Changes in tourists’ perception of well-being based on their use of emotion regulation strategies during vacation

ABSTRACT

Based on the theoretical foundation of emotion regulation, this exploratory study aimed to examine changes in tourists’ perceived well-being and to determine whether these changes were due to use of emotion regulation strategies (ERSs) during their vacation. This study used travel diaries to record tourists’ use of ERSs on a daily basis, and also measured tourists’ perceived well-being one day before and after their vacation. Results indicated that tourists had significantly higher perceptions of well-being after vacation, and those who used ERSs were more likely to indicate a higher sense of well-being after vacation. The results provide new insight into which aspects of tourists’ subjective and psychological well-being can be boosted by taking vacations and how these aspects may be enhanced by using different ERSs.     

Novelty: A mechanism of tourists’ enjoyment

Novelty, conceptualized as the experience of something new and different from the everyday, is widely believed to be what defines tourism experiences and makes them enjoyable. The present study tests the mediating effect of novelty on positive emotions in two longitudinal data sets based on daily psychometric diaries. Findings show that the effect of tourism experience on positive emotions is indeed partly mediated by novelty. The mediation effect is similar for average positive emotions as well as for the emotion of interest, suggesting that novelty sparks positive emotions through goal congruence more than by directly triggering interest. Findings affirm that novelty is indeed fundamental and enjoyable in the tourism experience.     

Exploring the impact of personalized management responses on tourists’ satisfaction: A topic matching perspective

As an online reputation management tool, hotel managers increasingly rely on management responses to online reviews to improve the electronic word of mouth (eWOM). Due to the substantial heterogeneity of textual reviews with different topics, it is particularly challenging to personalize the response for customer relationship management. Based on a panel data of 500 hotels in the state of Texas collected from TripAdvisor, this study examines the influence of personalized management responses on rating increase from a topic matching perspective. The empirical results show that (1) a high level of topic matching of management response leads to an increase of hotel online rating; (2) a high valence and a large variation of existing rating weaken the positive influence of such personalized management response; (3) the influence is stronger for economy hotels compared to luxury ones. Lastly, practical implications are provided.     

It’s so hot: predicting climate change effects on urban tourists’ time–space experience

Abstract

Progressive changes in mean annual temperatures are arguably the strongest evidence of ongoing climate change. In destinations with a Mediterranean climate, in contrast to the colder months, during summer, rising air temperatures are believed to inhibit tourist movements and activities, and consequently affect tourists’ evaluation of and satisfaction with their experiences. To the best of our knowledge, no previous study has investigated the potential impact of climate change on tourists’ time–space activity using actual behavioural tracking-based information. Data collected via GPS technology and a post-visit survey of tourists (n = 404) visiting Lisbon during the summer were analysed via structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results report empirical evidence of the present impact of (summer) weather on urban tourists’ time–space activity and on their intra-destination experience evaluation. Specifically, maximum air temperature is found to have a significant negative effect on overall satisfaction, while the meteorological conditions of the entire day reveal a significant impact on tourists’ activities and movements. The results are particularly useful for the sustainable adaptive management of urban attractions and destinations that are especially vulnerable to climate change, as well as in managing its adverse impact on tourists’ experiences.     

Effect of celebrity endorsement on tourists’ perception of corporate image,corporate credibility and corporate loyalty

This study explores the effectiveness of using Korean celebrities to endorse a Korean hotel in the Japanese market. Specifically, Japanese tourists’ perception of the hotel's corporate image and corporate credibility were tested along with corporate loyalty. This study found that trust in celebrity endorsers by consumers is transferable to perceptions of image of the hotel, its credibility and loyalty to the hotel. Structural equation modeling was used to explain difference in the relationships between constructs that identified the effectiveness of each celebrity. One important finding was that specific celebrity endorsers may not appeal to the entire target market and for this reason more than one endorser may be required to promote a product.     

A qualitative pilot study exploring tourists’ pre- and post-trip perceptions on the destination image of Macau

Destination image is never static but is constantly changing under influence from on-site and travel experiences. This qualitative pilot study uses reports gathered during in-depth individual interviews at both the pre- and post-trip stages of travel with 15 independent tourists who visited Macau to compare how destination image can be enhanced in the minds of tourists. The results indicate that tourists’ destination image of Macau became enriched post-trip, after participants encountered the city and its people. The findings suggest that a positive post-trip evaluation of a destination can motivate tourists to revisit the destination, thereby enhancing the destination image.     

Tourists’ cultural competence: A cosmopolitan perspective among Asian tourists

Cultural tourism has received increasing attention. Tourists play a crucial role in constructing rewarding intercultural experiences and cultural understanding. The current study explored the concept of tourists' cultural competence from a cosmopolitan perspective and proposed a framework for understanding the mechanism of tourists' interactions with cultural experience environment. A total of 33 participants were interviewed and data were analyzed using grounded theory. Cultural openness, understanding, consciousness, and participation were identified as elements of tourists' cultural competence, which can facilitate positive cultural behavior. This research contributes to the literature of cosmopolitanism and tourists’ cultural behavior. Managerial implications for tourist management and education are also discussed.     

Who's on the tourists' menu? Exploring the social significance of restaurant experiences for tourists

Taking a Consumer Culture Perspective, this paper explores the co-production of meaning among participants in tourists' restaurant experiences. Responding to criticisms that interpreting consumer behaviour should focus both on the individual and also on the collective context of consumption (Askegaard and Linnet, 2011), our research explores the social significance of these experiences and how they feed into the tourist's identity project. 34 ethnographic interviews are led with a view to exploring how tourists co-produce meaning within their group and also with staff and other patrons in the context of restaurant experience and these are followed up with a further 57 semi-structured interviews. Restaurant experiences are shown to be both rich and complex in social meanings. Thematic analysis leads to the identification and discussion regarding four contexts where social meanings are co-produced, namely sharing experiences, family togetherness and transmission, cultural guidance and customer-to-customer interaction.     

Volunteer tourists in the field: A question of balance?

This paper is based on a study of volunteering at a children’s refuge in Mexico. This study explored the relationship between volunteers, their volunteering experiences and the behaviour that resulted. The study findings revealed volunteers were provided with the opportunity to make a positive contribution to the every-day lives of the children at the children’s home. However the findings also demonstrated that the volunteering experience consisted of much more than just the work duties carried out there, as volunteers also undertook tourist activities. Living in shared accommodation in walking distance from the busy tourist resort of Puerto Vallarta, the volunteers were faced with the difficult task of balancing commitment to their work duties at the children’s home with the lure of more hedonistic pursuits. This balancing act raises questions about the management of volunteer tourists.     

Does distance matter? Examining the distance effect on tourists’ multi-attraction travel behaviors

The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in the multi-attraction travel behavior patterns of short-haul and long-haul tourists in Incheon, South Korea. A network t-test analysis and normalized centrality analysis were employed to achieve the purpose. The finding confirmed significant differences between the multi-attraction travel patterns of short-haul and long-haul tourists. Geographic distance played an important role in determining the order of the top-ranking attractions within a multi-destssssination travel network. Since attractions with high centrality scores are comparatively more influential, they are important and competitive in attraction development and marketing. Implications for future studies were also suggested.     

Residential tourism and eudaimonic well-being: A ‘value-adding’ analysis

This study aims to explore the linkage between residential tourism and eudaimonic well-being. A “value-adding” approach is applied to this analysis with an extended interpretation. Residential tourism involves a prolonged stay in a destination and thus can lead to fundamental changes in environment, lifestyle, social networks, and values. Residential tourist experience is found to have profound impacts on individuals' eudaimonic well-being in the eight aspects of autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, purpose in life, the extension of youth, positive relations with others, self-acceptance, and inner peace. This study advances Ryff's (1989) eudaimonic well-being model and contributes to tourism and mobility research. Implications for residential tourists and destination managers are also provided.     

Exploring the male Chinese tourists’ motivation for commercial sex when travelling overseas: Scale construction and validation

Sex and tourism has long been understudied. Little is known about tourists' motivations for consuming commercial sex while travelling, and even less, if indeed anything, is known about that of Chinese outbound tourists in particular. Based on twenty interviews and two surveys with a sample of 534 male Chinese tourists who had engaged in commercial sex when travelling overseas in the previous 12 months, this study aimed first to explore why male Chinese tourists travelled overseas and purchased commercial sex, and second to construct a comprehensive scale for measuring male tourists’ motivations for overseas commercial sex. With acceptable reliability and validity, the measurement scale yielded in this study consisted of eight motivation dimensions labelled as socialisation, relaxation and escape, travel-related novelty, sexual desire fulfillment/excitement seeking, sex-related learning, sexual mastery, social prestige, and business/pragmatic purpose. Both the theoretical and methodological implications related to the developed scale are also discussed.     

Customers’ risk perception and dine-out motivation during a pandemic: Insight for the restaurant industry

The restaurant industry is one of the most affected businesses during the outbreak of COVID-19. The customer choice regarding whether or not to dine in a restaurant have changed due to this unprecedented global pandemic. Integrated with the affective decision-making framework, meta-theoretic model of motivation (3M), and optimistic bias theory, this conceptual paper proposes a theoretical scheme for understanding constructs that affect consumer motivation while considering the significance of consumers’ risk perceptions of the novel coronavirus disease. This research aims to delineate the role of loyalty, trust, and transparency on resuming in-restaurant dining during and after the pandemic. By identifying the link between each construct and addressing the unparalleled food-/health related risks, this study suggests that restaurants who accumulated more customer trust by fostering transparency are likely to have more business and quickly recover from the shock.     

Understanding tourists’ leisure expenditure at the destination: a social network analysis

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to identify spending patterns of tourists in relation to the leisure activities performed throughout their day-by-day stay at the destination. Using the methodology of social network analysis (SNA), a tourists–activities bipartite network was identified following a pattern known as core–periphery. The effect of this structure (including typology, number, and timing of performing the activities) on tourism expenditure is analysed using a multiple regression model, to which were added different sociodemographic variables and other variables related to travel. In order to better understand the portfolio of activities, four examples of networks are studied and visually represented. This study reveals that through SNA between tourists and activities, we can study the behaviour of tourists in a novel way.     

Food tourists’ connectivity through the 5A journey and advocacy: comparison between generations Y and X

ABSTRACT

By adopting the new 5A model of Marketing 4.0, which conceptualizes a consumer-driven paradigm shift in digital marketing, this study empirically investigated food tourists’ connectivity throughout the 5A process (aware, appeal, ask, act, and advocate). Furthermore, we compared the 5A journeys of Generation Y and Generation X. Along the 5A path, both generations indicated the strongest social connectivity in the ask stage. Generation Y showed stronger social connectivity than Generation X, while there was no significant difference in channel connectivity. The social connectivity in the advocate stage was most strongly correlated with that in the act stage. Within each generation, active netizens were more strongly engaged in sharing and positive/negative advocacy. Based on these findings, we discuss the theoretical and practical implications.     

Importance of residents’ perception of tourists in establishing a reciprocal resident-tourist relationship: An application of tourist attractiveness

This study was guided by the notion of tourist attractiveness to understand residents' perception of tourists in establishing a reciprocal resident-tourist relationship. To explore the concept of reciprocity and how it is associated with tourist attractiveness, this study adopted an exploratory sequential mixed-method approach in the context of Chinese tourists visiting Jeju Island, South Korea. Findings from semi-structured interviews indicate that residents' perception of reciprocity can be conceptualized and measured through the constructs of resident satisfaction and resident commitment. Further, structural equation modeling found that residents are more satisfied and likely to be committed to the relationship with tourists when these visitors are perceived as attractive partners. The results demonstrate a mechanism for explaining how the residents’ perceptions of tourists influence their satisfaction with tourists and intention to host, market, or attract them again in the future.     

How being envied shapes tourists’ relationships with luxury brands: A dual-mediation model

Positive reviews of luxury brands on social media provide tourists with an opportunity for self-presentation. Recent studies have suggested that these reviews can easily trigger envy in receivers, yet few studies have discussed the effect of envy on review writers. This research examined the effects of review writers’ perceptions of being envied on their relationships with the luxury brands they shared on social media. The results of three experiments in vacation scenarios showed that writers were more likely to feel pride (anxiety) when they were benignly (maliciously) envied, eliciting a stronger (weaker) self-brand connection. Moreover, social tie strength played a moderating role. The effect of being envied was stronger when writers and receivers had strong (vs. weak) ties. Our findings provide luxury brand managers with managerial insights into content customization and platform selection in buzz marketing strategies.     

The effect of information presentation modes on tourists’ responses in Internet marketing: the moderating role of emotions

In order to enhance our understanding of the effectiveness of information transmission through virtual reality (VR), this study used a modified stimulus–organism–response framework to examine the relationships between information presentation modes (VR versus picture), emotions (pleasure and arousal), and tourists’ responses, namely attention, interest, desire, and action (AIDA) in the context of Internet tourism marketing. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) were employed to analyze data gathered from 184 respondents participating in a factorial experimental design. The results indicated that compared with the picture mode, the VR mode had superior effects on tourists’ responses, but these superior effects were moderated by arousal. High-arousal tourists had stronger AIDA responses in the VR mode than in the picture mode. However, the stronger effects of the VR mode on tourists’ AIDA responses disappeared in the low-arousal group. The findings of this study provide several important theoretical and practical implications for Internet tourism marketing.     

The antecedents of tourists’ gaming spend: does the brand prestige matter?

This study endeavors to empirically analyse the influential effect among brand prestige, service quality, casino visitor satisfaction and spend. Data from 304 tourists who had travelled to Macau and had participated in gambling activities were used and structural equation modelling and multi-group analysis were employed in hypotheses testing. The findings demonstrated that both brand prestige and perceived service quality are determinants of satisfaction and gaming spend, and that brand prestige also affects service quality positively. Furthermore, past experience moderates the service quality and visitors’ satisfaction relationship, also service quality and visitors’ gaming spend relationship.     

Modeling the psychological antecedents to tourists’ pro-sustainable behaviors: an application of the value-belief-norm model

Understanding the psychological mechanisms underpinning tourists’ voluntary adoption of behaviors that minimize harm to environments and communities that support tourism is critical for the sustainability of the industry. In this study, we examined the internal attributes that lead tourists to adopt three dimensions of pro-sustainable behavior drawing on the value-belief-norm model. We hypothesized that pro-sustainable behavior is reflected in three dimensions of intent related to behaviors that reduce environmental impacts, the consumption of local goods and services, and a willingness to sacrifice time and money to choose sustainable options. Additionally, hypothesized behavior to be a function of altruistic values, beliefs and Personal Norms. Data were drawn from a panel of active US tourists (N = 623). The hypothesized model predicting pro-sustainable behavior was tested using structural equation modeling techniques. Results demonstrate that the model adequately fit the data, and that Personal Norms account for a considerable degree of variance in tourists’ pro-sustainable behavioral intent. Biospheric values were found to influence behavioral intent mediated by value-belief-norm model constructs.