Tourism Decision Research Articles

The Influence of Affiliate Marketing on Tourist Decision-Making

The Influence of Affiliate Marketing on Tourist Decision-Making

The Influence of economic growth, exchange rate, and inflation on foreign tourist visits to Indonesia

Tourism is one of the economic sectors that can quickly bring in foreign exchange for the country if managed properly and sustainably. Many economic variable factors influence the demand and supply of the tourism industry, especially the level of foreign tourist visits, such as economic growth, exchange rate, and inflation. This study aimed to determine the influence of economic variable factors, especially economic growth, exchange rate, and inflation, on the number of foreign tourist visits in Indonesia. A quantitative descriptive method is used in this study. To analyze the factors influencing the number of foreign tourist visits in Indonesia, independent variables such as economic growth, exchange rate, and inflation are used in the Multiple Linear Regression equation model. The data used in this study is secondary data on annual time series for the period 2001 – 2020. The research result shows that the number of foreign tourist visits in Indonesia is significantly influenced by economic growth and the exchange rate, while inflation has no significant effect. There are still other factors (non-economic) that influence the decision of tourists to visit. Several factors that need to be considered to increase the interest of foreign tourists visits in Indonesia are tourist attractions, accessibility, amenities, ancillary, attractive promotions, and social, political, and security stabilityJEL Classification A13; B55; D69

The impact of social media on tourists' decision-making process: An empirical study based on Bangladesh

This study examines the impact of social media on the behavior and decision-making processes of travelers while choosing places Social media platforms serve as channels for travelers to gain inspiration and plan their journeys, while also providing opportunities for tourism enterprises to promote services, engage with consumers, and evaluate visitor sentiments. A comprehensive survey, including of primary and secondary data, was distributed to 388 participants, mostly consisting of students, educators, teachers, private business owners, and government people. The data analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel and IBM SPSS 25, which included the use of descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. The survey results indicate that social media has a notable beneficial effect on tourists' decision-making processes when choosing a destination. Nine out of ten variables are identified as having a significant impact on social media usage in tourism decision-making through multiple regression analysis. This empirical study highlights the significance of marketers understanding visitor behavior and decision-making processes, recognizing their potential influence on brand loyalty, customer happiness, and situational dynamics. Hence, it is imperative for tourism stakeholders to integrate social media factors into the strategic development of tourism offerings. Social media has become an essential tool for both travelers and travel firms in modern culture. The research clearly demonstrates that social media has a substantial impact on visitor behavior. The overriding result suggests a significant influence of social media on the travel patterns of visitors from Bangladesh. It is recommended that policymakers and tourist marketers utilise social media channels to strengthen the development of tourism in Bangladesh. This study provides significant information for professionals and policymakers who are looking to handle the ever-changing impact of social media on travel behavior and decision-making.

When ChatGPT Gives Incorrect Answers: The Impact of Inaccurate Information by Generative AI on Tourism Decision-Making

This study investigates how inaccurate information provided by ChatGPT impacts travelers’ acceptance of recommendations. Six experiments were conducted based on the accessibility-diagnosticity framework. These examined the moderating role of the prominence and type of incorrect information and their effects on decision-making. The results show that participants perceived more accuracy and trustworthiness, leading to stronger intentions to visit when incorrect information was absent. However, there was a decline in their intentions to visit when incorrect information was present and more prominent or in the same domain. This effect diminished when multiple domains were involved or when participants were focused on the initial task. The research highlights that both the prominence and type of incorrect information are boundary conditions and provides insights into AI applications in tourism. Furthermore, it offers practical implications for online travel agencies in terms of user interface and user experience design planning.

Following mega sports events on social media impacts Gen Z travelers’ sports tourism intentions: the case of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games

ABSTRACT Social media engagement theory provides a theoretical perspective for understanding customers’ social media experiences. However, research on how the social media experience related to mega sports events influences the sports tourism behavior of Gen Z travelers is lacking. Sports tourism is defined as traveling away from home for non-commercial purposes in order to attend or take part in sports events. The current research aims to explore how the experience of following mega sports events on social media would affect Gen Z travelers’ sports tourism decision-making. We chose the 2022 Winter Olympic Games as the research context. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 20 Chinese Gen Z respondents in June and July 2022. The results revealed four overarching themes that explained the impact of the social media experience of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games on Gen Z consumers’ sports travel intentions: the attractiveness of winter sports, the image of the athletes, the appeal of the event venues, and the content generated by other social media users.

Smart positioning: how smart technologies can increase the attractiveness of heritage tourism destinations? The case of a small-scale Hungarian heritage city

ABSTRACT Small-scale heritage towns usually face fierce competition from surrounding destinations, particularly in peripheral rural areas where tourism holds important possibilities for regional development. This study examines on-site smart tourism technology as a tool to increase attractiveness and differentiation of heritage destinations using examples of Hungarian destinations. The research seeks to answer the question whether a small-scale heritage destination can become a more attractive destination due to technology from the perspective of potential tourists. The paper analyzes quantitative data collected from 537 potential tourists. Principal component analysis was used to identify the factors considering attractive and differential on-site technologies. A regression model was created to examine how these factors affect the potential tourist's decision-making: whether heritage towns with smart on-site tools are too similar to towns that do not use such technologies. Three factors of on-site technologies have been identified: digital sightseeing, smart attractions, and smart infrastructure. According to the regression model, digital sightseeing is the key pull factor, but smart attractions and smart infrastructure also have a positive effect in small towns. The study presents the first empirical research on the effect of smart technology on positioning small-size heritage towns based on demand-side research.

Prioritizing Influential Factors on Tourist Decision-Making for Choosing Destinations Using Parsimonious Analytical Hierarchy Process (PAHP)

ABSTRACT The increasing number of touristic attractions and destinations within urban environments has led to an escalation in the complexity of decision-making processes for visitors. This study provides insights to assist the tourists’ decision-making for choosing destinations by considering realistic criteria. The objective of current research is to prioritize the following criteria: travel time, travel cost, privacy, weather, rating, accessibility, security, safety, environmental effects, and health effects. An empirical study on touristic destinations in Budapest city with two main scenarios was conducted, where Parsimonious Analytical Hierarchy Process (PAHP), a recently Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) developed approach, is applied. The results show that the security criterion has the highest priority with a final weight of 0.567, while the lowest influential criterion is privacy with a weight of 0.051. The findings attempt to assist tourists in decision-making and planning with correspondence between the characteristics of touristic destinations and trip circumstances.

Research on the Influence of Urban Short Video on College Students' Tourism Behavior

This study found that the impact of domestic urban short video on college students tourism behavior is mainly concentrated in four aspects: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, tourism attitude and tourism behavior. In order to study this influence relationship more accurately, the author proposes a model based on the influence mechanism of urban short video, which includes the above four independent variables, in order to obtain better research results. By combining network research and questionnaire survey, it is found that urban short video has a significant impact on college students tourism behavior, especially in improving college students tourism decision-making effect and stimulating tourism interest. In order to better promote the development of urban short video and college students tourism industry, this paper puts forward some countermeasures and suggestions. It is hoped that this study can provide new perspectives and inspirations for urban short video producers and college students tourism industry, and provide some suggestions for promoting sustainable development and innovation in related fields.

Analyzing Differences in Cruise Tourist Decision: Making Processes Based on Value Perception

Purpose - The purpose of this study was to analyze differences in the decision-making process of cruise travelers based on value perceptions. The analysis was conducted from the perspective of travelers seeking information online, and pre-decision, purchase decision, and post-sharing were analyzed to draw implications.
 Design/Methodology/Approach - The research methodology of this paper is as follows. A survey was conducted among potential travelers who are planning a cruise trip, especially those who are exposed to the digital environment and make pre-trip research and purchase decisions online. After conducting factor analysis for each factor, the relationship between variables was verified through MANOVA. In addition, cluster analysis was used to check for differences between groups and to determine whether there were differences between groups for each variable.
 Findings - As a result of the study, we were able to divide the clusters into three groups: low-, medium-, and high-value. For each cluster, we analyzed the difference in preference for digital tourism platforms at different stages of the cruise decision-making process. The results are reported in detail in the main text.
 Research Implications - While previous studies have conducted empirical research by incorporating theories on the traveler purchase decision-making process, this study is significant in that it analyzes the differences between groups of digital travelers as they increasingly make purchases online. It is expected to show theoretical and practical implications.

A Para-Social Perspective: The Influence of Idol Worship on Fans’ Tourism Decision-Making

Fans’ relationships with celebrities are termed “para-social.” Such one-way relationships with celebrities, often based on social media, might have a special impact on people’s behavior, including travel activities. Scholars have not yet explored the decision-making and behavior of pop culture tourists from the perspective of para-social relationships. In this study, informed by self-construal theory, in-depth interview and questionnaire-based survey were used to explore the impact of different self-construal on fans’ perceptions of the nature of their “fan-celebrity” para-social relationship and their pop culture tourism decision-making. Results indicate that fans whose self-construal is “independent” prefer idols’ habitual residential environment and placed-mediated experiences, while “interdependent” fans prefer interactive experiences, are celebrity oriented, and go where their favorite celebrity was gone.

The Influence of the Film "KKN Desa Penari" on Tourist Visit Interest in Film-Induced Tourism in Plunyon Kalikuning Destination, Sleman, Yogyakarta

Film-induced tourism has emerged as a dynamic facet of the contemporary tourism landscape, leveraging the visual and cultural appeal portrayed in films to enhance the attractiveness of destinations. This study delves into the impact of the Indonesian horror film "KKN di Desa Penari" on tourist visitation in the picturesque Plunyon, Kalikuning, Cangkringan, and Sleman regions of Yogyakarta. The research methodology involves an exploration of the nexus between the film's scenes and tourists' destination choices. The study gauges the impact by analyzing tourists' interest in film locations and their expectations regarding the benefits of engaging in film-induced tourism. The research uses a mixed-methods approach, encompassing surveys, interviews, and data analysis to discern patterns in tourist behavior and motivations influenced by the film. Understanding the interplay between cinematic representation and tourist decision-making is crucial for the tourism and film industries. The findings aim to contribute insights into the dynamics of film-induced tourism, providing valuable information for stakeholders to optimize the potential of cinematic representations in attracting and retaining tourists in the captivating landscapes showcased in "KKN di Desa Penari."

Unveiling destination choices: uncovering the influence of missing visual information on tourists’ decision-making and visit intention

Purpose This research aims to investigate the impact of missing visual information on tourists’ decision-making processes and visit intention. Drawing on perception completion law and signaling theory, the study hypothesized that tourists might use visual information to infer about a destination, even if the information is incomplete or ambiguous. Design/methodology/approach To assess the impact of missing visual information, the authors asked a group of 392 participants who had no prior familiarity with a specific garden museum to envision the interior environment of the museum garden and provide feedback on their emotional responses and aesthetic evaluations. To aid in their imagination, they were presented with a video showcasing the surrounding landscape and exterior of the museum. Findings The study found that participants could anticipate their overall experience of the location by inferring the resemblance of unseen areas to the images they had viewed, even without prior exposure or information. This study provides valuable insights into the cognitive processes underlying tourism decision-making and advances our understanding of how people form expectations of new and unfamiliar places. Originality/value The originality of this research relies on the mediating role of missing aesthetics and emotion on the relationship between available aesthetics and visit intention using a structural model. This study highlights the significant role of visual information in influencing tourist decision-making, even with incomplete or ambiguous data.

Travel decision making through blogs and vlogs: An empirical investigation on how user-generated content influences destination image

Tourist decision-making is based on the information available before visiting a destination. Although marketing content has a role to play, user-generated content (UGC) has gained momentum in recent years. This study considering the role of travel blogs and vlogs created by the user, aims to comprehend the role of these information sources in the decision-making of their consumers. The present research investigates the preference of travelers for UGC and its role in travel decision-making over other marketing information generated by destination marketing organisations (DMOs). The study is based on responses from 220 Indian tourists via an online web-based survey conducted using a structured questionnaire and applying multi-stage sampling. The study findings reveal a strengthened preference for blogs and vlogs among travelers compared to traditional DMO marketing content. The study provides implications for industry players that can help engage their visitors in UGC creation and dissemination for better marketing by suggesting suitable strategies for tourism.

APPLICATION OF THE PPM MODEL IN ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF ECONOMIC FACTORS ON THE SELECTION OF AN AGRO-TOURISM DESTINATION AFTER COVID-19

The tourism industry is one of the industries most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Understanding the motivation for travel is essential for the tourism development of the destination and long-term business. This study used the pushpull-mooring model (PPM model) to explain the factors that influence the decision of tourists to visit agritourism destinations in Serbia after the Covid-19 pandemic, with an emphasis on the economic factors of travel. The results obtained by multiple regression analysis indicate a significant effect of economic, as well as other factors within the model, on the decision of tourists. The significance of the research is reflected in the creation of a realistic picture of the influence of factors on tourists’ decisions, and therefore on the creation of future management steps in the management of an agro-tourism destination.

Social media sites and nightlife tourism: an empirical study of tourist decision-making on nightlife entertainment consumption

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the effect of tourists’ social media usage when planning trips on the probability of tourists consuming nightlife activities and their spending on nightlife consumption.Design/methodology/approachTwo thousand questionnaires comprising questions about social media usage, consumption of nightlife entertainment and decisions to consume nightlife activities are distributed to international visitors at the departure hall of Phuket International Airport. A series of regressions are estimated. A Heckman two-step correction model is conducted to avoid the potential of selection bias.FindingsResults show that the information available on Facebook positively links with the probability of tourists consuming nightlife activities. Furthermore, findings indicate that the usage of YouTube in tourist trip planning could statistically influence tourists to spend more on their nightlife consumption. Therefore, the results suggest that entrepreneurs could use Facebook to stimulate tourists’ nightlife consumption, while YouTube could be used to elevate tourists’ spending on nightlife consumption. The influence of these two social media sites on tourists’ decisions aids the authorities in the mitigation of the negative impacts of nightlife tourism.Originality/valueGiven the increasing role of social media in tourists’ consumption choices, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to quantitatively explore the relationship between tourists’ social media usage and nightlife consumption in Thailand. The revealed relationship between the use of specific social media sites (Facebook and YouTube) and tourists’ decisions to consume and the amount spent on nightlife consumption could be used by nightlife tourism entrepreneurs and destination marketers in their marketing campaigns, yielding competitive advantages. Meanwhile, related authorities and non-profit organisations could apply this study’s findings to demarket tourists’ consumption of nightlife activities in areas affected by the negative impacts of tourists’ nightlife consumption.

Tourist Perceptions of Climate Change Impacts on Mountain Ecotourism in Southern Mexico

Climate change impacts on tourism are well documented, with most studies focusing on challenges facing ski or beach tourism. While non-ski, mountain tourism accounts for almost one fifth of tourism worldwide, there is a dearth of research on tourists’ perceptions of climate change impacts and their effects on tourism demand in these areas. This study, conducted at the ecotourism destination of the Pueblos Mancomunados in the Sierra Norte Mountains of southern Mexico, helps to fill that gap by identifying important tourist decision factors and determining how tourists’ decisions to visit may change under different climatic conditions. Using on-site intercept survey research methodology involving 188 tourists, we found that some climate change scenarios affect tourists’ perceptions of the desirability of visiting nature-based tourism sites. Results indicate that community-based ecotourism businesses, such as the one that operates in the Pueblos Mancomunados, need to specifically plan for climate change impacts, as they may need to alter tourism offerings to sustain demand.

The Factors Influencing Tourist Decision-Making on Choosing a Cultural Destination

Purpose of the study: This paper aims to determine the factors influencing tourist behavior, particularly the decision-making on choosing a cultural destination.
 Methodology: This paper utilized the Exploratory factor Analysis research design to investigate indecisive problems to find out how people get along in the setting under question, what meanings they give to their actions, and what issues concern them. For the statistical tools, the study used descriptive statistics, factor analysis, frequency, and percentage. Also, the researchers used questionnaires and randomly gathered data online, which resulted in 581 respondents in Davao Region, Philippines.
 Main findings: Most of the respondents are female; college-level; ages 18 to 25 years old. The study reveals the factors influencing tourist decision-making on choosing a cultural destination Making Quality Value Accommodation and Accessibility the most important factor while security is the least. When analyzed according to profile, the study reveals that there is a significant difference in the factors influencing tourist decision-making on choosing cultural destination when analyzed according to sex, age, educational attainment, and the provinces within Davao Region Philippines.
 Limitations: The study is limited to tourists in Davao Region, Philippines.
 Social Implications: The result of the study indicates the essence of how tourists formulate decisions which is crucial for the making of competitive advantages of the cultural destinations. The study shows considerable results that are helpful for the development of Davao Philippines Cultural Tourism. Future researchers may utilize this study as their reference and pursue similar research. Lastly, this study was able to create a framework for factors influencing tourist decision-making on choosing cultural destinations.
 Originality/Novelty of the study: The result of the study contributes to the new body of knowledge by identifying the factors influencing tourist behavior, particularly the decision-making on choosing a cultural destination.

Changes in tourist decisions in the shadow of the global crisis – how travel preferences and consumer priorities evolved during COVID-19 and beyond

Changes in tourist decisions in the shadow of the global crisis – how travel preferences and consumer priorities evolved during COVID-19 and beyond

Exploring New Dive Tourist Cohorts on the Great Barrier Reef

This research note reports on previously undescribed cohorts of dive tourists and contributes to the current body of knowledge about dive tourist segments. Findings are based on conversations with 138 passengers who volunteered comments while returning from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) on commercial day-trip and liveaboard (overnight) vessels. The study identified six new dive tourist cohorts. The findings highlight the importance that travel companions play in the decision-making of dive tourists with implications for customer value creation. The findings also may indicate an emerging trend in the adventure tourism market where participants are unlikely to become dedicated enthusiasts in adventure activities such as scuba diving. These insights also have implications for the dive tourism industry as a potential way to increase dive tourist numbers.

Evaluation and analysis of tourism resources and environmental carrying capacity (TRECC) of 278 cities in China: A pressure-support perspective

Sustainable development has emerged as a fundamental objective in contemporary tourism decision-making. The evaluation and analysis of tourism resources and environmental carrying capacity (TRECC) play a crucial role in comprehending and mitigating the conflict between the preservation and utilization of tourism resources and environment, thereby ensuring sustainable tourism development. This study constructs a conceptual framework and an evaluation index system for TRECC from a pressure-support perspective. It quantifies and evaluates the TRECC of 278 Chinese cities, evaluating and analyzing their overall performance, restricting factors, spatial distribution, and common characteristics. The study reveals the following: (1) The majority of cities are in a high-value surplus state, while only a few cities are in a low-value surplus state. Only Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Wuhan, Suzhou, and Dongguan are in a low-value overload state, with Shanghai showing a tendency to transition into the high-value overload state, necessitating heightened monitoring and early warning systems. (2) Scenic spot abundance, natural environment, industry support, tourist scale, and air pollution are the main factors restricting TRECC for most cities. (3) An imbalance is observed in the spatial distribution of TRECC, with the support index high in the southeast and low in the northwest, and the pressure index and TRECC index high in the east and low in the west, or high in the coast and low in the interior. The core cities of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration and Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration are hotspots where high values of TRECC are significantly clustered. (4) Based on TRECC characteristics, cities can be classified into eight types: mega tourism cities, super tourism cities, large tourism cities, southern tourism cities, northwestern tourism cities, tourist-barrier cities, non-tourism-oriented cities, and industrial tourism cities. With these results, policy implications to optimize TRECC are provided, producing an effective reference for formulating tourism development planning.