Role Of Tourism Research Articles

Tourist tales uncovered: navigating satisfaction through psychographics and destination impressions – a systematic literature review

ABSTRACT This study comprehensively and systematically reviews and integrates the prior literature on the role of tourists’ psychographic profiles and elucidates the antecedents, consequences, and intervening factors influencing tourist destination selection and satisfaction. The Dimensions Research Database was used to search for relevant studies. A co-word analysis of 465 articles revealed three significant clusters of keywords, highlighting key themes in tourist psychographics and destination selection. Results indicate that tourist psychographic attributes (i.e. Demographics, motivation, values, attitude, and interest) influence destination image formation and tourist satisfaction. The study offers the Tourist Psychographics-Destination Image-Satisfaction Model (TPDIS Model), a comprehensive conceptual model, as further research agenda for exploring destination-specific tourist profiling and destination image perception to achieve tourism satisfaction.

Caring wings of hospidarity: Creating safe transitional spaces through hospitality alliances

When people are treated as refugees, they feel like refugees, but when they are treated as tourists they feel like tourists. This study contributes to knowledge on solidarity tourism by introducing the concept of ‘hospidarity’ (merging the theoretical readings of hospitality and solidarity) and identifying it as a driving force in the creation of a caring environment. Safe transitional spaces facilitate individuals' role transition from that of refugee to a (formerly enjoyed) tourist role. Results from field research and interviews carried out in a spa-town close to a war-torn country, both with tourism stakeholders and refugees/guests, helped us to elaborate the concept of hospidarity. Tourism stakeholders are encouraged to adopt the hospidarity procedure as an action protocol in long-drawn-out crises.

How destination image projected on social media influences online sales of tourism services: exploring the moderating role of tourists’ experience

ABSTRACT While previous research has focused on the cognitive and affective dimensions of destination image and their effects on tourists’ attitudes and intentions (rather than actual behaviours), this study takes a three-dimensional approach to examine tourists’ objective responses. It examines how cognitive, affective, and sensory destination images projected by the destination marketing organisation (DMO) through social media influence its online sales of tourism services. Analysing 1676 social media posts from a DMO, findings reveal that cognitive and sensory images positively affect online sales. Additionally, tourists’ previous experience with the destination moderates the effects of the three dimensions of projected destination image.

Exploring Strategies to Market SMEs’ Activities: The Role of Personality Traits and Travel Motivations in Tourist Activities

Traditionally, professionals in the tourism sector have been encouraged to segment their market based on socio-demographic variables. However, the multifaceted nature of tourist activity calls for consideration of psychological factors to effectively shape marketing strategies. This study aims to provide insights for tourism industry practitioners by investigating the roles of tourists’ personalities and travel motivations in shaping their activities and their commitment to sustainability in Cumbria, home to UNESCO World Heritage Sites like the Lake District National Park and Hadrian’s Wall. Data were collected using quantitative methods to identify correlations between personality traits, travel motivations, and tourist activities. Additionally, a qualitative focus group with SME representatives from Cumbria provided insights into their understanding of the model. The findings provide significant insights into how the relationships between personality traits, travel motivations, and tourist activities can benefit tourism SMEs. By comprehending tourists’ behaviour, SMEs can tailor their offerings to appeal to the right audience, mitigating the adverse effects of overtourism, and therefore do more than allude to the concept of sustainability. Using these insights, SMEs could make informed decisions and create more effective marketing strategies, fostering sustainable practices that benefit both their customers and the long-term viability of their businesses and the destination.

Understanding tourists’ ambassador role of their origin places from perspective of residents’ attitudes towards tourists

Recognizing the pivotal role of tourists as ambassadors for their hometown is imperative, as it relates to the dynamic host-guest relationship, thereby significantly influencing the sustainable tourism progress in both their originating locations and the visited destinations. To delve deeper into this ambassadorial role, this study employed the tripartite model of resident attitude, which bridges the intricate interplay between residents’ cognitive, affective, and conative attitudes towards tourists. 204 U.S. people have been enrolled through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk to finish semi-structured questionnaire about their attitudes towards Chinese outbound tourists. Leximancer, a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis approach was applied. Results demonstrated that neutral or positive cognitive-attitudes U.S. residents held towards Chinese tourists exceeded negative cognitive attitudes. Further analysis inferred that it was the interpretation or attribution of cognitive attitudes that would induce residents’ different emotional feelings and behavioral intention. Positive interpretation would lead to positive feeling (i.e., admiration) and positive intention to visit China. Negative interpretation would lead to negative feeling (i.e., contempt) and negative intention to visit China. This research provided implications for destination management organization of tourists’ origin place to incorporate outbound tourists as their place ambassadors.

Discovering implicit role of tourists’ perceived distance and emotions in decision-making: combing grounded theory and sentiment analysis

ABSTRACT Analysing the attitudes and emotions behind tourists’ perceptions of distance provides powerful assistance for destination marketers and scholars. However, there is yet to be a universally adopted scale of tourists’ perceived distance. It is hard to effectively extract tourists’ attitudes from the distance scale toward a destination. This paper identifies the critical dimensions of perceived distance voiced by 19 Chinese tourists with grounded analysis, an inductive, comparative, and interactive method that effectively captures nuanced information. Advanced techniques for linguistic analysis provide the opportunity to extract emotional meaning from tourists’ textual data through the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) algorithm. The results identify a set of appraisal dimensions as antecedents to perceived distance. With cognitive appraisal theory (CAT), different evaluations on these dimensions provide multiple paths to eliciting emotion change. The findings contrast with previous research in the distance decay model, which noted a single distance involving tourism demand. We also find differences based on demographic segments. Social network analysis helps further identify the relationship between dimensions. We conclude by discussing the study's implications for future studies and practice.

The Mediating Role of Local People's Attitudes and Behaviours on the Impact of Destination Safety Climate on Risk Perception: A Study on Foreign Tourists in İstanbul and Antalya

Destination safety is one of the essential factors that tourists consider when making a travel decision, especially to a destination they are unfamiliar with. Many destinations' success depends on ensuring tourists feel safe and secure before and during their trips. The inherently risky nature of travel also affects tourists' pre-travel and post-travel perceptions of the destination they intend to visit. Accordingly, this study aims to measure the mediating role of local people's attitudes and behaviours toward visitors in the effect of destination safety climate elements on the general risk perception toward the destination. After reviewing existing research, we created a survey and administered it in Istanbul and Antalya, the top tourist destinations in Turkey. The survey was conducted in multiple languages, including Turkish, English, German, and Russian. After filtering out incorrect and incomplete responses, we analysed the dataset consisting of 1299 questionnaire forms. Initially, we used statistical analyses to ensure the scale's validity. We employed structural equation modelling with the AMOS software to examine the hypotheses based on the research objectives. The study found that how residents treat visitors plays a role in shaping tourists' overall perception of safety in a destination.

Sustainability in street food: Elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and image theory perspective

Street food has become an essential sector that attracts tourists' attention daily. Despite its positive impact on local development, the street food sector does not receive sufficient attention from policymakers. The contributions of the local street food industry are linked to the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability. This research examined the relationship between tourists' cognitive and affective evaluations of street food in the context of sustainability. In addition, it investigated the role of tourists’ attitudes towards organic food and their pursuit of health and naturalness in this relationship. Data were collected online using a survey technique, with 343 volunteer tourists participating in the study. A convenience sampling technique was used, and the research model was analysed using the PLS-SEM technique. The findings supported that cognitive evaluations of sustainability in the context of street food influence the construction of the meaning of sustainability. In addition, the mediating effect of attitudes towards organic food and the pursuit of health and naturalness in this relationship was identified. The results provide theoretical and practical implications for the relationships explored.

How animal metaphors increase tourists’ waste classification intention?

Abstract Previous researches have shown that animal metaphors play an important role in promoting specific behavioral dispositions of individuals. However, we are not well aware of the role of animal metaphors in tourists' waste classification intentions. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of animal metaphors advertising for waste classification in scenic spots (vs. non-animal metaphors advertising) on tourists' waste classification intentions. Four experiments (N=1051) were conducted in this study to examine the impacts of animal metaphors advertising in scenic spots, on tourists' waste classification intentions, which enriches the literature on the animal metaphors and tourists' pro-environmental behaviors. The results show that the animal metaphors advertising about waste classification in scenic spots can effectively increase tourists' waste classification intentions. We explored the mediating role of tourists' perceptions of cute animal images in animal metaphors advertising, and the moderating role of visual imagery for animal metaphors advertising, on the relationship between animal metaphors advertising and tourists' waste classification intentions. The results show that there is a significant interaction effect between visual imagery and animal metaphors advertising. In conclusion, this study reveals the different impacts of animal metaphors, cute images and visual imagery on individual tourists, which provides new insights for scenic spot managers to choose waste classification strategies and the looks of bins.

DIGITAL INFORMATION’S INFLUENCE ON FORMING TOURISM EVENT IMPRESSIONS: THE INTERPLAY OF GENDER AND TOURISM TYPES

Digital information plays a crucial role in shaping tourists' expectations and impressions of potential destinations and activities. This study explores how perceptions of digital information vary across different tourism experience types (adventure, leisure, cultural) and examines the complex interactions between digital information perception and tourism engagement. A survey was conducted among tourists actively participating in various tourism types to collect data on their digital information consumption habits and their influence on their overall perceptions. The findings reveal that leisure and adventure tourists demonstrate a stronger initial reliance on digital information compared to cultural tourists. However, all tourism types exhibit negative interaction effects, suggesting diminishing returns of digital information as engagement increases. Specifically, leisure and adventure tourism show stronger positive main effects on digital information perception compared to cultural tourism. Interestingly, leisure and adventure tourism also display more pronounced negative interaction effects than cultural tourism. These insights suggest that destination marketers should employ nuanced, personalized strategies catered to specific tourism types, considering the varying levels of digital information reliance and the changing needs of tourists as their engagement progresses. For leisure and adventure tourism, this may involve front-loading comprehensive digital information, while cultural tourism may benefit from a more consistent information flow throughout the experience. These tailored approaches could enhance destination brand affinity and improve the overall tourist experience across different tourism segments.

The Influence of Tourist–Environment Fit on Environmental Responsibility Behavior: A Moderated Mediation Model

Urban forest parks have emerged as significant tourist destinations thanks to economic expansion and the rise in free time. These parks offer tourists the opportunity to connect with nature. Existing studies have examined the value and importance of urban forest parks for tourists. However, there is a lack of research on the interaction between tourists and the natural environment and its influence on environmental responsibility. This study used structural equation modeling to explore the impact of tourist–environment fit on environmentally responsible behavior and the mediating role of natural empathy and awe in the impact of the above-mentioned relationship. In addition, the moderating role of tourists’ different cultural backgrounds (nationalities) was also analyzed. In this study, 509 valid questionnaires were collected from field surveys in April and May 2024 at the forest park of Lim City, Seoul, Republic of Korea. The data analysis indicates a notable and favorable impact of tourist–environment fit on visitors’ natural empathy, awe, and environmentally responsible behavior. Natural empathy and awe play a mediating role in the influence of tourist–environment fit on environmentally responsible behavior. It suggests that the fit between tourists and the recreational environment of urban forest parks promotes the emergence of empathy and awe and, thus, stimulates tourists’ environmentally responsible behavior. In addition, tourists’ cultural backgrounds play a moderating role in the influence of natural empathy and awe on environmentally responsible behavior. Compared to Korean tourists, Chinese tourists’ natural empathy and awe strongly influence environmentally responsible behavior compared to Korean tourists. This paper also explores the theoretical progress and practical observations that provide guidance and serve as references for the management and sustainable development of urban forest parks.

Imported Malaria Cases and Fatality in East Africa: A Review

Malaria remains a critical public health challenge in East Africa, with endemic transmission in many regions. Recent trends, however, show an alarming rise in imported malaria cases—wherein individuals contract malaria in endemic areas and transport it to regions with lower or no endemicity. This review examines the epidemiology of imported malaria in East Africa, with a focus on contributing factors such as international travel, migration, and inadequate vector control. The fatality rates associated with imported malaria, often driven by delayed diagnosis, drug resistance, and limited healthcare resources, are explored in depth. The review highlights the risk factors for imported malaria, including the role of expatriates, tourists, refugees, and migrants in the cross-border transmission of malaria. In particular, non-immune individuals such as travelers are highly susceptible to severe disease, often leading to fatalities when treatment is delayed. In addition, the review discusses the complex transmission dynamics that arise from overlapping malaria transmission zones within East Africa, further complicating efforts to distinguish domestic from imported cases. Management strategies to combat imported malaria, including strengthening surveillance systems at entry points, enhancing diagnostic capabilities, and ensuring access to effective treatments, are outlined. The importance of cross-border collaboration between East African nations to harmonize malaria control strategies is emphasized. Additionally, the review identifies future research directions, including the need for more detailed epidemiological studies, ongoing drug resistance monitoring, and policy development to address the complexities of imported malaria. This comprehensive analysis underscores the significance of addressing imported malaria as a critical element in the broader fight against the disease, highlighting the need for tailored strategies to mitigate its impact on healthcare systems and prevent further transmission in East Africa. Keywords: Imported Malaria, Cases, Fatality, East Africa.

An Analysis of the Relationship Linking Immersive Tourism Experiencescape and Emotional Experience to Tourists’ Behavioral Intentions

The sustainable development of tourism is a critical issue, and immersive tourism has emerged as a key market trend that significantly contributes to this goal. Experiencescape, a vital component of immersive tourism, plays a crucial role in shaping tourists’ experience and promoting sustainability within the tourism industry. Taking Chang’an Twelve Hours Theme Block as the research object, this paper investigates the composition and impact of immersive tourism experiencescape by utilizing grounded theory and hierarchical regression analysis on data derived from online reviews and tourist surveys. The findings reveal that immersive tourism experiencescape is divided into two main categories: physical and interpersonal. The physical experiencescape consists of three dimensions: functional facilities, thematic atmosphere, and basic environment. The interpersonal experiencescape, on the other hand, includes tourism performances, host-guest interaction, and personal service. The study demonstrates that immersive tourism experiencescape exerts a significant positive influence on tourists’ behavioral intentions, with emotional experience serving as a partial mediator in this relationship. These insights offer valuable theoretical and practical implications. They provide a perspective for enhancing the sustainability of tourism by improving the quality of immersive experiences.

Antecedents and behavioral outcomes of tourism destination image: The moderating role of travel motivation and tourist’s region

Antecedents and behavioral outcomes of tourism destination image: The moderating role of travel motivation and tourist’s region

DEMOGRAPHIC, ECONOMIC AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DRIVERS OF WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN RURAL TOURISM IN DARJEELING DISTRICT, WEST BENGAL, INDIA

Rural tourism has gained global popularity, with varying characteristics across regions. This study explores the demographic, economic, and psychological factors influencing women's participation in rural tourism in Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. Despite its proximity to Sikkim, Darjeeling remains under-researched, particularly regarding women's motivations. Data from 200 women, including 50 in the hospitality sector, were collected via a pre-tested, interviewer-administered questionnaire to understand the push factors for their involvement. The analysis shows that middle-aged, married women with secondary or less education dominate the rural tourism workforce. Their primary motivations are economic need, improved educational opportunities for their children, and escaping socioeconomic challenges. Significant economic drivers include contributing to family businesses and achieving financial independence. Psychological factors, such as improving living conditions and securing future stability, also play a crucial role, though aspirations for leadership and decision-making are less prominent due to cultural norms. The findings highlight rural tourism's critical role in providing employment and empowerment opportunities for women in Darjeeling. Enhancing participation and empowerment requires addressing economic and psychological needs, improving income levels, supporting leadership roles, and fostering greater family decision-making power. These efforts can strengthen women's involvement in rural tourism, boosting their socioeconomic development and quality of life.

Gen-Z's Decision-Making: Impact of Attitudes, Knowledge, and Social Media on Halal Tourism Choices

Halal tourism in Indonesia continues to show significant growth; however, there is still a lack of research that deeply explores how various factors influence Generation Z's (Gen-Z) decisions when choosing halal tourism destinations, particularly in Riau Province. With its rich cultural heritage and history closely tied to Islamic teachings, Riau Province presents an intriguing potential for further study. The aim of this research is to analyze the influence of attitudes, knowledge, and social media on the decision-making of Gen-Z in the Riau Province when selecting tourism destinations that adhere to halal principles. This study employs a quantitative analysis method using the Structural Equation Model – Partial Least Square (SEM-PLS) technique. The analysis results conclude that each mentioned variable has a direct and significant impact on the Decision to Choose Halal Tourism Destinations in the Riau Province. The Attitude variable has a direct and significant impact on the Decision to Choose Halal Tourism Destinations. This explains that individuals' attitudes towards specific aspects related to halal tourism can influence the decision-making of Gen-Z in choosing those destinations. The Knowledge variable also has a direct and significant impact on the Decision to Choose Halal Tourism Destinations. This indicates that tourists' knowledge level about halal tourism destinations positively contributes to their decision-making in selecting those destinations. The Social Media variable also has a direct and significant impact on the Decision to Choose Halal Tourism Destinations. This illustrates that information or influence from social media plays a crucial role in tourists' decisions to choose halal tourism destinations. The government and tourism managers need to focus on awareness and education, strengthen social media management as an effective marketing tool, and enhance digital infrastructure. The concept of halal tourism and corresponding services, along with collaboration with local communities and religious leaders, are also key factors.

Customer destination-based experience and loyalty: exploring the role of tourists’ emotions

Customer destination-based experience and loyalty: exploring the role of tourists’ emotions

Guides’ Interpretive Techniques in Cocreation Combined with the Experience Broker Theory

In tourism, cocreation is a bilateral relationship between tourists and tourism providers to enhance tourists’ experiences. In this sense, tour guides as tourism providers cocreate experiences and play an essential role in tourists’ encounters through heritage interpretation. Among tourism providers, tour guides, through guided tours, can be considered a facilitator and a mediator of cocreative experiences. Therefore, this study explores ways to offer cocreative heritage tourism experiences through interpretation, highlighting their function as brokers within the framework of Weiler and Black’s Experience Broker Theory. The methodology employed combined in-depth semi-structured interviews with 10 tour guides, and direct observation of 10 guided tours at the Royal Mosque of Isfahan. The study underscores the role of tour guides in creating a profound spiritual experience for tourists. This research demonstrates the importance of tailored interpretive strategies in enhancing tourists’ cognitive and emotional experiences, reinforcing the guides’ role as empathy brokers within the cocreation paradigm. Tour guides progressed through stages of brokering, from accommodating cultural backgrounds to explaining rituals and mystical concepts, culminating in a profound empathetic experience during the call to prayer. This process allowed tourists to deeply connect with the cultural and spiritual elements of the tour.

Escaping the escape: a study among tourists’ visiting Santa Cecilia in Trastevere

ABSTRACT A number of tourists visit churches on their holiday without being religious or having any religious motivation. If religion is not important for the visit, what is then central to the tourist experience, and how do tourists describe their church visit? In this article, I examine tourists’ church visits and the meaning it gives. In a setting characterized through tourism and religion, and with a special focus on the individual church experience, the personal perspective is prioritized. The data for this study have been collected at the church of Santa Cecilia in Rome, where I have interviewed 12 tourists. The findings show that the experience of escape is an important part of the church visit. Further the findings demonstrate tourists’ need to find back to themselves, as a contrast to the busier tourist role. While previous studies of visits to religious sites often emphasize religious identity and holiness, this study indicates that religion is unimportant or subordinate to some extent. The findings therefore provide new knowledge about the significance for tourists of visiting churches.

Wellness tourism experience and destination brand love

ABSTRACT This study assessed various aspects of the wellness tourism experience in Thailand. A survey was conducted with a sample of 420 Chinese tourists. The findings revealed significant and insignificant effects of the wellness tourism experience on the development of destination brand love. Additionally, it confirmed that barriers and destination familiarity play a vital role in shaping tourists’ responses and strengthening their affinity towards the destination brand. The results highlight tourists’ focus on comprehensive experiences rather than external dynamics like weather. This study suggests collaboration among stakeholders to enrich the overall travel experience and prioritize the emotional wellbeing of tourists.