Holiday Experience Research Articles

Healing mechanism of rural tourism on urban employee unhappiness: a logotherapy theory perspective

This study evaluated the healing benefits of different holiday experiences on employee unhappiness. It developed a model of “Destination Experience–Psychological Recovery–Work Performance” based on liminality and logotherapy theories, which explain how tourism heals employee unhappiness. The researcher employed a weekly diary methodology to collect data from 596 participants, and then utilised partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) methods and multi-group analysis to test the theoretical model. The results indicated that tourism (vs home) and rural (vs urban) tourism destination experiences significantly healed urban employees’ unhappiness. Additionally, this study found that the healing effect of rural tourism destination experiences on urban employee unhappiness was mediated by mastery experiences and moderated by tour duration. To provide a deeper understanding of the hypotheses, semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore urban employees’ rural tourism healing experiences and strategies. This study enhances our understanding of how tourism reduces employee unhappiness and contributes to the literature on the spillover effects of tourism on work. Finally, it presents a significant new paradigm for tourism healing theories and practices for future research.

Sojourning and Being Well Among Contemporary Chinese Gay Men in a Tourism Destination: An Extension of Dynamic Equilibrium Theory

This study proposes an extension of the dynamic equilibrium model to investigate the intrinsic mechanisms underlying the well-being experiences of Chinese gay tourists visiting Thailand. The enhanced model incorporates elements such as stock-challenge, flow-resource, and self-concept clarity, which illuminate the intrinsic dynamics of the inner well-being framework. Findings were derived from a video ethnography conducted collaboratively by researchers and participants. The results demonstrate that the impact of sojourning on well-being among gay Chinese travelers is influenced by their typical life and travel experiences, as well as the personalized meanings they associate with tourism and well-being. These responses are intricately shaped by their personal, social, and cultural contexts. This research provides rich insights into the holiday experiences and behaviors of contemporary Chinese gay adults, emphasizing the need for the development of tailored tourism policies and marketing strategies to cultivate gay-friendly destinations within the Asia region.

Optimized Decisions for Smart Tourism Destinations: A Cross-Generational Perspective Using an Improved Importance–Performance Analysis

Our study introduces an enhanced version of the Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA) method, a powerful tool that can be applied across various domains. This method plays a crucial role in our research, aiding in making well-informed decisions about smart tourism destination attributes. We achieved this by evaluating how 911 consumers from four different generations (Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z) rated these attributes based on their most recent tourist destination visit. Unlike traditional methods that often rely on subjective opinions or complex statistical models, the Improved IPA (IIPA) method offers a clear approach to decision-making. It enables decision-makers to focus on the most crucial attributes that drive consumer interest, thereby optimizing resource allocation and marketing efforts. Specifically, to remain competitive, decision-makers for smart tourist destinations should focus on queuing-time forecast and applications, websites, and content accessible for travelers with disabilities for Baby Boomers; e-complaint handling for Generation X; smart emergency response system for Millennials; and tourist-flow forecast, real-time traffic broadcast, electronic-entrance guard systems, and accessible data about physical design features of accommodation, restaurants, and tourist attractions for Generation Z. Theoretically, this study advances the research on managerial decision-making by demonstrating the effectiveness of the IIPA as a clear and straightforward method for making optimal decisions about product or service attributes. In practice, the study provides decision-makers with valuable insights into the importance of different categories of smart attributes in shaping the overall holiday experience at a tourist destination for Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z tourism consumers.

Implementasi Kombinasi LOPCOW dan Operational Competitiveness Rating Analysis Dalam Rekomendasi Tempat Wisata Indoor

Indoor attractions offer an exciting and comfortable holiday experience, especially for those who want to avoid extreme weather or want indoor comfort. The selection of indoor attractions is often faced with various problems involving distance, price, rating, and cleanliness. All these factors must be carefully considered to ensure that the chosen indoor attraction can provide a satisfying and enjoyable experience. The application of a combination of Logarithmic Percentage Change-Driven Objective Weighting (LOPCOW) and Operational Competitiveness Rating Analysis (OCRA) in the performance evaluation of business alternatives offers an innovative and robust approach to decision making. LOPCOW allows objective determination of criteria weighting based on logarithmic percentage changes, emphasizing the dynamics of relative performance changes between criteria. Integration with OCRA, which evaluates operational competitiveness through efficient ratio analysis. The ranking results showed that the first best rank was obtained by Puncak Mas with a final value of 1.2596, the second-best rank was obtained by Wira Garden with a final value of 1.1607, the third best rank was obtained by Lampung Walk with a final value of 1.0289. The combination of these two methods increases the accuracy and reliability of ranking results, assisting decision makers in choosing truly superior alternatives based on relevant and up-to-date data. By utilizing data-driven analysis and robust methodologies, the decision-making process becomes more efficient and can be done faster, saving time and resources.

Smart tourism destinations and sustainability: evidence from the tourism industry

PurposeThis research aims to reveal the role of sustainability in tourism in terms of smart technologies by addressing the relationship between smart tourism and sustainability through a thematic literature analysis.Design/methodology/approachThe research is based on examining the role of smart tourism in terms of sustainability within the studies in the literature.FindingsTourism is a mass-movement industry that uses natural and artificial resources intensively. For this reason, intensive studies are carried out on this industry in sustainable studies. Based on smart cities, smart destinations have started to be created to focus on specific tourism activities, balance the use of resources in this field, ensure the welfare of tourists and local people, and, most importantly, create sustainable activities. These technology-based cities can save many resources that people need to consider. In addition, thanks to its integration with technological devices, it enables people to be much more effective in social and business life and to act more practically in terms of time, distance, and communication. Besides the stakeholders within the destination, tourists visiting the destination can have a more comfortable and resource-efficient holiday experience thanks to the technological applications and systems created here.Originality/valueThe research presents a thematic literature review on the importance of sustainability in the sector within the framework of smart tourism practices.

Dream vacations of children: exploring key motivations and preferred experiences by drawing

ABSTRACT Children have an important place in the family travel market as they have a strong influence on holiday decisions and their satisfaction can directly affect their parents’ satisfaction and future behavioural intentions. To attract this market and provide child tourists with a satisfying holiday experience, it is important to better understand their motivations and preferences. The aim of this research is to identify children's motivations and preferred destinations and activities in family tourism context. In this qualitative study, where children's voices were taken into account by giving them the opportunity to express their dream family holiday experience ‘drawing’, one of the widely preferred child-friendly techniques to reveal children's perspectives, was used. A total of 103 literate children aged 6–17, residing in five different cities in four regions of Turkey, participated in the research. The data were analyzed using the visual content analysis technique in Maxqda software. The results show that children's family holiday motivations can be divided into four categories: family bonding, escaping and exploring new places, activities and play, rest and relaxation. Additionally, the activities that children seek in destinations include opportunities for group activities, activities related to nature, cultural experiences, and built environment experiences.

An Exploratory Study About Child-Friendly Trips

The main idea of child-friendly tourism is to consider children's physical and psychological health in all kinds of travel and holiday experiences. Also, it aims to arrange activities in line with children's development skills. Child-friendly trips are an essential part of these skills, as they support personal, sociocultural, and physical contexts for children. Tour guides are one of the most critical companions that support these contexts. This paper tries to uncover how child-friendly trips are done from the perspective of tour guides. It aims to reveal child-friendly trip interpretation, child-friendly tour guides' features, and difficulties. A qualitative research method was used, and tour guides who made domestic and daily child-friendly trips in TURKEY attended the study. Twenty-two semi-structured interviews based on content analysis were examined. The findings revealed that although child-friendly trips have the same characteristics as other group tours, they have different interpretation styles. Tour guides should have specific attributions to successfully affect the children and slog on the trip. Child-friendly tourism literature is a developing field of study with some theoretical gaps. This study contributes to the literature by offering a broader perspective of child-friendly trip context regarding tourist guides.

A cross-cultural comparison of island vacation experience: empirical evidence from the Maldives

ABSTRACT This study compares the characteristics of Chinese and Western island vacation experience. Social network analysis was performed with 30 Chinese travel notes and 30 English travel notes, respectively. The results include: (1) The density and centralization of the Chinese island vacation experience network are lower than those of their Western counterparts; (2) Natural resources, tourism services, and recreational activities are the key dimensions of Chinese and Western island vacation experience, and seven common core experience elements exist; (3) The combination of “seascape-wild animals and plants-people” is preferred by both Chinese and Western tourists. Differences, however, exist between the two groups.

Tourists’ perceptions towards stray/free-roaming animals (FRA): the case of İzmir, Turkey

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to investigate international tourists’ perceptions of stray/free-roaming animals (FRA) in İzmir, Turkey. The main issue addressed is whether FRA negatively affect tourism. İzmir was chosen as the focus of the study because the population of FRA (dogs and cats) is high and İzmir is one of the important tourism centres in Turkey. On annual visits to İzmir, the researchers witnessed an increase in the population of FRA in the city which provides the background of how and why this article came about. It is estimated that there are nearly 500,000 FRA in İzmir and it is known that 1.5 million tourists come to the city every year. In this regard, the study was undertaken to establish how visiting tourists to İzmir perceive FRA animals and their management. The factors that influence their perceptions were also assessed. In general, and where tourists encountered FRA, the animals’ treatment was perceived as more positive than in their home country and did not have a negative impact on the holiday experience.

Study on Australian Working Holiday Experience, Place Attachment, Revisit Behavior, and Spending Power

Abstract This study aimed to explore the effects of Australian working holiday experiences on place attachment, repeat visitation behavior, and consumption. Based on social exchange theory, place attachment theory, and destination image theory, five research hypotheses were proposed. A total of 462 valid questionnaires were collected and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The empirical results indicated that Australian working holiday experiences have a significant positive impact on place dependence and place identity. In addition, place dependence and place identity have a significant positive impact on repeat visitation behavior, and repeat visitation behavior has a positive impact on consumption. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for the Australian government and tourism industry to enhance the place attachment and identity of working holidaymakers, thus increasing their intention to revisit and consumption. Therefore, the Taiwan youth working holiday program in Australia has a substantial contribution to the development of Australian tourism economy. JEL classification numbers: Z30; Z32. Keywords: Australian working holiday experiences, Place attachment, Revisiting behavior, Spending power.

Exploring pandemic holiday practices: Meaning, experience and aspiration

During Covid-19 holiday travel became shorter in distance and more surface-based, presenting an unusual opportunity to explore people's experiences of less carbon-intensive holiday travel. In this paper, survey and interview data are used to investigate pandemic holiday practices, exploring how meanings and aspirations relate to travel distance and mode. The findings illustrate the complexity of modal shift and air travel reductions. Despite showing that many people gained experience in surface-based travelling during Covid-19, we also show that what is a satisfying holiday experience can be achieved to differing degrees with short-distance or flight-free travel. Therefore, changing travel demand requires exploring how ‘proper’ holiday experiences could be provided domestically, and how shared ideas about what a holiday entails can be altered.

The Influence of Tourism Activities on Tourism Decisions in The New Normal Era

After surviving the covid-19 epidemic, civilization must eventually adjust to a new normal. Currently, certain situations are unpredictable and cannot be anticipated or projected based on previous historical data. After enduring the lengthy quarantine and the tremendous mental stress brought on by the complicated circumstances, the priority for most individuals is to take vacations. Traveling to various locations that provide a variety of holiday experiences becomes a viable option to selecting. What attribute of a destination has become more important to individuals when they decide to travel? This study investigates the significance of destination attributes to travel decisions in the new normal. In this study, the spearman rank correlation is employed to analyse data collected randomly from 150 respondents. The study's results indicate that activity has significant relationship to travel decision. The findings of this research will aid the tourism sector in developing strategies for visitor-oriented activities. Another critical advantage is recognizing that customer behaviour directly impacts a company's long-term success.

Responsible Behaviour and Psychological Well-being in Tourism: The Triple Helix Model

While the conceptually related fields of sustainability and psychological well-being have been informed by extensive research in recent years, efforts to integrate these fields are yet to be systematically advanced. This lack of integration has left the nexus between sustainability and well-being largely underexplored and conceptually underdeveloped. Tourism offers a novel context within which to explore the intersection. Consequently, this paper critically assesses the relationship between sustainability-related decisions and tourist well-being. It is informed by the analysis of thirty semi-structured in-depth interviews that critically explored the holiday experiences of tourists while travelling internationally. Analysis revealed that both responsible and irresponsible tourist behaviours are interconnected with tourists’ psychological well-being and are influenced by external barriers and internal conflicts. Responsible behaviours were found to contribute to eudaimonic well-being through a heightened sense of perceived integrity. Conversely, irresponsible behaviours trigger negative self-appraisals, enacting coping mechanisms and generating guilt. This manuscript presents the triple helix model detailing the complex and interconnected relationship between (ir)responsible behaviour and psychological well-being in tourism experiences. Future research should consider the intricate connections between tourists’ sustainability-related decisions and psychological well-being as central to the developing sustainable tourism research agendas.

PENGGUNAAN PROYEKSI TREN DI UMKM NN UNTUK MEMENUHI PERMINTAAN KONSUMEN

MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) in Indonesia have a major influence in terms of economic growth. NN MSMEs are MSMEs engaged in culinary. One type of NN MSME product is ready-to-eat emping. Often during the Eid al-Fitr holiday experience overwhelmed in terms of meeting the demand for ready-to-eat emping. This study aims to assist NN MSMEs in estimating the amount of consumer demand for ready-to-eat emping, as well as to find out the best results and methods in calculating forecasting in trend projection methods. The trend projection method used in forecasting calculations in this case is linear regression and least squares. Meanwhile, to calculate the error value from the forecasting results using the Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD), Mean Squared Error (MSE), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) methods. The best method from the results of this study is to use a linear regression method with demand values for 2024, 2025 and 2026 during Eid al-Fitr are 1771.23 kg, 1914.24 kg, and 2057.25 kg respectively with error values of MAD, MSE and MAPE respectively are 612.0781, 525807.4 and 48.83%.
 
 Keywords: Forecasting, Trend Projections, MSMEs, Consumer Demand

Unveiling the True Price: Assessing the Economic Impact of Cosmetic Surgery Tourism on a Single Tertiary Center in Bahrain

Abstract Background In light of the escalating cost of cosmetic surgery in Bahrain, the burgeoning “Cosmetic Surgery Tourism” sector has captured the attention of many Bahrainis. Neighboring countries aggressively promote affordable packages on numerous social media platforms, luring individuals with the allure of a vacation experience. However, insufficient postoperative care abroad has far-reaching implications that jeopardize both patient well-being and the integrity of the healthcare system. Objectives This study aims to assess the present patterns of complications related to cosmetic surgery tourism and the resulting financial burden on the Bahraini healthcare system. Methods A retrospective cost analysis and chart review were performed for all patients who presented with complaints associated with cosmetic surgeries between January 2018 and September 2023. After identifying patient demographics, procedure characteristics, admission data, length of stay, and intervention needs, a comprehensive cost analysis was conducted. Results A total of 30 patients manifested complications. The complications associated with abdominoplasty were the most prevalent. Iran emerged as the most frequented destination, with Egypt and Turkey following in order of prevalence. Surgical-site infections constituted the most common complications. Required interventions included admission for intravenous antibiotics, hyperbaric wound care, implant removal, and critical care admission. The projected expense to the hospital was 65,970 BHD (175,000 USD), equating to an average expenditure of 2200 BHD (5852 USD) per patient. Conclusions The allure of cost-effective cosmetic treatments often leads to complications that impose substantial economic burdens. The study concludes with policy recommendations to balance individuals’ freedom to seek healthcare abroad with long-term sustainability and equitable access to Bahrain's healthcare system. Level of Evidence: 5 (Risk)

PELATIHAN LITERASI KATA STAYCATION SEBAGAI IKLAN PROMOSI AKOMODASI PARIWISATA

This article analyzes the trend of using the word "staycation" through Bali hotel advertisements on Instagram. Staycation, which is a combination of the words "stay" and "vacation," refers to the concept of spending vacation time in the city or near where one lives. In this article, we use data from hotel advertisements in Bali posted on the Instagram platform to understand trends and patterns in the use of the word staycation. The research method used is descriptive qualitative by analyzing the content of hotel advertisements that use the word staycation in the text or ad description. The author collects and analyzes a number of Balinese hotel advertisements posted on their official Instagram accounts. The main focus of the analysis is to identify how often the word staycation is used, how the word is paired with the visual elements of the ad, and the context and marketing strategies associated with the use of the word. The results of the analysis show that the use of the word staycation in Bali hotel advertisements on Instagram has increased significantly in the last few years. This shows a growing trend among tourists who are looking for a relaxing and comfortable holiday experience without having to travel far from where they live. The use of the word staycation in these advertisements is usually reinforced by attractive visuals depicting pampering hotel facilities, beautiful swimming pools, and delicious food served on site.

Voluntarism Rationality in Norway: The Relevance of Ferie for Alle

The article examines a voluntary phenomenon that exists in “Ferie for Alle”. The name refers to a voluntary-based program organized by the Norwegian Red Cross, a prominent NGO in Norway. The program is oriented in ensuring free holiday experiences for children and families who are deemed unfortunate. Interestingly such a regard is attached due to their inability to afford vacation trips during holiday time. This article aims to address why such phenomenon of Ferie for Alle able to emerges in Norwegian society and attracts people to volunteer to it. This paper uses an ethnographic approach. In specific, it utilizes qualitative method such as semi-structured in-depth interview for the data collection process, and narratives analysis for data analysis process. Through the result, this paper argues that the existence of voluntarism in Ferie for Alle is instigated by volunteers’ reasoning towards prominent social aspects, that is: (1) growing up experiences in Norwegian society, (2) interpretation of Norwegian culture (3) understanding of a certain Norwegian welfare provision discourse. Moreover, actualization of volunteering further gave an idea of how Norwegian welfare system is supposed to be conducted. As reflected by the Ferie for Alle volunteers, such meaning helps them navigate activism in addressing transnational political issues happening in Norway.

Special Interest Tourism Development at Tongaci Beach Tourism, Sungailiat, Bangka Belitung

The tourism sector is one of the largest and strongest sectors in the world economy and is one of the main drivers of the world economy which is able to provide quite a large amount of foreign exchange for the country. One of the fastest growing tourism sectors in the tourism industry is special interest tourism which shows that tourists are starting to demand more varied and stimulating holiday experiences. The aim of this research is to develop special interest tourism in the form of Hatchlings Babel Sea Turtle Conservation in Bangka Belitung which is a conservation site to maintain and minimize the decline in turtle populations, especially in Bangka Belitung waters. The method used in this research is a qualitative method where the data obtained is by conducting direct observations and interviews at the Babel Tukik Conservation. Hatchlings Babel Sea Turtle Conservation is also used as a special interest tourism facility as well as an educational place so that local people and foreign tourists can get to know more about sea turtles and it is hoped that awareness will arise to preserve sea turtles from the threat of extinction and damage to the marine ecosystem due to sea tin mining and illegal hunting

Efektivitas Pemanfaatan Aset Wakaf Untuk Wisata Halal Sebagai Potensi Lapangan Pekerjaan

Waqf is one of the Islamic social instruments that has a dual role, namely as a religious institution and as an economic instrument. Waqf can improve the welfare of the ummah, support government spending, and absorb labor. The author applies a descriptive qualitative approach using the literature study research method. This method involves collecting data from various literatures, especially articles from scientific journals relevant to the research topic. Halal tourism is a travel concept that fulfills the principles of Islamic sharia in every aspect. The purpose of halal tourism is to provide a vacation experience that complies with religious principles for Muslim tourists, which includes spiritual, cultural, and also their practical needs while traveling. From the research conducted, it appears that the optimization of waqf assets has great potential in creating significant employment opportunities and can reduce the unemployment rate.

Customised Holiday Experiences through Artificial Intelligence: Case Studies from the Aviation and Hospitality Sectors

This article explores the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the aviation and hospitality industries, both of which are rapidly evolving due to technological advancements. It aims to understand the increasing importance of artificial intelligence by examining the various ways in which it is used in these sectors through qualitative research. The research included an analysis of online sources such as airport and hotel websites, booking platforms, and social media accounts of travel-related businesses. This comprehensive data collection provides insight into the various applications of artificial intelligence in tourism. Thematic analysis was then used to categorise the data according to similar uses, providing a detailed understanding of the role of AI in these areas. It compares and examines artificial intelligence applications adopted by aviation and hospitality organisations, evaluating their effectiveness and differences. The study reveals the various ways in which AI is being integrated into these industries and highlights its significant contributions across various dimensions. It also highlights how AI can deliver competitive advantage, improve customer experiences, and introduce innovative paradigms to the aviation and hospitality industries. One important aspect of the research is its ability to provide a deeper understanding of emerging AI trends in these sectors and lay a strong foundation for future research. Ultimately, this study provides valuable insight to stakeholders in aviation and hospitality, equipping them with an informed perspective on leveraging AI for growth and long-term sustainability in their respective industries