Tourism Options Research Articles

Should I stay or should I go?: Motivators, decision factors, and information sources influencing those predisposed to medical tourism

This exploratory study, employing a national sampling of persons in the USA, focused on a group of respondents who self-identified as willing to consider seeking medical care abroad, otherwise known as medical tourism. To learn more about how such individuals approach the decision of whether to engage in medical tourism, they were surveyed regarding their motivations to do so, the decision factors they would consider important, and the information sources they would consult. In addition, the study sought to determine if these responses differed across several variables, such as: (a) the nature of the medical condition for which treatment is sought (life threatening, serious but not life threatening, medically optional or life enhancing), (b) prior international travel experience and prior receipt of care abroad, (c) confidence that their health insurance was sufficient to cover current and future medical needs, (d) risk aversion, and (e) a number of basic demographic variables. The results contribute to limited empirical research on the consumer decision-making process of those considering medical tourism. Findings provide tentative guidance to countries and healthcare providers marketing their services to medical tourists, as well as to domestic healthcare providers either competing against or referring patients to medical tourism options.

Seeking Health Care Through International Medical Tourism

The purpose of this study was the exploration of international travel experiences for the purpose of medical or dental care from the perspective of patients from Alaska and to develop insight and understanding of the essence of the phenomenon of medical tourism. The study is conceptually oriented within a model of health-seeking behavior. Using a qualitative design, 15 Alaska medical tourists were individually interviewed. The data were analyzed using a hermeneutic process of inquiry to uncover the meaning of the experience. Six themes reflecting the experiences of Alaska medical tourists emerged: "my motivation," "I did the research," "the medical care I need," "follow-up care," "the advice I give," and "in the future." Subthemes further categorized data for increased understanding of the phenomenon. The thematic analysis provides insight into the experience and reflects a modern approach to health-seeking behavior through international medical tourism. The results of this study provide increased understanding of the experience of obtaining health care internationally from the patient perspective. Improved understanding of medical tourism provides additional information about a contemporary approach to health-seeking behavior. Results of this study will aid nursing professionals in counseling regarding medical tourism options and providing follow-up health care after medical tourism. Nurses will be able to actively participate in global health policy discussions regarding medical tourism trends.

Navigating through tourism options: an island perspective

PurposeSustainable tourism demands a positivistic and holistic look at the true costs and benefits of the industry to host communities. To aid leaders in starting the process, the article proposes a tourism options navigation model looking at varying number of visitors, their average daily spend and leakages, on the socio‐economic, cultural and environmental landscape of island communities. The article aims to identify various tourism options, their expected effects and potential strategies to mitigating negative outcomes and to later apply the model to the case of the rural parish of St Thomas, Jamaica.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the objectives outlined a comprehensive review of related literature was conducted. The researcher interviewed six of Jamaica's national tourism leaders and analyzed their responses.FindingsIt was posited that by employing strategies that impact the number of visitors to the area, their average daily spend and industry‐related economic import leakages, leaders can control the economic, social, cultural and environmental effects of tourism on communities but the process must begin with a clear articulation of the desired effects.Research limitations/implicationsThe model could be a useful decision‐making tool for leaders considering tourism as a developmental option or in analyzing the current state of their communities' tourism industry. It could also form the basis for a more objective look at tourism success by researchers.Originality/valueThe model is unique as it provides a single comprehensive look at the causes and effects of tourism and possible ways forward.

Construction of Geotourism and Its Contribution to the Sustainability of Regional Development in Australia

Although there is only one geopark in Australia, there are many geosites and associated clusters. These geosites form the base of geotourism in Australian national and provincial parks and in nature conservation areas. According to the geosites' geographical range and the networks they generate, Australian geotourism can be divided into three types: small-scale, medium-scale, and large-scale geotourism. Small-scale geotourism is characterized by the local distribution of geosites and of the networks they form. In the Willandra Lakes Region, for example, the regional development of geotourism is limited to a local cluster of geosites and their immediate surroundings. At such a local scale, geotourism does not contribute much to the sustainability of regional development because the relationship between geosites and other regional resources is not strong and does not generate organic networks. This type of geotourism is similar to ecotourism, and the linkage with eco-sites and conservation is important. Medium-scale geotourism is characterized by a broader regional distribution and occurs in combination with a small number of national and provincial parks, and with nature conservation areas such as the Greater Blue Mountain Region. Although geosites and their clusters are linked with some other kinds of regional resource in this type of geotourism, they remain dominated by bio-resources and the natural landscape. This type of geotourism generally complements mass-tourism in areas that are easily accessible from urban areas. On the other hand, large-scale geotourism is characterized by its broader spread and a wider network of geosites such as the Kanawinka Region, where the geopark is located, stretching over large areas of Victoria and South Australia Provinces. In spite of the dispersion of geosites, the relationships among them are strong and the linkage with additional regional resources contributes to the development of geotourism. Therefore, this type of geotourism makes an important contribution to the sustainability of regional development because the relationships among geosites and other regional resources generate multi-functional networks, and thus offers a diversity of tourism options.

How can winter tourism adapt to climate change in Saxony’s mountains?

This study deals with regional climate change in five low mountain areas in Eastern Germany and assesses the awareness of tourism professionals towards climate change, its impact on winter tourism and adaptation options. Favourable conditions for winter tourism decreased over the last decades in the Saxon low mountain ranges. A change from predominantly snow-based to a wider variety of winter tourism options appears indispensible as climate models project continuing warming. Diversifying touristic options provides opportunities to develop new business fields and to attract new target groups. This paper reveals obstacles and opportunities to adapt and develop winter tourism in the central European low mountain ranges and to increase the competitiveness of regional tourism. A survey explored the current awareness of representatives of most of the Saxon downhill skiing areas and of selected winter tourism municipalities towards climate change and its implications on their business. Awareness is essential to successfully implement adaptation measures. About half of the interviewees were not aware of the regional changes in natural snow conditions projected for the next 15–20 years. Nevertheless, the majority recognized climate change as a serious issue. Yet, stakeholders repeatedly emphasized their uncertainty about related scientific facts. They attributed their perception to mass media reports that suggest a lack of scientific consensus on climate change issues. Adaptation options for slope-based and general winter tourism are developed and presented, involving ideas of the interviewees. To successfully move towards adaptation, supply and marketing of alternative offers need to be strengthened. A survey of tourist expectations is planned to ensure a successful implementation of new (winter) touristic offers in the Saxon mountains.

Auslandszahnersatz und Dentaltourismus – Zahlungsbereitschaft und Einflussfaktoren auf die Nachfrage nach ausländischem Zahnersatz in Deutschland

With the progressive realisation of the single European market, public interest has been directed towards cross-border healthcare services to an increasing extent. More and more dentures are being imported into Germany from foreign countries. Furthermore, patients are becoming ever more mobile, travelling to other countries to receive prosthetic treatment from dentists. The objective of this evaluation was to determine by means of a dedicated questionnaire the patients' individual preferences for foreign dentures and the potential savings. 1 368 individuals between the ages of 30 and 75 years were interviewed within a representative omnibus survey. The evaluation of the individual willingness-to-pay included 4 treatment scenarios, which were assessed by the participants in a "bidding game". Participants could choose between a "crown scenario" and an "implant scenario", both with the subcategories "foreign dentures" and "dental tourism". The direct comparison revealed a preference for the "foreign dentures" option over "dental tourism". Average willingness-to-pay for the dental tourism option in the crown scenario was calculated as 80 Euro, and in the implant scenario as 280 Euro less in comparison with the willingness-to-pay for the foreign dentures option. The willingness to switch to a less expensive dentist was one of the main determinants in the causal explanation for the variance in willingness-to-pay. Quality proved to be the decisive criterion and was indicated by 92.4% participants. A lower price for dentures played a subordinate role and was only stated as the decisive factor by 31.1% participants. In conclusion, the results clearly indicate that the decision for or against foreign dentures and the extent of willingness-to-pay depends on a range of criteria, of which "price" is only one and not the decisive factor.

Is tourism with a low impact on climate possible?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of a range of different travel and tourism options, and quantifies the carbon‐dioxide emissions resulting from international vacations, breaking down emissions categories into those resulting from transport, accommodation and recreation.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses summary data to review a range of possible vacation scenarios and examines their relative carbon‐dioxide emissions in order to compare the relative climatic impact of different forms of tourism and vacation options.FindingsThe paper concludes that intercontinental flights and cruise ship travel are particularly carbon‐intensive, which suggests that these two forms of tourism will be particularly vulnerable to any policy initiative to curb or price carbon emissions. Ends by considering whether climatically responsible international tourism is possible, and outlines some low‐carbon options.Originality/valueThe paper relates data on carbon emissions to the implications for tourism arising from climate change.

Ecotourism in the city? Toronto’s Green Tourism Association

Applying the practices of ecotourism to an urban environment is a relatively new concept but a concept that merits development in multiple cities. The concept of urban green tourism (urban ecotourism), as pioneered by Toronto’s Green Tourism Association, is a working example that demonstrates how a city can promote itself, individual businesses and attractions to provide a unique tourism experience and generate demand for sustainability. This paper seeks to outline how urban green tourism can be an effective approach to addressing the issues of tourism in cities – growth, waste, etc., and demonstrates how sustainable tourism options can capitalize on the existing features of a city. The association promotes local businesses, organizations, natural and cultural features through its green map, green guidebook and Website to educate travellers and industry toward greener practices.

Understanding the Birder as Tourist: Segmenting Visitors to the Texas Hummer /Bird Celebration

Many rural communities are examining nature tourism options, such as birdwatching (birding), as an economic development strategy. Unfortunately,public media stories, tourism professionals, and biologists often describe birders as a homogeneous group of serious, dedicated, and even fanatical visitors willing to spend large sums of money in their pursuit.Consistent with past research, we contend that birders constitute a hetero-geneous group of recreationists. Using recreational specialization as a conceptual framework, we identified four groups of visitors to a popular birding festival and show that the groups also differ in terms of level of behavioral involvement and setting preferences. Findings from this study will aid community leaders and event organizers in their efforts to target programs, amenities, and promotional materials to distinct segments of the birdwatching population.

CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES FOR ECOTOURISM IN VIETNAM

With a rapidly growing domestic and international tourism industry, the government of Vietnam has taken a number of tourism-related initiatives since early 1999. These include the issuing of an Ordinance on Tourism, which provides the legal and policy foundations for developing tourism with due regard for conserving biodiversity and ensuring social, cultural, and environmental sustainability, and the proposal to revise the existing Tourism Development Master Plan to produce a Tourism Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development in Vietnam. Through these initiatives the government of Vietnam has moved towards planning the management of tourism to ensure sustainable outcomes, and ecotourism and cultural tourism have been proposed as preferred tourism development options. One destination focus of this preferred tourism option is the protected area system of Vietnam. This article presents a series of themes as key areas for discussion, to assist Vietnam as it endeavors to assess the current proposed Tourism Master Plan (2001–2010) as a means of achieving national development objectives. A month-long ecotourism training workshop for protected area managers was held in Hanoi in February–March 2000. Through this workshop, four primary themes were identified as presenting major challenges for those with responsibility to balance conservation with increasing tourist visitation: the structure and administration of the protected area system, tourism infrastructure, providing for the needs of local communities, and effective communication across all relevant stakeholders. This article explores these challenges based on the review of a range of in-house reports and documents, the recorded views of Vietnamese government officials, academics, and protected area managers, discussions with and surveys of workshop participants, and visits to a number of national parks and tourist locations.

The lonely continent

The international tourism options have been enriched due to several factors: new transport technology, more flexible legislation, the globalization process, and political openness regarding some areas dominated by dictatorship regimes. Antarctica is one of the new possibilities for adventure and ecological travel. It is the wildest, most well‐preserved and most isolated continent on the planet. About 10,000 tourists can appreciate its dazzling landscapes each austral summer and tourism operations have increased considerably in the region during the 1990s. This article presents a history of travel to Antarctica, an analysis of the tour operators and of the Antarctic Treaty on tourism, and reports an experience on board one of the cruise ships in the Antarctica Peninsula.

Towards Sustainable Tourism Planning in New Zealand: Public Sector Planning Responses

This paper examines the concept of sustainable tourism planning in New Zealand and its relationship to the Resource Management Act. The paper considers the public sector planning responses towards tourism development issues within the context of New Zealand's Resource Management Act, and the ability of these organisations to respond to tourism issues. It argues that the absence of a national vision for tourism is a major constraint on achieving sustainable tourism options at the regional and local level because the Resource Management Act s principles of sustainable planning are not guided by any national policy or strategy. By using a postal questionnaire, the paper provides the first in-depth analysis of planners responses to tourism and their ability to integrate tourism into the planning process within New Zealand. The paper also expands the arguments initially developed by Dredge & Moore (1992) on the lack of integration in relation to tourism and planning.

Dampak Covid-19 Terhadap Pengelolaan Agrowisata Perkebunan Teh Sirah Kencong Kabupaten Blitar sebagai Obyek Wisata Berkelanjutan

The development of tourism in Indonesia must be supported by infrastructure development so that it can spur an increase in the number of tourists. The tourism industry plays a very important role in determining environmentally friendly tourism options. The spread of Covid-19 which continues to increase will have an impact on tourism management. This study aims to examine how the impact of COVID-19 on the management of Sirah Kencong Agro tourism as a sustainable tourism object. This research was conducted in the Sirah Kencong Tea Plantation, which is in the administrative area of Blitar Regency, East Java. The method used in this research is the descriptive method with qualitative analysis techniques. The data used in this study are primary data and secondary data. Primary data collection in this study used the method of observation and interviews based on Sapta Pesona Indonesia. Secondary data collection is obtained from literature studies and studying documents from related agencies. Tourism management at Sirah Kencong Agrotourism is carried out by following health protocols such as visitors having to wear masks, wash their hands when entering tourist areas, and maintain distance between visitors. Other natural potentials can be utilized and developed, of course, by looking at aspects related to promoting sustainable tourism.