Special Tourism Research Articles

DIGITAL EXPLORATION PATTERNS: INSTAGRAM TRAVEL ENGAGEMENT AND POSTING BEHAVIOURS OF STUDENTS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN KRAKOW (POLAND)

Purpose. The study objective is to examine the activity and motivation of students from the University of Physical Education in Krakow (Poland) on Instagram regarding their posting behaviour related to travel topics.Method. The main research method used in the study was an online diagnostic targeted population survey using the questionnaire technique. The research was conducted between 27 December 2022 and 31 January 2023 on a sample of 630 students from the University of Physical Education in Krakow (Poland).Findings. Instagram is a social media platform popular among young people. They use it often and regularly (most of them do so on a daily basis) and in a diversified manner. Users prefer using smartphones for browsing and sharing content. Seven out of ten surveyed students share content in the form of posts, although they do so relatively rarely. Students from tourism-related majors travel more often and notice more travel-related posts on Instagram compared to students from other fields. They show a greater tendency towards publishing posts related to tourism, and their profiles contain a larger number of travel-themed photos in relation to the total number of photos. Furthermore, a positive relationship can be noted between the frequency of traveling and the amount of noticed travel-related posts, as well as between the frequency of traveling and the activity of posting such content on Instagram. The main motives for publishing travel photos on Instagram are: archiving travel photos, the desire to show off to others, and improving one’s own well-being.Research and conclusion limitations. The research was conducted among students from one specific university, which limits its universality. Additionally, due to the nature of the questionnaire study, a comprehensive analysis of the content of the published material was not possible.Practical implications. The results of the study can be useful for tourism organisations and travel agencies planning tours of specific tourist attractions, so as to enable their clients to take the most attractive photos. Additionally, analysing preferences for publishing travel-related content can help in creating educational programmes tailored to the needs of students and identifying potential travel influencers. The study can also provide information on students’ preferences regarding taking photos during tourist trips.Originality. This study introduces a new perspective on the relationship between Instagram and tourism, taking the specificity of the studied group into consideration.Type of paper. An article presenting the results of empirical study.

Analysis and machine-learning-based prediction of beach accidents on a recreational beach in China

AbstractBeachgoers are sometimes exposed to coastal hazards, yet comprehensive analyses of characteristics and potential factors for beach accidents are rarely reported in China. In this study, information on beach accidents was collected on a recreational beach from 2004 to 2022 by searching the web or apps. The characteristics of beach accidents were therefore analysed in terms of age, gender, and activity of beachgoers. The potential factors were resolved in environmental aspects of meteorology, waves, tides, and beach morphology. Results show that beach accidents mainly occur in summer, with the highest occurrence in the afternoon and evening. The number of male beachgoers in accidents is five times higher than that of females. 90% of accidents occur when the beach is at a high-risk level for rip currents, providing evidence for the accuracy of the risk map built in a previous study. Three machine learning models, i.e., Support Vector Machine, Random Forest, and BP Neural Networks, are trained to predict beach accidents. The performances of these three machine learning algorithms are evaluated in terms of precision, recall, and F1 score. Support Vector Machine and BP Neural Networks significantly outperform Random Forest in terms of prediction. The accuracy in predicting "safe" and "dangerous" classes is approximately 80% of the Support Vector Machine model. This paper provides a preliminary study of machine learning based beach accident prediction for a specific tourist beach. In the future, machine learning will be applied to predict tourist beach accidents throughout mainland China.

The impact of perceived crowding on revisit intentions: role of tourism fatigue and psychological reactance

ABSTRACT The crowding issue is making a comeback, with many destinations once again contending with this phenomenon. The study theorised a research model, grounded in cognitive appraisal theory, to examine how perceived crowding impacts tourists’ revisit intention through the mediating roles of tourism fatigue and psychological reactance. Two empirical studies employing two-wave cross-sectional data from various types of destinations were conducted to validate the proposed model. The findings indicate that while the negative impact of perceived crowding on revisit intention mediated by tourism fatigue diminishes over time, its adverse effect persists through psychological reactance. Furthermore, the results identify a full serial mediation effect, with tourism fatigue and psychological reactance linking perceived crowding to revisit intentions across diverse tourism contexts. Additionally, differences in these effects were observed between spatial and human crowding across specific tourism contexts, such as museums and recreational streets. These findings not only contribute to unravelling the intricate mechanisms underlying perceived crowding and revisit intention but also offer valuable insights for sustainable development of tourism destinations grappling with crowding issues.

Natural disaster tourism unveiled: understanding the psychological dimensions of tourist experiences

ABSTRACT Dark tourism research often overlooks the psychological differences between dark and non-dark tourists. Natural disaster tourism (NDT), a subset of dark tourism, follows the similar research model, neglecting the influence of tourist types on experiences. This paper proposes a definition of dark tourists and categorizes visitors to NDT into dark and non-dark tourists according to whether they have special tourism needs, offering a novel perspective on the psychological dimensions of disaster tourism experiences. By integrating cognitive and affective psychological insights, this paper contributes to the theoretical understanding of dark tourism and conducts a structured questionnaire survey in Beichuan County and Yingxiu Town, providing empirical evidence for the different impact of tourist types on experience dimensions. The findings, particularly the emphasis on sympathy as the predominant emotional experience and the relatively lower significance of the educational dimension, highlight the need for enhanced interpretive resources at NDT to deepen visitors' cognitive engagement. This paper's academic contribution is its quantitative approach to understanding the nuances of dark tourism experiences, complementing qualitative research. Practically, it offers strategic insights for the respectful and educational presentation of NDT, ensuring that they serve as meaningful sites for reflection and learning.

Development of a Tourist Information System for the City of Pedernales, Manabí

Objective: This study aims to design a Tourist Information System (TIS) for the city of Pedernales. Theoretical Framework: In today's digital age, information has become increasingly accessible. With just a click, people can now purchase airline tickets. Society is constantly consuming information through digital means. It is undeniable that tourists seek information about their desired destinations, whether through a tourist information system or social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Method: This research employed a field study approach, involving 375 surveys administered to tourists. Results and Discussion: The results reveal that 96.5% of respondents indicated the utmost importance of utilizing a tourist information system. Research Implications: A proposal was developed to design a Tourist Information System for the city of Pedernales, aiming to provide information to visitors. Originality/Value: This research offers an original contribution to the field of tourism by focusing on the design of a specific Tourist Information System for the city of Pedernales. Its value lies in the extensive field research conducted, which allowed for the identification of the specific needs of tourists and the design of a tailored solution. Beyond its relevance to local tourism development, this research contributes to the academic understanding of tourist behavior in the digital age and can serve as a model for future studies in sustainable tourism.

The Effect of Travel Constraints on Travel Intentions of People with Disabilities: The Mediating Role of Travel Motivation

According to WHO, 16% of the world's population are people with disabilities. Given this high number, disability-friendly tourism can be utilized as a special tourism market. This study aims to analyze the effect of travel constraints on travel intention through travel motivation for people with disabilities in Bandung. Over the past few years, Indonesia has begun to develop disability-friendly tourism infrastructure and services. The theory used in this study is the Theory of Planned Behavior, which has proven effective in shaping the behavioral intentions of tourists. This research was conducted using quantitative methods with structural equation modelling analysis procedures using CB SEM. The data collection technique used was non-probability sampling, targeting people with visual impairments, hearing impairments, physical disabilities, and mild mental disabilities. There are 200 pieces of data collected using a questionnaire. The results showed that travel constraints significantly positively affect travel intention through travel motivation among people with disabilities in Bandung. Existing literature finds a direct effect of travel constraints on travel intention in the tourism industry. This study contributes to the existing literature by including travel motivation as a mediating variable in mediating the effect of travel constraints on travel intention among people with disabilities in Bandung.

Cultural Landscape is a Power of Increasing the Beauty of the Natural Landscape and It is an Attraction to the Traveller for Visits the Tourists Places: A Study in West Bengal Major Tourist Spots Cultural Landscape

The study mainly focused on the cultural landscape’s impact on the tourism spots in West Bengal and it is really effective to attraction power to the travellers. The article mainly represents cultural landscape refers to the modification of the natural landscape by human activities and it is increase the beauty of the tourists spots. we have directly contact to some travellers for collection their satisfactory level and observation their main subject to create an attraction for a specific tourist places and collection the data and more information to use internet websites. We are using FDGs method, online survey, questionnaire survey and GIS software for using secondary data collection. We showing the major tourist spots of West Bengal, such as Darjeeling, Sundarbans, Santiniketan, Dooars, Bishnupur and Purulia. In those places we observed their natural beauty and elements of cultural landscape increase the beauty of environment. And represents to analysis of this think that culture is a key to the development of natural landscape and attraction to the travellers to those places. And this study helps to deployment of these places for visiting large amount travellers.

Implementation of the Empowerment Program for Culinary Tourism Business Actors in the Coastal Area of Manado Bay, North Sulawesi Province

The Manado City Government through the 2020-2025 regional tourism development master plan has determined a special tourism destination cluster for culinary tourism areas with urban-coastal tourism attractions. The determination of this cluster is in line with the culinary potential managed by the community such as bakat sea fish and local snacks around the coast of Manado Bay. By using a qualitative research design, data was collected directly at the research location through interviews and observations, and secondary data was also collected electronically through internet media such as Google Scholar, WoS databases, Scopus, Arxiv by Cornell, Ulrich's Web, Science Direct, Directory of Open Access, JSTOR, SciELO, ERIC, ResearchGate and others. Data analysis using an interactive analysis model with data reduction, data display and conclusion drawing/verification stages. In addition, for the validity of the data analysis discussion, a focus group discussion was also conducted. The research findings that the implementation of the empowerment program for culinary tourism entrepreneurs in the Manado Bay Coastal Area has been carried out by the Manado City Government. Training, mentoring, provision of capital and business facilities and supervision as a form of empowerment activities carried out. The empowerment program is carried out separately or in collaboration with other public organizations. The seriousness in managing and developing businesses from the Community is a measure of the success of the implementation of the empowerment program.

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.

Peculiarities of Tourism Indtry Management in Territorial Communities of Zhytomyr Region

Today, the tourism industry not only plays a key role at the national level, but also has a significant impact on local economic development. The existence of dedicated tourism units in local governments allows for more efficient planning and resource allocation, avoiding potential obstacles that may arise when tourism is subordinated to other departments. The article shows that out of 66 territorial communities, 9 do not have a department responsible for developing proposals and measures for tourism development. Most of them are organized under the name of the Department of Education, Youth, Sport, Culture, and Tourism. This integrated approach, although covering different aspects of community life, strongly influences the allocation of resources, as there is a tendency to prioritize cultural initiatives over specific tourism development. This raises the question of whether this integration is the most effective way of stimulating growth in the tourism sector. The analysis of long-term community development strategies showed that 44 UTCs have a programme or a draft programme, and a further 9 have adopted tourism development programmes with an action plan. The successful development of tourism in a territorial community depends on both its resources and the status of its centre, which may be a village, town, or city. Finally, it is important to differentiate responsibility for tourism development, as the potential for tourism initiatives varies according to the size of the settlement. Accordingly, we have classified the territorial municipalities, resulting in the following distribution: the urban type (M) includes 12 municipalities with subtypes M1, M2, M3, M4, which were identified based on their regional or district importance. The settlement type (S) includes 22 municipalities with subtypes S1, S2, S3, in which the centres did not perform rayon functions before the decentralization reform. The rural municipality type (R) includes 32 municipalities and has 2 subtypes: R1, R2. Thus, in order to ensure sustainable growth and success in tourism, the authorities need to consider many factors for effective management.

Exploring Senior Tourists' Technological Experiences: Based on Embodied Cognitive Theory

ABSTRACTThe global aging population brings a growing senior tourist market. This study applies embodied cognitive theory and grounded theory to explore how senior tourists' technological experiences are formed in three travel stages. Twenty‐five in‐depth interviews were conducted with senior tourists aged 55–82. Three main components of embodied technological experiences were found, namely the characteristics of senior tourists, tourism contexts, and technological cognition. Characteristics affect technological cognition and how seniors react in specific tourism contexts. Tourism contexts play a stimulating role in motivating senior tourists to participate in different tourism activities. Technological cognition reflects personal characteristics and factors that influence technological usage. It proposes meaningful insights that can inspire tourism suppliers to enhance senior tourists' overall technological experience.

Optimizing Available Resources to Revitalize the Tourism Economy of the Rural Commune of Iarintsena

This article is the product of in-depth research and strategies to mobilize and empower local stakeholders and tries to suggest some approaches, as well. Two methodologies are taken into account: The positive normative and SWOT analysis (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat). The latter enables us to present and identify the tourism development potential and issues. In 2021, Madagascar generated around 111.00 million US dollars, corresponds to 0.73 percent of its GDP in the tourism sector alone. Driven by favorable base effects, growth expected to accelerate to an average of 4.6% over 2024-26. Nowadays, tourism can offer high opportunities for cultural exchange between visitors and local communities. The research results from the project simulation works were used to draw up a budget for tourism activities. The rural commune of IARINTSENA, located in the south-eastern part of the Haute Matsiatra region and a few kilometers from the Ambalavao district, has tourism assets that appear to be weakened by innumerable constraints. The design of the commune's development strategies should take into account the realities and aspirations of the local population. Highlighting the commune's specific tourist attractions should encourage technical and financial partners to invest in the tourism development project. It’s important to put the touristic specificity of IARINTSENA in evidence in order to incite the technical and financial partners.

Smart tourism destinations and sustainability: evidence from the tourism industry

PurposeThis research aims to reveal the role of sustainability in tourism in terms of smart technologies by addressing the relationship between smart tourism and sustainability through a thematic literature analysis.Design/methodology/approachThe research is based on examining the role of smart tourism in terms of sustainability within the studies in the literature.FindingsTourism is a mass-movement industry that uses natural and artificial resources intensively. For this reason, intensive studies are carried out on this industry in sustainable studies. Based on smart cities, smart destinations have started to be created to focus on specific tourism activities, balance the use of resources in this field, ensure the welfare of tourists and local people, and, most importantly, create sustainable activities. These technology-based cities can save many resources that people need to consider. In addition, thanks to its integration with technological devices, it enables people to be much more effective in social and business life and to act more practically in terms of time, distance, and communication. Besides the stakeholders within the destination, tourists visiting the destination can have a more comfortable and resource-efficient holiday experience thanks to the technological applications and systems created here.Originality/valueThe research presents a thematic literature review on the importance of sustainability in the sector within the framework of smart tourism practices.

International marketing mix for export in the seafood sector of the Riohacha DETC

Companies, especially SMEs, seek access to international markets in search of economic development as a factor of sustainability and competitiveness. The objective of this paper was to analyze the importance of the international marketing mix for export in the seafood sector of the Special Tourist and Cultural District (STCD) of Riohacha. Methodologically, this research is descriptive and is framed in a quantitative paradigm. The population was composed of 14 managers of fishmongers registered in the Chamber of Commerce of Riohacha. The results indicate that, in terms of products, the marketers recognize that they are competitive for the foreign market. In relation to price, transactions in foreign currencies such as dollars are adequate and competitive. Regarding distribution channels, there are adequate means to export and maintain the cold chain. However, in terms of communication strategies, it was observed that no company has effective tools to make itself known abroad. It is concluded that the entrepreneurs perceive that their products are in demand in the destination markets and that prices and distribution channels are adequate, although the latter could be improved. However, their means and forms of communication are not being used effectively

Tourism-driven livelihood dynamics: A comprehensive empirical study of Mount Kilimanjaro National Park communities in Tanzania

Tourism is pivotal for rural economic development; however, despite hosting a substantial number of tourists, many developing countries with rural landscapes face persistent poverty among local communities. This study aims to delve into the impact of tourism (geoheritage and national parks) on local livelihoods, examining drivers for livelihood portfolio and community decisions to engage in tourism activities. The Multivariate Probit and instrumental variable models (Instrumental Variable Probit, and Two Stage Least Squares) were employed on data from 582 respondents collected through cross-sectional questionnaires. Results highlight the significant influence of socioeconomic factors—sex, age, household size, credit access, market access, social membership, and education—on livelihood portfolio. Results show that specific tourism activities, such as accommodation services, handcrafts, catering and hospitality, and tour guiding, exert varying effects on household food security, income, and access to essential social services. Challenges hindering participation include education levels, information and awareness, service quality, cultural barriers, financial costs, government policies, competition, resource monopolisation, corruption, and infrastructure deficiencies. Recommendations include investments in skill development, infrastructure enhancement, cultural preservation, financial inclusion, regulatory frameworks, and community awareness programs. These strategies aim to facilitate household participation in tourism activities, promoting geotourism and enhancing the well-being of Mount Kilimanjaro National Park communities. Policymakers are urged to implement these measures to uplift local livelihoods and foster sustainable tourism in the region.

Impact of Spatial Characteristics on Gendered Retail Consumption in Seoul: A Gender-Sensitive Urban Planning Perspective

This study examines the impact of spatial characteristics on gendered retail consumption in Seoul, South Korea, providing empirical evidence for gender-sensitive urban planning. Gender-sensitive urban planning integrates gender perspectives into all stages of urban development, aiming to address the diverse needs and experiences of all genders spatially. While existing research has predominantly focused on gender differences in labor participation, this study shifts the focus to retail consumption, which is a critical aspect of daily life. Our research analyzes the spatial attributes of urban spaces at the neighborhood scale and their influence on aggregated retail consumption by gender. The aggregated retail sales by census output area (jipgyegu) represent the aggregated retail consumption. Utilizing spatial regression methods, this study identifies significant spatial autocorrelations and clustering patterns in retail sales data. The findings reveal that traditional markets, less-developed commercial areas, and specific retail sector (retailing, medical, and educational services) densities positively impact SMW (subtraction of men’s retail sales from women’s retail sales), while city center areas, developed commercial districts, special tourism zones, and specific retail sector (restaurants and entertainment) densities have negative impacts.

Current state and prospects of tourism business development in the city of Almaty

The tourism business is growing rapidly as a tool for economic development, revenue generation and development of national and international economies. After all, tourism business allows to create jobs, increase investments and products. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the current state of tourism business development in the city of Almaty and SWOT-analysis of the main problems and prospects. In the course of the study, survey questions were developed with a review of literature included in the Scopus and WoS database, with the main conclusions drawn. The survey was conducted to determine the level of tourism business development in Almaty city, in which owners and managers of 523 enterprises voluntarily participated. In order to ensure the accuracy of the survey, the answers of 510 respondents were selected after a 3-month selection process. The analysis of the survey responses showed that 72.7% of tourism business representatives do not have special tourism education; and 32.9% do not have staff contracts. However, as positive perspectives: it is encouraging that respondents are keen to grow their businesses, keen to overcome the effects and crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic, and that 29% of respondents are young entrepreneurs. In addition, as a result of SWOT-analysis, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks of tourism business development in Almaty became known. Thus, this study helps to identify a promising direction for future research, being an auxiliary tool in solving problems that hinder the development of tourism infrastructure in Almaty, improvement of service provision, sustainable development of tourism business.

Understanding Film Fan Tourism: An Inventory of 15 Years of Research

The first studies of film and television as inducers of tourism appeared in the 1990s. From the outset, research in this area has identified a diverse range of tourist profiles, highlighting the fact that audiovisual media fans constitute an important segment of the tourism market because fan consumers dedicate considerable amounts of time, money, and energy to pursuing their specific interest. As a result, academic researchers have developed a substantial body of knowledge in this field over a relatively short period. The objective of this article is to offer a critical review of studies that have enhanced our understanding of film fan tourists to identify critical gaps in knowledge and, consequently, propose new ways to fully integrate the fan perspective into studies of audiovisual fiction-induced tourism. To this end, all the articles dealing with this specific tourist profile indexed in Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar (49) have been identified and analysed based on their year of publication, geographical location, type of audiovisual production studied, methodology adopted and composition of the sample, major research themes and main theoretical and/or practical contributions. This review of the literature on film fan tourists finds that our understanding of the specific characteristics of the profile and behaviour of this type of tourist is still limited. This is due to some extent on the lack of consensus on the definition of the concept of “fans”, which has led to the erroneous classification of tourists whose travel motivation has nothing to do with a film and/or television production—and who may not even be fans of that production—as film fan tourists. The recommendations of this review thus focus mainly on reaching a consensus on the definition of the concept and establishing a single set of selection criteria for future research

Semantic Web Usage in the Tourism Industry in Andalusia, Spain

Andalusia got the 4th place of tourists’ favorite destinations among 17 autonomous communities in Spain in September 2023 and almost returned to pre-pandemic normality regarding tourism. Although Spain is famous for its “sun and beach”, its tourist industry is facing new challenges in socio-economic, environmental and territorial issues; therefore, the role of artificial intelligence cannot be ignored in the evolution and transformation of the tourism business. AI algorithms reinforce decision-making capabilities through analysing real-time data. Effectiveness and efficiency of AI algorithms are dependent on well-structured, well-described and machine-readable meta data network which can be provided by Semantic Web standards. This article empirically study the current usage of Semantic Web formats, ontologies and touristic topics in 65 tourist-relevant web sites in Andalusia. Results show that just 57 % of examined sites used semantic markup with most of the semantic annotations (98.5%) made in three formats: Microdata, JSON-LD and RDFa. Furthermore, the Ontologies used in almost 90% of markups are ‘Schema.org’, ‘Data Vocabulary’ and ‘RDF’, but none of the special tourism ontologies appeared in examined tourism web sites. Therefore, Andalusia tourism websites should be enhanced with much more widespread Semantic Web in order to achieve a better performance in a future in which AI technologies will be widespread.

On the Importance of Field Studies for Testing Theory-Driven Behavioral Change Interventions in (Sustainable) Tourism

Practical measures to entice tourists to behave in environmentally sustainable ways are urgently needed. The effectiveness of such measures is typically tested in survey experiments. This study demonstrates that this approach can be misleading. We test two messages aimed at reducing buffet food waste. One builds on established theories of human behavior (theory of planned behavior, value-belief-norm theory); it assumes that changing beliefs by providing information triggers behavior change. The second message builds on hedonic psychology; it attempts to change behavior through humor, presenting the pro-environmental behavior as enjoyable. In the survey experiment, the belief-based message significantly increases intentions to reduce plate waste; but both messages fail to change behavior in a real hotel. These insights have methodological and practical implications: the effectiveness of new practical measures developed to trigger specific tourist behaviors must be tested in the field before reliable managerial recommendations can be derived.