ABSTRACT
The popularity of Petra, Jordan, as a tourist destination has surged among international visitors since the 1980s. This has led to the tourism sector's emergence as a major source of income for indigenous communities living adjacent to the ancient city's ruins. Rapidly expanding visitor numbers and business activity-both licensed and unlicensed-exposed the need for government to play an active role in organizing Petra's tourism industry. Drawing upon a thematic analysis of interviews I conducted in three tourism-reliant, tribal communities in Petra's vicinity in 2022, this case study examines relations between the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) and indigenous stakeholders in the local economy. Focusing on the period extending from 2019-just before the COVID-19 pandemic's onset-to 2022, I explore local perspectives towards PDTRA policies impacting indigenous work in the tourism sector. I find that legality, size, and internal organization of stakeholder groups affect their capacity to influence political decisions that impact their lives and livelihoods.
ABSTRACT
The hotel industry is one of the sectors that is heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Compensating for this lost revenue requires understanding which aspects of guests' priorities have changed, including their feelings about sustainable practices. Drawing from an online survey with 250 adults who were at least 18 years of age, described themselves as familiar with sustainable practices, and stated they had stayed in a hotel both before and during the pandemic, this study finds that the pandemic had a significant impact on their attitudes towards sustainable practices. Although they believe that hotels' adopted protocols are adequate to protect them from COVID-19, they do not intend to adopt sustainable practices in the pandemic era.
ABSTRACT
Whether or not primates are behaviorally affected by the presence of visitors in a zoo setting is a question of great relevance to zoo animal well-being. The situation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic provided an unusual opportunity to examine how the absence of visitors impacts behavior. We took advantage of this opportunity to study the behavior of a gorilla troop during periods of no-visitors compared to our long-term database on gorilla behavior during normal zoo operations. While there were notable individual differences in response to visitors, we found no significant relationship between presence of visitors and behavior. These results suggest that the presence of visitors does not have a significant impact on behavior and well-being of zoo-housed gorillas.
ABSTRACT
Tourists' preference for ecological attractions was boosted in the post-Covid-19 period and reinforced the importance of ecotourism around the world, with the appreciation of domestic trips to destinations marketed as sustainable. Therefore, the general objective of this article is to reflect on potentialities and challenges for ecotourism in the municipality of Rancharia (SP, Brazil). It should be noted that Rancharia is part of the "Sol do Oeste" and "Oeste Rios" Circuits, so there is a regional articulation focused on a tourism policy. The research methodology consisted of a theoretical review on the topic of ecotourism, tourism planning and tourism sustainability, highlighting study concepts and perspectives. Documents provided by the municipal government were consulted, such as the Master Plan, the Master Plan for Tourism Development and the Urbanistic and Environmental Master Plan. To complement the analyses, an interview was conducted with the Director of the Municipal Department of Tourism, the main activity management sector on a local scale. The results show that Rancharia has the potential to perpetuate ecotourism practices, especially when it is verified the presence of expressive natural resources in its territory and the title of Municipality of Tourist Interest (MIT) conquered in 2007, when it started to receive funds for investments in infrastructure tourism, as well as resources from the Improvement Fund for Tourist Municipalities to benefit the activity. On the other hand, the challenges are related to the opening of private properties to public visitation, as they have natural attractions that already motivate flows of people, however, they also lack investments in infrastructure for access and permanence of visitors. Likewise, it is necessary to sensitize the community to the value of ecotourism as an alternative to socioeconomic development. From this, it would be possible to structure an ecotourism itinerary with an emphasis on practices and leisure activities in contact with nature, attracting more tourist flows to the municipality.
ABSTRACT
Hotels have increasingly engaged in environmentally responsible initiatives to demonstrate their commitment to environmental concerns and sustainable hospitality and tourism. These initiatives are expected to become even more popular in the context that the COVID-19 crisis has driven people to further acknowledge the importance of the ecosystem. This study aims to examine how hotels' environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) affects customers' green word-of-mouth (WOM). Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze data from an online survey of 749 Chinese respondents. The findings reveal that hotels' environmental CSR indirectly enhances customers' green WOM intention via green perceived value (i.e., cognitive route) and green hotel pride (i.e., emotional route). Furthermore, the indirect effects of hotels' environmental CSR on customers' green WOM are more substantial for hotels with higher star ratings. These findings offer valuable insights for hoteliers to develop genuine environmentally responsible initiatives that can generate positive customer responses.
ABSTRACT
Rural tourism has an increasing share of the country's tourism income and significantly contributes to the rural economy. Intensive research has been conducted on how Covid-19 affects the tourism industry and the challenges and opportunities the sector face. Although the rise of rural tourism is frequently highlighted post-Covid-19, research examining the satisfaction levels of visitors involved in rural tourism is almost nonexistent. The study's main aim is to determine customers' satisfaction levels from rural activities in and around the Iznik District of Bursa province and to recommend improvement. We obtained data from a structured survey conducted with 408 people who visited Iznik at least once. SPSS 23 program was also used to analyze the data obtained. Results show that visitors' satisfaction with nature and the environment is above average, and their satisfaction with the services provided is below average. The most critical dissatisfaction was the increasing environmental pollution, the loss of natural beauty, the local government's inability to do the necessary cleaning and maintenance work, and the lack of introductory information in places with historical and natural characteristics. Participants wanted to stay in caravans and tents rather than hotels and suggested expanding and improving those facilities. They suggested that local textures are preserved, and more local food and beverages are offered. The suggestion shows that visitors demand integrating more with nature, local life and historical texture.
ABSTRACT
The rural tourism is a promising type of tourism in rural areas that increases the socio-economic level and wellbeing of the population. The entrepreneurial activity in villages provides an opportunity to expand employment, increase investment attractiveness and contribute to the improvement of rural infrastructure. Based on the analysis of data for the period 2012-2020, the forecast trends in the number of rural tourism farmsteads and their visitors in Lviv region are presented using trend analysis and the FORECAST. ETS. STAT function for the period 2021-2025. The Russian military aggression against Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic significantly affect the activities and prospects for the development of rural tourism in the country. Having built logarithmic, linear, exponential, power and polynomial trend models, the probable indicators for the specified period were forecasted. The current state and trends of rural tourism development during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the context of Russia's military aggression in Eastern Ukraine are considered. The formation and sale of quality products and services in the field of rural tourism involve providing a favorable environment and improving the quality of functioning of rural tourism estates. The development of rural tourism depends on the desires and demands of tourists, which form the demand in this area, which in turn creates supply in the market of tourist services and further development of business activities in the field of services in rural areas.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This study aims to compare the effect of barista type (human vs robot) on perceived safety and examine the role of two moderators (mask-wearing and coronavirus vaccination) on the effects of barista type on perceived safety and visit intention. Design/methodology/approach: The research design consists of three studies. Three experiments were sequentially designed and conducted to address research questions. Findings: Study 1 found that perceived safety mediates the effect of barista type on customers' visit intention. Study 2 revealed that the mask-wearing of human and robot baristas differently influences perceived safety. Study 3 showed that customers, especially where robot baristas are used, perceive the effect of mask-wearing differently depending on their coronavirus vaccination status. Research limitations/implications: Given that the levels of restrictions vary worldwide, together with the extent of countries' vaccination rollouts, caution is required when generalising the research findings. Practical implications: The findings have practical implications for the hospitality industry, where the roles of face masks and coronavirus vaccines in shaping consumer psychology and behaviour have been underexplored. Originality/value: Coronavirus vaccination is considered one of the most important driving forces for the recovery of hospitality businesses. As a heuristic-systematic model postulated, this study identified that vaccination status (fully vaccinated vs not vaccinated) changes the level of involvement when customers assess the level of risk in service environments. By pinpointing the function of service robots in safeguarding customers from the potential spread of the disease, this study broadens the scope of human-robot interaction research in hospitality.
ABSTRACT
The hospitality and travel sector has been one of the most affected sectors by Covid-19, which has resulted in a significant increase in the literature addressing the impact of the health crisis on tourism activities and tourists' perceptions and behaviours. Traditionally, socio-demographic variables have been instrumental in understanding consumers' needs and desires. However, during the pandemic, it has been unveiled that social and economic profiles have started to influence how tourists make decisions. Since studies on the changes in hotel choice during and after Covid-19 are still scarce, this article aims to assess the influence of socio-demographic variables on hotel choice based on data collected during the peak phase of the Covid-19 pandemic. A quantitative study was conducted using an online questionnaire that reached an international sample of 1113 individuals. The ANOVA and the t-test analysis results point out that socio-demographic variables under study are responsible for several differences in the evaluation of hotels. These findings reinforce socio-demographic attributes' capability to understand customers' preferences and decision-making despite the context.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the mobility, accessibility, and behaviors of visitors dramatically. Under the impact of COVID-19, the social carrying capacity and emotion dynamics in parks and recreation areas are expected to change due to the uncertainty of health risks associated with visitors' behaviors. This study conducted an on-site visitor survey at Leiqiong Global Geological Park, a national park located in urban-proximate areas in Haikou, China. This study aims to examine factors impacting visitors' perceived crowding and emotions under varying levels of visitor use in urban national parks in the context of COVID-19. Study results suggest that visitors have the highest level of motivation for scenery and culture viewing and are generally satisfied with the environmental quality and design and COVID-19 prevention strategies and implementation efforts within the park. Moreover, this study suggests that the level of crowding and COVID-19 prevention strategies and implementation can affect visitors' emotions in urban natioanl parks significantly. These findings highlight the importance of enforcing the social carrying capacity limits and COVID-19 prevention strategies for urban parks and protected areas to mitigate physical and mental health risks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
ABSTRACT
U.S. state parks are a considerable part of the nation's recreation landscape. Understanding their management concerns, including impacts from pandemics, is imperative for sustainably achieving park objectives. Our study aimed to (1) examine park managers' responses to a novel stressor (COVID-19);(2) aid managers in communicating these strategies to visitors in their pre-visit phase;and (3) test a park management framework's ability to adapt to this novel stressor in this pre-visit phase. Manning and colleagues' outdoor recreation strategies and practices framework provides parks with up to 24 response options to an issue: four strategies intersecting with six practices. This framework has been limited to common in-park concerns and visitors. We examined how park systems communicate with potential visitors about COVID-19, to advance the framework toward broader concerns and scales. We analyzed the 50 U.S. state park systems' official COVID-19 communications at the traditional start of the peak use season (summer 2020). We qualitatively coded these for reference to the framework's components and mentions of scale. This highlighted that while "limit use" and "reduce impact of use" were the only strategies used, different practices and recognitions of beyond-park and beyond-visit scales were acknowledged (e.g., "please recreate close to home"). We suggest the data reveal a seventh practice in use and for framework inclusion: "influence pre-visit decisions". The pandemic provided an opportunity for parks to communicate their managerial responses with consistency and creativity, as well as an opportunity for researchers and managers to advance the strategies and practices framework.
ABSTRACT
The service industry is hard to measure due to its characteristics which are perishability, intangibility, inseparability and variability so the service industry like the tourism industry highly relies on the guests' WOM. This research is aiming to help hotel managers in Bangkok investigate what makes a good response. Since the research is limited to the hotel industry in Bangkok. It is a remarkable way to conduct interviews with managers and tourists to gather data with a qualitative approach. The researcher conducted in-depth interviews with three managers and three tourists to collect data. Due to Covid-19 pandemic regulation, numbers of interviewees are limited;also, some interviews were conducted online by Zoom and Microsoft team. The researcher analyzed data by the classic content analysis technique. The key findings of the research are: first, the speedy managerial response has a positive impact on guests' opinion;next, response numbers have a positive effect on guests' WOM;then the manager should concentrate on both positive and negative responses;finally, relevant managerial response affects guest' points of view. Based on researcher's findings, managers should be empathy when response to guests' reviews. Putting them in the guests' shoes will make it easier to understand what problem guests have faced.
ABSTRACT
Purpose - The paper focuses on guest satisfaction and service process improvement, considering the importance of quality elements as an important factor for differentiation in the market. The purpose of this article is to identify the differences in the attitudes of domestic and foreign guests who have stayed in homestay accommodation. As part of the research, an importance-performance analysis was conducted to compare the importance of and satisfaction with quality elements among domestic and foreign guests. Design - Primary research was conducted in September 2020 in 10 counties of the Republic of Croatia. A total of 168 valid questionnaires were collected. The sample consists of guests from 17 countries who were accommodated in homestay accommodation. Methodology - For this article, importance-performance analysis (IPA) was performed and the importance of, and satisfaction with, each quality element was presented in an IPA matrix. By analysing the position of the quality elements in the matrix, it is possible to identify future strategies and improvements that need to be implemented to meet the needs of guests. Approach - The study analyses 20 quality elements in two IPA matrices, one for domestic guests, and one for foreign guests. Each matrix has four quadrants: "Concentrate here", "Keep up the good work", "Low priority" ", and "Possible overkill". Findings - The results show that there are differences between domestic and foreign guests in their perceptions of satisfaction with and importance of quality elements. The results of the conducted IPA provide guidelines for improving certain areas in the service delivery process in accordance with guest preferences. The research has several limitations, mainly the sample size and the fact that the study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Originality of the research - The results show the peculiarities of guests staying in homestay accommodation and highlight the differences in perception depending on the origin of the guests. The findings provide clear guidance for practitioners by identifying elements of service quality that are important to domestic and international guests. This provides the basis for creating services tailored to guests' needs and expectations.
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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to consider the potential of food tourism to connect local communities and strengthen the visitor economy through COVID-19 induced international visitor downfalls and reimagine New Zealand tourism. Design/methodology/approach: As a viewpoint paper, this paper is a personal and professional reflection of the relevance of food for New Zealand tourism. Findings: The three themes of community, connection and challenges identify the potential of using local communities as ambassadors to connect both local and international visitors alike with New Zealand culture. Practical implications: Findings of this paper can provide guidance for global communities on how to both mitigate a reduction in visitor arrivals while creating a foundation for future positioning as food destinations. Originality/value: There is a lack of insight into the potential of special interest tourism in reimagining a post-COVID-19 tourism landscape, and this viewpoint paper contributes through its practical and community-based approach.
ABSTRACT
Neighbourhood gastronomy, the agglomeration of restaurants and smaller eateries in residential urban areas, contributes to the lives of residents and visitors economically, culturally, and socially. Since winter 2020, neighbourhood gastronomy in Asian cities has been severely disrupted by COVID, compounded by many other long-term stressors. In urban Japan these stresses include gentrification, the aging of proprietors, urban renewal, and corporatisation of gastronomy. Empirically, this paper discusses how independent restaurants in Tokyo contribute to community life by supporting grassroots creative industries, small business opportunities, meaningful artisanal work, convivial social spaces, local cultural heritage, and a human-scale built environment. The study uses intensive single-site urban ethnography to discuss how restaurateurs face immediate and long-term crises at the community level. By using the "neighbourhood as method", a concept of sustainable neighbourhood gastronomy is developed that should be applicable in other urban contexts.
ABSTRACT
The effects of COVID-19 on tourism include a rapid growth of some consumption behavior trends, such as an urge for escapism, a desire to (re)discover minor and rural destinations, and a wish to live memorable moments. Moreover, literature and industry reports highlight the importance of contemporary demand for authenticity and experientiality. This work analyzes visitors' perceptions once in the destination, focusing in particular on small villages' gastronomic tourist offer. An exploratory study was conducted on tourists visiting Italian small villages of historical origin, the borghi, and nearby wine producers to record their perceptions and sense any significant difference. In-depth interviews were combined with participating observation to test elements from the literature on consumption behavior and identify a set of parameters, which could be applied in further studies. The results show that the borghi offer is perceived as authentic and not replicable, that wine- and foodrelated activities, often more direct and totalizing, helped the visitors to connect with the destination;thus, gastronomic tourism can represent a valuable asset in the sustainable development of the minor communities. Nevertheless, destination competitiveness is the result of an interplay of multiple factors and on top of the experiences offered (prerequisite of the tourist activity) additional aspects have to be considered in order to properly enhance small villages' tourist offer.
ABSTRACT
Theme parks feature different themes such as films and stories. They often socialize their patrons before they visit, which makes them an ideal context for exploring customer organizational socialization's influences. Considering the challenges theme parks face after the COVID-19, customer citizenship behavior, which is a kind of discretionary, spontaneous, and positive behavior towards the theme parks, is strongly suggested. This study aims to examine the relationship between customer organizational socialization and CCB towards organizations (CCB-O), employees (CCB-E), and other customers (CCB-C). Based on affective events theory, an integrated model is proposed with customer delight and affective commitment as the mediating factors. It is empirically tested on a sample of 413theme park visitors in Shanghai Disneyland and Ningbo Fantawild theme parks. Covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) and bootstrapping methods through SPSS 25 and Mplus 8 are adopted as the key analytical techniques. The results reveal: (1) Customer organizational socialization positively influences all three targetbased CCB. It has the strongest total effect on CCB-O, and the weakest total effect on CCB-C. (2) Both customer delight and affective commitment play a mediating role in the relationship between customer organizational socialization and CCB. The affective commitment however is found to play a more critical role than customer delight. Specifically, customer delight does not mediate the effect of customer organizational socialization on CCB-E or CCB-C, while affective commitment mediates the relationships between customer organizational socialization and all three types of CCB. (3) Customer delight and affective commitment have different chain mediating effects between customer organizational socialization and different types of CCB. This study offers some theoretical contributions. First, this study enriched customer research by introducing theories from the organizational behavior field, and further highlighted customers' role as"partial employees". Second, this study explored the mechanism of customer organizational socialization on CCB at both emotional and attitudinal levels. The results in part challenged previous research that suggested customer delight is the core outcome of the theme park experience. Third, this study extended the application of affective events theory to customer research in the theme park context. The research findings are also insightful for theme park managers. First, various strategies can be taken to enhance customer organizational socialization. Successful theme parks always possess themes that have laid a good market foundation. Their visitors thereby absorb the knowledge before they visit the park, and are likely to do good things for the park. Second, ways to enhance customer delight and affective commitment, especially affective commitment, should be developed in theme parks, so that more CCB can be encouraged and help to alleviate the cost of running theme parks.
ABSTRACT
The first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 was associated with an "anthropause" in many industries, initially reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other negative anthropogenic influences. However, outdoor recreation has exploded in popularity in response to closures of indoor recreation options, increased free time, and/or increased levels of stress. We tested for the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sale of fishing licenses in Wisconsin and on vehicle counts that were observed at public lake access points in Vilas County, Wisconsin, in 2020. In the summer of 2020, fishing license sales in Wisconsin, USA, increased, particularly among first-time license purchasers for whom cumulative sales in 2020 increased by 71% and 35% compared with the previous 5-year average for Wisconsin residents and nonresidents, respectively. Changes in the vehicle counts at lake access points in the summer of 2020 varied considerably by lake. However, lakes with greater proportions of public shoreline experienced pandemic-associated increases in lake visitors. Our results suggest that the distribution of recreational fishing effort in Wisconsin changed during the pandemic, potentially placing additional harvest pressures on hot spot inland lakes.
ABSTRACT
During the COVID-19 pandemic, informal learning environments (ILEs) were forced to move programming online for the safety of staff and visitors. The Big Astronomy Project responded to the pandemic by releasing a planetarium show as a virtual YouTube 360 stream. This project was also utilized in the late stages of the pandemic in-person at planetarium theaters, offering an opportunity for comparison between two modalities of showing a planetarium program. In general, ILEs often have a clear ambition to spark interest and support existing interest in order to support continued engagement after a visit. We use the four-phase interest model to characterize and compare audience's prior interest levels between a virtual and in-person environment. We used focus groups and interviews with audience members consisting of 46 individuals across the 2 modalities. We found that the individuals who watched the show virtually tended toward later phases of interest compared to those who watched the show in-person. We also explore how different audiences rated their level of interest. Based on these results we suggest that the virtual and in-person activities may need to be targeted to different audience interest levels.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: COVID-19 plunged tourism off the cliff in New Zealand. What did this mean for the country, how did we respond and what is the future? Design/methodology/approach: This is a personal account, reflecting on my thoughts and experiences as Chief Executive of Tourism Industry Aotearoa. Findings: It is a challenging time to try to predict the future given all the remaining COVID-19-related uncertainties. But there are a number of consistencies that will frame the revival of tourism in New Zealand, when international visitors do return. Government, industry and the community will all look to shape the future of tourism, and it is essential we take a balanced score card approach, building back better with a focus on value. However, we must never forget the customer, who may well have the biggest influence. Research limitations/implications: No specific research was completed for this article-it relies on the author's industry experience. Originality/value: We can only have a successful tourism future in Aotearoa if we deliver a broad range of quality products and services that enable us to meet the promise of an economically, socially, culturally and environmentally sustainable destination. The author's message is to focus on providing customer value in order to achieve that future. It is simple as that.