Controversial experience tourism in the eyes of generation Y representatives

This book on visitor experiences in nature-based tourism destinations demonstrates current knowledge using empirical evidence covering six continents. It provides insights into conceptual issues as well as case studies. Content is presented in three main parts: 'Nature-based Experiences in Tourism', 'Managing the Nature-based Tourism Experience' and 'Visitor Experiences and Destination Management'. The book has 16 chapters and a subject index.

his special edition of the Journal is created from a number of articles written for the Extraordinary Experiences conference held at Bournemouth University, 3–4 September 2007, organised under the leadership of Dr Alan Fyall of Bournemouth University, in association with Breda University of Applied Sciences. This gathering brought together 80 academics and practitioners from 18 countries to present their research into the management of the consumer experience in hospitality, leisure, sport, tourism, retail and events. Those whose work discussed aspects of the consumer experience in tourism contexts or its application to areas such as destination and attraction marketing, were invited to submit papers for this special edition. The papers that appear here have been selected after a process of blind peer review. The title Extraordinary Experiences was chosen because it held associations for both of the two distinct but complementary strands, managerial and behavioural in orientation, that can be found in the literature. Experiences can be extraordinary because they stand out against other competing tourism offers, or more profoundly, in the sense used by Abrahams (1981), because they hold a special meaning for the tourist, a rite of passage or a moment of personal development. The managerial perspective is most famously advanced by Pine and Gilmore’s The Experience Economy (1999), a text frequently mentioned in the conference. This argues that in mature markets where products are similar, services quality is taken for granted and the internet reduces fl ights and accommodation to commodities bought on price alone, the creation of unique, memorable experiences is the most effective strategy to gain a lasting competitive advantage. This, they claim, is done by putting on a show for your customers, by treating ‘work as theatre and every business a stage’. At the conference, Joe Goldblatt exemplifi ed this approach, explaining how, by ‘Playing the Five Senses’, we could better manage expectations, experiences and perceptions and by doing so, ensure that we get an ROE — return on event. Diane Nijs and Koert de Jager from Breda developed this into a strategic approach, termed ‘imagineering’, which seeks to create value and innovation based on an understanding of the consumer experience. This was well illustrated by a presentation from David Hoare, who outlined experience management in practice at Hall & Woodhouse,

Along with the development of place branding theory, the role of the residents was widely reviewed and considered only as one of the target groups of place branding. Stakeholder involvement in the development of city branding is important because it will support its success. However, in reality, citizens or residents are a group that gains less attention in the city branding strategies and practices. Therefore, this research was developed under the umbrella of branding theory by further analyzing the influence of city brand attitude on city citizenship behavior (CCB) triggered by emotional experiences in tourism events. This explanatory quantitative approach was carried out through a survey by using a questionnaire. A simple random sample was chosen as the sampling method in this study. Data from 323 residents in Malang Raya was collected and analyzed using Partial Least Square (PLS). This study empirically demonstrates that emotional experience in event tourism is likely to stimulate city brand attitude and that subsequent city citizenship behavior among residents is probable. This result allows for understanding a substantial contribution of emotional experience in enhancing positive city brand attitude, finally highlighting the importance of internal stakeholders and their citizenship behavior in the destination branding process.

Purpose: The purpose of the article is to identify the city tourism app functions affecting the process of users’ technology adoption. The article presents the issues related to tourism apps and the role thereof in building tourist experience, as well as selected models of technology acceptance. The paper goes on to discuss the results of a survey of selected Polish cities’ tourism applications. Design/methodology/approach: For the purpose of the study, a critical analysis of the literature on the subject was carried out, followed by analysis of selected applications and a qualitative study of application users’ comments. The study was conducted in accordance with the constructivist grounded theory. The process of user comment coding and analysis involved the use of the ATLAS.ti qualitative data analysis software. Findings: Based on the critical analysis of the literature and the survey of selected applications, a city tourism app functionality assessment model has been proposed. The need for urban app changes, to enhance the tourist experience, has been indicated as well. Research limitations/implications: The subject of the study comprised official city tourism applications. The survey encompassed applications which met the following criteria: the apps surveyed were official city apps, the potential thereof were tourists, the apps have been rated and commented. Practical implications: The results of the study can serve to increase the effectiveness of the promotional activities implemented by cities employing such applications to form relations with tourists. To a limited extent, they can also serve to facilitate the designing of apps intended for city residents. Social implications: The article draws attention to the issues of user involvement in the process of city tourism app development. The sphere of city applications can become a platform for tourist interaction, while the apps themselves can improve the quality of the tourists’ experience as well as their functioning in the city. Originality/value: The article fills the research gap in the studies on city tourism apps. It draws attention to the necessity of taking the following into account when designing such applications: the specifics of the tourist experience as a process, consideration of the app as an element of the tourist's technological experience, accentuation of those app functions, which are crucial from the perspective of the app acceptance process. Keywords: mobile apps, city tourism apps, tourist experience, technology acceptance process, technology adoption process. Paper category: Research paper.

The improvement of tourist's satisfaction and increase of operating income are important subjects to the development of a recreational area. The purpose of this study is to explore the significance of tourists' satisfaction which is composed of tourists' expectations and experiences and its influence on their length of stay and expenditures. An empirical research is undertaken targeting tourists in Wusanto Reservoir as research objects. The analysis first performed the test of variables extracted from tourist's expectations, experiences, length of stay and expenditures. Factor analysis was then manipulated to elicit four main dimensions of tourists' experiences, involving ”recreation experience”, ”environmental scenery experience”, ”service quality experience”, and ”hardware facility experience”. This research employs LISREL 8.52 software to resolve the structural equation model among tourists' expectations, experiences, length of stay and cexpenditures. Key results are summarized in the following. Tourists' expectations are not positively related to the length of stay and nor does tourist expenditures. Tourists' experiences are positively related to the length of stay. The length of stay is positively related to expenditures of tourist. This study reveals that the length of stay plays an important medium variable which exerts significant effects on tourist's experiences and their expenditures. The increase of expenditures corresponds to the extended length of stay through improved tourists' experiences.

Goal and objectives of the dissertationGoalTo explore how tourist experiences can be enhanced by ICTs, through companyconsumer experience co-creation, in the pre/during/post stages of the travel processObjectives1. To explore the changing nature of the tourist experience and the experience cocreation process in terms of the implementation of ICTs in the pre/during/post stages of the travel process2. To identify the granular elements of the tourist experience3. To explore the role of ICTs in enhancing the tourist experience and the experience cocreation process from a two-fold companyconsumer perspective4. To identify the factors that constitute a Technology Enhanced Tourist Experience5. To develop a holistic theoretical model of the Technology Enhanced Tourist ExperienceMethodologyGrounded in the paradigm of pragmatism, a comprehensive qualitative mixed methods research (MMR) strategy was adopted. The MMR design, coined by Morse (2010), is a novel methodology that contributes to the broader understanding of the qualitative enquiry. For this study, a sequential threephase design was employed, consisting of an initial Qual component, followed by two principal QUAL components. Phase 1 consisted of a content analysis of journal articles to elicit the granular elements that constitute a tourist experience. Phase 2 was conducted by means of a multiple case study approach to understand how the tourist experience and co-creation can be enhanced through ICTs, from a company perspective. In Phase 3, semi-structured in-depth interviews were undertaken to understand how the tourist experience and co-creation can be enhanced through ICTs, from a consumer perceptive. The combination of these three qualitative methods generated answers to the five objectives and allowed developing a holistic understanding of the Technology Enhanced Tourist Experience.ResultsThis thesis presents the first study to explore the Technology Enhanced Tourist Experience and to create a theoretical foundation of this novel concept. The most significant findings contribute to knowledge on four main levels. First, the findings reveal a comprehensive understanding of the granular elements of the tourist experience. Second, a two-fold company and consumer actor perspective on technology facilitated experience co-creation has emerged, shedding light on how actors integrate ICTs as a resource for experience creation and enhancement. Third, a detailed enhancement process of the tourist experience through ICTs was identified, depicting the process of how a tourist experience can be turned into a Technology Enhanced Tourist Experience. Finally, the findings present a holistic model that depicts the twelve distinct factors of the Technology Enhanced Tourist Experience.These findings are significant in that they make an original contribution to the services marketing and management discipline on a wider level and the three theoretical streams of a) tourist experience, b) co-creation and c) ICTs in specific. The strength of this work lies in developing several conceptualisations and graphical models that advance the servicedominant logic and provide strategic implications for services marketing and management practice. This thesis has wider implications and makes an impact on a global business, societal, technological and policy level beyond.Theoretical conclusionsOne of the core strengths of this thesis resides in its rich and manifold contributions to theory. In being the first study to explore, conceptualise and explain the concept of the Technology Enhanced Tourist Experience, it has developed a holistic landscapeknowledge of an emerging phenomenon. By amalgamating three hitherto separated concepts, this study makes a theoretical advancement of the streams of the theoretical framework of the tourist experience, experience and value co-creation and the field of ICTs. In these realms, theoretical contributions are offered through new models depicting the technology-enhanced experience co-creation process, the technology enhancement process and the holistic Technology Enhanced Tourist Experience model. …

This paper presents a conceptual‐based discussion dealing with social and geo‐political concerns associated with the tourism experiences and travel encounters of ethnic minority citizens living in member‐states of the European Union (EU). Although EU legislation emphasises that its citizens have freedom of movement throughout member‐states, the prevalence of racialised situations transpiring within, across and beyond EU borders suggests that this commitment is socio‐politically ambiguous. The popular hysteria that has developed towards increased immigration from non‐EU countries extends to those minorities who have legal status of entry, residency and/or citizenship – as they too are visibly different from Europe's white majorities. The paper thus reflects on ways in which the 11 September 2001 attacks in America have had a detrimental impact on people's tourism and travel experiences, particularly in instances where individuals have been treated with high levels of suspicion from institutional bodies and ethnic (white) majorities. The work firmly emphasises that racial prejudice, institutional racism and xeno‐racist practices restrict ethnic minority citizens from appreciating cosmopolitan‐based tourism experiences and engaging in congenial exchanges with other European cultures and societies. One of the main contentions asserts that racialised movements limit ethnic minority citizens from achieving full rights to social and (multi)cultural forms of citizenship. The conclusion suggests ways in which researchers ought to respond to the study of tourism and racism within the EU.

Purpose The study aims to review how the use of technology enhances the authentic tourist experience. Technology and digitalization have enhanced tourist experiences. However, critiques comment on its ability to over-commercialize activity and lack of authenticity. Thus, there is a need to synthesize knowledge of technology usage to increase authentic tourist experience. Design/methodology/approach The study carries out a bibliometric review of the studies focusing on the use of technology in enhancing tourist experiences. Two hundred journal articles, published between 1997 and 2023 were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) database to carry out descriptive and network analysis using the Gephi, VOSviewer and Science of Science (Sci2) software. The components of authentic tourism experience are identified from the literature through a content analysis. Findings The findings of the study are broadly classified into two: first, the most frequently used keywords in the study include tourist experience and satisfaction, co-creation, virtual reality, smart tourism, technology, authenticity and heritage tourism. Second, the five major themes studied in the topic include virtual reality and tourist experience; media, tourist experience and encounters; technology, smart tourism and tourist experience; digital transformation, social media and tourist experience; and virtual reality and tourist experience which are still relevant in the literature because of the presence of study gaps. Originality/value The findings are used to develop a conceptual framework for the role of technology in enhancing authenticity in tourism typologies where authenticity is critical.

The present work aims to boost tourism development in China, grasp the psychology of tourists at any time, and provide personalized tourist services. The research object is the tourism industry in Macau. In particular, tourists' experiences are comprehensively analyzed in terms of dining, living, traveling, sightseeing, shopping, and entertaining as per their psychological changes using approaches including big data analysis, literature analysis, and field investigation. In this case, a model of tourism experience formation path is summarized, and a smart travel solution is proposed based on psychological experience. In the end, specific and feasible suggestions are put forward for the Macau tourism industry. Results demonstrate that the psychology-based smart travel solution exerts a significant impact on tourists' tourism experience. Specifically, the weight of secular tourism experience is 0.523, the weight of aesthetic tourism experience is 0.356, and the weight of stimulating tourism experience is 0.121. Tourists prefer travel destinations with excellent urban security and scenic authenticity. They give the two indexes comprehensive scores of 75.14 points and 73.12 points, respectively. The proposed smart travel solution can grasp the psychology of tourists and enhance their tourism experiences. It has strong practical and guiding significances, which can promote constructing smart travel services in Macau and enhancing tourism experiences.

This article examines Tourist eXperience (TX) and cultural factors from the perspective of Customer eXperience (CX). TX is understood to be the interactions with and responses of tourists to the products, systems, and services provided by organizations they engage with before, during, and after their trip, which significantly impact their experience and thus their satisfaction and loyalty. Considering cultural factors allows us to understand how the values and beliefs of tourists and their destinations relate to and affect TX. Based on this understanding, this research conducted an exhaustive review of the literature in the databases of Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct from 2012 to 2024, identifying 45 publications directly related to the following research questions: (1) What is TX? (2) What dimensions/attributes/factors influence TX? (3) What methods are used to evaluate TX? (4) How is culture analyzed in TX? We found a holistic definition of TX that corresponds to a subjective perception developed before, during, and after the trip, influenced by both the tourist’s culture and the destination. The most used evaluation methods for data collection were questionnaires/surveys and interviews. Additionally, it is important to understand the significance of culture in TX, as cultural clashes can generate both positive and negative perceptions in tourists.

The objective of this paper is to ascertain the dimensions of virtual reality (VR) experience in tourism. Past studies on VR experience mainly focus on VR system and VR content with 29 indicators all together. They have not identified yet the underlying dimensions forming VR experience. Driven by this research gap, this study attempts to explore the dimensions of experience in VR tourism. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed online and 396 valid responses were generated from tourists who visited Australian tourism destinations through VR. An exploratory factor analysis was executed to produce new underlying dimensions of VR experience. Then, confirmatory factor analysis was performed to ensure the validity of the new dimensions. The result of the factor analysis shows that five new dimensions are formed, namely; enjoyment and learning, escape, involvement, application, and peace of mind. The result of the confirmatory factor analysis confirms the dimensionality of the VR experience construct. This study contributes to the literature on VR experience and its dimensions.

This chapter uses the learnings gleaned from the contributions in this book to construct a platform from which to embark on future research that adequately addresses nature-based visitor experiences in a rapidly changing world. The chapter addresses two questions: (1) What does the future hold for nature-based experiences in tourism. (2) And what does management for the future nature-based visitor experience look like?

This chapter uses the learnings gleaned from the contributions in this book to construct a platform from which to embark on future research that adequately addresses nature-based visitor experiences in a rapidly changing world. The chapter addresses two questions: (1) What does the future hold for nature-based experiences in tourism. (2) And what does management for the future nature-based visitor experience look like?

The service experience in tourism

Many researchers have used stage-based and life cycle models to describe destination development and local residents’ changing reactions to tourism. Typically, they report that resident attitudes towards tourism, and its perceived outcomes for host populations, worsen with increasing experience and involvement in tourism. However, stage-based models traditionally focus on mature destinations in developed countries. In contrast, scholarship on ecotourism derives largely from developing countries and suggests that increased participation leads to more favourable outcomes and attitudes towards tourism. This paper breaks new ground by exploring attitudes to tourism in an emerging destination in a developing country and linking that exploration to a revised stage-based model. It uses ethnographic data to evaluate responses to recent tourism development in Nicaragua. While findings are complex and do not support a linear relationship between the level of experience in tourism and the attitudes of local residents, they do indicate a relationship between these two theoretical perspectives that can be used to inform one another. Notably, workers in tourism are more critical of the tourism industry than residents are. Important amendments to stage-based models are suggested that will assist tourism planners with the creation of more sustainable, community-centred development.