Does a Food-themed TV Drama Affect Perceptions of National Image and Intention to Visit a Country? An Empirical Study of Korea TV Drama

A Korean TV drama series (Daejanggeum), with a story line focusing on Korean food, was exported to over 50 countries resulting in a surprisingly popular mega-hit. The popularity of this TV drama, transcended across countries and cultural boundaries, has brought an enhancement to the national image of Korea or national brand, and led to a surge in sales of Korean industrial products, as well as an increased interest in Korean tourism resources. This study attempted to empirically investigate the effects of the TV drama series on the national image and intention to visit Korea as perceived by Chinese diners. Interestingly, the “peculiarity of Korean culture” was a main reason for preferring Korean cuisine, which positively affected the perception of the national image and the intention to visit Korea to partake in food tourism. Further, this study suggests that future studies are needed to compare the results of this research according to national, ethnic, regional, or religious boundaries. The comparison of other ethnic groups will be helpful for establishing different marketing strategies according to the different cohorts with different consumption patterns.     

The Impact of a Mega Event on Visitors’ Attitude Toward Hosting Destination: Using Trust Transfer Theory

Despite the popularity of festivals and events, event managers and the hosting countries are not certain whether a successful event leads to favorable attitudes toward the hosting country. This study based on trust transfer theory considers the impact of attitude toward a mega event on attitude toward the hosting country. The study also examines two dimensions of perceived value related to the Shanghai Expo and their influences on attitude toward the event. The study finds that both emotional and functional dimensions of value offered by the Expo are important for evaluation of the event, although functional value is considered more important than emotional value. Supporting trust transfer theory, the study shows that attitude toward a mega event influences attitude toward the hosting country. The study also finds that both attitude toward a mega event and attitude toward the hosting country have a positive impact on visitors’ intentions to revisit China.     

Energy Saving and Carbon Reduction Behaviors in Tourism – A Perception Study of Asian Visitors from a Protection Motivation Theory Perspective

Many researchers suggest that global warming and the effect of greenhouse gases pose environmental threat worldwide, not to mention a threat to the sustainable development of the tourism industry. For tourism, social and behavioral changes and tourist management and education are important for energy saving and carbon reduction (ESCR). The purpose of this research is to explore tourists' ESCR behavior and its influent factors. The research framework is based on the protection motivation theory to investigate ESCR behavior in the tourism, restaurant and hotel industries. It used the survey method on 512 foreign tourists in Taiwan to discuss the environmental protection behavior. Through the linear regression analysis, obvious differences between tourists' ESCR behavior intention and actual behavior are found. A suggestion for tourism environmental education is provided according to the study result.     

The Influence of Confucianism on Women’s Leisure in Taiwan

Abstract

Confucian philosophy has traditionally had a considerable influence on many aspects of the lives of the Taiwanese people. It is therefore necessary to take this belief structure into account in order to explain Taiwanese women’s leisure perceptions and behaviours. The purpose of this study is to examine this issue. The factors that constrain women’s leisure in Taiwan are identified. These categories can be broadly termed economic, domestic, social, and cultural constraints     

A Pilot Study on Spectators’ Motivations and Their Socio-Economic Perceptions of a Film Festival

The main objective of this pilot study is to examine spectators’ motives for attending a film festival, their perceptions of socio-economic impacts of the festival to the host community, and their satisfaction with the festival utilizing data collected from the attendees of the Transylvania International Film Festival, which takes place on a regular basis in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The results indicate that there are significant variations in motivations, satisfaction, and perceptions of impacts across gender, age, level of education, and occupation of attendees. Theoretical contributions, managerial implications, and limitations are addressed.     

‘What’s the Story in Balamory?’: The Impacts of a Children’s TV Programme on Small Tourism Enterprises on the Isle of Mull,Scotland

Film- and television-induced tourism effects have been witnessed in a number of locations world-wide, creating a range of positive and negative impacts for host communities and environments. The children’s television programme Balamory, filmed on the Isle of Mull, Scotland, has created a new tourism phenomenon for the island, leading to concern that Mull’s reputation as a green destination for the discerning might be displaced by a less desirable form of tourism. Through a questionnaire survey of tourism businesses on Mull, this paper explores the perceptions of television-induced tourism and the effect of Balamory on business activity during the 2003 season, exploring customer numbers, spending, turnover and profitability, along with attitudes to the new visitors. The research also explores the implications for sustainable tourism development, particularly recognising the limited life-span of film- and television-induced tourism and issues relating to displacement of traditional markets, with an emphasis on sustaining tourism as a means of generating revenue to support a rural island community.     

The Influence of Destination-Country Image on Prospective Tourists’ Visit Intention: Testing Three Competing Models

The concept of destination-country image (DCI) in tourism context is an integration of two constructs from different fields: country image from international marketing and destination image from tourism. Based on the concept of attitude in the theory of reasoned action and halo effect view, this study explains the macro and micro structures that support DCI, and tests the influence of the original DCI on visit intention of prospective tourists through three competing models. The results show that the macro DCI includes four dimensions: country character, country competence, people character and people competence; the micro DCI is composed of three dimensions: natural attraction, cultural attraction and service facility. Full mediating model is supported, which indicates that macro DCI has an indirect effect on visit intention through micro DCI. This study proposes an integrated construct of the DCI and full mediating model, which adds knowledge of the relationship between original image and potential tourist's visit intention.     

A picture is worth a thousand words: The role of a cover photograph on a travel agency’s online identity

Online travel agencies (OTAs) allow lodging businesses to select one cover photograph to represent itself on the OTA site. The cover photograph plays a crucial role for attracting customers’ attention from among alternatives, and lure viewers to view the webpage with detailed information. The present study investigates how the content of a business’ cover photograph on OTAs’ sites influences customers’ behavior when searching for information. The content of a cover photograph may fall within five categories according to attributes: façade, type of place, room amenities, scenery, and property amenities. Only façade and property amenities have positive impacts on customers’ viewing times of the webpages with the detailed information of businesses. In contrast, scenery has a negative influence on customers’ viewing times. The results of the study contribute, theoretically and methodologically, to OTAs’ knowledge base and can assist practitioners’ identification of effective cover photographs.     

Influence of Social Media on Chinese Students’ Choice of an Overseas Study Destination: An Information Adoption Model Perspective

This study is an experimental investigation of the influence of social media on choosing an overseas study destination. The elaboration likelihood model of communication and persuasion provides a conceptual basis for this study. Data was collected through convenience sampling of Chinese students from three Brisbane tertiary institutions. Participants were provided with one of the four treatments with manipulated stimuli. Results suggest that social media content is an influential factor in determining destination attractiveness, and may, if correctly specified, facilitate high elaboration and generate corresponding positive or negative impressions of the study destination from students.     

City Residents’ Perception of MICE City Brand Orientation and Their Brand Citizenship Behavior: A Case Study of Busan,South Korea

City branding is an important strategic asset in publicizing a city's values for building a competitive global city. Brand orientation plays a vital role in understanding the identity of the city as branded by city authorities. However, successful city branding needs to be built upon consensus on the identity and core values of the city between city authorities and internal stakeholders. The engagement of internal stakeholders is an essential determinant for creating a consistent city brand in the long term. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among brand orientation, brand commitment, brand citizenship behavior, and brand pride among city residents. The findings of this study extend the brand orientation model suggested by Hankinson [2012. The measurement of brand orientation, its performance impact, and the role of leadership in the context of destination branding: An exploratory study. Journal of Marketing Management, 28(7–8), 974–999.] and provide empirical evidence for the tourism literature on brand orientation in the context of a city brand. A self-administered survey of residents (N?=?240) was conducted at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO), Busan, South Korea. The results for Hankinson's brand orientation model reveal that, among five dimensions, the brand reality is the most important brand orientation influencing the resident's brand commitment, followed by brand partnership, brand culture, and brand departmental coordination. In addition, the results of this study indicated that brand citizenship behavior was determined by brand commitment and led to brand pride. A utilization of the brand orientation can influence brand citizenship behavior through brand commitment, and brand citizenship behavior enhanced brand pride.     

Influence of circadian rhythms on television viewers’ behaviour: is there a need for new programming?

As a common activity, television (TV) watching plays an important role in leisure behaviour. The influence of circadian rhythms on nearly all aspects of leisure behaviour and social life has been well examined in many fields. Less is known about circadian influences on TV use/social behaviour, and inconsistent findings have been reported. We analysed epidemiologic data from public TV stations to interpret them in light of circadian/seasonal rhythms and their interaction with leisure behaviour with the goal of improving quality of life by using TV as a pure leisure activity. We found that TV programme schedules failed to synchronise with circadian rhythms. Problems with synchronisation were observed for all viewers and were significantly related to factors such as working behaviour and social activities. Future studies should focus on the circadian influence on TV watching as a leisure behaviour. We propose a newly defined schedule based on circadian influences.     

Hotel Theming in China: A Qualitative Study of Practitioners’ Views

Facing increasing competition, many hotels have adopted “theming” as a marketing strategy. Although still in its fledgling stage, hotel theming has already gained popularity in the growing Chinese hotel market. This study conducted focus group discussions to understand the concepts behind hotel theming in China. Respondents were 41 practitioners from the Chinese hotel industry, who were enrolled in an executive graduate program. Data revealed that hotel theming has four analytical dimensions, namely, the current state, perceived facilitators, inhibitors, and future prospective for developing such strategy in China. Results showed that the specific traits of the Chinese hotel market are highly important for the success of hotel theming in the given context.     

The Influence of Appearance and the Number of People Viewed on Tourists’ Preferences for Seeing Other Tourists

This study examines tourists’ attitudes towards tourist-tourist encounters. The appearance and the number of observed tourists as well as the place of residence of the observing tourists were studied. The variables of tourist appearance and the number of people at the site were manipulated electronically in a set of rainforest photographic images. The data were collected through an on-site self-administered questionnaire. The results from 409 respondents suggested that there were different encounter preferences between Japanese and Western observers with respect to both appearance and the number of people encountered. Japanese have a preference for mixing with Westerners, at least in the rainforest setting studied. Westerners do not have marked appearance-related preferences. For the number of people in the setting, Westerners are inclined to favour few or no people while Japanese prefer some people and are tolerant of larger numbers. These findings, which contradict much of the existing North American recreation based work on people in contact, were examined from a number of theoretical perspectives, including in-group and out-group analyses, and dynamic encounter norms. Some potential management implications were outlined.     

Influence of design on tourists’ recommendation intention: an exploratory study of fjord cruise boats

ABSTRACT

In this article we study the influences of esthetic, functional, and symbolic dimensions of design on attitude toward fjord cruise boats and intention to recommend using the product. Also, we argue for the importance of a product to blend in with the surroundings in which it is used – contextually congruent design. In two studies we find that aesthetic, functional and contextually congruent design has positive influences on attitude toward fjord cruise boats. Designers of fjord cruise boats should develop boats with designs that are congruent with the surroundings in which they will be used.     

The effect of compliments on customers’ compliance with a food server's suggestion

Research has shown that compliments addressed to customers by an employee have a positive influence on the customers’ tipping behavior. In this study, we examined whether compliments also enhanced patrons’ compliance with a food server's suggestion. First, a restaurant waitress took the customers’ order for the main course. Then, in the ingratiation condition, the waitress complimented the customer for his/her choice while in the no-compliment condition, she did not give any compliment. Finally, the waitress suggested a dessert to the patron. Results showed that the dessert suggestion was more readily followed in the compliment condition.     

Understanding the Exhibition Attendees’ Evaluation of Their Experiences: A Comparison Between High Versus Low Mindful Visitors

In this paper we examine exhibition attendees’ experience and mindfulness within the exhibition industry, and identify the role of mindfulness on the evaluation of their experience. In the service industry, customer experience plays a central role in increasing satisfaction and loyalty, and the concept of mindfulness contributes to positive customer experience. The empirical results of the paper reveal that the on-site and post-evaluation of exhibition attendees’ experience are significantly different across various levels of mindfulness. In addition, several demographic and exhibition-related characteristics are statistically different between groups segmented by the level of mindfulness. Both theoretical and practical implications are covered in the discussion section.     

Wine Tourists’ Destination Region Brand Image Perception and Antecedents: Conceptualization of a Winescape Framework

This study conceptualizes the winescape framework using a wine region's image as perceived by wine tourists, in the process integrating grounded theory, namely servicescape, destination choice, and place-based marketing theories. Using an a priori approach, it identifies the winescape construct in a framework of eight dimensions within the wine tourism environment in a study with 996 respondents in a well-known Canadian wine region. The most important dimension of the winescape is the region's natural beauty/setting (landscape). Other high impact characteristics are the service staff and friendly local people, overall ambience and the diversity of wine estates. The dynamic of first-time and repeat visitation plays a key role in visitors’ wine tourism behavior and their perception of the winescape. The decision to engage in wine tourism is generally impulsive, even spurious, and the motivations guiding the visitors’ behavior predominantly hedonic in nature.     

Connecting Visitors to People and Place: Visitors’ Perceptions of Authenticity at Canyon de Chelly National Monument,Arizona

This study examines the effect of visitors’ characteristics, motivations and sense of place attachment on perceptions of authenticity at a cultural heritage site. Data were collected in summer and fall 2006 through an on-site survey questionnaire administered to a random sample of visitors to Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona ( n = 379; 76% response rate). The most important motives for visiting were ‘To enjoy nature’ and ‘To experience Navajo culture’. Additionally, visitors perceived a strong sense of place identity but a weaker sense of place dependence. Preservation of the archaeological resources was the most important contributor towards an authentic experience, followed by learning about customs and values of local people, meeting local people and visiting with an authorised Navajo guide. Attending interpretive programmes contributed the least. Results show that motivation to experience Navajo culture, the place identity dimension of place attachment, educational attainment, age and past experience at the monument had significant effects on the perception of an authentic experience at the monument. Place identity emerged as the strongest predictor of perceptions of authenticity, suggesting that a strong emotional bond is an important factor in visitors perceiving a site to be authentic. As visitor motivations for learning about the Navajo culture increased, so did perceptions of authenticity. Higher age also led to increased feelings of authenticity. As education levels and prior experience increased, perceptions of authenticity decreased.