Types Of Visitors Research Articles

Deciphering the Iconic: An Inquiry into how Architecture Impacts the Inclusiveness of Cultural Institutions

Public libraries have seen a decline in attendance numbers in recent years, especially among visitors with lower levels of education. Public libraries have also significantly altered their ‘look and feel’ in the last two decades, with many now being housed in buildings with a very contemporary and ‘iconic’ architectural style. Our research explores whether these two developments are connected and how education- and class-based differences regarding the experience of architecture affect the inclusiveness of public libraries. An experimental research design (using Virtual Reality) was developed, allowing us to study what exactly makes buildings and spaces less inviting for certain types of (potential) visitors. Results suggest that lower educated (potential) visitors tend to find ‘iconic’ libraries less recognizable (as libraries) and less inviting, but also that generational effects are important to take into consideration and that some aspects of architecture are experienced and evaluated in a relatively ‘universalistic’ way.

가상가치평가법(CVM)을 활용한 청와대(靑瓦臺) 이용가치 추정

Purpose: This study employs a 2-stage dichotomous choice contingent valuation method (CVM), to evaluate the use value of Cheongwadae (the Blue House)--the former presidential office and residence of South Korea--which opened for tourist visits in May 2022. Methods: To minimize the hypothetical bias, hypothetical and actual scenarios (cash/card payment) were jointly used. Survey data of 400 Cheongwadae visitors were collected, and the data were analyzed using willingness to pay (WTP) estimation and logistic regression analysis. Results: Logistic regression analysis revealed that bid amount, landmark attributes (form, symbolism), experience factors (esthetic, escape), gender, age, marital status, visitor type, and political orientation significantly influenced respondents’ willingness to pay (WTP) for entry fees. The estimated per-person use value, based on the truncated mean WTP, was KRW 6,002 in the hypothetical scenario and KRW 2,347 in the actual scenario. This difference suggests that using an actual scenario and a truncated mean is more appropriate for minimizing hypothetical bias and estimating a more accurate value. Considering the total number of visitors in the past 12 months (3,381,664, May 2023), the total use value of Cheongwadae was calculated as KRW 7937.37 million. Conclusion: This study’s findings highlight Cheongwadae’s significant economic and cultural value as a landmark. The results can assist public awareness campaigns regarding Chengwadae’s socio-economic importance and guide government decisions for its preservation and development as a tourism attraction. Furthermore, the methodological insights on minimizing hypothetical bias in CVM studies can be applied to the future valuation of cultural heritage sites.

Analysis of Tourist Experiences at Dark Tourism Sites in Kinmen: Clustering Analysis of Motivations, Emotional Responses, and Satisfaction

Dark tourism involves visiting sites associated with death, disaster, and major historical tragedies. Kinmen, Taiwan, known for its history of multiple wars, features notable dark tourism sites such as Mount Taiwu, the Guningtou War Museum, and the 823 Memorial Hall. These sites currently offer educational significance about historical events, but visiting them often triggers complex emotional responses. This study explores tourist experiences at these sites, focusing on motivations, emotional reactions, and the relationship between satisfaction and psychological stress. The study surveyed 348 visitors and used clustering analysis to group their travel experiences. The results identified three types of visitors: History Enthusiasts, War Memorialists, and Exploratory Curiosity Seekers, each with distinct motivations and emotional responses. Emotions experienced include sadness, shock, fear, and unease, closely related to the content and atmosphere of the sites. While overall satisfaction is high, many visitors report being "satisfied but not happy." The study suggests targeted strategies to enhance dark tourism experiences, such as providing emotional support, emphasizing commemorative value, and offering ethical education. Recommendations for site management include addressing emotional needs and balancing educational significance with emotional impact.

Art museum visitors: how do they perform class distinction?

ABSTRACT Previous studies predominantly used sociodemographic factors to categorize art museum visitors, overlooking an in-depth exploration of the motivations guiding their museum experiences and relying heavily on aggregated data. Building upon Bourdieu’s (1984, Distinction: A Social Critique to the Judgment of Taste. Cambridge: Harvard University Press) theory of cultural consumption and Peterson’s (2005a. “Problems in comparative research: The example of omnivorousness.” Poetics 33:257–282. doi:10.1016/j.poetic.2005.10.002; 2005b. “Changing Arts Audiences: Capitalizing on Omnivorousness.” https://culturalpolicy.uchicago.edu/sites/culturalpolicy.uchicago.edu/files/peterson1005.pdf) omnivore/univore theory, this study aims to investigate the distinct segments of art museum visitors, considering their experience expectations and cultural preferences. Specifically, utilizing two-step cluster analysis, we explore the experiences sought by art museum visitors, considering their cultural preferences. Analyzing 411 questionnaires from visitors to Lyon’s premier fine arts museum, two distinct visitor groups emerge. Thus, the findings suggest that conventionally labeled ‘museum-goers’ represent diverse visitor types, emphasizing the holistic importance of considering a combination of factors. The results affirm Peterson's theory adding to the literature that these groups exhibit distinct cultural and culinary preferences, aligning with Bourdieu's social distinction theory. The study offers both theoretical and practical implications.

Can Glamping be a Vacation to Help Dink Couples Relax and Maintain Close Relationships?

Glamping brings a glamorous tourism experience providing potential opportunities to escape from daily routines and maintain relationships during difficult/special times, such as the pandemic with travel restrictions or postpandemic travel concerns. It is innovative to explore the unique group of DINK (dual income, no kids) couples using glamping as context. This study examines the variations in closeness among DINK couples based on four individual attachment styles (i.e., secure, anxious, dismissive, fearful), and explores the relationships between closeness and subjective well-being. A pilot test with 118 valid responses was adopted to ensure the validity of items and feasibility of the study design. Utilizing attachment theory with four attachment styles, the main study analyzed 940 valid responses using confirmatory factory analysis, ANOVA, and multigroup path analysis. This study highlights that people with a secure attachment style have a significantly 1) higher level of closeness with their partner and 2) stronger relationship between closeness and subjective well-being compared to the other three attachment styles (i.e., anxious, dismissive, and fearful). The results suggest that glamping providers could improve glamping environments to be peaceful and comfortable to attract potential glampers who have higher anxiety (i.e., anxious and fearful attachment styles). Further, the results indicate that glamping could serve as a setting for couples??? therapy and to celebrate special events to enhance close relationships. These promoting/marketing strategies can benefit small glamping businesses develop their products and potentially draw different types of visitors.

Social Media as a Lens for Citizen Science: Investigating Visitor Contributions in a Forest Recreational Area

The primary challenge in collecting biodiversity information using citizen science is to encourage a diverse range of people to participate. This is crucial in fostering a Nature Positive society. Social media approaches have the potential to engage not only nature lovers but also a wider range of citizens, including those indifferent to nature. However, current understanding of the traits of individuals who contribute to widely prevalent social media platforms is limited and insufficient. This study focuses on individuals who contribute to a forest recreational area and the photos they share on a popular social media platform; it sheds light on the untapped potential of social media as a source of citizen science data and contributor sources. We developed a taxonomy of 22 classifications for 1066 photographs that illustrate human–ecosystem interactions and identified the relationship between these subjects and the history of social media activities of the 136 photo contributors. Our findings indicate that different behavioral styles exist among different types of visitors regarding their posting behavior and associated forest recreation types. This can encourage future contributions to the recruitment of citizen scientists and the collection of biodiversity information at small spatial scales.

Analyzing the Influence of Visitor Types on Location Choices and Revisit Intentions in Urban Heritage Destinations

Understanding visitors’ spatial choice behavior is important in developing effective policies to counteract overcrowdedness in attractive urban heritage areas. This research presents a comprehensive analysis of visitor location choice behavior, aiming to address two primary objectives. First, this paper investigates the relationship between visitor segments and the choice of particular Points of Interest (POIs). Second, this paper explores the impacts of visitors’ experiences and visitor segments on their revisit intentions. We used a sample of 320 visitors who had been to Amsterdam within the last five years to collect data about their location choice behavior and intention to revisit after a recent visit to the city. Combining the revealed choices and intentions of pre-defined visitor segments obtained from a stated choice experiment, association rules are extracted to reveal differences in the patterns of behaviors related to the segment. The findings identify associations between various POIs, including museums such as the Rijksmuseum and Madame Tussauds, and visitor classes, which include “cultural attraction seekers”, “selective sightseers”, and “city-life lovers”. Furthermore, binary logistic regression analysis reveals that affective experiences, such as feelings of comfort, happiness, and annoyance, have a significant influence on visitors’ intentions to revisit the destination in the future. This research found that “cultural attraction seekers” and “selective sightseers” display a higher likelihood of considering a return visit to the city.

When are they coming? Understanding and forecasting the timeline of arrivals at the FC Barcelona stadium on match days

Futbol Club Barcelona operates the largest stadium in Europe (with a seating capacity of almost one hundred thousand people) and manages recurring sports events. These are influenced by multiple conditions (time and day of the week, weather, adversary) and affect city dynamics—e.g., peak demand for related services like public transport and stores. We study fine grain audience entrances at the stadium segregated by visitor type and gate to gain insights and predict the arrival behavior of future games, with a direct impact on the organizational performance and productivity of the business. We can forecast the timeline of arrivals at gate level 72 h prior to kickoff, facilitating operational and organizational decision-making by anticipating potential agglomerations and audience behavior. Furthermore, we can identify patterns for different types of visitors and understand how relevant factors affect them. These findings directly impact commercial and business interests and can alter operational logistics, venue management, and safety.

Identifying and Marketing the Spiritual Tourism Destination: A Case Study on Gokarna, Karnataka

Purpose : India has an elusive history as a spiritual destination. The study investigates if a beach destination exists to be a contested site for ‘pilgrim tourists’ and spiritual tourists or could it be the destination which facilitates co-existence. Methodology: The research is undertaken at Gokarna, a significant religious destination in the coastal Karnataka. The study privileges quantitative techniques of descriptive statistics and Cluster Analysis to recognize statistically evident and discriminant visitor types backed by qualitative analysis and interpretation. Findings: The study presents statistically significant clusters of Religious Adherents, Health/Lifestyle seekers, New Age Spiritually Inclined Tourists and Recreational Tourists. The study establishes the elusive connect the new age tourists share with the well-established religious destinations. Implications : The study convincingly recommends that Gokarna could be promoted as a spiritual destination while being acclaimed as beach tourism destination for the new age tourists who seek philosophical and life experiences. Study assists the destination to retain its core offerings and the policy makers to devise well informed development plan to sustainably manage the place and its aura.

Developing a Typology of Hostel Visitors Using the Bagged Clustering Approach

This article is the first study to present a nuanced analysis of hostel visitors. Using the bagged clustering approach, a typology of hostel visitors was developed, involving four distinctive types of hostel visitors: (i) Hostel lovers, (ii) Landing point visitors, (iii) Flashpackers look-alikes, and (iv) Classical backpackers.

Digital nomadism as a new part of the visitor economy: The case of the “digital nomad capital”Chiang Mai, Thailand

AbstractDigital nomadism allows individuals to travel worldwide while using various forms of information technology (IT) to work digitally. Places like Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Canggu, Bali/Indonesia, have gained popularity among digital nomads in the past decade. In contributing to the economies of local communities, these nomads, with their unique characteristics, are an interesting, new visitor type. Governments worldwide are starting to recognise the potential of digital nomadism to improve local visitor economies. However, the impacts of digital nomadism on local communities, their culture and economies, are not without challenges and require further understanding. Almost all existing studies on digital nomadism focus on the nomads themselves, while, in this study, we take the perspective of the locals visited by digital nomads. Using the case study of Chiang Mai, the “digital nomad capital”, we answer the following research questions: What are the impacts of digital nomadism on local communities? How do digital nomads compare to other visitor types within the visitor economy of a local community? Our findings reveal diverse socio‐cultural, economic and technological impacts and how locals in Chiang Mai evaluate digital nomads differently compared to other types of visitors. This research, grounded in an in‐depth case study, contributes to a better understanding of digital nomadism by offering new knowledge about its ambivalent impacts on local communities. We also discuss contributions to the wider literature and implications for policy.

The sensitivities and adaptive capacity of public lands visitors

Lands and waters administered by governing entities for public use (i.e., “public lands”) are subject to changing social and ecological conditions (e.g., overcrowding, drought). Public lands managers are often tasked with addressing these changes while balancing conservation goals and public use mandates, and their decisions can significantly and inequitably impact visitor sensitivities to different types of exposures. To gain insights into visitor sensitivities and their adaptive capacity to mitigate the impacts of exposures, we draw upon a comprehensive monitoring effort conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to understand visitor experiences on national wildlife refuges (refuges). We collected data from 10,556 visitors to 68 refuges during 2018–2019, then segmented respondents into unique visitor types based on their frequency of visiting “this refuge” where they were contacted, their participation across different activities at that refuge, and visits to other public lands for purposes of their primary activity, all during the 12 months prior to being contacted. We then explored differences among the resulting visitor types in their (a) purpose of visit, (b) satisfaction with opportunities during their visit, and (c) demographic characteristics. Finally, we used external data sources to explore the sensitivities and adaptive capacity of visitors’ home communities. Our approach identified eight types of visitors with distinct sensitivities and adaptive capacities. For example, the type categorized as “most sensitive” due to activity specialization and site dependency was more likely to engage in activities (e.g., fishing, hunting) that may be subsistence uses of public lands and more often lived in communities with reduced adaptive capacity. Our assessment supports public lands decision-making by helping to understand and address social inequities that may arise or be exacerbated by rapidly changing conditions.

Study of Space Layout of Museum; A Case of International Mountain Museum at Pokhara, Nepal

Currently, the museum is one of the learning and pass time activities space for the public. A good layout of a museum can bring a wonderful visiting experience to the visitors. Overall, museums play an important role in preserving a town's cultural heritage, providing educational opportunities, attracting tourism, and promoting community engagement. Effective space distribution in a museum is critical for creating an engaging and informative experience for visitors. By carefully considering the needs and interests of different types of visitors, museums can create spaces that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. But there are very few designed museums in Pokhara, one of the growing cities of Nepal. Also, it is one of the tourist attracting places in Nepal. This paper explains the spatial layout of one of the designed museums of Pokhara. For this purpose, a well-known International Mountain Museum is taken as a case area by using observation and questionnaire survey methods. This museum displays a wide range of exhibits related to the Himalayan mountains, mountaineering, and the culture of the people who call the region home. In addition to the mountaineering exhibits, the museum also features displays of the history, culture, geology, flora, and fauna of the Himalayas. Overall, space distribution in a museum is designed to facilitate the flow of visitors through the space, while also highlighting the key messages and themes of the exhibits.

Impact on the German asymptomatic screening strategy based on actual user data from SARS-CoV-2 test centers

Since March 2021, Germany has been providing cost-free severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antigen tests, and many day-to-day activities following the lockdown have required negative test results. Yet it remains unclear how tests have been used and whether there are patterns connected to mitigation measures. We analyzed over 50,000 anonymized records from eight test centers in a typical medium-sized city, with one of them remaining open continuously from March until December 2021. The centers exhibit distinct patterns of visitor types, with the majority tested only once in the investigated period. Individuals who underwent repeated testing tended to favor the same location. A preference for spontaneous testing grew in proportion to the availability of spare tests. Visitors aged 18 to 30 years were distinctly overrepresented compared to the local demographic. A negative binominal model showed that implemented mitigation measures had an impact on the number of tests conducted. Cost-free testing in private facilities was implemented into the German complementary screening strategy, aiming to achieve weekly population-wide testing. This study demonstrates these facilities were rarely used for regular testing but rather for meeting requirements of certified tests. The results should aid authorities in making future decisions regarding infection control.

Identification of Public Library Visitor Profiles using K-means Algorithm based on The Cluster Validity Index

The existence of a public library in the Gampingan village has a positive impact, such as increasing the literacy culture of the village community. However, the library collection is not sufficient for the needs of visitors. Therefore, it is necessary to add library collections to fulfill the requirement. One of the solutions is mapping the library needs of visitors. The mapping can be done by identifying visitor profiles by grouping visitors based on the criteria of age, gender, type of visitor, and category of book library. One of the methods that can be used in the process of grouping visitors based on criteria is to use the K-Means Clustering method. Determining the number of K cluster centers at K-Means Clustering method that are not appropriate will give bad results, it is necessary to test the number of K cluster centers using the Cluster Validity index by measuring the clusters with cluster variance, within-cluster variance, and between-cluster variance. From the grouping process using K-Means Clustering with Cluster Validity index, we get 3 clusters of visitor profiles with a cluster variance value of less than 0.1. This shows that this method was able to identify the visitor profiles with high grouping accuracy values.

The characteristics of drowning among different types of international visitors to Australia and how this contributes to their drowning risk

ObjectiveAustralia is a popular destination for international visitors. This study reviews international visitor drowning deaths in Australia and analyses drowning by visitor type. MethodsA total population retrospective study exploring drowning deaths of international visitors was conducted between 2008 and 2018. Data were extracted from the Royal Life Saving National Fatal Drowning Database and categorised into four subgroups: overseas tourists, international students, working holiday makers and work-related visitors. Descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests and relative risk (RR) were calculated. ResultsIn total, 201 international visitors drowned in Australia, 7% of all drowning deaths; a crude drowning rate of 0.27/100,000 visitors versus 0.95/100,000 for residents (RR=0.19 [95% CI: 0.16–0.22]). Most deaths were males (79%) and people aged 18–34 years (50%). Visitors frequently drowned at beaches (33%), and when swimming (41%). Thirty-five percent recorded a pre-existing medical condition. Overseas tourists on holiday were the most likely to drown compared to other subgroups. ConclusionInternational visitors represent a small but increasing proportion of people drowning in Australia. The circumstances of which visitors drown vary by travel purpose, age, country of origin, location of drowning and activity. Implications for public healthInternational visitors have unique safety needs, requiring tailored prevention based on the purpose of travel and country of origin.

Ice-Breaking Tourism and Local Resilience Building

This study focuses on local ice-breaking tourism initiatives in Kemi (Finland), Mombetsu (Japan), and Abashiri (Japan). It adds to research on winter and cruise tourism and analyzes multiscalar challenges—ranging from the global warming and COVID-19 pandemic to dependency on local governmental support—threatening the future of tourism dependent on frozen maritime conditions and vulnerable to changing climate conditions. As the case study cities have invested significantly in tourism built around the uncontrollable natural phenomenon, changes in this industry can lead to substantial spillover effects in the surrounding communities. This qualitative comparative research is based on extensive fieldwork and utilizes the concept of resilience to discuss the means of responding to existing and predicted disturbances. The results of this study show that the recent adaptation and resiliency-building strategies have focused on searching for alternative use of old, new, and renovated ice-breaking vessels, attraction of new types of (often domestic) visitors, and development of activities and facilities that are less sensitive to seasonal variation and climate change. While introducing new local ideas concerning ecological and educational tourism, e-tourism, and community-oriented tourism, this article contributes to the understanding of resilience-building processes in tourism.

Toward Multi-area Contactless Museum Visitor Counting with Commodity WiFi

Multi-area visitor counting plays a critical role in museum management, which can help administrative staff better study visitor flows and hotspots, so that they can ensure the quality and safety of visits. Internet of Things (IoT) techniques facilitate efficient recording and understanding of visitors’ spatial and temporal distribution in museums, and traditional visitor tracking applications use surveillance cameras or wireless connections with portable smart devices. However, these methods either involve privacy concerns or face the obstacle of getting natural behavioral data of all visitors. This article explores an IoT monitoring methodology in the field of museum studies, proposing a commodity WiFi-based head-counting framework that does not need the visitor to connect with any device. Our system analyzes the Channel State Information amplitude fluctuations at the fixed receiver caused when visitors cross the line-of-sight link. It enables multi-area visitor counting by achieving In-and-Out traffic detection at different sites with a convolutional neural network algorithm. The method also allows for a rough classification of visitor types based on body size, and an extra transfer module is presented to reduce training time for increasing sensing scenarios. Over 2,300 samples at five different sites were collected to test the usability. Experiment 1 implemented in three environments/deployments demonstrated that the proposed approach can be potentially implemented in variable sites of museums. It achieved high up to 95% and 99% accuracies for identifying the number and direction of people crossing, respectively. Experiment 2 sampled adults, children, and adult-child groups at a science museum and achieved approximately 89% classification accuracy of visitor types. Experiment 3 collected data for all cases in which up to three targets entered and exited simultaneously, and reached a recognition accuracy of around 88% for nine different cases. The potential and limitations for the practical application of wireless contactless sensing to cultural spaces are discussed.

The influence of sense of place dimensions on visitors' conservation behavioral intention: the case of Semarang Old Town, Indonesia

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to confirm the influence of each dimension of visitor's sense of place (place identity, place attachment and place dependence) on each dimension of conservation behavioral intention (general behavioral intention and specific behavioral intention) in the context of urban heritage.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a quantitative methods. Research respondent is individual visitor who meet the research criteria. The strength influence of sense of place dimension (independent variable) on dimension of conservation behavioral intention (dependent variable) was measured by Somers' D correlation. Primary data were analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques.FindingsAll correlation coefficient values were below +0.59. It shows that the sense of place dimensions have a weak influence on each dimension of conservation behavioral intention. Weak correlation occurs because of the setting profile (tourism approaches which tends to be material-based) and the type of visitor (casual cultural tourism and sightseeing tourist) which interprets heritage only as an object of relaxation.Research limitations/implicationsDue to the statistical approach used (nonparametric statistical techniques), the results of the study cannot be generalized. Therefore, further studies with different approaches are needed.Social implicationsThis study demonstrates the need for tourism policy in Semarang Old Town (SOT) as a form of value-driven heritage conservation practice to encourage visitors to appreciate the cultural significance of the area.Originality/valueIn the context of urban heritage area, the literature on research topics is still limited. However, the results of this study were different from previous studies. The weak relationship is explained through an approach that considers contextual factors, namely profile settings and visitor profiles.

인터랙티브 요소가 뮤지엄의 관람객 유치에 미치는 영향

With the growing application of interactive elements in the cultural and artistic field, researchers have begun to pay attention to how these elements are impacting the production, distribution, and consumption stages with a focus on their role in museums. Our study examines how the introduction of these elements in these institutions, which play a crucial role in the culture and arts ecosystem. We collected data from 1,563 museums from around the world through an online platform called Tripadvisor, using a web crawling method. We used regression analysis models to examine the effect of interactive elements, such as audio guides, on attracting visitors to museums. We also analyzed the data to find out its impact on different types of visitors, like families, couples, friends, and individuals. The results of our study show that museums with interactive elements are more popular among family visitors. This study provides valuable insights into the impact of interactive elements on the cultural and artistic field by complementing findings of qualitative research, which has to date prevailed research on this topic.