English-speaking Tourists Research Articles

THE IMPORTANCE OF USING ENGLISH GRAMMAR FOR TOURIST GUIDES A STUDY OF A SAMPLE OF GRADUATES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS TOURISM AT AHL AL-BAYT UNIVERSITY IN KARBALA GOVERNORATE

Mastering the English language and its correct rules is necessary for tour guides and a gateway to enhanced communication with tourists. The importance of this research lies in the accurate use of vocabulary, which is critical to achieving the goal of a clear explanation. Understanding grammar is crucial in all languages, mainly administrative and commercial communications. For instance, a sentence's meaning can vary drastically without proper grammar, as seen in the 'go' and 'gen' examples. This research aims to equip tour guides with the necessary language skills to serve their English-speaking tourists better.

Exploring cross-cultural disparities in tourists' perceived images: a text mining and sentiment analysis study using LDA and BERT-BILSTM models

PurposeTourists with different cultural backgrounds think and behave differently. Accurately capturing and correctly understanding cultural differences will help tourist destinations in product/service planning, marketing communication and attracting and retaining tourists. This research employs Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory to analyse the variations in destination image perceptions of Chinese-speaking and English-speaking tourists to Xiamen, a prominent tourist attraction in China.Design/methodology/approachThe evaluation utilizes a two-stage approach, incorporating LDA and BERT-BILSTM models. By leveraging text mining, sentiment analysis and t-tests, this research investigates the variations in tourists' perceptions of Xiamen across different cultures.FindingsThe results reveal that cultural disparities significantly impact tourists' perceived image of Xiamen, particularly regarding their preferences for renowned tourist destinations and the factors influencing their travel experience.Originality/valueThis research pioneers applying natural language processing methods and machine learning techniques to affirm the substantial differences in the perceptions of tourist destinations among Chinese-speaking and English-speaking tourists based on Hofstede's cultural theory. The findings furnish theoretical insights for destination marketing organizations to target diverse cultural tourists through precise marketing strategies and illuminate the practical application of Hofstede's cultural theory in tourism and hospitality.

Fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine-based counterfeit pills sold at tourist-oriented pharmacies in Mexico: An ethnographic and drug checking study

BackgroundFentanyl- and methamphetamine-based counterfeit prescription drugs have driven escalating overdose death rates in the US, however their presence in Mexico has not been assessed. Our ethnographic team has conducted longitudinal research focused on illicit drug markets in Northern Mexico since 2018. In 2021–2022, study participants described the arrival of new, unusually potent tablets sold as ostensibly controlled substances, without a prescription, directly from pharmacies that cater to US tourists. AimsTo characterize the availability of counterfeit and authentic controlled substances at pharmacies in Northern Mexico available to English-speaking tourists without a prescription. MethodsWe employed an iterative, exploratory, mixed methods design. Longitudinal ethnographic data was used to characterize tourist-oriented micro-neighborhoods and guide the selection of n=40 pharmacies in n=4 cities in Northern Mexico. In each pharmacy, samples of “oxycodone”, “Xanax”, and “Adderall” were sought as single pills, during English-language encounters, after which detailed ethnographic accounts were recorded. We employed immunoassay-based testing strips to check each pill for the presence of fentanyls, benzodiazepines, amphetamines, and methamphetamines. We used Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy to further characterize drug contents. ResultsOf n=40 pharmacies, one or more of the requested controlled substances could be obtained with no prescription (as single pills or in bottles) at 28 (70.0%) and as single pills at 19 (47.5%). Counterfeit pills were obtained at 11 pharmacies (27.5%). Of n=45 samples sold as one-off controlled substances, 18 were counterfeit. 7 of 11 (63.6%) samples sold as “Adderall” contained methamphetamine, 8 of 27 (29.6%) samples sold as “Oxycodone” contained fentanyl, and 3 “Oxycodone” samples contained heroin. Pharmacies providing counterfeit drugs were uniformly located in tourist-serving micro-neighborhoods, and generally featured English-language advertisements for erectile dysfunction medications and “painkillers”. Pharmacy employees occasionally expressed concern about overdose risk and provided harm reduction guidance. DiscussionThe availability of fentanyl-, heroin-, and methamphetamine-based counterfeit medications in tourist-oriented independent pharmacies in Northern Mexico represents a public health risk, and occurs in the context of 1) the normalization of medical tourism as a response to rising unaffordability of healthcare in the US, 2) plummeting rates of opioid prescription in the US, affecting both chronic pain patients and the availability of legitimate pharmaceuticals on the unregulated market, 3) the rise of fentanyl-based counterfeit opioids as a key driver of the fourth, and deadliest-to-date, wave of the opioid crisis. It was not possible to distinguish counterfeit medications based on appearance of pills or geography of pharmacies, because identically-appearing authentic and counterfeit versions were often sold in close geographic proximity. Nevertheless, people who consume drugs may be more trusting of controlled substances purchased directly from pharmacies. Due to Mexico’s limited opioid overdose surveillance infrastructure, the current death rate from these substances remains unknown.

An Analysis of the Translation Errors in the Tourism Guide Book "Wonderful Riau Islands" and its Impact on the Visit Interests of Foreign Tourists to the Riau Islands Province

This study aims to describe translation error patterns from Indonesian into English found in the Wonderful Kepri Tourism Guide book. The data in this research are the erronously translated words, phrases and clauses. The samples of the data were collected from several pages in the book. Types of errors are classified into syntactic errors including usage, punctuation, grammar, and syntax. Semantic errors include spelling, tenses, addition or omission of word elements, terminology or diction and free translation. With reference to the findings of this study, the researcher provides a more accurate translation in accordance with the Language of Tourism (LoT) specification and in accordance with the original text so that the message delivered reaches the target audience. The findings are expected to serve as a reference for Provincial Tourism Office of Kepulauan Riau to translate tourist guide books accurately and carefully in the hope that the number of tourism visits especially English-speaking tourists increases in the following years ahead.

Learning English for specific purposes among members of the Shuar Musap Community

Ecuadorian Amazonian communities play a leading role in calling foreigners to experience their beautiful landscapes and the uniqueness of their traditions; therefore, it is important for their inhabitants to be able to communicate with the English-speaking tourists who visit them. Through a mixed methods approach using questionnaires and interviews, the present study aimed to determine perceptions of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) learning within the framework of Andragogy principles among the Musap Shuar community. The findings of the study show favorable perceptions and high motivations regarding English language learning among adults in the community, making them ideal candidates for ESP learning within the framework of Andragogy. Implications for future research and implementation in other communities engaged in community-based tourism are included.

Developing Tourist Information Materials in the Course of Teaching a Foreign Language to Students Specializing in Tourism.

The issue of making the city of Zhytomyr attractive to visitors from Ukraine and abroad is directly related to the resources available for tourists. Despite the rich cultural heritage, having no tourist information office, the city cannot provide its visitors with information materials, tourist information and other resources required to promote the city. Therefore, there is a current need to teach and prepare future managers in the sphere of tourism who are capable of developing the materials for tourists and presenting them in the way to draw visitors to Zhytomyr and the region.
 The article is aimed at defining the scope of knowledge and skills to be acquired by students specializing in tourism management in order to develop information boards and materials for English-speaking tourists. For that purpose the author develops the project task that takes students through the stages of developing an information board for tourists; compiles the list of most common words and phrases in English to be used in the tourist product developed by the students; and develops the framework of local heritage knowledge to be internalized by students specializing in tourism management.
 The suggested project stages are as follows: 1) gathering and analyzing information on local heritage and logistics; 2) acquiring language material, analyzing English-speaking resources for tourists to ensure proper linguistic appeal of the final product; 3) developing information materials for tourists (selecting the subject matter, categorizing information, developing the textual matter and design); 4) Preparing and presenting the information board for tourists visiting Zhytomyr.

ЛЕКСИКО-СТИЛИСТИЧЕСКИЕ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИКИ АНГЛОЯЗЫЧНОГО ИНТЕРНЕТ-ОТЗЫВА ТУРИСТА

The article considers lexico-stylistic characteristics of a tourist’s Internet commentary. The author identifies the basic lexico-stylistic means and purposes of their usage in the English-speaking tourists’ Internet commentaries. The paper examines such types of Internet commentary as a commentary-advice, commentary-warning and commentary-gratitude. Tourists’ Internet commentaries are classified into positive, negative and mixed ones and are analyzed from the viewpoint of the gender aspect. The findings allow identifying the typical features of male and female tourist’s commentaries.

Dubai Shopping Festival: tourists’ nationality and travel motives

Purpose – Tourists differ in their needs, motives and activities but they can be described based on demographic characteristics, nationality being one of them. The purpose of this paper is to compare the different nationalities travelling to Dubai during the Dubai Shopping Festival on their travel motives. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 604 English-speaking tourists, using the mall intercept technique, during the XVIII edition of the shopping festival from January-February 2013. Findings – The study found that a total of 23 nationalities differed on their travel motives. Research limitations/implications – Only English-speaking tourists were included in the study. Practical implications – Tourists from different nationalities differ on their travel motives .The findings of this study will help the Destination Marketing Organisation in understanding the travel motives of the tourists which would help in developing products and market-specific destination promotion. Originality/value – Shopping festivals are being promoted by various destinations as a tourism product. Yet there is a lack of research literature on this topic. This empirical study on travel motives of international tourists visiting a shopping festival will be a worthy addition to the literature.

Do They All Speak the Same Language? a Motivation–benefit Model Toward Cultural Experiences for English-speaking Tourists

Understanding tourism behavior is fundamental to tourism marketing, and cross-cultural influences are particularly relevant. Therefore, in understanding of tourist motivation toward cultural experiences, this study offers an integrated motivational process model adapted from the leisure literature to extend the theoretical and empirical evidence of relevant constructs and relationships between them. From the tourism literature, a new motivation–benefit model of four psychological dispositions relevant to cultural experiences is proposed and tested: attitudes, motives, benefits sought, and benefits gained. Using four English-speaking tourist market samples from the psychically close Anglo cluster, the research model investigates relationships between the four constructs, applying a structural equation modeling approach. Cross-cultural differences are then tested for the geographic tourist markets as influences on the motivational process model. In the study context, these tourist markets take on an additional significance with one group of domestic tourists and three groups of international tourists. By applying a data set for tourists from the Anglo cluster using a repeat-measurement method, their previously identified psychic closeness is tested as well as further differences that could be expected between the domestic and the international tourists. The model is supported for these tourists, but with significantly weaker attitudes and motives for New Zealand tourists.

Soil Restaurant? An Investigation into the English Translation of Travel Signs in China

The boom in Chinese tourism has occurred over the last two decades and it has highlighted many cultural aspects that need consideration. An example of this is travel signs, which are translated from Chinese into English and situated in countless travel destinations in China. This is not only convenient for international tourists but also establishes a dialogue between international tourists and Chinese culture. However, translation errors often appear on these English signs and therefore they do not clearly convey the meaning to English-speaking tourists. This article discusses some issues pertaining to the English translation of travel signs in China and investigates the role culture plays in these translations. The subsequent analysis advocates that more attention should be paid to the English translation of travel signs in the hope that this will, in turn, contribute to a sustainable development of tourism in China.

The Wit and Wisdom of Chinese Tour Guides: A Critical Tourism Perspective 从批判角度探讨中国导游的智慧

This research article examines the communicative techniques and discourse employed by Chinese tour guides during their interaction with English-speaking tourists. In-depth interviews were conducted with tour guides in three locations, intending to capture a cross section of major destinations for visitors to China where the interface between the Chinese host and visitors is likely to be most instructive. The locations for the interviews included Beijing, the cultural and historical center of China; Shanghai, the country's commercial center; and Guilin, a major nature-based tourism destination. The findings indicate that, from a functional perspective, Chinese tour guides employ a variety of communicative strategies when interacting with tourists, which may be indicative of coping behavior or reflective of their inherent attitudes toward visitors. These interactive communication strategies include the use of proverbs, metaphors, analogies, similes, and humor. The prevalent utilization of such techniques in the tour guides’ discourse with visitors not only manifests guides’ wit and wisdom but, viewed from critical tourism and sociolinguistic perspectives, also likely arises in large part from their intent to maintain China's traditional social, political, and economic order in the face of the dramatic changes now taking place in China.

Tourism-Service Language: A Cross-Cultural Perspective on Politeness

This research aims at analyzing politeness principles, politeness norms and cross-cultural perspectives on politeness in tourism-service language used by tourism industry practitioners in Central Java. The research findings indicate that tourism industry practitioners in Central Java use various politeness principles and norms in serving English speaking tourists, Indonesian speaking tourists and Javanese speaking tourists. The findings also indicate that there are similar and different perspectives on politeness among English speaking tourists whose backgrounds are Western cultures, Indonesian speaking tourists whose backgrounds are Indonesian cultures and Javanese speaking tourists whose backgrounds are Javanese cultures towards the tourism-service language used by tourism industry practitioners in Central Java.

Energizing Local Values For Tourism Services Improvement

People in most cultures would probably agree that politeness is needed during their interaction. However there may be differing opinions as to when they should be polite. In tourism industry, tourism service providers’ act as hosts and tourists act as guests. Typically hosts will try to act politely and use appropriate politeness norms when serving guests to ensure their satisfaction. The research findings show that the tourism service providers in Central Java use various unggah-ungguh ‘politeness norms’ when serving English speaking tourists and Indonesian speaking tourists. Besides that, there are some violations made by the tourism service providers in using unggah-ungguh ‘politeness norms’. The research findings also show that there are similar and different perspectives on unggah-ungguh ‘politeness norms’ between English speaking tourists with Western culture backgrounds and Indonesian speaking tourists with Indonesian culture backgrounds towards the politeness norms used by the tourism service providers in Central Java. The findings imply the needs of energizing unggah-ungguh ‘politeness norms’ which is discovered from well known noble Javanese values used by the tourism service providers for tourism service improvement.Keywords: Local Values ; Politeness Norms; Tourism Service Improvement

Energizing Local Values For Tourism Services Improvement

People in most cultures would probably agree that politeness is needed during their interaction. However there may be differing opinions as to when they should be polite. In tourism industry, tourism service providers’ act as hosts and tourists act as guests. Typically hosts will try to act politely and use appropriate politeness norms when serving guests to ensure their satisfaction. The research findings show that the tourism service providers in Central Java use various unggah-ungguh ‘politeness norms’ when serving English speaking tourists and Indonesian speaking tourists. Besides that, there are some violations made by the tourism service providers in using unggah-ungguh ‘politeness norms’. The research findings also show that there are similar and different perspectives on unggah-ungguh ‘politeness norms’ between English speaking tourists with Western culture backgrounds and Indonesian speaking tourists with Indonesian culture backgrounds towards the politeness norms used by the tourism service providers in Central Java. The findings imply the needs of energizing unggah-ungguh ‘politeness norms’ which is discovered from well known noble Javanese values used by the tourism service providers for tourism service improvement.Keywords: Local Values ; Politeness Norms; Tourism Service Improvement

Cultural Experience Tourist Motives Dimensionality: A Cross-Cultural Study

This empirical research of tourists' cultural experiences aims to advance theory by developing a measurement model of tourists' motives towards attending cultural experiences for samples of Western and Asian tourists visiting Melbourne, Australia. Drawing upon Iso-Ahola's (1989) seeking/avoiding dichotomy theory for tourist motivation dimensions, the hypothesized dimensions primarily included escape and seeking-related dimensions, and some hedonic dimensions because of their relevance to aesthetic products (Hirschman & Holbrook, 1982; Holbrook & Hirschman, 1982), which are the context for this study. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to cross-validate the underlying dimensionality structure of cultural experience motives. A four-factor model was extracted from the EFA consistent with some theoretical formulations and was retained in the CFA. Specific cultural language group differences for the motive dimensions were also hypothesized between Western and Asian tourist samples, and within the Chinese- and Japanese-speaking Asian tourist samples, but not within the different cultural groups of English-speaking Western tourists. These cross-cultural hypotheses were tested for the motive dimension measurement model using invariance testing in CFA. The findings for the motive dimensions differing by cultural group were not as expected. Significant cultural differences between Western and Asian tourists were not found, but a new finding of this study was significant differences between English-speaking tourists in their motives for attending cultural experiences. Marketing implications of these findings are also presented.

Helpfulness to Lost Tourists

In this field study, the helpfulness of natives to English-speaking tourists was measured in Salzburg, Austria; Florence, Italy; and Prague, Czech Republic. Helpfulness, the willingness of participants to provide the tourists-confederates with directions to popular landmarks, occurred in 77% of the 366 cases. Participants in Salzburg, Austria, were most attentive to the confederates' requests for directions. Male participants stood closer, spent more time, and listened more attentively to requests for directions from female confederates than to those from male confederates. Neither the city in which the helping situations occurred nor the gender of the participants was significant in the rate of giving directions. Participants similar in age to the confederates gave directions more often than did those who were older. More frequent assistance occurred during encounters on sunny or partly sunny days than during encounters on cloudy or rainy days.

Predicting Vacation Activity Preferences on the Basis of Value-System Segmentation

Personal values have long been considered an important variable for market segmentation. Single values may be grouped on the basis of their importance ratings into higher-order value domains, and the differential weighting of these domains represents an individual's value system. Value systems serve to maintain an individual's self-esteem and consistent behavior in those situations where one or more values may be in conflict. Thus, value-system segments derived from the rating of personal values reflect the fact that multiple values affect behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine whether vacation activity importance ratings differed across segments comprised of tourists homogeneously grouped on the basis of personal value systems. The sample included 394 English-speaking tourists visiting Scandinavia. Four mutually exclusive higher-order value-system segments were identified and found to differ on activity importance ratings. Implications for tour ism marketers are discussed.