Sequential choice behavior: Going on vacation and type of destination

The literature of destination choice has so far studied multi-stage decision making processes that are more representative of the general choice behavior of tourists (e.g. going on vacation, going abroad, and destination country). Alternatively, this study proposes a multi-stage decision process to the choice of tourist destination types (going on vacation, coastal character, and urban character of the destination) as these choice sets are more idiosyncratic to tourists who prefer a specific type of tourist destination (e.g. Spain with clear coastal and inland variations). In order to test this multi-stage choice process as well as the sequential order of both decisions, coastal character and urban character, the current study analyses decision processes vs. different hierarchical multi-stage processes (going on vacation and coastal character preceding urban character; and going on vacation and urban character preceding coastal character). The empirical findings support the existence of a multi-stage choice process where coastal character precedes the urban character destination choice. The main implication of these findings is that, given the limited human analytical capability, a hierarchical choice process can be useful to handle the information overload and the complexity inherent to the destination type choice.     

The impact of changes in household vacation expenditures on the travel and hospitality industries

Two large tourism industries, travel and hospitality, are strongly affected by changes in household demand for vacations. In recent years, rising income and declining prices per unit of quality have led to changes in patterns of household vacation consumption. To understand the impact of these changes on the travel and hospitality industries, we develop a theoretical model distinguishing between travel and on-site expenditures and apply it to Israeli data. We find that under certain circumstances, the changes in income and prices are responsible for a shift toward multiple, short vacations. This trend can be a boon to the travel industry but a disadvantage for the hospitality industry. Both industries are expected to face a rise in the demand for high-quality products.     

An existential conceptualization of the vacation cycle

Utilizing the notions of existential authenticity and normal anxiety, we propose the five-phase model of vacation cycle and elucidate mechanisms behind vacation and fade-out effects. Departing from a purely philosophical view on existential authenticity, we focus on its understanding via the existential psychology lenses, arguing that existential authenticity is a relative, dynamic, and four-dimensional concept. Supported by the current empirical evidences and theoretical advancements in existential psychology, this study posits that, accompanied by anxiety fluctuations, authenticity varies during a vacation across four dimensions of human existence: Umwelt, Mitwelt, Eigenwelt, and Uberwelt. We suggest that these changes are associated with vacation (when evoked by liminality and awe) and fade-out effects (when prompted by the lack of existential courage and anxiety tranquilization).     

The effect of knowing a second language and experience working with non-English speakers on job performance

Managing a multicultural workforce involves a thorough understanding of individual and cultural differences. One strategy to successfully manage non-English speaking employees is to recruit or train managers who have the appropriate skill set. This study utilizes experimental methods to examine the effect of two skills related to multicultural competence – (1) the ability to speak a second language and (2) having frequent interactions with non-English workers at their current job – on job performance in an environment of communication barriers in a food service context. Job performance was measured through temporal performance or the speed of completing a dish, food quality, and food accuracy. The findings showed that employees were able to complete recipes by an average of 7.23 min faster when led by a manager who had the two multicultural skills. Teams led by a manager who had the two multicultural skills also scored higher quality food ratings on the measures of presentation, temperature, taste, aroma, and the degree to which the meal was fully cooked. The measure of accuracy was only significant at the 90% confidence interval and is worth further investigation. The results showed that the managers who had the two multicultural skills used more pointing and demonstration than the managers who did not have the two multicultural skills during the task.     

The summer people and the natives some effects of tourism in a Vermont vacation village

A village in northern New England was the setting of fieldwork focused on the interaction between the year-round residents of the community (the natives) and their tourist season guests (the summer people). The annual round of activities is geared to the the presence and absence of the summer people; the most highly valued periods of time are the winter season when only natives are residents of the village. As the marketing of the pastoral image of their village to the summer people progresses, the natives face a dilemma. If they are sucscessful in their marketing endeavors, they will prosper financially but, at the same time, they hasten the corruption of their public ideology—the image they hold of their village. The natives are attempting to salvage their future by exploiting the summer people through a “phony-folk culture” and thereby preserving selected aspects of their traditional culture for themselves. The natives' traditional way of life becomes more and more difficult to maintain as it is distorted and consumed by the summer people.     

The effect of on-site experience and place attachment on loyalty: Evidence from Chinese tourists in a hot-spring resort

As an antecedent of place attachment, on-site experience plays a key role in obtaining customer loyalty in the context of a hot-spring resort operation. However, few studies have addressed the consequences of on-site experience in terms of its components and examined empirically the relationship between on-site experience and place attachment. This study was focused on ascertaining the dimensions of on-site experience and examining the relationship between on-site experience and loyalty through place attachment. A conceptualization of on-site experience is proposed, with three dimensions: environmental experience, on-site self-related experience, and on-site social interaction. The results revealed interesting relationships between components of on-site experience and place attachment. Finally, managerial implications of the results are discussed for managers of hot-spring resorts.     

The effect of environmentally friendly perceptions on festival visitors’ decision-making process using an extended model of goal-directed behavior

This study examined the effect of environmentally friendly perceptions on the behavioral intention of visitors at the Boryeong Mud Festival in South Korea. The results of the on-site survey (N = 400) reveal that three environmentally friendly perceptions formed positive and significant causal relationships with the constructs in the extended model of goal-directed behavior (EMGB). Attitude, subjective norm, and positive anticipated emotion affected desire, which, in turn, influenced the behavioral intention. Three elements, volitional, non-volitional, and emotional aspects, were proven to be crucial in comprehending the perceptions and behaviors of the nature-based festival attendees. The findings of this study will shed light on a better understanding of the decision-making processes of festival visitors when environmental issues are incorporated.     

坝上草原的曼妙体验

坝上草原是锡林郭勒大草原的精华,这里环境独特、气候温凉,是华北著名的避暑胜地,古人曾有"沙平草远望不尽"、"风吹白草天无际"、"深草卧羊马"的赞誉.     

The iconography of the tourism experience

Guides to tourism planning typically lack a language for dealing with the destination's experiential content. This article argues that tourism planning has as its central challenge the design of effective touristic experiences, and can find conceptual sources for this task in iconography, the field that studies the meanings of images. In search of iconographie principles for tourism design, the article investigates Niagara Falls, still one of the foremost attractions in North America. At Niagara Falls, the article identifies two main compositional elements: staging, which situates a desirable motif (in this case a waterfall) in a stage setting; and thematizing, which links the motif to concepts (like terror or romance) that make it evocative.     

The influence of self-construal and co-consumption others on consumer complaining behavior

Consumers show great individual variability in complaining behavior even after experiencing similar service failures. The present study examined the effect of self-construal and co-consumption others on consumer complaining behavior following a service failure. Based on an experimental study with a sample of 202 in a restaurant context, MANCOVA results revealed significant effects of self-construal on voice response and switching behavior. The results also showed a significant interaction effect of self-construal and the presence of co-consumption others on switching behavior. The findings shed light into the intrapersonal and interpersonal dynamics at work when consumers react to service failures. Theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are also discussed.     

The lived travel experience to North Korea

Tourism in North Korea is limited by entry bans, visa restrictions, and stringently controlled itineraries. As a consequence, the experience of visiting the country is still poorly understood by academics and practitioners alike. In order to fill this research void, this study aims to describe the essence of the lived experience of travelling to North Korea, following an approach embedded in the philosophical underpinnings of transcendental phenomenology. Based on eight narratives by tourists who have visited the country, the essence of the lived North Korea travel experience is identified as comprising dimensions of trepidation, self-regulation, doubt, and catharsis. Discussing the findings through a tourism lens, suggestions for further research are made and theoretical as well as methodological contributions are highlighted.     

The spa experience at Radium Hot Springs

This paper examines the spa experience at Radium Hot Springs from the earliest days to the present in an attempt to indicate similarities and differences between Canadian spas and those in the United States and Western Europe. Radium is examined for five time periods under the headings of environment, strategies and institutions, perceptions and attitudes, and technology. Western Canadian spas share many traits with those of the United States, especially the western states, but the emphasis on natural attractions and federal government involvement have caused them to differ from those in Western Europe.     

The effect of touch on compliance with a restaurant's employee suggestion

Numerous experimental studies have shown that touch increases compliance with a request made by the “toucher”. Customer's behavior is also affected by tactile contact. Waiters or waitresses in a bar or in a restaurant were evaluated more positively and received higher tips when they slightly touched the customer than when no tactile contact was used. A new evaluation of the effect of tactile contact was made in a restaurant with 256 patrons. When presenting the menu to a patron, the waiter or the waitress was instructed to make or not make (control condition) a suggestion about a meal. In half of the cases, when making this suggestion, the employee slightly touched the patron on the forearm. Results showed that, compared to a control condition, the suggestion had a positive effect on patron's choice especially when the patron was touched by the employee. Theoretical and practical implication of tactile contact are discussed.     

Interrelationships between tourist involvement,tourist experience,and environmentally responsible behavior: a case study of Nansha Wetland Park,China

ABSTRACT

This study examines a model linking three facets of tourist involvement (“importance & pleasure,” “sign value,” and “risk probability & consequence”) with tourist experience (TE) and environmentally responsible behavior (ERB). Data were collected with a self-administered questionnaire in a convenient sampling approach from tourists visiting Nansha Wetland Park, China. In total, 308 valid questionnaires were obtained. The structural equation modeling technique was applied to data analyses. Of three tourist involvement (TI) facets, “importance & pleasure” was found to be the most salient predictor of TE, which in turn led to ERB. “Risk probability & consequence” was shown as a potent predictor of both TE and ERB. “Sign value” did not have any effect on either TE or ERB. Basically, TE served as a full mediator between “importance & pleasure” and ERB, and a partial mediator between “risk probability & consequence” and ERB. Contributions, managerial implications, and future research directions are discussed.     

The on-premise laundry in the United States: basic engineering and operational considerations prior to installation

Most of the articles on the subject of on-premise laundries address the issue of whether or not to have such a facility. Numerous trade publications have dealt analytically and subjectively with this problem, focusing either on cost-saving considerations or on such matters as quality and inventory control, efficiency of operation, dependability of outside contracts, or linen investment costs.This article has a different purpose; it provides a summary of the reasons for having an in-house laundry, and criteria for small property owners to use in developing in-house laundries, based on American experience.     

The experience of tour reps in maintaining and losing control of holidaymakers

This paper focuses on accounts of the maintenance and loss of control of holidaymakers experienced by tour representatives working for a small British budget tour operator in Mallorca. It uses two major incidents of service breakdown to illustrate the problematics of sustaining control in different settings. The paper argues that tour reps working as front-line service providers experience a tension between protecting the company and giving sympathy to holidaymakers. The paper also argues that the nature of the space in which the service breakdowns occur is crucial to the maintenance of control of holidaymakers.     

The female tourist experience in Egypt as an Islamic destination

In Islamic destinations female tourists face the added challenge of negotiating their way through male constructed local norms. This paper fills the gap in gender and tourism research with a focus on female tourists’ experiences in Egypt as an Islamic destination, outlining the diverse ways in which gender shapes and influences their experiences. A qualitative approach was taken to explore women’s coping strategies with the male sexualised gaze that they encountered during their holiday in Egypt, and sheds light on measures taken towards safeguarding themselves. Their experiences were highly influenced and often involuntarily altered by unwanted male attention and sexual harassment, as the women felt the need to fit into local female norms of behaviour in order to safeguard themselves.     

Substitutability of recreation experience

Though it is desirable to recognize the economic worth of the activities of the recreationist, there is practical as well as philosophic cause for alarm at the implication that the value of recreation lies in the expenditure for equipment rather than on the quality of the recreational experience.

(Leopold, 1966)

This paper lays the groundwork for a new approach to substitutability which confronts a number of issues inherent in recreation planning. The concept of interchangeability, the ability to substitute with similar satisfaction experience in one natural area for experience in another, is defined. The substitutability concept in recreation research is described. Three issues are identified which have had a significant impact on recreation planning: needs and outdoor recreation, outdoor recreation and the consumer society, and environmental concern. Evidence is presented to support the concept of interchangeability and a possible approach is suggested to the study of experience in natural areas which may provide evidence to support or refute interchangeability.     

The effect of international tourism on economic development: An empirical analysis

The expansion of international tourism in developing countries is generally considered to promote their economic development. In this paper, the impact of international tourism on economic development is modelled using an aggregate production function framework. It specifically investigates intersectoral externalities and marginal factor productivity differences between the international tourism sector and the rest of the economy. The net effect of international tourism on GDP per capita is examined via an empirical analysis of 37 developing economies. The results indicate that international tourism may positively affect economic development in these countries.     

Voice behavior and performance ratings: The role of political skill

Making changes work in organizations requires that employees voice their suggestions. However, previous research has found inconsistent results regarding the relationship between voice and performance ratings. Using a sample of employees from a hotel, this study confirms the negative perspective of the relationship. In further exploring the role of political skill between such employees, it is found that this skill not only has a strong effect on performance ratings but also moderates the relationship between voice and performance ratings. Finally, the implications and limitations of the findings as well as some methodological issues are discussed and elaborated.