Unique Visitor Research Articles

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.

Effect of Display Methods on Intentions to Use Virtual Reality in Museum Tourism

The application of virtual reality (VR) promises unique visitor experiences in museum tourism; however, the underlying characteristics of the experiences still need to be well-researched. This research used world-famous paintings (Vincent van Gogh’ s The Starry Night and Claude Monet’s Water Lilies) as examples, combining flow theory and Stimulus-Organism-Response framework and using the experimental research method. The findings were: (1) the display methods of museum exhibits affected visitors' flow experience and intention to use VR; (2) flow experience had a significant mediating effect in the main effect, and (3) the familiarity with VR had a moderating effect on flow experience’s mediating effect. The findings enriched the research literature on VR usage and display methods in museums, providing a theoretical reference and strategic suggestions for enterprises developing museum exhibits and applying VR technology.

Value creation process and outcomes in social inclusion focused services

PurposeThis study aims to elucidate the value creation process within a culturally diversified museum (CDM), which aims to achieve social inclusion, i.e. bridging the social divide between mainstream and minority communities, through the integration of CDM’s and visitors’ resources. Using service logic (SL) theory as the theoretical lens, we aim to unveil the CDM’s unique service provider and customer (visitor) resources, the corresponding resource integration process that explains value co-creation and co-destruction and the resultant value outcomes for social inclusion.Design/methodology/approachA case study of an Australian CDM is used, involving various qualitative data sources, including depth interviews, focus groups, visitor book content analysis, on-site observation and participation in the CDM’s events and forums.FindingsThe findings provide insights into the unique CDM and visitor resources that are integrated to achieve value outcomes that foster social inclusion. However, the results suggest that alongside value co-creation, co-destruction can unfold, causing a (mis)alignment with the aim of the CDM to bridge the social divide between mainstream and minority communities.Practical implicationsThis study’s findings offer salient implications for CDMs and similar service providers that enables social inclusion and policymakers.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the service domain by highlighting the importance of the alignment between provider and customer resources to co-create value within a culturally diversified context. That is, CDMs can learn from the misalignment of their resources and those of their visitors to improve their resource offerings and achieve greater social inclusion outcomes in the future.

Living in the Wake of Rural Irish Troubles: building an institution for sustainable peace through emotive out-of-place tourism

During the thirty-year period (1968–1998) known as the Troubles in Northern Ireland, 3500 people died and thousands more suffered physical disabilities and psychological trauma. Belfast, among other conflict cities, helped inspire the term ‘dark tourism’ in 1989. The country continues to be in conflict but is officially in a period of peace. Northern Ireland has been the theme for much peace and reconciliation research, but literature to date concentrates on polarised discourses rather than rural representation. Toward meeting and expanding the UN SDG16 peace goals, this research explores how what we term emotive peace tourism can be used as a methodology to affect emotional reconciliation registers in a unique rural Northern Ireland visitor experience. Bringing domestic tourists from Catholic and Protestant communities into face-to-face contact through a liminal participative ‘out-of-place’ visitor experience, we choreographed and performed a series of “Troubles” events: a guided night walk through a checkpoint, an IRA Wake, a UDA Funeral, and a Mixed-Marriage. Contributing to the debate as to whether tourism is more of a ‘peacekeeper’ than a ‘peacemaker’, our research demonstrates that an in situ liminal, emotive peace tourism experience, can generate sustainable tolerance, respect, trust, sympathy, and empathy towards others in post-conflict Northern Ireland and likely elsewhere.

Participant-Driven Videography in Park and Protected Area Research

Research on visitor experiences in protected areas is evolving as advancements in new technologies and social trends emerge. We assert that park and recreation research can be further enhanced through the application and coupling of videography and spatial-temporal metadata. This systematic review explores the use of participant-driven videography across park and recreation research and adjacent disciplines (i.e., tourism, natural resource management) to understand the existing use of participant-driven data coupled with spatial-temporal information. Evidence gleaned from this systematic review reveals that participant-driven videography is a powerful tool for park research, yet its application is limited by authorship, scope and context. This research note provides: 1) insight into how videographic techniques are currently being used to gain unique visitor data; 2) insight into the collection, management, and analysis of unstructured video data; and 3) areas of future park and recreation research that may be informed by this unique approach.

Customer relation management approach: assessment of business strategy regarding to software architecture for the service industry

Purpose- The purpose of this research is to define new cross-departmental processes for business which assign them to apply the four steps in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) cycle: plan, relation, process, leverage and then plan a new structure. From this point, this research includes the topic which has been preceded for a CRM solution. This study also involves a research management steps due to business application in service industry. In addition, the research comprises requirement analysis which depends on the business objectives-requirements for the service sector. Methodology- During the research, the business and software development processes of the study were applied. After the business research development, architecture of requirements of software and UML (Unified Modeling Language) Structure of the service industry, big data were prepared and warehoused-stored for the next research and development for this area-subject. Findings- Finding methods and components of use cases and foundation of UML structures are fundamentals of the study during the research. This study classifies one of the hundreds of use cases as an instance and UML diagrams that define the work-flow of a specific point of business for the service industry. Conclusion- Customers in Retail Industry were developed more price sensitive, less brand loyal and more sophisticated. To provide guest loyalty, retailers in business tried to improve CRM strategies which purposes to seek, collect, store and separate guest information throughout the entire organization for creating personalized, unique visitor’s experiences. Software solutions and new technologies could facilitate the new ways of working required by a CRM invention would not, in itself, deliver increased customer satisfaction.

How Synergy Effects of Paid and Digital Owned Media Influence Brand Sales

ABSTRACT Research is ongoing about how investment in paid media and digital owned media drives changes in brand sales. The advertising-intensive curve (Jones, 1990) suggests that paid-media investment is correlated to brands9 market position in the repeat-purchase packaged-product category. Building on that framework, the authors analyzed 838 brands in 14 product and service categories for share of spend in paid media and share of digital owned media—unique visitor traffic and traffic to social media—taking into account their relationship with share of sales. Investment in digital owned media was correlated to brands9 long-term sales growth rates and to the balance between paid-media and owned-media investment.

Abstract 18760: Evaluation of a Web-based Cardiac Pain Knowledge Dissemination Platform Fueled by Social Media

Introduction: The prevalence of persistent cardiac pain-related conditions is on the rise. Increasingly prevalent forms of persistent cardiac pain include refractory angina, cardiac syndrome X and functional cardiac pain syndromes. Our aim was to disseminate a web-based, multi-media resource centre, CardiacPain.Net, as a prototype for large-scale knowledge dissemination and educational outreach in partnership with Elsevier. Methods: Multi-media design features included open access published resources, narrated video, roundtable discussions, downloadable fact sheets, and an asynchronous discussion forum. Accreditation for continuing medical education (Canada and United States) was secured to maximize incentive for end-user uptake. Dissemination strategies included opt-in email blasts to Elsevier subscribers (n= 27,000) every 3 months, e-banner advertising, and mass social media via Twitter. Standard dissemination metrics included total site visits and components visited and downloaded. Customized metrics included unique and return visitor rates, bounce rate, stream views, and geo-targeting. All metrics were analyzed in aggregate and examined for outliers and monthly trends. Interrupted time series analysis with an autoregressive structure was used to examine immediate impact of social media on 12-month dissemination metrics. Results: CardiacPain.Net reached end users in 132 countries across 5 continents. A total of 7,066 unique visitors were engaged and resources were viewed and downloaded 13,629 times. The monthly return visitor and bounce rates were 30% and 50%, respectively. Average time spent on multi-media presentations was 14.5 minutes. Twitter constituted 66% of all total social media engagement; 62% of Twitter users were female. Interrupted time series analyses revealed that Twitter outreach significantly increased end user sessions, number of users, and page views (p< 0.001). Twitter did not affect proportion of new users monthly or website navigation behavior. Conclusions: Results suggest that as a large-scale knowledge dissemination and online cardiac educational outreach prototype, CardiacPain.Net is far reaching and capable of sustained engagement of an international-scale audience.

Managing tourism in the Galapagos Islands through price incentives: A choice experiment approach

This study analyzes nature-based tourism in Ecuador's Galapagos National Park, which faces great risks of invasive species due to visitor contacts. The analysis uses visitors' preference data to evaluate the potential impacts of various pricing strategies on revenues. Data come from choice experiment surveys conducted in 2009, regarding four characteristics of a tour to the Galapagos: length of stay, depth of experience in the islands' ecosystem, level of protective measures taken against invasive species, and price. We found that the typical tourist would be willing to pay 2.5 times more for a tour with high-level of protection against invasive species than for a tour with the current level of protection and otherwise similar characteristics. The mean marginal willingness to pay for a tour with an in-depth natural experience is 1.8 times more than for a similar tour providing only an overview of the Galapagos' ecosystem. Further, we determined that differences in elasticity of demand between long and short tours suggest that a pricing strategy may be used to encourage tourists to take longer tours without affecting total revenue. Such a pricing strategy would decrease the number of unique island visitor contacts per year, thereby reducing the threat to the islands' unique ecosystem.

Sources of traffic and visitors' preferences regarding online public reports of quality: web analytics and online survey results.

BackgroundIn the context of the Affordable Care Act, there is extensive emphasis on making provider quality transparent and publicly available. Online public reports of quality exist, but little is known about how visitors find reports or about their purpose in visiting.ObjectiveTo address this gap, we gathered website analytics data from a national group of online public reports of hospital or physician quality and surveyed real-time visitors to those websites.MethodsWebsites were recruited from a national group of online public reports of hospital or physician quality. Analytics data were gathered from each website: number of unique visitors, method of arrival for each unique visitor, and search terms resulting in visits. Depending on the website, a survey invitation was launched for unique visitors on landing pages or on pages with quality information. Survey topics included type of respondent (eg, consumer, health care professional), purpose of visit, areas of interest, website experience, and demographics.ResultsThere were 116,657 unique visitors to the 18 participating websites (1440 unique visitors/month per website), with most unique visitors arriving through search (63.95%, 74,606/116,657). Websites with a higher percent of traffic from search engines garnered more unique visitors (P=.001). The most common search terms were for individual hospitals (23.25%, 27,122/74,606) and website names (19.43%, 22,672/74,606); medical condition terms were uncommon (0.81%, 605/74,606). Survey view rate was 42.48% (49,560/116,657 invited) resulting in 1755 respondents (participation rate=3.6%). There were substantial proportions of consumer (48.43%, 850/1755) and health care professional respondents (31.39%, 551/1755). Across websites, proportions of consumer (21%-71%) and health care professional respondents (16%-48%) varied. Consumers were frequently interested in using the information to choose providers or assess the quality of their provider (52.7%, 225/427); the majority of those choosing a provider reported that they had used the information to do so (78%, 40/51). Health care professional (26.6%, 115/443) and consumer (20.8%, 92/442) respondents wanted cost information and consumers wanted patient narrative comments (31.5%, 139/442) on the public reports. Health care professional respondents rated the experience on the reports higher than consumers did (mean 7.2, SD 2.2 vs mean 6.2, SD 2.7; scale 0-10; P<.001).ConclusionsReport sponsors interested in increasing the influence of their reports could consider using techniques to improve search engine traffic, providing cost information and patient comments, and improving the website experience for both consumers and health care professionals.

Exploring Vertical Wilderness in the Acoustic Environment

Hearing sounds of nature is an important motivation for visitors to National Parks, such as Grand Teton National Park (GRTE; Newman et al. 2015). Furthermore, managers are required to provide park visitors with an enjoyable soundscape experience. In 2006, Pilcher and Newman conducted a study on visitor perceptions of soundscapes in highly trafficked locations in GRTE, the Jenny Lake boat dock and Inspiration Point. While this study used similar methods, it aimed to better understand the influence of soundscapes to a unique visitor group -- climbers on the Grand Teton. This iconic climbing destination is located in an area that is potentially susceptible to anthropogenic or human caused noise interruptions because of its proximity to an airport and heavily used highways. In the summer of 2015 researchers from Penn State University used a combination of qualitative interviews and listening exercises with climbers to identify sounds that were being heard during their climbing experience and their emotions related to those sounds. These data provide managers with information about sounds that could be prioritized when managing for an optimal soundscape experience.

INTERIM PERFORMANCE METRICS OF AN INNOVATIVE, WEB-BASED CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION PLATFORM

Hamilton, Ontario BACKGROUND: As survival rates from coronary artery disease (CAD) increase, the prevalence of persistent cardiac pain-related conditions is on the rise. Our aim was to disseminate a web-based, multi-media resource centre for persistent cardiac pain, CardiacPain.Net, as a prototype for large-scale knowledge dissemination; partners included Elsevier, the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Pain Coalition and Argyle Communications. METHODS: CardiacPain.Net was based on the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) knowledge to action cycle as well as the CIHR framework for citizen engagement. Substantive content for dissemination via CardiacPain.Net was designed to tailor specific aspects of knowledge inquiry, synthesis, and product tools (e.g. clinical practice guidelines, diagnostic phenotype criteria). Affected citizens were engaged across all phases of designing architecture. Multi-media design features included open access published resources, narrated video presentations, expert and citizen roundtable discussions, downloadable fact sheets, and an asynchronous discussion forum.Dissemination strategies included opt-in email blasts to Elsevier subscribers (n1⁄4 95,000) every 3 months, online banner advertising, LinkedIn and Google advertizing, and mass social media including Twitter and Facebook. Accreditation of CardiacPain.Net for continuing medical education in Canada and United States was secured to maximize incentive for end-user uptake. Standard dissemination metrics included total site visits and components visited and downloaded. Customized metrics included unique and return visitor rates, bounce rate, stream views, unique end-user tracking, social media trends, and geo-targeting. All metrics were analyzed in aggregate and distributions were examined for outliers and monthly trends. RESULTS: Interim examination of dissemination metrics found that in 3 months since initial launch CardiacPain.Net has had 2,549 total visits, 1,913 unique visits, and 5,418 page views. Specific multimedia presentations and open access resources were viewed and downloaded 414 and 413 times, respectively. Unique and return visitor rates were 71.1% and 28.9% respectively with a bounce rate of 47%. Twitter constituted 75% of all social media interactions (n1⁄4 124) featuring CardiacPain. Net content. Geo-targeting analyses found that unique end-users spanned 25 countries across 5 continents. CONCLUSION: Our interim 3-month analyses suggest that as a large-scale knowledge dissemination prototype, CardiacPain.Net is capable of being far reaching and engaging to end users seeking knowledge on persistent forms of cardiac pain. Linear and Poisson regression analyses at 6 and 12 months follow up are required to determine the influence of design features, region of origin, and operating systems on customized dissemination metrics.

Using Web searches to track interest in synthetic cannabinoids (a/k/a 'herbal incense').

This article reports a content analysis of Internet websites related to an emerging designer drug, synthetic cannabinoids. The number of synthetic cannabinoids searchers in the USA has steadily increased from November 2008 to November 2011. To determine the information available on the Internet in relation to synthetic cannabinoids, sites were identified using the Google search engine and the search term 'herbal incense'. The first 100 consecutive sites were visited and classified by two coders. The websites were evaluated for type of content (retail, information, news, other). US unique monthly visitor data were examined for the top 10 retail sites, and these sites were coded for the quality of information available regarding the legality of synthetic cannabinoids sale and use. The Google search yielded 2,730,000 sites for 'herbal incense' (for comparison of search terms: 'synthetic marijuana', 1,170,000; 'K2 Spice', 247,000; and 'synthetic weed', 122,000). Moreover, in the Google search, 87% of the sites were retail sites, 5% news, 4% informational and 4% non-synthetic cannabinoid sites. Many tools found within Google free services hold promise in providing a technique to identify emerging drug markets. We recommend continued surveillance of the Internet using the online tools presented in this brief report by both drug researchers and policy-makers to identify the emerging trends in synthetic drugs' availability and interest.

The economics of roadside bear viewing

Viewing bears along roadside habitats is a popular recreational activity in certain national parks throughout the United States. However, safely managing visitors during traffic jams that result from this activity often requires the use of limited park resources. Using unique visitor survey data, this study quantifies economic values associated with roadside bear viewing in Yellowstone National Park, monetary values that could be used to determine whether this continued use of park resources is warranted on economic grounds. Based on visitor expenditure data and results of a contingent visitation question, it is estimated that summer Park visitation would decrease if bears were no longer allowed to stay along roadside habitats, resulting in a loss of 155 jobs in the local economy. Results from a nonmarket valuation survey question indicate that on average, visitors to Yellowstone National Park are willing to pay around $41 more in Park entrance fees to ensure that bears are allowed to remain along roads within the Park. Generalizing this value to the relevant population of visitors indicates that the economic benefits of allowing this wildlife viewing opportunity to continue could outweigh the costs of using additional resources to effectively manage these traffic jams.

환경, 마케팅과 성과: 소셜커머스 기사내용분석

The purpose of this study was to look into the marketing strategies of social commerce companies by analyzing the relationships among the environment, strategy and performance in social commerce. For that, the environment condition and components of marketing strategy were derived based on the marketing mix by analyzing the related contents published in 3,783 articles on newspapers dated from April 2010 to March 2013. UV(Unique Visitor) and PV(Page View) for each social commerce site were used as surrogates for performance. The results of study revealed the relationship of the marketing strategies to the changes in environment conditions towards negative conditions such as the spread of buyer anxiety. In the strategy-performance relations, the product element and external sales promotion element had high correlation with the performance. Finally, a difference was found in the marketing strategies of social commerce companies. High correlation was found in all aspects between the UV and PV marketing elements in the case of Coupang, while the correlation with the UV was low and the environment also showed relatively low correlation level in the case of WEmakePRICE. Thus, this study is considered to provide useful basis for the social commerce companies to map out and implement the marketing strategies, and is significant in that it applied the marketing mix to the special market environment such as social marketing.

Attracting divergent segments to a destination:

The success of Macao as an international gaming hub is ironic, considering that the government has rarely promoted it as a gambling destination. Rather, government marketing and promotional efforts promote Macao as a world heritage destination, which raises questions about marketing efficiency, the effectiveness of tourist segmentation, and the allocation of marketing resources. This in-depth investigation compares visitor types by probing whether gaming visitors participate in activities similar to those undertaken by cultural heritage visitors and vice versa. The goals of this article are twofold: to assess the degree of compatibility between divergent visitor segments in a destination based on their behavior and propensity to undertake different activities, and to gauge the implications for long-term sustainable and effective tourism marketing efforts. This is in contrast with previous studies, which in general consider only segment attractiveness and focus mostly on just one unique visitor segment. In addition to the activities sought, this article examines the level of involvement and social characteristics of both gaming and cultural heritage visitors.

Rethinking township tourism: Towards responsible tourism development in South African townships

Township tourism in South Africa has grown in popularity since 1994 and is considered by some to be an appropriate mechanism for stimulating local economic development. This paper suggests, however, that it is not necessarily a viable or responsible development option, since it does not automatically ensure pro-poor benefits or enhance community development. Primary research conducted in Soweto to understand visitor demand and tourism stakeholder perspectives suggests there is a demand for responsible tourism in townships. The paper contributes to South African debates about the developmental role of tourism, township tourism and local economic development, responsible tourism, and the related policy implications. It calls for responsible township tourism development in which local authorities play a vital role and recommends the development of township tourism attractions, with a focus on culture and heritage, to create unique visitor experiences.

Mutual reproductive dependence of distylic Cordia leucocephala (Cordiaceae) and oligolectic Ceblurgus longipalpis (Halictidae, Rophitinae) in the Caatinga

The close relationship between distylic Cordia leucocephala and the bee Ceblurgus longipalpis, both endemic to the Caatinga, north-east Brazil, was investigated, emphasizing reproductive dependence, morphological adaptations of the partners, and pollen flow. In the municipality of Pedra, in the Caatinga of Pernambuco, the breeding system and reproductive success of C. leucocephala, its interaction with flower visitors and inter- and intramorph pollen flow were determined. The bee Ceblurgus longipalpis, the unique flower visitor and effective pollinator of self-incompatible Cordia leucocephala, presents morphological features adapted to exploit hidden pollen and nectar in the long and narrow corolla tubes. Pollen of low-level anthers is collected with hairs on prolonged mouthparts and pollen of high-level anthers with clypeus, mandibles, and labrum, showing pollen removal from both levels with the same effectiveness. In both morphs, this results in similar legitimate, i.e. intermorph cross-pollen flow. Illegitimate pollen flow to stigmas of pin flowers, however, was much higher than to stigmas of thrum flowers. Moreover, more illegitimate pollen was transported to stigmas of pin and less to those of thrum flowers when compared with legitimate pollen flow. The study reveals a one-to-one reproductive inter-dependence between both partners. Data indicate that this relationship between bee species and plant species is one of the rare cases of monolecty among bees. Monotypic Ceblurgus longipalpis, the only rophitine species of Brazil, evolved prolonged mouthparts rare among short-tongued bees that enable them to access pollen from flowers with short-level anthers hidden for bees of other species, and nectar at the base of the flower tube.

Using Local Food and Drink to Differentiate Tourism Destinations Through a Sense of Place

The importance of using local food and drink to develop a “Sense of Place,” create a unique visitor experience and differentiate tourism destinations while providing economic benefits to the local community cannot be underestimated. This paper will present research commissioned by Adventa, Monmouthshire's LEADER + programme, which was designed to develop a Sense of Monmouthshire training module aimed at tourism businesses in Monmouthshire. While the training module specifically focuses on Monmouthshire there are generic lessons about the use of local food and drink. A “Sense of Place” can be used to exploit the unique attributes of a destination, but it needs to be selectively customised by individual businesses to exploit the distinctive social and cultural characteristics of a destination and provide a unique visitation experience. Through an integrated and holistic approach to tourism development the Sense of Monmouthshire training module should help to extend the tourism season, enhance quality, develop community pride and preserve Monmouthshire's identity.

Surface Flow on Medano, Mosca, and Sand Creeks in Relation to Fault Zones and Water Tables

This project seeks to determine the relation between surging surface flow and projected groundwater declines at the Great Sand Dunes National Monument. Surging flow in Medano Creek is a unique visitor attraction at the Monument, and is exhibited from April through July at easily accessible sites. Projected water table declines of up to 46 m due to an adjacent groundwater development scheme may increase infiltration rates in Monument creeks, thus leading to diminished or eliminated surge flow. This report covers the third 6-month period of the contract (May 15-Nov. 15, 1992).