First-time Travelers Research Articles

Ocean and coastal tourism: National or regional culture on culinary selection of inbound tourists

The current study endeavors to address a conspicuous lacuna in the extant literature pertaining to ocean and coastal tourism by examining the nuanced intersection of national/regional culture and the culinary preferences of inbound tourists. Despite the heightened attention devoted to issues such as ocean warming, marine pollution, overfishing, and habitat destruction within both industry and academia, the influence of cultural dimensions on gastronomic choices remains a relatively unexplored domain. Motivated by this research gap, our study employs multiple dimensions of Hofstede's cultural framework, specifically Individualism Versus Collectivism (IDV), Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI), and Long-Versus Short-Term Orientation (LTO), to scrutinize the intricate association between national/regional culture and the culinary selections of inbound tourists at an ocean and coastal destination, exemplified by Osaka, Japan. An empirical analysis encompassing a diverse sample of over 4000 random inbound tourists from approximately 50 different countries/regions traversing Osaka was conducted through a meticulously administered questionnaire. The empirical findings reveal that both IDV and LTO exert positive impacts on the extent of culinary selection made by inbound tourists during their ocean and coastal tourism experiences. Furthermore, a discernible pattern emerges indicating that tourists hailing from home countries/regions characterized by lower scores in the UAI dimension exhibit a proclivity for adventurous culinary choices, engaging with less conventional cuisines at the ocean destination. In contrast, tourists originating from higher-UAI countries/regions demonstrate a predilection for a broader spectrum of highly popular cuisines during their ocean and coastal tourism sojourn. In addition, we found potential disparities in culinary consumption behavior between first-time travelers and repeat visitors to the ocean destination. The empirical evidence generated from this research is poised to furnish valuable insights that can inform both theoretical discourse and practical strategies for the effective management of ocean and coastal destinations, thereby contributing to the burgeoning field of sustainable tourism management.

CHANGES IN FIRST-TIME TRAVELLERS' MOTIVATIONS FOR SHARED ACCOMMODATIONS: INSIGHTS FROM SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY

In recent years, more and more travellers have chosen shared accommodations as their tourism accommodations, and their initial motivations tend to be different from their motivations after participation. However, beyond anecdotal evidence, there is a dearth of understanding of changes in motivations for first-time travellers. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how first-time shared accommodation travellers change over time (hereafter referred to as first-time travellers) by employing Self-Determination theory (SDT) as the theoretical foundation. The data was collected with the purposive sampling approach from 30 first-time travellers’ interviews, before and after their first experience of shared accommodations. The results indicate that changes in first-time travellers’ basic needs are found to internalize or externalize their motivations in repeat participation. This study adds to the literature on the dynamic motivation process for first-time travellers, identifies the underlying reasons behind the motivational changes, and provides marketing strategies for shared accommodation practitioners to target and attract this group of travellers to use shared properties repeatedly.

Characteristics of imported cases of Dengue fever and hemorrhagic Dengue fever in 2009-2019

In Russia, the approved morbidity statistics system is represented by the International Classification of Diseases of the 10th revision (ICD-10). This classification provides two forms of dengue fever (DF): dengue fever (A90) and hemorrhagic dengue (A91). Official statistics on the ratio of forms of DF is not published in open sources and this lack of information about the real ratio of the forms of DF makes it difficult to objectively assess the factors that determine the severity of this disease. compare the clinical and epidemiological features of dengue fever and hemorrhagic dengue fever in patients hospitalized in 2009-2019 to the City Infectious Clinical Hospital No. 1, Moscow. A retrospective cohort study. We analyzed the patient database and reviewed 391 medical records of patients with diagnosed dengue fever. We compared gender, age characteristics, travel geography including information about previous visits of patients to endemic regions and dengue virus serotype. To determine the primary and re-infection rate, an analysis of IgG for the dengue virus was carried out on days 1-5 of the disease. To compare indicators, 95% confidence intervals for proportions, medians, and interquartile ranges were calculated. The significance of differences between independent samples for assessing qualitative characteristics was carried out using the criteria χ2, the odds ratio. To assess the quantitative characteristics, the Mann-Whitney test was used. Differences were considered statistically significant at p ≤ 0.05. The proportion of patients with dengue fever was 14.9% of all hospitalized with febrile illnesses that developed after international travel. Hemorrhagic dengue fever (DHF) was diagnosed in 15.7% of patients with dengue fever. DHF developed significantly more often in women, as well as in those who had history of repeated visits to endemic regions. However, DHF was also diagnosed in 10.9% of first-time travelers to tropical countries. We did not find significant differences in the rates of DHF development depending on age and dengue virus serotype. In a number of patients who had not previously traveled to endemic regions, IgG to the dengue virus were detected, which may indicate a previous infection with related flaviviruses. It has been established that in the regions most visited by Russians, there is a circulation of all serotypes of the dengue virus with an annual change in the predominant serotype.

Passenger Destination System for Commercial Vehicles

Public vehicles are predominantly the commonest and most widely used means of transport for humans in this current time. However, passengers who often commute with public vehicles mostly encounter the challenge of missing their destination primarily due to difficulties in communicating their destination to the driver, sleeping in the case of long-distance travel or the inability to recognize their destinations, and many more. In this paper, a fully functional and cost-effective passenger destination alert system for commercial vehicles (PDSCV) was developed. This designed passenger destination alert system provides solutions to the problems and as well meets the needs of some target groups such as the physically challenged. To solve these challenges, a GPS-based location module interfaced with a microcontroller unit was employed in the hardware prototype design. Destination stations were displayed and announced via an LCD and audio system respectively to generally alert all passengers on board the vehicle. The prototype also includes alert buttons beside every seat which were to be used by passengers in emergencies and to alert the driver to skip a particular terminal provided the bus is fully occupied and no passenger intends to alight. In addition to the hardware prototype, a software application was developed to provide further information to first-time travellers. The test and results from the entire system indicate a bridge in the communication gap between the driver and the passengers of commercial vehicles.

Motivations, self-congruity and restaurant innovativeness as antecedents of a creative-food tourism experience: the moderating effect of first-time and repeat tourists

PurposeThis study aims to analyze the drivers of a creative food tourism experience (CFTE) and its effect on the tourists' perceived authenticity and satisfaction. Specifically, this study captures the importance to explain a CFTE of two sets of stimuli: internal stimuli, including push motivations for food travel (i.e. emotional, cultural and social) and the tourist self-congruity (i.e. actual and ideal) with the chosen food establishment; and external stimuli, referred to the pull motivation exerted by restaurant innovativeness.Design/methodology/approachData are obtained through a questionnaire completed by 407 food tourists who have traveled to visit a creative restaurant. The research model is tested using structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsResults confirm the relevance of emotional and social motivations to enjoy a CFTE and the need to align the target tourists' self-concept and restaurant positioning. The most vital driver of the CFTE is the restaurant innovativeness, which suggests that entrepreneurship in gastronomy is critical to boosting food tourism.Originality/valueThis study expands the understanding of the role of food tourism motivations and self-congruity in the tourist experience and underlines the relevance of the restaurant's production process to create authentic and compelling experiences that improve the tourists' satisfaction. Moderation analysis considering the tourists' previous experience reveals that cultural motivations only exert a positive effect on the CFTE for first-time travelers. However, self-congruity is the strongest predictor of a CFTE for repeat travelers.

Photo Taking Paradox: Contrasting Effects of Photo Taking on Travel Satisfaction and Revisit Intention

The present research establishes that taking photos has a paradoxical dual effect on travelers’ satisfaction and revisit intention. Across five empirical studies, we show that while taking photographs increases travelers’ satisfaction with an experience, it simultaneously decreases travelers’ intention to revisit the same experience. The increased psychological engagement induced by photo taking is the underlying mechanism behind this dual effect. Specifically, the greater engagement increases satisfaction with an experience, but it also makes it easier for travelers to remember the experience and, therefore, diminishes the perceived utility of revisiting the same experience. Hence, travelers are less likely to go back to a place if they have taken photographs of it during a visit. An intriguing implication arising from these findings is that while allowing photographs can be an effective policy to attract first-time travelers, prohibiting photography is more effective for encouraging revisits.

The Influence of Message Framing on Hotel Guests’ Linen-Reuse Intentions

Hotels have attempted numerous approaches to encourage guests to participate in linen-reuse programs. One of the most promising methods is to use appropriate message framing. A study of 427 travelers to Charleston, South Carolina, examined the participants’ opinion of how they would respond to various message frames. A comparison of the messages that are framed as gains versus those framed as losses found that the guests generally responded to a message framed as avoiding a loss, in this case, one that said “don’t miss out.” However, the study also found that mentioning the destination city by name effectively trumped the loss framing. Particularly for first-time travelers, specifically mentioning Charleston in the message increased the respondents’ opinion that they would be likely to participate in a linen-reuse program. The destination name had less effect for returning travelers, who did, however, respond to the “don’t miss out” message.

Determinants of Satisfaction with Holidays and Hospitality in Rural Tourism in Spain

An analysis of travelers’ satisfaction with a holiday trip to Spain’s Andalusia region found a distinct difference in the information sources used by first-time visitors and repeat visitors. In addition to determining the travelers’ satisfaction with the trip itself, this study also assessed the travelers’ satisfaction with the travel-related information they received before taking their trip. The framework for the study was a rural tourist trip, a little studied area. Repeat visitors relied primarily on their own experience in terms of expectations for their trips, and any external information sources they consulted had no effect on their satisfaction with the trip. Of the several external sources consulted by the first-time visitors, only mass-media advertising was associated with favorable satisfaction results for the first-timers. Other sources, including word of mouth, the internet, and noncommercial media placements (such as news stories), were associated with negative effects on satisfaction, perhaps because these sources created unrealistic expectations. Destination promotions attracted both new and returning visitors, but again the two groups had different views on which types of promotion were most effective. First-time travelers responded primarily to price discounts in some form, whereas repeat travelers were more inclined toward such nonprice promotions as gifts and prize drawings. For hospitality and tourism officials, the findings focus on the need to ensure that information sources are accurate and create appropriate expectations for first-time travelers. This may require more activity in social media, since internet sources apparently created incorrect expectations or simply offered the first-time travelers so much information that they felt overloaded.

Perceived risks in travelling to the Islamic Republic of Iran

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify tourists ' concerns about perceived risks while travelling to the Islamic Republic of Iran, investigate whether such risks are in any way mitigated by a traveler ' s prior experience with the Islamic destination, and determine the impact of individual factors on tourists ' perceived risks. Design/methodology/approach – The study examined survey data of 258 international tourists during their visit to Isfahan, Iran. Confirmatory factor analyses and analysis of variance were utilised, in order to find measurement models for each of the constructs and to analyze the relations between these constructs and individual factors. Findings – The results reveal that visitors had concerns about physical, financial, and psychological risks. The results also show that respondent ' s individual characteristics such as gender, nationality, frequency of visits, and purpose of visit influenced their perceptions of risk. However, age and length of stay did not have significant impact on perceptions of risk. Respondents visiting friends and relatives were more likely to perceive Iran as safer than those on business or holiday. In addition, repeat travelers tended to have a more realistic perception about risks than did first-time travelers. The study ' s findings add to the literature by offering more insight on tourist perceptions of risk in travelling to Islamic destinations. Research limitations/implications – Sampling was one of the limitations identified in this study. The fact that convenience sampling was used meant that results were not immediately transferable to other Islamic destinations. The study could be replicated at other visitor attractions in Islamic destinations perceived to have high risks, in order to gain insight into the effects of perceived risk on visitation and visitor behaviour. Originality/value – The contribution of the research is to broaden the understanding of tourists ' concerns in travelling to Islamic destinations and the role frequency of visits, gender, nationality, and purpose of visit play for marketers when providing inbound tourists with facilities.

Assessment of acceptability and ease of use of atovaquone/proguanil medication in subjects undergoing malaria prophylaxis

International travelers from non-endemic areas are at high risk of contracting malaria due to their lack of immunity. Prevention is therefore of outmost importance and is achieved through effective and safe chemoprophylaxis, which reduces the risk of fatal disease. Among the various antimalarial drugs available, the synergistic combination of atovaquone and proguanil (A/P) (Malarone((R)); Glaxo-SmithKline) has proven a valuable option in terms of effective protection against chloroquine and multi-drug resistant falciparum malaria, safety, tolerability, and ease of use, thus favoring compliance. The purpose of the present study was to assess acceptability and ease of use of A/P chemoprophylaxis in a population of employees of the oil industry bound to malarious areas. Particular attention was paid to treatment adherence. A survey was conducted on a sample of 700 employees on A/P chemoprophylaxis. Demographic data and specific information on A/P treatment were collected by means of a 16-item questionnaire administered immediately before departure. All questionnaires returned were then entered into a database and statistically analyzed. Both habitual and first-time travelers showed good adherence to A/P chemoprophylactic regimen. In general, only few adverse side-effects were reported, none of which were serious. Travelers with previous experience of other antimalarials stated A/P prophylaxis had proven advantageous due to fewer adverse reactions, better condition of administration, and better sense of protection compared with other available treatments.

Quick tips for first-time travelers

Quick tips for first-time travelers

Dengue fever in febrile returning travellers to a UK regional infectious diseases unit

Background. Dengue occurs in many tourist destinations, and is increasingly imported by returning travellers. We review the epidemiology and clinical features of confirmed dengue in returning travellers presenting to a UK regional infectious diseases unit. Methods. A retrospective, case-record review of febrile returning travellers, admitted to Leicester Royal Infirmary during 2000–2002. The presenting clinical features of patients with positive dengue serology were compared to those who had negative serological tests. Results. Dengue, including two cases of dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) and 1 shock syndrome, was diagnosed in 16 of approximately 250 (6.4%) hospitalised returning travellers. 10/16 (62.5%) patients returned from Asia. There was no difference in symptoms between those with or without serological evidence of dengue. Dengue was associated with thrombocytopenia ( p=0.001), leucopenia ( p=0.03) and elevated alanine transminase ( p=0.01). Following multivariate analysis, dengue was associated with first time travel to an endemic area (odds ratio 10.9, 95% CI 1.21–99.9), early onset of symptoms after return (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.07–3.43), duration of time overseas (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.01–1.15) and thrombocytopenia (OR 29.4, 95% CI 1.8–494). Conclusions. Dengue is an important cause of illness in hospitalised febrile returning travellers. It should be considered in first-time travellers, with thrombocytopenia and negative malaria films who present with symptoms soon after return.

Cross-cultural comparison of the information sources used by first-time and repeat travelers and its marketing implications

This research is to investigate first-time and repeat German, French, and British travelers’ use of information sources. Three research questions are proposed to explore the differences in the use of information between repeat and first-time travelers and delineate the information usage pattern among the above three groups of travelers. Accordingly, this study analyzed the data collected from a series of in-flight surveys of German, British, and French travelers to the US between January 1997 and December 1997. The differences in regard to first-time and repeat travelers’ use of external information sources were revealed by logit analyses. A correspondence analysis was employed to further visualize travelers’ information usage patterns. This study indicates that past trip experience significantly influenced travelers’ use of information sources. In the conclusion section, various marketing implications are drawn.

Predicting satisfaction among first time visitors to a destination by using the expectancy disconfirmation theory

One hundred and eighty-one, first-time travelers from the U.S.A. to Spain were interviewed before and after their trip for the purpose of determining their perceptions of Spain as a tourist destination, and measuring their satisfaction/dissatisfaction with the trip experience. The purpose of the study was to test Oliver's expectancy disconfirmation theory that explains the process of consumer satisfaction/dissatisfaction (CS/ D). It was hypothesized that CS/D with a destination can be explained by the difference between tourists' perceived outcome of a trip and their specific expectations before it took place (disconfirmation). The study also tested this concept among various tourist market segments. The results showed that disconfirmations are relatively good predictors of overall satisfaction with a destination. The predictive ability of the disconfirmation model was found to be especially effective when the tourists' population was sub-divided into market segments based on reasons for travel.

Tourism and attitude change: Greek tourists visiting Turkey

This study evaluates attitude change of Greek tourists towards Turkish people inclusive of their political beliefs and institutions, as a result of their visit to Turkey. A sample of 97 Greek first-time travelers to Turkey completed a structured questionnaire measuring attitudes towards Turkey before and after their visit. A control group of 82 Greek citizens who remained in Greece also completed the questionnaire twice. The major results showed that travel to Turkey had a negative impact on Greek tourists perceptions of the host population. This was particularly true concerning such aspects as the quality of life in Turkey, Turkish institutions, and the cultural aspects of its people.

Tourism destination image modification process: Marketing implications

This article, using the traveller behaviour model presented by Gunn 1 in conjunction with an empirical analysis of American tourists travelling overseas, examines how the tourist destination image and tourist perceptions are modified and enhanced through travel to that destination. A survey questionnaire of first-time travellers to South Korea revealed a positive change in attitude to factors such as safety and scenery, as a result of the touristic experience. Marketing implications for South Korea are drawn.

Environmental learning of first-time travelers

A major objective in the marketing tourism services is to increase the activities and commerce of tourists within an area or location. The extent of environmental learning and knowledge exerts a significant influence on such an objective. This study addressed the factors influencing the rate and degree of environmental learning of first-time visitors to an international destination. The relative contributions of direct experience, and direct and indirect sources of information to tourists learning of a new environment, were examined in this empirical study of visitors to a European city. Implications for increasing visitors' learning of and commerce with tourist attractions and retail elements in an area through marketing and promotion are discussed.