ABSTRACT
Over the past decades, 360-degree virtual tours have been used to provide the public access to accurate representations of cultural heritage sites and museums. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to a rise in the popularity of virtual tours as a means of engaging with locations remotely and has raised an interesting question: How could we use such experiences to bring the public closer to locations that are otherwise unreachable in real life or not considered to be tourist destinations? In this study, we examine the effectiveness of promoting engagement with a city through the virtual presentation of unknown and possibly also inaccessible points of interest through a 360-degree panoramic virtual tour. The evaluation of the experience with 31 users through an online questionnaire confirms its potential to spark curiosity, promote engagement, foster reflection, and motivate users to explore the location and its attractions at their leisure, thus enabling them to experience it from their personal point of view. The outcomes highlight the need for further research to explore this potential and identify best practices for virtual experience design. © 2023 by the authors.
ABSTRACT
Since the last decade, urban heritage tourism has picked up pace in India, specifically through the proliferation of heritage walks. Diversified in their modes of exploration and themes, these walks contribute towards increased awareness and appreciation of cultural heritage. As society reels under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and socio-political problems, heritage walks can become a tool to address issues within the restructured tourism practices. Discussions on sustainable heritage practices in Europe foreground the role that heritage walks play in promoting resilience, responsibility and a sense of shared heritage through the active engagement of various stakeholders. It follows that the digital space offers new opportunities for a more participatory cultural consumption model. Taking cues from Europe and Germany in particular, this study discusses innovative possibilities for inclusive urban heritage tourism practices that integrate urban regeneration, heritage sustainability and community well-being. © 2022 Shraddha Bhatawadekar and Mrinal Pande.
ABSTRACT
Tourism strategies implemented all over the world have often been demonstrably far from sustainable. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and its dramatic effects on the tourism sector worldwide present a unique transformative opportunity to reframe tourism in more sustainable ways. This article uses qualitative research methods and ethnography to advance knowledge on the impacts, both positive and negative, of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism and heritage sites, as perceived by local stakeholders living and/or working at six popular heritage destinations in Sub-Saharan Africa, located in Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa. The article discusses ways to rethink heritage-based tourism strategies more sustainably, according to the viewpoint of the research participants, and identifies new emerging tourism opportunities triggered by the pandemic, cutting across different local contexts to highlight more widely generalisable research findings. Identified strategies include diversifying tourism products at heritage sites;improving tourism marketing, visitors' experience, and infrastructures;fostering more inclusive, co-operative, and integrated tourism and heritage management systems;increasing awareness of local resources while promoting ecotourism and responsible travel;and supporting economic diversification and local entrepreneurship. © 2023 by the authors.
ABSTRACT
Heritage tourism has attracted attention academically and in the industry. We study how preference for heritage tourism is motivated by individuals' need to belong, which varies as a result of differential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In two studies, we measure this natural manipulation of need to belong and study its impact in a quasi-experimental manner. We find that need to belong affects preference for heritage tourism through its effect on nostalgic feeling. Individuals with higher need to belong have higher state nostalgia and prefer heritage tourism that may help satisfy their nostalgic yearning. In addition, we identify the moderating role of trait nostalgia proneness. Individuals who are more nostalgia-prone are more susceptible to this need-to-belong effect. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Tea culture tourism is a product of the combination of agricultural tourism and ecotourism. After the COVID-19 period, this product is more and more popular. Tourism performance is an important index for measuring the development level of tourist destinations, and research on the influencing factors of tourism performance is an important way to promote the high-quality development of tea culture tourism. Using the tea tourism town of Wushan as a case study, 452 valid questionnaires were used as research data, and exploratory factor analysis, paired sample t-test and IPA analysis were applied. The results indicate that: (1) tourism performance is mainly divided into 5 dimensions and 22 specific indicators, including service quality, resource environment, tourism transportation, tourism-supporting facilities and tea tourism products;(2) there is a significant difference between the degree of importance and performance of visitors to each indicator, and the overall tourism performance of the case sites at an average level;(3) convenient service, professional service, business management, park traffic, parking conditions, environmental design, shopping environment, tea quality, and tea culture characteristics are potential advantageous factors, and ‘service with a smile', accessibility, trail layout, overall image, air quality, natural scenery, landscape vignettes, network communication, public toilets, sanitation facilities, tourist service centers, tea travel activities, and tourism souvenirs are areas in need of improvement. © 2023 by the authors.
ABSTRACT
The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), founded in 1852 and stemming from the Great Exhibition of 1851, had a mission to educate the public, designers, manufacturers and the public about art and design. Organizations like the V&A were intended to be initially funded from the proceeds of the Great Exhibition. But how did this funding model change with time? This teaching case study about the V&A makes a comparison between its pre- and post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) business model (BM), aiming to map historic V&A value creation and value capture for visitors and stakeholders, while examining the underlying causes and effects of BM changes.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: In this viewpoint, the theme editors provide an overview of the theme issue that aims to address the role of rural tourism in supporting the wellbeing and socio-economic development of local stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach: The paper covers different facets of rural tourism in promoting the socio-economic development of rural communities. Specifically, the articles in this issue capture the nuances of how local stakeholders in rural tourism in different geographical regions use various strategies to promote the well-being and socio-economic development of local communities. Findings: The papers in this theme issue demonstrate the potential role of rural tourism in promoting the socio-economic development of rural communities. These papers make an important contribution to the theory and practice of rural tourism by providing in-depth insight into the recovery and growth strategies adopted by stakeholders in diverse rural tourism destinations, especially in the wake of turbulent times such as the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. These papers suggest frameworks for further research and provide case studies of innovation and adaptation. Originality/value: This theme issue analyses stories of innovation, adaptation, and growth of rural tourism in various destinations that presented the industry with unique challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion provides some lessons and charts direction for the industry. The significance is greater when stakeholders of rural tourism and policymakers view rural tourism as an engine for the recovery and growth of the rural and national economy. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.
ABSTRACT
Ethiopia is the home of many tourist sites. Among these is Lalibela, one of the most famous and most visited World Heritage Sites. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism industry was severely affected. Thus, the main objective of the study is to investigate the impacts and solutions for the prevalence of COVID-19 at the holy land of Lalibela, the World Heritage Site. The study followed descriptive research design. The target population of the study were the local communities, religious fathers, local tourist guides, culture and tourism experts and hotel workers. The research was conducted through non-probability sampling techniques. Convenience sampling and purposive sampling methods were used. The results illustrate that economic impacts, social impacts and psychological impacts were major issues that COVID-19 has caused for the Holy Land of Lalibela, the World Heritage Site. As per the findings, mechanisms to overcome the effects of COVID-19 on the community and the tourism sector include promotion, giving attention to sustainable follow up, developing new products, facing the challenges of seasonality and applying the rules and regulations approved by the World Health Organization. Thus, the tourism and hospitality stakeholders in the area need to strongly integrate and give attention to minimise the effect of COVID-19 on the tourism industry at Lalibela.
ABSTRACT
An analysis of the potentiality of the heritage of the destination Holguin for industrial tourism is presented. The applied methodology was descriptive-qualitative research through analysis and synthesis, historical-logical study, induction-deduction, participant observation, and the interview applied to destination researchers, in order to inquire about the experiences in industrial tourism. Therefore, a tour was made of the most important elements of the industrial heritage in Europe and America and then entered that of Cuba and in particular one of its destinations: Holguin, has singularities related with respect to tangible and intangible industrial heritage of great significance that trace a future in research on industrial tourism, an opportunity to develop tourism post-COVID-19 pandemic.
ABSTRACT
Purpose - In this viewpoint, the theme editors provide an overview of the theme issue that aims to address the role of rural tourism in supporting the wellbeing and socio-economic development of local stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach - The paper covers different facets of rural tourism in promoting the socioeconomic development of rural communities. Specifically, the articles in this issue capture the nuances of how local stakeholders in rural tourism in different geographical regions use various strategies to promote the wellbeing and socio-economic development of local communities. Findings - The papers in this theme issue demonstrate the potential role of rural tourism in promoting the socio-economic development of rural communities. These papers make an important contribution to the theory and practice of rural tourism by providing in-depth insight into the recovery and growth strategies adopted by stakeholders in diverse rural tourism destinations, especially in the wake of turbulent times such as the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. These papers suggest frameworks for further research and provide case studies of innovation and adaptation. Originality/value - This theme issue analyses stories of innovation, adaptation, and growth of rural tourism in various destinations that presented the industry with unique challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion provides some lessons and charts direction for the industry. The significance is greater when stakeholders of rural tourism and policymakers view rural tourism as an engine for the recovery and growth of the rural and national economy.
ABSTRACT
This paper explores how tourists’ loyalty toward South Africa’s cultural heritage tourism sites has been sustained amid COVID-19 pandemic. The data were collected from 25 conveniently sampled tourists’ narratives at the KwaBulawayo Cultural Centre and Ondini Cultural Centre and Museum and were merged with the reviewed literature and the theoretical framework. It was revealed that the theory of planned behaviour is highly suitable to predict the manner in which a specific social group responds to a phenomenological reality. Review of literature and findings of the study indicate interconnectedness between destination branding and sustainable tourist loyalty. It was also clear that factors associated with cultural heritage tourism sites such as image, essence, nostalgic consumption, recommendations, actual visits, and revisits are influenced by internal and external factors. For instance, sustainable tourist loyalty to cultural heritage tourism sites amid COVID-19 has been attributed to satisfactory service, tourist-destination emotional and nostalgic attachment, and unique offerings. These attributes enhance socio-cultural and economic development of cultural heritage tourism sites and local communities. However, sustainable tourist loyalty may be derailed by disparities in terms of spatial capacity. Destination positioning is considered as a viable strategy by which tourist loyalty amid hazardous global crisis can be attained © 2022 AJHTL /Author(s) ;Open Access – Online @ www.ajhtl.com
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to explain the development of tourists' pro-social intentions during heritage tourism within the pandemic context by combining the norm activation model (NAM) and two significant variables in the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The quantitative data analysis results indicated that the proposed hypotheses have been partially supported, which resonated and enriched the existing studies on COVID-19-related pro-social tourism and tourist behaviors from a theoretical angle. Based on the research outcomes, the corresponding managerial implications for heritage tourism practitioners and meaningful references for future researchers to promote sustainable and pro-social heritage tourism products have been discussed.
ABSTRACT
Tourism based on intangible cultural heritage (ICH) has been gaining prominence within current tourism practices, and also in tourism studies. In this sense, this bibliometric study aims to characterize the production and publications in Ibero-American tourism journals in order to determine the advances and gaps in research on ICH. Fifty-nine articles from 12 tourism journals were analyzed. The findings reveal that, although cultural heritage tourism is a global trend, the publications analyzed here do not reflect this. Regional publications honour their geographical scope both in the origin of their authors and in the topics covered, which gives this work a purely regional perspective. There is no marked tendency for publications or authors to engage in systematic research and publication on ICH in its relationship with tourism. Brazil and Spain stand out as the most prolific countries in terms of the number of authors and affiliate institutions, and issues related to the tourist use of heritage, heritage education and the impacts of tourism are also prominent. These results allow researchers in tourism or ICH to locate specialized articles on Ibero-America and editors of regional tourism journals to recognize the lack of articles on ICH, as well as the need to publish in English to gain visibility. Future research should incorporate post-COVID-19 recovery within a sustainable approach to tourism use of the ICH.
ABSTRACT
Although many efforts have been made, still mass tourism is intense in Greece and is prevailing. The factors that explain the development of this form of tourism are the natural environment, the cultural wealth, the good climate, the kind hospitality and the rich history. This type of tourism has been greatly analyzed in previous studies, but nowadays yet another negative impact can be added to the list. COVID-19 protocols of social distancing require the reinvention of tourism as a niche market and not as a mass activity. The very recent adoption of a new legal framework concerning recreational diving activities in Greece has generated an increased demand for the development of diving tourism in the country. From a policy of restriction to the permission of recreational diving, the process of valorizing, representing and managing underwater archaeological heritage in Greece has been a recent development. The emphasis is on capitalizing on culture and heritage while at the same time appealing to a new target market. The paper explores the health and hygiene protocols of COVID-19 as they can be applied to the diving market which was already hygiene sensitive and thus demonstrates maturity in the enforcement of such protocols. The paper acknowledges and emphasizes the importance of taping into underwater cultural heritage as an extra asset for the Greek tourism market. Offer innovative ways of observation and interaction with the underwater cultural heritage of Greece can include land observatories and simulated diving experiences and create a framework for experiencing underwater cultural heritage while at the same time respecting and following new COVID-19 protocols. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
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This chapter examines the symbiosis of heritage conservation and tourism development at a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) cultural heritage site, one of the most popular touristic sites in Vietnam. Bui, Le and Jones present findings derived from a longitudinal study over 5 years spanning before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (from 2016 to 2020). Although Hoi An has dramatically benefited from mass tourism, the excessive increase in visitor numbers and concentration in the core heritage zone of the city has negatively impacted the economic wealth of the residents of the ancient town. COVID-19 halted the development of tourism, which attracts attention to the overdependence of the city on tourism, and offers an opportunity for administrators to rethink and revise Hoi An's existing tourism policies.
ABSTRACT
The present research tries to explain the reality of the double model of tourism existing in the Islas Baleares (Spain): on the one hand, sustainable tourism, ecotourism, cultural and historical tourism;on the other, massified tourism, tourism based on nightlife that generates a large number of problems and negative side effects, having Mallorca town of Calvià as epicenter. Bearing in mind that the Islas Baleares tourism sector is facing a period of great uncertainty and crisis as a result of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the confinement decreed by the Spanish government for approximately three months, the challenges, problems, and issues of the activity at present place the sector at a true turning point. © 2021, Universidad de Los Andes. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Tourism was a constantly growing industry until the halt brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. In cities, its negative impact was increasing, with significant cases of overcrowding. COVID-19 has emerged as an exceptional disruptive stage, yet it is also an opportunity to abandon the rush towards unsustainability. This study is a critical analysis of tourism, looking at the most appropriate post-pandemic perspective for urban cultural tourism, based on sustainability and leaving aside the search for profit as the ultimate goal. The main objective is to make proposals for an alternative paradigm. This is a theoretical paper that draws on a literature review of 180 works of scientific reference. Complementarily, information published by the media is accessed and direct observation is carried out as fieldwork. Proposals are made on limiting the number of visitors, improving guided visits, tourist routes, experiential tourism, and virtual tours. We also propose a new centralised tourism governance and regulation of private agents. Therefore, the present text is of interest for public representatives working in the field of urban tourism. © 2021 Asociacion de Geografos Espanoles. All rights reserved.