A novel decision support model for satisfactory restaurants utilizing social information: A case study of TripAdvisor.com

Decision support models for satisfactory restaurants have attracted numerous researchers' attention. Many extant models do not consider the active, neutral and passive information in online reviews all at once. Moreover, they ignore the effect of interdependence among criteria on tourists' decision-making. To cover these defects, this study proposes a restaurant decision support model using social information for tourists on TripAdvisor.com. The model introduces fuzzy sets to denote online reviews and utilizes Bonferroni mean to consider interdependence among criteria. Furthermore, it uses a novel similarity measurement which can handle sparse data in fuzzy environments. To validate the model, we conduct a case study of TripAdvisor.com which compares the proposed model with four other models. The performance of each model is evaluated by the metric called the mean absolute error. The study shows that the proposed model can effectively support tourists' decision-making and it performs better than the other four models.     

Analysis of wildlife tourism experiences with endangered species: An exploratory study of encounters with giant pandas in Chengdu,China

This research examined wildlife tourism experiences in a unique site and species combination: giant pandas at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (CRBGPB) in Sichuan, China. Content analysis was undertaken on tourist reviews of CRBGPB on TripAdvisor.com in early 2012. The thematic analysis qualitative method was adopted in examining respondents' written reviews of experiences interacting with giant pandas. ROST CM6 and NVivo 8 were used for the content analysis and qualitative coding.A variety of tourist experiences, motivations, and preferences were revealed. Although respondents' experiences were varied, satisfaction increased with closer encounters and interactions with the giant pandas. The thematic analysis identified three features of the wildlife tourism experiences at CRBGPB: tourists, giant pandas, and settings. Implications and management recommendations were identified for sites offering wildlife tourism experiences.     

Strategic and tactical price decisions in hotel revenue management

Dynamic pricing techniques allow using a number of variables in a tactical way compared to standard catalogue prices. This study merges in a conceptual model the relevance of the tactical and the strategic dimension of these variables, classified according to their tangible, reputational or contextual nature.To empirically validate the hypotheses, a database of 21.596 price observations was retrieved from booking.com. The study presents a hedonic price function, using the Shapley-Owen decomposition of the R-squared to elicit the importance of each group of factors. Further, a hierarchical cluster analysis measures the presence of heterogeneity across operators.The results show that online reputation is gaining importance over the traditional star rating. Despite the tangible variables remain of paramount importance, the findings suggest the relevant role of contextual variables in short-run price variations. The players operating in the tourism and hospitality industries should integrate these findings when designing pricing strategies.     

Drivers of change in regional tourism governance: a case analysis of the influence of the New South Wales Government,Australia, 2007–2013

The study of governance and policy-making for tourism is an important area of academic scholarship. This paper reviews recent theoretical concepts and approaches to governance, policy-making, and sustainable and regional tourism. Practical application of these concepts is demonstrated through a case study analysis that traces and assesses the main policy and strategic initiatives of the New South Wales Government (Australia) directed at influencing change in regional tourism governance from 2007 to 2013. The analysis compares these main drivers influencing change at a regional scale to relevant themes, concepts and interpretations derived from literature on tourism governance. In particular, it uses Hall's (2011 Hall, C.M. (2011). A typology of governance and its implications for tourism policy analysis. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 19(4–5), 437–457.[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) typology of tourism governance as a framework to explore conceptualisations of the governance structures evident in the case. The paper demonstrates the complexity of the regional tourism governance space, including the ebb and flow of various policy initiatives that have been driven by the political agendas of consecutive governments and their election commitments, as well as a pro-growth mode of governance that does not emphasise sustainable tourism. Moreover, the case suggests the opportunity to use destination management planning as a framework to drive sustainable tourism outcomes.     

Research on Foreign Tourists’ Satisfaction with the 2010 Shanghai World Expo: Based on the Blogs at a Travel Website

By applying the methods of content analysis and importance-performance analysis to the blogs on http://www.travelblog.org, a popular international website for travel bloggers, this study identifies that foreign tourists’ satisfaction with the 2010 Shanghai World Expo mainly depended on three dimensions: The urban environment, the quality of tourists’ visit to the Expo, and the tourists’ own status. Based on fuzzy evaluation and importance-performance analysis, the study concludes that foreign tourists’ overall degree of satisfaction with the Shanghai World Expo is 6.15 on a 10-point scale and suggests that the quality of exhibits, the touring environment, staff training, and tourist behavior are key elements in the on-site management of major events.     

Redefining Asian tourism

Research examining Asian tourism destinations and markets has burgeoned, paralleling the region's economic and middle-class growth. However, despite this burgeoning, extant studies tend to replicate theories and models from western tourism literature, with few attempts to interpret tourism from and in Asia through an indigenous lens. This editorial provides an overview of the current state of play in relation to past Asian tourism special issues, book publications and research articles as well as papers included in this special issue. Through the broad themes of deconstructing the universality of tourism knowledge, legitimising other ways of knowing, and convergence of knowledge, we borrow the lenses of research articles included in this special issue to critically examine colonised knowledge, offer alternative ways of conceptualising Asian tourism, and reflect on our journey of composing this special issue. Suggestions are provided for future researchers to take on this path of decolonising tourism knowledge.     

Knowledge Dissemination in Tourism Education: A Case of Tourism Marketing

ABSTRACT

Knowledge dissemination among tourism stakeholders is vital to the overall development of tourism. Yet, this topic has been underinvestigated in past tourism literature. Taking the courses on tourism marketing as an example, this study examined what and how knowledge is being disseminated in the classroom. Based on the Sender-Message-Channel-Receiver (SMCR) model (Shannon, 1948 Shannon, C. E. 1948. A mathematical theory of communication. Bell System Technical Journal, 27(379–423): 623–656. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]), the current study analyzed 43 tourism marketing syllabi to identify the senders and receivers of knowledge, knowledge being conveyed in the classroom, channels of communication between educators and students, and feedback of communication received from students. It is suggested that the study may help tourism scholars gain state-of-the-art knowledge of the content and formats of tourism marketing courses and facilitate knowledge dissemination in the tourism domain.     

Similarities and Differences of the Effect of Country Images on Tourist and Study Destinations

ABSTRACT

The present study attempts to determine whether students hold similar or different country images when they are “buying” study abroad programs and tourism destinations. This article also tries to investigate similarities and differences in the brand personality perceptions of countries when they are considered as tourism and as study abroad destinations through the application of the brand personality characteristics model developed by Aaker (1997 Aaker, J. L. 1997. Dimensions of brand personality. Journal of Marketing Research, 34(3): 347–356. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). A convenience sample of 360 students was split into two groups based on the motivation for visiting a specific country, whether for tourism or to participate in a study abroad program. The t test was used to calculate the significance of differences in country images between the two groups—those considering study abroad programs and those considering tourism destinations. The study concludes that the knowledge developed within the tourism context regarding images of countries may be applied to the context of study abroad programs.     

MEETING THE NEEDS OF TOURISTS: THE ROLE AND FUNCTION OF AUSTRALIAN VISITOR INFORMATION CENTERS

Visitor information centers are primarily responsible for promoting local tourism products and services; and consequently, have direct impacts upon the economic, social, and recreational well‐being of the region in which they are located. Research highlights the importance of tailoring center facilities and services to meet the needs and interests of the traveling public, yet there are few studies specifically designed to pinpoint visitors' information requirements. This study was conducted during the mid‐year school holidays and explores tourists' use and perceptions of 18 Australian visitor information centers in Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, and Northern Territory. It uses Pearce's (2004 Pearce, P. L. 2004. The functions and planning of visitor centers in regional tourism.. Journal of Tourism Studies, 15(1): 8–17.  [Google Scholar]) Four Plus model to explore the functions of centers, identifies features that tourists regard as important, and provides an insight into the information needs and travel planning practices of those who use visitor information centers.     

Investigating the Sustainability of Cruise Tourism: A Case Study of Key West

This qualitative research examines cruise ship tourism through a case study of Key West, Florida, exploring its perceived benefits and drawbacks. It outlines the growth of the industry, the issues raised by that growth, and uses the land-use tourism model developed by Vera Rebollo and Ivars Baidal (2003) Vera Rebollo, J. F. and Ivars Baidal, J. A. 2003. Measuring sustainability in a mass tourist destination: Pressures, perceptions and policy responses in Torrevieja, Spain. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 11: 181–203. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar] to probe those issues. The results illustrate how mature cruise tourism destinations such as Key West fear continued growth and loss of sustainability, but have mixed emotions about future quantitative and qualitative growth.     

Resource Investments and Loyalty to Recreational Sport Tourism Event

ABSTRACT

Sport tourism events have a marketing possibility in the Japanese tourism industry. The ultramarathon is a very popular recreational sport event in the world. This type of sport tourism event has shared with completive and enjoyment factors in relation to participant's motivation. Loyalty is a very important factor with attendance to recreational sport events. Generally, as many researchers indicated, that participants' loyalty will lead to repeat attendance or purchase. However, there is no consensus as to how loyalty develops. In the files of recreational sport tourism event research, the process leading to participants' loyalty with a specific event is not evident.

The purpose of this article is to test a conceptual framework of the development of loyalty (Morais et al., 2004 Morais, D. B., Dorsch, M. J. and Backman, S. J. 2004. Can tourism providers buy their customers' loyalty? Examining the influence of customer-provider investments on loyalty. Journal of Travel Research, 42(3): 235–243. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) that is grounded in resource theory. According to the proposed model, when participants and organizers invest specific profiles of resources in each other, the participants tend to develop a bond with the customer and become dedicated to maintaining a stable relationship. The model is used to discuss the mixed results of current loyalty from recreational sport event tourists to organizers and to outline future research efforts.     

The economy,tourism growth and corporate performance in the Taiwanese hotel industry

This study investigates the impact of economy and tourism growth on the corporate performance of tourist hotels in Taiwan. The indicators of corporate performance under consideration are occupancy rate (OPR), return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), stock return, and the overall financial performance measured by a comprehensive score (a combined measure of asset management, profitability, short-term solvency or liquidity and long-term solvency based on factor analysis). The effects of changes in the state of economy (real GDP   growth rate, ΔGDP$\Delta \mathit{GDP}$) and tourism growth (growth rate of total foreign tourist arrivals, ΔTA$\Delta \mathit{TA}$) on the corporate performance of tourist hotels are then examined via panel regression tests. Test results show that both ΔGDP$\Delta \mathit{GDP}$ and ΔTA$\Delta \mathit{TA}$ are significant explanatory factors of OPR  , but only ΔTA$\Delta \mathit{TA}$ can strongly explain ROA and ROE  . However, neither ΔGDP$\Delta \mathit{GDP}$ nor ΔTA$\Delta \mathit{TA}$ have a significant influence on hotel stock performance. Further, the economic factor (ΔGDP)$\left(\Delta \mathit{GDP}\right)$ is slightly more crucial than the industry factor (ΔTA)$\left(\Delta \mathit{TA}\right)$ in describing the overall financial performance in the Taiwanese hotel industry. Empirical findings offer valuable information for government tourism policymakers and tourist hotel owners and managers.     

Examining destination images from travel blogs: a big data analytical approach using latent Dirichlet allocation

ABSTRACT

In the big data era, destination images have played an increasingly important role in tourism development. However, seldom tourism research has utilised big data analytics to examine destination images from travel blogs. Therefore, this study proposes and evaluates a big data analytical approach using latent Dirichlet allocation to extract attributes of online destination images from 140,286 travel blogs about 20 cities in China. Results reveal 14 dimensions with 54 attributes of destination images of the studied cities. Interesting findings are discovered between online destination images and tourism cities. This study also summarises the implications for tourism research and practice.     

The Indirect Effects of Destination Image on Destination Loyalty Intention Through Tourist Satisfaction and Perceived Value: The Bootstrap Approach

This study proposes a multiple mediation model, in which destination loyalty intention is jointly influenced by the interplay among destination image, tourist satisfaction, and perceived value. Data were collected on Hainan Island, China and a total of 371 observations with 5,000 bootstraps were analyzed using the structural equation modeling technique. The results indicate that all possible single and multiple meditational effects within the model are substantiated. The meditational effects as well as the bootstrap approach employed to detect these effects contribute to the tourism literature significantly. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed in the context of tourism marketing and destination management. This work was jointly supported by The National Natural Science Fund of P. R. China (71262032) and by Hainan University, P. R. China (Kyqd:1230). View all notes     

Satisfying and Delighting the Rural Tourists

ABSTRACT

This study applies the concept of customer delight and the model proposed by Oliver, Rust, and Varki (1997 Oliver, R. L., Rust, R. T. and Varki, S. 1997. Customer delight: Foundations, findings and managerial insight. Journal of Retailing, 73(3): 311–336. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and modified by Finn (2005 Finn, A. 2005. Reassessing the foundations of customer delight. Journal of Service Research, 8(2): 103–116. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) to the context of rural tourism. The model is applied to rural tourism lodgings in northern Portugal and validated using PLS technique. The results suggest that satisfaction is a more significant determinant of loyalty than delight and disconfirmation is an important predictor of both satisfaction and delight. This study further supports the conceptualization of customer delight and customer satisfaction as distinct constructs. Results may help managers of rural tourism accommodations to develop and implement more successful relationship marketing strategies.     

Transcending Emotional Community: A Qualitative Examination of Older Adults and Masters' Sports Participation

This qualitative study examined meanings of community as they developed among older adults who participate in Master's sports. Four themes emerged through data analysis that described what a sense of community meant to study participants: a shared sporting interest, comrades in continued activity, relevant life purpose, and giving back. These themes each lend general support to the four elements that constitute McMillan and Chavis' (1986) McMillan, D. W. and Chavis, D. M. 1986. Sense of community: A definition and theory. Journal of Community Psychology, 14: 6–23. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] sense of community construct. The findings of this study counter the claims that leisure-related experiences of community are largely episodic, emotional and fleeting, and do little to provide sustained experiences of community. This paper concludes with recommendations for further research.     

Truth is marching on: the Lasershow Spectacular at the Stone Mountain Park Confederate Memorial and the changing narratives of history

The overarching goal of this paper is to examine the changing historical narratives of the Stone Mountain Park Confederate Memorial as seen through the Lasershow Spectacular, and how this performance speaks to broader issues of race, identity, geography, and memory. The implications of this discourse are especially significant for the identity construction of marginalized collectives. I begin with a brief theoretical explanation of history and cultural memory as socially constructed, including the significance of who gets to create it, its relationship with identity, and the connection between history and cultural memory and popular/consumer culture. Next, I discuss the current state of heritage tourism and how it relates to issues of racial (in)justice. Finally, I turn to Stone Mountain and the Lasershow Spectacular as a case study to examine the social construction of history and cultural memory at a tourist attraction, specifically discussing how the African-American experience is addressed (or not addressed) in Southern heritage tourism. This paper seeks to answer the call in a recent special issue of Tourism Geographies for more work that addresses African-American tourism and the inclusion/exclusion of African-Americans from tourist sites (Alderman, 2013 Alderman, D. H. (2013). Introduction to the special issue: African Americans and tourism. Tourism Geographies, 15(3), 375–379. doi: 10.1080/14616688.2012.762544[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]).