Tourist satisfaction with souvenir shopping: evidence from Indonesian domestic tourists

This study proposes new insight into theoretical concepts and evaluates the empirical evidence of tourist satisfaction with souvenir shopping experience and its relationship to tourist post-purchase behaviour. This study applies variance-based structural equation modelling by means of partial least squares with a sample of 192 domestic tourists in Bandung, Indonesia. The results suggest that tourist satisfaction with souvenir shopping experience is an important determinant of tourist perception on destination image and tourist loyalty toward a destination. Further, this study discloses that tourist satisfaction with store and collectability attributes are crucial factors in determining tourists’ satisfaction with souvenir shopping experience. These findings provide a better understanding for both scholars and managers of retail businesses in a tourist destination of tourist satisfaction with souvenir shopping experience and with the visit.     

Investigating the effects of a shared bike for tourism use on the tourist experience and its consequences

ABSTRACT

As public bike-sharing systems have been widely set up in cities around the world, a shared bike for tourism use can enhance tourists’ experience at destinations and lead to tourists’ post-visit evaluations. Thus, this research explores the attributional effects of the value of using shared bikes (namely, instrumental value and affective value) on tourists’ emotional experience (namely, hedonics and perceived uniqueness) as well as on satisfaction and destination loyalty. We obtain a sample of 302 tourists using shared bikes as transport modes during their visits to examine the proposed relationship model. Results show that both instrumental and affective values of shared bike use positively relate to hedonics and perceived uniqueness experiences. While both hedonics and perceived uniqueness have positive effects on satisfaction, only perceived uniqueness shows a positive effect on destination loyalty. The findings of multi-group analyses indicate that the direct effects of the tourism experience on destination loyalty are significantly positive for the low-motivation group but not for the high-motivation group. Empirical implications and recommendations for future research are also discussed herein.     

Components of cultural tourists’ experiences in destinations

Destinations provide a combination of products and services. Using these resources, tourists create their own experiences. Providing a pleasing tourist experience is crucial for destinations’ long-term success. Although travellers’ experiences have been subject to extensive research, various segments might perceive them differently based on their motivations. Despite the fact that cultural tourism is considered as an important segment for most urban destinations, factors affecting cultural travel experiences have not been clarified in the literature so far. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study is to determine the factors affecting cultural tourists’ overall travel experiences. In order to achieve this study's goals, we chose Istanbul as a research context. After interviewing 21 tourists and analysis of transcribed data, 64 items were merged under 5 dimensions emerging as the key constructs affecting cultural tourist experiences in a destination, namely social interaction, local authentic clues, service, culture/heritage and challenge. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.     

Adventure tourist destination choice in Tanzania

It is said an adventure is an experience and experience is a part of expectations. Yet as adventure tourists expect unique experiences, certain ingredients of services (degree of satisfaction) affect their deeper needs to become attached to a place. Are such needs developed over time at a new destination? This paper suggests tourist behaviours and preferences towards destination choice change over time. The proposed model suggests that tourists’ expectations and motivation at early stages of planning affect satisfaction and level of perceived constraints, and these further predict place identity and dependence at the end of travel. As much as satisfaction arises from concrete services such as food and transportation services, constrained activities are expected to have a negativeconsequence on expectations and motivations. Since this paper is based on international adventure tourists, typically willing to take on calculated risks during their visits to Tanzania, we expect many of these hypothesised gaps to diminish as tourists become mature and aware of services offered at the destination. To test awareness and familiarity, we add different proxies for maturity (i.e. late stage of stay, repeat visitors and loyalty intentions) and awareness (i.e. tourists with escape motives) of services provided at the specific destination.     

The moderating role of past experience in the formation of a tourist destination's image and in tourists’ behavioural intentions

The aim of this work is to understand the moderating effects of tourists’ prior experiences of a given destination on the process of image formation (in both its cognitive and affective dimensions) for that destination and on the influence that the image – together with the tourist's satisfaction – has on their loyalty-driven behaviours as expressed in the intention to recommend. To achieve this aim, a sample of 512 tourists was used and a multi-group analysis performed, distinguishing between first-time and repeat visitors. The findings reveal that experience has a moderating effect on the formation of the cognitive image and on the influence of the tourist's satisfaction on the overall image of the tourist destination. These findings have significant management implications in the context of helping to create and appropriately manage the image of a tourist destination.     

Structural Relationships among Destination Preference,Satisfaction and Loyalty in Chinese Tourists to Australia

This study quantifies the relationship among destination preference, destination satisfaction and destination loyalty. Destination loyalty consists of two dimensions: word‐of‐mouth (WOM) and destination attachment (DA). It is found that WOM is directly affected by destination satisfaction, whereas DA is predetermined by the destination preference of tourists before a visit. Thus, the destination experience is the crucial factor in the spread of positive WOM about a destination. Nevertheless, to develop tourists' DA, effective loyalty schemes should be implemented through marketing efforts before they visit a destination. The findings of this study can be used by destinations to analyze and evaluate their loyalty‐building process and marketing strategy. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

International and domestic tourists’ “a priori” and “in situ” image differences and the impact of direct destination experience on destination image: the case of Linz,Austria

A profound understanding of destination image and its determinants is of significance for destinations aiming to effectively position themselves in the tourism market. However, existing research on destination image formation has mainly focused on the “a priori” and “a posteriori” stages and paid only limited attention to the “in situ” stage. To fill in this gap, this study examines the effect direct destination experience and visitors’ nationality (domestic vs. international) have on both “pre-travel” and “in situ” cognitive and affective elements of image. The study was conducted using 400 international and domestic visitors to Linz, Austria. The findings indicate that there are significant differences in the way domestic and international tourists perceive Linz as a tourist destination both prior and during the actual experience. The study also provides empirical evidence that direct destination experience plays a major role in destination image formation, irrespective of individual’s nationality. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are also discussed.     

Astro-tourism conceptualisation as special-interest tourism (SIT) field: a phenomonological approach

ABSTRACT

This study conceptualises astro-tourism as a nature-based tourism phenomenon and illustrates its positioning as a special-interest tourism (SIT) field using a phenomenological approach. In the process, this baseline research study contributes to this relatively new tourism field’s foundational research aspects, such as developing a definition and, examining its articulation with destination image. It finds that astro-tourism is based on the interest of tourists in sky-related activities such as dark sky observation and astrophotography, most often in a nature-based context. The findings can be utilised to develop astro-tourism as a new medium in conceptualising tourism destination image by combining destination earth features as well as sky features. Targeting sky features of a destination combined with the earth facilities to attract tourists is one of the new opportunities to deliver unique tourism products.     

The Effects of a Negative Travel Experience on Tourists' Decisional Behavior

This study examines the influence of a negative experience at a destination on tourists by identifying its effects on individuals' judgment. Empirical evidence of the tangible effects of a single travel experience on individuals' decision‐making is lacking. Prospect theory and negativity bias theory are introduced for theoretical support. The ratings of generally important criteria for destination selection and the evaluation of the destination on those criteria were collected before and after visitation. A mean comparison showed that the effects of a single travel experience are tangible and affect tourists' future decisional behavior intentions by contributing to shaping the individuals' destination selection criteria. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Creative tourism and visitor motivation

Creative tourism has been explained as a new genre of tourism that offers the visitor an opportunity to develop their creative potential through an engaged experience in the destination visited. Despite a growing literature on the topic, little attention has been given to examining what motivates creative tourists to visit particular places and events. This paper aims to address this research gap by applying the push-pull framework to investigate the travel motivations of creative tourists. To do so, the responsive interviewing model was employed to survey 20 of such tourists who had visited creative spaces and spectacles in three of China's UNESCO-designated creative cities. Through a qualitative thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews, a new push-pull framework is introduced to conceptualise the travel motivations of creative tourists. Our paper concludes with practical considerations for destination managers seeking to design and market creative tourism experiences.     

A cross-cultural study of on-site film-tourism experiences among Chinese,Japanese, Taiwanese and Thai visitors to the Daejanggeum Theme Park,South Korea

There has been a growing research interest in the film-tourism phenomenon and its associated film tourist motivations, expectations and experiences at filmed locations of popular media programmes, in particular, in film and television series. However, with some exceptions, research into non-Anglophone linguistic and cultural settings remains relatively unexplored. There is also a lack of cross-cultural studies of film tourists’ experience in this research area. This current study addresses this gap and contributes to the existing film-tourism literature by examining the impact of nationality on film tourists’ actual experiences. The study looks at those experiences at filmed locations associated with Daejanggeum, a Korean historical television drama in the inter-Asian context. Adopting a structured survey questionnaire, the primary research data were collected at the Daejanggeum Theme Park (the main filming location of Daejanggeum in South Korea) among international visitors mainly from China, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand. Exploratory factor analysis identifies three salient dimensions to the film-tourism experiences, namely, ‘novelty and prestige’, ‘beyond screen experiences and re-enactment’, and ‘intimacy and memory’. In addition, it is empirically suggested that nationality does affect film tourist's on-site experiences. These findings provide important implications for destination marketers in relation to film-tourism destination development and experience design and management.     

Rationalising terror‐related risks: the case of Israeli tourists in Sinai

Research into tourist reactions to terror requires qualitative studies that provide insight into the affective and cognitive processes that tourists experience when facing terror‐related risks. The study responds to this need by focusing on Israeli tourists who voluntarily travelled to the terror‐threatened destination of Sinai, Egypt. Applying ethnographic methods, the study identifies two major rationalisations tourists used to reduce their perceived risk: (i) inward‐oriented rationalisations that reduce the perceived risk of the destination by stressing the safety within it; and (ii) outward‐oriented rationalisations that reduce the perceived risk of the destination by emphasising the terror‐related risks, which exist elsewhere. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The impact of rhino poaching on tourist experiences and future visitation to National Parks in South Africa

Wildlife tourism attracts substantial numbers of tourists worldwide with Africa as the major wildlife viewing destination earning the bulk of its tourism revenue from such tourism. Iconic animals, such as the rhino, are major attractions for tourists to South Africa who holds approximately 80% of the World’s rhino population. However, the rapid increase in rhino poaching activities has reached a crisis point and should the rate of poaching continue to increase Africa’s remaining rhino population will become extinct in the wild within 20 years. How this affects tourists and tourism is still largely unknown. This study shows evidence that rhino poaching and anti-poaching measures do impact tourism in the short term and could affect future visitation to Parks.     

Destination food image and intention to eat destination foods: a view from Korea

Food image has begun to influence tourist behaviour, so understanding the food image of a destination is important. This study examined the relationships among destination food image, preference, and intention to eat destination foods. A total of 357 tourists in Korea participated in this study. The results of structural equation modelling confirmed empirically that image affected behavioural intention as it applied to food. Cognitive image had a stronger influence than affective image on preferences for destination foods and intention to eat destination foods. In addition, preference for destination foods predicted intention to eat destination foods. This study indicates that the cognitive image of destination foods should be identified and that image strengthened to increase tourists' intentions to eat destination foods. Marketing strategies should appeal to both authenticity and the unique cognitive image of destination foods as well as encourage tourists to experience destination foods and gain internal information.     

The impacts of cultural values on bilateral international tourist flows: a panel data gravity model

This study explores the impacts of Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions on international tourist flows. A panel data gravity model was used to analyse bilateral tourist flows between 81 origin countries and 32 destination countries from 1995 to 2008. This model highlights cultural factors using the push and pull framework and explains their influence vis-a-vis self-image congruity theory, arousal theory, and cultural theory of risk. Results indicate that when controlling for the effects of distance, population, and GDP per capita, international tourists tend to flow out of countries with lower Power Distance, higher Individualism, lower Masculinity, higher Long-Term Orientation, and higher Indulgence. Countries with higher Individualism, lower Uncertainty Avoidance, and higher Indulgence tend to attract more international tourists. In the push and pull model, tourist source countries’ cultural values, such as low Power Distance, Individualism, Femininity, and Indulgence can be considered push factors in international travel, while destination countries’ cultural values of Individualism, Uncertainty Acceptance, and Indulgence act as pull factors. Self-image congruity theory is supported in the cultural dimension of Uncertainty Avoidance Index. Recommendations for destination marketing are made based on the findings.     

Negotiating stigmatisation of deviant behaviour: an exploration of locals’ perceptions of nude tourists

ABSTRACT

Stigma may result in tense social interactions and discrimination between stigmatisers and stigmatised individuals. Despite its social relevance, stigma has been largely neglected in tourism sociocultural studies. Framed by Goffman’s and Falk’s theoretical propositions of social stigma, this paper aimed to explore local’s stigmatisation of tourists’ behaviour. This study revealed that locals’ stigmatisation of tourists’ behaviours can be spatially negotiated and deconstructed through social interactions. The data analysis also found that not all tourists are equally stigmatised and that tourists’ conduct can be highly stigmatised if adopted by locals. Based on in-depth interviews, these findings were drawn from an examination of locals’ perceptions of tourists’ nudist behaviours in a Mexican destination. This research’s results contribute to a fuller understanding of how locals (de)construct their stigmas of tourists’ behaviours through local-tourist sociocultural interactions.     

‘Scary … but I like it!’ Young tourists' perceptions of fear on holiday

This paper explores young tourists' perceptions of fear on holiday. The work on which this paper is based is important because it sheds light on tourists' emotional experiences on holiday, which are central to increase our understanding of tourist behaviour. The importance of investigating perceptions of fear has been recognized within a number of different disciplines, such as psychology, sociology, criminology, and marketing. Indeed, it has been argued that fear may provide significant information concerning an individual's motivations, preferences, and patterns of behaviour. Despite this, perceptions of fear within the tourism experience have remained relatively unexplored. It is often assumed that perceptions of safety and security may influence individuals' destination choice. However, there is a paucity of studies concerning tourists' perceptions of fear during the tourism experience. This paper is based on three months of qualitative fieldwork conducted on the island of Ios, Greece in the summer of 2007. More specifically, participant observation and semi-structured interviews were methods employed for data collection to explore young tourists' perceptions of fear. The possibility to develop a rapport and build a relationship with young tourists on Ios was crucial to collect valuable information concerning tourists' background, their emotions, expectations, perceptions, and the context in which perceptions of fear were experienced and expressed. The study found that most holidaymakers on Ios participated in activities perceived as risky in order to experience fear. In this respect, young tourists deliberately sought fear and thrill to increase their levels of pleasure and enjoyment during the tourism experience. The results suggest that fear may play a positive role in the tourism experience of young tourists, which should no longer be ignored by tourism scholars.     

Destination Attractiveness Drivers among Urban Hostel Tourists: An Analysis of Frustrators and Delighters

This study is based on data from 679 tourists staying at hostel accommodation facilities in Zagreb, a propulsive city‐break destination in Central Europe. Besides providing insight into the socio‐demographic and behavioural characteristics of hostel tourists, this study uncovers determinant destination attributes influencing their perceptions of destination attractiveness. In particular, impact asymmetry analysis identified potential sources of delight and frustration among hostel tourists. Since the hostel tourist segment, as such, is almost completely unconsidered in contemporary tourism research, partly covered only by a few studies on youth travellers and backpackers, the results of this case study are valuable to both practitioners and researchers related to the hostelling industry and city destination marketing organizations. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An exploration of the effects of past experience and tourist involvement on destination loyalty formation

Gaining the loyalty of visitors is one of the main challenges of destinations. Previous studies generally agree that satisfaction is the key driver of tourist loyalty. However, it is necessary to conduct a more thorough study of destination loyalty formation by exploring the role of other variables as direct antecedents of loyalty and as moderators of the satisfaction–loyalty relationship. With this in mind, this study examines the influences of two variables that are especially relevant in the study of consumer behaviour in tourism: past experience and involvement. The results obtained from a sample of 807 tourists visiting a destination in Spain suggest that (1) satisfaction and past experience have a significant influence on loyalty; (2) it is necessary to separately consider the two dimensions of loyalty (i.e. the intention to return to a destination and the intention to recommend it) to understand loyalty formation; and (3) past experience is a quasi-moderator variable as it directly influences tourist loyalty and moderates the satisfaction–loyalty relationship. The findings of this research may help managers make decisions about market segmentation and guide the marketing efforts to gain loyal tourists.     

Progress in tourism and destination wellbeing research

A proliferation of research in recent years has revealed a myriad of relationships between tourism and the concept of wellbeing. These include health benefits of visiting tourist destinations, a product focus on wellness and maintaining good health. Broader interpretations emphasize the complex ways in which tourism can influence the emotional, psychological, cognitive and spiritual dimensions of wellbeing, both for tourists and for destination communities. This study reflects an emerging paradigm shift that incorporates a deeper appreciation of the benefits derived at the destination level from a focus on health and wellbeing. The study highlights three key perspectives, namely the tourist, the destination community and the destination itself. The study concludes that research in this area is critical to the future development, management and marketing of sustainable and competitive destinations with the wellbeing of tourists, their destination host communities, and the overall destination experience, critical to their ultimate success.