The loyalty process of residents and tourists in the festival context

Few attempts have been made to find out if the loyalty process for residents and tourists in the context of cultural festivals is the same. This study investigated the influence of involvement on satisfaction as factors contributing to the likelihood of returning to an annual festival for residents and tourists. A sample of 412 attendees of a cultural and historic festival in the Midwest region of the USA was surveyed. The results showed that both residents and tourists who were more involved with the festival had higher satisfaction levels. However, only residents who were highly satisfied with the festival were more likely to attend again, whereas tourists' satisfaction level did not significantly influence their likelihood of returning. For tourists, it is likely that their quest for novelty is influential in shaping their future intentions. Implications of this result for the sustainability of cultural festivals are discussed.     

Big mountain,big name: globalised relations of risk in Himalayan mountaineering

The paper explores how visitors' perception of a destination's heritage management affects satisfaction with actual visits to the sites and overall perception of the destination's cultural image, using Macao as the case setting. The study will also look at how site visit satisfaction influences the intention to revisit and recommend to others. The findings indicated that perception of the quality of heritage interpretation was significantly associated with destination cultural image and site visit satisfaction. However, associations between site visit satisfaction and intention to revisit and recommend were weak. The findings also led to a discussion on whether the labels ‘cultural’ versus ‘non-cultural’ tourists remain stable over time.     

The effect of community attachment on cultural festival visitors' satisfaction and future intentions

This paper explores the characteristics of multicultural festival visitors on the basis of their attachment to a certain culture or a cultural community, and examines the influences of this attachment on levels of overall satisfaction and future intentions. Two distinctive types of visitors to cultural festivals are recognised based on their attachment to the culture of the festival. A total of 420 valid questionnaires from three multicultural festivals in Korea were collected. This study found that community attachment, defined as an attachment to a certain culture or a cultural community, had significant impacts on intention to revisit and positive word-of-mouth (WOM). Visitors who are attached to an ethnic culture or a cultural community are more likely to revisit and spread positive WOM than people who are not attached. The paper concludes that community attachment influences cultural festival visitors' future intentions, and can be used as a predictor of the relationship between satisfaction and future intentions. From the results of the study, strategic marketing and management implications, based on community attachment, are suggested to increase repeat visitation and attract more visitors through positive WOM.     

A model of wine tourist behaviour: a festival approach

The study constructs a temporal model of wine tourist behaviour on the basis of the social psychologist' theory of consumer attitudes and related concepts with regard to past behaviour, satisfaction, perceived value and behavioural intentions. More importantly, this study added two dimensions to this model by proposing that satisfaction and perceived value had an impact on the attendees' intentions (i) to visit a local winery and (ii) to buy local wine products. Using a path analysis approach and data collected from the attendees at a regional wine festival, the study examined the above relationships. The results of this path analysis can be summarised as: (i) past behaviour influenced the intention to revisit and the level of perceived value, but had no effect on the level of satisfaction; (ii) perceived value strongly affected the level of satisfaction; (iii) satisfaction had a strong impact on future intentions to revisit and also an effect on intentions to visit local wineries and to buy local wine products; and (iv) perceived value affected the intentions to revisit the festival and to visit local wineries but did not influence the intentions to buy local wines. It is believed that the results of the present study will be useful to organisers of wine festivals and/or wine tourism developers. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An Empirical Analysis of Synthesizing the Effects of Festival Quality,Emotion, Festival Image and Festival Satisfaction on Festival Loyalty: A Case Study of Macau Food Festival

This study aims to examine the interrelationships among the festival quality dimensions, festival quality, emotion, festival image, festival satisfaction and festival loyalty. Analysis of data from 454 attendees in the 12^th Macau Food Festival indicates that the proposed model fits the data. The result of this study will assist festival management in developing and implementing market‐orientated service strategies to increase quality and image, and enhance the emotion and satisfaction of attendees in order to attain their loyalty toward food festivals. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On commodification: volunteer experiences in festivals†

This paper is about the creation of non-commodified volunteer experiences, for tourists and local volunteers participating in festivals. How is the tourist experience created when most of the traditional tourism demands are not fulfilled? And what are the experiences and how do they relate to different ‘regimes of value’? The experience context includes tourists who work together with locals voluntarily in a festival, where the volunteers pay for their own travel, food, overnight stay, and work for free. To gain more knowledge on the volunteers is important because local cultural life becomes more festivalized, most festivals are reliant on the involvement of volunteers, and the festivals gain an important role in an economy where even small places are engaged in branding [Löfgren, O. 2003. The new economy: A cultural history. Global Networks, 3, 239–254]. This paper uses a qualitative approach. Interviews were conducted (n?=?23) and participants were observed during four festivals in Finnmark, Norway. Nothing in the experiences was facilitated, and the experience creation occurred in the work tasks together with volunteer colleagues. It was like a holiday experience, without a stream of commodified moments. It was a value creation that could be seen as authentic and real, created in the interaction between the local and visiting volunteers.     

Thanatourism or peace tourism: perceived value at a North Korean resort from an indigenous perspective

This paper examines the underlying factors that affected perceived value among South Korean tourists who visited the North Korean Mt Kumgang resort. Results identified emotional, functional and economic values as core elements that directly affected guest satisfaction, which influenced intentions to recommend and revisit. Seen as a peace tourism site when the Sunshine Policy of rapprochement guided inter‐Korean strategy, we argue that the resort project is a heterotopia of comparison combining idealized cultural and contradictory political spaces in one place. Understanding this needs Korean ideas that lead to a thanatourism with an indigenous perspective, which is applicable to other non‐Western thanatourism‐like sites. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

How do the services of low cost carriers affect passengers' behavioral intentions to revisit a destination?

Understanding the main factors that affect travelers' behavioral intentions are essential for countries that intend to develop their tourism industry. This research investigates how the services of low cost carriers (LCCs) affect travelers' behavioral intentions to revisit and a willingness to recommend the destination to others. The results show that the perceived services of LCCs have a significantly positive effect on the destination's image, and the destination's image has a significantly positive effect on behavioral intentions.     

Producing a sense of meaningful place: evidence from a cultural festival in Hong Kong

Festivals are social and cultural phenomena that represent the living culture of a local community. However, studies on festivals have mainly focused on the economic contributions to the community and place. Relevant studies that probe into the intertwined relationship between festivals and uniqueness of place and locale are lacking. To fill this gap, this study explores the extent to which festivals contribute to the construction of a sense of place and its respective locality. Based on a case study of the Cheung Chau Bun Festival, a community-based local festival in Hong Kong, this study examines place-related conceptions associated with community festivals. In-depth interviews were conducted to investigate local residents' perceptions of festival meanings and the underlying relationships with the construction of place uniqueness. Findings suggest that festivals are among the possible elements that can contribute to the ontological construction of the place. Three underlying themes of festival meanings, namely, religion and heritage, social bonding, and imagined locality, are crucial elements attributing to the sense of place that eventually shape the identification of a unique place. Therefore, festivals are a potential channel through which the history of a community can be narrated and a sense of place uniqueness can be established.     

Exploring tourists' nostalgic experiences during culture festivals: the case of the Sung Chiang Battle Array

This study uses the means-end chain (MEC) approach with fuzzy conceptualization and incorporates Kano's model to elicit perceptions of nostalgic experiences and to explore preferences for Sung Chiang Battle Array (SCBA) cultural festivals. We provide a hierarchical value map that fuses attribute–consequence–value chains and Kano's model to distinguish the relationships between the factors of nostalgic experience and tourist satisfaction. Fuzzy linguistics is adopted to address the ill-defined nature of tourists' linguistic judgements so that they can be interpreted for the proposed MEC. By applying the ‘laddering' technique to interviews with 178 tourists, the resulting linkages strengthen the ability to probe outcomes and values and to derive a cognitive representation of nostalgic meanings. The findings of this research imply that, overall, tourists experience three different dominant perceptual orientations for nostalgic experiences in SCBA cultural festivals: ‘Learning and the challenge of a new experience', ‘Culture and art appreciation', and ‘The link between history and emotion'. The study's findings have implications for researchers and practitioners interested in nostalgic tourism.     

The influence of service performance and destination resources on consumer behaviour: a case study of mainland Chinese tourists to Kinmen

This paper draws upon the responses of 603 mainland Chinese tourists in Kinmen and attempts to understand their consumer behavior on the aspects of intentions, preferences, decision‐making process, satisfaction, and willingness to revisit. Variables such as service performance and destination resources that affect visitor's satisfaction are also tested. The findings reflect a ‘myth of mysteriousness’ of mainland Chinese visitors to the destination and suggest that it is essential for the market segmentation to participate in the tourism planning of Kinmen to develop an integrated policy for promotion and marketing, in order to enhance consumers' interest. In addition, this research has implications for tourism planning in Kinmen and provides references for other destinations striving for tourists from mainland China. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Up in Smoke? The Impact of Smog on Risk Perception and Satisfaction of International Tourists in Beijing

This research explored the perceptions of on‐site international tourists towards the smog in Beijing. A scale measuring the degree of tourists' concern about smog conditions was developed. The links among smog concern, risk perception, trip satisfaction and destination loyalty were tested with a structural equation model. Direct relationships were found for the hypothesized effects of smog concern on risk perception and satisfaction. Further, the influence of risk perception on reducing satisfaction as well as the role of satisfaction in forming revisit intention (loyalty) was identified. The broad concerns of this study are applicable across all key Chinese tourism cities visited by international tourists. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A study of the effects of co-branding between low-carbon islands and recreational activities

The development of sustainable tourism on islands is increasingly based on the concept of “low carbon” practices. From a co-branding perspective, this study discusses how to combine recreational activities to create a differentiated tourism landscape, and thus positively influence post-visit tourist reactions when the focal islands emphasize their low-carbon practices. This study used a questionnaire survey to study Taiwan's Penghu and Republic of Palau, two islands that have adopted low-carbon policies, and a total of 341 and 298 valid samples were collected, respectively. The findings are the following. (1) Regardless of the island, tourists recognized the low-carbon strategies of both islands, with those of Palau receiving greater attention. (2) The tourists were most familiar with motorized water activities, and the degree of participation in such activities was the highest. However, there were significant differences in degrees of familiarity with and participation in other recreational activities. (3) On both Penghu and Palau, islands and motorized water activities represent the optimal match, and the optimal match percentage of Penghu for all types of recreational activity is 67%. (4) Compared with tourists on Palau, those on Penghu are more willing to recommend a visit to others or revisit the island.     

Slow-food-seeking behaviour,authentic experience,and perceived slow value of a slow-life festival

This study examines the antecedents and consequences of perceived “slow” value in a structural model – specifically, the role authenticity plays for visitors who seek slow food and participate in slow-life-related programme activities. Data were collected from participants in a slow-life festival in South Korea. Results show that slow-food-seeking behaviour has a significant effect on the authentic experience, and both concepts affect the perception of “slow” value of the event. Attitude and the intention to revisit were significant consequences of “slow” value. This study extends the knowledge about tourist behaviour in slow-life-related activities, particularly in a non-Western context, and suggests that a slow-life-related event should consider visitors’ preference for slow food and a programme that stages authentic experiences.     

Understanding the residents’ social impact perceptions of an African Cultural Festival: the case of Macufe

ABSTRACT

The Macufe is one of the Africa’s largest cultural festivals, and takes place annually in Bloemfontein, South Africa. This 10-day event attracts approximately 140,000 attendees, meaning that the residents have to share facilities and services with tourists. The effects of such interactions can be both positive and negative. Community members are stakeholders in any tourism ventures that take place in their area, meaning that their goodwill is of utmost importance. Therefore, the social impacts of this event should be well managed to foster community support. For this reason, a quantitative study was done to determine residents’ social impact perceptions towards the event. A total of 425 questionnaires were completed by willing residents who lived in proximity to festival activities. From an exploratory factor analysis, four factors were extracted, namely community enhancement, community degradation, tourism growth and increased public spending and interaction. It was found that the event does not generate significant levels of positive social impacts, and that the negative social impacts are viewed almost equal to the positive social impacts. This was one of the first social impact perception studies done on an African arts festival, which contributes to the sustainable management of such crucial events.     

Festival tourism and production of locality in a small Slovenian town

The article investigates the conditions which contributed to the Slovenian town of Tolmin becoming a ‘festival town’. On the basis of a study of a palette of festivals, the distinction is made between festivals which originate outside the area, are designed to make a profit and therefore involve large numbers, and festivals with a background in locality (in reference to Arjun Appadurai, ‘locality’ is here primarily understood in connection to identification). The article argues that the two festival concepts both contribute to the production of locality, but in different ways.     

Who Pays More for a Cultural Festival,Tourists or Locals? A Certainty Analysis of a Contingent Valuation Application

Cultural festivals are one of the most common representations of diversification strategies in tourist demand in cities boasting abundant historical heritage. The goal of this work is to estimate the economic value allocated by tourists and local residents to a classical music festival in the emblematic city of Santiago de Compostela (Spain). The contingent valuation method is used to ascertain whether there are any significant differences between the value declared and to study the sensitivity of the findings in a range of socio‐economic variables. Finally, the problems of hypothetical bias are explored, as are the possible implications for management of pricing policies. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Intention to Revisit Traditional Folk Events: A Case Study of Qinhuai Lantern Festival,China

The present study aims at analyzing revisit intention of traditional folk events based on the Theory of Planned Behavior and a Consumer‐based Model of Authenticity. The survey data were collected by a questionnaire survey in Nanjing Qinhuai Lantern Festival 2012, China. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed research model. The result shows that perceived behavioral control, motivation and perceived food authenticity of the event, but not attitude and perceived overall authenticity of the event, are valid predictor constructs for visitors' intention to revisit Qinhuai Lantern Festival. The findings have implications for the promotion of traditional events and festival tourism. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Examining How Attending Motivation and Satisfaction Affects the Loyalty for Attendees at Aboriginal Festivals

This study examined the causal relationships between motivation, satisfaction and loyalty among attendees at aboriginal festivals. A total of 789 usable questionnaires were collected from two aboriginal festivals, Amis Ilisin and Saisiyat Pas‐taai. Data analyses were performed using SPSS 15.0 and LISREL 8.70 for Windows. The analytical results indicate that motivation directly affects satisfaction and indirectly affects loyalty, whereas satisfaction directly affects attendee loyalty at aboriginal festivals. Moreover, satisfaction significantly affects the loyalty of attendees at aboriginal festivals and is an important mediating variable in the behavioral model of aboriginal festivals. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Segmentation by genres: the case of the Aardklop national arts festival

The purpose of this study was to distinguish between genre supporters and non‐genre supporters at the Aardklop National Arts Festival. This was done to determine genre supporters' individual needs and wants so that effective marketing strategies can be developed and the festival programme can be designed to attract more genre supporters. Previous research indicated that the future of festivals is dependent on the number of show tickets sold and festivals therefore need to attract more genre supporters. To achieve this goal, a questionnaire survey (N = 495) was conducted, where afterwards independent t‐tests were used to determine the differences between visitors who attend the different ticketed shows/productions and those who do not. Results showed that genre attendees and non‐attendees differ significantly based on socio‐demographic and behaviour characteristics, which gave a comprehensive profile of the two types of visitors at the festival. This method proved to be successful especially in increasing ticket sales. Marketing and management implications for effectively targeting genre supporters were also indicated. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.