Heritage Tourism in Singapore Chinatown: A Perceived Value Approach to Authenticity and Satisfaction

This study examines object-based and existential authenticity using a multidimensional approach to perceived value. The effects of value perceptions on satisfaction are also examined. Data was collected from tourists at the Singapore Chinatown heritage precinct. The findings revealed that object-based authenticity, existential authenticity, and perceived monetary value positively influenced overall perceived value and subsequently, satisfaction. This paper provides researchers with a theoretical framework of authenticity and perceived value for future empirical studies in the heritage tourism context. It also provides insight into how destination marketers and policy makers can develop effective and sustainable strategies for heritage destinations.     

Authenticity and place attachment of major visitor attractions

This paper aims to explore the relationships between place attachment and perceived authenticity of major visitor attractions. The empirical study was conducted with a sample of international tourists to major visitor attractions in two capital cities, Helsinki, Finland and Jerusalem, Israel. The results indicate a positive correlation between place attachment and authenticity. Major visitor attractions located in places with considerable heritage experience value are considered more authentic, and that authenticity of visitor attractions is influenced by place attachment moderated by iconicity and heritage value of the destination region. These findings provide insight to the ways tourists perceive authenticity of visitor attractions and highlight the importance of the heritage value of tourism destinations for strategic planning and marketing purposes.     

遗产旅游地意象媒介传播机制——苏州园林与江南古镇的比较研究

旅游地意象既包括旅游者经实地体验形成的复合意象,也包括那些远离旅游地的潜在旅游者借助各类媒介信息所形成的引致意象.在新媒体时代,传媒在旅游地意象传播中所扮演的角色越来越重要,分析和研究旅游地意象媒介传播机制现已成为该领域前沿课题.为探索遗产旅游地意象媒介传播模式,文章结合苏州园林和江南古镇案例,采用焦点组访谈、内容分析、问卷调查等方法获取9365例样本的旅游目的地意象媒介传播数据,在质性分析基础上,通过在遗产旅游地意象属性因素与传播媒介因素之间建立结构方程模型,并根据系列研究假设验证结果,揭示出传统媒体与新媒体在遗产旅游地意象形成中的实际作用机制.结论认为,传统媒体与新媒体在文化遗产旅游地意象传播中存在功能互补,前者的优势在于遗产形态与形象推广,而后者的优势则在于遗产文化与意义诠释;借助传统媒体扣新媒体传播不同类型的遗产旅游地意象信息,能够在激发遗产旅游需求的同时,帮助公众更完整地理解遗产文化价值和精神内涵,从而在潜在旅游者中塑造更优良的遗产旅游地意象.在文化遗产旅游地意象传播中,传统媒体与新媒体的整合使用,代表着文化遗产旅游地意象传播的必然.     

Food,place and authenticity: local food and the sustainable tourism experience

In recent years, attempts to improve the economic and environmental sustainability of both tourism and agriculture have been linked to the development of “alternative” food networks and a renewed enthusiasm for food products that are perceived to be traditional and local. This paper draws on research from two UK regions, the Lake District and Exmoor, to argue that local food can play an important role in the sustainable tourism experience because it appeals to the visitor's desire for authenticity within the holiday experience. Using evidence from qualitative interviews with tourists and food producers, the paper records ways in which local foods are conceptualised as “authentic” products that symbolise the place and culture of the destination. By engaging with debates surrounding the meaning of locality and authenticity, the paper challenges existing understandings of these concepts and offers a new way forward for tourism research by arguing that “local food” has the potential to enhance the visitor experience by connecting consumers to the region and its perceived culture and heritage.     

A construal level view of contemporary heritage tourism

Psychological distance is “a subjective experience that something is close or far away from the self, here, and now” (Trope & Liberman 2010, p. 440). This research investigates heritage tourism from the perspective of Construal Level theory, which postulates that individuals mentally represent objects and events by adopting either low or high construal levels. We show that heritage tourism leads tourists to adopt a higher psychological distance and therefore a higher construal level. In turn, this higher construal negatively affects destination loyalty and perceived uniqueness. However, authenticity and engagement moderate the heritage–construal relationship, counterbalancing the higher psychological distance induced by heritage. We explore these relationships in two studies focusing on contemporary heritage sites. This further allows to compare visitors’ mental representations of the experience, based on their memory type. The paper concludes by addressing implications for theory and practice.     

旅游企业社会责任对目的地形象及游客忠诚的影响研究

在旅游市场竞争日趋激烈的背景下,由旅游企业经营所引发的社会责任问题受到广泛关注,但学界关于旅游企业社会责任的影响研究还不够系统和深入.文章将旅游企业社会责任划分为6个方面,将目的地形象划分为认知形象和情感形象两个方面,并构建了旅游企业社会责任对目的地形象及游客忠诚的影响模型.实证研究表明,旅游企业社会责任在目的地形象及游客忠诚形成中发挥非常重要的作用,其中,经济责任、环境责任、游客责任、员工责任和法律责任对认知形象有正向影响,游客责任、员工责任和慈善责任对情感形象有正向影响;认知形象和情感形象不仅对游客忠诚产生直接影响,而且通过游客满意对游客忠诚产生间接作用.相比认知形象,情感形象对游客满意和忠诚的影响作用更大.     

Destination Visual Image and Expectation of Experiences

A unique experience is the essence of tourism sought by tourists. The most effective way to communicate the notion of a tourism experience at a destination is to provide visual cues that stimulate the imagination and connect with potential tourists in a personal way. This study aims at understanding how a visual image is relevant to the expectation of experiences by deconstructing images of a destination and interpreting visitors' perceptions of these images and the experiences associated with them. The results suggest that tourists with different understandings of desirable experiences found different contents and notions of images inspired them to visit a destination. Several managerial implications are discussed.     

Destination image as a mediator between perceived risks and revisit intention: A case of post-disaster Japan

Despite the significance of perceived travel risk and destination image, relatively few studies address the effect of perceived travel risks on the formation of destination image, and the mediating role of destination image. This study draws new insights by examining (1) the effects of perceived risks on destination image, and (2) the mediating role of destination image between perceived risks and revisit intention of repeat tourists to a risky destination. With perceived risk and destination image being empirically distinctive constructs, findings revealed that perceived socio-psychological and financial risks influenced both cognitive and affective destination images. Perceived physical risk did not have a significant influence on destination image, although it directly affected revisit intention. Additionally, destination image significantly mediated the relationships between two risks, namely, perceived socio-psychological and financial risks, and revisit intention. Several managerial implications concerning the management of risk perceptions and the promotion of risky destinations are discussed in this study.     

The influence of recreation experience and environmental attitude on the environmentally responsible behavior of community-based tourists in Taiwan

This study examines the relationships between recreation experience, environmental attitude, and the general and site-specific environmentally responsible behavior of tourists at Taomi and Smangus in Taiwan. The first is an agriculturally based community and the second home to one of Taiwan's ethnic minorities. A total of 862 usable questionnaires (432 for Taomi and 430 for Smangus) were collected in this study. The empirical results indicate that recreation experience is positively and significantly related to environmental attitudes among tourists. Environmental attitudes are also positively and significantly related to general and site-specific tourist behaviors and mediate the relationship between recreation experience and environmentally responsible behavior. The paper contributes to the literature by examining the structural linear relationships between recreation experience, environmental attitudes, and environmentally responsible behavior. This study suggests that tourism destination providers should provide pro-environmental activities, ecotourism experiences, and interpretations of environmental issues to enhance tourists' environmental attitude and general and site-specific environmentally responsible behavior, thereby potentially reducing the adverse environmental effect produced by tourists during daily life and at tourism destinations. Reducing the adverse environmental effect of tourism destinations will benefit the development of sustainable community-based tourism.     

The link between travel motivation and satisfaction towards a heritage destination: The role of visitor engagement,visitor experience and heritage destination image

There are shortcomings in studying tourist satisfaction from the direct effect of travel motivation. The current study constructed an integrated model of motivation-satisfaction towards a heritage destination with the addition of experience-related factors and destination image. Unlike previous studies mainly focusing on pre or after the experience, this research employed a survey aiming at tourists during their on-site experiences. By using Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling, the proposed structural model was tested with a sample of 352 visitors at Hoi An UNESCO World Heritage Site, Vietnam. Motivation had significant effects on visitor engagement, visitor experience, and heritage destination image, which in turn led to heritage tourists' satisfaction. The indirect link between motivation and satisfaction was also confirmed, contributing to a better understanding of the formation of satisfaction in the context of heritage tourism. Practical implications are provided for Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) of heritage sites.     

回望“真实性”(authenticity)(上)——一个旅游研究的热点

麦坎内尔(MacCannell)掀起的"真实性"研究热已逾30年,其间,研究视角逐渐从"客观"转向"主观"。这既反映出真实性内涵的延展与变迁,亦凸显旅游主体—游客体验的重要性。然而,就研究者日渐褊狭的视域来看,旅游客体真实性对旅游体验真实性的影响从松散到几近断裂,旅游主体甚至以"悦纳万物"的信仰姿态视一切"存在"为真,从而收获真实的体验。客观真实与主观真实,究竟是谁决定或影响了谁?对此问题的探寻导致学界对旅游客体之"虚假"的重新界定和对旅游体验之"真实"的再度好奇,并因此形成旅游真实性研究的纷争局面。有鉴于此,对国内外真实性研究做一番缘起、视角、界定等方面的梳理和反思,或将对国内相关研究与应用有所裨益。     

Tourists' intention to visit heritage hotels at George Town World Heritage Site

George Town, Penang, has always been one of the most popular destinations among Malaysian and international tourists. In 2008, George Town was accorded a listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS). With the listing, increasing tourist arrivals and intentions to visit heritage hotels have been very promising in recent years, prompting the emergence of the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings into heritage hotels. In line with this development, this study examines the effects of perceived price, experience quality, prior knowledge, perceived authenticity, and social influence on tourists’ intention to visit heritage hotels at the George Town WHS, Penang, with perceived value as a mediator. The findings indicate that perceived price, experience quality, prior knowledge, perceived authenticity, social influence and perceived value exert positive and significant effects on tourists’ intention to visit heritage hotels. The study also determines the mediating effect of perceived value on the relationships between independent variables and the intention to visit heritage hotels. This study provides an in-depth understanding of the attributes that affect tourists’ intention to visit heritage hotels at the George Town WHS and helps the owners and operators of heritage hotels to formulate future strategies in designing and promoting their services.     

Tourism image, evaluation variables and after purchase behaviour: inter-relationship

Numerous authors have pointed out the influence of tourism image on consumer behaviour. Tourism image will also exercise some influence on the quality perceived by tourists and on the satisfaction obtained from the holiday experience. This paper focuses on the relationship between the image of a destination as perceived by tourists and their behavioural intentions, and between that same image and the post-purchase evaluation of the stay. We will also examine the relationship between quality and satisfaction and between these variables and the tourist's behaviour variables. We place the accent on a joint analysis of these relationships, using a structural equation model. The results of the empirical study show that tourism image is a direct antecedent of perceived quality, satisfaction, intention to return and willingness to recommend the destination. The role of image as a key factor in destination marketing is thus confirmed. With reference to the other relationships, on the one hand, it is confirmed that quality has a positive influence on satisfaction and intention to return and that satisfaction determines the willingness to recommend the destination. However, the influence of quality on ‘willingness to recommend’ and the influence of satisfaction on ‘intention to return’ cannot be corroborated. In this sense, further research could be necessary.     

Destination Image,Novelty, Hedonics,Perceived Value,and Revisiting Behavioral Intention for Island Tourism

This paper examines tourists’ experience of island tourism and investigates the causal relationships between the destination image, novelty, hedonics, perceived value, and revisiting behavioral intention. A total of 355 respondents completed a survey conducted on Green Island (Lyudao in Chinese), Taiwan. Using structural equation modeling, the results of the analysis supported the proposed revisiting behavioral intention model as follows: (1) the destination image had a significant and positive influence on novelty, hedonics, and perceived value; (2) tourists’ perceptions of the novelty of island tourism had a significant and positive influence on hedonics, but the effect on perceived value was insignificant; (3) hedonics had a significant and positive effect on perceived value; and (4) perceived value had a significant and positive influence on revisiting behavioral intentions. The empirical results indicate that the destination image leads to a greater perception of novelty, promotes hedonics and perceived value, and fosters the revisiting behavioral intention in tourists. Managerial implications with regard to island tourism are drawn based on the research findings, and suggestions for future researchers are presented.     

The effect of historical nostalgia on tourists’ destination loyalty intention: an empirical study of the world cultural heritage site – Mahabalipuram,India

Many studies on destination loyalty intention of the heritage tourists have failed to examine the influence of historical nostalgia. This paper examines the effect of historical nostalgia generated during the trip to a cultural heritage site on destination loyalty intention of the heritage tourists through perceived value and satisfaction. A survey was conducted at one of the world cultural heritage sites – Mahabalipuram, India. A conceptual model was developed and the hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling technique. The results revealed that the historical nostalgia had a significant positive effect on the perceived value, satisfaction and tourists’ destination loyalty intention. The paper contributes to the tourism studies by revealing the antecedent role of historical nostalgia and suggests tourism managers to use historical monuments and structures to evoke historical nostalgia in order to attract heritage tourists.     

Deconstructing the internal structure of perceived authenticity for heritage tourism

Abstract

Although modern society is more inclined to view authenticity from a postmodernist perspective, few quantitative studies on heritage tourism explored existential authenticity in detail. This study deconstructs authenticity into three components – object-related, intra-personal, and inter-personal – and then constructs a complete model by exploring each component’s internal structures, asking to what extent travel motivation is an antecedent and loyalty, a consequence. Data were obtained from 1,088 valid survey questionnaires distributed in Pingxi, Taiwan. Study findings confirmed the reliability and validity of the items used to measure the construct of authenticity. Regarding the internal structure of authenticity, intra-personal authenticity plays a mediating role between object-related authenticity and inter-personal authenticity, and this inter-personal authenticity may be the final value that tourists perceive. Compared with recent related studies, this model more comprehensively explains the degree of variation in loyalty, reflecting its importance for heritage tourism management and marketing. If a destination remains authentic, tourists are willing make a return visit. Authenticity may enable tourism managers to strike a balance between preservation and development when achieving the long-term goal of sustainable development.     

Back to the past: a sub-segment of Generation Y's perceptions of authenticity

To date, authenticity conceptualizations have taken into account the views of both suppliers and tourists. However, most studies, at the a priori stage, have not taken a market segment perspective but considered tourists to be a homogeneous population. This study challenges that by focusing on a distinct market segment based on age and life experience: Generation Y, drawing out an a priori-based sub-segment of Generation Y's perspectives of authenticity. It investigates if authenticity ideologies influence decisions to become a heritage tourist. Additionally, it determines other factors that predict differences between a heritage tourist and a non-heritage tourist. The study unveils interesting findings. With the exception of the objectivist and negotiation stance, other authenticity ideologies fail to inspire this generation to be heritage tourists. Intervention factors such as party size (and with it a social experience) and ethnicity prove to be better predictors of heritage preference. The results offer important implications for the heritage industry. For instance, “time travel” demand based on purely objective or negotiated versions can help promote conservation efforts and the sustainable development of heritage. This can lead to enhanced opportunities for partnership between the tourism industry and cultural/heritage site managers, and help revive discontinued or forgotten traditions.     

Knowledge transfer processes in the authenticity of the intangible cultural heritage in tourism destination competitiveness

ABSTRACT

As tourism based on intangible cultural heritage usually encompasses a knowledge transfer process, the authenticity of the heritage (or its perception) can be affected by knowledge transfer. These knowledge transfers occur to present the heritage to the tourists (courses, tour guiding, etc.), but also in the destination itself when the heritage knowledge is codified in museums, tour guides are trained, or the heritage is transferred to newer generations. These situations present potential challenges where authenticity is distorted or even lost, and it affects the competitiveness of the destination. The work attempts to analyse those knowledge transfers and their challenges regarding authenticity to sustain the competitiveness of the destination.     

品牌劫持:旅游目的地形象异化演进过程研究

到访旅游者网络口碑传播对目的地形象有着越来越重要的影响。因此,该研究基于旅游者权力理论,将旅游者视为与DMO一样的能动主体,对应DMO投射形象提出了旅游者投射形象的概念,进而将旅游者对目的地形象的认知过程从原有的单一个体模型拓展到时间阶段和影响主体更为完整的群体网络状模型。研究进一步通过比较到访旅游者和DMO传播对潜在旅游者引致形象形成过程的影响力,提出当旅游者投射形象比DMO投射形象被更多的旅游者所接受时,就会发生品牌劫持现象。文章结合普洛格(Plog)提出的目的地生命周期理论,分析了此种情况之下目的地形象异化的演进过程,并为目的地营销工作的改进提供了具体的建议。     

Destination Image of Taiwan From the Perspective of Hong Kong Residents: Revisiting Structural Relationships Between Destination Image Attributes and Behavioral Intention

Destination image plays an important role in how tourists make their travel and purchase decisions. This study examines the perceived image of Taiwan as a travel destination from the perspective of Hong Kong residents. The Hong Kong outbound tourism market is important for Taiwan. Using a self-completed questionnaire, this research examines the destination image of Taiwan among 213 Hong Kong residents. The results indicate that affective image is a stronger predictor of travel intention than cognitive image. Affective image also plays a mediating role in the relationship between cognitive image and behavioral intention. Hence, affective image is an important intangible quality for today’s destinations.