Analyzing the Pre-Travel,On-Travel,and Post-Travel Behaviors of Iran’s First-Time Visitors

This study was designed to gain an understanding of the perceptions of foreign tourists traveling to Iran of the image of Iran (both pre- and post-travel), trip value, satisfaction, intention to revisit Iran, and likelihood to recommend Iran as a travel destination to others. The empirical data was conveniently obtained from 298 tourists who visited Iran. Using SPSS 19 and LISREL 8.8 programs, the results showed that there was a significant difference between the pre- and post-travel image of Iran. Before the visit, tourists had a negative image of Iran. This changed, however, after their visit. The results also showed that the post-travel image directly influenced trip value and tourist satisfaction. Furthermore, trip value and tourist satisfaction directly influenced revisit and recommend intentions.     

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.     

Is It Difficult to Market a City as a Convention Destination?

Abstract

Convention tourism is a very lucrative form of tourism and is becoming one of the fastest growing sectors in the tourism industry. Greece, a traditional tourist destination worldwide, has not developed its convention sector satisfactorily. This paper presents the outcome of a small scale qualitative research in the form of in-depth interviews with six experts of organizing meetings and conventions, which were undertaken in order to explore the potential of Thessaloniki as a convention destination by assessing its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The results revealed that Thessaloniki has a potential to develop this special form of tourism and ameliorate the low tourist inflow. However, it is a difficult task, mainly due to the lack of cooperation among the city's stakeholders.     

Why Do They Keep Coming Back? The Effect of Push Motives vs. Pull Motives,and Attribute Satisfaction on Repeat Visitation of Tourist Destinations

We conjecture that attribute satisfaction, push motives and pull motives will be positively related to return visitation of tourist destinations. We also hypothesize that push factors will be stronger related to return visitation of tourist destinations than pull factors, both directly and indirectly as mediators of the relationship between attribute satisfaction and return visitation. In addition, we predict that age and gender will moderate the effect of push and pull factors on repeat visitation. Finally, we argue that push factors and pull factors will be mutually reinforcing. To test these hypotheses, we conducted an online survey of repeat tourists’ motives, and received 986 complete responses. Survey participants were randomly chosen from a group that met a series or qualifying questions. PLS-SEM analysis of the data showed that, as we hypothesized, attribute satisfaction and push motives were positively related to repeat visitation. In contrast, pull motives were not related to repeat visitation, either directly or indirectly, but did reinforce the effect of push motives; gender did not moderate either push or pull motives and age moderated only pull motives. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.     

International Business Tourism: Destination Dublin or Destination Ireland?

Abstract

The Republic of Ireland has been running the same basic brand proposition in its various marketing campaigns for some decades (Morgan, Pritchard and Pride, 2002). However, it is unclear whether the destination brand construct that has served Ireland's general tourism market so well can apply equally when attracting business tourism to Dublin, the nation's capital city. This research primarily applies repertory grid analysis and on-line focus groups to understand the brand of Dublin, the capital of Ireland, and explores the way the marketing of a national capital city for business tourism both influences, and is influenced by, the marketing of the nation itself.     

Visitors’ satisfaction at managed tourist attractions in Northern Norway: Do on-site factors matter?

A plethora of research has studied the antecedents of visitor experience in destinations and tourist attractions. Few studies have systematically analyzed the discriminating effects of different types of on-site factors (presentation platform and support services) on tourist satisfaction at different attraction sites. To fill the gap, the current study examines whether and to what extent it is possible to identify some distinct sub-categories of on-site factors with discriminating effects on visitors’ perceptions and evaluations of the site, while taking into consideration the impact of attraction type and visitor type. The findings of a paper-and-pencil survey among 632 visitors at four attraction sites in Northern Norway suggest that visitor perceptions of presentation platform and support services differ significantly by attraction site and type of visit. Also, technological and oral/traditional presentation platforms have discriminating effects on visitor satisfaction among the four sites. The results offer some new research insights into the role of different presentation tools at visitor attractions. Several important practical implications for attraction managers and marketers to drive visitor satisfaction are also provided.     

Why do Visitors Go to Museums? The Case of 921 Earthquake Museum,Wufong, Taichung

The paper examines the motives and sources of satisfaction of 286 respondents relating to the 921 Earthquake Museum in Taichung, Taiwan. In concludes that income, age and education remain statistically significant determinants of at\titudes, and notes the existence of four clusters derived from k-means analysis but supported by a cross-tabulation of cluster types and categories derived from themes identified in responses to open-ended questions. The paper lends some support to the continuum of the authentic to “pure essentialism” while arguing that the latter is a logical corollary of the concept, but in practice will be rare. In that respect the Museum represents a negotiated essentialism in that the core of the Museum is the damaged school, but it has been sanitized. Reference is also made to differing concepts of museums and the literature relating to competing understandings of the roles of museums and why people visit them.     

Why Do Some New Hospitality College Grads Lack Management Skills?

Abstract

Practicing hospitality managers have been anecdotally heard to denigrate the management training provided by institutions of higher learning. This may be valid commentary, as graduates of hospitality management programs may possess merely an abstract conception of theoretical constructs lacking the competence to synthesize them into managerial practice.

In this article, the author posits a model to describe a learning process that may be applied to the education of hospitality and tourism students in academic courses related to the practice of management in organizations. The premise of the model is found in the academic disciplines of science and philosophy as they relate to management and learning theories. The author concludes the article with examples to support the application of the model in practical settings.     

Film-Induced Tourism as a Vehicle For Destination Marketing: Is it Worth the Efforts?

This study examined the impact of a film on the featured destination's image and travel intentions through comparing the results of a one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experiment. Then, the effect of destination attributes and overall image on travel intentions is examined simultaneously through path analysis. The results indicate that the role of the overall image as a mediating variable is not significant as respondents relied more on specific destination image attributes on their intention to visit. This was even more prominent after the viewing of the film. The overall image had the strongest direct effect on visit interest in future for both pretest and posttest.     

Destination familiarity and favorability in a country-image context: examining Taiwanese travelers’ perceptions of China

Building on international marketing research on the country-of-origin image effect, this research examines how people evaluate a culturally familiar country as a tourist destination. Derived from a sample of 710 Taiwanese travelers, research findings showed that when evaluating China as a tourist destination, respondents relied on both their general image of the country (country image) as well as tourism-specific perceptions (destination beliefs), while a few respondents with low familiarity with China relied only on their general image of the country to evaluate the destination. The research also showed that respondents with high levels of familiarity with China had more positive destination beliefs, resulting in more favorable destination evaluations; however, country image was found to be persistent and difficult to be changed by destination promoting materials and/or actual visits. The paper concludes with recommendations for destination marketing in the context of international tourism.     

Who are they? Visitors to Louisiana's River Road plantations

ABSTRACT

This article examines the responses of 448 tourists to an exit survey at four Louisiana River Road tourist plantations. We investigate and discuss the relationships between the demographics of the tourists and their interests as they relate to tourist plantations. Cluster analysis of the visitors' interests indicates that visitors typically fall into one of four interest clusters: “Everything is great!”; “Culture and the Enslaved”; Culture without the Enslaved”; or “Everything is just Okay”. Several plantation managerial and theoretical implications are discussed, as well as suggestions for future research directions.     

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.     

Do brands matter? A comparison of branded and independent hotels’ performance during a full economic cycle

By analyzing longitudinal data of more than 51,000 hotels operating in the United States during the previous economic cycle, it is possible to draw conclusions regarding the performance of branded hotels compared to independent operations under various economic conditions. The results of the study indicate that while branded properties experience significantly higher occupancy rate during the different phases of the economic cycle, independent hotels experience significantly higher average daily rate (ADR) and rooms revenues per available room (RevPAR) during the same time period. While branded hotels are faced with various payments attributable to the brand, such as royalty payments and other franchise fees, those fees do not have a deleterious effect on net operating income (NOI) compared to NOI for independent hotels, suggesting that independent hotels are unable to bring their ADR and RevPAR premiums to the bottom line despite their savings in franchise expenses. Instead, the results indicate similar NOI for branded hotels and independent hotels during economic expansion, but significantly higher NOI for branded hotels during economic recession. The results of this study suggest that the intangible asset value of hotel brands may not be a static construct, but may vary by time. Sources of such intangible value of brands may include shared resources, guest loyalty programs, and yield management systems. These results contribute insight into the complex hotel owner decision of choosing between a brand affiliation and independent operation.     

What Is the Priority of Research in the Marketing and Promotional Efforts of Convention and Visitors Bureaus in the United States?

Abstract

A convention and visitors bureau (CVB) is the primary tourism marketing organization for cities and counties throughout the United States. A step in the process of planning and managing marketing is research: assessing or analyzing marketing and evaluating marketing efforts. The purpose of this study was to describe the priority of the research managed by CVBs by examining the types of research being conducted, the individuals conducting the research, and their research situation at the bureaus. A survey instrument was designed, tested, and implemented with 153 respondents being used in the analysis. It was found that total budgets averaged approximately $10 million with the research budget ranging from $5,000 to $49,000. The research managed by the respondent is primarily conducted by the CVB, but ten percent or less time is spent on research. Research was seen as important and essential to making the CVB more productive, but the bureaus do not seem to be putting time and money into research and not enough is being completed. The implications of these results have ramifications to many constituencies as studies are inconsistent and standardization is nonexistent. There is opportunity for leadership in creating a wide data base, form, and forum for coordination of tourism research.     

Do Travel Product Types Matter? Online Review Direction and Persuasiveness

Based on perceived risk and zone of tolerance theory, this study selected two popular tour-based products and two ticket-based products to investigate how travel product types and online review directions influence review persuasiveness. The study showed that travel product type and online review direction have a combined effect on online persuasiveness. Additionally, participants perceive negative reviews to be more persuasive than positive reviews for group package tours and packages of airline ticket and hotel accommodation products. However, positive reviews are more persuasive than negative reviews for budget airline ticket products. These findings have managerial implications both for product improvement strategies and for theoretical advances in hospitality and tourism.     

Do upscale restaurant owners use wine lists as a differentiation strategy?

The present paper studies various criteria used by upscale restaurant owners to differentiate their restaurants and to define their positioning. In particular, we studied several wine list attributes. Through a cluster analysis and a correspondence factor analysis based on different objective wine list characteristics, we obtain two main differentiated profiles of restaurants according to the relative importance of their wine list in comparison with food menu: wine selection and complementarity. Upscale restaurants need to define their positioning strategy and elaborate their wine lists according to their strategy.     

Tablets and Tablet Apps: What Do Hotel Customers Want?

This study aims to explore consumers’ preference whether to bring their own tablets or use those provided by hotels, their expectations of hotel tablet apps, and antecedents of their behavioral intention toward hotel tablet apps. This study applied an extended model of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology to understand consumers’ perceptions of tablet apps. By surveying 1,034 customers, this study found the respondents were more likely to utilize some tablet app features over others and revealed five key antecedents of customers’ behavioral intentions toward hotel tablet apps. The findings will help operators make informed decisions to maximize the benefits of tablet technology investments. The theoretical framework of this study provides a benchmark for other researchers to further investigate this field.     

Destination brand personality and destination brand attachment – the involvement of self-congruence

Drawn upon the brand attachment theory, this study examines the role of destination brand personality (DBP) and self-congruence in developing destination brand attachment (DBA) from the perspective of tourists. In particular, the study investigates whether DBP tends to match tourists’ ideal self or conforms more to the actual self during the DBA development process. The conceptual model is empirically tested with a sample of Chinese independent tourists in Yangshuo, China, a popular destination for this market segment. In addition to identifying the four DBP dimensions relevant to Yangshuo, the most important findings of this study rest on the mediating role of self-congruence between DBP and DBA. These findings suggest that congruence between the actual self and the DBP dimensions of Excitement and Charming contribute to the development of DBA, while the ideal self-congruence does not.