Tourist Destination Research Articles

Event-Based Optimization of Tourism at Pasir Padi Beach, Pangkalpinang City

Pasir Padi Beach, located in Pangkalpinang City, Bangka Belitung Island Province, has become a major tourist destination by hosting various events that attract local and foreign tourists. This study aims to optimize event-based beach tourism at Pasir Padi Beach by analyzing social, economic, infrastructural, and cultural impacts. Data were gathered through interviews with the Pangkalpinang City Tourism Office, observations, and secondary sources. The findings indicate high community participation, enhanced social cohesion, and significant economic benefits for local MSMEs, with income increases of 60-80% during events. However, challenges such as inadequate community readiness, lack of market research, and suboptimal stakeholder synergy were identified. To address these challenges, a comprehensive strategy is proposed, including improving infrastructure, diversifying events, and integrating local cultural elements to balance tourism development and cultural preservation. Government support, combined with local community empowerment and strong stakeholder collaboration, is essential. Effective marketing strategies, utilizing social media and influencers, and the implementation of sustainable tourism practices are recommended to maximize economic benefits while preserving environmental and cultural integrity. In conclusion, with strategic improvements in infrastructure, event management, and stakeholder involvement, Pasir Padi Beach can become a model for sustainable event-based beach tourism, promoting economic growth, social cohesion, and cultural preservation. The study’s limitation is the reliance on a single informant from the Tourism Office, which may limit perspective diversity. Future research should involve a wider range of stakeholders, including MSMEs, youth groups, local artists, and private sector representatives, to provide a more comprehensive understanding.

Balancing Tradition and Modernity: The Brand Personality of Santiniketan as a Tourist Destination

The present case study rigorously investigates the brand personality of Santiniketan, a prominent tourism destination in West Bengal, India. This research aims to explore the dominant personality dimensions that define Santiniketan’s identity and to examine potential differences in perceptions between tourists who have visited the town and those who have not. Santiniketan’s unique identity, rooted in its cultural heritage, customs and the legacy of Rabindranath Tagore, is communicated through diverse marketing campaigns and promotions. A strong and positive brand personality can set a destination apart, providing a significant competitive advantage and facilitating increased visitation rates. To evaluate Santiniketan’s brand personality, traditionally associated with peace, tranquillity and spirituality, while exploring additional dimensions such as sustainability and environmental consciousness, this study used the rigorous Destination Personality Scale by Kumar and Nayak (2018, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 42, 1, 3–25). The study employed a mixed-method approach, combining qualitative and quantitative tools, to gather data from 97 respondents through focus group interviews and surveys. Participants aged 18–70 were divided into those who had visited Santiniketan and those who had not but were knowledgeable about the destination. The findings indicate that courteousness, conformity, creativity and tranquillity significantly influence tourists’ perceptions of Santiniketan, with notable differences between visitors and non-visitors. This research contributes to the literature on destination branding by comprehensively understanding Santiniketan’s brand personality, emphasizing its cultural attributes and rich heritage as critical factors in its success as a popular tourist destination. The insights gained can assist destination marketers in aligning their strategies to enhance tourists’ perceptions and increase visitation rates. This study addresses the gap in academic inquiry into Santiniketan’s brand personality, offering valuable implications for developing and promoting similar cultural heritage destinations.

Tourist mobility packages in an island mass tourism destination: Exploring preferences heterogeneity and willingness-to-pay

Ensuring a sustainable and efficient transportation system meeting visitor mobility needs is paramount for mass tourist destinations. Recognising this challenge, some destinations are embracing Mobility as a Service (MaaS) solutions as a strategy to create a more sustainable transportation system for tourists. This study uses a discrete choice experiment to analyse tourists’ preferences and willingness to pay for MaaS packages in two well-known municipalities of the Canary Islands, one of Europe’s premier mass tourism destinations. The empirical evidence of taste heterogeneity revealed by the analysis indicates that a one-size-fits-all solution is inadequate. Therefore, the development of mobility packages must be tailored to the specific needs of distinct tourist segments. This approach caters to individual preferences and maximises the perceived value for each tourist segment, promoting the adoption of sustainable transportation options.

Analyzing the Tourism Risk Perception (TRP) of Bangladesh

Tourism Risk Perception (TRP) is a crucial factor that shapes the overall experience and satisfaction of visitors to a particular destination. The overall objective of this study was to analyze the TRP of Bangladesh. Specifically, the authors analyzed the TRP of Nature-Based Tourism, Archeological Tourism, and Amusement Parks in Bangladesh. A weighted model called the TRP model (Ciu et. al., 2016; Zang, 2012) was applied to measure the TRP. The data was collected from 800 tourists through systematic sampling techniques and 760 of them were usable. The study found that tourists perceived higher risk in Nature-Based Tourism destinations (TRP 5.38) in Bangladesh than in Archeological (TRP 5.25) and Amusement Parks (5.19). When considering individual dimensions of risk perception, the lack of medical/first aid services presented the highest risk (TRP 9.84). Overcharging in restaurants and shopping (TRP 8.07), unhygienic food (TRP 8.03), and overcharging in local transportation (TRP 7.80) are among the other high-risk TRP. The lowest risk was posed by the negative attitude of family and friends (TRP 2.73), the lack of quality leisure time (TRP 3.31), and the feeling of contentment (3.62). To address these issues, this study proposed multi-faceted approaches such as improving medical and first aid services, addressing price transparency and fair pricing, enhancing food safety and hygiene, enhancing information dissemination and risk communication, and conducting regular monitoring and evaluation. These comprehensive strategies aim to enhance the overall tourist experience while mitigating perceived risks

Assessing the performance of non-specialised private hospitals in Malaysia - an upper-middle-income medical tourism destination country using the Pabón-Lasso model.

The government has rapidly promoted the privatisation of healthcare to improve systemic performance, based on the theory that markets improve efficiency. This study aims to measure the efficiency of private hospitals following their expansion and venture into the medical tourism industry through extensive governmental support. Inpatient utilisation of 101 private, non-specialised hospitals in Malaysia in 2014 and 2018 from the Health Informatics Centre, Ministry of Health Malaysia database was studied using paired samples t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the Pabón-Lasso model. Better quantitative performance was found among larger hospitals, those with hospital accreditation, and those participating in medical tourism activities. There is a scale effect of efficiency between smaller and larger hospitals. However, when compared within respective size categories, Category 1 (small hospitals with less than 100 beds) has the highest percentage of efficient hospitals (39.3 per cent in 2014 and 35.7 per cent in 2018 in Sector 3 of the Pabón Lasso graphs). This study has found that a higher bed occupancy rate (BOR) and longer average length of stay (ALoS) are associated with larger private hospitals, hospital accreditation, and participation in medical tourism activities in Malaysia. There is a need to expedite strategic hospitals partnership for resource optimisation and capacity pooling towards producing better performance.

Tourism Management Training in the Digital Era to Increase Tourist Visits to Lake Rayo

The management of the Rayo Lake tourist attraction managed by POKDARWIS has so far been considered less than good due to the lack of knowledge of POKDARWIS administrators in tourism management. In addition, it is caused by the absence of an effective marketing strategy with the utilization of existing information technology, resulting in the Rayo Lake tourist attraction being less well-known by the public. The purpose of implementing this PKM activity is to increase POKDARWIS's knowledge in terms of management and marketing. Community service activities are based on the Participative Action Research (PAR) approach with the methods of socialization, training, application of Technology, Mentoring, Evaluation and Sustainability of the Program. The results obtained are that the participants feel satisfied and gain a good understanding of how to manage digital-based tourism management and the utilization of digital technology in promoting tourism at the Rayo Lake tourist destination in Sungai Jernih Village.

Key Factors Influencing Tourist's Destination Image: A Perspective From International Tourists in Jordan

Objectives: This paper highlights the significant role of key factors in the formation of tourist destination image. From the perspective of international tourists who represent the major target market in Jordan, this study explores the potential influence of destination image on their travel intention and repeat visitation. Understanding factors that motivate tourists to travel to a specific destination can lead to predicting their future decisions. Methods: This study adopts a quantitative approach based on the analysis of selected items of questionnaire responses collected from 180 international tourists who visited Jordan post-COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Findings reveal that the destination image of international tourists is significantly affected by internal and external factors. Perception of tourist attractions, travel experience, interaction with the local community, and feeling of safety and security are crucial in enhancing the image of international tourist destinations. Conclusions: Tourism planners, policymakers, and stakeholders can benefit from the results by using the positive image of Jordan tourism to apply a suitable marketing strategy, investing in security and safety, and preserving the country's tradition of hospitality. That, in return, will allow tourist destinations to provide a unique experience for visitors, contributing to the growth and development of the economy.

Co-designing carbon label interventions in restaurants: insights from a field experiment in a tourism destination

ABSTRACT Food consumption accounts for a third of global greenhouse gas emissions in developed countries, with the hospitality industry, including restaurants, playing a significant role. While behavioural interventions show promise in promoting climate-friendly food choices, their implementation in hospitality operations poses significant challenges. This study integrates the operational perspectives of managers and staff with consumer behaviour insights to provide a more holistic understanding of intervention design in real-world hospitality settings. Through workshops with staff at an à la carte restaurant in a Swedish tourist destination, we co-designed a carbon label intervention and tested it in a field experiment. While the overall effect on consumer choice was limited, a substitution from high – to medium-emission dishes was observed. Moreover, our research offers a framework and practical insights for collaboratively designing behavioural interventions in hospitality. The study underscores the importance of staff engagement, guest satisfaction, and the need for ongoing adaptation in intervention design.

Cultural Identity, Experience Quality and Revisit Intention to Mount Tai as A Heritage Tourism Destinations: Mediation Roles of Perceived Value, Perceived Destination Image and Satisfaction

Cultural Identity, Experience Quality and Revisit Intention to Mount Tai as A Heritage Tourism Destinations: Mediation Roles of Perceived Value, Perceived Destination Image and Satisfaction

Tourism Destination Development Strategy in North Sulawesi

Tourist Destinations are one of the mainstays of North Sulawesi Province in achieving regional income. The strategy for developing Tourist Destinations in the region needs to be carried out to increase contributions to regional development, improve quality, and improve community welfare. This study aims to identify strategies for developing Tourist Destinations in North Sulawesi. This study uses a qualitative method with a descriptive approach. Furthermore, this study also uses a literature study approach. Research reference data was obtained from journal literature and reference books related to the strategy for developing Tourist Destinations in North Sulawesi. The study found four strategies for developing Tourist Destinations in North Sulawesi: sustainability, environment, economy, and socio-culture. The Government, the Regional Government of North Sulawesi Province, and stakeholders in developing Tourist Destinations can optimize the implementation of the strategies identified in this study to optimize the development of Tourist Destinations in North Sulawesi.

Design of Travel Route Planning Model Based on Deep Learning

Tourism route planning is affected by the factors such as tourism destination and tourists’ preference, which leads to poor automatic matching of routes. A mathematical model of tourism route planning based on deep learning is proposed. Under the condition of total route constraints, according to the historical tourism preference information and prior information of tourists, a big data model for the distribution of personalized characteristics of tourists is established, spatial constraints and time constraints parameters are input, and the feature matching of geographic location information and tourist interest parameter information is carried out by using the deep learning method, and the statistical feature quantity of the parameters of the tourism route planning model is extracted. Under the control of the deep learning and geographic information data set, Carry out multi-constraint and multi-objective hierarchical analysis of tourists and tourism destinations, and realize the optimization design of tourism route planning algorithm. The simulation results show that the accuracy of this method is high and the deviation is small. It improves the satisfaction level of tourists and helps users complete a series of visual analysis tasks such as route mining, route planning and destination analysis.

Review of the Seasonal Wastewater Challenges in Baltic Coastal Tourist Areas: Insights from the NURSECOAST-II Project

The NURSECOAST-II project addresses the challenge of managing wastewater in near-coastal tourist destinations around the Baltic Sea, particularly from small treatment plants (<2000 PE) that experience fluctuating flows due to seasonal tourism. These fluctuations make it difficult to meet environmental standards, potentially harming both the environment and tourism. The project has created a GIS-based inventory of small wastewater treatment plants within 100 km of the coast. This inventory includes crucial operational data like flow rates, pollutant levels, and treatment technologies. Initial findings reveal significant discrepancies in data management, regulations, and treatment standards across the Baltic Sea region countries, as EU legislation does not uniformly cover plants under 2000 PE. Key findings highlight that small treatment plants are often undocumented, their environmental impact underestimated, and regulations vary widely. Small plants can significantly contribute to nutrient pollution, affecting the Baltic Sea, particularly in local areas. The data gathered will support local authorities in identifying gaps and improving management strategies. This study stresses the need for harmonized data collection and reporting methods across countries and suggests establishing a unified database accessible to both specialists and the public. The status of the collected data depending on the type of data and country was as follows: 38.11% from Denmark, 46.14% from Estonia, 26.36% from Finland, 15.56% from Germany, 23.47% from Latvia, 34.77% from Lithuania, 14.51% from Poland, and 45.40% from Sweden. Ultimately, this project aims to enhance wastewater management, protect the environment, and improve tourist satisfaction in coastal regions.

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.

Visitors’ Experiences of Deyrulzafaran Monastery Through Netnography Approach

This article analyzes the experiences and perceptions of visitors to Deyrulzafaran Monastery using the netnography method. Netnography is a research method that aims to understand participants' experiences and perspectives in depth by examining content shared in online communities and social media platforms. The study reveals how the touristic experiences of Deyrulzafaran Monastery are perceived by examining visitor comments on TripAdvisor. As a result of the content analysis, the experiences of visitors to Deyrulzafaran Monastery were determined as six components. These components; unforgettable experience, satisfaction, intention to recommend and revisit, historical experience, cultural learning experience, gastronomic experience and guide features. This netnographic analysis aims to contribute to a better understanding of visitor experiences of cultural and historical sites and the development of tourism management strategies. Especially in the digital age, analyzing visitor feedback provides important information on how tourism destinations can adapt to meet visitor expectations.

Process model for multifactorial characteristics of the sense of place in the case of Budapest (Hungary) District VII

The existence of residential well-being of the locals in the sense of equilibrium-state is a competitive advantage for tourism in a given destination. The rise of overtourism could jeopardize this equilibrium and ultimately the effectiveness of tourism in a vulnerable destination. The research question of the study aimed to answer: what are the spiral dynamics of the multifactorial characteristics of the sense of place that can be mapped under the influence of overtourism. Answering the question draws attention to the sense of place—which can be interpreted as a synonym for local character—of the issues of overtourism and residential well-being. Mapping the mechanism of action of the multifactorial characteristic of locality can help to identify non-supportive functions, to pinpoint the balance point for moving towards a supportive quality, and to answer the “how yes” questions at individual, local and collective levels. The answer to the research question is the result of concluding three district-specific sub-questions. The assessment of the results was based on the content analysis of 251 posts (2017–2021) in the local public Facebook group (supplemented by a questionnaire survey of local residents (2022), 30 in-depth interviews with experts and residents (2022) conducted as part of the cross-sectional research, and 10 additional in-depth interviews with residents (2024) conducted for the last sub-question. The flowchart showing the current state of the district along a negative spiral dynamic, the possibility to turn it in a positive direction, and the mind-map-like summary of local, individual and collective mitigation and solution alternatives supporting the change of direction can be considered as a novel scientific result.

Pengembangan Wisata Bahari Berkelanjutan melalui Partisipative Approach di Desa Busung Kecamatan Teupah Tengah Kabupaten Simelue

Simeulue Island is one of the archipelago areas that has the charm of a very potential marine tourism destination. To optimize sustainable tourism, cooperation and a collaborative role are needed in the development of marine tourism. One of the marine tourism locations is located on Busung beach, Busung Village, Teupah Tengah District, Simeulue Regency. Busung Beach has the allure of the sea and a beautiful stretch of sand, but the natural charm it offers is not utilized properly by the Simeulue Regency government. The lack of optimal waste management, the faulty belief system of the community which thinks that development on the beach will only provide one-sided benefits, the lack of enthusiasm of the community in developing beach tourism, the problem of human resources which are still minimal in tourism management are basic problems that must be overcome by the government. The aim of the research is to find out how to develop sustainable marine tourism through a participation approach in Busung village. This research was carried out using qualitative methods with a qualitative descriptive approach. Based on the research results, it can be concluded that the development of sustainable marine tourism in Busung Village is still at the consultation level, namely that there has been two-way communication between the Simeulue Regency Government and the Busung Village Government but it is still a formality. The essence of the consultation is that several activities have been carried out, such as gathering aspirations through meetings facilitated by the Teupah Tengah District Government, field visits by the Disbudpar, submission of proposals for the development of Busung beach tourism. These efforts have not had a good impact on marine tourism in Busung Village.

AI-Enhanced Strategies to Ensure New Sustainable Destination Tourism Trends Among the 27 European Union Member States

The United Nations 2030 Agenda defines the priorities and aspirations for global development based on seventeen ambitious sustainable development goals encompassing economic, environmental, and social dimensions. Tourism plays a vital role in the list of actions for the people and the planet. While the tourism industry drives economic growth, its environmental and social impact is equally high. Sustainable tourism aims to reduce the damage caused by the tourism industry, protect communities, and guarantee the industry’s long-term future. These changes require tourists’ collective and concerted effort. The question arises whether tourists are willing to be more demanding about sustainability when looking for a destination. This study uses artificial intelligence to classify a new trend in European citizens’ search for sustainable destinations and to generate intelligent recommendations. Using data from the Flash Eurobarometer 499, we use a tree-based algorithm, random forest, to obtain intelligent citizens classification systems supported by machine learning. The classification system explores the predisposition of citizens to contribute to the three pillars of sustainability when choosing a destination to visit based on gender, age, and the region of living. We found that European citizens place little emphasis on the social sustainability pillar. While they care about preserving the environment, this competes with the cultural offerings and availability of activities at the destination. Additionally, we found that the willingness to contribute to the three pillars of sustainability varies by gender, age, and European region.

A Systematic Review for The Development of Sustainable Tourism Destinations Based on Sports Tourism

The study purpose: The project's goal is to develop sustainable tourism destinations in Kemuning Village by reviewing the literature on sports tourism Materials and methods: An extensive literature review was carried out. Articles from 2015 to 2024 covered ways to enhance sustainable tourism by fostering the growth of sports tourism. For electronic searches, Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus are used. All the articles that discuss how to improve sports tourism-based tourist attractions are included here. Results: According to the integrated theory of tourism, sports have a role in (1) tourism management strategies, which include methods, facilities, tourist attractions, SOPs, infrastructure, additions and maintenance of facilities, sustainable management of natural resources, and visitor security and safety; (2) the role of stakeholders, which includes the government as a regulator and related institutions; and (3) the role of the authorities, which includes government agencies and institutions related to Sports tourism will increase visits to Central Java and improve the economy. Sports activities in tourist destinations can benefit local governments, enhance community welfare, and create more job opportunities if they are appropriately managed. Sports tourism and activities can be combined in Central Java. Conclusions: Combining sporting activities like river tubing, paragliding, tea gardens, and jeep communities with Kemuning Village in Ngargoyoso District, Karanganyar, Central Java, Indonesia, can help the village grow its tourism industry due to the fact that it influences the social, cultural , and economic growth of the area, promoting local advancement.

Digital Marketing Development Strategy to Increase the Number of Tourists

The increase in number of tourists is inseparable from the strategies used by tourist attractions by utilizing social media and Generation Z as a potential segmentation because they are known as digital natives. As happened to Bigstone Riverside located in Bogor, West Java, which once utilized social media by collaborating with influencers and getting an increase in visitors. Unfortunately, because the strategy used was inconsistent, there was a decline in visitors. This research aims to formulate a digital marketing development strategy for Bigstone Riverside. The selection of this research location was carried out purposively because this tourist destination has the potential to be developed and become a source of income for the surrounding community. This research uses qualitative data sourced from primary data and secondary data. The strategy formulation method used SWOT matrix by analyzing internal and external factors. The results of the strategy in this study are alternative strategies such as creating content that highlights advantages, creating promotions so that tourists share their excitement, conducting digital marketing training for administrators, collaborating with influencers and tourist information accounts, utilizing content generated by UGC users, optimizing SEO, and forming a team.

Perception disparity: Analyzing the destination image of Uzbekistan among residents and non-visitors

Destination image is a crucial aspect of tourism research. Although extensively studied, recent research highlights the need to explore residents' views and non-visitors' perceptions of destinations. This study aims to address this gap by contrasting Resident Destination Image (RDI) with Tourist Destination Image (TDI) among non-visitors, using Uzbekistan as a case study. The research investigates how Uzbekistan is perceived by its residents in Samarkand and non-visitors in Germany, employing a mixed-method approach of surveys, focus group discussions, and observations. Findings reveal a significant divergence between the positive self-perception of residents and the often unclear or negative image held by non-visitors. The study underscores the influence of stereotypes on non-visitors' perceptions and the need for targeted marketing to bridge the gap between RDI and TDI to unlock the country's untapped tourism potential. The results suggest that enhancing the destination's image through informed marketing strategies can attract more international tourists and support the country's tourism development.