Destination Development Research Articles

Not just a game: Understanding eco-gamification in sustainable destination development

Eco-gamification is increasingly recognized as a promising approach to address critical environmental challenges and support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of ‘net zero’ emissions and neutrality in land degradation by 2050. However, sustaining long-term engagement remains a challenge, which may be due to the insufficient integration of gamified media elements with visual representations of users' sustainability efforts. Building upon theory of media richness, this study proposes a ‘gamification-user-destination’ model to explore the psychological mechanisms underlying the connections formed between users and destinations through eco-gamification. Based on data from 308 experienced users, a higher-order model indicates that no single strategy can promote environmentally friendly behaviours. Instead, a moderated moderated-mediation effect is observed, suggesting that eco-gamification achieves optimal results when destinations demonstrate genuine environmental commitment. Conversely, superficial environmental campaigns can be counterproductive. This study contributes to the eco-gamification discourse by demonstrating how eco-gamification, in linking users and destinations, is geared toward sustainability goals.

Not Just Survive, But Thrive: Examining Livelihood Capital, Poverty Reduction, and Sustainable Development in Ethnic Tourism Destinations

Understanding the roles of tourism development in poverty reduction and livelihood capital through a microlens is essential to rural ethnic areas’ sustainable development. However, few assessment methods are available to unravel the complex relationships between these three facets, and gaps remain in measuring residents’ livelihood. Based on the sustainable livelihood approach, this paper first selected core components of the sustainable livelihood framework to construct an evaluation index system and then provided specific indicators and evaluative criteria. Taking villages in China’s Longji Rice Terraces as a sample case, this study employed objective approaches (e.g., the entropy weight method and gray relational analysis) to assess residents’ livelihood capital. The aim was to showcase the sustainability of this area’s livelihood through a microlens. Findings offer several important contributions. First, this study presents a reliable measurement development method and a set of evaluation criteria for sustainable livelihood in tourism contexts, including five forms of capital and 21 indicators. Second, local inhabitants were found to benefit from tourism development; their livelihood options were diversified, especially in terms of growing financial capital. Yet these benefits were not evenly distributed, with notable differences observed across communities. Third, farmers’ livelihood capability did not improve uniformly over time. These findings offer valuable insights for tourism and hospitality stakeholders and can help steer rural regions toward a path of prosperity and growth. Strategies for inspiring entrepreneurship should especially be considered. In closing, theoretical implications are discussed, and suggestions for future work are provided.

Tourism Communication through Mombowa Tumpe Ritual Culture as Local Wisdom in Batui District, Banggai Regency

Today's technological developments make the flow of information flow quickly, capable of having an influence on various aspects of human life. One of the conveniences of communication is not breaking the boundaries of distance, space, and time. Humans, as social creatures, can communicate wherever they are through exchanging information, messages, or symbols, whether regarding knowledge, skills, expertise, or other information. Banggai Regency tourism development aims to focus on planning and re-implementing policies to encourage tourism development and provide benefits to the community. Therefore, tourism communication is important for the successful development of a tourist destination. Through communication, opportunities for the popularity of a tourist destination will open up to become more widely known by the wider community. This research aims to describe tourism communication through the mombowa tumpe ritual culture, explain community participation, and understand the tourism communication planning model in developing tourist destinations in Batui District, Banggai Regency. This study uses a qualitative method. Qualitative research produces data in the form of words or images, not numbers and statistics. The analysis and discussion in the research are based on tourism communication based on the local wisdom of Mombowa Tumpe ritual culture in developing tourist destinations as local wisdom in Banggai Regency. The research results show that tourism communication requires coordination in the decision-making process in developing Mombowa Tumpe tourism. Traditional leaders always ask for input from the surrounding community in implementing the Mombowa Tumpe ritual as an effort to develop local tourism in the Batui District area. Ritual culture can be implemented well where traditional stakeholders act as communicators in managing the Mombowa Tumpe ritual to increase tourists visiting Banggai Regency.

Analysis of the Potential of Mukapayung Village as a Sustainable Tourism Destination Based on Sports Tourism

Tourism development in the West Bandung area is currently a serious concern for the local government, one of which is by developing tourist villages. Mukapayung Village, located in Cililin District, is one of the villages designated by the local government as a tourist village. This village has natural beauty with a stretch of rocks that are in harmony with the flow of the river and towering cliffs. This study tries to explore more deeply the potential that Mukapayung village has to be developed into a sportss tourism-based tourism village in West Bandung Regency. The analysis of tourism potential is carried out using a pentahelix approach in order to obtain a picture of the potential of destinations that specifically examines from the aspects of society, government, the role of the media, business actors, and academics so as to support sustainable tourism. This study uses an exploratory qualitative approach. The results of the study obtained an overview that Mukapayung has the potential to be developed as a sports tourism destination by organizing attractions such as: tracking, cycling, climbing, and other sports attractions. A number of tourism components that still need to be developed or improved to support the acceleration of Mukapayung include destination facilities, accommodation, and amenities. As for the management and development of destinations, Mukapayung is currently managed independently by the community through village organizations (Bumdes), without involving various elements such as the tourism office, business actors, academics, and the role of mass media as well as the community and lovers of sportss tourism.

Exploring the future of tourism: a qualitative study on the integration of robotics in North Cyprus hospitality and destination development

PurposeThis study aims to examine the variables that may influence the acceptance and adoption of robot-assisted services by various stakeholders in the tourist industry, namely in hotels.Design/methodology/approachThis study utilized a qualitative research approach to investigate what may influence the acceptance and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technologies in hotels in North Cyprus. Participants were selected for the study based on certain criteria using a referral sampling method.FindingsThe author have identified five core themes. (1) “Insufficient awareness;” (2) “Inadequate knowledge to operate robot-assisted services;” (3) “Limited budget;” (4) “Adherence to traditional management approaches” and (5) “Absence of incentives from tourism authorities.” This study establishes the foundation for future research and strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing the readiness of the hotel industry in North Cyprus to integrate robot-assisted services.Practical implicationsThis research has practical consequences for hotel management employees in North Cyprus. The results may serve as guides for hotel stakeholders to enhance their understanding of the importance of innovation and establishing a competitive advantage in the rapidly growing hospitality business by identifying the pros and cons of adopting AI-driven technology.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, there have been few studies examining the viewpoints of managerial employees in North Cyprus hotels on the implementation of robot-assisted services. The authors examined several managerial employees in hotels to determine factors that might affect the adoption of AI-driven technology. The results are valuable for future research in the context of hotels in North Cyprus.

Enabling active visitor management: local, short-term occupancy prediction at a touristic point of interest

After the temporary shock of the Covid-19 pandemic, the rapid recovery and resumed growth of the tourism sectors accelerates unsustainable tourism, resulting in local (over-)crowding, environmental damage, increased emissions, and diminished tourism acceptance. Addressing these challenges requires an active visitor management system at points of interest (POI), which requires local and timely POI-specific occupancy predictions to predict and mitigate crowding. Therefore, we present a new approach to measure visitor movement at an open-spaced, and freely accessible POI and evaluate the prediction performance of multiple occupancy and visitor count machine learning prediction models. We analyze multiple case combinations regarding spatial granularity, time granularity, and prediction time horizons. With an analysis of the SHAP values we determine the influence of the most important features on the prediction and extract transferable knowledge for similar regions lacking visitor movement data. The results underline that POI-specific prediction is achievable with a moderate relation for occupancy prediction and a strong relation for visitor count prediction. Across all cases, XGBoost and Random Forest outperform other models, with prediction accuracy increasing as the prediction time horizon shortens. For effective active visitor management, combining multiple models with different spatial aggregations and prediction time horizons provides the best information basis to identify appropriate steering measures. This innovative application of digital technologies facilitates information exchange between destination management organizations and tourists, promoting sustainable destination development and enhancing tourism experience.

Perkembangan Kampung Adat Cireundeu: Mengoptimalkan Potensi dan Mempertahankan Keseimbangan Pada Masa Pandemi

Indigenous villages are villages that have a unique capacity and charm, both in terms of geography, environment, and social and cultural life in the community. The purpose of this research is to analyze the governance system in the health, economic, and environmental fields of Cireundeu Traditional Village, a Traditional Village located in South Cimahi District. Cireundeu Traditional Village was able to get through the Covid- 19 pandemic and even now Cireundeu Traditional Village is growing. There are various factors that influence the development of Cireundeu Traditional Village, there are tourism development concepts that have been applied such as management, destination development, marketing development, and the role of stakeholders that can continue to be improved to achieve maximum goals. In this research, descriptive qualitative method is used by observing in the field and conducting direct interviews with the management of Cireundeu Traditional Village. The results of this study show that Cireundeu Tourism Village can maximize the potential that exists in its territory and is able to maintain various aspects of life during the Covid-19 pandemic and is able to continue tourism activities through collaboration between stakeholders.

Sustainable Development of Cycle Tourism Destinations in Croatia based on Innovative e-Tools

Abstract Cycle tourism in Croatia is not just a significant economic contributor but also a driver of rural development and job creation in sectors like hospitality, tourism, leisure, and cycle path maintenance. The unique preferences of cycle tourists for authentic experiences and local culture also boost the local economy. This research, with its practical implications, aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the level of awareness of e-innovation tools in Croatia’s cycling tourism sector, identify challenges and potentials in terms of technological change, and highlight infrastructural gaps in Adriatic versus continental Croatia using a SWOT analysis. The insights from this research can be instrumental in fostering sustainable and long-term destination development, making it a valuable resource for all professionals in the field.

Investigating spatial patterns and determinants of tourist attractions utilizing POI data: A case study of Hubei Province, China

Exploring the spatial distribution characteristics of tourist attractions and the influencing factors is of significant importance for destination development, yet little relevant research has been conducted. This study explores the spatial patterns and determinants of tourist attractions using Hubei Province of China as a case based on the POI (Points of Interest) data, combined with standard deviation ellipse, GeoDetector method and so on. The results show that: (1) The distribution of tourist attractions in Hubei Province is concentrated in Wuhan and Huanggang. (2) The overall spatial patterns of tourist attractions in Hubei Province show a trend of “overall dispersion, partial concentration”, with the direction of northwest-southeast. (3) The permanent population, passenger traffic volume, per capita GDP, and the added value of the tertiary industry are the primary factors influencing the spatial distribution of tourist attractions in Hubei Province. Additionally, topography and river systems factors also impact their distribution. This study provides critical information for theory and practice in terms of tourism resources optimization.

Sustainable Tourism as an Economic Development Model in Evaluation and Prospects of Priority Tourism Destination Development Policy in Indonesia

The research evaluates the impact of policies on developing priority tourism destinations in Indonesia, focusing on sustainability within the tourism industry. The study aims to assess policy effectiveness, influence on local economic growth, and potential for sustainable tourism development in Indonesia. Qualitative methodology and QDAS software were used to analyze data, evaluating past initiatives to understand achievements and shortcomings. The study's findings demonstrate that assessing the effectiveness of policies aimed at developing priority tourism destinations can reveal both the accomplishments and shortcomings of past initiatives. Additionally, this evaluation can enhance our comprehension of how tourism can effectively contribute to the economic advancement of local communities. The study provides valuable guidance for policymakers in Indonesia to create more efficient and enduring tourist development strategies, emphasizing sustainable tourism as a key driver of economic growth.

Community-Based Tourism in the Development of Curug Leuwi Hejo, Bogor

Community participation is an important aspect in supporting the development of a tourist destination. Community participation can create sustainable tourism development, improve environmental sustainability, local economic growth, and community welfare. This research aims to understand the role of the community in efforts to develop tourist destinations in Curug Leuwi Hejo. This research uses qualitative methods, with descriptive qualitative analysis and SWOC analysis. Data collection was carried out by direct observation and interviews with managers and local communities. The results showed that community participation in the development of Curug Leuwi Hejo tourism is carried out through various forms of participation such as open meetings, environmental maintenance, training, responsibility, and local businesses. Community empowerment through awareness raising, job opening, and local craft development are also the main objectives in the concept of community-based tourism. Cultural preservation, such as through the maintenance of cultural heritage and the building of local cultural identity, is also an important aspect in the development of such tourist destinations. However, there are weaknesses and challenges that need to be addressed, such as limited community participation, limited nearby economic opportunities, lack of understanding of environmental impacts, lack of integration of local wisdom, and lack of government support for local initiatives. Appropriate strategies to take advantage of opportunities and overcome challenges, such as increasing community awareness, expanding ecotourism programs, strengthening the promotion of local wisdom and culture, strengthening partnerships with the government, and optimizing digital marketing.

Tourism Destination Development Planning at Studio Alam TVRI Depok

The research entitled " Tourism Destination Development Planning at Studio Alam TVRI Depok" aims to identify planning strategies applied at Studio Alam TVRI Depok, find out the development of Studio Alam TVRI Depok destinations, and provide insight into the importance of development planning in tourist destinations. This tourist destination is interesting to study considering its considerable tourism potential but has not been done optimally. This type of research is qualitative, with descriptive qualitative analysis methods. Data collection was carried out by field observation, interviews with several resource persons, and literature studies. The results showed that the implementation of planning and development strategies has not been optimal, the success of the development of this destination depends heavily on the integration of systematic and sustainable measures. A focus on technological innovation, sustainable management, and the development of engaging content are key to enhancing the visitor experience and achieving Studio Alam TVRI Depok's strategic goal of becoming a unique and engaging media destination.

The Influence of Local Culture and Cultural Tourism Activities on the Quality and Reputation of Tourism Destinations in Bandung

This research investigates the influence of local culture and cultural tourism activities on the quality and reputation of tourism destinations in Bandung. A quantitative approach was employed, utilizing survey data collected from 180 tourists visiting cultural attractions in Bandung. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis was conducted to examine the relationships between cultural variables and destination outcomes. The findings reveal significant positive associations between engagement with local culture, participation in cultural tourism activities, and tourists' perceptions of destination quality and reputation. Cultural tourism activities emerge as key drivers of destination quality, while engagement with local culture positively influences destination reputation. These results underscore the importance of cultural assets in enhancing destination attractiveness and visitor satisfaction and highlight opportunities for destination management and tourism development in Bandung and similar cultural destinations.

Unlocking the gateway to tourist well-being: the Triple-A model of engagement in tourism experiences

ABSTRACT Engagement in tourist experiences is essential for destination development. However, how tourist engagement generates positive psychological outcomes, such as tourist well-being, remains underexplored. Consequently, drawing on an interpretivist paradigm, this study conducts in-depth focus groups with 23 tourism professionals to explore the mechanism through which engagement in tourism experiences is enhanced and subsequently influences tourist well-being. Findings indicate three key pull factors (accessible facilities, available information and accomplished services) which enable tourists to negotiate intrapersonal barriers, fostering behavioral, cognitive and emotional engagement in tourism experiences. With the accumulation of multidimensional engagement experiences, tourists reaped enhanced tourist well-being. A Triple-A model is developed from this study to depict the dynamic connection among the pull factors of tourist engagement, intrapersonal barriers negotiation and tourist well-being. Future studies should seek to strengthen emerging empirical evidence which can inform policy intervention designed to demonstrate the efficacy of tourism experiences for enhancing tourist well-being.

Green Online Food Delivery In Tourist Destinations: Analysis of Tourists' Value on Attitude And Purchase Intentions

This study investigates the implementation of environmentally friendly online food delivery services in tourist destinations, aiming to align with the principles of sustainable tourism. The primary objective is to analyze how tourist values influence their attitudes and purchase intentions toward online food delivery in these destinations. A quantitative research method is employed, utilizing Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) to assess the impact of customer value on attitudes and purchase intentions toward Green Online Food Delivery (Green OFD). The study sample comprises 120 tourists with prior experience using online food delivery services during their visits to tourist destinations. The results indicate that the availability of Green OFD, derived from environmentally friendly local products, significantly affects tourists' attitudes and purchase intentions, especially among those who are mindful of sustainability issues. Tourists demonstrate positive attitudes and purchase intentions when they recognize functional, emotional, social, and epistemic values, including the feeling of contributing to environmental conservation by opting for Green OFD. The findings offer theoretical and practical insights for advancing sustainable tourism destination development.

Preliminary Study of Strategies for Developing Tourism Destinations

Tourism Destinations in Indonesia are experiencing rapid development. This study aims to explain the strategy for developing tourism destinations. This study uses a qualitative method with a descriptive approach. In addition, this research also uses a literature study approach. Research reference data were obtained from journals and reference books related to tourism development strategies. The study results found eight strategies for developing tourism destinations: optimizing environmental management, optimizing potential and community assistance, managing intangible cultural assets, managing tangible cultural assets, fostering surrounding communities, improving product quality, and organizing integrated tourism activities. The government and tourism destination development stakeholders need to respond to the results of this research by optimizing the strategies identified in this study.

Evaluation of top tourism destinations according to their AI development with the entropy-TOPSIS-integrated method

PurposeThis study aims to determine and evaluate the artificial intelligence (AI) development and competitiveness of the top 20 countries that receive the highest number of tourists with the entropy technique for order of preference by similarity to the ideal solution (TOPSIS)-integrated method.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on Global AI Index data published by Tortoise Media. Based on this index, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) report, the top 20 destinations that will host the highest number of tourists in 2022 were evaluated in seven different subpillars, which are talent, infrastructure, operating environment, research, development, government strategy and commercial. These seven subpillars of the index were considered as criteria, and the top 20 tourist destinations were included in the research as decision alternatives.FindingsThe analysis results show that the three most important AI criteria are operating environment, infrastructure and government strategy. Furthermore, the first three countries with the best AI performance according to the weighted criteria were the USA, China and the UK, respectively.Practical implicationsConsidering that AI technologies will direct tourist behavior in a world where technology is rapidly developing, it is recommended that the countries that receive the highest number of tourists improve their AI performance.Originality/valueWhen the relevant literature is examined, there is a limited number of studies examining the AI development and competitiveness of the top tourist destinations and weighting the Global AI Index values. Therefore, this study contributes to the gap in the relevant literature.

The effect of awe on tourists’ responsible behavioral intention in a mountainous religious tourism destination: evidence from China

In China, as the economy and technology advance, the diminishing awe toward nature and deities prompts investigation into its impact on tourists’ responsible behavioral intention at mountainous religious destinations. Previous research has often linked the positive effect of awe on prosocial behavior to the concept of the “small self”, a perspective that in recent years has faced criticism for its limitations. This study proposes that role identity salience provides a more persuasive explanatory mechanism. This concept is particularly relevant to the Chinese cultural context, which emphasizes interpersonal harmony. Besides, this study diverges from prior research focusing solely on environmental responsibility by examining a broader spectrum of responsible behavioral intentions, including both economic contributions to destination development and efforts to preserve its environment and culture. Data from Mount Emei in China were collected and analyzed to examine the hypotheses. The study reveals that awe and role identity salience sequentially mediate the impact of natural environment on intention for non-economically responsible behavior, as well as the impacts of religious atmosphere on intentions for both economically and non-economically responsible behavior.

Measuring the efficiency of four star hotels in Makarska-Croatia using data envelopment analysis

This study explores the scale efficiency of four star hotels in a small tourist destination in Croatia. The number of overnight stays and the increase in hotel beds are two indicators of the development of a tourist destination. Among the accommodation facilities, hotels play a significant role in the development of a tourist destination, but they are increasingly facing a labor force crisis. Data envelopment analysis is used to rank hotels by efficiency coefficient. The aim of the paper is to investigate the efficiency of the hotel by taking certain inputs and outputs, which are explained in detail in the paper. The paper uses the CCR (Charnes, Cooper, and Rhodes) and BCC (Banker, Charnes, and Cooper) models to calculate hotel scale efficiency and also presents an overview of previous research around the world.

Empowering pro-environmental behavior in tourists through digital media: the influence of eco-guilt and empathy with nature.

In the digital economy era, leveraging digital media to foster tourists' pro-environmental behavioral intention (TPEBI) has become crucial in the field of sustainable tourism. While existing studies have mainly focused on the driving mechanism of TPEBI within physical tourism contexts, the correlation between digital media information sharing and TPEBI remains unclear. Our study employs the cognitive-affective-conative framework to construct a theoretical model, considering eco-guilt and empathy with nature as mediating variables. It aims to explore the influencing mechanism of destination environmental information sharing through digital media on TPEBI from a presence perspective. Thereby, two scenario experiments were designed: Study 1 examined the impact of different formats of destination environmental threat information presentation on digital media on the sense of presence, while Study 2 explored the influencing mechanism of presence on TPEBI based on the conclusions of Study 1. Results indicate that (1) vivid and visible presentation formats of destination environmental threat information on digital media enhance individuals' sense of presence; (2) sense of presence positively influences TPEBI; and (3) eco-guilt and empathy with nature mediate between presence and TPEBI. These findings not only contribute to theoretical and empirical research on digital media information sharing in sustainable tourism but also offer guidance for governments and tourism destinations to effectively stimulate TPEBI through digital media, achieve the sustainable development of destinations.