Tourism Market Research Articles (Page 1)

ABSTRACT The increasing elderly population has led to growing attention towards the grey segments in the travel and tourism industry. This study explores the relationship between job burnout, pilgrimage experience desire, and intention to travel among elderly working employees. Additionally, the study checks the mediating effect of relaxation desire and religiosity on job burnout and pilgrimage experience desire. The study utilised a combination of online and offline surveys to collect a sample of 476 elderly employees working in India. Utilising PLS-SEM, the study found that job burnout positively impacts pilgrimage experience desire, religiosity, and relaxation desire. Moreover, findings reveal that the desire for relaxation and religiosity positively mediate the relationship between job burnout and the desire for pilgrimage experience. The study also found that the desire for relaxation and the pilgrim experience impacts the intention to travel among elderly working employees. The study’s implications are not limited to negative travel motives among grey segments but also add value to the pilgrimage and religiosity sector in the tourism context. The study offers practical implications for employers, tourism marketers, and the travel industry, suggesting travel programmes and packages tailored to the grey segment, including incentives focused on spiritual and relaxation experiences.

ABSTRACT This study integrates Media Literacy Theory (MLT), the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) Model, and the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) to investigate how media literacy influences impulsive hotel booking intentions through cognitive and emotional mechanisms. A quantitative research approach using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to data collected from 400 respondents in Saudi Arabia, a rapidly expanding market in digital tourism. The findings reveal that higher media literacy enhances consumer confidence in processing persuasive content, leading to more decisive booking actions. Media literacy also increases exposure to diverse content, counteracting algorithmic biases, though platform characteristics may limit this effect. Additionally, cognitive and emotional engagement play crucial mediating roles in shaping critical engagement with digital content, while technological proficiency and social influence moderate impulsive booking behaviors. These insights extend existing theories by demonstrating that media literacy can facilitate both resistance to persuasion and strategic impulsivity in digital environments.

Purpose Good places are welcoming spaces where people can relax and enjoy themselves. The purpose of this study is to expand Ray Oldenburg’s “good places” theory in the realm of tourism, recognising its potential in exploring how tourism activities engage with and interpret third places. Oldenburg argued that society thrives on three essential spaces: home and work as first and second places, while third places are social environments where people gather informally. Surprisingly, the role of tourists in shaping third places has not received much academic attention. The purpose of this study is to explore the tourism-related third places on Instagram. Design/methodology/approach The visual analysis draws upon Oldenburg’s third places theory and explores an Instagram reel on third places that solicited 2,436 comments by tourists. To further explore visuals on “great, good places”, text mining and co-occurrence analysis were used on 13,746 Instagram posts and hashtags of #goodplace and #greatplace. This meta-data analysis provides insights into the Instagram travel content labelled as good places. Findings The results of the study indicate that tourists associate the concept of “great good places” on Instagram with the walkability of cities, the spontaneous encounters with people, the availability of outdoor facilities, parks and squares and the opportunities for social interaction they offer daily. These places are perceived as offering free experiences. The visual analysis reveals that travel-related good places can be at the centre of social media travel narratives. Research limitations/implications The study focused on #great #good places but while the hashtags were widely used on Instagram, it cannot be assumed that people intend to refer to third places as great, good places. It is acknowledged that maybe these hashtags were added to the travel related content to get more reactions from followers. The co-occurrence analysis of Instagram posts has difficulties in capturing the depth of user sentiment or emotional attachment. Practical implications Tourism marketers can use the results to emphasise the importance of third places on social media. Three key aspects of good places emerged: the importance of walkable cities; the possibility of spontaneous gatherings, which tourists appreciate for their serendipity; and the desire to enjoy outdoor experiences in natural surroundings. Tourism experience designers aiming to position destinations as good places could take these aspects into account. The hashtag #goodplace is popular on Instagram; therefore, marketers of tourism destinations aiming to attract tourists seeking relaxed, walkable and visually pleasant environments should consider incorporating it into their social media strategies. Originality/value Findings provide new insights into how Oldenburg’s third place theory can be expanded into the field of tourism and it opens paths for further research. The utilisation of a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods enables a better understanding of tourism-related visual data shared, commented and tagged on Instagram.

This study provides exploratory insight into how Generation Z users search for travel information on TikTok, interpreted through the lens of the Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT). Using a qualitative phenomenological design, data were gathered through in-depth interviews with five female respondents aged 20–29 from major Indonesian cities. Thematic analysis with NVivo 15 identified four interconnected gratification dimensions: affective gratification, social gratification, cognitive-credibility gratification, and cognitive-efficiency gratification. These findings reveal that TikTok functions not merely as an entertainment platform but as an algorithmically mediated information ecosystem that blends emotion, trust, and efficiency in digital discovery. From a theoretical perspective, the study contributes to the contextual application of UGT by introducing the exploratory concept of Algorithmically Mediated Gratification (AMG). Practically, the findings offer actionable insights for business owners and tourism marketers by designing authentic, visually compelling, and interactive short-form content, collaborating with credible micro-influencers, and maintaining consistency across digital platforms to enhance user trust and engagement.

With the rapid development of China's aging society, the "silver economy" has gradually become a significant force driving domestic demand and promoting economic structural optimization. The booming silver tourism market is particularly eye-catching, becoming a new engine driving tourism and overall economic growth. Among the travel options for silver tourists, air transportation, with its efficiency and convenience, is increasingly favored by middle-aged and elderly people, and their demand for air travel is showing a significant growth trend. Overbooking, a common method for reducing wasted seats, was originally intended to reduce operating costs and improve corporate profitability. However, in practice, many issues remain to be addressed. These issues not only affect passengers' travel experience but also lead to numerous consumer disputes, hindering the further development of the aviation industry. This study focused on the middle-aged and elderly population, collecting 346 questionnaires and analyzing data to explore the impact of consumer knowledge on overbooking acceptance and compensation method preferences. The study found that consumer knowledge positively influences overbooking acceptance and moderates overbooking compensation method preferences. These findings provide theoretical and practical references for airlines to optimize overbooking compensation methods for middle-aged and elderly consumers, thereby contributing to improving their air travel satisfaction.

Purpose Social media influencers (SMIs) deliberately shape travel intentions by recommending destinations and experiences and motivating followers to plan their holiday trips. Design/methodology/approach This study deployed a purposive sample method, using an online survey tool to acquire data. The questionnaire was distributed from 11 May to 30 June 2024. The collected data was analysed using Smart-PLS. Findings This study developed a comprehensive research framework that integrates perceived enjoyment, SMI’s attraction, self-congruity, playfulness, attitude, desire and travel intention variables to assess the role of SMIs in travel intention on holiday trips. The model established enhanced prognostic and explanatory competencies. Practical implications This study highlights the tactical importance of SMIs in transforming trip desires into holiday trips and enhancing tourism marketing. Influencer selection bias and audience perceptions are limitations. Originality/value Despite this, the study notably shows influencers’ altering outcomes on travel intentions, offering a new perspective on holiday decision-making.

Development of tourism market in China: What role will climate policy play?

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of small-scale arts festivals on creating a sense of place among festival visitors through various placemaking practices. Arts festivals are a vital component of a destination's cultural tourism offerings. However, by adapting to the tourism market, they are often subject to uniformity and blandness, much like the places that host them. To avoid this, it is essential to actively consider the role of sense of place in the design and planning of festivals and cultural events. The qualitative research methodology employed in this study comprises 40 semi-structured interviews with visitors to five arts festivals in smaller rural towns and communities in Croatia (Grožnjan, Motovun, Ogulin, Zagvozd, Ernestinovo). The results of the study show that the interviewees' perception of the festival locations has changed significantly compared with their previous experiences of the same places. All visitors agree that the festival has had a positive influence on their perception of the place where it is organised and that it has become a defining feature of the place's identity, distinguishing it from other similar settlements in the area. Most foreign visitors indicated that they would not have visited the location were it not for the festival, as they would have been unaware of its existence. Meanwhile, local visitors had previously viewed it as merely a brief stopover on the way to other attractions. The practical implications of the research focus on understanding and enhancing the visitor experience to inform better planning and management of arts festivals. The originality of this research lies in its aim to address the literature gap concerning the importance of arts festivals in creating a distinct sense of place of festival locations in the Croatian context.

Tourism has served as and remains a significant driver of national development in many countries. Adopting a critical perspective in the field of tourism studies towards this circumstance will be advantageous for both the tourism sector and academia. The Gadjah Mada Journal of Tourism Studies contributes to the broader field of tourism studies, which aims to enhance the prosperity of the worldwide community. The current edition of the Gadjah Mada Journal of Tourism Studies contains the five articles listed belowRealitas atau Harapan: Co-Creation dalam Penciptaan Pengalaman Berkualitas di Desa Wisata Panglipuran, BaliFunctionality, Limitation, and Future of Homestays in Kampung Adat WologaiCluster Analysis of Visitor Perceptions Toward Indonesia’s Tourism Marketing Mix in DubaiCultural Gateway Yogyakarta-Prambanan: Revitalisasi Berbasis Komunitas untuk Memulihkan Ekologi Interaksi Sosial di Pasar Tradisional PrambananIroni Sampah dan Pariwisata: Respon Multiaktor atas Krisis Sampah di Kawasan Wisata KaliurangThe Gadjah Mada Journal of Tourism Studies aims to promote the growth of tourism studies in the framework of scientific production and benefit a wider range of practical areas of the tourism industry by allowing for more critical and in-depth discussion in each article.

Background: Cave tourism holds great geotourism potential, especially in developing destinations. However, visitor profiling in West African caves remains limited, hindering sustainable tourism planning. Aim: This study identifies and analyses the demographic and psychographic profiles and motivations of cave visitors in Anambra State, Nigeria, using Self-Determination Theory (SDT), and statistically tests whether demographic factors significantly influence visitor motivations. Setting: The research was conducted across three caves in Anambra State (Ogbunike, Owerre-Ezukala and Ufuma), selected for their ecological, cultural and tourism potential. Method: A quantitative survey (N = 577) classified motivational factors as intrinsic, extrinsic or amotivational, in accordance with SDT. Descriptive statistics established visitor profiles, while t-tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine motivational differences across demographic variables. Effect sizes were reported to indicate the magnitude of these differences. Results: Students, businesspeople and civil servants were the most represented groups. Males aged 21–40 years predominated, and 93% of respondents had formal education. Visitors were primarily intrinsically motivated by enjoyment, spirituality and relaxation, while extrinsic motivations were minimal. Gender, age, education and religion significantly influenced motivation levels. Conclusion: Demographic variables meaningfully shape cave-visiting motivations. Sustainable development of a cave tourist market in emerging destinations requires aligning management and design with these demographic and psychographic realities. Contribution: This SDT-grounded quantitative study provides a replicable visitor-profiling tool and baseline dataset for West African geotourism, supporting segmentation, policy design and sustainable visitor-management strategies.

The sustainable use of non-timber forest products is essential for conserving biodiversity while supporting the livelihoods of traditional communities. The research was conducted in the Lençóis Maranhenses region (Maranhão State, Brazil), an area characterized by intense tourism activity and recognized as one of the main centers of buriti (Mauritia flexuosa) fiber extraction in Northeast Brazil. These features make the region a privileged setting to understand: how proximity to tourism hubs affects the diversity of uses, management practices, and the preservation of traditional knowledge associated with the buriti palm? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with extractives in municipalities with different levels of access to the tourism market. The municipality with the highest tourist influx showed lower diversity of uses (16 uses; H = 60.07; p < 0.01), a predominance of commercial applications (UDV for food = 0.645), a shorter interval between leaf collections (52 days), and a higher incidence of destructive harvesting practices (33%). In contrast, municipalities less integrated into tourism routes preserved a greater diversity of uses. Management practices were predominantly non-destructive, although signs of erosion of these practices were observed in areas with moderate tourism influence. Women play a central role throughout the production chain. It is concluded that tourism, although it enhances income generation and cultural visibility, promotes economic specialization and weakens traditional knowledge, increasing the risks of unsustainable resource use. Conservation strategies should integrate the strengthening of local economies with the recognition of traditional knowledge and the regulation of resource exploitation in territories under tourism pressure.

This study aims to identify the impact of guerrilla marketing dimensions on enhancing the competitive position of local travel and tourism companies in the city of Samarra. To achieve this objective, seven main dimensions of guerrilla marketing were identified: ambient marketing, ambush marketing, stealth marketing, sensory marketing, viral/buzz marketing, graffiti advertising, and word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing, which represent the independent variables. The competitive position represents the dependent variable of the study. The researchers adopted the descriptive-analytical approach and designed a special questionnaire to measure the research variables after presenting it to a group of professors and experts to ensure its validity and reliability. The value of Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient reached (0.879), indicating a high level of internal consistency. A total of (50) questionnaires were distributed to employees of travel and tourism agencies operating in the city of Samarra, all of which were retrieved and found valid for statistical analysis. Using (SPSS Ver. 26), both descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted, including correlation and simple and multiple linear regression analyses. The results revealed a significant and positive correlation and impact between the dimensions of guerrilla marketing and the competitive position, indicating that adopting these strategies contributes to enhancing the agencies’ ability to compete in the local tourism market. The study concluded with several recommendations, most notably the need to encourage travel and tourism agencies to use creative, low-cost marketing methods, adopt guerrilla marketing strategies that suit the characteristics of the local market, and promote a culture of marketing innovation among management and employees due to its direct impact on improving the agency’s competitive position.

Riau is a province rich in history. Many historical heritage buildings can be found in Riau, one of which is the Siak Sri Indrapura Palace. This palace is a historical legacy of the Siak Sultanate, once inhabited by the Sultan of Siak, and today serves as one of the tourism attractions in Siak Regency. The proper development of the tourism sector has the potential to attract both domestic and international tourists to visit and spend money during their travels. In this context, particularly concerning the development of the Siak Palace as a tourist attraction, internal and external environmental analyses are conducted to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats through a SWOT analysis. Furthermore, this study also examines the long-term goals of the Tourism Office, particularly in achieving its mission over the next five years. The research evaluates whether the strategies implemented have been successful by reviewing the annual targets set by the Siak Regency Tourism Office and the policies employed to achieve them. These policies consist of guidelines, rules, and procedures established to support the intended objectives. The findings indicate that the Tourism Office of Siak Regency has carried out the strategic planning process effectively. Every aspect of strategic planning has been implemented optimally and in accordance with the established regulations. However, despite the successful implementation of the strategic plan, the process has not yet fully maximized the development of the Siak Palace as a tourism destination, as further actions beyond the current plans are still required. Tourism development in Siak Sri Indrapura is pursued through the development of tourism resources and the creative economy, enhancement of tourist attractions, and tourism marketing. Nevertheless, these efforts have not yet been fully optimized and therefore need improvement in order to better manage and advance tourism development in Siak Regency. The factors influencing tourism development strategies include budget, human resources, and community participation. Successful tourism development requires cooperation to achieve the desired outcomes, while the government is also expected to pay greater attention to the condition of tourism objects.

In many developing countries, heritage conservation is often framed as a development matter. Indonesia exemplifies this approach, where heritage conservation and poverty alleviation are pursued through engagement with the global tourism market, a strategy that combines conservation and tourism. This article examines how this strategy is justified and the consequences for heritage patrimonies being conserved and for local communities in Indonesia. It focuses on two World Heritage sites: Subak Landscape of Bali and the Komodo National Park, reflecting a strong justification for preserving the sites’ integrity and improving local socio-economic conditions. The study reveals how “heritagisation” projects at both sites have been based on colonial imaginaries and the romanticisation of Bali’s subak system and the exoticisation of Komodo. These imaginaries have material consequences for how heritage is governed and presented to tourism markets, as well as how the benefits of tourism are distributed.

Food and agricultural products shape tourism by linking communities and regions to leisure travel. Consumers’ perceptions of a country and its food products can shape their attitudes and behaviors toward it as a travel destination. This study compares the effects of general country image (GCI), product–country image (PCI), and product image (PI) on Chinese dairy consumers’ engagement with the country of origin as a travel destination (TDE). It also tests whether TDE mediates the effects of country images on consumer-based brand equity (BEQ) for dairy products. We analyzed 573 valid online responses from mainland China, a major market for dairy products and outbound tourism, using covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) in AMOS 31. The results identify TDE as a key factor that fully mediates the effect of GCI on BEQ. PCI and PI show both direct effects on BEQ and indirect effects through TDE. The proposed framework links country evaluations to destination engagement and brand outcomes, highlighting opportunities for integrated cross-sector promotion. This research is among the first to examine co-marketing between the tourism sector and the dairy industry through a country-image perspective. It provides practical guidance for cross-sector strategy and contributes to ongoing debates in both fields.

Digital marketing has become a key tool for tourism promotion through online platforms and social media, enabling better visibility of destinations in the global environment. The aim of this study is to analyse the management of digital marketing in the official tourism profiles of 15 countries across the Americas. A mixed-method approach was applied, combining literature review with quantitative analysis using the Fanpage Karma tool. The study evaluated platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube based on the following performance metrics: reach, number of followers, growth rate, engagement, and posting frequency. The results show generally poor digital performance, with a few exceptions such as Nicaragua on Instagram and the United States on TikTok. Despite the widespread use of social media, many official tourism accounts lack effective content strategies and planning, which limits their impact and reach. The study concludes that optimisation of digital tourism marketing requires a more segmented, creative, platform-specific approach.

Although web marketing channels are an effective way of establishing an online presence and attracting new customers, not all agencies take the decision to grow digitally and achieve sales through these media. In a context of increasing competition and digital transformation, this research analyses the impact of web marketing channels and their influence on tourism sector practices, investments and perceptions in Latacunga (Cotopaxi province), Ecuador, based on a qualitative survey of 26 registered travel agencies. The results show the adoption of strategies to improve digital visibility and adapt to current market demands, with social media being the most used channel, followed by websites and booking platforms. The results also reveal a strong digital presence by some agencies, in contrast to the challenges faced by others, such as technical problems and a lack of training. These findings reflect both advances and gaps in the management of digital tourism marketing, and underscore the importance of allocating resources to web marketing channels and promoting more efficient strategies to ensure the sustainability of agencies in a highly competitive environment.

In the current context of booming global tourism, China's tourism industry has developed at an even faster pace, driving rapid economic growth. However, this has exerted profound impacts on the ecological environment, socio-cultural environment, and economy. Faced with multiple challenges such as global climate change, overpopulation in tourist areas, and the risk of cultural heritage loss, transitioning to a sustainable tourism model has become a core policy direction for the Chinese government. This study focuses on modern strategies in China's sustainable tourism sector, covering key issues including regulatory frameworks, green technology applications, ecotourism development, and balancing economic benefits with natural resource conservation. The paper will explore trends and structural patterns in China's sustainable tourism market under these circumstances, offering relevant research findings and proposing thought-provoking suggestions.

This paper evaluates sustainable infrastructure development and green innovation principles in tourism while investigating their impact on sectorial growth, competitiveness, and sustainability. This research analyses the position of Vision 2030 in the mediation process. The study aims to deliver significant findings about both opportunities and obstacles Saudi Arabia encounters while expanding its tourism market. The research divides its structure into five essential parts that include an introduction, literature review, methodology, results, and data analysis, and then a conclusion. This section outlines numerous elements, including the background information combined with problem scenario definition followed by objectives clarification, then research questions and purpose description together with report scope definition along with its significance description and organisational structure. The subsequent section of this analysis is researching previous academic works and theoretical foundations. The thesis presents Saudi Arabian tourism sector data supported by stakeholder perspectives, which undergo PLS-MES analysis through SmartPLS application execution. Based on observed analytical findings, the research study presents recommended solutions to boost sustainability development within Saudi Arabian tourism. Keywords: Sustainable Infrastructure, Green innovation, Vision 2030, United Nations SDG 9

The article analyzes the features of international tourism development in the Jalal-Abad region of the Kyrgyz Republic. The paper examines key factors influencing the tourist attractiveness of the region, such as natural and geographical conditions, cultural heritage and infrastructure. Particular attention is paid to the problems and prospects of tourism development in the context of modern trends, such as ecotourism, agrotourism and cultural routes. The author analyzes the role of international investment, public policy and the private sector in stimulating the growth of the tourism industry. In addition, the socio-economic effects of tourism are examined, including job creation and development of local communities. In conclusion, recommendations are offered for improving infrastructure and increasing the competitiveness of the region in the international tourism market.