Leisure Destinations Research Articles

The importance of the social environment on leisure destination choice: A mixed multinomial analysis of homophilic preferences

Individuals are fond of belonging to a social environment with a similar social background, which can impact the individual’s decision to visit specific venues for leisure activities. Using data from Zurich, we have measured the preference for a social environment in four categories of leisure venues: restaurants, cafes, bars, and nightclubs; the estimation was performed using a mixed multinomial logit model to see how homophily for socioeconomic characteristics can impact the decisions of choosing a leisure venue. The models included three homophilic preferences: age, income, and cultural origin as variables of interest. The results show a positive impact of the three variables in different degrees: age is the most relevant in the two venue categories, income only impacts when individuals choose restaurants or cafes, and cultural background is more relevant for nightlife venues. These results show that the sociodemographic characteristics of the social environment are relevant for the choice of leisure destinations. These findings can contribute to the formulation of policies to create more diverse leisure environments and socially cohesive communities.

“Where Do Children Go?”: Exploring Children’s Daily Destinations With Children, Parents, and Experts

Research on children’s destinations has primarily focused on school trips, yet their lives are more than that. Different destinations contribute to children’s quality of life in different ways, but this is rarely examined. For our research, focus groups were conducted with different stakeholders to better understand non-school destinations, namely by identifying common, daily, and informal destinations and perceptions of how they relate to children’s well-being. Online focus group discussions were conducted with children (aged 8–12), parents (with children aged 7–13), and experts from different cities across Canada in May and June 2023, to obtain diverse opinions about children’s destinations. The analysis was conducted based on a prior review to categorize children’s destinations, identify informal destinations, green and grey places, and the relation between those destinations to children’s well-being. Discussions with parents, children, and experts highlighted the diversity of destinations relevant to children. Leisure destinations were one of the most mentioned in the discussions. Spaces without specific rules or structures were identified by experts as beneficial for children’s cognitive, social, physical, and psychological health. Parents mentioned primarily formal places, whereas children and experts mentioned primarily informal ones. Green destinations were more associated with physical well-being, though children dominantly associated green destinations with psychological well-being as well. All groups dominantly associated grey-type destinations with social and cognitive well-being. Using these results, urban planners can develop strategies to improve children’s access to their daily destinations that support their well-being.

Analysis of Factors Influencing Wait Times at Disneyland Resort

This paper aims to enhance the accuracy of wait time predictions and optimize park management at Disneyland, a popular leisure destination facing long wait times for attractions. These wait times adversely affect visitors' immediate experiences and overall evaluations, influencing their willingness to return. These wait times adversely affect visitors' immediate experiences and overall evaluations, influencing their willingness to return. The study employs advanced data analysis and machine learning algorithms to develop high-precision wait time prediction models. Utilizing big data techniques, the research integrates multi-dimensional data, including weather, visitor flow, and historical wait times, to optimize resource allocation and improve operational efficiency. optimize resource allocation and improve operational efficiency and visitor satisfaction. The study further explores the application of these models in other domains such as healthcare, healthcare, and healthcare services. The study further explores the application of these models in other domains such as healthcare and transportation, demonstrating the potential for cross-disciplinary technology transfer to enhance overall service quality and efficiency. The findings underscore the significant impact of big data behavior analysis in theme park management, contributing to the findings underscore the significant impact of big data behavior analysis in theme park management, contributing to increased visitor satisfaction, enhanced competitiveness, and long-term sustainability of the park.

A Science Mapping Analysis of Halal Tourism in Asian Leisure Destinations: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities in the Post-Pandemic Era

A Science Mapping Analysis of Halal Tourism in Asian Leisure Destinations: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities in the Post-Pandemic Era

Tsunami risk perception of the touristic population of Stromboli Island: towards effective risk communication strategies

AbstractThis study focuses on the risks that tourists would face during a tsunami on the island of Stromboli and discusses how to best inform and prepare them. Tsunamis affect coastal regions, where many of these are leisure destinations for tourists who often don’t have adequate knowledge of the region's risks. Due to their proximity to the affected areas, near-source or local tsunamis usually allow for a limited warning time, posing great challenges to the planning of effective risk mitigation action. Furthermore, tourist populations have a particular significance in studies on risk perception, since their needs intersect with those of the local population and must be taken into account. To gather key knowledge for developing robust risk communication strategies, a survey (n = 699) was conducted between July and October 2023 to assess tourists' risk perception and preparedness. The findings indicate that tourists often misdescribe tsunamis, leading to underestimation of the security threats posed by smaller events and revealing shortcomings in current communication approaches. Given the tourism industry practices on the island, effective communication strategies for tourists should prioritize providing comprehensive information within the first 24 h of their arrival. Furthermore, given the high percentage of tourists who visit the island for a few hours and within certain time slots, we invite the authorities to provide this information before disembarking on the island.

Governing summer in Mount Lebanon: Istiyaf, tourism, and mobility in the interwar Arab East

ABSTRACT This article examines the lattice of dynamics, networks, and perceptions underpinning the blanket label of ‘tourism’ in Lebanon and the broader Arab East during the interwar (mandate) era. It analyses guidebooks, pamphlets, government correspondence and travelogues published in the Middle East and Europe. Hoteliers, tour operators, merchants, and journalists distinguished between siyaha (tourism) and istiyaf (‘summering’) to create different tourist publics – one western, the other regional Arab. Separate guidebooks were written for each, pinpointing different sites of interest, cuisines, and leisure destinations, based on assumed cultural attributes, travel practices, and desires. While historiography argues that Europeans created mass tourism as an industry, istiyaf was rooted in a legacy of indigenous travel practices and economies. By drawing Arab travellers to Mount Lebanon’s village resorts, istiyaf enabled residents to produce, narrate, and exhibit Lebanon–not just aesthetically or geographically, but also climatologically and gastronomically. Different classes and genders could claim ownership of this new Lebanon. Making interwar Lebanon a regional leisure destination cemented its connection to new neighbours while simultaneously distinguishing it from them. This research thus reveals how tourism, leisure, and mobility both undergirded and undermined nation and state-building efforts in these germinal postwar decades of the Middle East.

Dark tourism development in a leisure destination: the perceptions of the local community in Cyprus

ABSTRACT The aim of this exploratory study was to increase the understanding of the perceptions of local communities of dark tourism development in a leisure destination and whether their perceptions could have an impact on the further development or hindrance of dark sites. Cyprus was used as a focal point for the study, an island that is a popular holiday destination but nonetheless has its share of locations and sites related to dark tourism. Social exchange theory was used as a theoretical instrument to examine the local communities’ perceptions. Qualitative research was conducted with three study groups using interviews. It used thematic analysis to identify various themes associated with dark tourism based on the perceptions of the local community. Only a little evidence was found that the concept of dark tourism plays a role in the tourism industry in a leisure destination. The overall positive shared perceptions encourage support for the development of dark tourism; thus, it points to the need to find ways to align future policies with the perceptions and opinions of the local community. This study contributed to knowledge by conceptualizing the role of local communities in dark tourism development.

Optimized Distance-Based Algorithm for Cloud Space—Tourist Route Recommendation for Heritage Town, Pondicherry, India

Architecture, often regarded as a three-dimensional art form, relies on a multitude of abstractions during the design process. In this context, architectural elements are effectively represented through vector-based data processing techniques, offering a canvas for creative exploration. To further our understanding of spatial configurations and generate multiple design insights, mathematical structures known as graphs come into play. Graph theory, a fundamental component of this process, it is a mathematical field that studies relationships and connections between objects using vertices and edges, finding applications in computer science, network analysis, and more finds application in architectural design. This study delves into the application of graph theory in the analytical exploration of urban networks, with a focus on tourism parameters in the picturesque town of Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, India. Traditionally, urban network analysis seeks to determine the shortest distance between origin and destination, a metric rooted in accessibility. However, in leisure destinations, a novel approach involving an optimized distance-based algorithm is introduced. This innovative methodology aims to facilitate efficient access to all tourist destinations within the spatial extent while minimizing discrete physical distances. To illustrate this concept, we take the iconic French Quarters in the White Town of Pondicherry as a case study. By applying the optimized distance-based algorithm, we endeavor to uncover the most efficient route for tourists to navigate and leisurely explore the area. The outcome of this analysis reveals a path graph structure, which, when compared to a circular graph structure, demonstrates superior efficiency in guiding tourists through the space. The implications of this tourist route extend beyond the realm of tourism itself. It has the potential to enhance the organization of tourist activities, allowing stakeholders to manage and regulate the flow of visitors. Additionally, it presents an opportunity to promote and develop the region’s often-underestimated tourist destinations, which can, in turn, have a positive impact on the local economy. In summary, the integration of graph theory into architectural and urban design methodologies enriches the approach to tourism and offers a holistic perspective on spatial optimization.

Методика оценки здоровья корпоративного бренда на рынке гостеприимства

The article presents the author's methodology for assessing the health of a corporate brand in the hospitality market, including various factors and components of the developed methodology. The basis of the corporate brand health assessment methodology is the allocation of three main categories of the methodology, such as the quality of knowledge, the pyramid of knowledge and the brand health assessment itself, based on PAR and BAR indicators. The article also reviewed the existing methods of brand health assessment on the market, based on which a proprietary methodology for assessing the health of a corporate brand was developed. Assessing the health of a corporate brand allows a company not only to focus its marketing policy on leaders from the consumer's perspective, but also from the perspective of the organization itself. Brand health assessment allows you to identify the advantages of an enterprise, which is critically important when choosing a place of rest or services for a consumer, since today's consumers are increasingly informed and more demanding of the quality of services provided. Moreover, the hospitality market is saturated with a variety of leisure destinations, therefore, with the help of brand health assessment, it is possible to identify unique competitive advantages, stand out on the market and successfully continue the fight for consumer attention. The importance of assessing the health of a corporate brand is also important for such a target group as the company's employees. Successful enterprises can be attractive to talented personnel, which can have a positive impact on the quality of services provided. The developed methodology for evaluating the corporate brand of an enterprise allows the organization to competently and timely analyze marketing communications, respond to rapidly changing environmental conditions and take timely measures.

The Impact of Theme Park Experience on Satisfaction and Loyalty

Theme parks have become more successful in recent years. Furthermore, theme parks have grown in popularity as urban leisure destinations and tourist attractions that offer visitors a variety of experiences. Understanding visitors' interactions in the theme park is important because customer satisfaction and loyalty are heavily influenced by their experiences. The study's goal was to determine the impact of theme park experience on satisfaction and loyalty. Specific objectives were to describe the respondents’ demographic profile, determine the respondents’ perceptions toward their theme park visit in terms of theme park experience, theme park satisfaction, and theme park loyalty, establish a significant difference between the respondents’ profile and their perception towards theme park experience, theme park satisfaction, and theme park loyalty, and establish a significant relationship between the respondents’ perception towards their theme park experience and their theme park satisfaction and theme park loyalty. This study adopted the descriptive-correlational method.The survey was completed by 389 visitors who had visited the three major theme parks in the Philippines during the past few years. The research used a combination of convenience and snowball sampling in order to reach all respondents during the pandemic. The statistical tools used were frequency counts, percentages, mean, chi-square, and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. It can be gleaned from the study that theme park visitors' satisfaction is based on their happiness with all their experiences in the theme park. The key findings demonstrated that theme park experience, theme park satisfaction, and theme park loyalty are significantly and positively related to respondents’ assessments when visiting theme parks. The results suggest that theme park operators and management should focus on maintaining a good physical setting that will entertain and satisfy theme park visitors.

Not only Adventurous but also Leisure: Re-defining Tourism in Tanzanian Mount Kilimanjaro National Park

The highest mountainous tourism destinations in the world receive few numbers of tourists both domestic and international. Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa is not exceptional. This is because mountains are famous as adventure destinations due to the associated risks during trekking the summit. Consequently, only risk-taker tourists trek mountains. The objective of this study is to profile attractions in Mount Kilimanjaro’s altitudinal gradients to attract adventurous, acrophobic (fear of heights), and leisure tourists using a mixed-method approach. The results revealed that each altitudinal gradient harbours unique attractions. At an altitude of 1800 -2800masl, leisure, and acrophobic tourists experience endemic forest flowers like ‘touch-me-not’ or impatiens‘and viola, and diverse wildlife species. Between 2800 and 4000 masl, floristic tourists enjoy giant groundsels, such as senecio and lobelia and the Shiraplateau. At 4000 -5000masl, where semi-adventurous hope to experience nothing, the study found attractive rocks with unique shapes like a cathedral, turtle, mushrooms, and captivating striped Zebra-like rocks. Finally, above 5000masl, the adventurer tourists experience dazzling stars at night, the snow in the tropics, and the summit. The study concludes that the diversification of attractions is likely to draw a variety of tourists, thus, boosting the overall number of tourists. Therefore, in order to increase revenue generated from tourism, tourism planners should market mountains as not only adventurous but also leisure destinations.

Leisure Crafting and Pro-Environmental Behavior: The Potential Mediating Role of Engagement

Exploring the connection between leisure activities and environmental behavior is crucial to help leisure destination managers understand leisure participants’ behavior and reduce environmental damage. This study aimed to examine the relationship between leisure crafting and pro-environmental behavior. The mediating role of engagement was also examined. Precisely, 535 mountaineers were surveyed on the Tashan trail in Alishan, Taiwan. The results demonstrated that leisure crafting is positively associated with engagement, while engagement is positively associated with pro-environmental behavior. Additionally, engagement mediates the relationship between leisure crafting and pro-environmental behavior. Based on these findings, the study presented theoretical and practical implications as well as suggestions for future studies.

A comparative analysis of determinants, characteristics, and experiences of four daily trip types

The positive utility of travel (unrelated to the destination) and travel satisfaction have been discussed in travel literature, but a research gap exists in comparing if and how travel benefits might differ among commuting, shopping, leisure, and undirected trips (those without a destination, undertaken for the purpose of the trip itself). By specifying the varying benefits of each trip type (or determining whether there is a variation), the positive utility of travel can be better understood, potentially identifying strategies for improving travel satisfaction and, in turn, subjective well-being. This paper considers these four trip types (commuting, shopping, leisure, and undirected) by evaluating differences in beneficial aspects of travel (improving physical health, improving mental well-being, enjoying scenery, and social contact), travel satisfaction, and characteristics (mode, distance, duration, frequency) among 1122 daily travel trips using survey data (n = 332) from Flanders, Belgium. Results indicate that, 1. though taken least often, undirected trips are the most important to physical activity, 2. undirected and leisure trips are most associated with positive utility of travel, and 3. trips to a leisure destination are the most satisfying. This investigation offers information regarding how experienced utility might differ when considering the context of the destination, and how satisfaction with different trips might relate to overall well-being.

Sustainability analysis of ex-tin mining pond using multi-dimensional scaling

Ex-Tin mining is nowadays utilized as leisure industry area in order to reduce externality ex-mining area that resulted a gaping hole filled with rain water that eventually becomes a pond named Kulong. This utilization has resulted economic benefits for local people, together with the degradation of environmental conditions. This study aims to measure the sustainability of Kulong as leisure industry Area by using multidimensional scaling analysis which is assessed through four dimensional approaches, such as environmental, economic, leisure industry, social and institution dimensions. The sustainability is measured by using sustainability index. The result shows that the only dimension that is scored more than 50 for sustainability index is economic dimension while environmental, leisure area, and social and institution dimensions are scored below 50 which are considered as less sustainable. Therefore, the recommendations for the improvement of kulong as leisure area are restriction and encouragement of leisure industry based on age of kulong, making layout design for leisure destination, and establishing cross-sector program for kulong.

Customer Visual Perception of Indoor Environments: Computer Vision Analysis of Social Media Photos of Cafés in China

Photo analysis is gaining importance in tourism research; however, there has not been enough research on the issue of indoor photos. This research uses social media data to study customer visual perceptions of indoor environments with five cafés in China as examples. With the help of deep learning models, photos are labeled by their content and clustered by pixels to investigate the following three aspects: first, the visual perception features, including the main elements and their co-occurrence, picture composition and shooting views; second, the degree of concern about shop logos and featured designs; and third, perceptual discrepancies between professional designers and customers. This study explores an innovative empirical visual research approach to making use of deep learning models in indoor tourism photography studies. The results offer inspiration for indoor leisure destination administrators.

Just because I’m a woman: Gender happiness gap in human mobility

This study explores the gender happiness gap in human mobility using smartphone-collected data from 355 residents in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area. We develop a panel-ordered logit model to estimate how the factors of a trip and person are associated with the happiness change induced by the trip within both male and female participant groups. Trip-induced happiness, defined as the change in the level of happiness at the start of the trip and the end of the trip, is found to be affected by trip- and personal-level factors. We find that the magnitude of impact is different between males and females. For trip-level factors, the top three elements yielding the highest magnitude of impact for females are associated with biking, discretionary trip destinations, and walking. Males are impacted the most by walking, biking, and taking transit, with the highest magnitude of impact associated with biking. The likelihood of gain to loss of happiness is four times for male bikers and two and a half times for female bikers. Leisure destinations and afternoon trips have magnitudes greater than one. Results of both discretionary and mandatory trip origins have the least magnitude of impact for both females and males. For personal-level factors, the magnitude of impact is low for African-American females and not significant for males. In relation to the results of personal-level factors, we caution implementation due to the small number of participants in our data collection process. Our findings offer new insights into potential planning and policy strategies that could improve travel experiences and well-being for both genders.

Tourism and Authenticity: Analyzing Retail Change in Lisbon City Center

Retail is one of the defining elements of urban spaces. The study of commerce is largely based on its evolution and how it relates with urban environments. Currently, with the advent of mass tourism, there has been an adjustment in the commercial fabric of the area’s most sought after by tourists. Among these latter areas, the historical centers of commerce stand out. The first objective of this research is to analyze the modern evolution of the commercial fabric of Lisbon by comparing the city center with the rest of the city. For this goal, I use a quantitative approach through the quotient location for specific retail typologies. The results show dissimilarities that are associated with the geographical location of retail, which vary according to the different retail typologies being analyzed. The second goal is based on the assumption that the mere analysis of the evolution of the retail typologies is limited in the context of tourist cities. Considering this matter, a qualitative method (photo analysis, conceptually supported by the concept of authenticity) is used. The results show the usefulness of the concept of authenticity to apprehend and discuss how retail is reacting to the tourism industry, thereby contributing to the transformation of the city center into a leisure and entertainment destination.

Slutsky equation in tourism: an empirical study in Vietnam

ABSTRACT The purpose of the paper is to apply the Slutsky equation to the Bass diffusion model to examine the price and income elasticities of hotel demand in different tourist destinations including cultural, commercial, and coastal cities. The sample was a set of 120 points by ex-post data from the Smith Travel Research in Vietnam. Findings indicate the price in a leisure destination in the beginning of the tourist area life cycle is inelastic, whereas the prices in the business and culture destinations at the end of the cycle are elastic. This study identifies the hidden cost when demand increases in the three destinations, ultimately allowing hoteliers to effectively strategize when making price changes within their industry.

Mobilides, Context Costs and Heritage in Tourism and Leisure Realtions on the Border of Central Portugal with Spain

The persistence of borders has been based on the fact that they are crucial for the reproduction of territoriality and of national identity narratives. In this context, and considering the border as a line that separates, divides and controls the existence of areas/territories, it implies that the effects (context costs) disappear with distance, in addition to the emergence of new meanings and dynamics depending on their accessibility, resources held, forms of settlement and economic activities. The Luso-Spanish border is the most stable and, at the same time, the one with the most critical development indexes, due to its penalising demographic evolution, productive disarticulation and differentiated administrative policies. Tourism development is seen as an instrument for the diversification of economies in peripheral and often underdeveloped frontier regions. These areas have, through their history and natural heritage, resources of great value, of which the international rivers, the classified natural areas, the castles and fortresses, the historical villages, the traditions and festivities, the gastronomy and the presence of different cultures stand out in the central Iberian border. Facing this panorama and considering formal and informal relations, cooperating or competing, we try to identify dynamics and forms of cooperation in the construction of a resilience space, in the face of existing constraints and heritage values held, capable of generating new attractions and functions in the oldest European border. Under favourable conditions, these territories contribute to tourism development in the framework of neighbourly relations and interests. In the case of Portugal central border with Spain, it is possible to speak of a porosity that is historical, with the territory(ies) coming together, either through public policies (EU, national, regional and local), or through private investments. The study aims to analyse and systematise the factors of tourism promotion, the political developments and the permeability of the border, in the construction of a tourism and leisure destination.

Developing Guidelines for Age-Friendly Buses: a Survey of Older Peoples’ Preferences Regarding Headways, Distance to the Bus Stop and Destinations

Background: Transport providers and policy makers should be guided by research evidence when developing age-friendly transportation services. There are significant gaps in the literature regarding older peoples’ preferences for bus headways, distance to the bus stop and destinations. Therefore, the aims of this study are to 1) quantify the preferred headways for older people, 2) quantify the preferred distance to the bus stop for older people, and 3) list and rank the preferred destinations of older people. Methods: A survey of community-dwelling older people in Hervey Bay and Brisbane (both in Australia) was conducted to quantify the preferences of older people regarding headways, distance to the bus stop and destinations. Results: One hundred participants completed the survey. The majority of older people preferred headways of a maximum of 30 minutes during the day and hourly at other times. The preferred distance to the bus stop was 200m or less. Preferred destinations included cross-suburban travel, leisure destinations, shops, central business district, medical services and other towns. Conclusion: These results contrast with usual practice and industry conventions. Transport providers and policy makers who are interested in providing age-friendly services should attempt to meet these guidelines. They may need to consider innovative approaches in order to meet these requirements.