Conceptualising a contemporary marketing mix for sustainable tourism

This paper outlines how marketing, though traditionally considered an enemy of sustainability, can play a role in implementing sustainable tourism. It notes the redefinition in 2007 by the American Marketing Association of marketing's aims to consider wider societal issues beyond those of clients and customers. It illustrates how the recognition of the importance of sustainable tourism at all scales of tourism activity provides marketing with an opportunity to pursue sustainability outcomes. We review the strategic tourism marketing planning process and conceptually develop a sustainability tourism marketing model that embeds sustainability considerations at each stage of the planning process. Our proposed model contributes to sustainable tourism theory development and offers a conceptual tool for managing a tourism organisation's ecological and societal footprint on the supply side and a critical opportunity for transforming consumer decision-making on the demand side, irrespective of tourism scale. A 30-cell matrix is proposed that cross-references a strong set of 10 marketing elements (product, price, promotion, place, participants, process, physical evidence, partnership, packaging and programming) against the questions posed by the triple bottom line of economic factors, the environmental and sociocultural concern, creating a check list of indicators for management purposes.     

Conceptualising networks in sustainable tourism development

This paper contributes to the sustainable tourism research agenda concerning the implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at a destination level. This paper develops a conceptual framework integrating three theories: stakeholder theory, social network analysis (SNA), and actor-network theory (ANT). Integration reveals a blended approach to enable a reassessment of stakeholder roles to further explore the nature, dynamics and operations of tourism networks as they work to achieve SDGs. Tourismscapes, as a model, is invoked to scaffold data and to provide insight into the nuances of destination networks. This research evaluates this concept and its potential for rethinking tourism research and inspiring a new wave of study. Firmly planted in critical tourism studies, this paper conceptualises tourism stakeholder interactions, specifically those networks pursuing common goals at a destination level, such as SDG 17 that aims to strengthen means of implementation through partnerships.     

Liquidness: Conceptualising water within boating tourism

This paper discusses the elemental materialities of water mobilities, bringing the agentive qualities of water to the centre of theoretical discussion of tourism. Analysing data collected through qualitative interviews with, and participant observation of, British boating tourists, the analysis of watery materialities and the corresponding tourist assemblages are presented across water bodies: on inland waterways and in coastal areas. Examining the mobilities of the water materialities and the cooperation between water, boat and the tourist, we propose the concept of water-boat-human assemblage for examining boating tourism in terms of liquid relationships. The paper also introduces the notion of liquidness: the relational conglomerate between mobilities, materialities and practices as an analytical category for theorising water tourism.     

Toward a product-based typology for nature-based tourism: a conceptual framework

The traditional view of nature-based tourists as a relatively homogeneous group has been questioned, and several scholars have suggested various segmentation typologies. This paper discusses market and industry changes and notes key trends, as Fordist tourist products have been replaced by post-Fordist and neo-Fordist products, with both McDonaldization and McDisneyization developments. A range of visitor-based typologies are reviewed, and the conflict between capturing the diversity of today's nature-based tourists while offering management bodies simple tools to segment visitors, identify core groups and improve their marketing is noted. In an attempt to overcome this conflict, the paper presents a conceptual framework which focuses on nature-based tourism products instead of tourist types, therefore incorporating aspects of both the demand and supply sides of the nature-based tourism industry market. A two-dimensional matrix is suggested, linking four basic travel motivations (nature conservation, nature experience, sports/adventure and hedonistic) to four different types of tourist products (independent, à la carte, customized and standardized), giving a total typology of 16 different types. The matrix should help protected area managers to better understand tourist needs, suggest management measures and help to create more sustainable forms of tourism. Empirical testing is suggested as a next step.     

The frictions of slow tourism mobilities: Conceptualising campervan travel

This paper discusses the materialities of campervan travel as a relatively ‘slow’ form of tourism mobilities. The research is based upon qualitative research with campervan owners and users in the UK. Previous research has emphasised notions of freedom associated with campervan travel and how it has developed its own subculture. However, we seek to move beyond this to examine the frictions of socially and physically embodied practices of campervan travel in order to address the call for more multi-sensory understandings of tourism mobilities. In our discussion of campervan travel, mobility is understood as intensities of circulations, uncertainties and relational affects where different aspects of friction are central. We conclude by discussing the campervan in relation to wider aspects of slow travel.     

Understanding why: Push-factors that drive rural tourism amongst senior travellers

This research examined the push-motives driving domestic rural tourism amongst senior travellers. An understanding of this is essential to stimulate rural tourism and to redistribute visitors from high volume destinations to other locations. Applying the push-pull framework, an online survey of Australians aged over 50 was conducted. Participants were asked where they went and what motivated their trip. Based on the trip pattern followed, two rural trip segments were identified - those who preferred the east-coast (Eastern Staters), and those who did not have a geographic preference but travelled to remote destinations (Aussie Roundabouts). Rural travel was found to be driven by three motives, however, their influence differed based on the trip pattern. Eastern Staters were pushed to relax and escape, and experience novelty and adventure. Aussie Roundabouts travelled for a romantic getaway.     

An analysis on the emotional approach to segmentation: A study of yoga tourism

The purpose of this study is to empirically identify the pattern of tourists’ emotional responses to profile tourists and investigate their relationships with destination image and behavioral intentions in yoga tourism. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from 395 tourists visiting Rishikesh, India. Cluster analysis uncovers three distinct clusters based on the pattern of tourists’ emotions: ecstatic, passionate, and unemotional. Multiple discriminant analysis confirms the validity of three clusters solution. The three yoga tourist clusters differ by their perception of destination image and behavioral intentions. Findings offer important implications for scholars and marketers to better serve this niche market.     

A new European regional tourism typology based on hotel location patterns and geographical criteria

The development of tourism typologies allows the identification of various dimensions of this important sector and can be used in tourism planning and management. In this study we developed a novel and systematic classification of European Union (EU) regions according to the predominant location of hotels, distinguishing among four distinct geographical areas: coastal zones, mountain and natural areas, cities and rural areas. For this purpose, we use Geographical Information Systems to integrate regional boundaries and the geographical zoning with a detailed dataset of hotel location and capacity. We then classified the EU regions into five typologies with the assistance of a hierarchical clustering algorithm. Further exploration of the results shows very distinct tourism profiles across the identified typologies in terms of tourism intensity, seasonality and other traits.     

A tourist typology of online and face-to-face social contact: Destination immersion and tourism encapsulation/decapsulation

The sense of tourism encapsulation/decapsulation is increasingly determined by the level and type of connectivity enabled by advanced Information Communication Technology (ICT). This study explores tourists' online and face-to-face social contacts and their effects on travel experiences. A six-fold tourist typology is established, namely: Disconnected Immersive Traveller, Digital Detox Traveller, Diversionary Traveller, Dual Zone Traveller, Daily Life Controller and Social Media Addict. A contact–immersion nexus is also developed to indicate the attachment tendencies of different tourist types between their home and away zones. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed.     

Towards a geography of tourism

This paper traces the development of geographical interest in tourism during the past half century and examines the range and scope of the geography of tourism. The available literature is reviewed and suggestions are made regarding possible research aveneus and theoretical developments. Six major areas of interest are identified: spatial aspects of supply, spatial aspects of demand, the geography of resorts, patterns of movements and flows, the impact of tourism, and models of tourist space. Through an emphasis on spatial interaction an attempt is made to provide some cohesion and synthesis for this body of knowledge which constitutes the basis of the geography of tourism.     

基于区块链技术的旅游地低碳发展模式构建

旅游地是推进旅游业低碳化发展的重要实践主体,但长期面临旅游企业、旅游者低碳生产与消费内在动力不足,低碳发展长效落实机制缺乏,监督管理成本过高等问题。提升旅游地低碳发展系统协同效率,推动低碳发展措施高效实施是实现旅游业高质量发展的迫切议题。本研究以区块链技术为支撑,以低碳信息共享为基础,基于供需协同、低碳优先、共同参与、可持续性、系统性5项原则,尝试构建以旅游企业、旅游者、第三方评估机构、政府部门、社区居民五大利益相关者为主体,以低碳信息共享、低碳发展激励、低碳发展规制、低碳发展补偿4项区块链平台运行机制为支持的旅游地低碳发展模式,通过正向激励机制、反向规制机制、补偿机制推动低碳"信息互联网"向"价值互联网"转变,为旅游地低碳发展提供技术支撑。同时,本研究意图突破传统低碳旅游研究局限,拓展可持续旅游分析视角。     

Towards a taxonomy of tourism products

This paper proposes a seven tiered taxonomy of tourism products in an effort to add some structure to the vast array of offerings available today. The paper adopts a phenetic method to group products hierarchically, using a modified version of the marketing-oriented product hierarchy system. Five broad Need Families are identified including: Pleasure, Personal Quest, Human Endeavour, Nature and Business. They incorporate 27 Product Families and 90 Product Classes.     

Toward a typology of medical tourists: A case study of Thailand

This paper examines the motivations of medical tourists who sought treatment in Thailand. Previous research has tended to treat the medical tourist market as undifferentiated, with the decision to seek treatment made prior to departure. These assumptions may be incorrect, and a significant finding of this study was that medical tourists can be categorized into four different groups, each of which displays significant differences in the types of treatment sought, the motivations for visiting Thailand, the decision making process, and their travel characteristics. One contribution of this study is its indication that if destination managers understand the nature and characteristics of each type of medical tourist, they will be able develop and promote more appropriate and satisfactory medical tourism products and services for their visitors.     

The evolution of coastal tourism destinations: a path plasticity perspective on tourism urbanisation

Evolutionary and relational approaches to economic development are gaining ground in geography as a discipline, although in the subfield of tourism geography, their potential is only just becoming recognised. This article focuses on the evolution of mature tourism destinations, taking the path dependency concept forward from the notion of path creation into the new domain of path plasticity. Drawing on the notion of cultural political economy, we examine how tourism destinations can break with path dependency routines incrementally and move steadily towards different future paths, which may recast tourism in a different light in the overall “urban” context of the destination. Using a case study of a Mediterranean coastal destination on Catalonia's Costa Daurada, we explore the inter-tangled tourism and urban development processes in relation to the socio-spatial dimensions of urban change. The article argues for a wider range of social and cultural criteria in the analysis of tourism evolution – advocating the use of path plasticity and a cultural political economy approach – to offer an alternative perspective on shifting tourism situations, reflecting the inherently “urbanising” nature of tourism development in the traditional coastal resort context. It adds to the growing literature on governance and strategy-making in sustainable tourism.     

In pursuit of a more just international tourism: the concept of trading tourism rights

Research on sustainable tourism mainly focuses on incoming tourism, and destination perspectives and impacts, and less on the focus of this paper – outgoing tourism. In this context, direct and personal access to tourism represents an equal right to all world citizens. Because this right has not been exercised equally, the world is divided into two parts, excess and deprived, tourism citizens and their nation-states. This paper proposes a more just tourism system to balance the rights of tourists to travel, with the right to development, equal tourism participation, and consumption of world resources. It draws on theories from Nozick and Rawls on rights and justice to ground our model, backed by the work of other writers including Hultsman, Higgins-Desbiolles, Jamal, and Camargo. It expands the definition of just tourism to activate tourism's potential to become a developmental force in the existing socio-economic global order. This potential is realised through the use of market-based economic instruments for the implementation of a just tourism system. It suggests how to create financial flows towards third world states for their development and modernisation, using the concept of tradable tourism certificates, a concept tested in emissions control, population, and land use planning.     

Forecasting tourism: a combined approach

In this article, we employ a combined seasonal nonseasonal ARIMA and sine wave nonlinear regression forecast model to predict international tourism arrivals, as represented by the number of world-wide visitors to Singapore. Compared with a similar study of the accuracy of international tourist arrivals forecasts by Chan (Journal of Travel Research, 1993, 31, 58–60)¹ and Chu (Journal of Travel Research, 1998, 36, 79–84)² using other univariate time series models, our proposed model has the smallest mean absolute percentage error.     

Toward a critical analysis of tourism representations

This paper advances a “critical analysis of tourism representations” through examination of photographic postcards of African Americans from the South during the period 1893 to 1917. Analysis of these photographic images reveals that specific iconographic strategies were employed by postcard photographers to culturally inscribe black bodies with “Otherness”. Analysis of the postcard senders' messages reveals that these texts were often interpreted by tourists as interchangeable images of the mythic Old South or as attempts at humor. These images positioned black subjects in a racist regime of representation that constructed subjectivities for those depicted and identities for their viewers.