Tour. Hosp., Volume 4, Issue 2 (June 2023) – 10 articles

Overtourism has become a critical problem in many popular destinations around the world, leading to negative impacts on the environment, local communities, and the quality of the visitor experience. This article explores the potential of the metaverse, a virtual world that combines elements of augmented reality and virtual reality, and other new digital technologies for addressing the challenges of overtourism. Drawing on a systematic literature review of recent studies, the currently available technologies are listed, and their potential implications for the tourism industry and local communities are portrayed. It was found that while there is some evidence to suggest that the metaverse and its associated digital technologies such as the extended realities/XR (virtual reality/VR, augmented reality/AR, mixed reality/MR), can help mitigate overtourism, further research is necessary to investigate their effectiveness in reducing overtourism and their potential unintended consequences. This article makes an original contribution to overtourism research and adds to existing knowledge by providing a practical list of currently available technologies that could help DMOs and tourism professionals mitigate the negative effects of overtourism. The article concludes with suggestions for future research and practice in the field, highlighting the importance of continued exploration and innovation in this area. Full article

Local communities face a double-edged sword when it comes to tourism development; their attitude directly influences tourism growth and helps spread the word within the community. The local community is increasingly affected socioeconomically by tourism development, which results in the development of attitudes (both positive and negative) based on the perceived effects. This study aimed to investigate the effects of tourism and local support for tourism development in a national park in western Serbia. The data were gathered from locals (580) who reside in the municipality where the national park belongs. Based on their own experiences and their belief that tourism can preserve natural and cultural resources and protect them for future generations, the Tara National Park community was found to favor further tourism development. They disagree that problems would arise from factors often associated with increasing tourism, such as traffic, price increases, or pollution. This study was carried out during the pandemic crisis, which is seen as a paradigm shift in the travel and tourism sectors and offers an opportunity to do better and continue operating in a more sustainable way. Therefore, we propose that these findings be taken into account when developing sustainable tourist management strategies, particularly in national parks and other protected places while respecting the needs and rights of the local people. Full article

Inclusive tourism is a specialized branch of tourism emphasizing the inclusion of the disabled, who otherwise could not participate in tourism, despite having wealth to spend for leisure and recreation. There exists a research gap in analyzing scope of geotourism in this context. Disabilities affecting access to geosites affect geotourism since most of the geosites all over the world are situated in difficult terrain from the stand point of accessibility. It is inclusive tourism, also called accessible tourism, that facilities the consumers to reach the desired destinations. The present study assesses such destinations in Ajodhya hills, located in West Bengal, India, a geotourist’s paradise in terms of rarity and diversity, aesthetic appeal, and cultural value. The study derives an accessibility–attraction model to identify inclusive tourism planning priorities from tourism marketing perspectives. Extensive field work followed by the application of qualitative methods of data analysis yield results dedicated to sustainable geotourism development. The discussion reveals the scope of developing specific facilities, using GIS, which encourage physically challenged people to visit geosites and simultaneously fulfil the objective of guiding planners and policy makers to identify and develop more suitable sites for introducing inclusive tourism facilities. Full article

Battlefield tourism is an increasingly popular form of travel, where visitors seek to connect with history and cultural heritage by exploring locations famous for their battles. Battle tourism is found in different places, specifically, those involved in ancient world battles. Research has shown that battle tourism has a significant impact on local economies as visitors spend money in hotels, restaurants, and shops. It has also proven to be an effective tool for education, allowing visitors to learn about history in an interactive and exciting manner. However, there are also concerns about the impact of battle tourism on historic sites and how cultural sensitivity is managed. Our research discusses battle tourism, including its economic and educational impacts, as well as the challenges and opportunities in managing tourism at these historic sites. In addition, it discusses how battlefield tourism relates to other types of historical tourism and how visitors’ experiences in these places can be enhanced. With these objectives, the main success stories referenced in the academic bibliography have been analyzed from a systematic review conducted using the PRISMA methodology. Full article

Rural culinary tourism is a growing sector in European tourism and is a key resource for rural development, in particular in Southern Europe. The boom of the sector that followed the COVID-19 pandemic, however, poses important questions concerning the actual capacity of local actors to grasp this opportunity. The paper investigates the main trends in rural tourism in Southern Europe and the specific educational needs entrepreneurs express based on extensive research conducted in seven Southern European countries (France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey) within the Erasmus + project “The European Network for the Promotion of Culinary and Proximity Tourism in Rural Areas” in 2022. Specifically, the research was conducted through focus group discussions with professionals and stakeholders of the project carried out in the target countries involving 76 respondents. Based on the data collected, this paper indicates a way forward for the new gastronomes to understand this sector and invest their professionality in it. Full article

Visitor management is one way to avoid or mitigate the negative effects of overcrowding in tourism destinations. Visitor management depends upon a set of interventions aimed at guiding visitors and recommending alternatives. Here, we present a conceptual framework of such interventions using an escalation from information, nudging, pricing, and reservation to stoppage (INPReS). The interventions are discussed against the backdrop of the changing role of destination management organisations (DMOs) in smart destinations, the challenges to DMO stewardship in avoiding overcrowding, and the design considerations between nudging and persuasion. Full article

Outdoor recreation is one of the most widely recognized ecosystem services provided by forests and grasslands in the world. This paper examined the influence of factors not related to landscape values, such as ethnicity and gasoline prices, on individual participation in outdoor recreation in the southeastern region of the U.S. The model results showed that there were no significant (p > 0.05) differences between the race groups (Caucasians and non-Caucasians) for participation in the different activities either between racial groups or among National Forest (NF). This may be due to the very high proportion of Caucasian participants in the study. The results also revealed that travel costs negatively influence the number of NF visits. The number of NF visits decreases if the gasoline price increases by 20% and more. The results of this study have practical importance for different entities such as stakeholders, tourism operators, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, and local authorities. Full article

Big data (BD) analytics play a key role in helping hotel firms gain competitive advantages and achieve superior performance. The purpose of this study was to determine which factors encourage the use of big data analytics (BDA) by hotel firms and the impact of BDA on hotel firms’ performance. Understanding the impacts of big data analytics in the hotel sector is important to help hotel managers use big data for creating business value by increasing hotel performance. A research model was developed and tested with data collected through a questionnaire sent to hotel managers in a European country and analysed with PLS. The results indicate that organisational readiness and competitive pressure encourage the use of BDA through the mediating role of top management support. The findings also indicate that the use of BDA can create business value by increasing the main dimensions of hotel performance: financial performance, customer retention rate, and hotel reputation. Full article

A global pandemic can provide new opportunities and challenges for the tourism industry. When most entertainment events and recreation activities were canceled or postponed during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, many operators introduced online offerings, such as virtual tours and streaming services. These factors, along with the public’s fear of catching the virus, have prompted significant changes in consumers’ spending behaviors within the tourism industry. This study interviewed 22 US-based consumers about their spending experiences in the arts, entertainment, and recreation sectors, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings indicate that the critical shaping factors of consumers’ behaviors in tourism include safety measures, social environment, consumers’ desire to resume enjoyment, and digital offerings. We further propose a revised theory of planned behavior that considers various external and contextual factors, based on the findings. The implications for managerial practice are also discussed. Full article

This research explores the concept of placemaking in the context of sports events tourism, using the case study of the 2019 Rugby World Cup hosted in Japan. The study investigates how host cities used liminoid spaces between transport hubs and stadiums to create a festive atmosphere and articulate the identity of the place itself. Employing a novel ethnographic methodology centred around walking and participatory methods, the researcher occupied a dual tourist-researcher role, immersing himself in the liminoid space. Findings suggest that the use of such spaces was innovative and successful in creating a sense of place and developing a festive atmosphere through which visitors moved. However, the study acknowledges that these strategies may not be applicable to all sports events and that the direct experiences of visitors through ethnographic methods do not allow for empirical claims about the success of strategies or their longitudinal effects. Nevertheless, the study highlights the potential of placemaking in the periphery of sports events to enhance the visitor experience and promote the identity of the host destination. Full article