Holiday Destination Choice Research Articles

Does gastronomy determine visitors’ holiday destination choice? Empirical evidence based on a mixed-methods research approach

Does gastronomy determine visitors’ holiday destination choice? Empirical evidence based on a mixed-methods research approach

Factors Influencing Major Life-Changing Decisions in Patients with Psoriasis: A Cross-sectional Study.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with significant impairment in quality of life. Although quality of life in patients with psoriasis has been widely studied, there is little evidence regarding the impact of psoriasis on major life-changing decisions (MLCD). The aims of this study are to describe the impact of psoriasis on MLCD and to explore the potential clinical factors associated with MLCD. This cross-sectional study included 113 patients with psoriasis, regardless of disease severity, duration, or current treatment. The impact of the disease on different MLCD, including those related to professional career, decision of having children, choice of clothing, and leisure activities, was explored using Likert scales. Mean age was 51 years old and female to male ratio was 1.08 (54/50). The mean Psoriasis Area Severity Index was 3.75, and 30% (35/113) of the patients had psoriatic arthropathy. The most affected MLCD were career choice (median (interquartile range) score 3 (2-4)), social relationships (2 (1-3)), choice of clothing (2 (1-3)), job performance, absenteeism, and choice of holiday destination (1 (0-2)). Female sex, early age of onset and psoriatic arthropathy were associated with a greater impact of the disease on MLCD (p < 0.05). The results showed that a range of MLCD are affected in patients with psoriasis, such as career choice, job performance, absenteeism, or choice of clothing. Female sex, psoriatic arthritis and early age of onset are factors associated with a greater impact on MLCD. In order to limit the long-term negative effects of psoriasis on patients, special attention should be paid to detection of psoriatic arthritis, and to patients with early disease onset.

Gen Z’s Attitude towards Green Image Destinations, Green Tourism and Behavioural Intention Regarding Green Holiday Destination Choice: A Study in Poland and India

Using PLS-SEM, this article proposes and verifies a model among Gen Z that captures the relationship between attitudes towards the environmental ecosystem and green tourism, personal and social norms regarding pro-environmental behaviour, perceived behavioural control, perceived green image of destinations (PGID), behavioural intentions regarding green holiday destinations (GHD), and willingness to pay (WTP) more for visiting them. The paper also verifies whether intercultural differences exist in the relationships between these variables. The most important results indicate that (1) for Gen Z, the perceived green image of destinations has the strongest impact on intention to travel to green holiday destinations; (2) the proposed variables explain the willingness to visit green holiday destinations to a much greater extent than the WTP a higher price for such trips. This study contributes to the literature concerning generational changes in tourism, pro-environmental (transition) planning, and the growing green economy and marketing.

Understanding Leisure Vacation Travel Intention of Indian Vacationers Amidst Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

This study aimed to elicit the critical factors influencing Indian domestic vacationers’ travel intention for leisure vacation destination choice amidst COVID-19. The study proposed a new model based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), expanding it by adding contextual variables like perceived risk, perceived knowledge of COVID-19, and information search behaviour. The study used a quantitative approach using online social media platforms and emails of 312 respondents to analyze and test the hypotheses using IBM SPSS and AMOS tools. The results indicated that physical and functional risk negatively influenced attitude; whereas, psychological risk negatively influenced travel intention. Perceived knowledge of COVID-19 significantly influenced travel intention. Attitude strongly mediated subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and perceived knowledge of COVID-19 to travel intention. This explains the strong implications for travel destination marketers for marketing safer destination choices to vacationers.

Impacts of jellyfish presence on tourists’ holiday destination choices and their willingness to pay for mitigation measures

Recurrent jellyfish blooms in tourist areas have negative effects on coastal and national economies. We investigate how jellyfish presence affects holiday destination choice and how the adoption of mitigation measures can reduce impacts through analyzing tourists’ preferences. A Discrete Choice Experiment approach was adopted to assess tourists’ willingness to pay for different measures. Results indicate that in scenarios of increased jellyfish numbers, 24–40% of tourists might not choose to return to a destination affected by jellyfish. Results also indicate that the adoption of measures such as jellyfish information provision, warning flags, health service presence or the deployment of jellyfish exclusion nets could reduce the proportion of non-returning tourists by 66–83%. Regarding preferences, tourists are willing to pay higher amounts for measures that provide the highest protection. We conclude that the implementation of preventive management plans should be considered by coastal administrations to promote a sense of safety among tourists and residents alike.

An Analysis of Tourist's Behavioural Intention in the Digital Era: Using a Modified Model of the Reasoned Action Theory

Destination management organisations currently operate in an environment where online media greatly influences travellers' decision-making. In this digital environment, electronic word of mouth (eWOM) is considered an important source of information affecting tourist's behaviour and destination image formation. Destination image is also recognised as major element influencing holiday destination choice, intention to revisit a destination and the willingness to recommend it to others. The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) in turn, offers a relevant conceptual framework to analyse tourists’ behaviour. This paper aims to (1) incorporate eWOM and destination image as exogenous variables into the TRA model, then evaluate the ability of this extension to predict tourists’ behavioural intention (2) examine both eWOM and destination image impact on intention to visit an emerging destination (3) inspect eWOM role in destination image formation (4) evaluate the ability of the TRA’s core constructs (i.e., attitude and subjective norms) to predict intention. A quantitative approach based on structural equation modelling conducted this study in order to test the extended model, by analysing data collected from 234 potential foreign tourists, selected using a convenience sampling method. Results revealed that the extended model had a good predictive ability for tourists’ intentions to visit an emerging destination. Besides, attitude, subjective norms and destination image were significant predictors of visit intention, and eWOM significantly influenced the image. The study outcomes may help to develop a more efficient and successful tourism marketing strategy.

Gender and Age Differences in Choice of Holiday Destination: Case of Langkawi, Malaysia

While gender and age are considered as important demographic factors in tourism segmentation, lack of attention has been given by tourism researchers. Moreover, gender and age analysis within tourism studies are still limited, particularly in the context of choice of destination. The aim of this paper is to examine the role of gender and age in determining the destination choice. Langkawi has been chosen as a location for the study due to its popularity among the local and international tourist. Survey questionnaire is used as a tool for data collection. A total of 529 Langkawi holidaymakers participated in the study. T-test and ANOVA has been employed to analyse the data. The findings indicate that gender and age both influence Langkawi being chosen as a holiday destination. Male and female consumers place different emphasis on the selection of Langkawi as a destination of choice. These findings suggest that tourism advertisers and destination promoters need to be aware of different needs and wants of both males and females. However, tourists of different ages evaluate Langkawi similarly, which marketers can use a variety of promotion packages for all age group. The study&amp;#39;s practical implications and limitations are discussed.

Influence of pull factors on the travel motivation of foreign tourists towards Bodrum-Turkey destination

The pull factors play an important role in effectively marketing a tourist destination. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to determine the pull factors that affected the foreign tourists' choice of Bodrum as their holiday destination. The study used the questionnaire technique in order to collect the data from the foreign tourists visiting the Bodrum destination in 2019. The frequency analysis and statistical tests such as reliability analysis, factor analysis, t-test and variance analysis were applied to the data obtained through the survey. As a result of the factor analysis, the pull factors affecting the foreign tourists' preferences of Bodrum were found out as being price, accessibility, promotion and marketing, service quality, safety and security. Among these pull factors that affected the choice of holiday destination for foreign tourists, safety and security were identified as the most important factor. This result suggests that the pull factor of safety and security were effective in choosing Bodrum as a tourist destination.

AN ETHNOGRAPHIC INQUIRY TOWARDS 'HARE-RAMA HARE-KRISHNA RELIGIOUS TOURISTS FOOD CONSUMPTION HABITS WHILE ON A HOLIDAY IN INDIA

Food functions as a medium through which we encounter the world. We consume food based on our society’s paramount attitudes towards nature, religious beliefs and nutritional benefits rather than just according to our needs. In this research, the author studied a group of Hare Krishna tourists belonging to ISKCON religious movement of Hindu religion. There are several studies done on the western vegetarian groups based primarily on their ethical, environmental and health-based vegetarian food habits but not many studies on the food consumption behaviour of religious tourists, especially on the Hare Krishnas’ during a holiday. This under-represented and under-researched group’s struggles and behaviour patterns will help us understand other divergent groups of vegetarians and vegans from across the world and help sensitise the tourism industry to this large group of intermingled and often confusing group of people. This ethnographical, qualitative research is focussed on reflexively studying the Hare Krishna religious tourist’s comprehension and interpretation of vegetarianism and the factors which influence their holiday destination choice. The author further strives to understand what happens to the religious food values of a Hare Krishna follower while making food choices during a holiday and whether these tourism experiences influence or transform the religious food values of this group. Food is taken to be a purely functional and supporting resource to tourism and as such tourist’s food consumption behaviour and patterns are largely ignored and neglected in tourism literature. In this research, the author adds to the limited body of knowledge of vegetarians based on their religious beliefs along with revealing the reasons, visible and invisible cues this group exhibit and are engaged in while planning their holidays and food choices.

Exploring the Effect of Sequentially Receiving Airline and Destination Information on the Choice Behavior of Tourism Destinations

This article reports the results of a holiday destination choice model of domestic travelers in Australia. Although destination choices have been studied before, travelers’ behavior when choosing an airline ticket is less well investigated, in particular the effect of the choice of airline ticket and tourism features on each other and on the final destination choice. Multinomial logit (MNL) models were estimated using data from a Stated Preference (SP) choice experiment based on a D-Efficient design. Following the leader-driven primacy phenomenon, the article also tests whether destination choices are influenced by sequentially receiving information about airline tickets and tourism features. Results show that when airline ticket information is presented first, the destination choice behavior could be affected. In this context, the information sequencing effect is clear. However, the influence of tourism features is not as clear on the final choice when travelers are first exposed to tourism features and then airline tickets.

The Perception of Chinese Traditional Values and Their Influence on The Elderly’s Rural Vacation Behaviour

This paper built a scale of Chinese traditional cultural value (CTCVS) that based on the previous research and interview results provided by the elderly interviewers. Then a questionnaire was conducted to question the elderly citizens living in China about their perception of CTCVS and scales of their rural vacation destination decision-making, which contained two parts: rural vacation destination choice scale (RVDCS) and perceptions of barriers to rural vacations scale (PBRVS). With principal components analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA), results showed that Chinese traditional cultural values have an impact on both the choice of destinations of the elderly rural vacation, and the perception of barriers to the elderly rural vacations. In this study, some recommendations for improving marketing techniques targeting the elderly who might have a vacation in rural areas were put forward for rural resorts and related enterprises.

Curiosity motivated vacation destination choice in a reward and variety-seeking perspective

Most research in marketing and consumer behavior is focused on inexpensive products and customer loyalty, rather than on experience-centric services and variety-seeking behavior. This paper aims to address that gap by focusing on what drives European consumers’ variety-seeking vacation behavior. Europeans maximize their utility (happiness) through leisure (Okulics-Kozaryn, 2011). It is therefore reasonable to assume that rewards drive variety-seeking vacation-behavior in Europe. The proposed and tested model integrates neuro-research with research in marketing to provide new ways of thinking about the variety-seeking phenomenon.

Choice overload in holiday destination choices

PurposeThis research aims to investigates whether and why choice overload (CO) occurs when people select a vacation destination.Design/methodology/approachThis is a two-group (large choice-set vs small choice-set) between-subject factorial design. Dependent variables representing CO-effects are post-choice satisfaction and regret. Choice confusion and choice uncertainty are mediators.FindingsRelative to people choosing from a small destination portfolio, people who choose from a large portfolio are less satisfied and more regretful about their choice. Choosing from a large choice-set confuses people, which then makes them less certain about their choice, and subsequently, have less satisfaction and more regret about their decision.Practical implicationsA critical consideration is essential when providing a number of destination choices to tourists. A few destinations should be offered in a travel portfolio. If the number of destination offers must remain large, travel agents should cluster these offers based on a market segmentation analysis to ease the decision-making process for travellers.Originality/valueThe findings add to evidence of CO-effects to the current literature of travel destination choice, and contribute to CO literature by showing evidence of CO-effects in complex service contexts, especially in holiday destination choices. This study is the first to provide evidence of CO-effects at the early stages of the travel destination decision-making process; it uses hypothetical destinations to avoid potential confounds associated with real destinations; and it measures CO-effects via post-choice satisfaction and regret. In addition, while the only available study on CO in tourism (Park and Jang, 2013) does not explain why CO-effects occur, this research provides and explains the psychological underlying process of the CO phenomenon in destination choice-making.

Tourism in Switzerland: How perceptions of place attributes for short and long holiday can influence destination choice

Abstract The motivational characteristics and variables associated with travel destination choice are important to our understanding of destination marketing. For this study, a comparative analysis of short and long holiday attributes for visitors to Switzerland was undertaken to determine which characteristics are valued to meet personal requirements and how these might influence holiday destination choice. A total of 158 completed questionnaires from these visitors enabled us to distinguish differences between two groups of attributes. The findings provide a fresh insight into short and long holiday attractiveness attributes where destination attractiveness attributes can differ between short and long holiday requirement. It also provides some insight into how destinations may influence evaluation and choice.

Tourist destination and experience choice: A choice experimental analysis of decision sequence effects

While many studies have investigated travel motives and modelled holiday destination choices, none have directly modelled choice of type of holiday experience and how these two choices interrelate. This study tests whether early exposure to geographical destination or experience type information in a decision task influences consumers' final choices when choosing a holiday. The study compares two choice tasks that have the same instructions and attributes but differ with respect to which attribute is exposed first and is used to label the choice options: the destination name or the experience type. Findings show that early exposure to either attribute enhances the importance of the attribute, although the effect is less pronounced for experiences than for destinations. The findings are explained using the psychological notions of leader primacy, complacency and induced mindset. The research, conducted in Australia, shows that sequential effects can be very important in shaping tourism consumption choices and decision-making.

Holiday Destination Choice Behavior Analysis Based on AFC Data of Urban Rail Transit

For urban rail transit, the spatial distribution of passenger flow in holiday usually differs from weekdays. Holiday destination choice behavior analysis is the key to analyze passengers’ destination choice preference and then obtain the OD (origin-destination) distribution of passenger flow. This paper aims to propose a holiday destination choice model based on AFC (automatic fare collection) data of urban rail transit system, which is highly expected to provide theoretic support to holiday travel demand analysis for urban rail transit. First, based on Guangzhou Metro AFC data collected on New Year’s day, the characteristics of holiday destination choice behavior for urban rail transit passengers is analyzed. Second, holiday destination choice models based on MNL (Multinomial Logit) structure are established for each New Year’s days respectively, which takes into account some novel explanatory variables (such as attractiveness of destination). Then, the proposed models are calibrated with AFC data from Guangzhou Metro using WESML (weighted exogenous sample maximum likelihood) estimation and compared with the base models in which attractiveness of destination is not considered. The results show that theρ2values are improved by 0.060, 0.045, and 0.040 for January 1, January 2, and January 3, respectively, with the consideration of destination attractiveness.

Perceiving tourist destination landscapes through Chinese eyes: The case of South Island, New Zealand

This paper reports findings derived from a study of 235 Chinese tourists interviewed in Queenstown, New Zealand. The data were elicited by responses made to a process of showing photographs of South Island, New Zealand to informants, and then secondly by posing a series of options drawn at random and asking which were preferred and why. Among the images that drew strong favourable responses were those that showed snow covered mountains reflected in lake waters – an appeal partly explained by classical Chinese cultural associations of ying and yang through shan (mountain) and shuĭ (water) and notions of harmonious balance in nature. However, the paper suggests that while perceptions of place are filtered through cultural understandings, of equal importance is the nature of comparison between the realities of dwelling in congested and polluted urban centres and the appearance of fresh, green open spaces. The paper confirms the usefulness of the research technique, the significance of culture in understanding tourist evaluations of holiday experiences and the importance of ‘difference’ in vacation destination choice.

Film tourism and ecotourism: mutually exclusive or compatible?

Purpose – This paper aims to look at the relationship between film tourism and ecotourism and questions whether the two are compatible or mutually exclusive. Design/methodology/approach – Entertainment films are making a deep impact on international tourism development, with popular movies playing an increasingly influential role in tourists’ choice of holiday destination. Areas with high natural value are frequently used as film locations, their image as a nature-loving escape paradise emerges and is coincided with a growth of film-induced visitors, willing to participate in nature-based activities. Tourism has always been a fundamental component of the areas of high natural value concept, and with this unparalled growth of the film tourism and ecotourism, it was inevitable that one day they will meet and interact in natural areas. This paper provides case studies where filmic intervention shapes tourist nature-loving imaginings, triggers ecotourism activities but also raises environmental concern of locals, and films like The Beach (2000) and Deliverance (1972) and the TV series Pride and Prejudice (1996) are subject to discussion. Findings – In many cases, the natural areas have not the carrying capacity to cope with large increases in film-induced visitors, and this results in a number of possible undesirable consequences, from the loss of privacy to the destruction of the natural environment. This paper suggests that film tourism and ecotourism are compatible if tourism policy planners follow strategies, such as environmental education initiatives, that engage film tourism stakeholders and the film industry in creating solutions to environmental challenges. Originality/value – Film tourism planning hasn’t yet focused on the tools for environmentally sound management of a destination. This paper argues that film tourism literature needs to develop marketing and policy perspectives to inform appropriate environmental management of film tourism planning and enhance environmental sustainability of a destination.

Tourist Consumption Behaviour before and after the Crisis from 2008

The sharp decline in exports and industrial production, rising unemployment and rapidly eroding consumer confidence had a severe negative impact on tourism consumption. This paper explores the factors that affected tourist's behaviour, hence their preferences and holiday destination choice on the background of the economic crisis. It is focused on a qualitative methodology approach that is based on a questionnaire and a quantitative research based on statistical data. The research was structured to build an understanding of how the economic crisis affected the tourists that “consume” tourism products and which have made changes in their destination choices.

Islamic tourism as a factor of the Middle East regional development

For long time tourism, except pilgrimage travels, has been considered as culturally inappropriate and economically unnecessary phenomenon by Arab governments. At the beginning of 21st century, many Arab states developed their tourism industries in order to diversify their economies (in the case of GCC states = Gulf Cooperation Council) or to earn foreign currency (in the case of Arab Mediterranean states). Middle East importance for global stability derives from its immense oil reserves and its status as the epicenter of Muslim culture. The majority of their demand for tourism originates from neighboring countries. The time of unrest in this part of the world has brought a need for local travelers to stay within the same cultural environment when making holiday destination choices.