Tourist Attitudes Towards the Environment

Abstract

This article evaluates the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) as a tool for measuring the economic benefits of the provision of non-marketed tourism products. CVM was used to measure skiers' willingness to pay (WTP) for an environmentally friendly ski destination. Skiers from three different nationalities were surveyed, and although they were more likely to visit a resort that is environmentally responsible, not all of them would pay more for the privilege. Use of the CVM indicated a strong correlation between WTP and the cost of the holiday, level of income, and level of environmental conscience. The authors conclude that although CVM can provide useful data for tourism decision-makers, it does have its limitations.     

Determinants of consumers’ choices in hotel online searches: A comparison of consideration and booking stages

Using a stated choice experiment, this study uncovers how hotel review- and price-related attributes affect consumers’ formation of consideration sets and hotel bookings based on online search results alongside a two-stage model of consideration and choice. Empirical findings indicate that consumers’ evaluations of certain attributes vary across these stages. During the consideration stage, the listed hotel price, promotional discount, overall rating, review volume, and booking popularity are significant attributes for prospective guests, whereas price disparities across websites are not. Insignificant interaction effects among these determinants imply that in this stage, consumers employ fast-frugal heuristics and a noncompensatory strategy. During the booking stage, listed price, promotional discount, overall rating, and review volume inform consumers’ booking decisions. Furthermore, the interaction effects point to consumers’ adoption of a compensatory strategy in making a final booking decision. Finally, this study concludes with implications for hotel pricing and system optimization of online platforms.     

Testing on-site sampling correction in discrete choice experiments

This study uses truncated Poisson regression to correct endogeneity of discrete choice experiments (DCEs) with data from on-site sampling, which has been commonly used to collect samples in the field of tourism research. We find that goodness of fit of model is significantly improved with on-site sampling correction. Estimated parameters with onsite sampling correction also match the predictions of economic theory better. Estimated willingness to pay for attributes are substantially underestimated due to sample selection bias. These results question the use of DCEs without on-site sampling correction for tourism policy making.     

Are tourism impacts low on personal environmental agendas?

This paper examines if tourism is an environmental priority for tourism and hospitality students. It is framed within the context of information and choice overload that may result in the need to prioritize issues and make less effective decisions. A series of open-ended questions identified the most important community and global environmental issues, the single greatest cause of climate change and whether students had changed their behaviour in general, or their travel behaviour in particular, to reduce their environmental impact. A total of 2968 useable surveys were returned from students at 63 institutions in 22 economies. Tourism emerged as a low priority issue, which explains why only a small proportion of students had changed their travel behaviour. Moreover, the study noted high knowledge variability, which in turn was closely associated with the type of actions undertaken. Students with specific knowledge were far more likely to adopt specific change actions than those who had less precise knowledge. They, in turn, were more likely to identify generic and less effective actions. The study concludes that the main challenge involved in changing tourism behaviour rests primarily with raising its status to a higher priority, a difficult task given the environmental issue overload that most people face.     

Tropospheric ozone,air pollution and tourism: a case study of Mallorca

This study explores tourists’ contribution to air pollution through an analysis of tropospheric ozone levels. Although the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere is beneficial, preventing damaging ultraviolet light from reaching the Earth's surface, ozone in the lower atmosphere, known as tropospheric ozone, can damage plant species, both natural materials and manufactured goods, and can damage lung tissues in humans. Additionally, ozone in the upper troposphere exerts a considerable impact on global warming. Using the case study of Mallorca (Spain) – an isolated, intensive tourist destination in the Mediterranean – a daily indicator of tourist numbers is used in order to capture direct and induced pressure on the environment. Models based on daily data are estimated using meteorological, daily tourist numbers and other significant variables, showing how rising tourism activity in Mallorca is associated with rising daily concentrations of tropospheric ozone, created by transport, air conditioning and other activities. The estimated models make different simulations possible, showing the consequences of increasing tourism numbers during different seasons. The concluding section shows the potential to develop the models used here for other destinations.     

The effect of international tourism on economic development: An empirical analysis

The expansion of international tourism in developing countries is generally considered to promote their economic development. In this paper, the impact of international tourism on economic development is modelled using an aggregate production function framework. It specifically investigates intersectoral externalities and marginal factor productivity differences between the international tourism sector and the rest of the economy. The net effect of international tourism on GDP per capita is examined via an empirical analysis of 37 developing economies. The results indicate that international tourism may positively affect economic development in these countries.     

Web users’ behavioural patterns of tourism information search: From online to offline

This paper presents a conceptual framework of Web users’ engagement in tourism information search for a comprehensive understanding of their integrated online and offline search behaviour. The information search experiences are characterised as a process constituting some common elements: prior knowledge and searching experiences, online searching strategies, processing and recording information, barriers to online searching, reasons for ending an online search, summarising information, exchanging information and searching for more information through other sources. Such behaviour goes beyond the scope of information searching and captures the other activities, including information processing, utilising and disseminating. The grounded theory research method is employed as an inductive investigative process in which the authors construct the framework by systematically collecting and analysing data. The aim of this research method is to build a theory. The data sets consist of both semi-structured in-depth interviews with subjects and their field observations based on online searching. A theoretical model incorporating 10 propositions is proposed for future testing.     

The English Tourist Network Automation project: a case study in interorganizational system failure

What are the barriers to the success of inter-organizational information systems? This question is considered through an examination of the English Tourist Network Automation (ETNA) project, launched in 1990 with the declared aim of implementation within the majority of tourist information centres within two years. The project was abandoned in 1993 with systems installed in 17% of the target population. Tourist information centres are provided by an inter-organizational network involving national, regional and local bodies. The impact that the complexities of this network had on the failure of the system are explored through an analysis of published documents. The importance of an organizational perspective with a clear view of the role of organizational politics to supplement technical considerations is stressed.     

上海都市旅游规划的时空审视及其战略取向

时间和空间是物质存在的方式,也是旅游活动存在的方式.脱离了时间的空间,或者脱离了空间的时间,在实际上都是不可能存在的.针对上海城市对空间的重视程度高于对时间的关注之倾向,本文立足于二元一体的时空坐标,从辩证思维视角,对上海都市旅游作属性定位,提出了上海都市旅游的战略选择取向应当立足于\"通过空间展示时间\"的观点,进而在时空坐标战略钟的选择中,提出上海城市建设以及都市旅游发展战略选择的合理取向的某些构想.     

Taxing tourism: enhancing or reducing welfare?

Using a modified simple general equilibrium model of international trade, the theoretical construct proposed by this research note shows that taxing tourism may increase or decrease economic benefit depending on the destination's market power. Yet, from a social point of view, taxing tourism can be welfare-enhancing, as externalities of rapid tourism growth should be internalized. Therefore, a social rather than a private optimum should be pursued via taxing tourism in order to guarantee sustainable tourism. From political economy perspectives, however, the actual taxation policies may not be welfare-enhancing, as they heavily depend on the political system and power relations in the destination.     

旅游资源调查和评价信息系统的开发

为了配合国标《旅游资源分类、调查与评价》的实施．针对旅游资源调查和评价的实际工作的需要,应用最新的地理信息技术研究开发“旅游资源调查和评价信息系统”．对于实现旅游资源调查和评价的信息化、标准化具有重大的理论与实践意义。系统通过标准信息编码来实现旅游资源数据的规范化管理,能够实现旅游资源数据共享、数据互操作,为未来在全国范围内的旅游资源比较评价提供了可能性。     

会议旅游目的地的选择与评估--以上海市为例

本文首先从理论上研究了会议组织者对会议目的地的选择标准,以及会议结束后怎样对目的地进行满意程度评估。接着通过半开放式的问卷,对2002年在上海召开过国际会议的会议组织者进行了调查,并在调查结果分析的基础上应用“重要性一表现”的研究方法,试图找出上海作为会议旅游目的地的优势和劣势,希望能为整体营销上海作为会议旅游目的地的市场战略提供一些帮助。     

External Information Search Behavior of Visitors to Turkey

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of information search behavior of travelers from 36 countries to Turkey. The data used in this study were obtained from a larger research project which was carried out by Ministry of Tourism and Culture and State Statistics Association of Turkey in 2001. The study revealed seven dimensions of external information sources as a part of search behavior of visitors such as “friends and relatives,” “trade exhibition,” “promotion offices,” “media,” “tourism entities,” “others” (Internet, catalog and in-flight information) and “outside of the above sources.” The data were analyzed by two different techniques. First, a series of Chi-square tests were conducted to examine the information sources of visitors arriving in Turkey. Second, Correspondence Analysis (CA) was utilized to identify the differences in the information sources of visitors. Six external information sources were examined in the study.     

China's outbound tourism – Stages,policies and choices

China's outbound tourism has developed rapidly in recent years. This development has been accompanied by a continuous and expanding deficit in the tourism balance of trade, triggering debate among government officials and academia about whether China's outbound tourism development has outgrown general economic development. Understanding China's growth in outbound tourism and its impact has therefore become more than an academic issue; it also affects the future orientation of China's tourism policy. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the tourists, spatial flow, market size, and expenditure. Despite the above concerns, it is suggested that China's outbound tourism is still in a preliminary stage of development and furthermore complies fully with national policies. Therefore, orderly guidance and discretionary market policies are proposed to further facilitate the growth of the outbound tourism market in China.