From Views to Potential Behaviours: The Role of Travel Vlogs and Digital Nudging in Croatian Coastal Tourism

As sustainability becomes increasingly central in tourism development, understanding how it is communicated by different stakeholders is essential for effective destination governance. This study investigates the alignment of sustainability communication among destination management organizations, accommodation businesses, and tourists in 22 Italian coastal destinations with the lens of collaborative governance theory integrated with narrative theory. By combining automated text analysis and regression models, we assess both the degree of alignment across stakeholder groups and the extent to which tourists perceive and echo sustainability messages through user-generated content. Our findings reveal a fragmented yet interconnected narrative ecosystem: while destination management organizations and non-hotel accommodations show some alignment, hotels remain largely disconnected. Moreover, tourists tend to reinforce sustainability messages when communicated by local operators, contributing to a bottom-up narrative. The observed (mis)alignment reflects weak strategic coordination, underscoring the need for shared leadership and integrated communication strategies in destination governance.

1. Introduction Donald V.L. Macleod Section 1: Key Themes and Issues 2. Sustainable tourism and the changing rural scene in Europe Richard Butler 3. Tourism Mobility, Locality and Sustainable Rural Development C. Michael Hall, Joan Hultman and Stefan Gossling 4. European Union, Sustainable Tourism Policy and Rural Europe David Leslie 5. Ecotourism in the Wider Rural Context Carl Cater and Erlet Cater 6. Tourism in Semi-Rural Environments: Sustainability Issues and Experience from the Baltic States Derek Hall Section II: The State and Development 7. The Impact of European Union Funding on Coastal Tourism in Yorkshire Stratis Koutsoukis and Catherine Brooks 8. A Canary Island in the Context of Sustainable Tourism Development Donald V.L. Macleod 9. The Role of Destination Management Organisations: Models for Sustainable Rural Destinations in Scotland? Rorl MacLellan 10. Pilgrimage, Tourism, and the Cultural Industries in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Palestine: Reporting from two European Commission TEMPUS projects Tom Selwyn 11. Views About the Scale and Types of Tourism Development in the Rural Periphery: The Case of Gozo Samantha Chaperon and Bill Bramwell Section III: The Local Community and Development 12. Approaches Towards Development of Sustainable Recreational Fishing: A Case Study from the Nemunas Delta, Lithuania Ausrine Armaitine, Eleri Jones and Ramunas Povilanskas 13. From Obsolescent Fish Farm to Developing Ecotourism Destination: The Aranyponty (Golden Carp) Fishponds Complex in Rural Hungary David Watkins 14. From Fishing Industry to 'Fish Porn': Tourism Transforming Place Anniken Forde 15. Agritourism Characteristics and Contributions to Destination Livelihood Sustainability: A Case Study From South-West Scotland Steven A. Gillespie 16. Moorsbus: Towards a Holistic Approach to Rural Bus Services in the North York Moors National Park Lynton Bussell and Bill Suthers 17. Cultural Tourism Clusters: Experiences From Ireland Breda McCarthy 18. Conclusion Donald V.L. Macleod

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to find the underlying variables of travel motivations associated with a coastal and marine destination, and the motivations that predict satisfaction and the intention to return and recommend a destination, as loyalty variables.Design/methodology/approachCoastal and marine destinations are highly visited by travelers for their variety of tourist activities. Motivation is one of the crucial aspects to understand visitors’ behavior in these tourist places. This in situ research was conducted in Acapulco, a major tourist destination in Mexico. The 441 questionnaires gathered were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and the stepwise multiple regression method.FindingsThe results show six underlying variables or motivational factors: heritage and nature, learning, sun and beach and physical activities, authentic coastal experience, social interaction and novelty. The “novelty” dimension is the most important and influential predictor of satisfaction and loyalty, followed by “social interaction” and “learning.”Research limitations/implicationsTiming was the main limitation of the present study, considering that the survey was administered in March and April, and the demand could vary in different seasons. The findings will contribute to academic literature and will offer valuable information to tourist destination planners.Practical implicationsAcapulco’s potential for coastal and marine tourism has been identified. This destination should organize activities related to the motivational factors found, for example, visits to museums, craft markets and walks can increase visitors’ “heritage and nature” motivations. Community visits can help to promote the “authentic coastal experience” dimension. Increasing the offer of water sports will better position the “sun & beach and physical activities” motivation. As “novelty” is the most predictive variable, activities that include the novelty component and related to beach festivals, coastal events, educational workshops, sports contests, parades, gastronomic activities and navigable tours should be carried out.Social implicationsThe results will serve as management guides for the destination management organizations and as sources of information for the companies involved in marketing to develop products according to the demand found.Originality/valueUntil now, tourism studies have been carried out on the influence of motivations as predictive variables of satisfaction and loyalty in different types of destinations. However, research in coastal and marine destinations is scarce, representing a gap in the academic literature.

Tourism is a prominent and rapidly expanding sector that plays a pivotal role in driving global economic development. Extensive scholarly literature exists on the influence of destination image on tourists' future behavior, with a particular focus on coastal tourism destinations. However, there remains a scarcity of studies examining this research topic within the context of Malaysia. Consequently, this paper aims to address this gap by investigating the relationship between the destination image of Laguna Redang Island Resort, one of the most renowned resorts situated on Redang Island, Terengganu, and tourist satisfaction and revisitation intentions. To achieve this objective, a cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted, gathering 361 valid responses from both local and international tourists who were residing at Laguna Redang. The collected data were subsequently analyzed using Smart PLS. The study's findings regarding the impact of the destination image are thoroughly discussed, alongside practical implications that pertain to destination management organizations. Significantly, this study contributes both theoretically and empirically to the body of knowledge surrounding destination image, enhancing our comprehension of its influence on revisitation intentions. Furthermore, it assists in guiding the management activities of Laguna Redang Island Resort, aiding in the reconstruction of the resort's image as a secure and desirable destination for all types of travelers.

Do tourists believe they positively or negatively impact the destinations they visit, particularly those that rely on coastal nature and heritage-based environments to attract visitors? How do tourist’s perceptions compare to residents, and what additional insight might this information provide for destination management organizations (e.g., Convention and Visitors Bureau’s) and local government officials? Furthermore, how do residents perceive their own impacts to the communities they live in? As such, this exploratory study, unlike previous studies, compared tourists and residents perceived impacts to a coastal destination. Statistically significant mean differences were found across the social, economic, and environmental condition impact items assessed. The majority found was linked to environmental conditions (e.g., air and water quality), with tourists believing they had more of a negative impact than locals. Demographic differences did play a modest role in influencing perception particularly as it related to age where tourists believed they detrimentally impacted environmental and social conditions as their age increased. Although the findings from this study are limited, the groundwork for a larger study is in place that could ultimately aid natural and historic resource managers in the area, as well as tourism and local government officials. If replicated, it is expected that this study could aid other coastal tourism communities in better understanding the tourists and locals they serve.