National Destination Research Articles

Geomorphological Heritage Assessment and Potential Geotourism Prospects: a Case Study from Chambal River

The Chambal River is one of the spectacular rivers in India due to its geomorphological variability. The important proposed landforms for geomorphosites from the Chambal River are (a) Badland topography (GSB): Chambal Badlands are severely dissected, difficult to transverse, and unsuitable for agriculture; (b) Canyons of Chambal (GSC): Canyons of Chambal River are one of the largest in India; and (c) Waterfalls and rapids: The middle reaches of the Chambal River consist of waterfalls, known as Chulia, and contain large boulders, potholes, and step-pool sections. For the present study, the M-GAM method was applied for geomorphosite assessment of the selected sites in order to establish their potential to become geomorphological sites. Canyons, waterfalls, and badlands are all highly rated geomorphosites. Badlands receive the highest ranking because they are excellent examples of geomorphological processes. Canyons and waterfalls are the most accessible. However, The badlands are the most difficult to access. For each geosite, additional functional values are very low. Canyons and waterfalls are popular tourist destinations. Tour guide service is one of the most highly valued aspects for tourists. This is essential during the current COVID-19 pandemic, when international travel is restricted, resulting in a surge in domestic tourists to nature destinations. Major improvements to the low-rated elements, coupled with better promotional activities, would offer more domestic and international tourists to these geosites, benefiting the local population and economy through higher income and new jobs.

Selling the indigenous in Nordic welfare states: examples from Norway and Sweden

ABSTRACT Indigenous peoples’ right to control representations of their own culture and heritage is unquestionable, but in the case of tourism activities other stakeholders’ understandings come into play. The nation-state is still an important organizational foundation for tourism. For the Indigenous Sámi people, who are located in four different nation-states, national destination management organizations (DMOs) have a crucial role in how their culture and traditions are represented. The current study examines the content of Visit Norway and Visit Sweden’s visual marketing of indigenous Sámi tourism products. Using content analysis to sort electronic images and related texts, categories distinguishing natural, human, and other types of relevant symbols were created. The marketing strategies of both countries reinforce the traditional connection of the Sámi people to nature and their reindeer. Visit Sweden uses a distinct notion of what we call the artification of the Sámi, where young female artists contribute to the modern image of this indigenous people. Visit Norway continues to use more stereotypical representations of the Sámi, with a focus on colourful outfits and traditional buildings. Thus, tourism marketing continues to reinforce simplified images of the indigenous populations of the Arctic and their relation to the nation-state.

Perceptions and Attitudes of Domestic Tourists toward Ecotourism

Although authorities are aware of the economic benefits of ecotourism, domestic tourism in Oman often fails to prioritise environmentally conscious visits to natural areas that incorporate observation and education. Without greater awareness, the preservation of these destinations will remain a mere aspiration. This study aimed to collect data on the perceptions and attitudes of local tourists towards ecotourism in Oman, focusing on three popular nature destinations from different governorates. To address the research problem, a mixed approach, along with the descriptive correlational design, was used. Over a month-long survey, primary data was collected from fifty respondents, revealing an overwhelmingly positive attitude towards ecotourism in Oman. The potential for ecotourism in the country was rated as ‘High,' reflecting optimism about the future of the tourism sector. However, respondents also acknowledged that ecotourism can have a ‘High’ detrimental impact on the ecosystem. Economic and sociocultural implications were considered to be of ‘Very High’ importance. The positive perceptions and attitudes towards ecotourism in Oman were mainly driven by the economic and sociocultural benefits it offers. The results of this study indicate a promising outlook for ecotourism in Oman, as long as sustainable regulations are in place. Planning is crucial for every aspect of ecotourism, particularly regarding management, operation, and development. All goals related to preservation and conservation, as well as marketing and promotion, must be effectively communicated among stakeholders. The way in which Omani visitors perceive ecotourism is heavily influenced by economic considerations. Although ecotourism is viewed positively for its financial advantages for the nation and communities, concerns remain regarding the negative impacts of tourism development on the environment. It is therefore essential to focus on promoting sustainable growth in these areas without compromising the environment.

Life Cycle Assessment Applied to End-of-Life Scenarios of Sargassum spp. for Application in Civil Construction

Environmental risks and vulnerabilities in coastal regions include the massive deposits of brown algae of the genus Sargassum in regions such as the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and northern Brazil. Efforts have been made to turn this problem into an opportunity by seeking new uses for this biomass in the sectors of food, agriculture, health, biofuels, bioremediation, and civil construction. Thus, this study aimed to produce quantitative data for different end-of-life scenarios of the Sargassum algae, seeking for potential applications of this macroalgae in the civil construction sector. For this purpose, we conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) study of the Sargassum algae, in its natural destination, and evaluated its potential impact. This evaluation was then compared to the possible impacts of alternatives to their end of life, such as landfill disposal, drying and grinding to use as fibers or particles, burning the biomass to generate energy and fly ash, using a consequential LCA and the indicators of the ReCiPe 2016 method. For each of the proposed scenarios, the functional unit of 1 kg of the three types of unprocessed Sargassum algae that are found in the Brazilian deposits (natans I, natans VIII, and fluitans) was considered separately, and also for a composition that is closer to that found in the Brazilian deposits (50% fluitans, 15% natans I, and 35% natans VIII). The results for both natural decomposition scenarios demonstrated a dominant contribution to the categories of impact for climate change, marine eutrophication, and land use, thus justifying the search for new initiatives for the use of the algae. The burning process showed a significant contribution to most of the indicators, with emphasis on the massive generation of particulate, inherent to the biomass burning process; however, it showed a reduction in the magnitude of climate change emissions from around 47% to less than 2%. Finally, the proposed scenario of processing Sargassum biomass to obtain particles presented prevalence of magnitude for potential impact in most of the proposed indicators, due to the processes with high electricity consumption, but keeping climate change emissions’ relative reduction from 47% to 6%. Thus, new studies may further investigate the potential of application of these materials in different products and components of civil construction.

Cinema-induced Tourism in Morocco: A narrative review

A leading destination for both tourists and filmmakers, Morocco - specifically the province of Ouarzazate - has the potential to be a cinema-induced tourism (CIT) cradle. Branded as the "Hollywood of Africa," this province is privileged due to its diversified landscape. Through a narrative review approach, this article explores the development of (CIT) in Morocco. It identifies research areas and trends by providing state-of-the-art knowledge and highlighting gaps. The results unveil the dearth of research in this field despite Morocco's pioneerism as a (CIT) destination. Furthermore, this niche is underexploited as a tourism product by national destination marketers.

Crisis Communication of National Destination Management Organizations before and during the Coronavirus Pandemic

When a tourist destination goes into crisis, the news about the crisis immediately reaches visitors. However, in 2020 the coronavirus pandemic affected not only one destination, but also resulted in a global crisis throughout the entire tourism sector since governmental restrictions were introduced for the sake of worldwide security. As potential travellers were only able to plan their trips, mostly using online platforms, crisis communication, awareness raising, or even reminder campaigns on the part of tourist destinations began to gain in value. In 2021 the national regulations fundamentally affecting tourism determined what opportunities remained open or were instead closed to national destination management organizations (DMOs). As these decisions became endowments and factors that could not be influenced, we chose to focus our research on how the online communication of tourist destinations has changed due to the pandemic. In the study, we review both the pre-crisis communication of national DMOs of the European Union and their online activity during the coronavirus pandemic. Our goal is to explore the change between the two periods: the revealed differences in communication between the first and second waves of the pandemic. We will also examine the possibilities for recovery and formulate recommendations for a post-pandemic communication strategy.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Shares: The Case of Destination Canada’s Social Media Visual Storytelling Campaign

This case is designed to assess the visual storytelling social media strategy created by Destination Canada (DC), the country’s national destination marketing organization, regarding their objective, to drive demand among international travelers, to uncover insights into how it has performed since the devastating impact of COVID-19, and how the future might unfold. DC curates and shares a variety of unique photos and videos to their Instagram page on a near-daily basis, inspiring users to connect emotionally with the brand, develop a desire to visit, and ultimately choose to travel to Canada. Despite success to date with their strategy, DC has faced unprecedented challenges in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, which have made their path forward unclear. In this case, students will draw upon visual storytelling and social media engagement concepts in tourism and marketing to examine key data related to DC’s campaign and Instagram engagement across their posts, and ultimately piece together the key information required to evaluate the effectiveness of DC’s campaign, along with where changes may be needed for DC to remain engaged with users post-pandemic.

Key factors of nature-based tourism future development in less-developed nature destinations: Case study: Ardabil province of Iran

The study examines key factors influencing nature-based tourism (NBT) development in less-developed nature destinations, selecting Ardabil province of Iran as a case study. It employed a qualitative approach involving fifteen semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. The study identified seven factors contributing to the development of NBT: tourism development requirements, new managerial initiatives, political support and planning, democratic approach, destination management, sustainability and awareness. The study highlights the importance of sustainability in shaping the future of NBT, which must be considered in policymaking and planning and environmental and climate change impact management. The study recommends knowledge circulation for effective future-based planning. The findings provide valuable insight into the factors required for NBT development at macro and micro levels and can assist DMOs and policymakers of less-developed nature destinations better underrated NBT destination management, allowing them to be better prepared for the future.

Destination loyalty and pandemic risks: Revisiting the study of tourist loyalty during the covid-19 pandemic

This paper examines how tourist behaviour is conditioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, developing a theoretical framework that considers not only traditional variables such as image, satisfaction, and variety seeking, but also the risks perceived during a pandemic to better explain loyalty towards a tourist destination. Moreover, the paper explores whether the effects of these variables differ in loyalty formation if people who consider visiting a destination in their country again are compared to people who contemplate travelling again to an international destination. Empirical evidence from a survey sample comprising more than 1000 Spanish tourists shows that pandemic-related risks differently influence the tourist loyalty dimensions intention to revisit and recommend both a national destination (441 respondents) and an international destination (600 respondents). Finally, affective image and satisfaction are the main drivers of loyalty in both subsamples.

Yoga as Serious Leisure Activity: Socio-Demographic Differences in Mindfulness Levels Among Yoga Retreat Participants

Yoga retreats are an emerging component of international well-being tourism. This form of tourism focuses on groups with specific demographic characteristics and interests, highlights natural destinations of high tourism value, and supports the development of personal well-being through such practices as mindfulness. This study investigated the demographic characteristics of 203 Greek yoga retreat tourists in relation to their mindfulness levels. The study also investigated the effect of different yoga practices in asana, meditation, and philosophy courses on the formation of mindfulness. The 'Mindful Attention Awareness' scale (Mantzios, Wilson & Giannou, 2015), consisting of 15 items, was used to evaluate mindfulness and psychographics were successfully tested. The results show statistically significant differences in mindfulness between subgroups of participants of different marital status, financial profile, age, and number of years practicing yoga meditation and philosophy. The study concludes that yoga is a serious leisure activity with high personal and work life involvement. The findings enrich data regarding yoga retreats in Greece and establish the profile of yoga retreat participants according to mindfulness, asana, meditation, and philosophical practice participation. Tourism providers can give prominence to the concept of mindfulness as a dominant theme in the wellness tourism industry and, as a consequence, develop and improve the quality of yoga retreat services.
 
 Received: 30 August 2022 / Accepted: 13 October 2022 / Published: 5 November 2022

The influence of human elements in photographs on tourists' destination perceptions and intentions

Photographs with a human element are powerful in influencing viewers' perceptions and decision-making processes. However, rare quantitative evidence was detected about the best human presenting percentage and how it affects the intention. In this study, we decoded how human elements (presence or absence, low or high proportion) affect viewers' perceptions and intentions in nature/culture-based photographs. Innovatively, three deep learning models and two experiments were integrated. The results indicate that (1) in general, maintaining the proportion of human elements at less than 1% leads to the best positive perception, and (2) the viewers demonstrate different perceptions and intentions in viewing nature-based and culture-based photographs with the human element. Theoretically, we bring a new perspective and approach to understanding the marketing value of human elements in tourist-generated photographs. Practically, we provide specific and different clues in choosing photographs to promote cultural and natural destinations regarding human elements.

STRATEGI ALTERNATIF PEMBANGUNAN MANUSIA MELALUI PARAWISATA HALAL DI INDONESIA PASCA COVID-19

Halal tourism in Indonesia is the largest tourism in the world that presents a lot of natural beauty, culture, and comfortable places of worship. In the economic field, halal tourism contributes significantly to state income, which is around 10.4% and employment of around 313 million people. This proves that halal tourism in Indonesia has a positive effect on national income and increases human development. But that was all achieved before the Covid-19 outbreak hit Indonesia. During the pandemic, halal tourism objects experienced a drastic decline. Many halal tourism sub-sectors such as airlines, lodging, and places to eat are feeling the impact. For this reason, an alternative and complex strategy concept is needed to restore the existence of halal parawista in Indonesia. The right method to respond to the author's goal is a qualitative descriptive method with the help of a SWOT analysis consisting of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The results obtained in this article are: first, the strength of Indonesian halal tourists is quite large because it has many beautiful natural destinations, easy access to tourist attractions, the availability of many places of worship, lodging and eating places that have been tested for halalness, and the friendliness of the Indonesian population. in welcoming incoming tourists; Secondly, from the side of weakness, health protocols are considered too strict, such as mandatory vaccines, wearing masks, maintaining distance, and the like, thereby reducing tourist intentions. Another weakness is the lack of human resources in managing halal tourism, as well as the lack of government facilities in assisting small and medium enterprises in marketing their products; the third is seen from the opportunities that can be utilized by the government, namely focusing on the six basic needs of Muslim tourists, namely maintaining halal food, prayer facilities, Ramadan services, water-friendly bathrooms, no non-halal activities, and improving recreational facilities; Fourth, in terms of threats, the government needs to pay attention to competition with neighboring countries, focus on halal certification, and also the spike in Covid-19 cases. The analysis above is believed to be an alternative strategy in increasing halal tourism in Indonesia so that it makes a major contribution to the country, especially in its human development.

A Break from Overtourism: Domestic Tourists Reclaiming Nature during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Natural areas are often of particular importance for residents as venues for recreation and domestic tourism. However, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, overtourism was a major challenge for many nature-based tourism destinations worldwide, and led to a perceived restriction of tourism opportunities for residents. Iceland, one of the countries most associated with the concept of overtourism, witnessed a rapid reduction in international tourist arrivals after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, domestic tourism was unrestricted and, in fact, actively encouraged. Iceland in the summer of 2020 thus presents an interesting case for studying the experience of domestic tourists at previously overcrowded nature destinations. The study took place in Landmannalaugar, a nature destination known for crowding prior to the pandemic, and is based on 33 semi-structured interviews. Its results reveal that Icelandic residents perceived the break from overtourism as a benefit of the pandemic, and considered it a unique opportunity to reclaim nature destinations from which they had been displaced due to overcrowding by international tourists. Furthermore, they welcomed the chance to engage with fellow domestic tourists. The findings stress the importance of addressing the needs and wants of residents and supporting the development of domestic tourism.

Assessing recreation specialization to guide nature-based tourism development: A hybrid choice model of birder destination preferences

Birding is a growing nature-based tourism activity, and a better understanding of birder preferences could support tourism development and species conservation. Using a hybrid choice modeling approach, we analyzed birding destination preferences and how they vary by recreation specialization. This approach allows a continuum of specialization rather than allocating birders into discrete segments. A sample of 205 birders recruited in the 2017 summer season in Varanger, Norway, completed an online choice experiment with scenarios that included five systematically-varied destination attributes: Birding quality, bird diversity, landscape scenic quality, facilitation (e.g., trails and specialized guides), and a visitor fee. The hybrid choice (HC) model explained preference heterogeneity better than the attributes only multinomial logit (MNL) or random parameters logit (RPL) models. Birding quality, landscape scenery, and a medium level of facilitation were significant predictors in all models, while high bird diversity was significant only in the RPL and HC models. Interaction terms in the HC model indicated that birding quality, bird diversity, and the highest level of facilitation (specialized guides and birding hides) were more important for “more specialized” birders than for “less specialized” birders. Findings allow destinations to target birder segments more deliberately, while also assisting in planning and management decisions. Main drivers of birder destination choice are innate in the natural landscapes and ecosystems; exceptional birding quality and spectacular scenery were the strongest determinants of birding destination choice in our study. More specialized birders place higher priority on bird diversity, and birding facilitation. Less specialized birders might need a larger variety of facilitation and non-birding offers. Our results also indicate that those visiting spectacular but vulnerable nature destinations are willing to pay moderate fees for conservation and management. Fee revenue can fund site hardening facilities and services, allowing for more visitors without increasing pressure on the wildlife.

Intensi Perilaku Berwisata Alam Pasca Vaksinasi Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a destructive impact that has changed Indonesia’s tourism sector. One of the changes is the shift in preferences and behavior of tourists who switch to natural destinations, especially after the Covid-19 vaccination. This study aims to determine the factors that can trigger the emergence of behavioral intentions for nature tourism after the Covid-19 vaccination, especially in DKI. Jakarta has the highest infection rate, cure, and recipient of the Covid-19 vaccine in Indonesia. This study empirically applies the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to 156 respondents. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), data processing and analysis tests found four significant and one insignificant correlation. Attitudes and subjective norms significantly influence the intention of nature tourism after the Covid-19 vaccination. Even subjective norms empirically can also influence the emergence of attitudes and perceived behavioral control of nature tourism behavior. However, the perceived behavioral control of nature tourism behavior cannot trigger the emergence of the nature tourism behavioral intention of DKI. Jakarta even though they have been vaccinated.
 Keywords: covid-19, theory of planned behavior (tpb), tourism, tourism behavioral intention, vaccine.

The existence of tourist visits in samboja, indonesia: a prediction

In the last few decades, tourism communities have continued to improve to develop destination attributes. The interest of tourists is certainly a reference that contains hope and reality after they visit a destination. Samboja is one area that has the most tourist destinations, both at the level of Kutai Kartanegara Regency and East Kalimantan Province (Indonesia). However, their natural destinations as beaches are not yet a priority for the local community, so their income from their development is still minimal. Through a semi-structured survey approach to 185 respondents (visitors) in four predetermined destinations, we dig deeper into the extent of the predictions of the existence of tourist visits (ETV) with several influencing variables. Regression estimates prove that tourist income, travel costs, and travel time have had a significant impact on ETV. From a similar test, the cost of travel to other attractions and facilities actually has an insignificant effect on ETV. The empirical evidence from this study is likely to be the right policy and can be applied by the tourism development community there.

Pride and promotion: Exploring relationships between national identification, destination advocacy, tourism ethnocentrism and destination image

Social media sites are an increasingly popular forum for loyal and engaged destination advocates to promote a place and encourage visitation. Motivation to advocate is related to one's identity, belonging and involvement with a place, factors of particular relevance to residents. Borrowing from the field of social psychology, this study examines the role of national identification as a determinant of residents’ destination advocacy behaviour. Adapted to a tourism context, it measures relationships between identity and advocacy for the first time. Canadian residents (n = 465) were surveyed online through Destination Canada's Facebook page, revealing that the stronger one's national identification, the more likely one is to advocate for their nation. The relationship positively impacts destination image and tourism ethnocentrism, newly identified relationships that contribute to destination marketing theory and practice. Further, it is not destination image that influences an ethnocentric sense of duty to travel within one's boundary; it is national identification.

REDESIGN FAMILY TOURISM VISION OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT

This research took place at Metro as one of the local governments in Lampung Province, Indonesia. There were some main visions of development in this region: education-based, family tourism, social economic-based, and participative development. We focused on the family tourism vision of the local government to create the region as the tourism site for families. Meanwhile, there were some facts that Metro, geographically was not a large region and not many nature destinations to attract the tourists. It could be meant that there was a gap between the visions of the local government to implement the second vision. We did field study to observe and interview the related parties and reviewed some literature on tourism concept, family tourism, trend in family tourism business, and the local government policy on tourism. The result of our study show that the measurement of the regional tourism index in Metro has never been carried out, the tourism affairs is no longer completely relied on tourism business actors, but must be developed by involving all stakeholders. To sustain the tourism vision in Metro local government, it is needed to carry out tourism promotions in their regions, learning and coordinate with central government and other regions for managing the opportunity implementation on artificial tourism potential for family tourism business.

Consumer Education in Service System of Ledok Sambi Tourist Village, Sleman Regency

Two factors that affect consumer satisfaction include personal and situational factors, such as consumer behavior while exploring the tourist attraction. Bad behavior exhibited by some consumers, if not handled properly, will affect consumer satisfaction because the other visitors feel disturbed. Hence, the tourist attraction manager needs to give education to their visitors. This study analyzed the implementation of consumer education in the service system, including input, process, and output. This study was conducted at Ledok Sambi Tourist Village, Sleman Regency, where the managers and staff of this tourist village are the subjects of this particular research. This study also measured the visitors’ perception of the service system applied in such tourist attractions Data collecting methods were in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation. This study was a case study, where the scope of the study focused only but comprehensively on one case, namely consumer education. The analysis applied was a descriptive approach with an interactive model, where this approach was used to interpret, deduct the conclusion, and validate data using a triangulation model. The study results showed that giving education to the visitors in the service system will help boost consumer satisfaction as expected. The visitors can follow the applicable rules and regulations, where they voluntarily follow the rules and disciplines and are aware to preserve environmental sustainability. Hence, all visitors can enjoy clean, fresh, and comfortable natural tourist destinations. The managers of Ledok Sambi Tourist Village implement consumer education to the tourists by optimizing the tourism competence of all staff, improving available resources, and cooperating with some waste management vendors. The education model given to the visitors includes raising their awareness of cleanliness, rules, and environmental sustainability. Meanwhile, the expected output of this education includes disciplined behaviors and a caring attitude for the environment during their visit to Ledok Sambi.

Tourist’s Willingness to Pay toward Waste Management in Mount Salak Endah Tourism Area, Bogor District

Mount Salak Endah (GSE) Natural Tourism Area is one of the tourism destinations in the conservation area of Mount Halimun Salak National Park, which is located in Bogor District. GSE is easy to reached, whether from Bogor or Jakarta. GSE has various beautiful natural destinations such as Cigamea Waterfalls, Kondang Waterfalls and hot spring attracting many visitors. The numbers of visitors keep increasing every year, but it is impacted to environmental problem, i.e. and in the end, it causes environmental problem: waste generation. The objectives of this study are (1) to identify and explore tourist perceptions regarding current and future waste management in the GSE natural tourism area and (2) Calculating the tourist’s willingness to pay related to the implementation of tourist-based waste management in GSE natural tourism area. This study used a Likert scale data collection method and Contingent Valuation Method (CVM). The tourist’s perception regarding waste management in the GSE natural tourism area shows positive result where tourists are willing to manage their waste with deposit refund.