Understanding travel expenditure by means of market segmentation

Consolidated tourism destinations should expand their market share by focusing on tourism spending instead of number of travellers. This strategy emphasises satisfying the preferences and needs of tourists more dynamically in terms of their expenditure patterns. The purpose of this paper consists of evaluating the usefulness of an expenditure-based segmentation as a relevant instrument of tourism policy in order to increase the economic benefits from travellers to Andalusia. More specifically, by means of decision trees and linear regression statistical techniques, heavy spenders are identified as well as exploring which variables might be considered as the best predictors of travel expenditure. Finally, the implications of the results are discussed, as they may provide practical guidance for tourism practitioners at similar destinations.     

Hope across the seas: the role of emotions and risk propensity in medical tourism advertising

Rising US medical costs as well as more competition in the health care industry have led many Americans to pursue health care in foreign destinations. As a result, leading countries in medical tourism have begun launching international advertising campaigns. A growing trend in much of this advertising is the use of emotional appeals. The purpose of this research is to examine whether the use of emotional appeals by non-domestic health care providers contributes to more favourable evaluations of the target health care provider than rational appeals. Specifically, two experimental studies investigate the efficacy of advertisements that induce the emotion of hope to determine whether these advertisements increase trust perceptions and reduce perceived risk, given an individual's level of risk propensity. Implications for public policy makers and marketing managers who work in health care are discussed.     

Tourism stakeholders attitudes toward sustainable development: A case in the Arctic

This research attempts to explore tourism stakeholders’ attitudes toward the practices of sustainability in Arctic destinations that have been regarded as sacred and pristine places that are susceptible to the influx of tourists. A mixed-method approach involving qualitative and quantitative studies is deployed in the Scandinavian Arctic region to facilitate data collection on three groups of tourism stakeholders: residents, tourists, and tourism operators. From the qualitative study, stakeholder attitudes toward environmental protection and cultural preservation emerge as the exogenous variable influencing the practices of sustainability. A host of questionnaire surveys is conducted at various Arctic destinations and results in 593 questionnaires are used for further data analyses. This research finds that among the three groups of stakeholders studied, tourists exhibit the strongest interest in sustainable tourism development in the Arctic region. Further, path analyses demonstrate that a positive attitude toward cultural preservation is considered as the driving force in promoting sustainable operations in Arctic destinations. A positive attitude toward environmental protection also prompts the stakeholders to consider setting a limit for tourism development in the Arctic.     

Measurement of Tourism Market Potential of Croatia by Use of Delphi Qualitative Research Technique

Abstract

The Delphi survey as an effective qualitative marketing research tool was designed to project the future Croatian tourism scenario from 2001 through the year 2020. It is predicted that Croatian tourism industry will grow and prosper substantially over the next decade due to increased tourist demand for non-traditional holiday destinations. There will also be a high demand for activity-based tourism and eco-tourism. Although the tourism demand projections predict positive trends in the coming term, it is subject to a host of uncontrollable factors which make long-term projections difficult and cumbersome. In view of the developments and changes, tourism industry operators and public sector planners need scientifically accepted projection bases for tourism investment and effective operational tourism decisions. In this vein, this research qualitatively forecasts the tourism market potential and identifies the most significant future trends in Croatian tourism and hospitality.     

旅游整合营销内容范畴探讨

整合营销传播理论适应了现代营销环境和市场需求的变化,对指导市场营销实践具有重要意义。旅游业与旅游市场需求有自身的特点与发展规律,旅游整合营销体系不仅包括营销"传播",而应包含更广泛的内容,至少包括旅游目的地公共营销组织整合、旅游行业部门优化整合、旅游产品开发整合、旅游品牌形象整合与旅游营销区域整合等。     

Marketing of Australia to Malaysian Consumers

Abstract

In many contexts, tourism is a potentially major economic contributor. Promotion is particularly important in international tourism in order to realize its potential and strategic positioning in an effective way. The benefits inherent in the consumption of international tourism services are primarily experiential. Not only does a tourist engage in personal leisure pursuits but also shapes the consumer behaviour of others at the vacation destination (Padgett and Douglas, 1997). Before the actual consumption, the tourist consumer envisions these experiences reasoned upon positive emotions that the destination evokes in his or her mind. Because behaviour is often the result of such perceptions (Lindquist, 1974-1975), the traveller's choice of a given destination depends largely on the favourableness of his or her image of that destination (Goodrich, 1978; Woodside and Lysonski, 1989; Chon, 1991; Baloglu and McCleary, 1999). While manufacturing distributes products to markets, tourism moves markets to destinations (Gunn, 1988). These characteristics of business phenomenon present special challenges and require careful promotional responses. Our study examines the image of Australia as a tourist destination in Malaysia.     

Suggestions and Procedures for Choosing a Chinese Institution of Higher Education as a Partner

Abstract

China has one of the largest and most complex higher education systems in the world, and a key challenge facing any foreign education institution is how to select an appropriate potential partner. This paper considers how a number of foreign university managers selected a university in China. Issues of location, ranking, status, programs, mutual benefit and “fit” are considered along with less specific and tangible issues related to the nature and environment in which the Chinese university operated. One of the findings of the paper was that identifying and selecting an appropriate partner was often based not only on a range of tangible, cognitive factors, but also on less specific, affective issues such as how the two sides would actually relate to each other at a human level. A second key issue is the observation that foreign university staff had to make the decision between selecting a high ranking Chinese university which had status, ranking, income and-often a wide range of existing foreign partners and a lower ranking Chinese university which had none of these attributes, but which was often a more willing and easier partner at least in the initial stages of alliance activity. Finally, selection was made against a rapidly changing and deregulating university environment in China, making selection both more challenging and demanding than in the past. The paper will be of use to existing and potential foreign university staff wishing to enter this busy market for a range of collaborative activities planned for either China or the foreign country.     

Tourism coopetition: An introduction to the subject and a research agenda

This paper aims to verify the current status of the research on coopetition applied to Tourism. In order to overcome the lack of tools for analyzing competitive advantage generated by relational components, this paper suggests the use of the coopetition construct as a methodological tool for analyzing the cooperation in networks for the management of tourism destinations. To that end, we performed a bibliometric analysis on ‘tourism coopetition' in scientific research papers published from 1995 to 2015 and indexed in the Web of Science and SciVerse Scopus databases. This helped us to conclude that coopetition is a behavior representing the key organizational methods of tourism destinations, especially when considering the interdependence and complementarity of this sector; thus, it should be a fundamental topic of tourism research. In this sense, the paper presents a research agenda in order to establish coopetition as key to understanding the behavior of all those involved in tourism at a particular destination.     

Unlocking the magic in successful tourism destination marketing: the role of sensing capability

ABSTRACT

Tourism destinations are facing an increasingly competitive environment, and the need to offer a compelling visitor experience is intense. However, destinations are hindered by the fragmented nature of their governance structure, with a disparate group of actors from service providers to local government agencies involved. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the tourism destination can respond effectively to changing market trends and develop a shared vision for the destination among the various actors. The resource-based view (RBV) of the firm perspective is adopted to identify the role of network management capabilities, which facilitate the coordination of actors needed to ensure destination efficacy, thereby addressing a lack of scholarly attention to marketing capability in the tourism destination. The empirical context is set in Killarney, Ireland’s most enduring and popular tourism destination. The findings point to the presence of a dynamic destination sensing capability in Killarney, which is driving a market-sensing capability and orchestration capability. This investigation provides important insight into how a successful tourism destination is able to sustain the magical ingredient of tourist engagement over two centuries.     

Buffer stocks are better stabilizers than quotas

Michael Pelcovits (1979, p. 307) recently showed that with an unstable foreign excess supply curve, either a fixed quota or a buffer stock program with a fixed tariff can be used to stabilize domestic price at a given level, and both policies ‘will have the same effect on social welfare [so…t]he choice between [the two…] must then be made on the basis of administrative cost and feasibility’. However, he reached his conclusion by ranking the two policies on the basis of domestic welfare, and in this note we demonstrate with his same model that on the basis of foreign welfare the buffer stock is better than the quota. Thus, world welfre is higher under the buffer stock than under the quota.     

关于建设世界一流旅游城市的思考

要把旅游业建设成国民经济战略性支柱产业需要有一批世界一流的旅游目的地作为支撑,建设世界一流旅游城市则是建设一流旅游目的地的突破口,也是我国在城市化进程中建设有中国特色的世界城市的突破口。为此要从集聚影响力和扩散性影响力两个方面加强能力建设,同时要处理好旅游城市自身发展与周边旅游目的地之间联动发展等方面的关系。只有在建立世界一流旅游城市标准体系、认清发展过程中的主要瓶颈、明确未来主要努力方向等方面采取切实有效的措施,建设世界一流旅游城市的目标才能实现。     

Travel deterrents to regional destinations

Travel motivation is prevalent in the tourism literature. Very few studies however have examined travel deterrents to visiting popular destinations. This study approaches from travel motivation understand why tourists do not visit regional destinations and from tourists’ background to identify who do not visit these destinations with a focus on well-known regional destinations in Australia. The results show that convenience to the destinations, timing, motivation and tourist attractions are the major deterrents, and the level of these deterrents is dependent upon some of the demographic background of tourists. The findings and implications conclude this paper.     

安徽皖籍大学生体育旅游行为调查研究

对安徽皖籍大学生体育旅游选择的认知度、出游方式、消费能力等体育旅游行为进行调查研究,并根据数据分析得出安徽皖籍大学生绝大多数对体育旅游是既喜欢又不了解,最感兴趣的项目是健康型,出游时间相对集中在暑假和周末,喜欢选择夏、秋两季出行,出行多数选择火车和汽车,多数月生活费在500元到800元之间,体育旅游消费能力随着金额的增加呈递减的消费趋势。因此,相关部门应加强对安徽皖籍大学生体育旅游知识的宣传,努力开发针对安徽皖籍大学生的中低档健康型体育旅游项目。     

黑龙江省对俄边境旅游发展对策研究

黑龙江省拥有丰富的旅游资源。黑河等边境口岸城市以及哈尔滨等城市已成为深受俄罗斯游客喜爱的旅游目的地和交通中转站。但黑龙江省对俄边境旅游业发展中还存在着资金投入不足、从业人员素质有待提高等问题。为促进黑龙江省对俄边境旅游可持续发展,应加强区域旅游合作、加强旅游从业人员的教育培训、加大资金投入、大力开发特色旅游纪念品、加大宣传促销力度、加强旅游行业的规范化管理。     

Investigating the impact of social media images’ value,consumer engagement,and involvement on eWOM of a tourism destination: A transmittal mediation approach

Tourism organizations use social media to promote their destinations and attract new customers. However, there is a challenge in how tourism organizations can choose or create social media images to successfully attract consumers' attention, induce their engagement with the destination, and motivate their eWOM behavior. This study aims to identify and test the direct and indirect factors related to social media images of tourism destinations that could predict eWOM. Using the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S–O-R) as an umbrella framework, we integrated Ducoffe's model and the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), to study the role of social media destination images' features (entertainment, informativeness, irritation, credibility, personalization, and incentives) on consumer's perceived value and eWOM through consumer engagement and involvement. Using a survey research method, we collected data from 307 individuals and tested the proposed structural model using the PLS-SEM-based transmittal mediation approach. The findings supported the proposed relationships providing valuable theoretical and practical implications.     

Brunei bids for International tourism

The tiny sultanate of Brunei wishes to become a player in the international tourism industry in advance of the day when revenues from its oil exports decline. Like so many destinations that have yet to be developed, Brunei wishes to base its tourism industry on concepts of “nation equity,” which means improving its perception among would-be travelers, and ecotourism to avoid the environmental degradation that often accompanies tourism development. Brunei thus wishes both to use and preserve the diverse ecosystem represented by its tropical rain forests. By promoting ecotourism Brunei will not only optimize land use and logistics capacity, but it will seek to maintain the rain forest's industrial and pharmacological resources and also reduce its current over-dependence on oil and gas exports.     

Quotas versus tariffs

This paper examines the nonequivalence of tariffs and quotas under uncertainty, when the expected level of imports is constrained for noneconomic reasons. Tariffs and quotas are ranked according to their effect on expected social welfare. In the case of a stochastic foreign supply curve, the ranking will depend upon the height of the tariff. In the case of a stochastic import demand curve, a tariff will always yield greater social welfare than a quota.     

Important Dimensions in Ocean Freight Services

Abstract

This paper examines the criteria used by organizational buyers in their choice of suppliers of shipping services for ocean freight transport so widely used in international trade. The study was conducted in Singapore which is known for its heavy reliance on international trade as well as for its high ranking container port facilities. Based on a survey of shipping managers in a cross section of business organizations in Singapore, the study identifies important factors in the choice of a shipping line selected on their heaviest used export route for their outgoing goods. It also provides buyers' evaluation of the preferred carrier on the same attributes to examine the performance gaps in the services offered by the line. The findings thus provide a bench mark for the shipping industry and points toward areas of emphasis in the service strategies of the shipping lines.     

The role of image in service promotion: focusing on the influence of film on consumer choice within tourism

This paper presents a review and discussion of the role image plays in service promotion and consumer choice in the context of film‐induced tourism. Consumers can be very sensitive to images which are important determinants of what a service customer purchases. In relation to image, the medium of film can have a very influential impact on its audience. Consumers may make purchase choices in a range of areas as a result of what they have seen in the movies. An expanding body of literature suggests that film can influence people's travel decisions and entice them to visit particular destinations they have seen on the cinema screen (reinforced through repeat viewing on video, DVD and television). Tourism is a service industry. Does the image of a destination and how it is represented help overcome some of the challenges of service marketing? Many regions throughout the British Isles have seen their consumer appeal improve because of their links with respective film and television productions. Although they have benefited tourism‐wise from this, in many cases there still has not been enough real support from tourist authorities to this growth phenomenon, and as such, the full potential of film to tap into the consumer psyche has not yet been fully realized. Academic discourse from several disciplines is examined in this communication culminating in a conceptual model of destination enhancement through film‐induced image, featuring the conscious and unconscious communication factors at work on two sets of consumers (film consumers and destination consumers). As a ‘work in progress’, the paper sets the scene for further empirical research in this interesting area of study.