Visitor Profile Research Articles

Consumer response to diversity and inclusion initiatives in hospitality: role of brand integrity and materialism

ABSTRACT In the contemporary hospitality sector, fostering diversity and inclusion transcends a mere trend, evolving into a strategic necessity to effectively accommodate the increasingly heterogeneous profile of visitors. Therefore, it becomes imperative to examine the consequential effect of marketing promotions featuring organizations’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) commitments on consumers’ perceptions and evaluations. Through two experiments, this research investigates the impact of diversity and inclusion initiatives within the hospitality sector on consumer attitudes. Study 1 examines the effect of DEI initiatives on brand attitude, and further inspects its underlying mechanism- brand integrity in the context of a fictitious brand. Study 2 further advances the research with a real-world hospitality brand and proposes the moderating role of consumer materialism. The study contributes to the hospitality literature, DEI, and consumer behavior, offering actionable insights for hospitality brands seeking to enhance their competitiveness in an increasingly diverse marketplace.

Visitor profile of enological tourism in Slovakia: Implications of the regional analysis of the demand for wine-themed experience stay

In recent years, enological tourism, also known as wine tourism, has emerged as a globally popular tourism product. The role of wine tourism in Slovakia is similarly significant, given the country’s favourable conditions for the development of wine tourism products. The objective of this study is to analyze the current demand for wine-themed experiences among tourists in the Nitra region. This paper presents a characterization of wine tourism based on an analysis of secondary sources. Following the processing of the initial findings from a demand-oriented questionnaire survey, the authors endeavor to delineate the profile of the wine tourism visitor by examining the demand for wine tourism from the vantage point of domestic consumers. It is the authors’ contention that an understanding of the profile of the wine tourism visitor is beneficial in optimising the provision of wine tourism products and stimulating the development of tourism infrastructure.

The relationship between Healthcare Quality and Inbound Health Tourism: Saudi German Hospital Case Study Cairo -Egypt.

The development and execution of a quality measurement and improvement approach based on a particular combination of two TQM tools SERVQUAL and QFD was investigated in the thesis. The approach focused on whether it was appropriate to apply these quality improvement strategies to the Saudi German hospital medical tourism industry. It was progressively tested and enhanced in three medical tourists’ attractions located in Cairo – Egypt. The introduction chapter delineates the research’s significance, while the literature review develops relevant theoretical viewpoints. The following research question was the focus of the study: How can medical operators enhance their service quality by finding a tool for measuring it? Case study from each of the health medical tourism industry’s cultural, heritage, and environmental segments were chosen to serve as the research’s setting and data source. These are all well-established companies with respectable market and industry profiles. The research instrument has been refined and the execution of the research technique in the extended major case study has been backed by the investigations conducted through two complementary case studies. To assess the accuracy of the data from the various surveys and to account for variations in the outcomes, statistical analyses were used. According to research findings, the combination of the two tools would give small business owners a way to connect customer service satisfaction measurement to the fundamental operational elements of their enterprise with additional refinement and adjustment through ongoing usage. Any major variations in customer expectations about standards of quality service can be partially explained by looking at the visitor profiles of the medical tourists’ attractions that were gathered from the surveys. The results indicate that small medical tourists’ attractions should routinely implement the combined SERVQUAL and QFD quality management technique as a tool for quality improvement to meet customer satisfaction and help achieve external quality service accreditation. Keywords: Healthcare Quality, Inbound Health Tourism, Egypt.

Social Impacts in a Coastal Tourism Destination: “Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic”

Social impacts and other types of impacts such as economic and environmental have been studied extensively in the tourism field. The main aim of this research is to understand the differences in the social impacts of tourism between summer 2019 (pre-COVID-19) and summer 2020 (during the COVID-19 pandemic) in a coastal tourism destination from the visitors' perspective. Data were collected using surveys carried out in the municipality of Platja d'Aro (Catalonia, Spain) in 2019 (pre-pandemic) (n=468 visitors) and 2020 (during the pandemic) (n=394 visitors). The responses were categorised into two main groups: “strengths and weaknesses of the destination”, in order to understand the possible social impacts of tourism. Results show that visitor profile differed in terms of origin and age during the pandemic. The level of satisfaction with the destination remains similar despite the adverse scenario caused by the pandemic. Social impacts are identified and compared between the two periods. This information can be used by tourism destination policymakers to analyse differences in social impacts between pandemic and pre-pandemic periods.

The Potential of the Socio-Demographic Profile of the Visitor in the Museum's Product Strategy

One of the types of cultural sector institutions with a solid potential to use modern management methods are organisations dealing with cultural heritage management, such as castle museums. Today, however, these cathedrals of cultural tourism have to face the pressures of economic and social change to build public authority and recognition, but most importantly, to create interest and an attractive offer for their existing audiences and a hitherto unreached public. The present article aims to develop a systematic review of empirical experiences in the socio-demographic profile of visitors to selected castle museums, to identify untapped potential in the segmentation of museum audiences and to derive propositions for individual solutions aimed at increasing the attendance of selected castle museums. We used a triplet of separated Chi-square tests for each period to identify the socio-demographic profile. Non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) was used to test for differences in ordinal variables (age and education of visitors). In addition to the individual results for each single museum partially, we can identify through the most frequent, most represented and periodically repeated responses the typical visitor profile of the Castle Castle Museums as follows: female, 31 – 45 years old, secondary education with a high school diploma, working as an executive secondary educated professional employee. Such findings could be helpful in the future when creating so-called tailor-made products for the visitor.

Visitor Profile: Shaping Experiential Quality, and Post-Consumption Behaviours in Kenyan Theme Parks

Visitor experiences are individual occurrences characterized by their subjective nature. As a result, each consumer has a unique perspective on the quality of experience depending on their visitor profiles. The literature implies that demographic and travel characteristics are factors that may influence the perceptions of visitors. While some studies have examined the influence of these factors on marketing variables, more information is still needed to help predict visitors' post-consumption behaviours and to understand how they interpret experiences. This study explored whether experiential quality, perceived value, satisfaction, and behavioural intentions differ according to individuals’ demographics and travel characteristics. A survey was conducted collecting data from 324 visitors in presumed leading theme parks in Kenya. A t-test for independent samples and a Kruskal–Wallis test were used for the analysis. Except for gender and first or repeat visitors, the results for all other demographic and travel characteristics showed significant differences in at least one of the variables studied

Consumer Profiles and Drink Menus Made from Medicinal Plants at the Jamu Cafe in Depok Sleman District, Yogyakarta

The use of medicinal plants as ingredients in making drinks in cafes is increasing along with the number of cafes. Herbal café makes a unique menu using medicinal plants in drink recipes to produce a distinctive taste, color, and aroma. This research aims to identify visitor profiles and drink menus made from medicinal plants and explore the understanding of visitors and cafe owners regarding the benefits of medicinal plants added to drinks. The research data collection technique uses a questionnaire equipped with an interview sheet. The questionnaires and interview sheets used have been tested for language comprehension and validity. The research was conducted at 272 cafes in Depok District, Sleman Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta. The sample was determined using purposive sampling, data was collected after obtaining ethical clearance approval from the Health Research Ethics Committee Team. Data was obtained through filling out surveys by visitors and cafe owners, complemented by interviews with cafe owners. Data was collected three times: August, September, and October 2023. Data analysis was carried out descriptively and qualitatively. Most herbal cafe visitors (70%) are aged between 21–30 years with the majority of professions (44%) being students. The source of information about herbal cafe menus was mostly obtained (56%) from friends or family, and the frequency of visits to cafes was mostly (82%) between 1–5 times per month. More than 98% of visitors stated the benefits of medicinal plants in the drink menu, namely as a refresher or body warmer. There are 14 types of medicinal plants used as ingredients in the herbal cafe's drink menu, with a total monthly requirement for all medicinal plants of 545.1 kilograms; ginger ranks among the highest requirements. Recipe information for the menu was obtained from the family, the Ministry of Health Republic Indonesia website, and the herbal cafe owner made the recipe independently.

Tourist Flows and Multi-Destination Trips: A Network Analysis

ABSTRACT Conventional approaches to modeling multi-destination trips are either based on trade-offs between one single destination and multiple destinations or on a sequence of destinations in a linear manner. These approaches are inadequate to capture the manifestation of multi-destination trips as a network at the aggregate level. Hence, built upon network analytical frameworks, this study adopted a directed network to model multi-destination trips. Using a visitor profile survey of Hong Kong, we found that the networks of multi-destination trips for both leisure and business travelers have several interesting properties, such as high densities, high clustering coefficients, and short diameters. High-degree nodes represent either destinations or origins in the leisure network, but they have a dual role as both destinations and origins in the business network. Network sparsity has a significant impact on the topology of the leisure network, but the impact is negligible on the business network.

Tourists’ Perception of Tourist Destinations: The Case Study of Nazaré (Portugal)

Although Destination Image is a relevant investigation topic in the literature, few studies pay attention to Destination Image as reflected in tourists’ evaluations and reviews on social networks. Given the importance of social media and the relationship between places and the image of those places, this investigation seeks to analyse visitors’ perceptions of a tourist destination. The village of Nazaré (Portugal) was chosen for the analysis. The purpose was to analyse the perceptions of tourists to this village. Methodologically, a netnographic analysis was carried out considering the comments and evaluations made on the TripAdvisor platform, renowned among tourists. The three main attractions were found, and all the comments were counted (n = 565) over the 6-year period, from January 2018 to March 2023. It was possible to define the visitor profile. A content analysis was carried out that sought to categorise visitors’ perceptions into fourteen categories, namely beach, landscapes, accessibility, recommendations, location, appreciation of the intangible, enjoyment of the experience, emotions, prices, climate, good for a walk, good gastronomy, tourist activity and senses. The contribution of this investigation is to recognise the importance of the village of Nazaré as a tourist destination, centred on the perception of its visitors. Although limited in its scope, this study emphasises the need for tourism promotion agents to focus their initiatives on the creation of immersive experiences and their emotions, as these were two of the categories little mentioned in this study.

Measuring Italian art cities tourism: a proposal of indicators

In Italy, art cities have traditionally served as “magnets” for cultural tourism, significantly contributing to the country’s economic vitality. Many historic city centers are not simply “boxes” of artworks but are veritable open-air museums. In recent years, the profile of cultural and experiential visitors has increasingly oriented towards experiences that can be enjoyed individually or with family. While the traditional tourism system continues to offer conventional tourist products, it is also evolving to meet the growing demand for unique and unforgettable experiences. This represents new challenges for destination areas that seek to improve services and create attractions that can meet this emerging new audience. The objective of this work is to propose a composite indicator that measures the tourism potential of these art cities, drawing upon existing tourism indexes in the literature and equitable and sustainable well-being (BES) indicators, such as the domains of “landscape and cultural heritage” and “environment”. The decision to employ these indicators stems from their considerable relevance in a country like Italy, as well as the specific focus of our study. Additionally, we developed a ranking of Italian art cities, enabling us to determine their relative levels of attractiveness. To achieve this, a panel of Italian provincial capitals was selected, each with at least one museum and a UNESCO site. The composite indicator developed, which also considers social and environmental perspectives, represents an alternative quantitative approach to assessing the attractiveness of art cities. The underlying principle is that, in the ever-evolving scene of cultural tourism, beyond the indispensable role played by artistic and cultural heritage, the impact of scenic landscapes on people's quality of life and its connection to individual well-being plays a crucial role. This indicator could provide territorial planning professionals with statistical tools capable of identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the tourism offer of those cities that set themselves the goal of being a privileged place of artistic tourist attraction. The proposed composite indicator should make it possible to comprehend whether and how to develop paths to enhance the entire artistic heritage, while also considering the well-being of visitors.

Online survey of visitation and tourist behaviour in a protected territory—the case of Urdini Lakes, Rila National Park

The lack of comprehensive and reliable data regarding visitation and tourist behaviour at local level and especially in vulnerable environment has been acknowledged long ago as an issue by both academics and practitioners. In Bulgaria, this type of data is scarce and inconsistent, regardless of the increased visitor flow in certain mountain areas. The mass adoption of social media, as well as the development of online travel communities, allow research with more ease the target population, as opposed to traditional resource-intensive monitoring methods. This paper presents the results of an online survey of visitors to Urdini Lakes in Rila National Park, Bulgaria. The aim of the study is to identify the overall recognition of the area and the extent of effective visit by mountaineers, as well as the profile of visitors and their behaviour. According to the results of this study, the influence of social media on visitation and tourist behaviour in the case of Urdini Lakes appeared lower than expected and much outweighed by factors like accessibility and trail difficulty. Further research should combine more innovative and mixed methodologies regarding the usage of social media and its influence, which can combine and compare different types of data such as surveys, geolocated big data and visual methods.

Determination of visitors’ intentions to revisit a natural history museum in a national park

The Kruger National Park (KNP) is regarded as the flagship ecotourism destination in South Africa. It showcases unique fauna and flora and natural features and as an ecotourism attraction it also hosts a number of facilities that cater to visitors’ needs. One such facility is the Letaba Elephant Hall: a natural history museum located in the Letaba rest camp. The facility promotes education related to elephant biology, human–elephant relations, and conservation. Museums, require visitors to remain financially sustainable and to promote education and in the case of the Letaba Elephant Hall, to promote conservation. However, museums often have a negative connotation of being boring, with poor visitor engagement, and overly theoretical displays. These potentially poor experiences may influence visitor satisfaction, which, in turn, could affect the visitor’s post-visitation intentions. This study adopted the theory of planned behaviour and the expectancy-disconfirmation paradigm to conduct an exploratory quantitative survey to measure visitors’ experiences and how those experiences might influence their intentions to revisit the Letaba Elephant Hall. A total sample of 163 was achieved and results were analysed descriptively, followed by the development of binary categorisations. Chi-square tests were used to test the identified hypotheses, followed by multiple logistic regression to determine whether any significant relationships between variables exist.Implications for conservation: The results provide an overview of the visitor profile and descriptive experience results, as well as an indication of significant relationships that exist between expectations, experiences, perceived quality, satisfaction, pleasure, and revisit intentions. Understanding who museum visitors are and managing their experiences are pivotal in ensuring that the efficient functioning of these facilities are carried out such as effective education, which in the case of the Letaba Elephant Hall, may result in authentic learning and the promotion of elephant conservation. The study provides insight into possible ways of enhancing the visitor experience at the Letaba Elephant Hall as a natural history museum, which could also be transferred to other similar interpretation centres in the KNP and other protected areas.

The impact of changing seasons on in-destination tourist behaviour

Diseño/metodología/enfoqueEl artículo presenta un modelo de proceso conceptual del impacto de las estaciones en todos los aspectos del comportamiento en en destino turístico. El modelo se desarrolla a partir de la literatura y luego se pone a prueba usando Cairns, Australia como estudio de caso.ObjetivoEl propósito de este artículo es desarrollar un marco conceptual que examine los impactos de los cambios de estación en el turismo.RecomendacionesLas estaciones influyen en la gama, real y percibida, de productos/experiencias disponibles que condicionan las características de atracción de un destino. Las estaciones, a su vez, influyen en quién viene y por qué viene. Los conjuntos de actividades combinadas y el perfil del visitante definen el comportamiento en el destino.TrascendenciaEl estudio llena un vacío de investigación necesario de dos maneras. Primero, explica conceptualmente y luego demuestra empíricamente cómo los cambios en las estaciones afectan la oferta de productos y experiencias turísticas. En segundo lugar, contribuye significativamente a la comprensión de los factores que influyen en el comportamiento en el destino.Implicaciones prácticasSe identifican las implicaciones de gestión para las organizaciones de gestión de destinos.Originalidad/valorEste artículo presenta un nuevo modelo de proceso conceptual para un tema no examinado previamente.

Identification of Public Library Visitor Profiles using K-means Algorithm based on The Cluster Validity Index

The existence of a public library in the Gampingan village has a positive impact, such as increasing the literacy culture of the village community. However, the library collection is not sufficient for the needs of visitors. Therefore, it is necessary to add library collections to fulfill the requirement. One of the solutions is mapping the library needs of visitors. The mapping can be done by identifying visitor profiles by grouping visitors based on the criteria of age, gender, type of visitor, and category of book library. One of the methods that can be used in the process of grouping visitors based on criteria is to use the K-Means Clustering method. Determining the number of K cluster centers at K-Means Clustering method that are not appropriate will give bad results, it is necessary to test the number of K cluster centers using the Cluster Validity index by measuring the clusters with cluster variance, within-cluster variance, and between-cluster variance. From the grouping process using K-Means Clustering with Cluster Validity index, we get 3 clusters of visitor profiles with a cluster variance value of less than 0.1. This shows that this method was able to identify the visitor profiles with high grouping accuracy values.

Sustainable Development and Environmental Tourism. The Case of Lake Karla – Thessaly, Greece

Sustainable development is the common ground between the three components: environment, economy, and society, which are also known as sustainability pillars. In this work, an attempt was made to investigate whether Lake Karla - Mavrovouni, supporting agriculture, biodiversity and cultural activities and being part of the Natura 2000 protected area network, in combination with the diverse topics of environmental education, can contribute for the sustainable development of local societies, with the contribution of the collective bodies of local self-government. For the holistic management of the protected area of the "Karla" lake, the managers must consider on the one hand the protection of the natural and cultural heritage and on the other hand the sustainable development of the area through the promotion of the natural and cultural heritage and the promotion of environmental tourism. For this purpose, managers need to know socio-economic and demographic characteristics of visitors. Here, questionnaire responses were used to investigate the profile, environmental perception, knowledge, and behavior of visitors. In total, more than 300 questionnaires were sent, and finally 161 questionnaires were fully answered, which constitute the research sample. The analysis of the results showed that the natural and cultural environment contribute to the sustainable development of the wider area of Lake Karla-Mavrovouni, highlighting through them serious advantages and opportunities to exploit the area by the local bodies.

Impact of different domestic source markets on tourist behaviour

This paper examines the impact of different domestic markets on tourist behaviour in the popular tropical destination of Cairns, Australia. The study is based on a survey of 969 domestic tourists conducted in Cairns Airport. While it is appreciated that domestic markets are heterogeneous, little research has been conducted segmenting them by their different geographic origins. This study revealed that the demographic profile of visitors from four different Australian states was similar. However substantial differences were noted in trip profile, motive and subsequent in-destination behaviour. These findings add to our understanding of segmentation by adding a new variable to the current toolbox of segmentation methods. Using this approach to market segmentation, different marketing strategies targeted at different domestic source markets may prove efficacious. The findings suggest that geographic segmentation can be a valuable tool to complement other segmentation strategies adopted in domestic tourism.

Sexual behavioral factors of the subjects visiting the clinic of sexually transmitted infections in Northern Finland: A cross-sectional study among 775 subjects.

Sexually transmitted infections (STI) are among the most common infections globally. However, the sexual behavioral factors and sexual history of people visiting STI clinics have only been surveyed in a few studies. We aimed to evaluate the characteristics of the patients visiting the open STI clinic. This is a prospective observational study performed in the STI clinic in the premises of Department of Dermatology, Oulu University Hospital. All individuals (n = 775) attending the STI clinic between February and August 2022 were included to the study and the profile of the patients was evaluated. We found that the majority of the STI clinic attendees (58.5%) were female. Mean age of the study population was 28.9 years, with females being significantly younger than males (p < 0.001). Only one-third (30.6%) of the patients reported having symptoms at the time of attending. Most commonly, patients had had one sex partner in the last 6 months. However, one-fifth (21.7%) reported several sex partners (over four). Almost half of the patients (47.6%) reported using a condom only randomly. Those with heterosexual orientation had fewer multiple-sex partners (p < 0.001) than those with homo- or bisexual orientation (p < 0.05). It is important to increase knowledge about the profile of STI clinic visitors to effectively target STI prevention on the groups at the highest risk of STIs.

Evaluation of perceived usability of an App for planning tourist destinations based on experiences

The purpose of the present investigation was to evaluate the perceived usability of an App for planning tourist destinations based on experiences, taking the Masiaca community as a case study, which allows generating the tourist and visitor profile appropriate to user preferences and providing a space for interaction for service providers. For this, a study with a quantitative approach was developed, the design was non-experimental, of a correlational type and transversal, the study subject was tourists, visitors and service providers from the Masiaca community, the study sample was non-probabilistic by convenience, the technology acceptance model instrument was applied to determine the level of perceived usability of the App, later the data was collected and analyzed, resulting in that the level of perceived usability of the App was high and will be a tool which comes to strengthen the way of using technology to transform the tourism sector, currently considered one of the most relevant and growing sectors for the countries, it will also promote the development of communities and the opportunity to display their cultural patrimony in the world.

Selfies versus conservation: The influence of user-generated content in the image of protected natural spaces

This study uses geolocated Instagram posts to understand the influence of User-Generated Content (UGC) on image projection and its influence on the behaviours of visitors in vulnerable destinations that should be managed by sustainable precepts. Based on a sample of 34,948 posts geotagged in Congost de Mont-Rebei, a protected natural destination located in Catalonia (Spain), this study reveals the existences of three types of visitor profiles which do not always exhibit sustainable behaviour and often project narcissist images where the destination is merely a background, without contributing to the value of the place. The findings extend previous understanding of research on images of tourist destinations and visitor behaviours from a sustainable perspective. This study also provides recommendations for destination management organizations (DMOs) to improve the projection of the value of protected spaces and influence the behaviour of its visitors. Management implicationsFor industry, administrations and those responsible for managing vulnerable destinations, this work shows the importance of incorporating social media analysis into the management of flows and spaces. Not only to analysing the type of content that is projected on social media as just another element for determining the profile of the visitor; it can also be especially relevant as a tool for measuring activity, helping to plan actions that guarantee the sustainability of the destination. Having a communication strategy on social media should enable DMOs to reinforce the social value of protected spaces and preserve their natural resources.

Transformasi Model Bisnis Museum Ke Pariwisata Digital Di Indonesia

Background – Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, human travel was severely restricted and reliant on digital technology. Tourism is one of the businesses that has been obliged to adapt to digitalization in order to keep its primary source of income from travelers. The present transition to digital tourism is taking the shape of virtual tours or long-distance interactive tours, such as those seen in museums. To reach more tourists, some museums in Indonesia already entered the digitization stage by offering virtual tours and edutainment.&#x0D; Aim – This study intends to provide emphasis on the advantages and disadvantages of disruptive innovation in the sense of digitization in the tourism industry, particularly museums.&#x0D; Design / Methodology / Approach – An detailed review of existing literature regarding digital technology, disruptive digital innovation, smartphone technology, social media, internet, and mobile applications from the perspective of museum tourism was used.&#x0D; Findings – Digital museums provide a new perspective to enjoy their collections and as a diversification strategy that has the potential to bring in tourists virtually. Curators should develop websites using communication strategies that relate to their collection and focus on their visitor profile. On the other hand, there is a risk that there is a conservative opinion that digitization will reduce the integrity of physical artwork and an unstable digital ecosystem.&#x0D; Conclusion - The digitization and publication of collections online has the potential to enable access to content. It is projected that disruptive innovation in the form of changing the museum's business model will provide financial benefits and become a business diversification that can support the sustainability of the museum itself in the future.&#x0D; Research implication – In the field of management, disruptive innovation in the form of changing the museum's business model will provide financial benefits and become a business diversification that can support the sustainability of the museum itself in the future. In the field of architecture, the preservation of cultural heritage objects through digitization guarantees digital archives and provides wider educational opportunities virtually.&#x0D; Research Limitations – The breadth of coverage regarding the digitization of museums and also the many things that still need to be done in order to implement it perfectly, makes research on digitization will continue to be needed. Future studies can complement and continue to update research results so that museums can also continue to evolve.