The Formation of a Tourist Destination's Image via Information Sources: the Moderating Effect of Culture

The present study aims to outline the growing importance of culture in the field of tourism. More specifically, it highlights culture as a moderating variable in pre‐visit tourist destination image formation, through the information sources utilized by the tourist in the selection of a holiday destination (that is, travel agencies alone vs. travel agencies together with the Internet). For this purpose primary research used a multicultural sample of 371 tourists from different European countries. The results show that the formation of a destination's pre‐visit image amongst tourists, based on the information sources they use, is moderated by the level of uncertainty‐avoidance of their national cultures. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Destination product characteristics as useful predictors for repeat visiting and recommendation segmentation variables in tourism: a CHAID exhaustive analysis

The present paper constitutes a segmentation research with the use of the exhaustive chi‐squared automatic interaction detection tree analysis approach which, through the characteristics of a tourist destination, aims at the illustration of the English and German tourist groups and more specifically, (i) those who are repeat visitors of several tourist destinations and (ii) those who express a willingness to urge other people to visit geographic tourist destinations that the former have already visited. The results of the research help the tourism managers to apprehend the characteristics of the destination products that best describe the visitors. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Marketing visitor attractions: a segmentation study

This research revisits issues related to the travel behaviours of first‐time versus repeat visitors to a destination, with a special focus on the impact that the repeat visitor segment has upon the paid‐attraction sector. Healthy attractions are critically important to the success of a destination, but as this research notes, attractions have difficulty drawing guests in a repeat visitors‐dominated market. Implications that should be of value to marketers and attraction management in any maturing tourism destination are discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Information searching and the travel behaviours of MICE travellers: a cross‐cultural study

Despite growing academic interest in meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) travel in recent years, there has been little investigation of the comparative information search behaviours of MICE travellers on the basis of their country of origin and cultural background. This paper proposes that country of residence and primary language spoken are significant factors in explaining the information searching and travel behaviours of MICE travellers. The sample population included Japanese‐, English‐ and Chinese‐speaking MICE travellers. A self‐completion questionnaire was administered to travellers undertaking MICE‐related travel in Taipei, Taiwan. Some significant differences were identified between the three respondent groups. The findings demonstrate the important role that is played by internal and external information sources among MICE travellers as a predictor of their subsequent travel to Taiwan. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Perception and attitude of Hong Kong hotel guest‐contact employees towards tourists from Mainland China

In recent years, the majority of arrivals to Hong Kong, which were once dominated by the Western and Japanese markets, were replaced by arrivals from Mainland China. The number of tourists from Mainland China has overtaken others to become the largest single market for the territory. With its increasing significance, providing quality service to these visitors becomes crucial to the success of the tourism industry and of the hotel industry in particular. Unfortunately, the satisfaction rating of the Mainland visitors on hotel services in Hong Kong is reported to be relatively low when compared to those given by other major markets. It is suspected that the perception and attitudes of the service staff may influence their behaviour in serving customers. As such, this study conducted a survey questionnaire with 228 guest‐contact employees of hotels in Hong Kong. Results indicate that most respondents have a fairly positive perception towards the Mainland tourists in relation to the economic and financial benefits that they bring to Hong Kong. However, a majority of the respondents express negative perception and attitudes towards these tourists in respect to their appearance, personalities and behaviour. Despite some respondents indicating that they exhibit different service behaviour towards visitors from Mainland China and other countries, no major significant differences in their perception and attitudes were found in this study. It is recommended that various types of cross‐cultural training, such as sensitivity training and role playing, would be helpful to guest‐contact employees in enhancing their ability to be more objective and more tolerant of other people's behaviour. This study concludes that hotel employees, especially those who work as front‐line staff, must remain aware of their subjective judgments when dealing with guests and be more accepting of others. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cultural comparison of tourists' safety perception in relation to trip satisfaction

Although safety and security are seen as a priori for a prosperous tourism industry in any destination, safety and security perception and its influence on tourist behaviour have received limited empirical attention from researchers. This study investigated tourists' perception of the safety and security of a destination in relation to the level of satisfaction with their trip, using Turkey and its visitors as a case in point. The stepwise regression analysis was employed to investigate the relationship between trip satisfaction, safety and security‐related variables, existence of product or service failure, and selected demographic variables. Results showed that positive perception of Turkey's hygiene and health, and safety and security helped visitors to have greater trip satisfaction, especially if they stayed longer and enjoyed their trip without any product or service failure; however, German tourists and tourists with a secondary school degree are more likely to have less trip satisfaction. Practical implications and future research suggestions are discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tourists' information search: the differential impact of risk and uncertainty avoidance

While studies in and out of tourism contexts have explored risk and/or uncertainty avoidance's impact on information search, few have clarified whether the two constructs impact differentially on information search. To examine this issue, data were collected from large online panels in Australia, China and Japan. The risk and uncertainty avoidance scales were reliable, had convergent and discriminant validity and were invariant across the three country samples. As expected, uncertainty avoidance was positively related to the extent of information search in all three country samples, whereas risk avoidance was not. This suggests that the constructs are distinct and may impact at different stages of decision‐making. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experiencing ‘natural’ heritage

There have been a number of studies conducted on visitation patterns to the Wet Tropics rainforest in north-east Queensland, Australia. However, little has been undertaken in exploring the visitors' attitudes and behaviours (based on activities pursued) in the rainforest, and their ‘experience’ of this World Heritage environment. This papers sets out to advance research in this area by drawing on over 1000 surveys conducted with domestic and international visitors in various sites in the rainforest throughout 2008. Broad trends emerged that when on-site, visitors demonstrated a propensity to learn from the environmental and cultural information relevant to these rainforest sites. In terms of activities, visitors participated in a range of passive and active rainforest activities, the most popular of which included rainforest walks (76.4% of respondents), viewing scenery (72.6%) and viewing wildlife (59.3%). The significance of these findings is that they deepen our understanding of how ‘natural’ heritage visitor sites are gazed upon, experienced and consumed by visitors.     

The impact of the perception of risk on international travellers

The primary objective of this paper is twofold: (i) to investigate the impact of perceived risk on the tendency to travel internationally; and (ii) to explore if there is any difference in the perception of risky places among three clusters segmented based on the Hofstede's uncertainty avoidance index. The sample population of the study consists of 1180 international travellers visiting Hong Kong in the fall of 2003. The research findings show that the majority of travellers are more likely to change their travel plans to a destination that has elevated risk while the minority reports they are more unlikely. These findings suggest that international travellers appear to be sensitive towards the occurrence of any type of risk in their evoked destinations. Differences were also observed from one continent to another in terms of the influence of perceived risks. The final note is that travellers from different national cultures may have varying degrees of the perceived risk. Implications both for theory and practitioners are also discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The moderating effect of nationality on crowding perception,its antecedents,and coping behaviours: A study of an urban heritage site in Taiwan

Due to the significant increase in international tourism arrivals, academic attention that addresses the heterogeneity among nationals with respect to the congestion impact at attraction sites is called for. This study evaluates the moderating effect of nationality on crowding perception, its antecedents, and coping behaviours in order to identify the sensitivity of user groups towards crowding issues. A Taiwanese urban historical site was selected as a case study to assess the differences among domestic Taiwanese, mainland Chinese, and foreign visitors in response to an increase in use pressure. Results supported the moderating effect of nationality on all crowding relationships, and indicated that Taiwanese and foreign visitors were more crowd intolerant and had a higher tendency to engage in coping behaviours than those from mainland China. Good crowding perception, social norms for acceptable behaviours, travel format, and bilateral sociopolitical relationships are suggested as explanations for user differences.     

Paradise for who? Segmenting visitors' satisfaction with cognitive image and predicting behavioural loyalty

The purpose of this research is to assess the influence of socio‐demographic characteristics on destination image and loyalty, thereby offering a segmentation perspective of visitors to the island of Mauritius. A self‐administered survey of hotel guests was undertaken and resulted in a sample of 705 respondents. Using a k‐means clustering algorithm and discriminant analysis, three clusters of visitors were identified. Different image attributes predict visitors' revisit and recommendation intentions. These findings allow destination marketers to adapt the marketing mix elements to different segments while enabling a destination to emphasize the relevant attributes in promotion and positioning efforts. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Diverse socializing patterns in rural tourist experiences – a segmentation analysis

Tourism is a social phenomenon and host–guest interaction has been identified as particularly relevant in the rural tourism experience. This paper extends previous research on social interaction, rural tourism and experience marketing, by analysing, via visitor survey (N?=?819), the contacts that visitors of three Portuguese villages establish with (a) residents and (b) other visitors during their stay. A cluster analysis based on interaction patterns identifies three distinct visitor groups: those showing little interest in interaction with others, those mainly interacting with other visitors and those intensely interacting with residents. Significant differences between segments reveal distinctly lived rural tourism experiences and a positive impact of socializing on these experiences. Destination management and marketing implications as well as suggestions for future research are also presented.     

The moderating role of past experience in the formation of a tourist destination's image and in tourists’ behavioural intentions

The aim of this work is to understand the moderating effects of tourists’ prior experiences of a given destination on the process of image formation (in both its cognitive and affective dimensions) for that destination and on the influence that the image – together with the tourist's satisfaction – has on their loyalty-driven behaviours as expressed in the intention to recommend. To achieve this aim, a sample of 512 tourists was used and a multi-group analysis performed, distinguishing between first-time and repeat visitors. The findings reveal that experience has a moderating effect on the formation of the cognitive image and on the influence of the tourist's satisfaction on the overall image of the tourist destination. These findings have significant management implications in the context of helping to create and appropriately manage the image of a tourist destination.     

Emotions in motion: tourist experiences in time and space

Issues of crime in a destination area affect real and perceived visitor safety; away from rare but high profile incidents such as terrorist attacks, visitor security is more likely to be affected by a lesser criminal activity. This paper contributes to our existing understanding of how tourism can be affected by criminal activity by selecting a definable geographical area and investigating the dimensions, scale and nature of visitor-related crime and the perceptions, attitudes and behaviours of visitors in relation to safety issues. The results indicate that, although visitors believed the destination to be a safe one, the statistics indicated that they were more susceptible to crimes of dishonesty, in particular vehicle-related theft, and the times and places they were at risk evidenced different patterns to residents. With visitors accounting for less than 10% of the total population, these differences are not immediately apparent. Visitors are not homogenous and distinct groupings based on perceptions, attitudes and behaviours were found. TheREFore, there is a requirement to examine how crime is impacting on visitors by distinguishing them from the overall crime figures, but measures to protect visitors also have to be tailored to take cognisance of typologies of visitors.     

‘How's the Service?’ A Study of Service Quality Perceptions across Sectors and Source Markets

This study assessed the performance of the hotel, retail and travel agency sectors in Hong Kong. The importance–performance analysis (IPA) model and various statistical techniques were employed to examine visitors’ cognition of the importance and performance of pertinent service quality attributes and to better understand the factors that may influence their overall satisfaction across different sectors and source markets. Whereas the multivariate analysis of variance and analysis of variance tests suggest no significant differences in service quality perceptions across the three sectors, the IPA revealed that these sectors differ qualitatively in terms of which service quality attributes are most critical. The findings further suggest a negative relationship between cultural distance and satisfaction with Asian tourists being less satisfied than their non‐Asian counterparts. The results hold important managerial implications for resource allocation and service quality improvement in specific areas. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Agritourism in the Arkansas delta byways: assessing the economic impacts

Large parts of rural USA are seeing gradual decline in economic fortunes. The small and medium scale farms are especially dwindling in numbers and their incomes are stagnating. Towards revitalizing the rural agrarian economies, agritourism is being seen as a catalyst to supplement income and trigger economic growth in some parts of the USA. This study focuses on a 15‐county region in the Arkansas Delta Byways (ADB) predominantly dependent on agriculture. The study uses agritourism visitor and expenditure data to estimate the baseline economic impacts in 2007 and predict potential impacts in 2012 on the region's economy. The study is conducted in two stages; the first stage involves statistical predictions of future agritourism visitors using time series extrapolation models. In the second stage, an input–output (I–O) framework is used to estimate the economic impacts relating to sales, employment, income and tax revenue to federal, state and local governments. Three alternate scenarios, where the agritourism visitors as a percentage of total visitors increases from the baseline level to hypothetical higher levels as a result of the state's agritourism promotion and initiatives are examined, and the net economic gain from additional visitors are estimated. Findings suggest that farms will benefit from increases in income but do not see any significant increase in jobs mainly due to the family nature of the enterprises. Economic benefits from on‐farm hunting far outstrip other agritourism activities and their impacts reverberate across many other sectors of the local economy. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

The Visual Representation of Border Tourism: Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and Dokdo in South Korea

The demilitarized zone (DMZ) and Dokdo mark South Korea borders with North Korea and Japan respectively. Each borderland is a socially constructed symbolic cultural landscape shaped in part by tourism. In this study, a sample of 2202 online images was inspected using content‐semiotic analysis to understand how visual representation of border tourism works. It was found that visitors via social media and government censorship play major roles in constructing representations of (i) alienated borders with iconic war heritage attractions at the DMZ and (ii) an alienated and isolated Dokdo. Both borders highlight patriotic/nationalistic ‘flagging’ and the gaze across. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Visitors' and locals' experiences of Rotorua,New Zealand: an interpretative study using photographs of landscapes and Q method

This paper reports on an interpretative study of locals' and visitors' experiences in Rotorua, New Zealand and shows how experiences vary among different groups. Photographs were Q sorted by a non‐random sample of locals and both overseas and New Zealand visitors, and the data were factor analysed to identify four factors or types of experience. These include experiences of Sublime Nature, Iconic Tourism, New Zealand Family and the Picturesque Landscape. These findings show that Q sort with photographs is a useful research approach which advances our understanding of destination image and provides results that have implications for the contemporary theoretical debate on the nature of tourist experience in New Zealand. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Segmentation by genres: the case of the Aardklop national arts festival

The purpose of this study was to distinguish between genre supporters and non‐genre supporters at the Aardklop National Arts Festival. This was done to determine genre supporters' individual needs and wants so that effective marketing strategies can be developed and the festival programme can be designed to attract more genre supporters. Previous research indicated that the future of festivals is dependent on the number of show tickets sold and festivals therefore need to attract more genre supporters. To achieve this goal, a questionnaire survey (N = 495) was conducted, where afterwards independent t‐tests were used to determine the differences between visitors who attend the different ticketed shows/productions and those who do not. Results showed that genre attendees and non‐attendees differ significantly based on socio‐demographic and behaviour characteristics, which gave a comprehensive profile of the two types of visitors at the festival. This method proved to be successful especially in increasing ticket sales. Marketing and management implications for effectively targeting genre supporters were also indicated. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.