Tourist Perceptions of Climate Change: A Study of International Tourists in Zanzibar

A study was conducted in Zanzibar, Tanzania, in order to understand tourist perceptions of climate change, the importance of climate for travel decisions, and the likely consequences of ongoing climate change for travel decisions. The results show that climatic characteristics of destinations are important, though not the only factor shaping travel decisions. Under a scenario of climate change, certain climate variables, such as more rain, storms, and higher humidity are also likely to negatively influence travel decisions, rather than higher temperatures alone, which are not necessarily perceived as negative. Regarding the contribution of travel to climate change, the study reveals that leisure tourists in Zanzibar are largely unaware of their impact on the natural environment, while the analysis of stated travel behaviour shows that they frequently travel by air. Overall, the results indicate that travel flows might change in more complex ways than currently assumed, and that a small share of high-intensity air travellers is responsible for a considerable environmental impact in terms of climate change.     

Social marketing and sustainable tourism—is there a match?

As we approach the new millennium it is becoming increasingly apparent that we need to re‐evaluate our approach to tourism provision, promotion and consumption. Tourism marketing campaigns continue to be aimed at a broad range of visitor segments irrespective of the relative degree of sustainability that might be exhibited in each case. As this paper will argue, the tools and techniques of social marketing may therefore have much to offer tourism organisations seeking a more sustainable approach to their market. This conclusion is based on the findings of a survey of 540 visitors to the South West of England that revealed a link between key behavioural motivations and the degree of sustainability exhibited. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Social Capital,Tourism and Regional Development: SPCC as a Basis for Innovation and Sustainability

Traditional views of regional development have focused on economic factors and potential innovation in technical and resource exploitation processes. Similarly, regional tourism development is usually couched in economic terms, such as number of jobs and increasing land values. This approach usually ignores the social and community aspects of tourism development; thus an alternative view argues that the community needs to be factored into our planning and development strategies to balance the traditional economic view. It is argued in this paper that fostering innovation in regional development is much more than a process of community consultation. Rather, what needs to be factored in is SPCC – social, political and cultural capital. This works in both directions; tourism development depends on a level of social, political and cultural capital in order to be a successful regional development tool (even in economic terms) while at the same time tourism development can be undertaken in a way that contributes to SPCC in the region. The paper outlines the key concepts of social capital, political capital and cultural capital. It does so within the context of regional tourism development and the concepts of systems of innovation and sustainable development.     

An examination of recreational divers' underwater behaviour by attitude–behaviour theories

The increasing demand for dive tourism activities has resulted in concerns over scuba divers' incremental impacts on the underwater marine environment. Hence, there is a need to better understand the antecedents of scuba divers' underwater behaviour. This study applied theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and norm activation theory (NAT) of altruistic behaviour in examining the relationship between diving attitude, perceived behavioural control, subjective norms and personal norms (PNs) with responsible underwater behaviour among scuba divers. Using the combination of purposeful and convenience samplings, data were collected from divers (N?=?413) who visited the top five most attractive islands in Malaysia. The results supported the use of TPB as a basis for explaining the underwater behaviour of divers. Among the four constructs examined, attitude and PNs were found to be of paramount importance in influencing pro-environmental behaviour. This study also validated the exploratory dimensions that constitute the measurement constructs for scuba diving attitude and responsible underwater behaviour. Scuba diving stakeholders should emphasise continuous education and an integrated programme of marine conservation to enhance divers' attitude and personal commitment towards pro-environmental behaviour. These are crucial for the sustainability of the scuba diving industry.     

Analysing Chinese citizens' intentions of outbound travel: a machine learning approach

Due to the tremendous expansion of Chinese outbound travel market, it is of great significance to identify the characteristics of potential Chinese outbound tourists so as to develop targeted marketing strategies. As both extrinsic and intrinsic characteristics of individuals are important in influencing their decision-making process, this study explores potential Chinese outbound tourists from these two aspects. Demographic and psychographic factors, as the proxy of extrinsic and intrinsic characteristics, respectively, are incorporated into this study to construct the relationship between tourists' characteristics and their intentions of outbound travel. An advanced machine learning approach, called twice-learning, is employed for modelling in this study. As an intelligent data analysis tool, this method is able to construct models that can provide insight into the ground-truth relationships hidden beneath the data in an essentially comprehensible way, without being limited by the typical assumptions held by the traditional data analysis methods. By applying this method, the important personal factors that influence Chinese citizens' intentions of outbound travel are detected, and the typical groups of potential Chinese outbound tourists are characterised. The findings would be beneficial for destination marketers to develop marketing strategies on positioning and advertising which are tailored to potential Chinese outbound travel market.     

Spatial and socio-demographic determinants of South East Queensland students’ school cycling

The low prevalence of Australian students’ utilitarian school cycling could be attributed to the varied and context specific demographic, socio-economic and spatial school travel mode choice determinants. Travel distance is universally important for school cycling and is reliant amongst related home and school spatial proximity factors on a student’s choice of schools. This paper, primarily based on school students’ travel data extracted from the 2009 South East Queensland Household Travel Survey (SEQHTS), examines comparative school cycling travel patterns, school catchment choices and the significant analytical determinants of cycling mode choices from within an urban regional Australian context. Students’ choice of a school external to that located within their designated State school catchment zone was associated with household attributes of parent/guardian employment location, number of income earners and ownership of private vehicles coupled with State school and catchment attributes. Noteworthy variations in school travel distances and modal splits were allied with school catchment choices. Adolescent male students from two parent households owning fewer than two cars and more than two bicycles, with parents/guardians commuting using non-motorised travel modes and resident in Census Collection Districts with conducive cycling environments, contributed largely to the one-way bi-directional primary and secondary school cycling mode shares. This prevalent student cyclist profile indicates the need for enhancements in student school cycling participation, through policies addressing both the spatial (built) and social environment which impact students’ personal and traffic safety coupled with utilitarian cycling image enhancements. Concerted efforts to bolster cycling amongst student segments with current low cycling participation inclusive of females, students from single parent households and those with adequate access to private motorised travel modes may be necessary to further enhance school cycling mode shares. The paper makes a case for individualised targeted travel interventions informed by segregated mode choice determinant analysis for respective primary and secondary school types and directions of school travel.     

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.     

‘Homesick tourism’: memory,identity and (be)longing

‘Homesick tourism’ commonly refers to the travel of Germans who visit their former homes in what is now Poland and other Eastern European countries, from which they were expelled in the wake of the second World War. The paper first differentiates homesick tourism from related types, with which it is often conflated, notably roots tourism, personal heritage tourism and migrant return travel. Drawing on travel reports written by German homesick tourists, the role of memory is identified as the defining criterion. It is shown that homesick tourists are characterised by a unique ‘tourist gaze’. Such clear definition and differentiation are useful in order to better understand and analyse the homesick tourism phenomenon, because homesick tourism is arguably a much wider international phenomenon, albeit unrecognised and sometimes politically contested. Much can be learnt from the German experience in this regard. As the homesick tourism phenomenon is soon going to be over, due to the passing of the survivor generation, the paper ends with the suggestion that Poland is in an ideal position to develop a genuine form of roots tourism targeted at future German tourists.