Repeat tourists and familiar place formation: Conversion, inheritance and discovery

ABSTRACTRecognising the importance of familiar places in the lives of individuals and its prevalence in society, this paper examines the behaviours of familiar tourists and their relationships with their familiar places. Stimulated by conceptual work by Pearce on the experience of visiting home and familiar places, published in Annals of Tourism Research in 2012 alongside personal observation of the phenomenon, and with input from early focus group work, the fieldwork was conducted in two rural and peripheral destinations of Wales in the United Kingdom across peak and shoulder periods. This paper contributes a multi-level framework of familiar tourist behaviour rooted in the evidence. In unifying the study findings, the framework of familiar tourist behaviour emphasises the consumption behaviours of familiar tourists including the longevity and dynamic nature of the relationship between familiar tourist and their familiar place, the role of familiar tourist resources, skills and competencies, and the overarching theme of belonging.

Tourism researchers and practitioners have an interest in understanding tourists’ travel patterns, and one of the most used models applied to reach this goal is the seminal Travel Career Pattern (TCP) model. However, repeat tourism is underexplored and in the present research, the authors provide an initial investigation of repeat tourists using the TCP model. Based on survey data from 500 international tourists in India the present research found that the TCP model is valuable for exploring repeat tourists’ travel patterns and motives. Within the TCP model results show that middle level motives were found to be most important for tourists with more diverse travel experience which include nature, self-development and self-actualisation. Significant relationships were also found among the origin of tourists, their travel experiences and their motivational pattern.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the literature regarding negative information’s impact on consumer behavior in the context of tourism services. In addition, this paper empirically examines the likely difference between first-time and repeat tourists in terms of their: resistance to negative information.Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of 539 visitors to Mount Yuelu, a popular tourist destination in China, this study explores the differences between first-time and repeat tourists regarding how destination social responsibility (DSR) and service quality (SQ) influence tourist resistance to negative information.Findings The effect of SQ on resistance to negative information is stronger for repeat tourists than for first-time tourists. In addition, the study identifies that DSR and SQ have a positive impact on tourists’ resistance to negative information. Finally, findings indicate that destination identification partially mediates the relationship between DSR, SQ and tourists’ response to negative information, respectively.Research limitations/implications The findings provide valuable theoretical and empirical insights into the driving factors that influence consumer resistance to negative information.Practical implications The paper brings together DSR, SQ and tourist-destination identification to better understand the impact that visitation frequency (first-time versus repeat tourists) has on how tourists resist negative information about a tourist destination.Social implications Negative information that is generated about a destination may cause the number of future tourism visits to decline. Findings of this paper provide insight as to the framework that can make tourists more resistant to said negative information.Originality/value This study contributes to the services marketing and tourism literature by investigating the degree to which DSR and SQ affect tourist resistance to negative information as mediated by tourist-destination identification and moderated by visiting frequency.

Impacts of climate change knowledge on coastal tourists’ destination decision-making and revisit intentions

As a method of seeking best practices by comparing one's own performance with others', the concept of benchmarking emerged in business management in the 1980s. Benchmarking, thinking and looking out of the box, has been adopted by a variety of national and international businesses in order to improve their performance levels, and has been used to evaluate products, services and processes in a number of industries, e.g. car production, food and drink production, health care, public services, education, mail delivery, transportation, water supply, travel and hotels. Benchmarking has traditionally involved inter-organization comparison. This allows the development of improved levels of performance through exposure to the ideas and practices of those organizations acknowledged to have high levels of expertise. As competitiveness forces businesses to improve productivity and quality, many have begun to look externally for new ideas rather than spend time re-inventing the same practices within the organization. However, to date, there have been far more conceptual papers on why benchmarking is important and how to operationalize it than empirical research focusing on methodological issues such as how to measure performance gaps. This book takes the benchmarking approach a step further in a broader context. There are literally thousands of micro-benchmarks that might apply to many individual elements of a destination, such as accommodation establishments, food and beverage facilities, recreation and sports facilities, and the destination airport, e.g. average time spent in cleaning a room, average time spent in providing a service for the customers, revenues or cost per guest. However, this book is an attempt to apply benchmarking to destinations only for broad functional areas such as accommodation, food and beverages, hospitality, physical environment and the destination airport. Some of their attributes, regarded as an element of qualitative measures, are overall cleanliness, attitude towards tourists, overall value for money, and so on. There are also various quantitative measures, which can be useful either while conducting a benchmarking study or while evaluating its performance. With the objective of evaluating the relevance of the benchmarking method to international tourist destinations, their development and management, this study has proposed a framework based upon an extensive review of the literature both in benchmarking and in tourism fields. Three types of benchmarking are adopted to destination benchmarking: internal, external and generic. Both qualitative and quantitative measures are revised to operationalize internal and external destination benchmarking procedures. Internal benchmarking is aimed at measuring the internal performance of destinations by analysing the impact of individual attributes on tourist satisfaction and future behaviour and repeat tourists' perceptions of changes compared with preceding years. Some quantitative measures are also evaluated in the context of comparison with past years and national economic figures. The external benchmarking sought to investigate in what respect one destination was more competitive or was performing better than others using self-generated data on tourist satisfaction, motivation and expenditure scores and statistical figures. Generic benchmarking has been introduced to measure own performance using several national or international quality or eco-label standards and to follow these guidelines to accelerate improvement. To conclude, tourism and hospitality benchmarking is still in its infancy and there are also some deficiencies in earlier benchmarking studies. For example, benchmarking should be regarded as a learning experience rather than a copying activity. Moreover, benchmarking is not only a management approach but also directly influences marketing strategies. Qualitative and quantitative measures must be interrelated as any change in the former is expected to have an impact on the latter. Therefore, this study has the potential to draw several significant theoretical and practical conclusions. From the theoretical point of view, the contribution of this study exists in the methods and techniques used to identify the factors influencing selected destination performance variables and in the methods to be employed for comparison between the two destinations. The analysis of these findings could be helpful for indicating the way in which the existing benchmarking approach could be adapted to tourist destinations and areas where there are weaknesses to be considered. From the practical point of view, the analysis of these findings might be helpful for pointing out the level of competitiveness, attributes in which destinations need to be improved and positioning strategies each destination has to establish by following the guidelines of either internal or external benchmarking. Benchmarking, if properly implemented, could help the management of a destination by comparing itself either with its earlier performance levels or with other destinations so as to learn from their past or current practices. This book also makes a substantial contribution to knowledge through gaining knowledge of performance and the reasons for any difference, and implications for the further development of tourism in tourist destinations.

PurposeGiven the increasing number of tourists exposed to commercially available cannabis, it is important to understand visitors' perceived constraints to cannabis consumption while travelling. This study aims to compare cannabis tourists' perceived constraints between first-time and repeat tourists to gain comprehensive understanding.Design/methodology/approachThis study involved 32 conversational field interviews (5–10 min) with Chinese tourists who had smoked cannabis in coffee shops in Amsterdam to identify perceived constraints to engaging in cannabis tourism. The hierarchical constraint model (HCM) informed qualitative data coding using a deductive approach to compare first-time and repeat tourists. Content analysis was conducted manually.FindingsResults showed that both tourist groups faced intrapersonal, interpersonal and structural perceived constraints to cannabis consumption. Differences in first-time and repeat cannabis tourists' perceived constraints were explained using the neutralization technique framework and psychological tactics, such as the defence of necessity, claims of entitlement, normal practice and claims of relative acceptability. In addition, social exchange theory was employed to explain why repeat cannabis tourists perceived fewer constraints than first-time tourists.Practical implicationsAlthough the current study did not intend to address the importance of cannabis tourism in places where cannabis is commercially available, findings offer empirical guidance for industry practitioners and policymakers regarding cannabis use education, prevention and policy in tourism contexts; related efforts can promote the sustainable development of this tourism market while protecting cannabis tourists' physical and psychological well-being.Originality/valueThis study makes important theoretical contributions regarding travel constraints in the unique context of cannabis tourism between first-time and repeat tourists. Findings will also enable academics, industry operators, policymakers and local residents of cannabis tourism destinations to better understand how these tourists decide whether to consume cannabis overseas. Differences in these perceived constraints between first-time and repeat tourists are discussed to highlight the dynamic nature of travel constraints.

This study explores the use of gap analysis in examining the demand-side and supply-side perceptions of international tourists’ motives for visiting Botswana, along with Botswana’s competitiveness as a tourist destination. Statistically significant negative gaps between tourists and tourism providers’ perceptions mean that further understanding of tourists by providers is necessary to enhance the destination’s competitiveness. The analysis of findings was based on 14 “pull” motivations adapted from Kozak (2002) and 104 destination competitiveness measures, some of which were adapted from Omerzel (2006). Factor analysis, reliability analysis, and a series of independent t-tests were used to analyze the data. Study results indicate that tourists visit Botswana mainly for pleasure seeking rather than culture. The study further reveals that Botswana’s competitiveness as a destination is average. Furthermore, the study found statistically significant differences between tourists and tourism providers on all of the “push” factors and nine of the 15 destination competitiveness factors. In order for Botswana to be globally competitive, there is need for further improvement with a view to match international tourists’ expectations. Particular attention should be directed at improving the way the destination is managed. Further developments should be made on created resources, safety, demand conditions, historical and cultural heritage resources, organized excursions, and cleanliness.

This article investigates the concept of customer-based brand equity for a tourism destination, which has been introduced into the tourism literature only a few years ago. Specifically, it investigates whether differences between renewal and repeat tourists exist in their evaluation of a tourism destination. A theoretically proposed model, encompassing the dimensions of awareness, image, quality, and loyalty, was empirically verified for the European tourism destination Slovenia from the perspective of German tourists. The results imply that the dimensions of image and quality play the most important role in tourists’ evaluation of a destination, regardless of whether they are first-time visitors or repeaters. Results also reveal differences in importance for the dimensions of awareness and loyalty between renewal and repeat tourists. Drawing on the results, the article offers some implications for tourism organizations in developing and implementing destination marketing strategies in foreign markets.

This exploratory qualitative research used interviews and a focus group to explore the views of parents of children under five regarding what could help them engage in a child development programme being set up by the Educational Psychology Service. Using thematic analysis parents’ views were brought together to understand what has helped them engage in groups, what would attract them and hold their interest in a group run by the EPs and what would be potential barriers. The research found that parents use prior experiences to reflect on what they want from groups and that they were attracted through advertisements in familiar places and learning in areas of interest. They highlight the importance of supportive staff and a variety of activities as well as an awareness of the benefit of engagement for themselves and their child. Furthermore, parents shared practical and personal barriers that can make it difficult to attend groups.

BackgroundCommunity anchor organisations (CAOs) work with communities who experience health inequalities and disadvantage, providing a range of activities and services to meet individuals’ needs in an integrated way. This study explored how CAOs use art, cultural and nature-based activities as part of their work to respond to the needs of people facing inequalities and considered how activities can be scaled in this health setting.MethodsThis study used community-based participatory research within a case study approach to work with four purposively sampled CAOs. Participants were community members, volunteers, staff, trustees, partner organisations and commissioners. Data collection methods included: document analysis, interviews (n = 45), workshops (n = 5) and focus groups (n = 11). This study was also supported by data collected by trained community researchers (n = 18). Framework analysis was conducted for within- and cross-case analysis.ResultsIn the context of CAOs, the delivery of art, cultural and nature-based activities were found to be an important mechanism for developing trusted relationships with marginalised groups, who may lack trust in statutory services and health focused activities. Other facilitators to community engagement were the CAOs’ longevity, localness and co-location of services within a trusted and familiar place that connect people to personalised support. Barriers to scaling up included funding models as well as insufficient dialogue and understanding between CAOs and the local public health ecosystem.ConclusionsCAOs have long term trusted relationships with disadvantaged communities and are influential in connecting individuals with projects and services. Findings suggest that the effectiveness of action to address inequality through art, cultural and nature-based activities could be improved if the role of CAOs was recognised more coherently in place-based public health plans.Key messages• Creative activities enable meaningful engagement with disadvantaged groups within place-based settings.• CAOs must be recognised more coherently in place-based strategies to reduce health inequalities.

Impact of Blood Pressure Dysregulation on Health-Related Quality of Life in Persons With Spinal Cord Injury: Development of a Conceptual Model

This study aimed to offer insights into the relationship between tourists' previous experience and their evaluation of cognitive, affective, and overall images of a domestic tourism destination. Empirical data were collected in a popular domestic tourism destination in Indonesia – Weh Island. The findings of this study suggested that repeat tourists had a more positive evaluation of destination image towards Weh Island in relation to four dimensions of cognitive image (e.g. “quality of experience”, “infrastructure and attraction”, “value and environment”, and “comfort”) and an overall image. However, the previous experience with the destination did not influence the tourists' affective image of the destination. The study also discusses the managerial implications for Weh Island tourism destination marketing and positioning strategy.

There isn´t a consensus about the impact of a first time or a repeat tourist on local economy since that the findings of studies comparing the amount of money spent by the two categories of tourists are inconclusive. We interviewed 500 people who went to any tourist destination more than once through a virtual platform in Brazil. This article uses Principal Component Analysis to analyze this issue. The results identified four types of repeat tourists, who tend to spend less than first-time tourists, but who may influence people to visit the destination due to their high degree of satisfaction. A recommendation for future research would be to use the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to confirm the measurement model after conducting Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA).

In order to understand and facilitate accessible leisure and tourism, supply-side perspectives need to be researched. Destination organisations' and service providers' perceptions of tourists with disabilities are decisive for the tourism “product” available to leisure tourists with disabilities. Thus, the basic assumption underlying this paper is that perceptions held by tourism suppliers manifest themselves in certain end-products for tourists with disabilities. In an attempt to clarify these perceptions, medical and social models of disability are utilised. While the former describes disability as an individual and bodily issue, the latter takes into account disabling barriers in society. The empirical study includes semi-structured in-depth interviews in four tourist destinations in Denmark and Germany. All in all, 84 company representatives were interviewed about their perceptions of tourists with disabilities. The results show that this matter is neither seen from an exclusively medical nor social perspective as the interviewees tend to draw on both of these models. Accordingly, the perceptions of disability that define the characteristics of tourist offerings available to individuals with disabilities are much more complex than anticipated. The paper points to the implications of this complexity and in particular: (1) managerial implications in the form of a more systemic approach to accessible tourism; and (2) research implications in the form of a call for more studies on tourism providers’ enactment of accessible tourism.

The principle of the regional concentration – as one of the important means of regional competitiveness – and the cooperations being organised more consciously have big parts in the development and operation of the tourist destination management. The principle of complexity is emphasised differently that means, on the one hand, the more effective use of the connection possibilities of tourism to other branches, on the other hand, it takes for granted the development of the background infrastructure supporting tourism more intensively beside the development of the tourist infrastructure. The basic principle of the competitive developments are the sustainable developments and the innovative approach. Tourist destination can be identified with the tourist supply (product) from the elements of the tourist system: the tourist supply and the tourist destination are consisting just of the same elements. The difference is that the tourist product can be only one product and destination can be characterised as a complex pile of attractions and services being in connection with each other. The cooperation of the characters of destination are organised by the tourist value chain of which elements are the experiences in connection with the formation of the image, preparation of travel, travel, destination, return from the point of view of the tourist and the service providers of destination. Services of different level provided by the suppliers can influence the opinion and experience of the tourist in connection with destination negatively. The independent destination management system with suitable competence and specialists, running a coordinating activity can make a connection between the tourist and the receiving area.