Travel Organizations Research Articles

Understanding the interactions that children and young people have with their natural and built environments: A survey to identify targets for active travel behaviour change in Wales.

Active travel offers many societal benefits, including improving people's mental and physical health and minimising our impacts on the environment. Increasing active travel is particularly important amongst children and young people (CYP), who are building habits which they will carry into adulthood. Studies on active travel amongst CYP are limited, however, with most research focusing on adult participants or on adult perceptions of children. This study sought to understand CYP's interactions with the built and natural environment-and therefore their access to active travel-through the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behaviour (COM-B) model. With a stakeholder group representing local government, youth organisations and active travel organisations, we co-created two bilingual questionnaires-one for young people aged 12-16 years living in Wales and the other for parents of young people aged 12-16 years living in Wales. Both questionnaires collected information on behaviour and perceived capability, opportunity and motivation of CYP to engage with their natural and built environments. The questionnaires included a discrete choice experiment (DCE), which proposed a series of binary choice questions indicating preferences based on landscape, journey time and type of travel. A total of 124 questionnaires (38 young people and 86 parents) were returned for analysis. These data indicate that CYP's time spent outdoors is not dependent upon geography (rural/urban/suburban), season, or school holidays. There was a significant difference in capability, opportunity and motivation between parents and CYP, with parents over-estimating the psychological capability of CYP to engage outdoors. The preference data indicate that active travel is the favoured mode of transport, with both CYP and parents stating that they would increase travel time in order to travel actively. While this response is not consistent with respondent's day-to-day travel choices, it suggests that the limitations to active travel may be psychological capability and automatic motivation, rather than a lack of opportunity.

Modeling the Tourism Market Behavior Based on Discrete Equilibrium Models “Supply – Price – Demand”

Abstract The work is devoted to the modeling of the behavior of the tourism market in the conditions of a supply random lag, distributed according to normal and uniform distribution laws. The behavior of dependences on the tourist market of supply and demand on the price is considered. The modeling of the behavior of the tourism market was carried out using a market dynamic model in the plane of variables “supply – price – demand” taking into account the interests of different groups of consumers, primarily from the point of view of pricing. The delay between changes in supply and demand volumes is taken into account using a Cobweb model. To test this method, information was collected on family expenses when traveling abroad (outbound tourism, tourist vacations lasting 7-15 days) by surveying the employees of 38 travel organizations as of 2021. Three segments of the tourism market are identified: low ($2000 − 4000), medium ($4000 − 12000), and VIP-segment ($12,000 − 20,000). The analysis of the modeling results showed that the behavior of tourists of different segments can significantly influence the market dynamics. The use of a Cobweb model allowed for determining the level of stability of tourist behavior and assessing the possibility of consumer migration from one segment to another. Sensitivity to price changes and response to new offers from different segments can be different, which is important for determining pricing strategies, marketing, and the development of new tourism products.

Factors’ influence of E-WOM on travel intentions of tourists: A study on tourist places located in Bangladesh

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the effects of electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) on tourists’ travel intentions. Research Methodology: The researchers collected 302 data points using a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire. For this study, a descriptive research technique or methodology was used based on quantitative data. The sampling method was a non-probabilistic convenience sampling method. The SPSS 26.0 version was used for descriptive statistics analysis, reliability testing, and regression analysis. Results: Four independent variables out of five (positive online reviews, negative online reviews, source credibility, and e-WOM quality) had a favorable impact on travelers' plans to travel. Only one variable (e-WOM quality) had no favorable results. Limitations: The study's use of a non-probability convenience sampling strategy was constrained to a certain limited geographic area. There were also issues related to time and money in this investigation. Contribution: This research will help travel organizations understand and acknowledge e-WOM and its significance, as well as develop strategies to manage its effects. In addition, it will help tourists select their tour destinations. Novelty: This study addresses the impact of e-WOM on tourist decision making and explains the complex factors that affect tourists’ decisions to visit a tourist place.

Factors’ influence of E-WOM on travel intentions of tourists: A study on tourist places located in Bangladesh

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the effects of electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) on tourists’ travel intentions. Research Methodology: The researchers collected 302 data points using a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire. For this study, a descriptive research technique or methodology was used based on quantitative data. The sampling method was a non-probabilistic convenience sampling method. The SPSS 26.0 version was used for descriptive statistics analysis, reliability testing, and regression analysis. Results: Four independent variables out of five (positive online reviews, negative online reviews, source credibility, and e-WOM quality) had a favorable impact on travelers' plans to travel. Only one variable (e-WOM quality) had no favorable results. Limitations: The study's use of a non-probability convenience sampling strategy was constrained to a certain limited geographic area. There were also issues related to time and money in this investigation. Contribution: This research will help travel organizations understand and acknowledge e-WOM and its significance, as well as develop strategies to manage its effects. In addition, it will help tourists select their tour destinations. Novelty: This study addresses the impact of e-WOM on tourist decision making and explains the complex factors that affect tourists’ decisions to visit a tourist place.

GIS based daily tourism route proposal for surrounding provinces and districts from Ankara’s Çankaya district (Turkey)

AbstractWith the dynamic evolution of the tourism sector, a multitude of shifts in tourism activities and traveler motivations have transpired. These changes, spurred by technological advancements, economic fluctuations, and geopolitical developments due to heightened global competition, have introduced a fresh dimension to tourism dynamics. Significantly, the strategic creation of new tourism itineraries has become pivotal, given the tourism sector's integral role in city branding. In this study, the focal point was the Çankaya district within the Ankara province, deemed a central reference. Positioned at the heart of Turkey, Ankara province boasts the second-largest population according to TUIK (2020) data. Within this province, Çankaya district stands as the most densely populated, rendering it the designated study area. In Çankaya, which is one of the most heavily employed areas by public workers in Turkey, strategically positioned and with high population potential, the tourism planning of day trips, especially on weekends, is crucial to be conducted within the framework of time–distance savings. Without such planning, it might be challenging to achieve an efficient travel organization, especially for tourists who allocate fewer resources to travel planning in recent years, have limited time, and are selective about tourism destinations. In line with the research problem, the aim of the study is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of tourism accessibility, using the example of Çankaya district in Ankara, and to visualize the results of the analysis within a quantitative methodology framework to present concrete outputs. The more specific objective of this study is to determine a tourism route that allows tourists to reach important tourist attractions in the shortest and most convenient routes within the framework of time–distance savings, with a maximum travel time of 3 h in the research area. The expected scientific contributions from the objectives are as follows: contributing to transportation optimization related to tourism, bringing attention to historical, natural, and cultural places within the determined tourism route that are still undiscovered, less known, or not evaluated as individual tourism destinations, providing valuable information to destination managers, raising awareness about tourism opportunities in each destination, and contributing economically to the region. Employing a quantitative methodology, the study hinged on time-based road matrix analysis, facilitated by Geographical Information Systems, to chart routes from Çankaya district to surrounding districts. During this analysis, preference was given to routes with gentle curves, mitigating negative impacts on vehicle speed compared to more convoluted alternatives. Subsequently, leveraging 21 distinct types of tourism attractions, tourism sites feasible for visits within 1, 2, and 3-h intervals were pinpointed. At the study's culmination, an assemblage of 841 daily tourist destinations in and around Ankara were meticulously delineated and cartographically depicted using MapInfo Pro 2019.3 version. This endeavor underscores a concerted effort to offer tourists, both local and beyond, a well-crafted roadmap to explore and relish the plethora of cultural, historical, and natural treasures that Ankara and its neighboring regions have to offer.

КОЛОНІАЛЬНИЙ ТУРИЗМ: РОЗВИТОК, ВИДИ, ХАРАКТЕРНІ ОСОБЛИВОСТІ

The article is devoted to the study of the history of the development of colonial tourism in the second half of the 19th – at the beginning of the 20th century in the countries of the East. The relationship between the formation of the colonial system, the new needs of the capitalist development of European countries in the 19th century, and the emergence of tourism as an important tool for the study of colonized territories and peoples is revealed. It is emphasized that gradually the market of impressions and recreation became an important factor in the economic and cultural exploitation of the colonies. It is proposed to define colonial tourism as a type of travel organization that involved visiting colonially dependent territories to get to know the history, culture, historical and cultural heritage, everyday life of local residents, as well as for the purpose of health and recreation. Colonial tourism is characterized as internal (trips by representatives of the colonial community to the country of their stay) and as external (visiting by residents of metropolises and colonial dependent territories for tourist purposes). This type of tourism is characterized by a special elite social and ethnic composition of tourists. The connection between tourist trips and the formation of transport infrastructure, in particular rail and sea transport, which significantly increased the possibilities for the mass movement of people and goods, is analysed. Such forms of colonial tourism are characterized as trips with sightseeing and educational purposes, colonial cruises, colonial hunting, and organization of rest places in the form of “stations on the hills”. Attention is focused on the distribution of such popular types of information about colonial territories as postal (colonial) postcards during the researched period. It is emphasized that the relevance of this topic is because in the modern tourism of many countries there is a historical injustice, which is manifested in exploitation, abuse of images of the past, fascination with colonial nostalgia, the illegal transformation into a commodity of the cultural and ethnic heritage of once colonial dependent peoples.

Exploring the Factors Involved in Tourists’ Decision-Making and Determinants of Length of Stay

This study aimed at identifying the factors influencing tourists’ decisions in choosing their vacation destinations as well as factors influencing their behavior. An online survey was applied to 861 Romanian tourists. The principal component analysis was run to reduce the dimensionality of the 23 items and used to determine the factors that influence tourists’ decision in choosing their destination, leading to a four-component solution. The results indicated that aspects related to destination image, destination unique characteristics and the accommodation facilities are more important for women than for the men. Regarding the travel organization factor, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. Families and older tourists with high incomes are positively linked to the length of stay. These insights on the factors influencing tourists’ decision-making process are of the utmost importance for managers and overall tourism service providers in the design of marketing and management strategies in accordance to tourists’ expectations and needs.

Социальные практики туризма в современной России (на примере Волгоградской области)

The methodological basis of this research is built within the framework of the theory of social changes conditioned by social practice transformation. The article reveals the concept of the term "practice". It also highlights the main approaches to studying mobility and connections in the system of tourism social practices (leisure practices, recreation, mobility, infrastructure, institutional factors, etc.). It is shown that social tourism practices are included in a complex with such practices as sports and excursions. Moreover, they are conjugated with space and time and are conditioned by technological progress and socio-economic processes. Several main trends are highlighted in this study. Firstly, changes in practices over time and during processes of institutionalization. Secondly, practices follow the results of infrastructure development. Thirdly, the tourist services market is affected by the economic influence of large companies. There are other main trends described in the article. The empirical base of this study is presented by data from the mass questionnaire survey "Social practices in the tourism field" conducted in the Volgograd region in October – November 2021 (n = 861; the sample is multistage and quota, with quotas by gender and age). The main purpose was to identify the social practices of actors living in the Volgograd region. The main problem was the correlation between Volgograd region residents' needs and opportunities for the implementation of social practices in the tourism field. It is revealed that income level is one of the leading factors influencing the organization of travel and the choice of a place to relax. The main sources of travel information are virtual and real social networks. The most common social practices are beach holidays and visiting nature. Volgograd region residents prefer to travel with their family and organize their holidays on their own (including traveling by private car). These facts suggest that social practices are not fully implemented, and sometimes actors reproduce a system of social actions or demonstrate affective behavior.

Opinion Mining from Online Travel Reviews: An Exploratory Investigation on Pakistan Major Online Travel Services Using Natural Language Processing

Online tourism evaluations are a valuable origin of data for traveler organizations, defining as they could be excellently recognized critically prompting traveler opinion-designing using opinion mining. As technology advanced, online review forums of any organization become an attractive source of communication with them, where people can share their views in the form of comments. The main determination of this research article is to recognize normal topics and connect them to contrasts in web-based travel reviews. Online millions of reviews, got from two significant web-based travel organizations (Uber, and Careem) in Pakistan, and a semantic affiliation examination was utilized to extract thematic words and construct a semantic affiliation organization. In the Python programming language, we use natural language processing (NLP), which includes data cleansing and tokenization. The results of network visualization are able to evidently recognize main topics and thematic words with social network associations. The proposed logical system extends our grip on the strategic complications and gives new points of view on the best way to dig popular assessments to assist vacationers, inns, and travel industry organizations.

Analyse the influence of “cultural and creative + blind box” mode on the commercialization of Chinese traditional culture IP

In recent years, with the rise of modern culture and the integration of global culture, the development of traditional culture has been a great impact. In order to make more and more people be attracted by traditional culture, the development of commercialization of traditional culture IP has become an inevitable trend and necessary means, and the mining and operation of traditional culture IP has also become an important topic of traditional culture units. As one of the most important commercial elements of cultural brands, Chinese creative products. The success of cultural innovation plays an important role in the commercialization of cultural IP. With the rise of the popular play culture and the popularity of the blind box in recent years, some cultural and travel organizations have followed the trend and started to make use of the dividend of the blind box economy to create the traditional cultural and creative play blind box. Based on the discussion of the marketing concept of cultural and creative blind box, this paper will study the influence of the mode of “cultural and creative + blind box” on the commercialization process of traditional culture by analysing the development status and future prospects of the commercialization of traditional culture IP and the feasibility of the marketing model of “cultural and creative + blind box”.

Designing Process-based Chatbots in Enterprises: The Case of Business Travel Organization Considering the Users’ Perspective and Business Value

Chatbots have attracted much research attention in recent years, and organizations have increasingly begun applying them in everyday working life. However, researchers have rarely investigated how chatbots can support everyday tasks in enterprises. As such, we lack design knowledge for chatbots that support internal business processes since research has mostly examined customer-facing use cases. Notably, researchers have rarely considered chatbots’ economic and user-related effects, which, thus, remain unknown. To address this gap, we conducted a design science research study to survey a process-based chatbot application for business processes. From examining the scenario, we deduced design principles and implemented a software artifact. We evaluated the concept with 69 participants and surveyed the users’ perspective in terms of design and acceptance and the organizational perspective in terms of process efficiency and quality. In doing so, 1) we derived six design principles for process-based chatbots and implemented a respective chatbot, which enabled a user-adapted process and provided situational-dependent input options and support; 2) we found that users had a positive attitude towards using chatbots for business processes in terms of user experience and acceptance; and 3) the process performed at an economically efficient level that compared well with existing solutions and that IT affinity and prior experience had no influence on performance. Furthermore, our solution improved the process quality compared to the existing solution.

Improving Air Travel Comfort & Experience: Designing for Infection Prevention and Control in Response to COVID-19

In lieu of the recent impacts of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the health and safety of individuals around the world, domestic and international travel organizations, and more specifically, the aviation industry, rapidly implemented preventative measures to support infection prevention and control (IPAC). Such measures have drastically and understandably changed how passenger interactions and experiences take place through various points in their air travel journey. Research that examines the user experience of passengers in response to changes that emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic is needed. This study focused on developing a better understanding of passenger experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and how the design of the environment may be influencing this experience. Design recommendations to respond quickly to future pandemic conditions or other infectious outbreak scenarios is an expected outcome of this study.

OTA 종사자의 개인-환경 적합성과 자기효능감, 직무만족간의 관계 연구

Purpose -The objective of this research is to examine the relationship among OTA employees’ personal environment fit, self-efficacy and job satisfaction to provide useful human resource strategies that can be used in rapidly changing environment especially pandemic. Design, data, and methodology -A total of 352 online surveys were collected. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS WIN 20.0. including factor analysis, frequency analysis, correlation analysis, reliability analysis and multiple regression analysis. Result -The results show that OTA employees’ all components of personal environment fit had a significant influence on self-efficacy, and self-efficacy had a significant influence on job satisfaction. Also, person-organization fit, a component of personal environment fit, had a significant influence on job satisfaction. However, person-job fit, a component of personal environment fit, did not appear to have a significant influence on job satisfaction. Conclusions -OTA needs to have a better understanding of their employees who have different character from traditional travel organization to develop useful human resource strategies and make productive organization management plans.

Inside cars: changing automobilities and backseat passengering in experimental film and 360 video

Despite the recent upsurge of interest in passengering, there are no accounts on how backseat passengering links to experimental film and 360 video or how it responds to the broader relationship between automobilities, the organization of car travel and on-screen storytelling. To fill this gap, I follow up on the profiling of the passenger as a distinctive subject and object of infrastructures of mobility to discuss the backseat passenger’s experience, seen as both a socially engaged and embodied practice, in four stylistically distinct works, Larry Gottheim’s Harmonica, Lluis Escartín’s Mohave Cruising, Ken Jacobs’ Berkeley to San Francisco, and ASMR Driving at night: Back seat view. While Harmonica, Mohave Cruising and Berkeley to San Francisco are selective, self-aware experiments, which play out in various forms, ASMR is an authorless 360 drive video that lacks much aesthetic value and continues the long-established culture of scenic road and auto-tourism, turning on-site visitors into virtual tourists. Although each work approaches passengering visualities differently through exhibiting forward, side, parallax and 3 D views, they all articulate a multi-sensorial experience of driving and offer a relatively novel take on the practices of automobility through shifting the perspective of the driver and frontseat passenger to the backseat view.

E-marketing by Mobile Apps for Tourism Products and Its Impact on the Performance of Travel and Tourism Organizations

This study seeks to study E-marketing by mobile Apps for tourism products and its impact on the performance of travel and tourism organizations in Al-Kharj Governorate. The research dealt with scientific and theoretical analysis. The descriptive method of analysis was used to conduct this study. Moreover, a special questionnaire form was distributed and was designed to the (200) study sample organizations. The study ended up with the presence of an impact of E-Tourism Marketing at the level of services provided by tourism organizations in Al-Kharj Governorate, and provided important recommendations, the most important of which is to work on providing the infrastructure for E- Marketing by mobile apps technology to allow for the provision of the best services among tourism service providers and those who are in charged in providing them.

Lexical-Semantic, Linguo-Culturological Study Of Tourism Terms Of The French And Russian Languages

Tourism as a phenomenon of civilization, being a modern mass form of travel organization, realizes the needs of the individual associated with the diversification of opportunities and competencies. Communication in the tourism sector creates a discourse that fully reflects the multidimensionality of goals, themes, values and diversity of participants in the interaction processes.

Emotional and the normative aspects of customers’ reviews

The goal of the current research is to investigate the link between the emotional aspects of hotel and travel organization customers' reviews and their normative (e.g., star rating) rankings. After filtering, the Yelp dataset generated 3,47,803 hotel and travel company reviews. Following the purification of user reviews, we used an unsupervised machine learning technique-based NRC Emotion Lexicon to study the relationships between various emotional aspects of reviews and their normative values (e.g., star rating) for the review. Customers express different sorts of feelings for different types of emotional aspects, forcing them to assign different stars, according to the study's findings. The study is the first to use a lexicon-based unsupervised learning approach to look into the emotional aspects of hotel and travel organization reviews and associated normative (e.g., star rating) rankings.

Impact of digital consumer habits on innovation management in the hospitality and tourism industry

The development of high technologies is a process that can characterize the 21st century. Many processes in the life of society today are presented in an online format, the Internet space has become a platform for conducting many basic operations: conducting transactions, concluding purchase and sale transactions, etc. Of course, digital progress is also having a significant impact on the tourism industry, especially its recovery from the loss of customers due to restrictions due to the COVID-19 virus pandemic. The article identifies the main trends in consumer behavior after quarantine as vectors for the development of the hospitality and tourism industry to develop a marketing concept and build guest confidence in terms of security measures. The authors also consider the rate of recovery of the tourism and hospitality sector after the coronavirus epidemic in 2020, highlight domestic promising destinations for vacationers, and reveal a change in the attitude of citizens towards traveling around their native country. The article analyzes the results of a study by a large travel company Amadeus to study the opinion of citizens on the impact of technology on the organization of travel in Russia and foreign tours, on the basis of which the authors propose the most appropriate information tools that are not only popular among consumers and can help tourism enterprises attract more guests, but also capable of making it easier for tourists to travel, ensure safety on the road and gain consumer confidence, which will have a positive effect on increasing company revenue, customer flow, and gaining an advantage for Russian market players in the international arena.

FROM THE ‘RICEBOWL OF MALAYSIA’ TO EXOTIC CUISINES: IMAGINATION OF KEDAH BY DESTINATION MARKETERS

The state tourism officials have continuously promoted places of interest and attractions within Kedah even during the enforcement of MCO in Malaysia. The ongoing marketing effort is worthwhile as potential tourists can plan and choose the places they would like to visit after the lockdown has been lifted. Hence, it is vital to evaluate the current promotion of Kedah as a tourist destination as marketing plays a crucial role in enhancing the appeal of a particular site and attracting tourists. Firstly, this paper investigates how the state of Kedah has been marketed by the national and state tourism promotional bodies. Additionally, the portrayals of Kedah by international travel organizations were also examined. The semiotic analysis method was employed in the assessment, where it focused on how Kedah has been presented on the websites of these organizations. In general, the findings of this paper uncovered several prominent visual and textual signifiers showing and describing field fields on the websites of both national and state promotional organizations. The attraction points such as Paddy Museum, Zahir Mosque, Balai Nobat, Mahathir’s Birth Place, and Pekan Rabu have been featured strongly in portraying the capital city, Alor Setar. The signified meanings of the uniqueness and exoticism of local cuisines are reflected through visual and textual signifiers, including laksa Kedah, pekasam (fermented fish), and traditional snacks such as kuih dangai and kuih karas. As Kedah is popularly known as the ‘Rice Bowl of Malaysia’, it is reasonable that visual and textual signifiers of paddy fields and attractions associated with paddy have been presented widely on the websites. Overall, the key theme in marketing Kedah as a tourist destination via public and private travel promotional websites is reflected as the projection of cultural-rural tourism.

Key informant perspectives on sexual health services for travelling young adults: a qualitative study

BackgroundInternational travel has become increasingly popular among young adults. Young adults often engage in casual sexual relationships abroad, exhibit sexual risk behaviours and may thus be at risk of contracting sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections. Pre-travel interventions and consultations may mitigate this risk. At present, we know little about sexual health-related pre-travel interventions. The aim of this study was therefore to document key informants’ experiences, perceptions and recommendations in the context of sexual health of young adult travellers.MethodsKey informants were professionals working in Ottawa, Canada travel clinics, travel organizations or sexual health clinics with a young adult clientele. This study used a qualitative approach and consisted of 13 in-person or Skype semi-structured interviews with key informants. Thematic content analysis was informed by a sexual health framework, with themes emerging both inductively and deductively.ResultsSexual health was not common in pre-travel interventions described by key informants. Risk-assessment, and practical or purpose-driven pre-travel interventions were identified, resulting in risk mitigation strategies tailored to the destination region and/or mission/culture of the travel organization. Dissemination (e.g. limited time, lack of training) and uptake (e.g. young adults’ embarrassment, provider discomfort, financial constraints) barriers limited in-depth discussions of pre-travel interventions related to sexual health. Key informants acknowledged the importance of early sexual health education, and recommended ongoing, comprehensive sexual education for both youth and young adults.ConclusionThe findings of this study suggest that more time and resources should be allocated to the topic of sexual health during pre-travel interventions with young adults. Professionals who guide and prepare young adults for travel must develop concomitant skills in sexual health promotion. Early, comprehensive sexual education is recommended to improve overall sexual health in young adults and mitigate risk behaviours during travel.