Destination Planning Research Articles

Exploratory Methodology for Sustainability Assessment in Tourist Destination Planning

Exploratory Methodology for Sustainability Assessment in Tourist Destination Planning

The relationship between visitors’ motivation and landscape preference for the pilgrimage route on the Mount Miaofeng, China

Many countries have recognized the significance of religious tourist destinations and actively included them into tourism systems. This study took the pilgrimage route on the Mount Miaofeng, a famous sacred place in northern China, as the research site to comprehensively understand visitors’ on-site experience when walking along it. The visitor-employed photography technique, supplemented by a questionnaire survey, was used to explore visitors’ preferences for landscape elements and spatial sequences. The landscape elements were identified in eight categories (including vegetation, religious symbol, mountain, route, human, village, temple fair, and facility), and the spatial sequences of photos along the route were divided into containing views at close, middle, and remote distances. Visitors were classified into three types: those motivated by religious purposes, recreational purposes, and multiple purposes. It was concluded that visitors normally preferred the vegetative landscape and religious symbol categories, and they preferred to take photos with views at close distance (with cultural and aesthetic significance) in human settlements. Visitors motivated by different purposes showed different patterns of preferences for landscapes which are in consistent with their travel motivations. This study contributed to an in-depth interpretation of the people-place relationships and the enrichment of tourism motivation theory, and it could provide valuable references for the conservation, management, and planning of religious tourism destinations.

Resilience agenda for gastronomy-driven tourism destinations

Purpose: This research aims to gather insights from industry experts in gastronomy tourism to identify and propose potential strategies necessary for enhancing the resilience of destinations in the post-COVID era and preparing them for future disruptions. Approach: To this end, the authors applied the digital whiteboard platform Mural to conduct a brainstorming session with seven industry experts. Findings: The outcomes of this research study unveiled a practical framework delineating a resilience agenda tailored for self-sustainable gastronomy-driven tourism destinations. This framework highlights four key strategies: (1) strengthening supply chains with local producers, (2) adopting sustainable waste management practices, (3) developing robust risk management plans, and (4) fostering community engagement and collaboration. Originality/value: This paper is the first to propose potential strategies from an industry expert’s perspective that can pull gastronomy tourism forward while enhancing destinations’ resilience. Incorporating these strategies into the planning and management of gastronomy-driven tourism destinations will be critical to ensure their long-term viability and success to adapt and thrive effectively in the face of future uncertainties.

Smart Destination Planning with ChatGPT

This research focuses on a smart tourism destination plan created in line with the recommendations of ChatGPT. Within the framework of Conversation Theory, a mutual dialog was developed with ChatGPT to create a smart tourism destination plan. Within the scope of this dialog, 3 questions were asked to ChatGPT to create a smart tourism destination plan, examples and level. It is seen that ChatGPT has created a plan consisting of ten dimensions for Nevşehir destination. In this plan, ChatGPT emphasizes areas such as strengthening the digital infrastructure, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications, online ticketing systems and e-commerce integration in a more comprehensive manner. In addition to these dimensions, the ChatGPT smart tourism destination plan also emphasizes issues such as cultural heritage protection, community engagement, education, digital marketing and security. It is seen that ChatGPT includes many factors that are important for a destination's tourism activities within the scope of smart tourism. Finally, ChatGPT also creates a smart tourism destination level by adhering to the smart tourism destination plan.

Spiritual tourism development: a comprehensive synthesis for sustainable destination planning and growth

Purpose This paper aims to explore the dimensions of spiritual tourism development, examine its current status, effectiveness and scope and analyze the knowledge landscape in terms of theories, contexts and research methodologies. The study also seeks to guide future research on spiritual tourism development. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review (SLR) and bibliometric analysis were used using a framework-based approach. The theories, constructs, characteristics and methods (TCCM) framework guided the SLR, whereas VOS-Viewer facilitated comprehensive bibliometric analysis. Findings The study conducted a quantitative SLR, analyzing 80 research articles published between 2003 and 2023. Using the TCCM framework, the research identified crucial factors influencing the growth of spiritual tourist destinations, such as intrinsic motivation, destination physicality, tourist experience, spiritual activities and host community support. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to theoretical advancement in spiritual tourism, provides insights into the current research landscape, offers practical guidance for stakeholders and serves as a roadmap for future research endeavors. Originality/value This research enhances knowledge by thoroughly assessing prior research, addressing gaps and offering practical managerial insights for spiritual tourism development. The managerial implications outlined in the study offer practical insights for destination planning and promotion in the context of spiritual tourism.

Distribution characteristics and development layout of rural tourism resources based on LSTM in-depth learning in the context of common prosperity

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The development and layout of rural tourism resources is the core issue supporting the development and planning of tourism destinations. Currently, it mainly relies on the experience and judgment of planners, with strong subjectivity and lack of objective information technology support. Therefore, in the context of common prosperity, a method for distribution characteristics and development layout of rural tourism resource based on LSTM deep learning is proposed. After distinguishing various rural tourism resources using the classification method of rural tourism resources based on LSTM in-depth learning, the spatial distribution characteristics of various tourism resources are estimated using the analysis method for spatial distribution characteristics of tourism resources based on kernel density estimation; After identifying the current status of tourism resource functional areas through a method of tourism resource development and layout based on a grid spatial analysis model combined with the distribution characteristics information mastered, and from the perspective of tourists, it can optimize the layout mode of functional areas to maximize the benefits of rural tourism resources on the basis of satisfying tourists' preferences. After testing, this method can utilize intelligent information technology to optimize the development and layout of rural tourism resources.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

Analysis of the Social and Environmental Impact of Ecotourism on Local Communities: A Case Study on the Development of Ecotourism Destinations in the Kuta Beach Area

This study examines the social and environmental impacts of the development of ecotourism destinations in the Kuta Beach area on the local community. Ecotourism, as a sustainable tourism approach, has the potential to provide significant economic, social, and environmental benefits to local communities. However, its implementation often has complex impacts, both positive and negative, especially related to changes in spatial planning, socio-culture, and the natural environment. This case study uses a qualitative approach through in-depth interviews with local residents, destination managers, and other related parties, as well as direct observation on the ground. The results of the study show that ecotourism in the Kuta Beach area has made a positive contribution to improving the economic welfare of the local community through the creation of jobs and new business opportunities. However, on the other hand, there is also an increase in pressure on the environment, including the degradation of coastal ecosystems and the destruction of natural habitats. In addition, social changes such as shifts in cultural values and lifestyles of local communities are a significant concern. Thus, a holistic and participatory management strategy that involves local communities is needed to maximize the benefits of ecotourism while minimizing its negative impacts. The conclusion of this study emphasizes the importance of integrating social and environmental aspects in the planning and management of ecotourism destinations in order to achieve true sustainability.

Why Do Park Visitors Engage With Social Media for Peer-to-Peer Information?

Park visitors are increasingly gravitating toward peer-to-peer sources of information on social media to prepare for their visit to nature parks. This has significant implications for park safety and management. The current study utilizes the Theory of Consumer Values and Crompton’s Push and Pull Theory as the theoretical lens. This research presents a thematic analysis of 19 interviews with participants who visited a nature park in Western Australia and engaged with social media communities to seek park-related information in the past 12 months. Six themes were identified related to the motivators and barriers for park visitors to seek park-related information from social media communities. They are: (1) destination planning and activities information; (2) access to real-time information; (3) source credibility; (4) social interactions and influences; (5) entertainment; (6) novelty. The findings provide significant managerial insights for park agencies and managers to optimize their social media communication of park-related information.

Associations of neighbourhood attributes with depression in mid-age and older adults: the moderating role of traffic-related air pollution and neighbourhood socioeconomic status

ABSTRACT We aimed to examine whether features of the natural, built and socioeconomic neighbourhood environments were related to depressive symptoms in Australian mid-age and older adults; and whether traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) (NO2) and area-level SES moderated the associations. A total of 4141 of participants (M age = 61 years) were included in this cross-sectional study. Neighbourhood environmental characteristics included percentages of parkland, blue space and commercial land use, population density (persons/hectare), street intersection density (intersections/km2) within 1 km residential buffers. Annual mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were included. In total-effect models, greater street intersection connectivity was associated with fewer depressive symptoms. Population density was positively associated with depressive symptoms in direct-effect models. Residents from disadvantaged areas with low levels of NO2 and with greater commercial land use coverage reported fewer depressive symptoms. In contrast, residents were more likely to report depressive symptoms with greater coverage of commercial land use in high SES neighbourhoods with low levels of NO2. Street connectivity and population density play a role in the maintenance of mental health in older adults. NO2 and area-level SES are moderators of commercial land use-depression associations, and this knowledge can better inform planning of commercial destinations and facilities in urban environments.

Iranian children's memorable rural tourism experiences

Family traveling, especially to rural areas, may lead to appealing fun experiences for children and make them memorable. Memorable experiences of children from various aspects can be useful for policy makers and planners of destinations, parents and children. The effectiveness of travels and children's learning from traveling are among the most significant concerns of parents and tourism activists. So, identifying and understanding children's memorable experiences of traveling to rural areas of Iran that has various local cultures can influence filling such gaps as future destination planning, developing child-friendly rural destinations, family traveling, designing child-oriented tourism programs, and future generation's being loyal to local destinations. This study aimed to identify Iranian children’ memorable rural tourism experiences. The sample includes 37 children from ages 6 to 12. Interpretive phenomenology was used to conduct the study with the help of interviews and the analysis of the content of children's paintings. This study shows that children pay attention like adults to such elements as people, space, activities, objects, and social relations during their travel. Moreover, the conducted interviews resulted in 45 key notions categorized into 6 basic axes of memorable experiences: being exciting, being informative, being novel and unique, being gratifying, being socially involved, and negative experiences. This study provides insights on identifying and understanding the issues affecting the creation of memorable tourism experiences for children that travel to rural areas. The issues would help parents in taking child-oriented tourism travels, planners in designing child-friendly tourism destinations, and tourism service providers in delivering child friendly offerings.

Is destination management data-driven and technology based? The perspective of the authorities responsible for destination management in a geographically diverse destination area

n order to determine whether the entities responsible for destination management at the local level are keeping up with market trends, especially the requirements on implementing “smartness”, and whether there is a recognition of the need for their decision-making to be guided by real-time information and data, this research surveyed most of the local tourism authorities in the recognized tourism region of the Adriatic, which regularly records high numbers of tourist arrivals and overnight stays in the Republic of Croatia, a country where tourism is an extremely important component of GDP. To explore the topic, a survey was conducted by using the methods of Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) and Computer-Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI), depending on the preferences of the respondents, primarily heads of destination management entities. The study of a specific topic related to tourism development decision-making, the application of smart technologies in the destination, and the collection of input from visitors to the destination included 73.53% of tourism management bodies (tourist boards of cities/municipalities) in the observed region and resulted in interesting findings. It is indicative that the application of technologies varies by sub-region and that decision-making is based on similar sources, regardless of the strategic importance of a particular decision and its long-term impact. Also, the fact that a large proportion of destination planning and development managers interviewed had no knowledge about the existence of strategic documents on sustainable development, and that only a very small proportion implement a strategy for the application of smart technologies and recognize the benefits of such an approach, is somewhat alarming. The limitations in this research are mostly caused by the determinants imposed by the funding source

Evolving Narratives in Tourism and Climate Change Research: Trends, Gaps, and Future Directions

This study presents a comprehensive overview of the evolving landscape of tourism and climate change research over the past decade by leveraging bibliometric analysis and a dataset sourced from the Scopus Database. The study scrutinised over 3400 English language articles. The analysis reveals a remarkable surge in publications, signifying the growing recognition of climate change’s multifaceted impact on tourism. However, a noteworthy geographical disparity emerges, with many regions remaining underrepresented in the literature, particularly in Africa and the Middle East. This oversight is concerning, given the vulnerability of these regions to climate change and their burgeoning tourism industries. The study also highlights the pivotal role of influential scholars, funding organisations, and publication outlets in shaping the research landscape. The European Commission and the National Natural Science Foundation of China are major funders. At the same time, journals like Sustainability and the Journal of Sustainable Tourism serve as prominent platforms for disseminating research findings. The analysis uncovers thematic trends, including the growing focus on climate change modelling and its implications for destination planning. However, research gaps persist, notably in sports tourism and climate resilience within the tourism sector. In conclusion, this study offers valuable insights into the current state of tourism and climate change research, pinpointing areas that demand increased attention and inclusivity. It is a valuable resource for scholars, policymakers, and stakeholders working towards a sustainable and resilient future for the global tourism industry in the face of climate change.

A Predictive Model Based on TripAdvisor Textual Reviews: Early Destination Recommendations for Travel Planning

Although many studies have considered the effects of online reviews on tourists’ decisions, none have directly investigated how to leverage open data analyses to create early choice sets and facilitate destination planning. This paper illustrates how salient characteristics can be mined from the shared experiences embedded in review data and incorporated into a predictive model to build a travel counseling approach. The model is designed by first defining a prediction-based mechanism from online reviews and then generating a multinomial classification problem on all candidate destinations of interest. The model is implemented by applying Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Deep Learning (DL) technologies to review textual features. The model is validated using 75,315 reviews from TripAdvisor along with destinations from 257 U.S. national parks. Empirical results indicate a best classification accuracy of 67%, outperforming two previous approaches. Findings shed light on how to exploit past tourists’ experiences to generate early destination recommendations to identify items for choice sets and reduce tourists’ travel-planning effort. Theoretical and managerial implications regarding social media analytics are provided based on online review meta-data in touristic management.

Exploring the destination network in the context of tourism mobility: a multi-scale analytical framework

ABSTRACT Tourist mobility has attracted considerable attention from tourism academics and industry practitioners. This study explores the destination network, which is constructed based on tourists’ digital footprint data collected from online travel diaries, by proposing a multi-scale analytical framework. In particular, to analyze the tourism destination network comprehensively, the proposed framework integrates traditional quantitative analysis (gravity center model, statistics of flow directions) and three scales of network analysis (macroscopic, mesoscopic and microscopic network metrics), to reveal the structural patterns of the underlying pattern characteristics; furthermore, by using the multiple regression quadratic assignment procedure (MRQAP), the framework also explores the formation mechanism of the destination network by measuring the correlation and causality between the destination network and the corresponding transportation network, combining other potential driving factors. Based on illustrative case study data, which contains 18, 939 travel diaries and 51, 603, 044 transportation records from Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle in China, the empirical results show that the destination network is dynamically changed during four-year period, and the transportation network has great potential in explaining the formation of destination network. The dynamic characteristics of destination network and the exploration of formation mechanism offer the opportunities for improving destination planning and management.

Abstract WMP40: A Geospatial Information Services Assessment of Prehospital Bypass on Overtriage for Large Vessel Occlusion and Hemorrhagic Stroke

Introduction: To increase the number of patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) acute ischemic strokes (AIS) transported directly to Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSCs), on December 1, 2021, the threshold score for our county EMS agency’s quantitative stroke severity scale (FAST-ED) for bypassing a non-CSC decreased from 7 to 6. The goal of this work was to evaluate the impact of and adherence to this change, and its effect on overtriage. Methods: Two large regional health systems and the county EMS agency collaborated on this study. Using latitude and longitude coordinates from our EMS agency’s database, we geocoded the pick-up location of all patients who had a FAST-ED score of ≥6 from September 2019 to December 2022. We used ArcGIS to calculate drive times to the closest facility among 2 CSCs and 7 non-CSCs, and linked EMS records to hospital records to determine LVO AIS involving the intracranial ICA, M1, M2 or basilar artery. For patients without a CSC as the closest destination facility, we defined overtriage as routing to a CSC for a non-LVO or non-hemorrhagic stroke patient. Results: Over our 40-month study period, among patients with a FAST-ED score performed (n=13,913), 824 had a score ≥6. Actual versus ArcGIS drive times in minutes [mean(SD)] compared favorably [14.8(8.5) vs 14.4(6.4), with an ICC of 0.68 (95% CI 0.64-0.72). For 799/824 patients (97%), one of the county’s two CSCs was not the closest destination facility, and among this group 99% (n=787/799) of EMS records were successfully linked to the hospital record. Among these patients, prior to December 1, 2021, 67% (n=219/326) patients with FAST-ED score ≥7 were bypassed to a CSC, with an overtriage rate of 49% (n=107/219), while after that date 88% (n=230/262) patients with a FAST-ED score ≥6 were bypassed to a CSC, with an overtriage rate of 55% (n=126/230). Conclusion: It is feasible to use drive times calculated from ArcGIS to evaluate the performance of EMS stroke triage and destination plans. Lowering our county’s FAST-ED score threshold for bypass increased adherence to the bypass protocol with a modest increase in overtriage. Future work will incorporate undertriage rates with the ultimate goal of optimizing our regional stroke and triage destination plan.

Predicting Urgent Dialysis at Ambulance Transport to the Emergency Department Using Machine Learning Methods.

Hemodialysis patients frequently require ambulance transport to the hospital for dialysis. Some patients require urgent dialysis (UD) within 24 hours of transport to hospital to avoid morbidity and mortality. UD is not available in all hospitals; therefore, predicting patients who need UD prior to hospital transport can help paramedics with destination planning. In this paper, we developed machine learning models for paramedics to predict whether a patient needs UD based on patient characteristics available at the time of ambulance transport. This paper presented a study based on ambulance data collected in Halifax, Canada. Given that relatively few patients need UD, a class imbalance problem is addressed by up-sampling methods and prediction models are developed using multiple machine learning methods. The achieved prediction scores are F1-score=0.76, sensitivity=0.76, and specificity=0.97, confirming that models can predict UD with limited patient characteristics.

The potential of accessible tourism for sustainable development of local communities in northern Pakistan

PURPOSE: Accessible tourism holds significant importance for local communities as it is a cornerstone for fostering inclusivity and equal participation in the tourism industry. Recognizing the growing global emphasis on inclusivity, especially for individuals with diverse needs, this research aims to explore the multifaceted impacts of accessible tourism on the sustainable development of local communities in the northern areas of Pakistan. Additionally, the study assesses the moderating role of destination image between accessible tourism dimensions and the sustainable development of local communities. Given that destinations heavily rely on tourism to fulfill their socio-economic needs, it becomes imperative to evaluate the potential transformative impact of accessible tourism on their sustainable development. METHODOLOGY: A self-administered survey was completed using a two-stage sampling approach with 321 tourists and 321 local residents from five tourist destinations in northern Pakistan. Subsequently, the collected data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test the proposed hypotheses. FINDINGS: The results show the significance of all four dimensions of accessible tourism (accessible core resources and attractors, accessible supporting factors and resources, accessible qualifying and amplifying determinants, and destination planning and management) in the sustainable development of local communities. The moderation assessment further confirms that destination image strengthens the relationship between accessible core resources and attractors, contributing to the sustainable development of local communities. However, destination image was found to have a negative moderating effect between accessible qualifying and amplifying determinants and the sustainable development of local communities. IMPLICATIONS: Empirical findings offer fresh insights for destination planners and policymakers in the tourism industry. These insights pertain to the effective utilization of accessible tourism practices, which can significantly contribute to the sustainable development of destinations. Additionally, tourism businesses can leverage the research to attract a broader segment of tourists, increase profitability, and enhance tourist satisfaction by implementing accessible practices and services. Understanding the moderating role of destination image can further guide them in crafting responsible tourism narratives that resonate with diverse travelers. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: The study marks an initial attempt to explain how destinations, particularly those heavily reliant on tourism, can strategically leverage accessible tourism as a crucial factor in fostering sustainable community development.

Planeación para el ordenamiento territorial en un destino turístico: Puerto Vallarta-Bahía de Banderas

The planning of tourist destinations has gained greater interest in territorial ordering and sustainable development through the implementation of regulatory and strategic instruments that establish elements to follow and reinforce the possibilities of participatory planning, which are not exempt from difficulties. The present study focuses its attention on carrying out an evolutionary analysis of the planning and of the significant urban-tourist instruments in the destination of Puerto Vallarta and Bahía de Banderas, using the path dependence approach and with a review of the legal foundation in its three levels of government. The results reveal that there is a multiplicity of planning instruments with different criteria due to the lack of coordination of territorial governance and the discretionary application of regulations that have led to an expansive and diffuse territorial model that does not respond to any development plan or territorial ordering.

The planning of community tourist destinations: A look from the visitors

Tourist activity, beyond mobilizing travelers and energizing economies, in recent times has focused on social and environmental responsibilities, generating expectations in different destinationsthat must be resolved with planning, this being a good ally to face the demands of both visitors and internal, as well as, for the generation of complementary offer and diversification of products, in this context, the work exposes the point of view of visitors on planning community tourist destinations. The methodology is based on a theoretical review that guided the instruments that were applied through the survey technique to 384 visitors in relevant destinations in the province of Santa Elena, which inturn were treated through multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). The results show that Conbrach's Alpha are within the range of reliability, where dimension one with 22% variability highlights planning as an incident of responsible tourism and contributes to improving the quality of life; while dimension two with 16% variability exposes the participation of local actors in the development of tourism as very important

Framing memorable hiking tourism experiences through embodiment: The case of Mount Huangshan, China

Hiking tourism is becoming increasingly popular with the rise of health concerns. This study uncovers means-end chains of memorable experiences of hiking tourists and considers the role of embodiment in such experiences. The findings confirmed three structural dimensions and nine hierarchical chains, three of which were connected with physical embodiment. Social and emotional embodiment were identified in the other chains. Physical, social and emotional embodiment were found to be essential in creating mindful and meaningful experiences that led to a sense of self-accomplishment and deeper self-awareness. This study contributes by constructing a framework to examine memorable hiking tourism experiences in relation to embodiment theory. Practical implications are also provided on hiking tourism management and promotion. Management implicationsHiking tourists have better and more memorable experiences when the perceived level of physical challenge is anticipated. Embodied experience is an important component of hiking tourism and such experience consists of physical, social and emotional characteristics. Theoretically this paper built a link between embodiment and memorable experiences in tourism research. The conceptual model can also serve as a practical guide to improve memorable experiences at hiking destinations. Mature destinations need to improve the interpretation systems to provide more information on the trail and trip conditions, while for early-stage destinations, the memorable hiking tourism experience chains can be a useful tool for trail development and planning. Hiking tourism organization also need to cater the needs of tourists with different physical capabilities. Site managers and tour operators should consider the physical, social and emotional elements of tourists’ expectations in destination planning and itinerary design. Various marketing strategies can be applied to tackle the needs of different hiking tourist groups.