Destination Attractiveness Research Articles

Opportunities in Identifying and Marketing Windsport Tourism Destinations: High-Resolution Wind Analysis

Windsports (e.g., windsurfing, kiteboarding) can contribute to important tourist experiences at destinations with suitable natural resources. In the context of future tourism decarbonization, it is expected that many distant locations will become less accessible to Europeans, which will increase the attractiveness of nearby destinations. This study provides an analysis of the natural resources of European and nearby windsport destinations, which proves to be important physical evidence for windsport experiences. The high-frequency output of a long-term, high-resolution numerical atmospheric reanalysis (COSMO_REA6) was thoroughly analyzed using a method specifically tailored to windsports. This gives us unprecedented insight into the geographical distribution of wind resources in the period from May to September. The wind and temperature analysis recognizes the most known windsport locations and identifies several potential locations for possible windsport development. The trend analysis identifies potential changes in future wind conditions. Detailed wind analyses are of great importance to destination managers and marketers, as these could support strategic planning at the destination level, which is necessary for sustainable development. Furthermore, the study can guide windsurfers and kiteboarders in their future destination choices.

The impact of overtourism on the residential well-being

Overtourism has a number of negative impacts on both the attractiveness of tourist destinations and the way of life of the local residents. The period of tourism converging to almost nothing, which appears from time to time during the period marked by the outbreak and global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, is suitable for examining the residents' perceptions of overtourism. In this study, the question of research focuses on the impact of overtourism on the residential well-being of local communities. Sentiment analysis was used to answer the research question, which proved to be a good tool for exploring the impacts of overtourism perceived by local residents in an unconventional way.
 The results, based on 13,145 comments, support which sensory perception allowed by representational systems – such as sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell – is more significant in the case of the examined keywords. Knowing the correlations of overtourism and residential well-being the non-governmental organizations and the local government of the municipality – which providing housing for the residents – can effectively shape the factors of residential well-being, but in addition the local residents as well exposed to the environmental impacts of tourism can play a key role in shaping their own residential well-being.

Cognitive-affective-motivation factors influencing international visitors' destination satisfaction and loyalty

PurposeThis paper seeks to understand the interrelationships between destination attractiveness, satisfaction, attachment and visitors' loyalty and to determine the potential moderating effect of generational cohorts. Using expectancy disconfirmation and generational cohort theories, the paper explains how visitors' cognitive knowledge and motivation factors influence international visitors' attraction and maintenance and their behavioral/attitudinal loyalty.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 390 international visitors to South Africa during the Southern Hemisphere's summertime via a quantitative research method. A two-stage approach of structural equation modeling was used to analyze the hypothesized model.FindingsThere was no relationship between visitors' loyalty and destination image or destination image and destination trust. However, destination image has a significant effect on visitors' satisfaction. Additionally, visitors' experience had a positive effect on satisfaction and loyalty, while destination trust and destination attachment were positively related.Practical implicationsThe findings show that the tourism sector could reap greater benefits from international tourists if a deeper understanding of different generational cohorts was obtained. There was a varying effect of destination marketing organizations' efforts on different generational cohorts' attraction, trust, satisfaction, feelings and expectations. This study proposes that direct marketing organizations should focus on building brand trust, as it is key to attracting different generational cohorts. Lastly, the study found that generational cohort segmentation accrues many benefits and creates and enhances superior advantages.Originality/valueThe paper provides evidence that more than a destination's attractiveness is required to achieve loyalty; segmenting and understanding different generational cohorts' cognitive, affective and motivation aids in generating better response actions to tourists' changing needs and meeting their demands.

СОСТОЯНИЕ ПРАВОПРИМЕНЕНИЯ НОРМАТИВНОГО РЕГУЛИРОВАНИЯ ТУРИСТИЧЕСКОЙ СФЕРЫ ГОРОДА СЕВАСТОПОЛЯ

The relevance of this study is to maintain the attractiveness of individual tourist destinations, despite the imposed foreign economic restrictions (sanctions) and the difficult logistical situation due to the conduct of a special military operation on the territory of Ukraine. In order to develop tourism against the background of the closure of a large number of foreign destinations for Russians, it is necessary not only to create a high-quality regulatory framework, but also to organize its effective implementation. The purpose of this work was to conduct a study of the application of the provisions of the legislative act of the city of Sevastopol, which regulates the implementation of tourist activities in order to identify certain pathogenic practices. The method of analysis was used as materials and methods, parsing the law into separate norms, followed by an assessment of the practice of implementing the most significant ones. The comparative legal method was used, both in relation to acts that have become invalid, and from the standpoint of comparing regional legislation and subordinate regulatory regulation. In addition, the method of expert assessments and deduction was used. As a result, some inconsistencies were identified in terms of the development of the provisions of the legislation in the acts of the executive authorities, which should be eliminated. In addition, certain areas of activity have been identified that have been qualitatively regulated, but have not been properly implemented. Conclusion. Law enforcement monitoring seems to be one of the most important functions of the authorities at the level of the subject of the federation, because allows you to look at the implementation of legal norms in a different way: not from the position of “everything somehow works and gives some kind of result”, but in the spirit of a true legal state, proclaimed in Art. 1 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

TRADITIONAL HANDICRAFTS AS DESTINATION ATTRACTIVE FEATURES: THE USE OF IZNIK AND KÜTAHYA TILES IN ARCHITECTURAL AND PORTABLE COLLECTIONS

Destination attractiveness elements play a very important role in the destination choice of tourists. Cultural values are also among the most important destination attractiveness elements. One of the most important cultural values is the handicrafts that societies put forward with collective contributions for many years. In this research, the art of tile, which has a significant place in Turkish architecture and continues today, has been evaluated as a destination attractiveness element. Consequencely, it has been seen that Iznik and Kütahya tiles are used in all of the historical buildings visited by tourists and play a role in reinforcing the cultural attractiveness in this respect.

Road traffic reduces pedestrian accessibility – Quantifying the size and distribution of barrier effects in an African city

Background and objectiveMotorised traffic is growing rapidly in many African cities, creating barriers to the movement of pedestrians. This paper analyses the barrier effect of roads in Praia, the capital of Cabo Verde. We measured the barrier effect to potential trips to homes of other people and to food shops and analysed the distribution of the effect across areas and social groups. The paper contributes to the literature by: 1) quantifying the barrier effect of roads for the first time in an African city; 2) mapping the effect at the city level, and 3) developing indicators that account for land use (i.e. what is on the other side of the road). MethodsWe used spatial analysis to estimate, for each building in the city, two indicators: the proportions of the areas of other buildings and of food shops within 600m that are located across main roads. We then analysed the distribution of those indicators using maps, descriptive statistics, cumulative frequencies, bivariate associations, and regression models. ResultsIn some areas, roads are estimated to curtail more than 70% of the walking accessibility potential of residents. The effect is higher in older informal settlements than in formally planned areas or newer informal settlements, and it disproportionately affects individuals aged 65+. The effect is lower for households with very high and very low socio-economic status than for those with high, medium, or low status. The indicators are robust to changes in the assumptions (e.g. type of roads included, maximum walking distance, attractiveness of destinations) and provide extra information, compared with simpler indicators (e.g. distance to roads or length of roads within a certain distance).

THE ECONOMIC ROLE OF TOURISM IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES’ SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

With the coronacrisis caused by the COVID–19 pandemic, the tourism industry in Europe suffered the most in 2020, experiencing huge losses, lay-offs of workers, mass bankruptcies of firms, etc. Undoubtedly, the tourism economy contributes to the sustainable development of European countries, but how? The answer to this question is contained in the proposed study. Algorithm method, correlation and regression analysis, and non-linear programming were used to address the economic contribution of tourism to sustainable development. The modelling of the multiple power regression equation was based on freely available official statistical data from 40 European countries for the year 2020. A multiple power regression equation modelling algorithm for the impact of tourism on the sustainable development of European countries has been proposed and validated. The challenge of maximising the Sustainable Development Goals Index is set and solved. It is justified that in order to increase the average European level of sustainable development by 1 % in the post-pandemic period, the average annual number of tourists per European country should be increased by 14 %, the tourist attractiveness of destinations should be increased to increase revenues per tourist by 17 %, and the sectoral structure of the European economy should be optimised so as to reduce dependence on tourist revenues by 0.4 percentage points.

Inequality and access to services for remote populations: An Australian case study

Almost half of the world population lives in rural and remote areas facing more challenging and hazardous life conditions than the rest of the population. This paper and proposed method contribute to addressing an apparent gap in modelling travel-related decisions of rural and remote populations to enhance equitable access to basic amenities (e.g., education, health services, retail) for these populations. The application of these models is highly relevant for planning and policy purposes in remote communities. This paper uses data obtained from a mobility survey of remote Aboriginal communities in Central Australia to estimate purpose-specific destination choice models for access to basic services. The analysis is based on stated preference data to measure the attractiveness of destinations. Then, the models are used to analyse the impact of increasing the number of services provided in the remote communities. A better understanding of the impact of local development on travel patterns in remote communities is provided by analysing three aspects: attracted trips to the destinations, reduction of distance travelled by travellers in all the communities and improved equity in the distribution of travel distance among the communities. The case study illustrates the method successfully determines the most relevant parameters in the decisions of the surveyed individuals and determines potential destinations for local development, with the final objective of contributing to the alleviation of accessibility and inclusion problems in remote areas.

Effects of residential push–pull factors on tenants' intentions to relocate from megacities: Evidence from a Beijing, China survey

In China, tenants' residential relocations always present diverse spatial-temporal tendencies and are highly influenced by disadvantages of origin (push) and attractiveness of destination (pull). This paper aims to construct a relocation intention (RI) model and estimate the effects of residential push–pull factors on tenants' RIs, such as the household registration system (hukou), homeownership status, and residential dissatisfaction. The empirical research relies on a questionnaire-based survey of 2187 tenants conducted in 2019 in Beijing, China. Our findings confirm that non-local hukou status significantly pushes female and unmarried tenants to relocate, and non-local homeownership noticeably pulls male and married tenants' relocation. These two factors also significantly influence the RIs of tenants without higher education. For tenants younger than 35, non-local hukou status shows a strong pushing force, but non-local homeownership does not present notable differences by age. Additionally, residential dissatisfaction significantly pushes tenants' RIs and has a moderating effect on non-local homeownership. Moreover, for tenants who have explicit relocation intentions, non-local hukou status plays a vital role in shortening their intended stay before their actual relocation.

Exploring Destination Attractiveness as a Future Senior-Friendly Destination: The Case of Langkawi Island

The goal of this research is to look into Langkawi's desirability as a potential senior-friendly destination in Malaysia through the eyes of a middle-aged tourist. The four attractiveness dimensions of a prospective senior-friendly location developed in the research framework are attractions, accessibility, amenities, and complementary services. Malaysians aged 40 to 54 make up the study's sample population. The descriptive analysis is used in the study to expand on the data and interpret it into findings. One hundred twenty-six respondents found that attractions are the most impactful feature of a senior-friendly destination. Various cultural and historical monuments, such as Makam Mahsuri and Padang Mat Sirat, influenced middle-aged travellers' preferences and choices. The result also highlights four attractive factors that players in the Langkawi tourism industry can employ to increase tourist satisfaction and obtain a competitive advantage over other tourism locations. Stakeholders should work to improve the destination's attractiveness to fulfil the needs of senior tourists and make it a future senior-friendly attraction by 2050. The study results provide an opportunity for theoretical expansion in the highlighted academic and practical implications.

INTENTIONS AND MOTIVATIONS TO REVISIT NATURAL HERITAGE SITES

In the current context, which determines a rather cautious consumption behavior for tourism products/services in Romania and around the world, tourists intentions to revisit some destinations take on a special significance for tourism organizations. Tourist destinations proposed to consumers increasingly include natural and cultural heritage attractions, places that offer many opportunities, more safety for visitors in post-pandemic conditions, activities that take place in the open air, with more space for them. An effective marketing communication of tourism organizations will increase the attractiveness of tourist destinations, of natural heritage, promoting the benefits of this type of tourist product, will generate a favorable image in the minds of consumers as well as intentions to revisit in the future. Tourists seek to identify, choose and finally make a decision to visit a destination that provides as much of what they want from travel, where they have something to see, attractive tourist experiences both in terms of the beauty of the landscapes and natural attractions. The study aims to identify influences on the intentions to revisit tourist destinations. Based on exploratory research of literature and descriptive research, in a marketing approach, the study brings to attention the need to know, understand and fructify the attitudes and behaviors of consumers of tourism services, their intentions and motivations to revisit tourist destinations. Given that tourists have access to information and benefit from more and more information about natural heritage sites, they will be motivated to plan periods of time and resources to revisit the tourist destination for relaxation and recreation. Intentions to revisit some tourist destinations are manifested as a result of consumer satisfaction, even in the conditions of new possible travels to other attractive tourist areas.

Factors influencing the relevance of air quality in the attractiveness of a tourism destination: Differences between nature-based and urban destinations

Assessing tourism destination attractiveness is a dynamic procedure influenced by constantly changing factors. Despite the existence of various studies on destination attractiveness, less attention has been devoted to measuring the relevance of air quality. The growing concerns related to the impacts of air pollution worldwide, make it imperative to develop attractiveness models which incorporate air quality. Based on survey data collected from 625 visitors, this study examines the importance of air quality when selecting tourism destinations and the factors influencing it. Findings reveal a moderate importance of air quality when selecting tourism destinations, with pro-environmental behaviors at home, perception of the destination's air quality, age, and visitor origin being the most influential factors. The results show that air quality has higher importance when visiting nature-based destinations.

Unobserved heterogeneity in music festivalgoers' experience processing

Special events, including festivals, play an essential role in increasing destination attractiveness. Therefore, destination managers who understand festivalgoers' unique needs and priorities can increase the competitive advantages of their destinations in the contemporary experience economy. Accordingly, this study establishes a theoretical model explaining the relationships among festival-experiencescape elements and memorable festival experiences. Additionally, it adopts advanced segmentation approaches to delineate different types of music festivalgoers, to facilitate the development of more precise marketing and management strategies. Specifically, a finite mixture partial least squares technique, multi-group analysis, and importance-performance map analysis were performed with a representative sample of 384 Taiwanese festivalgoers. Combining the findings obtained from three above-mentioned types of analyses yielded two unique types of festivalgoers: ‘experiencescape-oriented’ and ‘seriously involved’. Each type has a distinctive way of assessing festival experiencescapes and creating memorable experiences within them. Managerial implications tailored to these two segments are also provided.

Analysing Urban Tourism Accessibility Using Real-Time Travel Data: A Case Study in Nanjing, China

This study aimed to evaluate the spatial accessibility of tourism attractions in the urban destination city. An analytical framework for assessing urban tourism accessibility at different spatial scales was proposed to provide references on the interaction of urban transport and tourism systems. In addition to the travel time-based measure, a modified gravity model integrating the tourism destination attractiveness, urban transport system characteristics, and tourist demand distribution was developed to evaluate tourism accessibility in this study. Real-time travel data obtained from the Web Maps service were used to take the actual road network operation conditions into consideration and improve the accuracy of estimation results. Taking Nanjing as an example, the analysis results revealed the spatial heterogeneity of tourism accessibility and inequality in tourism resource availability at different levels. Road transport service improvement plays a dominant role in increasing tourism accessibility in areas with insufficient tourism resources, such as the outskirts of the destination city. As for areas with abundant attractions, authorities could pay attention to destination attractiveness construction and demand management in addition to the organization and management of road network operations around attractions during holidays. The results of this study provide a potentially valuable source of information for urban tourism destination management and transport management departments.

Perceived Impacts of Covid-19 in Conference Tourism: A Partial Least Squares (pls) Analysis

The purpose of this article is to explore the perceived impacts of COVID-19 in participating in academic events, relating the attractiveness of destinations and tourist opportunities as pull factors. Remote communication technologies have also been put into perspective to understand how they can influence future participation in events. A partial least squares (PLS) was used to test both research model and hypotheses. This study supports that COVID-19 has profoundly affected participation in events and has an impact on the attractiveness of the destination and tourist opportunities. During the pandemic context, remote communication technologies have replaced physical presence at events and are expected to continue to be present in future events. However, it is anticipated that technology will not permanently replace physical presence at events, due to the social character it represents. Also, destination attractiveness and tourist opportunities will be important in the decision to participate in physical events. This article addresses the current topic of COVID-19 and the impact on the future of physical events and gives some indicators that may contribute to a better planning of destinations in the recovery of this sector, namely by enhancing the tourist attractiveness of destinations as pull factor.

How to develop a road cycling tourism destination. Girona as a case study

Road cycle tourism is a modality of cycling which, by virtue of its characteristics, can contribute to the de-seasonalising of tourist demand in destinations with very rigidly marked tourist seasons. In addition, it can favour the decentralisation of tourist and recreational activities, moving them away from urban centres towards the rural periphery, and promote the inclusion of new tourist agents. Despite the growth and benefits of this tourism product, it is still insufficiently researched. This being so, in terms of the management and promotion of destinations, it is worth arriving at a fuller understanding of how to develop this model of cycle tourism from the suppliers’ perspective. Bearing in mind the points mentioned above, the present study set out to evaluate the conditions and factors involved in the successful development of a tourist destination for road cycling and to analyse the attractiveness of the particular tourist destination referred to. With that in mind, the article seeks to shed light on the significance of road cycling for tourism purposes and to develop a value-based system which can be used in the planning for road cycling in tourist destinations. • Road cycling tourism can contribute to the de-seasonalising of tourist demand. • Conditions and factors involved in developing a road cycling tourist destination: geography, climate and transport connectivity are the main conditions involved. • Professional cyclists can contribute to develop a road cycling tourist destination. • Planners must identify the specific needs of this segment to configure provision. • Specialised tourist services are necessary to support road cycling tourism. • Road cycling tourism can boost the emergence of related businesses and services. • Tourism products should connect tourist attractions with cyclists' interests. • Cycling infrastructure and road education must be part of the development. • Road cyclist tourists are consumers with medium to high level purchasing power. • Ambassadors and cycling-related brands can help improve destination's positioning.

An Evaluation of Influence of Historical Sites in Promotion of Archaeotourism in Bungoma County, Kenya, 1964 - 2021

Various studies attest that historical sites can be utilized in the promotion of Archaeotourism, generation of revenue for investment in social and economic activities improving the quality of life for citizens of any nation. However, the ability of any country to tap revenue from Archaeotourism activities depends on: The attractiveness of historical sites, Measures put in place to promote awareness of the existence of such historical sites, and The state of the environment to support the security and comfort of the potential tourists Bungoma County is among the Countries endowed with historical sites that may be harnessed to promote the generation of revenue from Archaeotourism. Kenya's economic blueprint, dubbed Vision 2030, envisages a Country with high-quality life for its citizen through marked socio-economic development at a growth rate above 10 percent by 2012 and to be exceeded or maintained thereafter. Such an ambitious level of economic development demands tapping of financial resources from all possible sources for the purpose of investment. This study aimed to establish how Bungoma County generated revenue from Archaeotourism activities. The study was guided by Resource Dependence Theory and Expectancy Theory (ET). The study targeted the working class population of local residents, residents living around unmanned historical sites, and the management of Game Parks. Primary and secondary data were used to capture critical information for the study. Primary data was collected through a questionnaire, observation, and interview schedule. The study found that the County has good roads and security-critical attributes for the enhancement of attractiveness of a tourism destination. However, poor publicity and hotel facilities were critical barriers to the exploitation of the potentiality of the tourism sector. As such, despite the existence of historical sites, there was little revenue generated for investment in socio-economic activities. The study recommends scaling up awareness about the tourism potential of the County and putting up quality hotels to boost the image of Bungoma County as a potential target tourism destination.

Survey on the tourist satisfaction of rural homestay based on the theory of importance-performance analysis.

Guilin rural homestays are an important support for rural tourism destinations, serving not only as accommodation but also as a representative of the local culture of the town. To improve satisfaction with rural homestays among tourists, enhance destination attractiveness, and better meet tourist demands for accommodation conditions, this study combines literature and network text analysis to construct an evaluation index system for Guilin rural homestay tourist satisfaction. The data collected by a questionnaire survey based on importance–performance analysis (IPA) are analyzed. The results show that actual tourist satisfaction with the experience in the 21 indexes is lower than the pre-consumption expectation, due to the imperfect facilities, lack of special service development, relative optimization of basic road construction, and the need for improvement in the internal and external environment, among other factors. Through the improvement of the above factors, the satisfaction of tourists to the rural homestay can be improved.

Small island developing states, tourism and climate change

Tourism resembles an indispensable source for financing national development and securing local livelihoods in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) with their sun-sea-sand tourism. Related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions counteract sectoral development as climate impacts have begun to severely reduce the attractiveness of destinations. This is valid especially for disaster-prone SIDS where slow and rapid onsetting phenomena and severe, frequent weather events are already experienced, increasingly putting tourist assets, infrastructure, local livelihoods and unique biodiversity under pressure. Against this background, this review synthesizes the recent climate change and tourism literature relating to main SIDS regions, highlighting what is at risk. The authors provide latest evidence of the role tourism plays for these islands and elaborate the peculiar climate risks, impacts and consequences for tourism development. The current state of adaptation is explored and research priorities in SIDS regions are highlighted. Whereas SIDS show high mitigation ambition, the significance of CO2 emissions along the value chain and especially related to the transport to SIDS destinations remains a problem that developed nations must address in their national emission reduction plans. Further research at the interface of climate change and tourism is needed, contributing to the decarbonisation of tourism and successful adaptation in SIDS.

A trip down memory lane to travellers’ food experiences

PurposeResearch on food tourism has a significant impact on destination attractiveness. However, components interfacing food experiences and memory are under-researched topics in food tourism literature. Therefore, this study aims to present a framework based on the components of rememberable food experiences while travelling through the lens of the diffusion of sensory stimulation.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a qualitative application of “Memory-Work”, a social constructionist archetype suggested for food tourism-related research. A survey was conducted, and the respondents were asked an open-ended question.FindingsThe analysis found the components instigating these food experiences: Peculiar food and drink experience, setting/geographical location, companions and social interactions, celebrating occasions and touristic components (e.g. serendipitous travel experience and food nostalgic memory). Predominantly, rememberable food tourism experiences are more explicit than memorable tourism experiences.Research limitations/implicationsThe components mentioned in this framework illustrate that various food-related experiences should be involved in destination marketing. Service providers could use these components to create unique destination stories.Originality/valueThis study is the first to present a newly developed framework for food tourism service providers that incorporates sensory impressions with food memories to explore the connection between food memories associated with a destination.