Tourism crisis management: Can the Extended Parallel Process Model be used to understand crisis responses in the cruise industry?

The purpose of this paper was to understand the effect of crisis communication on people's risk perception attitude, perceived safety, and cruise travel intentions. Specifically, this study was concerned with the emerging health issues of Norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships. A between-subjects experiment was conducted. Responses were collected from 169 participants after presenting them with different crisis communication messages. Drawing on the Extended Parallel Process Model, the findings revealed that perceived threat directly affected respondents' attitude towards the involved cruise line, while perceived efficacy moderated the relationship between perceived threat and perceived safety of cruising. Additionally, the results of this study indicated that perceived safety mediated the relationship between perceived threat and cruise travel intentions, and this mediating relationship was moderated by perceived efficacy. This study's findings suggest new theoretical approaches for understanding tourism crisis communication and recommend an audience-centered paradigm in communicating health crisis issues in tourism and travel.     

Perceptions of determinants of job selection in the hospitality and tourism industry: The case of Korean university students

ABSTRACT

This study explores the key factors influencing potential employees in the hospitality and tourism industry and examines whether causal relationships between behavioral attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control influence students' job selection. The study suggests that the career decision-making process is related to job selection. A total of 307 responses were analyzed. The results explain individual students' attitudes toward a behavior and perceived behavioral control in the context of their job selection. Attitudes toward a behavior and job selection had significant effects on career decisions. On the other hand, opinions of significant others had no significant effect. Perceived behaviors required to decide on jobs had a significant effect on job selection intentions. Students with internship experience were likely to form positive attitudes toward the hospitality and tourism industry, suggesting internships to be a useful source of a stronger relationship between the industry and job aptitudes of students in hospitality and tourism programs. The results have important implications.     

What makes Airbnb likeable? Exploring the nexus between service attractiveness,country image,perceived authenticity and experience from a social exchange theory perspective within an emerging economy context

As a result of the growth of the notions of collaborative consumption and sharing economy in the tourism industry, this paper applies social exchange theory to investigate how the Airbnb platform influences the Airbnb experience and authenticity, which might lead consumers to like Airbnb and influence their behavioural patterns. By recruiting 466 tourists who had stayed in Airbnb accommodation in Istanbul, Turkey via travel-related Telegram, Twitter, travel blogs, and Facebook groups, this study revealed the importance of the platform and its features in enhancing service attractiveness, perceived authenticity and experience. Furthermore, the results revealed that visitors’ experiences have an influence on Airbnb likability, where Airbnb likability influences their intention to re-visit and to recommend. Significant implications for tourism planning, management and researchers are highlighted.     

Risk,uncertainty and the theory of planned behavior: A tourism example

The differential impacts risk and uncertainty have on travel decision-making were explored by examining the constructs' influence on the antecedents of intentions to visit Australia using the theory of planned behavior. Respondents were obtained from online consumer panels in South Korea, China and Japan. The South Korean and Chinese samples were general population samples, while the sample from Japan was an international travelers' sample. The extended model fitted the data well, explaining between 21 and 44 percent of the variance in intentions. Subjective norms and perceived behavioral control significantly impacted on intentions in all country samples, whereas attitudes toward visiting Australia were only significant in Japan. Subjective norms influenced attitudes and perceived behavioral control in all country samples. Finally, perceived risk influenced attitudes toward visiting Australia in South Korea and Japan, while perceived uncertainty influenced attitudes toward visiting Australia in South Korea and China and perceived behavioral control in China and Japan.     

Fostering visitors’ pro-environmental behaviour in an urban park

Recognizing the increasing importance of sustainable environment, this research explored visitors’ pro-environmental decision-making process in an urban park context. This study investigated the relationships among attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behaviour control, positive and negative anticipated emotions as well as behavioural intentions. The results suggest that positive anticipated affects positively influenced low-effort and high-effort pro-environmental behavioural intentions. In addition, positive anticipated affects mediated the relationship between cognitive factors and behavioural intentions. Interestingly negative anticipated affects did not influence behavioural intentions. Further analysis revealed subjective norm was the strongest predictor of intentions, especially the low-effort pro-environmental behavioural intentions. The research advances the conceptual understanding of the role of each construct in generating park visitors’ intentions to perform environmentally responsible behaviours while visiting an urban park.     

Personal values and the theory of planned behaviour: A study of values and holiday trade-offs in young adults

Prior studies have ignored information inherent in the structure of people's values when investigating their impact on tourism decisions. This study examined how personal values trade-offs along two bipolar values dimensions (self-enhancement versus self-transcendence and openness-to-change versus conservation) impacted young adults' travel decisions. A two-staged survey of 299 young adults obtained personal values (at time 1) and value-expressive holiday preferences within a theory of planned behaviour (at time 2). Both bipolar values dimensions predicted attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control towards value-congruent holidays. The total effect of personal values on intentions was larger than that of subjective norms for both dimensions and larger than that of perceived behavioural control for the self-transcendence verses self-enhancement dimension.     

Exploring the visitors' decision-making process for Airbnb and hotel accommodations using value-attitude-behavior and theory of planned behavior

Accommodation purchase decision is a complex field that makes predictions of revisit intentions hard to examine. Our work explores psychological factors motivating visitors' decision-making concerning accommodation purchases by integrating the theory of planned behavior and value-attitude-behavior model. Using a group of multiple informants in Swiss universities, we performed partial least squares structural equation modeling to assess the impacts of subjective norm, attitude and perception of quality on visitors' revisit intention and loyalty in Airbnb and hotel contexts. Although the influence of said factors on purchase decisions varies in the two contexts, results suggest that subjective norm has an indispensable role in prompting revisit intention towards Airbnb and hotel accommodations. This paper's findings advance our understanding of visitors' decision-making processes concerning traditional hotels and accommodation establishments operating in sharing economy platforms.     

Predicting Wine Tourism Intention: Destination Image and Self-congruity

Using the context of wine tourism, this study tests an integrated structural model of destination factors and self-congruity to predict behavioral intentions. A survey of 696 respondents throughout Australia showed that functional destination image, affective destination image, and self-congruity predict attitude toward wine tourism, which in turn predicts behavioral intentions. The moderating influence of wine involvement was also tested through multigroup and latent mean analysis. Consumers who were highly involved with wine appeared to be more influenced by affective destination image and self-congruity than those who indicated low wine involvement.     

Tourism and the refugee crisis in Greece: Perceptions and decision-making of accommodation providers

This paper focuses on the tourism impacts of the 2015–16 refugee crisis in Greece. It examines the implications of the related publicity for the perception of Greece and the expected reaction of inbound tourists; the way refugees are regarded from a security and cultural aspect; the interaction between refugees and host communities; and the decisions made by the Greek tourism accommodation sector to face the crisis. Using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis the paper employs a nationwide survey of 811 tourism accommodation managers. The results reveal three configurations explaining the decisions of respondents characterised by refugee-centric orientation; the emphasis on the visitors-locals nexus; and the host communities' behavioural impact on tourism. The paper also compares asymmetric with symmetric analysis highlighting the suitability of the former when dealing with complexity. The modelling exercise also steps forward from fit to predictive validity. The findings contribute to both managerial and methodological aspects of tourism.     

基于扩展计划行为理论的乡村旅游经营者从众行为研究——西安市上王村实证

乡村旅游是实现巩固拓展脱贫攻坚成果同乡村振兴有效衔接的重要路径选择。乡村旅游经营者的从众行为能够促进旅游地的规范化与规模化发展,但一味地盲从也必然会给旅游地造成不可挽回的损失,理性对待乡村旅游经营者的从众行为对旅游地的可持续发展意义深远。本文基于扩展的计划行为理论基本框架,引入精英影响感知和模糊情境感知两个变量,对乡村旅游经营者从众行为意向的影响因素进行实证研究,并构建乡村旅游经营者从众行为形成机制的理论模型。研究发现,行为态度、指令性规范、知觉行为控制、精英影响感知和模糊情境感知与从众行为意向呈显著正相关关系。另外,乡村旅游经营者的受教育水平对从众行为意向存在显著影响,且呈现受教育水平越高从众行为意向越低的趋势。为了进一步发展乡村旅游,助推乡村振兴,建议提升乡村旅游经营者的经营能力;发挥乡村旅游精英的信息传递与示范带动作用;落实政府的引导与监管职能;防范政府决策层的盲从行为。     

Uncovering the critical drivers of solo holiday attitudes and intentions

In response to the growing solo travel market, this study developed a research instrument and collected empirical data to uncover the motivations and constraints affecting solo travel. Using a conceptual model based on the theory of planned behaviour and the findings of qualitative interviews, the main drivers of solo travel intention and the importance between the drivers were tested through a national survey conducted in Australia. Results revealed that (1) self-actualisation emerged as the most significant motivation for solo travel, (2) attitude was negatively associated with intrapersonal and interpersonal constraints, and (3) interpersonal constraints, followed by perceived behavioural control and overall attitude, were prominent in predicting behavioural intention. The findings offer a validated solo travel model for future research and have implications for tourism marketing strategies and products targeting existing and latent solo travellers.     

The theory of planned behaviour in the context of cultural heritage tourism

An emerging body of literature addresses multiple aspects of cultural heritage tourism in multiple environments worldwide. This study seeks to contribute to current knowledge, studying visitors to a heritage building in the UK through the lens of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). A questionnaire based on the various predictors associated with the TPB was designed to gather participants' motivations to visit the heritage building, including visitation to sightsee, attend events, and experience gastronomy at the building's restaurant. The findings confirm the validity and impact of attitude towards the behaviour, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control on behavioural intention, in this case, to become involved in heritage building visitation. In addition, it was noticed that respondents' level of agreement suggests their preparedness to invest in terms of travel, time, and financially spending when visiting heritage buildings. Implications of the findings will be discussed and future research avenues suggested.     

Green practices in the restaurant industry from an innovation adoption perspective: Evidence from Taiwan

This study proposes an integrated model that combines the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and the innovation adoption theory to investigate the attitudinal and behavioural decision factors on adopting green practices in the restaurant industry in Taiwan. The results demonstrate that attitude and perceived behavioural control have positive effects on behavioural intention while social influence is insignificant. Perceived innovation characteristics have direct positive effects on attitude and indirect positive impacts on behavioural intention to adopt green practices. Managerial implications are discussed.     

Factors Influencing Chinese Students’ Behavior in Promoting Australia as a Destination for Chinese Outbound Travel

The importance of Chinese students in Australia has been largely neglected in the tourism development and place branding of Australia. This study explores the factors that influence Chinese students’ word-of-mouth behaviors, as well as other behaviors influencing Australia as a tourism destination. Following a literature review, a taxonomy of word-of-mouth behaviours is proposed in terms of the way information is communicated. “Place attachment to Australia”, “place attachment to China”, and “place satisfaction in Australia”, are proposed as the key factors that influence such behaviors. Using structural equation modelling, the authors find that “place attachment to Australia” and “satisfaction” with Australia are positively related to different behavior outcomes including Chinese students’ word-of-mouth, intentions to recommend Australia as a tourism destination, and willingness to help Chinese tourists to create satisfying experiences in Australia. Based on these findings, the theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Operating small tourism firms in rural destinations: A social representations approach to examining how small tourism firms cope with non-tourism induced changes

This study explores the representation that owners and managers of small tourism firms ascribe to their rural destination and how non-tourism induced changes interfere with this representation and motivate coping as guided by social representations theory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-four owners and/or managers of at least one small accommodation property in Gloucester, New South Wales, Australia. The informants became involved in the area's accommodation sector primarily driven by the lifestyle goals embedded in their representation of Gloucester. The perception that mining-induced changes might transform Gloucester into a mining town as opposed to its current representation as a town with a mine has motivated many informants to cope. However, coping is impeded by feelings of powerlessness, perceived uncertainties, and distrust in both government and industry. The findings provide preliminary insight into why and how small tourism firm owners/managers cope when faced with change from the perspective of social representations.     

Deterrents of tourism business crowdfunding: Aversion decision and aversion behavior

Crowdfunding has been recently suggested as an effective means for tourism business founders to gain financial support. Yet, few business founders in tourism have employed the method to fund their business creation and development. Using the behavioral decision model in complex and uncertain business situations, this qualitative study explored the deterrents to crowdfunding adoption and the factors that shape the perception of the deterrents in tourism business founders. The data collected by in-depth and face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 22 informants. Our findings revealed a combination of perceived personal, social and contextual deterrents that avert crowdfunding adoption decision and actual behavior. More specifically, our analysis explored attitude towards crowdfunding, perceived control over using crowdfunding, social norms and perceived contextual feasibility of crowdfunding as the determinants of crowdfunding aversion decision and aversion behavior. This study contributes deeper insights into tourism business financial management and crowdfunding policy, theory, practice and research development.     

VISITORS' INTENTION TO VISIT WORLD CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF SUZHOU,CHINA

This article attempts to study Chinese visitors' intention to visit world cultural heritage sites in the framework of the theory of planned behavior (TPB), with the additional constructs of past experience and cultural tour involvement. The survey data were collected by a self‐administrated questionnaire in Suzhou, which is one of the cities with world cultural heritage sites in China. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the research model and hypotheses. The result shows that perceived control, past experience, and cultural tour involvement, but not attitude and subjective norms, are valid predictor constructs for visitors' intention to visit a world cultural heritage site within the next 12 months. The findings have implications for predicting heritage tourism.     

Theory of planned behaviour: predicting tourists’ pro-environmental intentions after a humpback whale encounter

Nature-based experiences can contribute to individuals’ connection to nature and intentions toward sustainable environmental behaviours. Conservation psychology can use tourism as a platform to modify tourists’ intentions and behaviours regarding key marine threats such as single-use plastics. This study examined changes to pro-environmental intentions, particularly regarding plastic use, in 267 nature-based tourists from Australia and Tonga who completed a whale watching/swim experience. A theory of planned behaviour (TPB) framework was used incorporating moral norms and environmental identity, which have been previously implicated in explaining pro-environmental actions. This study found that including moral norms in the TPB model significantly increased the ability to predict pro-environmental intentions. Further, when controlling for the TPB and moral norm variables, environmental identity explained a further 15% of tourists’ pro-environmental intentions. The findings suggest the original TPB model may be less suitable within a marine conservation context. Collectively, positive nature-based experiences, environmental identity, and moral norms are important in understanding tourist’s intentions to engage in sustainable environmental behaviours.     

VALUE, SATISFACTION AND BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS IN AN ADVENTURE TOURISM CONTEXT

The growth in demand for adventure tourism has been significant in recent years. This study applied an existing marketing framework and empirically examined the relationships between value, satisfaction, and behavioural intentions in an adventure tourism context. Four hundred and two respondents provided their perceptions of the value for an adventure tour in Australia. Customer value was conceptualised as a multidimensional construct and indeed three value dimensions had strong, positive influences on customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions in an adventure tourism setting. Value-for-money was prominent, but also emotional value and novelty value were also significant predictors of satisfaction and future intentions. The present study suggests that researchers should take a broader, holistic view of value in a tourism context.     

New measuring stick on sharing accommodation: Guest-perceived benefits and risks

As an emergent phenomenon fueled by advanced technology, the sharing economy enables people to capitalize on underutilized physical assets that would otherwise be wasted. Despite the rapid growth, existing empirical studies are limited to the adoption of scales from other disciplines, although collaborative consumption differs from commercial consumption. The purpose of the study is to examine guests’ perceived risks and benefits of sharing accommodation. Using three folded studies, this research attempts to yield key theoretical contributions by developing a scale for perceived benefits and risks in the context of sharing accommodation. Furthermore, this study provides initial insights into why consumers would avoid sharing accommodations while at the same time identifying potential benefits and risks in relation to attitude and behavioral intentions. The findings from this research will enable sharing accommodation hosts to understand consumers’ perceived benefits and risks and thus provide enhanced experiences to users.