的旅游企业家进行了问卷调查,分析了杭州市旅游企业家、旅游经理人队伍的现状,评述了杭州旅游行业的创业环境。     

Dimentions of tourist satisfaction with a destination area

Pizam, Abraham, Yoram Neumann, and Arie Reichel.. “Dimensions of Tourist Satisfaction with a Destination Area,” Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. V, No. 3, July/September 1978, pp. 314–322. This paper empirically identifies eight factors of tourist satisfaction with Cape Cod, Massachusetts (USA) as a tourist destination area; and it suggests the means to measure them. By using a factor-analytic approach based on data obtained from a survey of 685 vacationing tourist, the following factors of tourist satisfaction were derived: beach oppurtunities, cost, hospitality, eating and drinking facilities, accommodation facilities, environment, and extent of commercialization.     

Advancing destination image: The destination content model

Knowledge of the mental representations that individuals hold about tourist destinations are important to understand their intentions. These mental destination representations have often been investigated by applying the concept of destination image. This study argues that the extant literature is often rather atheoretical and lacks operational rigor. These are major shortcomings which undoubtedly hinder the development of academic and managerial insights. In response, this study draws on contemporary psychology to develop the destination content model, comprising three informational components held in individuals‘ minds about destinations. The present study further outlines preferable methods and measures for each component, thus aiding researchers to investigate mental destination representations.     

How do tourists respond to meta-stereotypes? Understanding their willingness to interact,self-presentation and the role of power

Research into the stereotypes of tourists by locals and the impacts of these stereotypes on local behaviors is well established. However, how tourists respond to these stereotypes remains underdeveloped. This research offers a thorough understanding of the effects of meta-stereotypes on tourists by revealing whether being stereotyped affects tourist intentions to interact with locals and their self-presentation during these interactions. Two scenario-based experiments and a follow-up survey were conducted. Study 1 demonstrates that meta-stereotypes influence in different ways the willingness of tourists to interact with locals and how they present themselves to locals. Study 2 reveals that these effects are significantly moderated by the degree to which tourists hold power, with powerful tourists being more likely to behave in line with meta-stereotypes. Study 3 draws consistent conclusions with Study 1 and 2 in surveying 313 Mainland Chinese tourists. This research offers insights into tourist responses to meta-stereotypes and has implications for organizations seeking to enhance tourist-host relations.     

The relationship between white-water rafting experience formation and customer reaction: a flow theory perspective

White-water rafting is an exciting form of water adventure that not only satisfies the need of tourists to interact with nature, but also represents an invigorating recreational experience, thereby explaining why it has become a popular adventure tourism activity in Taiwan. Although a few studies have analyzed multiple tourist tourism experiences, there is still a lack of research adopting the flow experience perspective to understand tourist motivations when participating in rafting activities. Therefore, this study adopts the concept of flow experience to examine the relationships among experience antecedents, flow experience and result variables. The statistical results show that tourist rafting skill, level of challenge of rafting activity and playfulness significantly and positively influence tourist flow experience that, in turn, promotes a positive mood and satisfaction. Moreover, tourist satisfaction significantly and positively influences tourist loyalty. Finally, the research findings and theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Ideal image in process: Online tourist photography and impression management

This paper discusses the role of impression management in the production of online tourist photography and how it works along with other underlying dimensions that shape photographic decisions at various stages of image selection. The paper illustrates that the selection of photographs is so intimately linked to impression management that it even extends to the decision of whether to bring a camera along on a trip in the first place. Tourists are constantly caught in the dilemma of who to satisfy during the selection process. This study suggests that social media and photography facilitate social comparison, thus the tourist gaze is being redefined even more rapidly nowadays.     

Purchasing Behavior of Tourists Towards Tennessee-Made Products

Abstract

Purchasing behaviors of tourists for Tennessee-made food products were examined. Amount of units purchased, approximate expenditures, and where products were purchased were recorded. Over 95% of the individuals purchased Tennessee-made food products for themselves and 64% purchased the products as gifts. The majority of the products were purchased at speciality stores or tourist sites. Products most often purchased included candies/confections and chocolates. Quality of the products was the most important factor in the decision to purchase. The average tourist visiting Tennessee purchased 4.9 items and spent $34.60 on these products. Processors of state-made products and tourism departments need to market the quality and uniqueness of their products at speciality shops and tourist sites.     

Monitoring tourists’ specialisation and implementing adaptive governance is necessary to avoid failure of the wildlife tourism commons

Wildlife tourism (WT) is an important economic sector globally, which can sustain national and local economies. These activities have been reconceptualised as consumptive because of their impacts on the wildlife, and the problem of managing WT as a common-pool resource issue. We use an individual-based model to simulate the dynamics of a WT destination in different development phases. We then ask if any of the governance structures commonly proposed to solve common pool resource issues are appropriate to sustainably manage a WT destination during its development. The level of specialisation of tourists visiting a destination can influence both the exploitation of the wildlife and the socio-economic success of the industry, and no single governance structure leads to sustainability in every stage of a WT destination lifecycle. Given the dynamics of WT destinations, an adaptive governance framework is crucial to avoid wildlife depletion and economic failure of the industry.