Tourism Applications Research Articles

Revitalizing traditional villages through Bookstore-led Rural Tourism: a case study of three Bookstore villages in Rural China

ABSTRACT Rural tourism has been used to revitalize traditional villages by integrating creative tourism service facilities. This paper focuses on the role of physical bookstores as a significant tourism service facility in rural China. In urban settings, physical bookstores have faced numerous challenges, leading them to evolve into new forms and offer immersive experiences to visitors. Bookstores have also ventured into traditional Chinese villages that leads to rural revitalization. Despite the evidence of rural tourism initiated by bookstores, it received little attention in academia. This paper aims to propose the concept of bookstore-led rural tourism, investigates its tourism development process and impacts on rural communities. Three bookstore villages were selected as case studies and the research was conducted using qualitative and inductive approaches. The findings confirm that (1) rural bookstores play a leading role in the rural tourism development process through the three stages; (2) bookstore-led rural tourism also revitalizes traditional Chinese villages at the material, social, and spiritual levels, with rural bookstores playing a crucial role in shaping rural identity. This paper recommends that the application of bookstore-led rural tourism to revitalize traditional villages using a holistic approach should be valued in future research studies and real-life practice.

The Development of digital tourism at the Tebing Tegallinggah temple tourist attraction in Bedulu Village, Gianyar Regency, Bali

Candi Tebing Tegallinggah is a tourist attraction located in Bedulu Village, Blahbatuh District, Gianyar Regency. Since it opened as a tourist attraction at the end of 2019, the level of tourist visits to Candi Tebing Tegallinggah is still relatively low, this is because access to information regarding the existence of Tebing Tegallinggah especially through online media is still very minimal. Story posts and reviews on social media regarding the existence of the Candi Tebing Tegallinggah are still very minimal, until March 2023 there were only 11 story posts and 26 reviews. Therefore, this research is very important to carry out to create a digital tourism website application in the development of the Candi Tebing Tegallinggah. Data collection in this research was carried out using in-depth interviews, observation, and document study methods. The data was analyzed descriptively and qualitatively using the digital tourism concept approach, the concept of potential tourist attractions, the concept of destination development, and the social action theory approach. The results of this research show that the potential tourist attraction of Tebing Tegallinggah is in the form of natural potential, cultural potential, and artificial potential. The digital tourism application for the Candi Tebing Tegallinggah tourist attraction takes the form of a website (https://canditebingtegallingah.id) which contains information regarding the location, history, and general description of the Candi Tebing Tegallinggah which contains virtual tour content. The development of Candi Tebing Tegallinggah as a tourist attraction has had a positive impact on the economy, socio-culture, and the surrounding environment. The application of digital tourism applications in developing the Candi Tebing Tegallinggah is expected to increase the number of tourist visits.

Examining the potential of virtual and augmented reality in enhancing tourism experiences

Purpose This paper aims to explore the capabilities of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in enhancing the tourism experience and addressing physical travel constraints. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted among 412 tourists who had used VR and AR technologies for tourism purposes. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics, multidimensional scaling, multiple regression analysis, structural equation modelling and mediation and moderation analysis. Findings VR and AR enhance tourism via immersive experiences. They overcome traditional travel barriers, but accessibility concerns, like cost, persist. The perceived potential of these technologies strongly predicts future adoption, emphasising the need to highlight their immersive benefits. Research limitations/implications This study offers ground-breaking insights into VR and AR in tourism. It acknowledges inherent limitations in accessibility, with VR and AR technologies not being universally adoptable due to costs and complexity. Theoretically, the research enriches academic discourse by highlighting the pivotal role of perceived potential in technology adoption. It also delineates the intricate relationship between VR/AR experience, satisfaction, destination image and revisit intention. Practical implications The findings emphasise crafting immersive VR and AR experiences for differentiation. By integrating these technologies into strategic marketing, organisations can enhance customer satisfaction and provide richer destination experiences. Social implications The research underscores VR and AR’s potential to foster inclusive tourism, benefitting those with limitations. Additionally, promoting cultural exchange and sustainability, these technologies can drive societal harmony and contribute to economic growth through enriched tourism experiences. Originality/value This study stands out in its distinctive exploration of VR and AR in the tourism domain. The innovation lies in its comprehensive examination of the technologies’ immersive capabilities and their accessibility challenges. The value is accentuated by its insights, which bridge the gap between technological potential and its practical application in tourism.

THE INVESTIGATION OF HEALTH TOURISM POTENTIAL: THE CASE OF SAMSUN PROVINCE

THE INVESTIGATION OF HEALTH TOURISM POTENTIAL: THE CASE OF SAMSUN PROVINCE Abstract Aim: To determine the current situation by evaluating the health services offered to health tourists in Samsun province and to reveal the health tourism potential with health tourism data. Methods: The population of this descriptive cross-sectional study consists of health tourists who received health services in Samsun province between 2017-2021. Data were obtained through the foreign patient tracking system and e-nabız. Results: The number of health tourists has increased with increasing momentum over the years. According to the type of arrival of health tourists, health services were provided mostly within the scope of health tourism. The clinics to which health tourists mostly applied are emergency medicine, gynaecology and ophthalmology clinics. The highest number of health tourist applications were in July, August and September. Conclusion: It was determined that Samsun province has a health tourism potential. This potential should be developed by integrating medical tourism with other types of health tourism and by carrying out joint activities with the co-operation of all stakeholders. Keywords: Health, Health Tourism, Health Tourists, Medical Tourism

Intelligent technologies and applications in Smart Tourism—A systematic review

<p>Smart tourism has used information technology with the infrastructure environments built for all kinds of tourism services that provide advantages for tourists, service providers, technology companies or the city itself. Due to the popularity of mobile technologies and applications, smart tourism undoubtedly changes consumers’ and providers’ behavior. The purpose of this study is to provide a systematic literature review of academic research related to information technology, computer science, mobile technologies and applications in smart tourism published between 2017 and 2019. Published articles are gathered from online search engines “Google Scholar”, “ScienceDirect” and “EBSCOHOST”. According to a keyword-driven search and content analysis, 142 articles have been chosen for examination in this research. Selected publications are collected and analyzed according to the proposed research questions, methodology, topics, technology focus, sub-themes and future trends that are thematically classified into three main categories: consumer perspective, technological perspective and provider perspective. The findings provide to an overall understanding of the most recent research into information technology, computer science, mobile technologies and applications in smart tourism by demonstrating the main results, methods, future trends and other insights of relevant publications. This study provides a systematic review of the most current published academic research from 2017 to 2019 on information technology, computer science, mobile technologies and applications in smart tourism. The results of this study construct an agenda for future research in tourism and hospitality industry by identifying major future trends and developments in smart tourism.<strong></strong></p>

NEXT DYNAMICS IN DESIGNING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO SUPPORT TOURISM DEVELOPMENT

This study advocates for the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in the tourism industry. It synthesizes literature to comprehensively examine this concept, emphasizing the importance of tourist satisfaction and industry development. The study pursues two main objectives: elucidating AI's workings and analyzing its application in tourism. Employing a descriptive methodology, it gathers secondary data from diverse sources. The findings highlight the potential benefits of AI implementation in policy, strategy, and operational aspects of tourism. Moreover, it underscores the importance of AI education for stakeholders, including institutions, policymakers, and tour management teams, to leverage cutting-edge technologies effectively.This paper is an endeavour to shed light on the specific ways AI is utilized within the tourism sector, offering insights that can inform industry practices and academic discourse.This research contributes to the discourse on AI's role in enhancing tourism experiences and industry efficiency, offering insights for future strategies and implementations.

The emerging landscape of halal tourism in the digital era: an IT perspective

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive literature review on the application of information technology (IT) in Halal tourism. Halal tourism is a segment of the tourism business catering to Muslims in accordance with Islamic law, which has significant potential for economic growth and is an important export market for the global tourism industry.Design/methodology/approachFollowing the guidelines of Kitchenham, this study developed four research questions to achieve its objective. A systematic literature review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses methodology, collecting and assessing 163 English-language publications published between 2016 and 2022, resulting in 18 relevant documents.FindingsThe review identified nine key research topics related to IT in Halal tourism, which are organized into three major themes: technology-enhanced Halal tourism, digital marketing and communications in Halal tourism and quality and satisfaction in Halal tourism.Originality/valueThis paper fills a gap in the existing literature by synthesizing the current research on the use of IT in Halal tourism. It also proposes potential areas for future research, such as developing artificial intelligence-powered applications for Halal tourism through the creation of a domain-specific knowledge graph.

Tourism in the virtual age: Predicting the adoption of virtual reality applications in tourism

Tourism in the virtual age: Predicting the adoption of virtual reality applications in tourism

The Role of Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Health Tourism Applications in Egyptian Tourist Destinations

The Role of Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Health Tourism Applications in Egyptian Tourist Destinations

Consumer Behaviour Analysis for AI Services in the Tourism Industry

Amidst the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics, this study investigates consumer behaviour with a specific emphasis on the determinants that impact the adoption and purchase of AI tourism applications by tourists, thereby augmenting their perceived value. The study aims to identify the factors that impact tourists’ inclination to adopt and buy AI tourism applications, with a focus on enhancing perceived value. Using data collected from a survey of 301 visitors of different nationalities visiting Greece, this study conducts structural equation modelling to assess the relationship between technology adoption and certain factors influencing customers’ perceived value in the tourism sector, considering the Value Adoption Model (VAM). Findings indicate that suggested modifications in the VAM demonstrate that factors including Happiness, Perceived Immersion, Trust and Effort are relevant to the successful acceptance concept of paying for using AI tourism apps. The most likely outcome is the mediating role of Perceived Value in willingness to accept and pay for AI tourism apps. The study recontextualizes the VAM theory by analyzing the acceptance of AI apps in tourism and hospitality sector research. The findings are valuable to hotel directors, ICT developers, and researchers studying the difficulties of technology adoption and implementation of service management in the hospitality industry.

Utilisation of A Star Algorithm in Determining Tourism Routes in Palangka Raya City

The Utilization of the A* Algorithm in Determining Tour Routes in Palangka Raya City is a study aimed at providing a solution for determining optimal tourist routes for visitors in Palangka Raya City. By employing the A* algorithm, this research offers an efficient tool to find the shortest route between selected tourist destinations, considering both distance and travel cost. The method involves initializing a graph that represents the relationships between tourist destinations, followed by the implementation of the A* algorithm for finding the best route. The research findings demonstrate that this algorithm can provide optimal routes with accurate estimations of distance and cost. A brief discussion on the research results highlights the strengths and limitations of this algorithm in the context of tourism applications. In conclusion, this research makes a significant contribution to facilitating visitors in planning their tourist trips in Palangka Raya City, with the potential positive impact on the tourism industry and visitor experiences.

Towards a regenerative shift in tourism: applying a regenerative conceptual framework toward swimmable urban rivers

Regenerative tourism is a transformational approach to healing relationships between tourism, places and communities. Several urban rivers are being made swimmable (again) to mitigate against negative climate effects, promote urban health and liveability and contribute to the city’s tourism potential. This paper examines the application of a regenerative tourism conceptual framework (RTCF) to the Swimmable Birrarung/Yarra River (SB2030) initiative in Narrm, Melbourne, Australia and the dynamics among the key initiative stakeholders. Swimming is applied to catalyse regenerative transformations of the city’s main waterway. Tourism’s contributions to regenerating the river and its community are examined. The RTCF is tested for the development and implementation of a transdisciplinary action research project involving the river, civil society, academic, Indigenous, business, and government actors. Analysis of the SB2030 initiative shows that extractive approaches dominate tourism’s approach to the river but also that tourism can play a critical role in supporting the regenerative development of the river and its community. Rather than a type of tourism, it positions tourism’s core purpose as a contributor to the regeneration of social-ecological systems. Evidently, other sectors must create conditions suitable for tourism to support the multi-systems urban river regeneration impetus. This paper contributes to the discursive developments of regenerative tourism applications and informs urban regenerative development transformations.

“Technology application in aviation, tourism and hospitality: recent developments and emerging issues”

“Technology application in aviation, tourism and hospitality: recent developments and emerging issues”

The Construction of Tour Guide Application to Enhancement and Multilingual Tourism Development in Mahasarakham Province, THAILAND

This study investigates the development and efficacy of a multilingual tourism application designed to enhance tourism development in Mahasarakham Province, Thailand, focusing particularly on its utility for foreign students due to the region’s educational allure and cultural heritage. The application features a comprehensive suite of services, including weather information, personalized travel recommendations, navigational assistance, and detailed local guides covering dining, healthcare, lodging, cultural practices, and historical insights, thereby distinguishing it from conventional tourism apps. The results of the study reveal significant outcomes. Expert evaluations yielded a Content Validity ratio (Content validity) of 0.86, indicating high relevance and accuracy of the app’s content. The application’s Reliability stood at 0.91, reflecting its consistency and dependability. Additionally, the Objectivity score was 0.80, suggesting the app’s impartiality and fairness in presenting information. These results affirm the application’s effectiveness in providing a reliable, accurate, and user-friendly resource for enhancing tourists’ experiences while promoting cultural understanding and economic development within Mahasarakham Province.

The Influence of Design and Arousal on Impulse Purchase in Mobile Travel Applications

Since consumers’ impulse buying intentions can be easily completed via mobile platforms, impulse buying of travel products has become more common. Hence, this study aimed to understand how mobile tourism applications affect travelers’ impulse purchase behaviors. Utilizing the S-O-R framework and distinguishing environmental stimuli and consumer behaviors, this study proposed a conceptual model and hypotheses to investigate the relationship between usability, information effectiveness, emotional arousal, and impulsive purchase intentions in the context of mobile applications. Based on 63 responses, the experiment applied neuroscience methods and found that information effectiveness positively affected impulsive purchase intentions, while usability and emotional arousal did not have significant effects. Hence, results offer practical insights into the development of travel applications and extend the S-O-R framework with the inclusion of emotional arousal.

Development of GWIDO: An Augmented Reality-based Mobile Application for Historical Tourism

This research aimed to design and reconstruct a business model for an augmented reality (AR) camera mobile application for historical tourism at Keraton Kasepuhan Cirebon. The goal was to utilize AR technology to provide an immersive and informative experience for tourists. The research addressed several main problems, including navigation and historical information through object tracking, by implementing an online application with features such as Indonesian and English language instructions to better serve domestic and foreign tourists. The research also aimed to investigate the benefits of using AR technology for object tracking and navigation and to explore how these aspects could be related to creating a formula that supports each other in addressing the formulated problems. Through the development of the GWIDO application, a positive impact on the development of historical tourist attractions was observed. This can be seen from the usefulness of its features such as AR navigation, which can be used as a virtual guide. The data collected was used to design and reconstruct the business model, which was implemented and tested to collect additional data for analysis. The final results of the research showed that the AR camera mobile application was effective in providing an immersive and informative experience for tourists. The redesigned business model improved the utilization of AR technology in the tourism industry. Based on the test results, the average response time for object distance between 0.1 meters to 0.5 meters was between 1.45 to 2.07 seconds, and the average time for object distance from visitors was between 3.15 to 4.71 seconds with a confidence level of 95%. Meanwhile, testing for navigation features using augmented reality is very dependent on the internet signal used on the user's device. The level of accuracy of objects that have been placed at certain coordinates is determined by how well the internet network performs, allowing objects to appear precisely according to their coordinates.

Plan of Technology Used in Tourism after COVID-19

For the introduction of background, this part will be divided into the following four perspectives: fundamental state of our company, the development of tourism in the era of epidemic, the status of technology application in tourism and tourists’ expectation in tourism. According to our analysis, innovation in the tourism industry has been a necessary measure in the epidemic era, which is not only what our company needs to do, but also what the whole tourism industry needs. For our company, we have obvious advantages, such as loyal employees and customers who trust us, the innovative technology that we want to use has been developed and the price is reasonable, the two proposals proposed at present meet the needs of tourists, also the two proposals proposed by us are not widely used in the tourism market. I believe that these can be the pull factors in our development process.

Creating Location-Based Mobile Applications for Tourism: A Virtual AR Guide for Western Macedonia

Augmented reality (AR) applications are currently used in many fields for communication and educational purposes. Tourism is also a sector where augmented reality is used for destination marketing and cultural heritage promotion. This study will focus on mobile location-based AR applications and their potential in tourism. Such applications can guide tourists to places of interest and enhance their overall experience. The aim of this paper is to present a mobile application that was created for tourists visiting the region of Western Macedonia, Greece. The application was developed in order to guide the users in the region, entertain them, and educate them about the region’s sights, cultural heritage, and other special characteristics. The paper also aims to present a large set of features that are present in the application, including various types of AR (marker-based, markerless, and location-based) in order to provide designers who wish to create AR applications for tourism with new ideas. The application was validated by a usability test, and its features were evaluated by 39 participants who completed a questionnaire with 29 Likert-scale items. This procedure revealed the level of acceptance for the application features, and valuable feedback was also received during a discussion with the participants about how the application could be upgraded in the future.

How Community-based Tourism Improves Community Welfare? A Practical Case Study of ‘Governing the Commons’ in Rural Nglanggeran, Indonesia

Anchored in Ostrom’s (1990) account of Governing the Commons, this article discusses community-based mechanisms and their potential implication for poverty alleviation and well-being improvement of societies. The material for this article draws on our research report on the application of community-based tourism (CBT) as social innovation for poverty alleviation and social well-being improvement in the Nglanggeran village from 2009 to 2016, which continues to be monitored to date. Our findings indicate that community-led initiatives have been successful in alleviating chronic poverty and social problems by integrating local institutions and developing resource-based businesses. However, recent government intervention has limited the initiatives, highlighting a power imbalance between government agencies and the community. Consequently, CBT has become an industry reserved for a select few villagers who have formed partnerships with the government. It reveals the recurring problems of government–community partnership, which, over the last two decades, has expanded in many Southern countries and has resulted in contestations of political interest within the empowerment programme, all of which produced institutional constraints to ‘commons approach’ application to governance. This article contributes to understanding the dynamics of empowerment initiatives by highlighting the intersection of collectivity and welfare capitalism as an analytical framework, enabling the application of ‘the commons theory’ within community/social development studies.

Spatiotemporal ecological risk evaluation and source identification of heavy metals and nutrients in the water and lake surface sediment in a protected catchment area of a volcanic lake.

Indonesia has numerous lakes; however, research on the spatiotemporal sediment quality and source identification in lakes remains limited. The overaccumulation of heavy metals and nutrients in lakes severely threatens aquatic ecosystems. This study aims to identify potential sources of metallic deposits (Cu, Pb, Cr, Fe, Al, and Cd) and nutrients (TN and TP) in lake-surface sediment, utilizing enrichment factors (EF), geoaccumulation indices (Igeo), potential ecological risk indices (Er), and risk indices (RI). Multivariate statistical analyses, including principal component analysis (PCA) and Pearson's correlation analysis, were conducted to pinpoint pollution sources linked to land use. Eight sampling sites for surface sediment and water were examined in both wet and dry seasons at Menjer Lake, chosen for its diverse applications in tourism, hydropower, floating net cages, and extensive agriculture in its catchment. Correlation and PCA results indicated that Pb, Fe, and Al mainly originate from tourism, while Al, Fe, TN, and TP are associated with agriculture. The highest average loading from land use was observed in agriculture (> 0.8), floating net cages (> 0.76), and tourism (> 0.68). Furthermore, the highest loading from nutrients and all metals were TP (> 0.71) and all metals (> 0.35), respectively. Ecological risk assessment revealed low to moderately polluted EFs and Igeo in the dry season. However, Menjer Lake's Er and RI for heavy metals were generally classified as unpolluted.