Leisure Travel Research Articles

Disentangling temporal changes in travel behavior: An age-period-cohort analysis based on German travel demand

Travel behavior changes over the temporal dimensions age, period, and cohort. However, longitudinal studies that simultaneously analyze and separate these temporal effects are missing. This study aims to disentangle the temporal changes in travel behavior (participation, frequency, expenses) and explain these changes through different theoretical lenses. Our analysis builds on large-scale representative secondary data from a repeated cross-sectional survey in Germany on the leisure travel behavior between 1983 and 2018 (N = 198,000) and uses generalized additive regression. Age and period are main drivers for changes in travel participation, cohort and age main drivers for changes in travel frequency over time. Relative travel expenses do not substantially change over time. Understanding temporal changes in travel behavior can support long-term planning in tourism.

Tradeoffs between privacy and screening efficiency for air passengers – Implications for tourism supply chain management

ABSTRACT This study employs the stated preference method to explore airline passengers’ choices during security screening and examines their trade-offs between privacy and efficiency. We compare two Asian economic hub cities (i.e. Hong Kong and Shanghai), with 500 business and leisure travellers sampled from each city. A generalised mixed multinomial logit model is estimated. The results suggest that travellers display varied levels of privacy concerns, including biometrics, biographical data, identifiers, and behavioural information. The participants from Shanghai expressed a willingness to go through fingerprint scanning and to provide facial images. The travellers in Hong Kong displayed notable reluctance to receive iris scans and disclose political and religious affiliations, and they were particularly hesitant about sharing medication records. Despite some differences between the two markets, both groups strongly opposed smartphone tracking, including access to search history and GPS location. In general, business (vs. leisure) travellers, men (vs. women), individuals with higher education levels, and those with higher personal monthly incomes strongly preferred fast-track schemes that utilised personal data. Our findings highlight the possibility of making more effective transitions to high-tech screening methods that meet the changing expectations of travellers if total screening time can be significantly decreased.

Experience-Sharing to Support Inclusive Travel for Blind and Partially Sighted People

This research aimed to understand the challenges blind and partially sighted people experience in tourism and the travel information they need to plan their travel experiences effectively. To this end, we designed a mixed-methods study consisting of semi-structured interviews and co-design workshops, which were conducted to identify the needs of BPS people and the barriers experienced due to a lack of access to such information. The findings provide insights into the information-seeking process and highlight the role of experience sharing in cultivating a sense of agency, contribution, and interdependence. This study also contributes an accessible tourism ecosystem map based on our findings to highlight the different sources of travel information and their potential role in supporting inclusive travel for BPS people. The findings have implications for research and tourism service design and serve as a tool to motivate research on technologies to support inclusive leisure travel for BPS people and to inform the design of inclusive tourism services.

Air travellers’ attitudes towards carbon emissions: evidence from the Google Flights interface

Reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the aviation industry is a formidable challenge. Understanding airline travellers’ willingness to pay for emission reductions could lead to impactful changes in flight pricing and government policies. In this study, we employ a discrete choice experiment to more accurately gauge this willingness to pay. The experiment features a comprehensive analysis of both leisure and business traveller categories, utilising a realistic interface mirroring Google Flights for journeys between Los Angeles and New York. The findings demonstrate that, on average, business flyers exhibit a significantly higher willingness to pay for emission reductions compared to leisure flyers. Notably, a subset of emissions conscious leisure flyers also exhibits a markedly higher willingness to pay. Latent class modelling indicates that this emissions conscious group accounts for about 42% of the leisure flyer sample. The larger group of price focused leisure flyers does not display any significant willingness to pay for emission reduction. Another key finding is that ethical consumption behaviour, not just stronger perceptions related to climate change, is linked to emissions-reducing preferences among both types of flyers. These results provide valuable insights for policy and pricing strategies, emphasising the heterogeneity across and within the business and leisure flyer segments.

Seeing isn't always believing: Exploring the influence of misleading photos on consumer responses in hotel industry

This study examines the impact of misleading photos on consumer’s regret, distrust, and anger, leading to negative word-of-mouth communication. Using a scenario-based experimental design, data were collected from 259 participants via Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). The study further examines these interrelationships across leisure and business traveller groups as well as misleading photos posted on hotel’s official website or user-generated content (UGC). Findings reveal significant relationships between misleading photos and negative emotional responses, including regret, distrust, and anger. These emotions, in turn, affect negative word-of-mouth communication, with regret and anger being significant predictors. The multigroup analysis further identifies differences in emotional responses between leisure and business travelers, emphasizing the need for segment-specific marketing strategies. The study's implications highlight the importance of authenticity and transparency in visual marketing to enhance consumer satisfaction and loyalty while minimizing negative emotional responses. The study offers practical insights for hospitality businesses aiming to improve customer experiences and relationships.

Healthy persuasion: a values-based messaging approach to leisure air travel decision-making

“Healthy persuasion” is a public health social marketing strategy that aims to counter corporate efforts to drive the desire to consume products that cause negative individual (personal) and/or collective (social and/or environmental) health outcomes. In this paper, we argue that healthy persuasion might be usefully borrowed from public health and applied to leisure air travel (over) consumption to facilitate behaviour changes that past facts-based messaging has failed to evoke. We implemented mixed methods to generate quantitative and qualitative insights into the air travel decision making of Norwegian leisure travellers. Our analysis identifies and explores the values held by three groups relating to reduced leisure air travel – supporters, persuadables and opponents. We draw insights into values-based message framings that are likely to be effective in appealing to supporters and persuadables to reshape their air travel consumer decisions and conclude with important avenues of future research.

Tourist Behavior and Awareness in Airline Voluntary Carbon Offset Programs: A Portuguese Perspective

This study examines the attitudes and behaviors of Portuguese air travelers towards voluntary carbon offset (VCO) programs, with a focus on understanding the motivations and awareness levels that drive offsetting behaviors. An online survey conducted between February 28 and April 30, 2023, gathered responses from 534 Portuguese residents who had traveled by air in the 12-month period prior to completion of the survey The findings reveal that while the decision to participate in VCO programs is primarily driven by a fundamental environmental ethos among offsetters, tourists exhibit limited understanding of these programs and heightened concern about affordability. Notably, the study uncovers a significant cognitive dissociation among tourists, where they often overlook or fail to acknowledge VCO offers. The findings highlight the challenge of integrating sustainability into the leisure tourism experience. This suggests that future research must account for these psychological hurdles when conducting sustainability experiments. Moreover, for sustainability initiatives to be truly effective, they must first address these cognitive barriers and reshape how environmental responsibility is perceived during leisure travel.

Tourism metamorphosis: Reshaping destination attractiveness in a post-pandemic world

Through Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) on destination attractiveness characteristics at the country level, this study identifies attribute configurations in the pre- and post-pandemic period to analyze the changes and differences generated by an exogenous event (COVID-19). The results suggest that the destination attractiveness attributes work together, in multidimensional configurations, to increase leisure travel volume. We found an important change in pat-terns/configurations of attractiveness between the pre- and post-pandemic scenarios. Our findings suggest that the destination attributes may change in importance and valuation or disappear for some configurations. The conclusion has implications for the stakeholders related to the destination attractiveness development, showing possible patterns of tourism attributes to guide the action to improve the resilience in the tourism sector and recover these activities in a disaster scenario.

Analysis of Service Marketing Strategies in the Senior Study Travel Tour Market

Senior study travel, as an emerging form of tourism, combines the dual characteristics of educational learning and leisure travel. It not only meets the elderly’s desire for spiritual and cultural life and self-fulfillment but also promotes the construction of a healthy aging society. This study comprehensively uses methods such as literature analysis, interviews, and case studies to analyze the current status and existing problems of the senior study travel market. Based on the 7Ps service marketing model, it explores service marketing strategies for the senior study travel market, aiming to provide reference and guidance for related tourism enterprises to supply more attractive senior study travel services.

Travel footprint, or how responsibly and sustainably do professionals creating and providing travel experiences behave?

In the 21st century, sustainability has become a prominent issue in the tourism sector. While conscious and responsible consumer decisions are increasingly prioritized in our daily lives, the question arises whether similar scrutiny is applied during leisure and business travel. In this recent empirical research, these questions are examined in detail in the light of the travel habits of tourism experts. The findings indicate that tourism professionals make more conscious consumer decisions in their daily activities compared to when they engage in leisure or business travel, where economic considerations tend to take precedence amidst today's macro-environmental changes, alongside a preference for compressed experiences. We further investigated the extent to which tourism professionals attending a professional conference on sustainability behaved consciously and responsibly when choosing their mode of transportation to attend the event. In this regard, we calculated their travel footprint, which is consumption-based and solely based on the use of transportation modes. We introduced this indicator on a pilot basis, with plans to apply it more extensively and over longer timeframes in the future, and to compare it across different target groups. Our main findings that tourism professionals surveyed in the research consider sustainability to be important and even prominent in their daily activities, and less so in their business activities, only 11% of them consciously choose the means of transport.

Motivations and Expectations of Selected Young Professional Filipino Travelers: A Phenomenological Study Towards Marketing Strategy for Domestic Leisure Travel

Motivations and Expectations of Selected Young Professional Filipino Travelers: A Phenomenological Study Towards Marketing Strategy for Domestic Leisure Travel

Social support and travel: Enhancing relationships, communication, and understanding for travel companions

AbstractThis study explores the multifaceted relationship between travel patterns and mental health (MH) in China, offering a novel integrative approach that synthesizes various factors such as mode of transportation, cultural distance, financial implications, and trip planning. Utilizing a descriptive research design, 622 tourists were surveyed using a pen‐and‐paper questionnaire at designated tourist destinations in China. Findings reveal that travel positively influences MH by providing new experiences, socialization, and relaxation, leading to reduced stress and improved well‐being. Duration, frequency, and active travel modes are associated with better MH outcomes. Solo travel fosters personal growth, while group travel enhances social support. Natural environments offer greater MH benefits than urban settings, and leisure travel surpasses work‐related trips in promoting MH. Greater cultural distance, poor trip planning, and financial burdens negatively impact MH. This comprehensive framework offers insights into public health and tourism policies, advancing the understanding of how travel elements collectively influence MH.

Tradable mobility credits for long-distance travel in Europe

There is an urgent need to devise policy instruments that will reduce GHG emissions to a sufficient extent in order to achieve the climate targets. Approximately 16% of all greenhouse gas emissions are generated by long-distance travel. Our objective is to estimate the impact of a Tradeable Mobility Credit (TMC) scheme − where the total emissions are fixed by design whereas the price is the outcome of travelers’ choices − will have on modal split and trip cancellation for long-distance leisure travel in Europe. To this end, we develop a market equilibrium model which accounts for travel and trading decisions. For our case study consisting of a travel demand of more than 300 million trips performed annually between 3,000 city-pair connections, the credit price that emerges in the market equilibrium state is 272€ per ton of CO2 under an emission reduction target of 30%. Due to the TMC, overall long-distance leisure travel demand is reduced by 20% and the share of air among the remaining trips decreases from 50 to 42% whereas the market share of rail increases from 23 to 26%. Modal shifts and trip cancellation rates vary greatly amongst OD-pair connections, depending on the local value-of-time and the extent of modal competition for the respective connection. Our findings contribute to the on-going debate surrounding instruments for stimulating sustainable (im)mobility, in particular in the context of the long-distance travel market.

Determinants of the travel satisfaction of e-scooter users

This paper seeks to fill in the current evidence gap on the relationship between travel satisfaction and e-scooter use. To do so, online survey data from e-scooter users of a University community in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece were collected and statistically analyzed. In line with previous research on travel satisfaction, the results of a series of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses unveiled the potential of factors surrounding positive activation, positive deactivation, and cognitive evaluation to serve as key determinants of satisfaction of e-scooter riders. Furthermore, a structural equation model (SEM) was estimated to identify the impact of user- and trip-related characteristics on travel satisfaction. The results of the SEM showed that older and high-income riders, those with good self-reported physical condition, riders of private e-scooters and leisure travelers are more likely to perceive greater satisfaction by the use of their e-scooters. The findings of this study overall contribute to the current state-of-knowledge relating to travel satisfaction and pave the way for potential policy actions that could improve users’ experience with e-scooters and enhance the overall attractiveness of micromobility in the pathway towards sustainable and inclusive mobility.

The role of cross-cultural adaptation in the relationship between leisure constraints, motivation, and travel intention: a case study of Vietnamese migrant workers

ABSTRACT In recent years, the global phenomenon of international labor migration has become a pressing issue. This migration not only contributes significantly to host nations’ economies but also raises complex social and cultural questions, particularly when it comes to the leisure lives and constraints faced by migrant workers. Surprisingly, the experiences of migrant workers from Southeast Asian countries, such as Vietnam, remain understudied and undertheorized in the existing literature. This research aims to fill this gap by exploring the impact of cross-cultural adaptation on the intricate relationship between leisure constraints, travel motivation, and travel intention among Vietnamese migrant workers in Taiwan. A sample of 322 Vietnamese migrant workers in Taiwan was used to test the research framework. The relationships between leisure constraints, travel motivation, cross-cultural adaptation, and travel intention were investigated. Furthermore, the mediating role of cross-cultural adaptation is also identified in this study. By examining migrant workers through cross-cultural adaptation theory, these findings contribute to the body of knowledge in this field. Furthermore, the contribution to practical implications is to increase migrant workers’ travel intention, improve their general well-being, and facilitate their integration into their host countries.

Biophilic Urban Hotel Design and Restorative Experiencescapes

When considering how hotels can facilitate aesthetics that offer restorative benefits to business and leisure travelers, extant research suggests natural environments serve as a refuge and that time spent in nature promotes well-being. Based on the tenets of Stress Recovery Theory (SRT), combined with the theoretical perspective of prospect-refuge, we examine, through a series of conjoint analyses, how combinations of biophilic design elements differ in the extent to which they are perceived to enhance guests’ restoration, including relaxation, energy, and mind clarity. We further explore how these perceptions change based on higher and lower levels of individuals’ longer-term states of anxiety and stress. Findings can be translated into practical applications, ensuring that the biophilic elements more closely aligned with restoration and psychological needs are prioritized in urban hotel building and interior design.

Set Moves: Constructions of Travel in Commercial Games for Children

During the long nineteenth century, Western publics experienced the invention and proliferation of commercial games for children. Card games, board games, and other parlor games were no longer for adults only; these new offerings formalized some aspects of what it meant for a child to engage in play. Many games centered travel, becoming sites for children to simulate adult agency in movement through space. This paper examines the stories told by narrative card games and board games about travel, especially travel within and between urban centers. The games present the city as microcosm of the world. Child players are invited to construct multiple national and ethnic identities as they pretend to be city travelers. The games attempt to teach children, and their caregivers, how to travel. I argue that the structures and aims of the games evolve over time, keeping pace with new mores surrounding work and leisure travel. I also argue for connections between games and the “set moves” of narrative fiction and theatre.

Urban Physical Environments Promoting Active Leisure Travel: An Empirical Study Using Crowdsourced GPS Tracks and Geographic Big Data from Multiple Sources

Specific environmental characteristics can encourage active leisure travel and increase physical activity. However, existing environment-travel studies tend to ignore the differences in environmental characteristics associated with route choice and travel distance, of which the latter could be more important for health benefits, since longer trips are associated with increased exercise. Additionally, the most recent studies focus on leisure walking and leisure cycling, and activities such as hiking, climbing, and running are examined less frequently. This study, therefore, compares the similarities and differences of the environmental factors associated with route selection and travel distance through non-parametric tests and Cox proportional hazard models. The results show that two intersecting sets of environmental elements relate to both the route chosen and the distance traveled. Land use diversity and varied topography are appealing for both leisure trips and trip length. In addition, the differences in environmental characteristics among specific leisure travels may be attributed to variations in physical activity requirements, preferences for landscape viewing, and/or sensitivity to crowding. Therefore, conclusions drawn without considering the different types of leisure travel could be skewed. Whether particular surroundings may effectively increase physical activity remains uncertain. A more holistic perspective could be beneficial when studying the connection between the environment, active travel, and health.

(Small D-democratic) vacation, all I ever wanted? The effect of democratic backsliding on leisure travel in the American states

Abstract As many American states have considered policies consistent with democratic backsliding in recent years, political elites and scholars have speculated on the consequences of these policies for political behavior. We examine the effect of backsliding policies on Americans’ preferences over leisure travel destinations; because vacationing is transitory, this focus allows us to isolate the role of individuals’ democratic predispositions and values in preference formation from the implications of these policies on their self-interest that they would experience from living under those policies themselves. Through pre-registered conjoint and vignette survey experiments, we find that Americans, and especially Democrats, express less interest in vacationing in states that recently adopted backsliding policies. Our results spotlight an accountability mechanism by which Americans may sanction backsliding states, though the modest magnitude of these sanctions – less than 1% of backsliding states’ gross domestic products – may not deter backsliding behavior on their own.

Recasting sustainable summer holidaying: scripts, time experiences, freedom, place change and environmental imprints

In the summer of 2020, COVID-19 border closures, travel restrictions, infection risks and other uncertainties forced many people to cancel or adapt their holiday plans. This disruption created an exceptional context to study home-based holidaying experiences, representing a departure from pre-pandemic habits and routinely rehearsed summer holiday scripts. Responding to a longstanding bias in tourism research towards (high-carbon) international travel and a neglect of near-home holidaying, an explorative quantitative survey elucidated what novel or altered experiences may disclose about summer holidaying attitudes and transitions towards more sustainable forms of tourism. Theoretically informed by conceptualisations of holiday time, place change, role change, and routinisation of holiday practices, a SEM analytical framework revealed two primary inclinations. One was receptive to summer home holidaying and was associated with recognition of the environmental footprint of regular leisure travel and a willingness to recast vacation plans accordingly. The other was averse to home-based holidaying, driven by the view that it was unfulfilling and by a desire to resume international travel when restrictions were eased.