Consumer Habits of Domestic Tourists in Croatia: Motivation, Behavioural Intentions and Cocreation of Tourist Experience

The economy of the Republic of Croatia is dependent on the tourism industry. The current crisis in the global tourism market, caused by the Covid 19 pandemic, has highlighted the impor-tance of the domestic market for the survival of tourism and the Croatian economy as a whole. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to determine the consumer habits of domestic tourists, fo-cusing on the characteristics of travel, motivation and behavioural intentions and co-creation of the tourist experience to better understand the behaviour of tourists. The paper is based on an empirical study conducted on a sample of domestic tourists. The research results show that the majority of tourists organize their own travel and that the main source of information for them is the Internet. The most common reasons for traveling are rest and relaxation, fun and new experiences. Using cluster analysis, three segments of domestic tourists were identified (Youth, Couples and Families with Children), and differences were found among them in terms of travel characteristics, travel motivation, behavioural intentions, degree of tourists' involvement in travel preparation, and degree of co-creation of the tourist experience. The paper contributes to the understanding of motives and behavioural patterns of domestic tourists. The research findings can be used by marketing manag-ers in travel agencies and tourist destinations to better address the needs of domestic tourists.

Rights awareness and COVID-19 tourism job losses: perspectives from Malaysia

This qualitative study applies the labour market segmentation theory to examine tourism job losses through the indirect causes of pay cuts, unpaid leave and the take-up of side hustle–accepted by the employees partly from loyalty, camaraderie and empathy. Where the prolonged hardship from these measures leads to resignations, employers gain from the avoidance of termination benefits mandated by a retrenchment exercise. The losses occasioned to the worker include the non-eligibility for state-funded wage subsidy and foregone termination benefits. Through a legal analysis of COVID-19 job losses, the study posits that tourism workers' lack of rights awareness contributed to the voluntary acceptance of these lawful but detrimental strategies. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Determinants for food service market segmentation and contemporary consumers' behaviours amid the Covid-19 pandemic

PurposeThis study aims to draw attention to consumers' behaviours which are changing on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, provide an understanding of the factors influencing these behaviours and emphasise their importance in building contemporary business models for the restaurant industry. The article is a case study of the Polish restaurant sector based on a comparison with the worldwide literature.Design/methodology/approachA study of the current literature on the subject pertaining to the issues discussed, an analysis of them, mainly by examining trade reports, with a special focus on the following databases (BDL GUS, CBOS, IGGP PKD) and foreign references, as well as Internet sources, using the systematic (structured) literature review (SLR) method. The authors searched the databases between May 2020 and May 2022, paying attention to the following keywords: COVID-19, consumer behaviours, food services, market segmentation, Poland.FindingsThe analysis allowed the authors to identify the most important factors influencing consumer behaviour under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. This in turn enabled them to verify a hypothesis concerning the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumers' behaviours on the food service market. Results from an analysis of trade reports and from a literature review confirm the hypothesis proposed, leading to the conclusion that the contemporary reality in Poland currently requires businesses to continuously monitor consumers' behaviours in a turbulent and uncertain environment.Research limitations/implicationsThe systematic identification of changes taking place in consumers' behaviours will make it possible to adapt a portfolio of services to changes observed in this regard.Practical implicationsThe analysis conducted by the authors in 2021 to examine trends in consumer behaviours proved that changes affecting their thinking were undoubtedly accelerated by the pandemic of a contagious disease – COVID-19.Originality/valueSome consumer trends that appear to be a response to limits and restrictions may be observed for a longer period of time. Therefore, those restaurant owners who want to successfully go through the stage of adaptation to the new reality will have to focus, in the short term, on actions designed to identify their customers' needs and expectations anew and tailor their business models and offer accordingly.

Why do Japanese people visit hot springs during a pandemic? A psychographic segmentation analysis. (Special Issue: Covid-19 and outdoor recreation.)

An increasing number of tourism studies are focusing on travel anxiety, fear, and worry, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explored the impact of worry on individuals' intentions to visit Japanese hot springs (onsen) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A market survey (N = 1042) was conducted in Tokyo. Psychographic segmentation based on exploratory factor analysis was used to group Japanese respondents. Three separate segments emerged as a result: Concerned Visitors, Carefree Visitors, and Trusting Visitors;these segments were based on perceived threat intensity, perceived infectability, response efficacy, self-efficacy, and crowded perception and attitude. These segments were then profiled using factors based on demographic information and visit intention under three criteria: (a) without external travel incentives, (b) with an attractive travel package, or (c) discounts provided by the national Go to Travel campaign. Both attractive package prices and discounts provided by Go to Travel had a small effect on boosting visit intention. Notably, a carefree attitude toward COVID-19 did not increase visit intention and should not be considered a factor that may increase the number of people visiting onsen. Meanwhile, marital status and household composition significantly impacted intention to visit. The segments differed significantly by age, marital status, and family composition, but not gender.

Relationship sustainability-store equity across segments of retail customers

PurposeThe study of sustainability in retail has experienced an exponential interest in recent years as a result of greater awareness on the part of consumers of the negative effects of the current way of producing and consuming on society and the environment. This work examines the heterogeneous evaluation based on behavioural variables in retail trade and how consumer perceptions towards sustainable practices implemented in stores can influence the overall store equity.Design/methodology/approachThe authors propose a theoretical model based on the literature, tested through a mixed regression model in a sample of 510 customers of food retail establishments.FindingsThe dimensions of sustainability are postulated as driving forces of brand equity towards the retail establishment. Specifically, social sustainability shows a greater impact on consumer perception, being the main factor in the development of the store's brand equity. Furthermore, the analysis of unobserved heterogeneity identifies three latent classes in which the effects of perceptions on sustainable retail activities vary across consumer segments.Originality/valueThe study analyses in a single model the effect of sustainability dimensions on store equity from the consumer's perspective, analysing the differences between these relationships as a consequence of the unobserved heterogeneity of consumers.

Hotel Dream - reinventing the segmentation, targeting and positioning for resilience

Hospitality is a hugely influential industry in the world whose revenue generation is mainly driven by service quality and the customer experience. After the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which shattered many sectors, the hospitality industry is resuming its business but it faces a major hurdle in servicing its customers whose current concern is safety and a contactless experience. This case presents the challenges faced by a budget hotel, the 'Hotel Dream', located in the heart of Madurai city which is known for its tourism in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The hotel offers a wide range of amenities and caters primarily for transient customers. However, to match the demand post-pandemic the managing director of the hotel must choose the most appropriate segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP) strategy in order to improve the prospects of the hotel in terms of its service product, target customers and positioning in the market.

Use of Customers' Satisfaction Survey to Segment the Tourism Market

Nowadays, in the tourism sector forms are focusing more and more on satisfying customers. Nevertheless, the special restrictions applied to reduce the risk and level of contagion of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in some establishments (e.g. hotels, restaurants, coffee shops) could modify the customers' level of satisfaction. For this reason, this case study proposes using a survey of customers' satisfaction to identify potential differences that may serve as segmentation criteria. Then, this case study helps students to better understand the importance of market segmentation and introduces them to the statistical methods and tools necessary to implement the corresponding business' marketing strategies.

Efficiency dynamics across segmented Bitcoin Markets: Evidence from a decomposition strategy

Heterogeneity in informational inefficiency in a cross-market virtual currency, such as Bitcoin, allows for the extraction of differential gains from a portfolio of investments over time. In this paper, we measure inefficiency in five country/region segmented Bitcoin markets based on dynamic estimation of the fractional integration order of their price series. Results reveal a time-varying and country-specific pattern of inefficiency in the five Bitcoin markets, although the degree of inefficiency in each market has declined over time. Further, we introduce a new decomposition method to disentangle components of the inefficiency degree. Results suggest that the total variation around the convergence benchmark has fallen, whilst the proportion due to the difference between convergence and efficiency has risen from approximately 77% in 2013 to almost 100% in 2020. Besides, evidence of convergence emerges until the outbreak of COVID-19, beyond which the inefficiency degree diverges measurably. We show that Bitcoin markets have become more efficient after the first-wave COVID era and then the nature of market segmentation has played a less important role, levelling the cross-market difference and thus reducing the potential for arbitrage. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

Going solo during the pandemic: a generational segmentation of solo female travellers

This paper is driven both by a growing appetite for solo female travel;as well as a knowledge gap in the market and literature. The aim is to identify generational differences in women's solo travel motivations, characterize the generational differences in their preferred destination attributes, and ascertain any generational differences in their perceived inhibiting factors to travelling solo post the COVID-19 pandemic. By using the push–pull framework theory as the overarching framework, a survey was administered and 1576 responses from experienced solo female travellers were analysed. The findings revealed the different generations of solo female travellers and their distinctive travel needs (push factor/motivation, pull factor/destination preference, and inhibiting factors/risk & constraint) during the COVID pandemic. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

The Great Resignation in the United States: A Study of Labor Market Segmentation

During 2021 and 2022, many news media outlets have reported that millions of workers in the United States have been quitting their jobs in record numbers. In a global economy rebounding from the economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 outbreak and demanding more workers, a high rate of resignations has exacerbated labor shortages and may be aggravating unemployment and underemployment rates if many workers are not participating at all in the labor force or only working part time. Many reasons have been offered to explain this ‘Great Resignation' including high day care costs for working parents that may in turn be causing the trend of lower female labor force participation;the supposed ‘liberating' experience of not working at all or to work from home instead of having to work from one's usual work place during the Covid-19 quarantine/lockdown periods;stagnant/low wages and greater job tenure uncertainty which make working less attractive and more stressful;and the feeling by many of not wanting to work further for bad bosses or management who create bad work environments so that resignation becomes a means of escape from such conditions. This article analyses data of US labor trends since 2003 and demonstrates that resignations have been trending upward in the US aggregate economy and that quit rates mostly have been trending higher within many US industries. These phenomena can be explained by the concept of labor market segmentation, high unemployment, and underemployment rates that exist even in good economic times in some industries, minority group composition within industries, wage stagnation, and type of managerial supervision. Some of these same factors help to explain labor under-utilization greater than national/aggregate rates within these industries as well. © 2023 The Association for Social Economics.

Efficiency Dynamics across Segmented Bitcoin Markets: Evidence from a Decomposition Strategy

Heterogeneity in informational inefficiency in a cross-market virtual currency, such as Bitcoin, allows for the extraction of differential gains from a portfolio of investments over time. In this paper, we measure inefficiency in five country/region segmented Bitcoin markets based on dynamic estimation of the fractional integration order of their price series. Results reveal a time-varying and country-specific pattern of inefficiency in the five Bitcoin markets, although the degree of inefficiency in each market has declined over time. Further, we introduce a new decomposition method to disentangle components of the inefficiency degree. Results suggest that the total variation around the convergence benchmark has fallen, whilst the proportion due to the difference between convergence and efficiency has risen from approximately 77% in 2013 to almost 100% in 2020. Besides, evidence of convergence emerges until the outbreak of COVID-19, beyond which the inefficiency degree diverges measurably. We show that Bitcoin markets have become more efficient after the first-wave COVID era and then the nature of market segmentation has played a less important role, levelling the cross-market difference and thus reducing the potential for arbitrage.

Delineating the South African domestic tourist's behaviour amid a crisis: A psychographic segmentation approach

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic forced transformational thinking regarding resilience and sustainability strategies to ensure the future of the tourism industry. Domestic tourism is predicted to recover first, emphasising the importance of profiling crisis-induced domestic tourist behaviour through market segmentation. Purpose: The research was conducted from a developing country perspective focusing on South African domestic tourists. A multi-psychographic segmentation approach was applied. Based on South Africa's marketing and media profile, perceived risk factors induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and the perceived safety of domestic travel and tourism activity, domestic tourists were profiled. Methods: An online questionnaire was employed from 2020 to 2021, and 427 responses were included in the analysis. Exploratory Factor analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were performed to identify the segments based on the identified factors. Results: Four discernible domestic tourist segments emerged: Psychocentric, Traditional idealist, Apprehensive and Despondent domestic tourists. Each segment differed significantly based on their rating of the segmentation bases;thus delineating the heterogeneity of domestic tourist behaviour amid a crisis. The results show that a generic marketing approach is not feasible for domestic tourism in South Africa. Conclusion: It is vital to understand domestic tourist behaviour during a crisis to project and manage it proactively. This research addresses this urgent need. Marketing the country to South Africans requires dynamic and distinguished marketing efforts based on the perceptions of domestic tourists.

Problems in Li Ning's Strategy and Countermeasures

Opportunities and challenges flood in at the same time in the general context of the advance of the times and the ever-changing economic situation, especially in the era of sluggish economic recovery since the pandemic. Li Ning, a Chinese brand, stood up to upcoming dares and seized the moment, and has always been one step ahead of competitors. This paper, starting with the general environment faced by Li Ning, dissected progress made by the company in virtue of market segmentation, interpreted the basis for its strategic decision with SWOT analysis method, raised effective and feasible strategic decision-making, and offered the corresponding countermeasures to make up for its deficiencies, thereby availing its growth and enabling it to sustain current position among other local competitors. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Essential? COVID-19 and highly educated Africans in Finland's segmented labour market

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to characterise the position of highly educated African migrants in the Finnish labour market and to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on that position.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on the biographical work stories of 17 highly educated African migrant workers in four occupation areas in Finland: healthcare, cleaning, restaurant and transport. The sample was partly purposively and partly theoretically determined. The authors used content driven thematic analysis technique, combined with by the biographical narrative concept of turning points.FindingsUsing the case of highly educated African migrants in the Finnish labour market, the authors show how student migration policies reinforce a pattern of division of labour and occupations that allocate migrant workers to typical low skilled low status occupations in the secondary sector regardless of level of education, qualification and work experience. They also show how the unique labour and skill demands of the COVID-19 pandemic incidentally made these typical migrant occupations essential, resulting in increased employment and work security for this group of migrant workers.Research limitations/implicationsThis research and the authors' findings are limited in scope owing to sample size and methodology. To improve applicability of findings, future studies could expand the scope of enquiry using e.g. quantitative surveys and include other stakeholders in the study group.Originality/valueThe paper adds to the knowledge on how migration policies contribute to labour market dualisation and occupational segmentation in Finland, illustrated by the case of highly educated African migrant workers.

Woman and Migrant in Covid-19 Times: The Situation of Venezuelan Women in Peru

This article analyses the work experiences of Venezuelan migrant women in the Peruvian labour market in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, beginning in March 2020, and the Peruvian state's ensuing public health measures. We argue that the Venezuelan case in Peru presents another example of how migration places women in labour positions that are segmented by gender and migrant status. Likewise, we find that a by-product of the economic crisis caused by the pandemic, is that women are further marginalized from the labour market because of their gender.

Immigrant Legal Status among Essential Frontline Workers in the United States during the COVID-19 Pandemic Era

Emerging evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has extracted a substantial toll on immigrant communities in the United States, due in part to increased potential risk of exposure for immigrants to COVID-19 in the workplace. In this article, we use federal guidance on which industries in the United States were designated essential during the COVID-19 pandemic, information about the ability to work remotely, and data from the 2019 American Community Survey to estimate the distribution of essential frontline workers by nativity and immigrant legal status. Central to our analysis is a proxy measure of working in the primary or secondary sector of the segmented labor market. Our results indicate that a larger proportion of foreign-born workers are essential frontline workers compared to native-born workers and that 70 percent of unauthorized immigrant workers are essential frontline workers. Disparities in essential frontline worker status are most pronounced for unauthorized immigrant workers and native-born workers in the secondary sector of the labor market. These results suggest that larger proportions of foreign-born workers, and especially unauthorized immigrant workers, face greater risk of potential exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace than native-born workers. Social determinants of health such as lack of access to health insurance and living in overcrowded housing indicate that unauthorized immigrant essential frontline workers may be more vulnerable to poor health outcomes related to COVID-19 than other groups of essential frontline workers. These findings help to provide a plausible explanation for why COVID-19 mortality rates for immigrants are higher than mortality rates for native-born residents.

Determinants for food service market segmentation and contemporary consumers’ behaviours amid the Covid-19 pandemic

Purpose This study aims to draw attention to consumers' behaviours which are changing on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, provide an understanding of the factors influencing these behaviours and emphasise their importance in building contemporary business models for the restaurant industry. The article is a case study of the Polish restaurant sector based on a comparison with the worldwide literature. Design/methodology/approach A study of the current literature on the subject pertaining to the issues discussed, an analysis of them, mainly by examining trade reports, with a special focus on the following databases (BDL GUS, CBOS, IGGP PKD) and foreign references, as well as Internet sources, using the systematic (structured) literature review (SLR) method. The authors searched the databases between May 2020 and May 2022, paying attention to the following keywords: COVID-19, consumer behaviours, food services, market segmentation, Poland. Findings The analysis allowed the authors to identify the most important factors influencing consumer behaviour under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. This in turn enabled them to verify a hypothesis concerning the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumers' behaviours on the food service market. Results from an analysis of trade reports and from a literature review confirm the hypothesis proposed, leading to the conclusion that the contemporary reality in Poland currently requires businesses to continuously monitor consumers' behaviours in a turbulent and uncertain environment. Research limitations/implications The systematic identification of changes taking place in consumers' behaviours will make it possible to adapt a portfolio of services to changes observed in this regard. Practical implications The analysis conducted by the authors in 2021 to examine trends in consumer behaviours proved that changes affecting their thinking were undoubtedly accelerated by the pandemic of a contagious disease - COVID-19. Originality/value Some consumer trends that appear to be a response to limits and restrictions may be observed for a longer period of time. Therefore, those restaurant owners who want to successfully go through the stage of adaptation to the new reality will have to focus, in the short term, on actions designed to identify their customers' needs and expectations anew and tailor their business models and offer accordingly.

Modelling lifestyle-based segments of Indian wine consumers using the latent profile analysis approach

Purpose This study aims to identify and validate the different clusters of wine consumers in India based on the wine-related lifestyle (WRL) instrument. It also investigates how the identified clusters differ in terms of socio-demographic characteristics, such as age, gender, income, education, employment and marital status. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a survey using a structured questionnaire to collect data from wine consumers in India. The number of participants totalled to 432. The authors first identified the clusters using latent profile analysis. The authors then used the decision tree analysis based on a recursive partitioning algorithm to validate the clusters. Finally, the authors analysed the relationship between the identified clusters and socio-demographic characteristics using correspondence analysis. Findings Three distinct segments emerged after data were subjected to latent profile analysis, namely, curious, ritualistic and casual. The authors found that the curious cluster had a high mean score for situational and social consumption while the ritualistic cluster had a high mean for ritualistic consumption. The findings also suggest that the casual cluster had more female wine consumers. Originality/value This study makes methodological contributions to the wine consumer segmentation approach. First, it adopts a latent profile analysis to profile Indian wine consumers. Second, it validates the obtained clusters using the decision tree analysis method. Third, it analyses the relationship between the identified clusters and socio-demographic variables using correspondence analysis, a technique far superior to the Chi-square methods.

Identifying Aspects Contributing to Live Theatre Ticket Purchases of South African Students

The sustainability of live theatre has become a great concern for the future of the arts due to a decline in live theatre ticket sales, ageing markets, and the now more recent closures and/or limitations on theatre activities during the global COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure the future sustainability of live theatre, live theatre producers and marketers are obligated to explore new/underutilised market segments and identify the aspects that contribute to the purchasing of live theatre tickets of each identified market segment. The student market is one market segment, currently in a phase of their lives where they are open to new experiences and have more freedom of choice on what they spend their money on compared to high school learners. However, the student market segment is not prioritising live theatre as one of their preferred social activities and also, very few live theatre productions are presented specifically with this market segment in mind. This article therefore aims to identify aspects contributing to live theatre ticket purchases of South African students between the ages of 18 and 24. Using a convenient sampling technique, 601 questionnaires were collected from students enrolled at two tertiary education institutions in South Africa. The results revealed eight (8) factors: Family/Socialising, Marketing, Genre and Style, Production Compilation, Explicit Content, Personal Comfort, Monetary facets, Leisure Experience. From these results, Monetary facets was rated as the most contributing aspect to live theatre ticket purchases. From previous studies, this aspect has also been identified but not as the most contributing aspect. The findings of this study contribute to the gap in student purchase behaviour literature and more specifically, to literature pertaining to South African students as a live theatre market segment. The results of this study will enable live theatre producers and marketers to create theatre productions that attract and encourage live theatre attendance of this particular market. © 2022. AJHTL /Author(s) ;Open Access – Online @ www.ajhtl.com

Market Segmentation in the Film Industry Based on Genre Preference: the Case of Millennials

One of the industries that has been hit the most by the Covid-19 is the film industry. Practitioners and experts in the field are in need to better understand the changed consumers and their new behaviour so that they can adequately communicate with them. The population segment which attracts the most attention are the Millennials due to the fact they have a high level of self-interest, they mix streaming services, and their purchase intention building is much slower compared to other generations. This study aimed to propose a segmentation approach in the film industry based on genre preference. To verify the proposed approach, an online survey on consumer habits and attitudes towards different elements of film marketing mix was conducted at the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown in Serbia. Upon that, biclustering algorithm was employed to segment the respondents. Finally, similarities and differences between retained segments were explored, which provided insights on which elements of film (elements of product, Word of Mouth, Frequency of consumption, and elements of promotion) respondents pay attention to based on their genre preference. The observed similarities and differences led to the creation of tailored communication strategies for each segment, which could improve the effectiveness of marketing activities in the film industry during the Covid-19 era, and could be extended in the post-Covid era. © 2022, Kauno Technologijos Universitetas.