Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7060163

Authors: Sinh Hoang Nguyen

Culinary tourism is increasingly conceptualized as a strategic domain of destination competitiveness, in which gastronomic experiences serve as mechanisms for cultural representation and localized value creation. However, existing research remains fragmented in explaining how multidimensional culinary motivations translate into specific consumption behaviors, particularly in emerging destinations. Addressing this gap, this study develops and tests a motivation–behavior linkage framework grounded in push–pull motivation theory, conceptualizing culinary motivations as heterogeneous drivers with differential effects on intention to purchase local food. A sequential mixed-methods design was employed, beginning with an initial qualitative phase to refine measurement constructs, followed by a quantitative survey of 396 domestic tourists with prior culinary experience in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. Data were analyzed using reliability assessment, exploratory factor analysis, and multiple regression modeling. The findings reveal a differentiated structure of influence: cultural experience, sensory appeal, and health concerns significantly enhance purchase intention, with cultural experience and sensory appeal emerging as the most influential predictors. In contrast, interpersonal and prestige motivations are non-significant, indicating that experiential and functional values outweigh social-symbolic drivers in this context. The study contributes by advancing push–pull theory through a behavior-specific, mechanism-based linkage; identifying context-dependent boundary conditions in an emerging destination; and refining culinary motivation by distinguishing experiential–functional from social-symbolic drivers. These insights inform more targeted strategies for promoting local food consumption and sustainable culinary tourism development.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7060162

Authors: Chandan Singh Zakir Hossen Shaikh Bibhu Prasad Sahoo Nitin Mishra Akash Gupta Mohit Anand Shrivastava Ankit Kumar Garg

The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent to which tourists appreciate sustainable tourism and what effect eco-friendly practices have on the decision-making process of selecting a hotel. Through the use of large-scale analysis of online reviews of hotels and the application of sentiment analysis techniques, the research investigates the impact of environmental factors (e.g., energy usage reduction, minimising waste, and promoting nature experiences) on customer perspectives and decision-making processes for lodging. This research adopts an approach that utilises machine-learning-based sentiment analysis as its source of understanding. The results of this research demonstrate that while more individuals are becoming aware of sustainable tourism, sustainability often plays a secondary role in determining whether or not to stay at a specific hotel compared to lodging attributes such as comfort, price, and quality service. Based upon these findings, this research indicates that while many tourists value sustainable tourism and make an effort to choose eco-friendly lodging establishments, the influence of sustainability on tourists’ lodging decisions is not as strong as other attributes. These results indicate important implications for hotel managers that will help them balance environmental stewardship with a competitive stance.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7060161

Authors: Kazım Dağ Sinan Çavuşoğlu

This research focuses on the effects of online destination brand experience on destination brand authenticity, destination brand engagement, and external search behavior and behavioral intention. It also investigates the mediating effect of destination brand authenticity on the relationship between online destination brand experience and destination brand engagement. The research population consisted of visitors who had experienced the Zeugma and Gaziantep cultural tourism destinations. The Smart PLS (Partial Least Squares) statistical program was used for data analysis. The analysis results showed that online destination brand experience positively affected destination brand authenticity and destination brand engagement. Destination brand engagement influenced external search behavior and behavioral intention positively. However, the findings revealed that the social engagement dimension of destination brand engagement did not have a significant effect on external search behavior. Furthermore, the effect of the cognitive engagement dimension on behavioral intention was also insignificant. Finally, it was found that destination brand authenticity partially mediated the relationship between online destination brand experience and destination brand engagement.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7060160

Authors: Mira Zovko Luka Valožić Lidija Srnec Ivana Havrle Kozarić Sara Ivasić

Small Mediterranean islands relying on the sun–sea–sand (3S) tourism model face growing climate risks that threaten their tourism-dependent economies. This study evaluates climate suitability for 3S tourism on the Island of Vis by integrating the Climate Index for Tourism (CIT) with land- use and land-cover (LU/LC) spatial analysis. The integration is operationalized by overlaying CIT-derived seasonal suitability windows with LU/LC-based spatial vulnerability maps, enabling identification of micro-zones where natural buffers (forest cover and elevation) can offset thermal discomfort during peak heat stress periods. Observed data reveals declining ideal 3S conditions from July to October, with the island already exceeding 50 days per year of Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) above 35.1 °C, increasing by 0.7 days per year. Regional climate models tend to exhibit a cold bias over small Adriatic islands, largely related to their limited spatial horizontal resolution (12.5 km grid spacing). However, they robustly reproduce the direction of recent and projected warming trends. Future projections indicate that the annual number of strong heat stress days with PET above 35.1 °C increase from approximately one per year in the reference period to six under RCP4.5 and nine under RCP8.5, with both scenarios reducing ideal peak-summer conditions while extending favorable periods into transitional seasons. Spatial analysis shows that coastal zones have higher sealed surfaces and less forest cover, reducing natural shade and cooling capacity, while the island interior offers higher elevations, forest buffers, hiking trails, and a UNESCO Global Geopark. Drawing on social–ecological resilience theory, we conceptualize the island’s tourism system as an adaptive unit whose long-term viability depends on spatially diversified resource use and temporally extended seasonality. The integrated analytical framework identifies not only when conditions deteriorate but where alternative tourism resources exist, enabling more targeted adaptation planning and supporting diversification toward outdoor tourism forms. The novelty of this study lies in the systematic spatial integration of bioclimatic suitability assessments (CIT and PET) with LU/LC analysis at the micro-island scale. Such an approach moves beyond temporally focused climate–tourism indices to produce actionable, location-specific adaptation strategies.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7060159

Authors: Predrag Tošić Bojana Kalenjuk Pivarski Velibor Ivanović Stefan Šmugović Dragana Novaković Tamara Stošić Sofija Vujasinović

This paper explores the importance of local food in tourism development in the Republic of Srpska by analyzing the perceptions of hospitality employees in relation to the characteristics of the food service establishments in which they work. The aim of this study is to determine how local food influences tourism development and whether such effects are conditioned by specific factors. Although previous studies have extensively examined local food through the lens of consumer behavior, there remains a significant research gap regarding the internal perspective of hospitality employees as co-creators of the gastronomic experience. This study addresses that gap by applying Social Exchange Theory (SET) to explain how employees’ perceptions of economic, social, and environmental benefits shape their willingness to support the integration of local food. By placing employees at the center of the analysis, the paper provides insight into the mechanisms through which authentic ingredients are transformed into symbolic capital and strengthen destination identity. In this context, the analytical Local Food model was adapted and applied to a sample of 480 respondents, evenly distributed across the mesoregions of the Republic of Srpska. Using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), three key dimensions of influence were identified—economic, environmental, and social. In addition, independent-samples t-tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) confirmed that employees’ perceptions vary significantly depending on the production capacity of the establishments, whereas the type and location of the establishments were not identified as significant determinants of these differences. The findings further indicate that the intensity of these factors varies according to location, production capacity, and ownership type, while other characteristics of the hospitality establishments in which the respondents were employed were not found to be significant. A strong interrelationship among the identified factors was confirmed, with the social factor emerging as the most dominant. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of local food in strengthening the tourism attractiveness and sustainability of the hospitality sector in the Republic of Srpska.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7060158

Authors: Miguel Fuentes-Collado Miguel Ángel Alcaide-Sillero Paula C. Ferreira-Gomes David Algaba-Navarro

In this study, the researchers aim to analyse the motivations of active golf tourists in Spain using the AFE-CFA-Cluster methodology. To this end, a survey was conducted in Spain amongst 381 players, both in person and online, who stated that they had undertaken one golf trip at least once in their lives. The survey consisted of three sections of questions: the first concerned preferences regarding both the destination and the golf courses; the second comprised 20 questions relating to motivations, divided into five categories: business opportunities, financial benefits, escape and relaxation, learning and challenge, and social interaction and camaraderie; and, finally, the third section focused on socio-demographic aspects. The results obtained from the exploratory factor analysis, which were subsequently confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis, revealed the composition of four motivational constructs: business opportunity, financial savings, escape and relaxation, and learning and challenge, resulting in a total of five homogeneous groups of golf tourists: experiential golfers, wellness-oriented golfers, multifunctional golfers, low-involvement golfers and learning-oriented golfers. These results may be useful for companies in the sector and marketing managers in defining the various existing segments of golf tourists and applying specific marketing strategies for each.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7060157

Authors: Zhanar Dulatbekova Kuralay Tukibayeva

The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented disruption to global tourism, exposing the structural vulnerability of tourism-dependent economies and leading to a sharp decline in international mobility. This study examines post-pandemic tourism recovery in Kazakhstan, focusing on the association between travel expenditure and tourism demand, and on regional disparities in recovery patterns. The empirical strategy combines time-series econometric modelling, infrastructure index construction, and regional cluster analysis. Using annual data for 2000–2023, a parsimonious autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model is applied to estimate both short-run dynamics and long-run relationships. The results show a positive and statistically significant association between tourism demand and travel expenditure, supporting the interpretation of expenditure-related recovery dynamics. They also indicate persistence in demand and a significant negative association with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) shock. The error correction mechanism indicates rapid adjustment toward long-run equilibrium. Infrastructure and regional analyses highlight substantial post-pandemic capacity expansion alongside pronounced spatial disparities, with activity concentrated in major urban centres. The findings suggest that recovery is closely associated with demand-side dynamics and accompanied by persistent structural and regional constraints, highlighting the need for coordinated policies that combine demand stimulation, infrastructure development, and balanced regional growth.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7060156

Authors: A. Azwardi M. Shabri Abd. Majid A. Apridar Taufiq C. Dawood

Tourism is an important driver of regional development, yet its benefits remain uneven across destinations despite continued infrastructure investment. This study examines how economic infrastructure affects domestic tourism performance across Indonesian provinces and whether destination risk moderates this relationship. Using a balanced panel of 34 provinces from 2018 to 2024, the study applies a panel ARDL–PMG approach to distinguish short-run adjustments from long-run equilibrium effects. Domestic tourism performance is measured by domestic tourist trips and average domestic tourist expenditure per trip. Economic infrastructure is represented by energy infrastructure, transport infrastructure, and basic digital access, while destination risk is captured through crime and corruption indicators. Inflation and the COVID-19 shock are included as control variables. The findings show that infrastructure improves domestic tourism performance mainly in the long run, with limited short-run effects. However, these benefits are not uniform. Higher levels of crime and corruption weaken the positive effects of infrastructure on both tourist volume and expenditure. The study contributes to tourism and hospitality research by showing that the infrastructure–tourism relationship is dynamic, conditional, and institutionally embedded. The findings imply that infrastructure development should be accompanied by stronger public safety, governance quality, and sustainable destination management.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7060155

Authors: Pedro Fernández Carrasco Clara Matutano Molina Alicia García Galiana

This study evaluates the potential of motorhome tourism to catalyze socioeconomic development in rural municipalities of southeastern Spain (provinces of Jaén, Granada, and Almería). Addressing the critical challenge of rural depopulation in “Empty Spain” (España Vaciada), the research employs a mixed-methods approach covering the period 2022–2024. The methodology is centered on a two-tier empirical design: (i) a provincial-level analysis of eight municipalities, and (ii) an in-depth case study of Vélez-Blanco. A fundamental component of the research was the direct ethnographic validation and field audit conducted by the Fernández-Dutto family during an extensive journey from March to September 2025. By staying two to three nights at each location, the researchers performed in situ assessments of infrastructure quality and bioclimatic efficiency, providing a primary “ground-truth” dataset. These observations calibrate the longitudinal data obtained from the National Statistics Institute (INE) and digital platforms, which were utilized strictly as secondary screening tools for site selection. The results indicate statistically significant correlations between infrastructure quality, proximity to heritage attractions, and increases in local tourism-related expenditure. The study highlights how experiential fieldwork captures nuances in traveler behavior and site functionality that official records often overlook. The paper concludes by identifying strategic investment opportunities, specifically recommending the development of a motorhome service area in the municipality of María (María-Los Vélez area). This intervention is proposed as a vital catalyst to complete the regional tourism circuit and foster economic resilience in the heart of Almería’s rural landscape.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7060154

Authors: Stefanos Balaskas Kyriakos Komis

Digital nomads blur the boundaries between tourism, work, and temporary residence, yet little is known about how local businesses interpret this ambiguous population. This study examines how Greek SMEs classify digital nomads and how these classifications shape perceived business benefits and harms, support for protective policy guardrails, and firm-level adaptation intentions. Using survey data from 747 SME owner-managers and managers in tourism-linked and adjacent sectors, the study tests an integrated framework with PLS-SEM and multi-group analysis. The findings show that SME responses are interpretive rather than automatic. Residency-Based Visitor Beliefs positively predicted support for protective policy guardrails (β = 0.334, p < 0.001), but did not directly predict adaptation intentions. Perceived Touristness positively predicted both guardrail support (β = 0.110, p < 0.001) and adaptation intentions (β = 0.181, p < 0.001). Perceived Business Benefits was the strongest predictor of adaptation intentions (β = 0.390, p < 0.001), while Perceived Business Harms also increased both guardrail support (β = 0.175, p < 0.001) and adaptation intentions (β = 0.310, p < 0.001). Mediation results showed that the effects of Residency-Based Visitor Beliefs on adaptation were fully transmitted through benefits and harms, whereas Perceived Touristness operated indirectly only through harms. Multi-group analysis further revealed significant heterogeneity across firm size, years in operation, and tourism dependence. The study contributes to digital nomad and tourism research by introducing a business-side classification perspective and by linking classification, evaluation, and response in a single model. Overall, the findings show that whether digital nomads are classified as tourists by businesses has measurable implications for regulatory preferences and market adaptation.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7060153

Authors: Can Olgun Brijesh Thapa

This study investigates how parasocial interactions with travel influencers shape consumer–brand identification and purchase intention within hospitality-related virtual communities. Grounded in social influence theory and the literature on parasocial interaction, the study examines the mediating roles of perceived information quality and a sense of belonging in influencer-led digital environments. Data were collected from 940 consumers and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The findings demonstrate that parasocial interaction significantly enhances perceived information quality and consumers’ sense of belonging to influencer-led virtual communities, thereby strengthening consumer–brand identification and purchase intention. The results further suggest that influencer-led social environments function not only as promotional channels but also as psychologically meaningful communities that shape consumer perceptions and behavioral outcomes. By integrating parasocial interaction, virtual community belonging, and consumer–brand identification within a hospitality context, this study contributes to the growing literature on influencer marketing and digital consumer behavior.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7060152

Authors: Cátia Rodrigues Alexandra Lavaredas Paulo Almeida

Tourist guides remain understudied in tourism workforce research, particularly regarding the conditions shaping satisfaction and career retention. This study examines how cultural tourism itinerary characteristics are associated with tourist guides’ job satisfaction and career retention intentions. Data were collected through a convenience sample survey of 127 active tourist guides in Portugal. Grounded in the Job Satisfaction Survey and the Theory of Planned Behaviour frameworks, the study utilised exploratory factor analysis and multiple linear regression to analyse the data. Results indicate positive associations between itinerary characteristics, job satisfaction and career retention intentions, with Components (accommodation, meals, accessibility) and Sustainability emerging as the strongest predictors. These findings extend the Job Demands–Resources model to a supervisory-free work context and highlight itinerary design as a previously underexplored human resource management mechanism shaping workforce outcomes in tourism, with implications for tour operators, destination managers and policymakers.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7060151

Authors: Vilma Trigoso-Guevara Kasandra Lisset Torres-Cortez Fiorely Margoth Peralta-Córdova Joel Cruz-Tarrillo Robin Alexander Diaz-Saavedra

Despite growing interest in destination branding, empirical evidence is still limited in explaining how brand personality influences tourist behavior mediated by integrated aspects. This study addresses this research gap by proposing and testing a structural model that considers the mediating role of tourist experience, authenticity, and trust in the relationship between brand personality and tourist behavior. The methodology used was quantitative and causal–correlational, using structural equation modeling and a sample of 514 Peruvian tourists selected through non-probabilistic convenience sampling. The results show that brand personality significantly influences tourist experience and destination authenticity, while its direct effect on trust is weak. In addition, experience positively influences trust and authenticity. Significantly, authenticity and experience show direct and positive effects on tourist behavior, while trust has a negative effect. These findings contribute to the advancement of the literature by integrating a single explanatory model with experiential, cognitive, and relational variables, broadening the understanding of the indirect role of brand personality in the tourism context. From a practical standpoint, the results suggest that destination managers should focus on enhancing brand personality and authenticity.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7060150

Authors: Petra Vašaničová Kateryna Melnyk Ivan Bukrieiev Natalie Konkoľová

This study examines the perceived usefulness, perceived benefits, and acceptance of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in tourism, with a specific focus on Generation Z. Drawing on established technology acceptance frameworks, the research investigates how key perceptual factors influence the adoption of AI in travel planning and tourism services. The empirical analysis is based on a questionnaire survey conducted among 531 university students from Slovakia. The study employs factor analysis, correlation analysis, regression modeling, and non-parametric tests to explore relationships between perceived usefulness, perceived benefits, acceptance, trust, and experience with AI technologies. The results reveal strong and statistically significant relationships among all three core constructs. However, regression analysis indicates that perceived usefulness does not directly influence acceptance when perceived benefits are included, suggesting a mediating effect. Perceived benefits emerge as the strongest predictor of acceptance, emphasizing the importance of experiential value, such as efficiency, personalization, and improved decision-making. Trust in AI-generated travel information and perceptions of AI’s contribution to quality of life significantly influence all constructs. Additionally, prior experience with AI tools positively affects user attitudes. The findings suggest that AI adoption can enhance tourism competitiveness and support tourism development, provided that trust, information quality, and human–technology balance are effectively managed.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7060149

Authors: Danijel Pavlović Nina Gavrić Anđelina Marić Stanković Marija Bratić Ninoslav Golubović Mladen Ivanović

Gastronomic festivals play an important role in the development of tourist destinations by strengthening destination image, competitiveness, and visitor loyalty. This study examines how the perceived quality of the gastronomic festival Belmužijada influences visitor satisfaction, behavioral intentions (recommendation and revisit intentions), and the destination image of Svrljig. The research is based on a quantitative approach using a standardized questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS through descriptive statistics, a one-sample t-test, Pearson correlation, and regression analyses. The reliability of the measurement scales was confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The results indicate that visitors perceive Belmužijada as an authentic gastronomic experience that contributes to the preservation of local tradition and culture. The perceived quality of the gastronomic offer and festival organization has a statistically significant positive effect on visitor satisfaction, which further influences their willingness to recommend the festival. In addition, the perceived positive impact of the festival on destination image significantly affects revisit intention. The findings highlight the importance of gastronomic festivals in shaping destination image and fostering visitor loyalty, particularly in rural and less developed tourism areas.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7060148

Authors: Maria Magdalini Karalazarou Evangelos Christou Chryssoula Chatzigeorgiou Ioanna Simeli

Digital technologies are reshaping how tourists and hospitality consumers search for, personalize, interpret, and share experiences. This study examines customer value co-creation (VCC) as a mechanism linking digital-age participation with consumer outcomes in tourism and hospitality. A PRISMA 2020-guided meta-analysis was conducted using Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, and Hospitality & Tourism Complete. Forty peer-reviewed studies met the eligibility criteria. Random-effects models synthesized unadjusted correlations between VCC and its main antecedents and outcomes. VCC was positively associated with customer engagement, perceived innovation, and sustainability/CSR-related perceptions. On the outcome side, the strongest and most mature associations were observed for satisfaction (r = 0.64), loyalty (r = 0.61), and perceived value (r = 0.52). Extended outcomes, including experience evaluations, well-being, image, and equity-related indicators, were also positive on average but less empirically mature. High heterogeneity and wide prediction intervals show that VCC is better understood as a context-dependent mechanism rather than a universally strong predictor. Exploratory evidence suggests that digitally intensive service environments may strengthen the VCC–loyalty association. Although the evidence base is not cultural-tourism-specific, the findings are relevant to cultural and heritage settings where digital touchpoints can support interpretation, perceived authenticity, symbolic meaning, and post-visit advocacy.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7060147

Authors: Beth A. Wielde Heidelberg

When a community is thrust into the spotlight due to a tragic event or has a reputation given to it by folklore, it joins the pantheon of dark tourism destinations. Tourists will visit these infamous places regardless of how residents and the local government feel about visitors coming to explore their local tragedy, especially when the community is still rebuilding or grieving. Local governments must decide how they will handle this interest in their community, while protecting and providing service to their residents. This study investigates the frequency of dark tourism being integrated into long-range urban planning document to manage, or possibly enhance, dark tourism in their community.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7060146

Authors: Trevor Shenal Anton Ka Leong Chong Alexander Trupp Marcus L. Stephenson

This study examines smart technology adoption in foodservice microbusinesses by moving beyond intention-based explanations to examine how adoption and post-adoption unfold in practice. Hospitality technology research has largely emphasised attitudes and behavioural intentions, offering limited insight into how technologies become embedded in everyday operations, particularly in resource-constrained microbusiness contexts. Focusing on foodservice microbusinesses in Malaysia, this study goes beyond pre-adoption intention and examines the nuances of actual technology implementation, guided by adaptive training as the central adoption-enabling mechanism. Using an action research approach, this study implemented a one-month adaptive training intervention that enabled operators to engage in hands-on, experiential learning within their own business environments. The findings uniquely indicate that technology adoption is shaped by capability asymmetry, with differences in technological literacy, prior experience, and resources producing varied adoption pathways. These differences were addressed through adaptive training that aligned the pace and intensity of learning with operators’ capabilities. This study also identifies specialist mediation as a key mechanism supporting adoption, as guidance from a knowledgeable intermediary reduced complexity, facilitated learning, and enabled the transfer of trust. The findings suggest that smart technology adoption in microbusiness settings is not only a matter of intention but also a situated learning process shaped by unequal capabilities, adaptive training, and specialist-guided trust formation.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050145

Authors: Asma Alomaym Rosniza Aznie Che Rose Rosmiza Mohd Zainol

Tourism education is central to human capital development under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, yet the extent to which curricula align with emerging industry requirements remains underexplored, particularly in developing economy contexts. This qualitative study examines student and faculty perspectives on curriculum alignment at the University of Ha’il’s Tourism and Antiquities Department. Twenty participants were purposively recruited and interviewed; data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings reveal four interconnected challenges: a persistent theory–practice gap sustained by lecture-based pedagogies, insufficient integration of digital and smart tourism technologies, weak industry–academia partnerships, and structural barriers to interdisciplinary collaboration. In response, this study proposes an interdisciplinary integration model structured around five domains: digital technology, sustainability and environment, business and entrepreneurship, cultural and creative industries, and social sciences and community engagement. The model provides a progressive framework for cross-departmental collaboration and represents the study’s primary practical contribution. Theoretically, the study demonstrates that curriculum misalignment operates through mutually reinforcing institutional constraints rather than discrete correctable deficits. Recommendations address curriculum reform, technology investment, structured partnership development, and administrative conditions enabling interdisciplinary implementation.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050144

Authors: Erdogan Ekiz Berislav Andrlić Kashif Hussain

Service failures remain inevitable in tourism and hospitality, yet complaint behavior is often suppressed, particularly in non-routine, time-bound travel contexts. The Tourist Complaint Constraints (TCC) framework explains this silence through five tourism-specific constraints. However, it does not explicitly account for how platform-based and AI-mediated service environments reshape post-failure behavior. This paper revisits TCC and introduces TCC 2.0, a conceptual extension that reframes complaint constraints as structurally generated within platform-mediated recovery architectures. Drawing on justice theory and emerging research on AI-enabled service systems, the framework positions distributive, procedural, and interactional justice as central mediators linking complaint constraints to behavioral outcomes. It further incorporates platform/AI process constraints and algorithmic trust constraints as additional structural dimensions, while identifying recovery channel and failure magnitude as boundary conditions. A key contribution is the concept of platform-mediated silence, defined as a structurally induced form of non-complaining behavior shaped by constrained agency and recovery system design rather than satisfaction. The paper advances a set of propositions to guide empirical testing and future scale development in AI-mediated tourism contexts. By extending complaint behavior theory into digitally mediated service environments, TCC 2.0 offers a foundation for understanding how platform architectures shape customer voice, silence, and post-failure responses.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050143

Authors: Mariana Inácio Marques João Caldeira Heitor Alexandra O’Neill

Mauritius, as a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), depends heavily on tourism and is therefore exposed to external shocks; this study examines how the sector’s performance and value capture evolved from 2010 to 2025, with particular attention to the COVID-19 disruption and subsequent recovery. The analysis uses only secondary data, combining arrivals and source-market breakdowns published by the Ministry of Tourism with the monthly series of gross tourism earnings released by the Bank of Mauritius. Trends and seasonality are described for both arrivals and earnings, and three indicators are derived to support interpretation: revenue per arrival (as a proxy for value capture), the intensity of seasonality, and the concentration of source markets. The results document the magnitude of the pandemic-related break, trace the timing of the rebound, and show how value capture and market concentration shifted between the pre- and post-COVID periods. The paper concludes by discussing the implications for resilience in island destinations, highlighting the need for diversification and higher-value positioning, and proposing a replicable monitoring approach that can be updated as new official data become available.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050142

Authors: Antonio Vlahov Danijela Ferjanić Hodak Danijel Mlinarić

Stakeholders in the tourism system, recognizing the importance of digitalization and the adoption of modern technological solutions, are increasingly integrating artificial intelligence into their operations, including the use of autonomous robots. These initiatives should primarily aim to enhance the customer experience by simplifying and streamlining procedures, while allowing tourism employees to devote more attention to guests. Nautical tourism is a specific form of tourism in which the Republic of Croatia is a global leader; however, it also faces a shortage of qualified staff. Marinas, as the most significant stakeholders within the nautical tourism sector, are the first to invest in the development of innovative solutions. In addition to reviewing the theoretical framework, this paper emphasizes primary research. The aim of the research was to examine the attitudes and habits of nautical tourism guests regarding the adoption of new technologies in marinas, as well as their willingness to use autonomous robots. Given the decision to develop and implement autonomous robots in business operations, the research was conducted among users of nautical services in one of the most modern nautical tourism ports in Croatia and the Mediterranean. A structured online questionnaire was used. The results indicate users’ readiness for the immediate adoption of autonomous robots in certain services, providing a direct incentive for stronger implementation of similar solutions among other stakeholders. This research also suggests that Croatia has the potential to become a technological hub for smart nautical tourism.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050141

Authors: Abdelilah Sadqaoui Mohammed Bougroum Hamid Zahir

The development of sustainable tourism in rural areas brings new challenges in terms of innovation and social inclusion. In this context, this study examines the adoption of social innovation by managers of rural guesthouses in Morocco. The objective is to identify the factors that influence their intention to adopt such practices, which may strengthen local cohesion, enhance cultural resources, and meet visitors’ expectations regarding sustainability. The analysis draws on the conceptual framework of the diffusion of innovation, which allows for the exploration of perceptions related to the relative advantage, compatibility, ease of use, visibility, and trialability of innovative practices. The research is based on a questionnaire survey conducted with a sample of 174 managers. The data collected underwent confirmatory factor analysis to validate the theoretical dimensions of the model, and were then analyzed using an ordered Logit model to account for the ordinal nature of the dependent variable measuring the intention to adopt. The empirical results indicate that several perceived factors—namely the superiority of the innovation, its economic or symbolic benefits, its cultural compatibility, its simplicity of understanding and use, and the visibility of its effects—have a significant influence. Other dimensions, such as technical compatibility or risk perception, do not show a notable effect. The study also highlights the role of education level and gender in the propensity to adopt social innovation.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050140

Authors: Henricus Kurniawan Elang Kusumo Diena M. Lemy Meitolo Hulu Johannes Kurniawan Juliana Juliana

This research examines how community support for sustainable tourism development is influenced by sustainable hospitality in protected park areas. This relationship focuses primarily on the effect of perceived eco-social performance (ESP) as an enhancement of the community’s perceived location-specific environmental attachment (CEA), leading to increased pro-sustainable tourism intentions through CEA. Despite the growing focus on sustainability within hospitality industries, there remains very little scholarly research that explores how local communities perceive sustainable hospitality practices and how these perceptions then manifest as emotional attachment, followed by behavioural support. To achieve the stated goal, researchers employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design to collect quantitative survey data from residents living in close proximity to a protected area destination, and the quantitative data were used separately to develop qualitative insights into residents’ support for sustainable tourism initiatives. Findings of this study reveal that perceived ESP significantly enhances CEA, providing an impetus for increased PSTI (via direct and indirect pathways) for communities in close proximity to a protected area destination. CEA further enhances PSTI significantly and acts as a significant mediator in the relationship between perception and behavioural support for sustainable tourism. Qualitative findings further indicate that eco-social hospitality practices fulfil the following: develop community pride; increase the sense of environmental responsibility among the community; and create opportunities for actively supporting sustainable tourism. These findings demonstrate that, while sustainable hospitality practices generate observable actions, they also create deeper psychological connections between communities and their environment. The cumulative findings from this study contribute to a greater understanding of how ESP can strategically contribute to growing the number of communities supporting sustainable tourism through the creation of CEA, thereby expanding the overall community’s intention to support sustainable tourism development.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050139

Authors: Rudy Pramono Juliana Juliana Yosep Dudedes Timba

Coffee tourism has emerged as a significant niche within community-based tourism development across the Global South, promising economic diversification and cultural preservation. Yet the human resource foundations of this sector remain under-theorized relative to those of marketing and the supply chain. This study examines the human resource challenges confronting coffee tourism development in Bajawa, Flores, Indonesia—an emerging destination strategically positioned within national tourism priorities. Drawing on qualitative research including in-depth interviews with 42 informants (coffee farmers, tourism workers, village officials, private sector facilitators, and NGO representatives), document analysis, and field observations, the study suggests that workforce sustainability in coffee tourism is undermined by three intersecting dynamics: precarious labor regimes characterized by casualization and income instability; significant skill gaps across the coffee–tourism nexus; and institutional fragmentation wherein state programs, private sector initiatives, and customary labor systems operate without coherent coordination. The findings highlight that human resource challenges are not merely technical capacity deficits but are produced through informal labor arrangements, unequal power relations, and governance fragmentation. The study contributes theoretically by extending precarity scholarship to emerging destination contexts and proposing an integrative framework linking labor regimes, competency development, and workforce sustainability.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050138

Authors: María del Pilar Puente-Martínez Ángeles Bueno-Villaverde

The transformation of the hospitality industry has increased the demand for managerial profiles capable of integrating technical, strategic, and socio-emotional competencies. However, a persistent gap remains between the competencies required by the labor market and those developed through formal education. This study aims to identify and validate the core competencies of hotel management and to translate them into a structured training proposal. A two-round Delphi study was conducted with senior hotel management experts (n = 42 in round 1; n = 32 in round 2), using a competency matrix derived from prior research. Quantitative analysis included frequency distributions, weighted scores, and consensus indicators. The results show a high level of consensus stability (3.1% disagreement), leading to a final matrix of 43 competencies organized into four dimensions: operational, interpersonal, cultural-communicative, and strategic. Interpersonal and leadership competencies emerged as the most prominent, highlighting their structural role in effective managerial performance. Based on these findings, a progressive training framework is proposed, structured around three domains (operations, leadership, and strategy) and supported by a metacognitive pathway that integrates planning, monitoring, and evaluation processes. This study contributes to the professionalization of hotel management by providing an empirically grounded competency model and a coherent framework for aligning educational programs with industry demands.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050137

Authors: Kristijan Breznik Truls Engström Mitja Gorenak

Coastal protected landscapes are increasingly becoming subject to high and diverse recreational use, creating complex challenges for balancing visitors’ experience with ecological protection. While visitor segmentation has been widely applied in tourism research, its integration with spatially differentiated management in frequently used natural areas remains limited. This study addresses this gap by examining visitor heterogeneity in a highly visited coastal protected landscape in Norway. Using survey data combined with behavioral indicators, an exploratory factor analysis identifies three core motivational dimensions: nature experience and environmental learning, social interaction and activity, and family-oriented recreation. Building on these dimensions, a cluster analysis reveals four distinct visitor typologies ranging from low-involvement to highly engaged users. The results demonstrate that visitor segments are primarily differentiated by psychographic characteristics, while socio-demographic and behavioral variables provide limited explanatory power. Importantly, the identified typologies correspond to distinct patterns of use and experiential expectations, offering a robust basis for differentiated management strategies. The findings highlight the need to move beyond uniform management approaches towards segment-specific interventions, particularly in landscapes dominated by experienced, locally based users. By linking motivational structures to spatial and managerial implications, this study contributes to advancing visitor research and provides practical insights for managing recreational pressure in protected coastal environments.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050136

Authors: Jing Zhao Songyu Jiang Jirawan Deeprasert

Theme park tourism has become a trend and brings huge profits; however, how Fantawild, a representative theme park in China, can attract tourists to return remains to be explored. Given the substantial economic value of repeat visitors for theme parks, this study focuses on revisit intention rather than general tourist behavior. Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework as the theoretical foundation, this study examines how narrative-based experiences influence visitors’ revisit intention to Fantawild as a theme park tourism destination. Data were collected from 573 visitors to Fantawild in China and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results show that storytelling does not directly influence revisit intention but instead operates through emotional resonance and satisfaction, indicating a fully mediated mechanism. Emotional resonance also indirectly affects revisit intention through satisfaction. In addition, marketing activities, fond travel memories, and IP appeal significantly enhance emotional and evaluative responses, which in turn drive revisit intention. These findings provide a clearer understanding of the affective and cognitive mechanisms underlying narrative immersion and offer practical implications for improving visitor engagement, repeat visitation, and retention in theme park tourism.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050135

Authors: Carlos Neto de Carvalho Ross Dowling

The Special Issue Geotourism: The Tourism of Geology and Landscape has brought together a diverse set of perspectives that collectively illustrate the rapid evolution of geotourism as both a research field and a practical approach to sustainable tourism development [...]

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050134

Authors: Juan Ignacio Pulido-Fernández Yaiza López-Sánchez Jairo Casado-Montilla Isabel Carrillo-Hidalgo

This study examines the relationship between sociodemographic factors and total tourist expenditure in the medium-sized UNESCO World Heritage Cities of Úbeda and Baeza, Spain. Using primary data from a structured survey of 1657 visitors, expenditure was analyzed across nine categories. The methodological approach combined descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests, and a Conditional Inference Tree (CTree) model to identify hierarchical segmentation patterns. The analysis revealed seven distinct visitor segments, with nationality as the strongest predictor, followed by employment status, income, and education. Foreign tourists, particularly retired individuals with university degrees, consistently showed higher expenditure levels, especially in accommodation and shopping. Domestic tourists displayed more heterogeneous spending profiles, influenced mainly by income and employment status. Accommodation, food, and shopping dominated expenditure structures across segments, while transport and recreation played a secondary role. By applying an interpretable CTree approach, the study uncovers interaction-based expenditure profiles that are often overlooked in conventional analyses, thereby offering a more nuanced basis for identifying high-spending tourists and informing destination management strategies.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050133

Authors: Baiba Rivza Inita Kindzule-Millere Laura Pole Sandija Zeverte-Rivza Gunta Grinberga-Zalite Ksenija Furmanova Liga Paula

Tourism is highly exposed to external shocks such as pandemics, geopolitical instability, and security-related disruptions, which particularly affect small and rural enterprises. Although digital tools are frequently discussed as mechanisms supporting tourism competitiveness under conditions of tourism disruption, consumer-centred evidence remains limited. This study examines how consumers in Latvia evaluate digital tools and which factors they associate with rural tourism competitiveness and improvement priorities. The study is guided by a conceptual framework in which digital tools function as intermediary mechanisms linking conditions of tourism disruption to rural tourism competitiveness through consumer perceptions of accessibility, convenience, and trust. A mixed-methods CATI survey (N = 1004) was conducted in February–April 2025, combining statistical analysis of closed-ended responses with thematic analysis of consumer-defined competitiveness and improvement priorities derived from open-ended questions. The results show that age is the main factor differentiating evaluations of digital tools, while regional and settlement-type differences remain weak. Online booking and digital payments are valued across all age groups, whereas tools such as virtual tours show stronger age-related variation. When discussing competitiveness, respondents most frequently refer to institutional conditions, promotion, pricing, and digital tools as key competitiveness dimensions. However, when identifying improvements, priorities shift toward diversification of tourism offers and physical accessibility. Digital tools remain important and are primarily associated with practical functions such as booking, payments, information access, and online visibility that make rural tourism offers easier to find and use. The findings highlight the growing role of digital accessibility and information transparency as foundational conditions for rural tourism competitiveness under conditions of tourism disruption and uncertainty.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050132

Authors: Miriam Edith Pérez-Romero María de la Cruz del Río-Rama José Álvarez-García Driselda Sánchez-Aguirre

This study analyzes tourist loyalty in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve by integrating affinity-based segmentation and the Forgotten Effects Theory within a fuzzy logic framework. The objective was to identify how visitor affinities condition the indirect construction of loyalty in contexts of high environmental complexity. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 316 tourists using a non-probabilistic sampling approach. Using the Pichat Algorithm and the Forgotten Effects Theory, the research captured gradual membership patterns and mediated relationships that conventional models often overlook. Results indicate that, while age, particularly Generation X, acts as a connecting axis, postgraduate education levels generate a polarization of visitor perceptions across segments. Significant forgotten effects (up to 0.30) were identified, suggesting that variables such as satisfaction, entertainment, and relaxation act as mediating mechanisms between learning, perceived value, and the intention to revisit. This study suggests that loyalty is not constructed directly but is indirectly shaped by affinity-based visitor structures. It recommends that management strategies evolve toward environmental edutainment models and that marketing efforts be diversified according to differentiated visitor profiles. These findings demonstrate the utility of fuzzy logic for the strategic management of high-value ecological destinations.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050131

Authors: Youngsun Sean Kim Bosul Yoo Danni Wang Se Jin Kim Chanho Song

Cultivating high-quality interactions between customers and employees has become a central concern for both researchers and practitioners. However, most studies have primarily centered on examining and enhancing the quality and effectiveness of direct interactions between employees and customers. Building upon social influence theory, this study diverges by investigating how interactions among employees and other customers, along with their quality, impact the service perceptions of observing customers within the social servicescape. Using a 2 × 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental design with 384 participants, this study provides the first empirical evidence that the interaction quality among other social actors in a shared service environment significantly influences the perceived customer orientation and service quality for observing customers. Hypotheses were tested using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Importantly, this effect persists even when the observing customers themselves are not directly involved in the interactions with either the service provider or the other customer. Additionally, the study uncovers a noteworthy gender difference in how individuals respond to the quality of interactions between employees and other customers. Furthermore, the findings suggest that an observing customer’s prior emotional attachment to the service provider does not significantly interact with the effects of employee-to-other customer interaction quality, indicating that the underlying expectation for interaction quality in the social servicescape remains consistent regardless of the customer’s preexisting relationship with the service provider.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050130

Authors: Md Shahzalal Sumon Mahmud Md. Soleman Mollik Mohammad Sahabuddin Zokir Mamadiyarov Mosab I. Tabash

While the adoption of e-ticketing has been studied in various disciplines, few studies have examined tourists’ intention to adopt e-ticketing for visiting small island and valley tourism sites. This study extends the Technology Acceptance Model and the Theory of Planned Behavior by incorporating security and privacy concerns, price fairness, electronic word-of-mouth, destination management effectiveness, government incentives, and environmental concern to examine the antecedents of tourists’ behavioral intention to adopt e-ticketing. Data were collected from 375 purposively sampled on-street respondents in Sajek Valley and Saint Martin’s Island, Bangladesh. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The findings show that perceived usefulness, price fairness, subjective norms, perceived ease of use, environmental concern, and destination management effectiveness affect tourists’ attitudes toward e-ticketing adoption. However, security and privacy concerns have a negative but statistically insignificant influence on attitudes. Attitude is a significant determinant of behavioral intention, and government incentives moderate the relationship between attitude and behavioral intention. The study offers implications for policymakers, online marketers, and destination managers.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050129

Authors: Iroda Mukhammadieva

This study investigates how YouTube food travel vloggers semiotically construct destination images and potentially function as informal culinary ambassadors through gastrodiplomacy mechanisms, using Uzbekistan as a case study of emerging tourism markets. Although digital content creators are increasingly recognised as shaping tourism flows, a systematic understanding of the multimodal semiotic mechanisms through which food travel vlogs construct destination meanings remains limited. Using multimodal discourse analysis, this study examines six YouTube food travel videos on Uzbekistan (over 28 million combined views) from two prominent creators. The analysis integrates Kress and van Leeuwen’s visual grammar, Halliday’s systemic functional linguistics, van Leeuwen’s sound semiotics, and Norris’s multimodal interaction analysis to code a 60-segment corpus. Comparative analysis reveals 25 notable differences in semiotic features between the two creators, identifying two distinct semiotic profiles. Vlogger 1 primarily follows a parasocial intimacy model marked by direct gaze (89.2%), frequent second-person address (78.4%), and comparatively minimal editing. In contrast, Vlogger 2 adopts a cinematic documentary model characterised by first-person narration (56.5%), constructed visuals (60.9%), and gastronomic heritage narratives (34.8%). Despite these divergences, shared conventions centred on food composition, upbeat music, positive evaluation, and sharing gestures indicate a stable semiotic grammar of food travel vlogging. Analysis further reveals that orientalist dynamics and resistance to orientalism coexist within the same representational practice phenomenon termed ‘layered orientalism’, with distinct implications for how emerging destinations are mediated to international audiences. These findings suggest that digital content creators may employ distinct semiotic strategies that could function as informal culinary ambassadors through gastrodiplomacy mechanisms, potentially constructing destination awareness and cultural meaning for international audiences. This study contributes to theory on multimodal destination image construction and offers implications for how emerging tourism destinations might leverage multi-creator strategies to build culturally grounded destination brands.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050128

Authors: Yeşim Helhel

This study examines the nonlinear, threshold-dependent relationship between financial leverage and firm performance in publicly traded tourism firms in Turkey, and investigates how this relationship has evolved under post-COVID-19 multi-shock conditions. The main aim of the research is to identify the thresholds at which borrowing becomes a source of financial vulnerability and to analyse how this process deepens under macroeconomic shocks. For this purpose, quarterly panel data covering the period from Q1 2012 to Q1 2025 for 22 tourism firms listed on Borsa Istanbul were used. Firm performance was measured through accounting-based indicators Return on Asset(ROA) and Return on Equity(ROE), and a market-based indicator (stock returns). In the empirical analysis, both the random-effects panel regression model and the endogenous-threshold panel regression methods were applied. The findings indicate that the relationship between financial leverage and performance is nonlinear, and a significant regime change occurs when the leverage ratio exceeds approximately 60–70%. In the post-COVID-19 period, both accounting-based and market-based performance indicators under high-leverage regimes became more sensitive to financial vulnerability. Additionally, the effects of the real effective exchange rate and the service sector price index on firm performance have strengthened in the post-crisis period. The study reveals that financial fragility in the tourism sector is a structural feature sensitive to thresholds and crisis regimes rather than temporary shocks. In this regard, the research highlights the limits of debt-based growth strategies and contributes to early warning mechanisms for policymakers, investors, and firm managers.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050127

Authors: María del Carmen Avendaño-Rito Sandra Nelly Leyva-Hernández Paola Miriam Arango-Ramírez Eduardo Cruz-Cruz Adrián Martínez-Vargas

Sustainable Community-Based Tourism (SCBT) has been predominantly assessed from residents’ perspectives, leaving unexplored how tourists perceive and validate community sustainability. This study analyzes the influence of three SCBT dimensions, authenticity and community empowerment, integral sustainability, and ethical co-design, on tourist experience. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), we analyzed 341 responses from Mexican tourists with experience in indigenous community destinations in Oaxaca. Results show that integral sustainability is the strongest predictor of tourist experience, followed by ethical co-design. Notably, authenticity and community empowerment exhibit a significant inverse relationship, suggesting tensions between genuine local governance and visitor expectations. These findings position tourists as external validators of SCBT and challenge the linear authenticity–experience relationship assumed in classic literature, highlighting the need for heritage interpretation strategies that mediate this interaction. The study provides evidence from underrepresented Latin American indigenous contexts, addressing theoretical and geographical gaps in sustainable tourism research.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050126

Authors: Carmen R. Santos Sofía Blanco-Moreno Ciarán Ó hAnnracháin Nuran Bayram-Arlı

The purpose of this study is to develop and propose a holistic, stage-based conceptual framework for Customer Journey Management, addressing a critical gap in the literature that lacks a diagnostic and strategic tool to analyze the full journey across all phases, particularly within the tourism sector. Using a conceptual modeling approach grounded in a systematic literature review, the study synthesizes existing theories, Service-Dominant Logic and Customer Experience Theory, to propose a new theoretical-practical model (The Pyramid Model) and a measurement tool (Questionnaire/Grid). The framework integrates cognitive, emotional, and behavioral dimensions across the pre-, during-, and post-consumption stages. A comprehensive Questionnaire/Grid systematically maps and measures the impact of critical touchpoints on customer outcomes such as satisfaction and consumer delight. The model pioneers a quantifiable diagnostic tool that translates theory into managerial action, offering service managers a clear methodology to audit journeys, allocate resources, and drive customer delight and sustainable competitive advantage.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050125

Authors: Verena Karlsdóttir

Tourism and hospitality organisations in remote, highly seasonal Arctic and sub-Arctic destinations face persistent workforce instability, multicultural team dynamics, and well-being risks that threaten service reliability and organisational continuity. Previous research has focused mainly on destination- and community-level resilience, while giving less attention to how resilience is built within tourism organisations through everyday workforce-related practices. This study examines people-centred organisational resilience through a qualitative comparative design in two northern contexts: Iceland and Finnish Lapland. The empirical material comprised semi-structured interviews in Iceland and interviews, organisational documents, and field observations in Finnish Lapland, collected in autumn 2025. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings identify four recurring resilience mechanisms: leadership under seasonal and environmental pressure; employee experience across employment phases; living conditions and belonging; and ethical governance. Here, “mechanisms” refers not simply to broad topics but to organisational processes through which recurring practices support resilience in remote, highly seasonal tourism settings. Together, these mechanisms show that resilience in remote tourism is built not only through operational flexibility or crisis response, but through people-centred organisational practices that support continuity, coordination, safety, and trust across seasons. The study contributes a workforce-centred extension of resilience theory in tourism and offers a comparative account of how these mechanisms operate across two northern tourism settings.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050124

Authors: Md Rokibul Hasan Bristy Akter Valentierrano Rezka Rizaldin Narariya Dita Handani Rianmahardhika Sahid Budiharseno

Glamping tourism has expanded rapidly as travelers increasingly seek nature-based experiences combined with comfort and privacy, particularly in the post-COVID-19 period. Online reviews provide a valuable source of insight into how guests perceive such experiential accommodation, yet large-scale, data-driven analyses of glamping sentiment remain limited. This study applies machine-learning techniques to classify customer sentiment expressed in online reviews of glamping sites in South Korea. A total of 3233 reviews were collected from ten leading glamping locations on Naver Map, cleaned, and translated from Korean to English. Sentiment labels (negative, neutral, and positive) were generated using VADER (Valence Aware Dictionary and sEntiment Reasoner), a lexicon-based sentiment scoring tool validated for short informal texts and the labeled corpus was subsequently used to train and evaluate six supervised classifiers. Six supervised classifiers—Naïve Bayes, k-Nearest Neighbors, Random Forest, Logistic Regression, Gradient Boosting, and Support Vector Machine (SVM)—were trained and evaluated through stratified ten-fold cross-validation using accuracy, AUC, F1-score, and Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC). Results indicate that SVM achieved the strongest overall discriminatory performance, particularly in identifying minority sentiment classes under substantial class imbalance. These findings suggest that automated sentiment classification holds practical potential for supporting evidence-based service monitoring and reputation management in glamping tourism, although further validation in operational settings is needed before deployment can be recommended.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050123

Authors: Eddy-Antonio Castillo-Montesdeoca Giovanni Herrera-Enríquez Danny Zambrano-Vera Diego Sande-Veiga

This study advances a configurational perspective on domestic tourism in protected areas by introducing the Applied Cultural Proximity Model (ACPM). While dominant tourism frameworks rely on causal relationships grounded in cultural distance, novelty, and outcome-based evaluation, domestic tourism remains theoretically underdeveloped despite being embedded in shared symbolic systems and cultural familiarity. To address this gap, the study conceptualizes tourism experience as a multidimensional configuration of interrelated dimensions, emphasizing patterns of covariance rather than causal relationships. The ACPM specifies six experiential domains—natural, cultural, administrative, accessibility, complementary, and communication—modeled as a system of covarying latent constructs within culturally proximate contexts. A sequential exploratory mixed-methods design was employed. The qualitative phase supported construct specification, and the quantitative phase analyzed data from 1113 domestic tourists visiting Cotopaxi National Park using Confirmatory Factor Analysis and covariance-based Structural Equation Modeling. Results support a six-dimensional measurement model with satisfactory reliability and validity (CFI = 0.95; RMSEA = 0.064). Significant positive associations among all dimensions indicate a coherent covariance structure. Natural attributes exhibit higher perceptual salience within the covariance structure, while cultural and communication dimensions occupy a central position within the experiential configuration. The study contributes by modeling tourism experience as a relational system and positioning cultural proximity as an interpretive condition, providing a non-causal framework for understanding experiential organization in domestic tourism.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050122

Authors: Dóra Gábriel Bálint Koós

This study examines the transformation of the Balaton region in Hungary from a traditional tourist destination into an international retirement migration destination for older adults from Western Europe. Migration theories and models are applied to illustrate the relationships between migration and development and to explore how tourism, lifestyle aspirations, and socio-economic factors influence the settlement decisions of older migrants. Empirical findings suggest that prior tourism experience can mitigate the uncertainty associated with migration and foster belonging. However, many retirees move to Hungary with limited knowledge of the country, relying on social networks and real estate agents for information. These retired migrants also utilize local services and infrastructure, including healthcare and community spaces, which shape their daily lives and help them integrate into the community. The migration of older adults stimulates the development of peripheral rural areas through real estate purchases, renovations, and small-scale entrepreneurial activities, particularly in the accommodation sector. This challenges the traditional perception of older-age migrants as inactive.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050121

Authors: Andromaxi Papadam Gaby Gavriilidis Theodore Metaxas

This study aims to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the hospitality sector in Greece during the COVID-19 period. To this end, questionnaires were distributed in 320 enterprises operating throughout Greece exclusively in the hospitality industry. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed for analyzing data. The results reveal a structured transmission pathway: Business Survival Anxiety and Psychological Distress intensify Financial Strain; financial pressure constrains Strategic Capability; and diminished strategic flexibility shapes firms’ evaluation of the crisis’s overall impact. Financial Strain emerges as the central mediating mechanism, bridging managerial perceptions and organisational outcomes. These findings confirm that crisis impact is embedded in firm-level dynamics, where psychological pressures, resource constraints, and strategic contraction interact systematically. Ultimately, the study shows that the severity of the pandemic was not assessed solely in terms of immediate revenue loss, but in relation to the erosion of strategic capacity—innovation, investment potential, and long-term competitiveness. Resilience in tourism therefore depends on the alignment between psychological stability, financial robustness, and strategic adaptability.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050120

Authors: Angeliki N. Menegaki

Urban tourism is frequently promoted as a driver of regeneration, competitiveness, and local economic growth. However, its expansion increasingly generates overtourism, environmental degradation, social inequality, gentrification pressures, and cultural commodification in densely populated cities. Although existing tourism research has examined these challenges from managerial, planning, and sustainability perspectives, less attention has been paid to their ethical foundations. This conceptual paper addresses that gap by developing an integrated ethical framework for sustainable urban tourism through a structured, theory-driven synthesis of literature in environmental ethics, social justice theory, virtue ethics, and urban tourism studies. The paper makes three main contributions: it reframes urban tourism growth as a moral and normative issue rather than merely an economic one; it organizes the key ethical dilemmas of urban tourism as interconnected outcomes of growth-oriented development; and it links ethical principles to stakeholder responsibilities and desired governance outcomes. The proposed framework positions tourists, businesses, and policymakers as moral agents and identifies ecological integrity, social equity, and cultural protection as core criteria for evaluating tourism development. As a conceptual study, however, the framework remains theoretical and requires future empirical application and testing across different urban contexts.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050119

Authors: Sivesan Sivanandamoorthy

The tourism industry is a wide and holistic industry, the value of which cannot be overestimated: it plays a key role in promoting inter-cultural understanding and socio-cultural development. Sri Lanka is a renowned tourism destination that offers many diverse tourism products. However, the tourism industry has been continuously and severely disturbed by prolonged civil war. After the war, tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka, particularly to war zones and war memorial sites, rapidly grew. The main objective of this study is to explore dark tourism development in the Northern Province (NP), Sri Lanka. Employing a qualitative methodological approach, this study is underpinned by an interpretive research philosophy. Research data were collected through field-based interviews. For in-depth interviews, sixteen interviewees from different stakeholder groups were selected, using a purposive sampling technique. The research results reveal that twenty-seven dark tourism destinations in the northern territory face various challenges in being developed as sustainable dark tourism destinations. Furthermore, this study indicates that the Sri Lankan Army was aggressively involved in the revitalization of the tourism industry in the northern territory. This research recommends the following moves intended to promote dark tourism development in the NP. First and foremost, when developing dark tourism in the NP, the active participation of locals should be accommodated. Second, rituals must be taken into account as a key mechanism for impressing upon tourists the richness and historical value of dark sites. When developing dark tourism packages, death-related rituals ought to be considered. If so, travelers can experience amazing intangible heritage associated with death.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050118

Authors: Ioannis Valachis Sofoklis Skoultsos

Despite growing attention to social sustainability in tourism, employment relations remain predominantly studied at the firm level, overlooking the broader systemic contexts that shape how workforces function. This paper argues that Sustainable Human Resource Management (SHRM) in tourism cannot be fully understood without examining what workers expect from employment before they enter it, and how those expectations are formed. Drawing on Social Exchange Theory (SET) and revisiting the longstanding vocational–liberal debate in hospitality and tourism education, the paper reframes education as a formative mechanism shaping social exchange expectations prior to labour market entry. An integrative framework is developed, bringing together four literature streams—tourism labour markets and employment precarity, hospitality and tourism education, SET, and destination governance—to connect educational orientations, SHRM practices, and destination-level governance structures. Education conditions how workers read and respond to HR practices, while governance arrangements determine whether the relational foundations of employment are sustained or eroded across destination labour markets. Workforce sustainability thus emerges from coordinated social exchange relations embedded across tourism destination systems rather than from isolated HR initiatives. The framework’s main contribution lies in repositioning education as a relational mechanism central to SHRM theory, framing workforce sustainability as a system-level outcome, and offering practical directions for destination governance bodies, policymakers, and curriculum designers seeking to strengthen the institutional foundations of sustainable tourism employment.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7050117

Authors: Jiajun Chen Lin Zhu Chuleerat Kongruang

High-speed railway services represent complex service environments in which customers evaluate both functional performance and lived experience. Thus, this study investigates how high-speed railway service quality influences customer satisfaction, and further examines whether consumer emotions affect the relationship between them. Data were collected via an online survey of 558 customers with recent travel experience at major high-speed railway stations in Guangzhou. Service quality was captured via reliability, responsiveness, empathy, tangibility, and compensation; emotions were measured as positive and negative affects. Main and interaction effects were estimated using hierarchical regression. Findings suggest a strong positive link between overall service quality and satisfaction. Four of the five dimensions have significant positive effects, whereas compensation is not significant. In addition, positive emotions amplify the effects of all five service quality dimensions on satisfaction, while negative emotions reduce the effects of empathy, tangibility, and compensation on satisfaction but do not significantly affect the effects of reliability or responsiveness. Overall, satisfaction in a high-demand hub depends on dependable operations, timely support, considerate encounters, and well-maintained facilities, alongside emotional experience management to improve service management across the overall journey.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040116

Authors: Elisa Zentveld

This editorial article introduces the six articles in this Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) travel Special Issue. A call for submissions was undertaken in late 2021 to invite articles for consideration for a Special Issue dedicated to VFR travel. Despite the size of VFR travel and its relevance to countries around the world, research interest has not been as high as would normally be expected for such a substantial form of visitor movement. The COVID-19 pandemic presented a juncture for VFR travel. On one hand, VFR was the ‘biggest loser’ during COVID-19 as people most missed contact with friends and family. However, it may be the ‘biggest winner’ in a post-COVID world, as people were harshly reminded of how vital social connections are. The six featured articles in this volume bring together a broad range of perspectives on how COVID-19 impacted aspects of VFR travel. This editorial piece summarises those articles and outlines future directions and conclusions.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040115

Authors: Warach Madhyamapurush

Since sustainable tourism gains relevance in tourist destinations like Thailand, the fact that some satisfied customers fail to become avid promoters is a research dilemma. In this paper, the researcher explored the behavioural intentions of low-carbon tourists in Thailand by looking at the contributions of constraints and sustainability communication, satisfaction, and advocacy in an integrated framework. The study aimed to explain the gap between satisfaction and advocacy, and to determine the key determinants of revisit and recommendation intentions. The methodology used was a mixed-methods approach of combining the survey data of 452 valid respondents who were questioned in major destinations such as Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, and Bangkok, with 32 semi-structured interviews. Structural equation modelling found that sustainability communication has a positive impact on satisfaction, and structural, interpersonal, and intrapersonal constraints have a detrimental influence on such. Advocacy was highly predicted by satisfaction, and it mediated its influence on behavioural intentions partially. Passive satisfaction, doubt towards green claims, social identity, and advocacy fatigue were recognized as qualitative findings to explain the gap found. The research finds that plausible communication and identity-based interaction are critical to make contented tourists loyal low-carbon campaigners.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040114

Authors: Marco Agustín Arbulú Ballesteros Marilú Trinidad Flores Lezama Luis Edgardo Cruz Salinas Ana Elizabeth Paredes Morales Cristina Fuentes Mejía

Customer loyalty is a critical asset for the restaurant industry, yet the mechanisms linking the physical environment, price perception, and satisfaction remain underexplored in emerging Latin American gastronomy markets. This study examines the relationships among three servicescape dimensions—décor and artifacts, spatial layout, and ambient conditions—price perception, customer satisfaction, and loyalty in full-service restaurants in northern Peru (Chiclayo, Trujillo, and Piura). A cross-sectional survey was administered to 310 diners, and the proposed model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with 10,000 bootstrap resamples. Results supported seven of nine direct hypotheses and three of four mediation hypotheses. Décor and artifacts and ambient conditions significantly predicted both price perception and satisfaction, while spatial layout showed no significant effect on any path. Price perception partially mediated the effect of décor and ambient conditions on satisfaction, and satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between price perception and loyalty. The satisfaction–loyalty path yielded the largest effect size (β = 0.708, f2 = 0.798). Serial chain analyses revealed that the physical environment shapes diner loyalty through sequential cognitive and evaluative mechanisms. These findings offer actionable insights for hospitality managers seeking to enhance gastronomy destination competitiveness through strategic servicescape investment.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040113

Authors: Julio Guerra Sheyla Fernández Danny Benavides Víctor Caranquí Mónica Meneses

Timely monitoring of tourism demand is essential for destination management, yet official monthly arrival statistics are often released with delays and can be difficult to use for near-real-time decision-making, particularly under structural shocks such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study develops a fully reproducible, open-data nowcasting pipeline for Ecuador’s international tourist arrivals using a Python workflow. The framework integrates (i) the official monthly arrivals series published by Ecuador’s Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR), (ii) open online attention proxies from Wikipedia pageviews retrieved via the Wikimedia REST application programming interface (API), and (iii) open climate covariates derived from the ERA5-Land land reanalysis. Multiple forecasting models are evaluated under a rolling-origin, one-step-ahead backtest, with a mandatory seasonal naïve benchmark and a regime-aware assessment that separates a stress-test window (2019–2021) from an operational post-COVID window (2022–2025). Forecast accuracy is summarized using root mean squared error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and symmetric mean absolute percentage error (sMAPE), and statistical significance of performance differences is assessed using the Diebold–Mariano (DM) test. Results show that a ridge-regularized autoregressive model (ridge_ar) achieves the best overall accuracy, reducing RMSE by approximately 79% relative to the seasonal naïve baseline over the full evaluation window. Windowed results confirm robust performance during the shock period and sustained improvements in the post-2022 operational regime, while the incremental benefit of broader exogenous signals is heterogeneous across windows, underscoring the importance of regularization and regime-aware reporting. The proposed approach provides a transparent, low-cost blueprint for reproducible tourism monitoring that is transferable to other destinations using open data and standard computational tools.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040112

Authors: Nafiah Ariyani Akhmad Fauzi

This study developed internally consistent scenarios for tourism village development to strengthen destination competitiveness and support the local economy. Using an exploratory–constructive design and the Cross-Impact Balance method, the study structured the relationships among development elements, competitiveness, and local economic development into 13 descriptors with 52 states. Expert judgment was used to construct a cross-impact matrix, and ScenarioWizard identified 18 consistent scenarios and their Total Impact Scores. Four scenarios showed positive consistency scores, with one high-road scenario emerging as the most consistent pathway toward very high competitiveness and a stronger role for tourism villages in the local economy. This scenario was characterized by a clear value proposition, full integration of local MSMEs and products, diversified revenue sources, equitable benefit distribution, strong managerial and digital capacity, transparent governance, multi-stakeholder partnerships, strategic use of public funds, and a structured digital marketing and booking system. These findings suggest that policy efforts should prioritize coordinated improvements in value proposition, MSME integration, revenue diversification, governance, partnerships, and digital management to move tourism villages toward the high-road scenario.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040111

Authors: Thomas Karagiorgos Apostolia Ntovoli Olga Polyakova Anna-Christina Athanasiou Yannis Lianopoulos Kostas Alexandris

The positive economic, social, and environmental influences of the active sport tourism market are well documented today. This study aimed to map brand association patterns across the different stages of the Psychological Continuum Model (PCM) within the context of winter skiing. The PCM was used as the theoretical framework to categorize participants into stages according to their skiing involvement levels. The data was collected from recreational skiers at two major ski resorts in Greece. Participants were classified into the PCM stages. The findings revealed that associations with the activity significantly discriminated against PCM stages. Product delivery associations were salient only at the Attraction stage, indicating the importance of functional evaluations for novice participants. In contrast, tradition and peer acceptance associations consistently predicted membership across all stages, highlighting their enduring symbolic and social relevance. Escape-related associations were diminished in higher commitment levels, whereas importance and affective associations emerged as key predictors in the Attachment and Allegiance stages. The study extends the PCM by integrating brand association theory in the context of sport tourism and offers practical implications for stage-specific branding strategies in participatory sports services.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040110

Authors: Maximiliano E. Korstanje

The past few decades have witnessed a growing recognition and traction of dark tourism in the academic world, extending beyond tourism research [...]

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040109

Authors: Maria Savvinopoulou Naoum Mylonas

This research examines the impact of Entrepreneurial Orientation and Market Orientation on Dynamic Capabilities and investigates how these capabilities influence Firm Performance in the wine tourism industry. Drawing on the Dynamic Capabilities View, the research addresses a gap in the literature by clarifying the relationships between strategic orientations (Entrepreneurial and Market) and performance outcomes in a rapidly evolving tourism context. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 171 entrepreneurs operating visitable wineries, using a five-point Likert scale. Structural Equation Modeling was employed to test the proposed relationships. The results indicate that both Entrepreneurial Orientation and Market Orientation significantly contribute to the development of Dynamic Capabilities, which in turn positively affect Firm Performance. The findings confirm the mediating role of Dynamic Capabilities in the relationship between strategic orientations and performance, offering new theoretical insights into how entrepreneurial and market-oriented behaviors translate into improved organizational outcomes. From a practical perspective, the research provides implications for wine tourism firms seeking to enhance innovation, adaptability, and market responsiveness, thereby strengthening long-term competitiveness in an increasingly dynamic and competitive environment.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040108

Authors: Fulden Nuray Küçükergin

Given the growing popularity of pet ownership, this study aimed to examine the effects of pet owners’ tourism constraints on learned helplessness, travel avoidance with pets and behavioural intentions to travel with pets. The relationship between learned helplessness and travel avoidance with pets was also analysed. More importantly, the serial paths from pet owners’ tourism constraints to travel intentions with pets were tested. Considering the importance of decision-making style (i.e., head vs. heart), it was used as a moderator. Data were collected in Türkiye from 341 pet owners who owned at least one dog, one cat, or both. Data analysis was conducted using PLS-SEM. The results showed that the indirect effects of the pet’s specific constraints, the pet’s interpersonal constraints, and the pet’s structural constraints on behavioural intention to travel with pets via learned helplessness and travel avoidance were significant. However, decision type did not have a moderating role. Both pet attachment and guilt over leaving pets alone had positive and significant effects on behavioural intention to travel with pets. The findings contributed to the understanding of both pet owners’ tourism constraints and learned helplessness through examining serial mediation paths.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040107

Authors: Christos Ziakis Maro Vlachopoulou

Tourism’s digital transformation has reshaped how travelers search for and evaluate destinations. However, relatively little empirical work has examined how user engagement translates into booking intent, especially under the emergent discovery channels mediated by artificial intelligence (AI). This study tests an engagement-driven referral framework using longitudinal behavioral data from a Mediterranean destination portal (April 2022–January 2026; 1.6 million sessions). Engagement depth, measured as average session time, significantly predicts booking intent click rate. Mobile drives 83% of sessions, but desktop users convert at nearly twice the rate (5.69% vs. 3.37%). High traffic, as it turns out, does not equal high commercial intent. Lower-volume international markets routinely outperform the dominant domestic market. The most striking result concerns AI referrals. Traffic arriving from AI assistants converts at 8.26%, more than double the organic search rate of 3.88%, despite shorter sessions, a pattern consistent with compressed decision-making under generative AI. These findings, grounded in real travel portal data, extend engagement theory beyond transactional settings and shed early light on how referrals from AI assistants like ChatGPT or Gemini differ behaviorally from organic search, with practical implications for portal managers, destination marketing organizations (DMOs), and sustainable demand management.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040106

Authors: Samanta Hilda Calle-Ruiz Aldimir Farfan-Atoche Luiggi Bruno Castillo-Chung Johanna Elena Santa-Cruz Arévalo

The cultural valorization-based territorial recognition program has established itself as an effective strategy for fostering sustainability in rural tourism destinations. However, there is limited evidence of their influence from the community’s perspective. This study analyzes the relationship between the conditions of territorial recognition promoted by the “Pueblos con Encanto” (Charming Villages) program and the sustainability of the Cruz Pampa–Yapatera tourist destination. A mixed-methods approach was employed, utilizing a non-experimental, cross-sectional, and correlational design. For the quantitative part, a structured questionnaire was administered to a sample of 336 residents from the area, using simple random sampling. Data analysis included statistics and Pearson’s correlation. For the qualitative part, 13 interviews were conducted with representative members. These people have influence over the governance of the area. The results of the triangulation showed that, according to the residents’ perception, Cruz Pampa–Yapatera meets the requirements for the “Pueblos con Encanto” program. It is evidenced in its historical heritage and Afro-Peruvian cultural heritage, such as its cumananas, local cuisine, and religious festivities. However, it has deficiencies in infrastructure and tourist facilities that require improvements to strengthen the tourist experience and preserve its cultural identity. Furthermore, the “Pueblos con Encanto” recognition program is positively and significantly related to the current sustainability of the destination. The research demonstrates, through empirical assessment, a positive perception among the local population of sustainability in their community based on the “Pueblos con Encanto” program criteria. A process that should be incorporated into the evaluation framework for the granting of such recognition.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040105

Authors: Tsolmon Sodnomdavaa

International tourism plays an important role in the global service economy, contributing to trade, employment, and regional development. For this reason, identifying the factors that influence tourist flows is an important issue for tourism policy, market strategy, and infrastructure planning. A large body of research has applied gravity models to analyze tourism flows between countries. While this approach provides a clear economic interpretation, it is usually based on linear specifications and may therefore capture only part of the relationships present in tourism data. This study examines the economic and geographic determinants of international tourism flows to Mongolia using a framework that combines a traditional gravity model with machine learning techniques. Mongolia serves as an instructive empirical setting, a landlocked, geographically peripheral destination whose inbound demand determinants have received limited systematic empirical attention. The analysis uses panel data for 27 origin countries covering the period from 2000 to 2024. In the first stage, a gravity model is estimated to assess how tourism flows relate to economic size and geographic distance. The results show that tourism flows tend to increase with the economic size of origin and destination countries, while greater geographical distance is associated with lower tourism flows. The estimated distance elasticity ranges from approximately −1.85 to −2.10 across model specifications, which is larger in absolute terms than the values typically reported in cross-country studies. This result is consistent with the relatively high travel cost barriers associated with Mongolia’s geographic location. These findings are consistent with the distance decay relationship commonly reported in the tourism literature. In the second stage, machine learning algorithms, including Random Forest, LightGBM, and XGBoost, are used as complementary interpretive instruments rather than forecasting tools to explore possible nonlinear relationships among the explanatory variables. To make the results more interpretable, the contribution of individual variables is examined using SHAP (Shapley Additive Explanations). The machine learning results indicate that some relationships in tourism demand may be nonlinear and not fully captured by the linear gravity specification. Specifically, distance sensitivity is approximately 6.5 times greater in nearby markets than in long-haul markets, with a structural inflexion at around 5700 km. Further analysis suggests that the influence of geographical distance is not uniform across all markets. In particular, tourism flows originating from middle-income countries appear to be more sensitive to increases in travel distance than those from higher-income countries. Overall, the findings indicate that economic size and geographical distance remain key determinants of international tourism flows to Mongolia. At the same time, the use of machine learning methods provides additional insight into potential nonlinear patterns in tourism demand. By combining econometric modelling with explainable machine learning techniques, the study offers an integrated analytical perspective for examining international tourism flows at geographically peripheral destinations where standard gravity assumptions may be insufficient.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040104

Authors: Konstantopoulos Georgios Giannarakis Grigoris Xenaki Maria Thanasas Georgios Garefalakis Alexandros

Employee loyalty in hospitality settings is influenced by a combination of economic, relational, and developmental factors, including remuneration, recognition, interpersonal relationships, and opportunities for career advancement. This study explores managerial perceptions of the key organizational drivers that enhance employee satisfaction and foster employee loyalty in luxury hospitality settings. Focusing on five-star hotels located in the Heraklion Prefecture of Crete, Greece, the research addresses a context characterized by high service expectations, strong cultural traditions of hospitality, and pronounced seasonal labor dynamics. While previous studies have predominantly examined employee attitudes and outcomes, limited attention has been given to how decision-makers perceive and prioritize the factors influencing employee loyalty in luxury hospitality environments. To address this gap, the study adopts a mixed-method approach, combining structured Likert-scale questionnaires and qualitative insights collected from senior managers and owners representing 28 luxury hotels. The quantitative component provides descriptive insights into managerial consensus regarding organizational practices, while the qualitative analysis offers deeper interpretation of perceived challenges and priorities. Findings indicate that managers consider leadership style, working conditions, professional development, and employee welfare as central drivers of satisfaction and loyalty, although variation exists regarding the role of benefits and technology. The study contributes to hospitality management literature by highlighting the managerial perspective as a distinct analytical lens and offers practical implications for strategic human resource practices in high-end tourism contexts.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040103

Authors: Alexis-Raúl Garzón-Paredes Marcelo Royo-Vela

Architectural heritage plays a central role in shaping visitors’ emotional experiences within cultural tourism contexts. However, empirical research examining how specific architectural styles evoke emotional responses remains limited, particularly when using objective measurement techniques. This study investigates emotional reactions to architectural heritage by applying the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) theoretical framework. In this model, architectural styles act as environmental stimuli, emotional processing represents the organismic state, and the resulting emotional activation constitutes the response. An experimental protocol was conducted with a sample of 645 participants exposed to a series of standardized architectural heritage images representing different architectural styles and infrastructure types. Emotional reactions were captured in real time through facial emotion recognition technology, enabling the objective measurement of eight basic emotions: neutral, happiness, sadness, surprise, fear, disgust, anger, and contempt. The collected emotional data were statistically analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to identify significant differences in emotional responses across architectural styles, heritage typologies, and gender. When significant differences were detected, Tukey’s HSD post hoc tests were applied to determine specific group contrasts. The findings reveal that different architectural styles generate distinct emotional patterns, highlighting the role of architectural aesthetics as a powerful mediator of affective engagement with heritage environments. From a theoretical perspective, this research contributes to heritage tourism and environmental psychology by integrating the SOR framework with real-time emotion detection technologies, providing a novel methodological approach for analyzing emotional responses to architectural heritage.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040102

Authors: Xinyan Zhang Pimtong Tavitiyaman

This study examines how Industry 4.0 technology (I4T) impacts supply chain resilience (SCR) and employee-centered social performance (ESP) in hotels. It also explores SCR’s mediating effect and how hotel managers’ I4T knowledge moderates these relationships. Moreover, this work is grounded in the dynamic capabilities view (DCV) theory. The empirical analysis employed a quantitative survey methodology and utilized partial least squares structural equation modeling for data analysis. The results from a survey of 108 hotel managers in Hong Kong indicate that I4T adoption positively and significantly influences SCR and ESP. Additionally, SCR significantly affects ESP and mediates the relationship between I4T adoption and ESP. Meanwhile, hotel managers’ knowledge of I4T (well-informed vs. limited knowledge) has moderating effects on the relationships among I4T adoption, SCR, and ESP. This knowledge pushed up the impact of I4T adoption on ESP and SCR of hotels. These results provide valuable insights into I4T adoption in the hotel industry and its role in SCR and eventually ESP.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040101

Authors: Evelina Gulbovaitė Aušra Liorančaitė-Šukienė Jūratė Dabravalskytė-Radzevičė Martynas Radzevičius

Creative tourism is increasingly discussed as a pathway for tourism development in rural and peripheral destinations, yet empirical evidence remains uneven and is still drawn mainly from contexts where it is already explicitly labelled and institutionally supported. This article examines whether and how creative tourism-aligned practices are present in Kupiškis District, a peripheral rural municipality in north-eastern Lithuania where creative tourism has not been formally institutionalised as a tourism development category. The study adopts a qualitative single-case design combining a multi-stakeholder focus group and semi-structured interviews with municipal, intermediary, and private-sector actors. The findings reveal a meaningful but weakly integrated experiential base shaped by educational activities, water-based leisure, symbolic narratives, routes, and micro-entrepreneurial initiatives. Although these practices are rarely named locally as creative tourism, they display several of its defining characteristics, including participatory learning, host involvement, small-scale interaction, and local embeddedness. The study suggests that the main development challenge lies not in the absence of creative resources, but in limited coordination, weak articulation, and the difficulty of translating dispersed practices into coherent and consistently bookable visitor experiences. The article conceptualises this condition as a latent experiential portfolio and, in doing so, makes three contributions: it offers a sensitising concept for describing pre-consolidation stages of creative tourism where relevant practices exist but remain only partly articulated; it supports a practice-based rather than label-based identification of creative tourism in weakly institutionalised settings; and it extends the empirical scope of creative tourism research to a peripheral rural case in the Baltic region.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040100

Authors: Artan Veseli Dren Bajraktari Agron Bajraktari

This study investigates how AI-driven personalization shapes traveler satisfaction in a post-adoption tourism context, with particular attention to the mechanisms and boundary conditions through which personalization is associated with experiential outcomes. Using an integrated post-adoption framework, the study conceptualizes AI-driven personalization as an experiential input influencing satisfaction through trust formation, perceived value, and individual readiness to engage with technology. Survey data were collected from 347 tourists with direct experience of AI-enabled tourism services in Kosovo. The relationships were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that AI-driven personalization is positively associated with traveler satisfaction. It enhances trust in AI-powered systems, and trust is positively associated with perceived value. Perceived value mediates the relationship between trust in AI-powered systems and traveler satisfaction, highlighting value appraisal as a central post-adoption mechanism. AI-driven personalization is also indirectly associated with traveler satisfaction through a sequential mechanism, in which trust precedes perceived value in the experiential evaluation process. Technology readiness moderates the relationship between perceived value and traveler satisfaction, indicating heterogeneous experiential responses to AI-enabled tourism services. The study contributes to tourism and hospitality research by demonstrating a sequential relational–evaluative mechanism through which AI-driven personalization is associated with traveler satisfaction, shifting the focus from adoption-based explanations toward post-adoption experiential pathways. It further clarifies the role of trust as a relational mechanism preceding value formation and identifies technology readiness as a boundary condition shaping satisfaction outcomes in an emerging destination context. The findings also offer practical guidance for designing AI-enabled services that strengthen trust, enhance value perceptions, and align personalization strategies with varying levels of traveler technology readiness.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040099

Authors: Ismail Shaheer

This study employs a reflexive autoethnography, guided by flow and place attachment theory, to examine how gaming experiences influence attachments to virtual environments and inspire real-world travel intentions. Data comprise reflexive journal notes written over a 10-month period after playing multiple video games and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis following a hybrid deductive–inductive approach. The analysis identified eight themes across three dimensions: temporal immersion, escapism, narrative immersion, and self-expression under flow; emotional, cognitive, and behavioural attachment under place attachment; and place-induced travel intention as the behavioural outcome. The findings establish flow as a critical antecedent to the development of place attachment within virtual environments. Consistent with emerging scholarship, the study confirms that attachment formation does not require physically tangible places; rather, it can emerge through digitally mediated presence and interaction, indicating that virtual environments are capable of eliciting place attachment. More significantly, it demonstrates that these virtual attachments can fluidly extend toward real places depicted in games, revealing a cross-environmental continuity in attachment processes. The integrated framework thus contributes a novel theoretical proposal linking flow, virtual and real place attachment, and tourism behaviour, an area that remains conceptually fragmented and empirically underdeveloped.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040098

Authors: Ondrej Mitas Tamara Surla Jelena Farkic Ben Wielenga Peter Ward Alinda Kokkinou

Understanding and managing tourism event experiences requires insight into how emotions unfold across space. Drawing on constructed emotion theory, this study advanced both theoretical and methodological knowledge by comparing three spatial emotion mapping approaches. Namely, we applied experience reconstruction maps, emotion physiology maps, and emotion effectiveness maps to visitor experiences of two events at nature-based fort settings in the Netherlands. Using intercept sampling (N = 98), we combined questionnaires with GPS tracking and skin conductance measurement to collect location-resolved emotional data. The resulting maps revealed markedly different spatial emotion patterns, reflecting distinct emotional components: physiological arousal and recalled or reconstructed emotional arousal and valence. Studies which map emotions have usually not accounted for within-individual autocorrelation. Our multilevel statistical models, in contrast, did account for this. The difference in emotion ranking of AOI raised questions about the validity of previous emotion mapping efforts. We extended constructed emotion theory to spatial analysis, demonstrated the limits of current mapping methods, and argued in favor of controlling for autocorrelation for robust spatial emotion research. Our findings can provide methodological guidance for researchers and event managers, and can lay the groundwork for future innovations that integrate physiological, self-reported, and spatial data for sustainable tourism event management.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040097

Authors: Vasviye Özlem Akgun Gözde Seval Ergun Ahmet Ozturhan Tekin Idem Mikail Kolutek Ozgur Yayla

This study was conducted to examine the influence of residents’ perceptions of sustainable tourism policies and destination management (STP&DM) on residents’ empowerment and their support for sustainable tourism development (SUPSTD). Unlike previous studies, this study examines the moderating role of destination attachment (DA) in the relationship between STP&DM and SUPSTD. The empirical findings reveal that STP&DM exert a positive and significant impact on the sub-dimensions of residents’ empowerment, namely psychological (PSYEM), social (SOCEM), and political (POLEM) empowerment. In particular, psychological empowerment and political empowerment were found to enhance residents’ SUPSTD. Moreover, the results confirm that DA functions as a moderator in the relationship between STP&DM and SUPSTD. Based on these outcomes, the study provides both theoretical and practical insights for industry practitioners, destination management organizations (DMOs), and scholars in the field of tourism and sustainability research.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040096

Authors: Juanita Angélica Monroy Mongua Luz Natalia Tobón Perilla

This study examines the determinants of tourism resilience and recovery following global crises using a comparative cross-country approach. A composite Tourism Resilience Index (TRI) is constructed based on post-crisis recovery in tourism employment, tourism GDP and international arrivals, and its determinants are analyzed through descriptive, correlational and exploratory multivariate regression analysis. The results reveal significant heterogeneity in resilience trajectories across countries, indicating that income level alone does not explain recovery patterns. Institutional and structural factors, including the degree of economic liberalization and market composition, play a critical role in shaping post-crisis tourism performance. These findings contribute to the literature on tourism resilience by providing empirical evidence with policy implications for improving adaptive capacity in tourism-dependent economies. Furthermore, the results highlight the multidimensional nature of tourism resilience and provide evidence-based insights for the design of differentiated policy strategies aimed at strengthening the sector’s capacity to withstand future global crises.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040095

Authors: Tidaporn Ruengrengkulrit Piyanuch Limapan Nootchanate Kansamut Chayada Chaleawprom

This study aims to examine the influence of the marketing mix and service quality on hotel selection decisions in a growing urban tourism destination in Thailand in a separate model. A mixed-methods approach was employed. Quantitative data were gathered from 385 tourists residing in four- and five-star hotels, while qualitative data were derived from comprehensive interviews with five hotel operators. The first multiple linear regression analysis model of the service marketing mix revealed that product, promotion, personnel, service process, and distribution channels had a statistically significant influence on hotel selection at the 0.05 level, explaining 50.3% of the variance. The second multiple linear regression analysis model of service quality reveals that responsiveness, empathy, and reliability significantly affect tourists’ decisions, explaining 43.9% of the variance. The integration of quantitative and qualitative findings led to the development of four strategic directions: (1) digital competitive advantage, (2) niche market development, (3) service quality enhancement, and (4) sustainability and risk management strategies. The findings contribute to hospitality management by examining how the 7Ps and SERVQUAL influence customer selection behaviors, integrating the entrepreneur’s perspective, and providing appropriate strategic directions for a secondary urban destination.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040094

Authors: Rosemary Abayase Dennis Yao Dzansi Crowther Dalene

This study examined the relationships between norm perceptions about innovation, innovation source and customer satisfaction with sample data from small-scale hospitality businesses in Ghana. We adopted the quantitative approach and correlational survey design using sample data from 465 small-scale hospitality firms. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling was used to analyse the data. Measurement model classification and validation procedures comprised construct specification, indicator reliability assessment, internal consistency reliability, convergent validity (AVE), discriminant validity (HTMT and Fornell–Larcker), and collinearity diagnostics within the PLS-SEM framework. Results showed that a significant negative relationship exists between subjective norms about innovation adoption and customer satisfaction. This finding diverges from the Theory of Planned Behaviour because, contrary to its assumption that subjective norms foster positive behavioural outcomes, socially driven innovation in small-scale hospitality settings may encourage conformity-based decisions that undermine customer-oriented value creation. However, a significant positive relationship was found to exist between subjective norm perceptions about innovation adoption and innovation source. A significant positive relationship was also found to exist between innovation source and customer satisfaction. Innovation source positively mediated the relationship between subjective norm perceptions about innovation adoption and customer satisfaction. The study’s findings are relevant for owners and managers of small-scale hospitality firms seeking to align innovation decisions with customer needs, as well as for policymakers aiming to strengthen industry support systems. It offers insights into how social influences and innovation sources can be leveraged to enhance service quality and customer satisfaction in small hospitality businesses.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040093

Authors: Nouf Alrayes Abdullah Alhidari

This study examines the determinants of city brand equity in the context of Riyadh Season, a large-scale cultural and entertainment festival in Saudi Arabia. Drawing on Aaker’s customer-based brand equity framework adapted to the city-brand context and informed by Source Credibility Theory (SCT), the study tests the direct effects of brand association, brand awareness, brand loyalty, and customer satisfaction on city brand equity, as well as the moderating role of online influencers. Survey data were collected from 991 attendees and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicate that brand awareness and brand loyalty significantly enhance city brand equity, whereas brand association and customer satisfaction have no significant effects. Contrary to prevailing assumptions in tourism and digital branding research, online influencers do not moderate the relationships between brand equity dimensions and overall city brand equity. These findings identify boundary conditions for influencer effectiveness and suggest that, in experience-intensive and time-bound mega-events, city brand equity is driven more by recognition and repeat attachment than by influencer-mediated communication or post-event satisfaction. The study refines city brand equity theory and offers practical guidance for policymakers and event organizers seeking to build sustainable city brands beyond influencer-centric strategies.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040092

Authors: Mercy Boadi Dennis Yao Dzansi Crowther Dalene

In many hospitality workplaces, customer deviant behaviour is no longer an occasional frustration but a routine part of frontline employees’ day, steadily draining their energy, dignity and desire to deliver great service. Yet in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in Ghana, there is still limited evidence showing how this behaviour undermines employees’ motivation and what can realistically be done inside organisations to buffer its impact. This study explored how mistreatment from customers affects the service motivation of frontline employees in Ghanaian hotels and examines whether supportive supervisors can act as a protective buffer. Using a quantitative cross-sectional survey of 508 frontline staff in licensed hotels in the Kumasi Metropolis, the study applies Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to test these relationships. The findings reveal that when customers display deviant behaviour, employees feel less motivated to offer high-level service. On the other hand, strong supervisor emotional support uplifts service motivation and partially mediates the harm caused by deviant customers. These results show that everyday supervisory support (listening, empathizing, and standing up for staff) can make a tangible difference to how motivated employees feel after difficult customer encounters. The study therefore offers practical guidance for hotel managers who want to safeguard employees and sustain high service standards in demanding customer environments.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040091

Authors: Shu-Mei Tseng Qian-Yi Liu

The adoption of information technology (IT) has become essential for improving operational efficiency and service quality in the restaurant industry. However, integrating IT into organizational structures and daily work processes often requires employees to acquire new competencies and adapt to revised workflows, which may also generate technology-related stress. To address this issue, this study examines the relationship between IT adoption and organizational performance while considering technostressors and computer self-efficacy as moderating variables. A questionnaire-based survey was administered to restaurant employees, and hierarchical regression analysis was employed to test the proposed hypotheses. The empirical results reveal that IT adoption has a significant positive effect on organizational performance. However, this relationship is contingent upon individual-level factors: technostressors weaken, whereas computer self-efficacy strengthens, the positive impact of IT adoption on organizational performance. These findings suggest that organizations seeking to enhance performance through digital transformation should not only invest in IT systems but also address employees’ psychological and competency-related factors.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7040090

Authors: Ignacio Ruiz Guerra Santos Manuel Cavero López Rodolfo Arroyo de la Rosa

This research examines the potential of Battlefield Tourism as a strategic tool for rural development, focusing on the cultural heritage of Extremadura, Spain. Given the specific nature of the regional tourism offer, this paper is presented as a case study to analyze how military historical resources can be integrated into sustainable tourism models. The study employs a mixed-methodology approach, combining a quantitative cross-sectional survey with complementary qualitative analysis of open-ended responses. A sample of 149 municipal managers was analyzed to evaluate their institutional perceptions of military cultural tourism and its potential integration into regional strategic initiatives. Results, supported by χ2 tests and Cronbach’s α reliability analysis, suggest that the use of specific terminology associated with cultural heritage, rather than ‘war’ or ‘dark’ tourism, is perceived by local stakeholders as more socially and politically acceptable for rural development plans. Given the sample size and self-selection bias, these perception-based findings highlight the importance of terminological sensitivity for local leaders exploring new tourism offerings. The study concludes that, from an institutional standpoint, framing Battlefield Tourism through professional heritage protocols may facilitate its acceptance as a potential tool for economic diversification in inland destinations facing challenges of depopulation.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030089

Authors: Kilvanee Mootooperian Narvada Gopy Boopen Seetanah Robin Nunkoo

This study investigates the impact of political risk on inbound tourism in the context of Mauritius. Political risk can be measured in several ways; the present study uses a comprehensive measure encompassing various political sub-components. In the first instance, the principal component analysis is used to design a political risk index, composed of various political sub-components. The political risk and tourism nexus is then explored using a dynamic time series approach with annual data covering the period 1990 to 2021, both in the short run equilibrium and in the long run. The findings reveal that in the long run, political risk negatively impacts inbound tourism. The study also attempts to assess the asymmetry in the political risk and tourism linkage. The results from the non-linear system imply that increase in political risk presents a higher impact on inbound tourism as compared to a negative change in political risk in the long run. The results from this study are expected to have pivotal implications for the targeted stakeholders and for future researchers in the field. This can help better monitor the level of risk and develop appropriate strategies to mitigate the effects of risk and attract visitors.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030088

Authors: Ioannis Mihos Georgios Kokkinis

The acceptance and effective use of digital technologies constitute a critical prerequisite for the adaptability and sustainability of organizations in tourism and hospitality, particularly in environments characterized by technological acceleration and continuous transformation. Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and established extensions, this study examines determinants of behavioral intention to use digital technologies, focusing on perceived usefulness (performance expectancy), perceived ease of use (effort expectancy), trust/security, and facilitating conditions. The empirical analysis is based on survey data collected from tourism professionals in the metropolitan area of Thessaloniki (N = 634) and employs covariance-based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM) using IBM SPSS AMOS v.21. Results indicate that all examined predictors are positively associated with behavioral intention, with facilitating conditions emerging as the strongest predictor. The findings are interpreted through an organizational agility lens—treated as a contextual perspective rather than a measured construct—to explain why organizational enablement is pivotal in digital transformation settings.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030087

Authors: Angeliki N. Menegaki

This exploratory study explores the preparedness and response strategies of tourism businesses to climate change through an in-depth qualitative analysis. Using open-ended questionnaires, we collected detailed narratives from a diverse range of tourism businesses, allowing respondents to express their perceptions, strategies and challenges in their own words. Thematic analysis of the data revealed a wide variation in how businesses understand and respond to climate risks. While most participants acknowledged climate change as a critical issue, many reported significant barriers, such as financial constraints and lack of expertise, which hindered their ability to implement meaningful strategies. Key themes that emerged from the data include the role of external support in overcoming financial and technical challenges, the diversity of mitigation strategies adopted and the gap between climate awareness and practical action. This study pinpoints the need for tailored interventions to support small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism sector, highlighting the complexity of translating climate change awareness into tangible business practices. The findings contribute to the growing discourse on sustainable tourism by offering an understanding of the challenges and opportunities that businesses face in addressing climate change.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030086

Authors: Lorena Dadić Fruk Helga Maškarin Ribarić Andrea Vulić

This paper examines how employees in Croatian hotels relate their direct supervisors’ leadership behaviors to job satisfaction. Survey data were collected from 153 hotel employees across departments and hotels of different sizes. Leadership was assessed through five styles (autocratic, laissez-faire, democratic, transformational, and transactional), while job satisfaction was measured across six dimensions. The hypothesized relationships were tested using competitive regression models in which all leadership styles were entered simultaneously, complemented by a moderation test and relative-importance analysis. The results show a differentiated pattern. Transformational leadership is positively related to staff development and management satisfaction and also shows a positive association with salary satisfaction. Transactional leadership is most strongly linked to salary satisfaction, while it relates negatively to staff development satisfaction when other styles are controlled. Democratic leadership is positively associated with management satisfaction, but its unique association with staff development satisfaction is contingent on hotel size: it is negative in small hotels and attenuates to non-significance in medium-sized and large hotels. Autocratic leadership is generally associated with lower satisfaction in key domains, whereas laissez-faire leadership does not show meaningful unique effects in the competitive models. These findings provide evidence from the Croatian hotel sector and suggest that leadership development and HR support systems should be aligned with the specific satisfaction domains hotels seek to improve.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030085

Authors: Elenita Velikova Veronika Denizova

We propose an Energy Index to assess how destinations influence visitor well-being by integrating objective environmental conditions, management practices, cultural–spiritual significance and reported emotional experience. Methodologically, the framework of the index builds on a composite-indicator approach that integrates heterogeneous data types–quantitative environmental variables (e.g., air quality, noise, geomineral resources), qualitative assessments of governance and tourism infrastructure, heritage and symbolism indicators, and survey-based/AI-assisted sentiment measures. Indicators are normalized and weighted to produce a composite score. Sensitivity checks are applied to assess the robustness of indicator selection. The model adopts a formative, partially compensable logic that preserves conceptual differentiation across components. Applied to Petrich (Bulgaria)—including locations such as Rupite and the Belasitsa area—the index demonstrates how geothermal assets, environmental quality, and cultural meaning can be translated into actionable metrics for destination management and branding. The approach offers a scalable tool for wellness destinations seeking evidence-based positioning and capacity management.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030084

Authors: Giovanni Herrera-Enríquez Eddy Castillo-Montesdeoca Luis Simbaña-Taipe Juan Gabriel Martínez-Navalón

Tourism destinations exposed to chronic natural hazards require robust analytical frameworks to understand and prioritize the factors that sustain post-disaster resilience. This study examines Baños de Agua Santa (Ecuador), a volcano-exposed destination whose long recovery trajectory illustrates the complexity of socio-ecological adaptation. Using a multidimensional FAHP model grounded in expert judgments, eight dimensions and fifty-six criteria were evaluated through fuzzy triangular numbers and the extended analysis method of Chang to capture uncertainty and ambiguity in decision-making. Results show a consistent and hierarchical structure of resilience, with experiential, economic-entrepreneurial, and socio-community dimensions emerging as the most influential drivers of post-disaster adaptability. Fifteen criteria—primarily perceptual, community-based, and endogenous—achieved “very high impact” status, including risk perception, basic education, individual resilience capacities, institutional coordination, and entrepreneurial environment. Conversely, limited healthcare infrastructure, low economic diversification, and national-level vulnerabilities were identified as critical weaknesses. The study concludes that post-disaster recovery in Baños is shaped by a bottom-up dynamic that emphasizes agency, learning and socio-ecological memory. It also proposes an evidence-based Action Matrix for adaptive governance to guide prioritized, time-phased interventions. The FAHP model proves effective for transparent, context-sensitive prioritization in highly uncertain tourism environments.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030083

Authors: Nicolás Sumba-Nacipucha Jorge Cueva-Estrada Pedro Cuesta-Valiño Francisco Ganga-Contreras

This study examines why consumers intend to visit restaurants recommended by food influencers on social media. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and social influence mechanisms, we test an extended TPB model in which trust in the influencer is incorporated as an additional antecedent of intention and as a mediating mechanism linking influencer–follower identification to visit intention. To obtain information, a structured questionnaire was administered to a sample of 474 Ecuadorian social media users who follow at least one gastronomic influencer. Hypotheses were assessed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and predictive assessment (PLSpredict). The results show that attitude toward recommendations and perceived control exert a significant effect on intention, while subjective norms have a more moderate influence. Trust is projected as an additional facilitator in the transition from evaluation to intention, indicating that parasocial affinity translates into intended behavior only when it is accompanied by perceived credibility. The study contributes to TPB and influencer marketing by clarifying how influencer-mediated digital recommendation contexts reshape the classic TPB mechanism and by specifying trust as the key bridge between identification and behavioral intention in a high-uncertainty gastronomic decision.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030082

Authors: Shuyue Huang Dagnachew Leta Senbeto

The tourism sector has been increasingly shaped by compounding forces, including those caused by the pandemic’s aftershocks, accelerating climate risks, sociopolitical upheavals, governance and regulatory changes, shifts in market behavior, and rapid technological innovation (Gössling & Scott, 2025; Zhang et al [...]

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030081

Authors: Tommy Hendro Trisdiarto Diena Mutiara Lemy Ferdi Antonio

Service encounters have long been viewed as determinants of hotel guest loyalty, yet excellent service does not always translate into repeat patronage. This study examines how green service encounters shape guest loyalty in green-certified luxury hotels in Bali, a leading sustainable tourism destination. It investigates whether green experiential value and green customer delight mediate the effect of green service encounters on green hotel loyalty. Survey data from 273 domestic repeat guests of Green Globe and Earth Check-certified luxury hotels in Bali were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that green service encounters influence loyalty primarily through green experiential value and green customer delight, with delight exerting a comparatively stronger mediating effect. The study extends green hotel loyalty research by theorizing and testing an emotion-centric, sustainability-anchored loyalty mechanism beyond traditional service-quality and satisfaction models. Managerially, the findings highlight the need for certified luxury green hotels to design green service encounters that create distinctive experiential value and delight, thereby strengthening long-term guest loyalty.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030080

Authors: Tünde Dzurov Vargová

Digital transformation is increasingly reshaping how tourism destinations manage quality, sustainability, and competitiveness. This study examines these relationships in the context of a developing European economy (Slovakia), focusing on the mechanisms through which digital technologies enhance destination performance. The empirical research was conducted at the national level within the Slovak Republic. Using a quantitative research design, data were collected through a survey of 276 key tourism stakeholders. The analysis applies reliability testing, regression analysis, variance analysis, and an indirect-effect analytical framework to examine the proposed relationships. Digital Transformation (DT) does not generate competitiveness in isolation but acts as a strategic catalyst that enhances destination competitiveness primarily through improvements in Quality and Environmental Responsibility (QTS). Additional findings reveal significant differences in Quality and Environmental Responsibility (QTS) across destinations with varying levels of digital maturity within the examined national context. The study contributes to tourism research by integrating digital transformation and environmental responsibility into a unified framework of destination competitiveness, using Slovakia as a representative case of a transitional European economy. While the findings may offer indicative insights for similar transitional contexts, the study primarily reflects the structural specificities of the Slovak tourism sector. From a practical perspective, the findings emphasize the need for strategic alignment between digital investments, quality management, and sustainability objectives to achieve long-term competitive advantage.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030079

Authors: Banji Rildwan Olaleye Ademola Emmanuel Ayodele Joseph Nembo Lekunze

Homestay tourism is increasingly recognised as a pathway to sustainable tourism development, especially in community-based destinations. This study examines the roles of local community attitudes and environmental sustainability in shaping perceived value and tourist satisfaction within Nigerian homestay tourism. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 386 homestay tourists across south-western Nigeria and analysed with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results reveal that local community attitude significantly boosts tourists’ perceived value, while environmental sustainability positively influences both perceived value and tourist satisfaction. However, perceived value does not strongly predict tourist satisfaction, and the moderating effect of community attitude on the relationship between value and satisfaction appears weak. This study contributes to the literature by integrating and extending the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) beyond behavioural intention, demonstrating its relevance to understanding the formation of value–satisfaction in community-based tourism. It also challenges dominant tourism assumptions by showing that perceived value may serve as a supporting rather than primary determinant of satisfaction in rural homestay settings. In practice, the findings suggest that homestay operators and policymakers should focus on environmental sustainability practices and on enhancing experiential service quality, rather than relying solely on value-for-money propositions. By providing context-specific evidence from sub-Saharan Africa, this study advances sustainable tourism scholarship and offers strategic insights for inclusive rural tourism development.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030078

Authors: Lucília Cardoso Isabela Novaes-Silva Guilherme Augusto Pereira Malta Humberto Fois-Braga Patrick Barbosa Moratori Carla Fraga

Tourism is increasingly shaped by visual experiences of place mediated through television series and audiovisual fiction. Although film-induced tourism research has widely examined how media representations influence destination image and tourist responses, limited attention has been given to the perceptual and cognitive processes through which mediated landscapes are visually attended to and mentally organised, particularly from a neuroaesthetic perspective focused on early perceptual and attentional mechanisms in fictional contexts where tourism is not explicit. Addressing this gap, this study adopts a process-oriented neuroaesthetic approach to examine how landscapes in the television series Killing Eve are visually attended to and cognitively processed as destination imagery. An exploratory mixed-methods design combined qualitative content analysis of free recall responses (n = 260) with simulated visual attention modelling based on low-level visual features. The findings reveal a two-stage process of mediated landscape experience: visual attention initially guided by perceptual salience, followed by the selective cognitive stabilisation of certain elements as destination imagery through recall, imagination and narrative association. The study demonstrates that mediated landscapes are not processed as holistic destination images, but as selectively organised and emotionally inflected elements emerging from the interaction between visual attention and imagery processes.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030077

Authors: Thawatphong Phithak Kanokwan Rattanakhiriphan Sorachai Kamollimsakul

The global tourism industry is entering a phygital era, prompting renewed examination of the metaverse as an extension rather than a substitute for physical travel. This study investigates how metaverse technology operates across the Phygital Customer Journey within the Thai tourism context. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 12 experts from academic, multimedia development, and policy sectors, the data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings indicate that the metaverse assumes its most structurally significant role during the pre-trip phase. Immersive previews were described as recalibrating perceived risk by enabling advance assessment of accessibility, spatial configuration, and environmental conditions prior to commitment. This staged risk-calibration process operates through three interrelated mechanisms: Sensory Bridging, Psychological Risk Mitigation, and Physical Feasibility Testing, which are particularly relevant for secondary tourism destinations and demographic aging contexts. Building on these patterns, the study advances a four-layer architectural framework as an interpretive synthesis. Within this framework, the metaverse functions as a transactional and coordination layer that integrates booking systems, AI-enabled services, and real-time infrastructural data supported by IoT and Blockchain. The analysis further suggests that the state may assume an enabling role as an Infrastructure Architect through the development of a National Digital Highway and regulatory sandbox arrangements for SMEs. Sustainable adoption depends on hardware-agnostic, mobile-centric accessibility to mitigate digital exclusion. While grounded in Thailand, the framework offers analytical relevance for destinations facing comparable infrastructural and demographic conditions.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030076

Authors: Vasiliki Matika Alkiviadis Panagopoulos Ioannis A. Nikas

Over the past 20 years, trends in the construction or renovation of football stadiums have undergone rapid transformation. Simple sports venues are constantly evolving into multifunctional facilities and play a decisive role in shaping cities’ image. To date, significant emphasis has been placed on developing stadiums as venues for sporting events, with a focus on supply-side perspectives, particularly in relation to design, marketing, and sustainability. However, we know relatively little about how the direct consumers of this product, the visitors to these facilities, experience and perceive these infrastructures, especially outside of match days. This paper follows a framework for researching this perspective, focusing on the services provided as key points of interest in stadium tourism, and on the written reactions on social networks. This framework is implemented by employing a set of well-known single-word themes, matching each review to these themes, and finally measuring the sentiment of the collected short texts as an implicit indicator of sentiment on the studied themes. Its realization is based on natural language processing, semantic similarity analysis, and sentiment evaluation to identify dominant themes, recurring lexical patterns, and emotional tones in visitor comments. The study concerns thirteen major European stadiums and reviews posted on Google and TripAdvisor. The research findings highlight the themes that shape a unique tourist experience, capturing tourist interests in stadium tourism in the post-COVID-19 era. Finally, the individual evaluation of the themes provides practical and clear tools for stadium managers, tourism operators, destination managers and legislators who seek to maximize visitor engagement and multiply the overall socio-economic value of these iconic infrastructures for the benefit of the wider urban environment that hosts them.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030075

Authors: Wondemsew Mesafint Kebadie Ihtisham Ullah

Wellness tourism represents a significant growth sector within the global tourism industry; however, empirical research examining development determinants in resource-constrained, emerging African destinations remains limited. This study investigates the structural relationships among infrastructure development, community involvement, marketing and promotion, and visitor expectations/service quality in advancing wellness tourism at Allelobad Hot Spring in Ethiopia’s Afar Region. Using a quantitative methodology, structured questionnaires were administered to 210 respondents (visitors, local community members, and tourism stakeholders), resulting in 186 valid responses. Data were analyzed through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results demonstrate that all four determinants exert statistically significant positive effects on wellness tourism development (p < 0.001), with visitor expectations and service quality emerging as the strongest predictor (β = 0.35), followed by infrastructure development (β = 0.32), marketing and promotion (β = 0.30), and community involvement (β = 0.27). The structural model explains 68% of the variance in wellness tourism development, indicating substantial explanatory power. These findings underscore that sustainable wellness tourism growth in emerging destinations necessitates integrated, multidimensional strategies that simultaneously address physical infrastructure, stakeholder engagement, strategic positioning, and experiential excellence, rather than isolated sector-specific interventions.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030074

Authors: Edward Yi Ari Warokka Aina Zatil Aqmar

The accelerating transformation of the tourism and hospitality industry requires higher education institutions to equip graduates with market-aligned competencies, yet the effectiveness of hospitality education programs across national contexts remains underexplored. This study examines the alignment between students’ perceived competencies and curricular emphasis in tourism and hospitality education in South Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Data were collected from 650 final-year undergraduate students using a structured questionnaire based on the Student Competency Self Evaluation Scale (SCSES). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses identified five core competency domains: Financial Management, Strategic Planning, Leadership, Communication, and Cultural Awareness. Curriculum structures were examined by classifying institutional course offerings into standardized competency clusters. The findings show that students in Singapore reported the highest levels of self-perceived competencies, particularly in financial management and strategic planning, while South Korean students reported the lowest across all domains. Curriculum analysis indicates that programs in South Korea emphasize operational training, those in Singapore focus on managerial and interdisciplinary competencies, and those in Hong Kong prioritize business management, with limited emphasis on personal and soft skills. These findings highlight gaps in competency alignment and provide practical implications for curriculum enhancement, particularly in South Korean tourism and hospitality education programs.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030073

Authors: Kateryna Melnyk Petra Vašaničová

Exploring international travel behavior provides valuable insights into the factors that influence travelers’ decision-making processes and motivations across generational cohorts. This paper examines differences among Slovak residents from four generations—Generation Z, Generation Y, Generation X, and the Baby Boomer generation—in their travel motivations, perceived constraints, and factors influencing travel-related decisions. The study investigates generational differences in three key areas: (1) the perceived influence of various aspects on decision-making when traveling abroad, (2) the perceived restrictiveness of potential constraining factors, and (3) the perceived importance of factors when choosing a vacation. Data were collected through an online questionnaire administered to 265 Slovak respondents between November and December 2025. The hypotheses were tested using Kruskal–Wallis tests. The results indicate that while some factors, such as price and destination safety, are important across all generations, others—such as social media influence, entertainment, and social activities—show statistically significant generational differences. These findings contribute to a better understanding of generational travel behavior and provide practical insights for tourism professionals seeking to tailor marketing strategies, products, and services to the specific preferences of different age cohorts.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030072

Authors: Prem Bhandari Erinn Tucker-Oluwole Lila Karki Enrique N. Escobar Moses T. Kairo

This paper empirically investigates the influence of specific direct sales approaches in attracting visitors to an agritourism operation and its profitability using survey data from the U.S. This study further examines the mediating role of the number of visits to a farm in the relationships between specific direct sales approaches and profitability. Agritourism operations enhance economic viability and sustain the business by opening farms to visitors for education, recreation, entertainment, and direct sales of farm products and services. The goal is to invite visitors to a farm and enhance income. Previous studies in the U.S. show that on-farm direct sales, in general, show a positive association, whereas off-farm direct sales show a negative association with the profitability of agritourism operations, along with many other factors. Farmers consider U-pick, sales through a farm stand/store, and subscription farming or community-supported agriculture (CSA) (on-farm pick-up) as on-farm, and CSA (off-farm delivery) and selling at a farmers’ market as off-farm direct sales approaches. However, which specific approach attracts visitors to a farm and generates profitability is not known. Multivariate analysis using the recently collected data from a U.S. national survey of operators reveals that on-farm direct sales such as a U-pick and a farm stand/store attracted significantly more visits to an agritourism operation, which ultimately yielded higher profitability. In contrast, the selling of produce at farmers’ markets attracted significantly fewer visits to the farm and reportedly reduced profitability. These results are adjusted for other factors including various agritourism experiences offered to the visitors. Moreover, as theoretically expected, the number of visits mediated the effects of specific direct sales (particularly a U-pick and farm stand sales) on profitability. This evidence has implications for agritourism operators, policymakers, and extension educators engaged in starting, expanding, and promoting direct sales via agritourism operations for their economic viability and sustainability.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030071

Authors: Yuldoshboy Sobirov Bekmurod Ollanazarov Nuriddin Shanyazov Hakimjon Hakimov Zokir Mamadiyarov Jurabek Kuralbaev Feruza Yusupova

This paper investigates the determinants of tourism in selected Asian economies over the period 1995–2024, employing the Augmented Mean Group (AMG) estimator to account for cross-sectional dependence, unobserved common factors, and heterogeneous country-specific dynamics. As a robustness check, method of moments quantile regressions (MMQRs) are applied to examine how the effects of GDP, consumer prices, foreign direct investment (FDI), trade openness, and institutional quality vary across the distribution of tourism inflows. The results indicate that GDP consistently promotes tourist arrivals, particularly in countries with lower to median tourism inflows, while higher consumer prices reduce tourism demand across all quantiles. FDI and trade openness positively influence tourism, with FDI’s impact amplified in countries with stronger institutional quality. The MMQR analysis further highlights substantial heterogeneity: emerging economies benefit more from FDI and institutional reforms, whereas advanced economies rely primarily on GDP growth, trade integration, and high-quality tourism services. Overall, the findings underscore the complementary roles of macroeconomic fundamentals, foreign investment, trade, and governance in supporting sustainable long-run tourism growth in Asia, while demonstrating the value of distributional analysis for capturing heterogeneous effects.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030070

Authors: Edgar Rojas-Rivas Tahir Sufi Humberto Thomé-Ortiz

This research explores the cultural representations of Mexican cuisine as perceived by tourists visiting Puebla, Mexico. Using open-ended questions and the free listing technique, a total of 549 tourists were asked about their opinion on Puebla’s cuisine, and they also listed the ingredients or dishes they associated with Puebla’s cuisine. Sixteen categories were identified and grouped into seven dimensions, the most important being flavor profile, attractiveness, distinctiveness, and familiarity. These dimensions show tourists’ perceptions of the destination’s cuisine. The results highlight the relevance of emblematic dishes such as Mole poblano and Chiles en nogada that are sold in Puebla. The findings suggest that Puebla’s cuisine is not only strongly anchored in iconic dishes but also reflects a broader edible heritage that reinforces Puebla’s position as a gastronomic destination in Mexico. This research contributes to understanding how tourists conceptualize local cuisines and offers insights for the development of gastronomic tourism and gastronomic promotion strategies.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030069

Authors: Xingyu Chen Songyu Jiang Jirawan Deeprasert

This study aimed to immerse itself in the most important cultural aspects that tourists see as the main part of their food experience in Chongqing, a city with an active culinary life. We used semi-structured and in-depth interviews with 50 tourists who had recent culinary travel experience in Chongqing. The interview data were systematized with the grounded theory coding process. It was found that six essential themes characterizing the cultural climate of the culinary experience in Chongqing can be taken as Sensory Immersion, Atmospheric Energy (Yanhuoqi), Communal Dining, Procedural Knowledge, Historical Symbolism, and Authenticity Seeking. The research adds a multi-dimensional and granular paradigm for perceiving cultural aspects of a food destination. Through the deconstruction of the taste of place, it gives detailed, contextual information about the manner in which the tourists both interpret and experience food culture. The results have profound practical implications for both destination marketers in relation to the manner in which they can develop powerful cultural narratives and to policymakers on the role of maintaining intangible culinary heritage.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030068

Authors: Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh Dinh Hoang Minh Tran Cuong Tran Thi Quy Chinh

Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this research examines how attitudes influence intentions and behaviors, and whether AI Chatbot serves as a contextual moderator that strengthens this linkage. Data were collected from 607 tourists at major destinations in Vietnam using systematic sampling. The hypotheses were tested with SPSS 26, AMOS 20, and the PROCESS macro to examine mediation and moderated mediation effects. The results show that e-booking intention partially mediates the relationship between e-booking attitudes and behavior. More importantly, AI Chatbot Adoption significantly enhances the intention–behavior linkage, thereby reducing the well-documented intention–behavior gap in e-booking. This result implies that tourism businesses and hotel managers can integrate AI Chatbot to provide real-time support, reduce customer hesitation, and improve booking conversion rates. Policymakers and AI developers are also encouraged to promote responsible adoption of AI in tourism to enhance service quality and customer trust.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030067

Authors: Óscar Fernández-Álvarez Miguel González-González Sara Ouali-Fernández

Carnival, as an expression of intangible cultural heritage, plays a significant role in shaping collective identity and tourism dynamics across diverse regions. In Spain, the antruejos of León constitute one of the most distinctive manifestations of traditional carnival, characterized by ancestral masquerades, archetypal characters, and rituals of symbolic inversion. This article examines the relationship between tourism and the safeguarding of antruejos. It situates these celebrations within the framework of Cultural Heritage Assets (Bienes de Interés Cultural, BIC) and analyses their impact on the revaluation and reinterpretation of festive heritage. Drawing on an anthropological approach and ethnographic fieldwork conducted in several localities of León, the study analyses how tourism shapes the continuity, transformation, and commodification of these carnivals, as well as the tensions between authenticity, revitalization, and spectacularization. The study provides a critical assessment of the role of antruejos in cultural tourism and of their contribution to the long-term sustainability of intangible heritage.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030066

Authors: Anaísa Dias Nuno Abranja

Small islands in developing countries often face infrastructural limitations, environmental fragility, and heavy economic dependence on tourism, making smart and sustainable innovation crucial. This study investigates what international tourists value in a destination to perceive it as a “smart island,” applying the smart city paradigm to the context of small island developing countries. A structured survey was conducted with 420 international tourists from diverse nationalities, using a five-point Likert scale to assess the importance of smart tourism attributes. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, t-tests, and regression analyses were performed to identify significant predictors of overall satisfaction with smart tourism experiences. This study provides empirical evidence that international tourists primarily perceive destination smartness through core digital and infrastructural features rather than advanced technological sophistication. Real-time information systems emerged as the strongest predictor of perceived smartness, followed by free Wi-Fi access, sustainability-related technologies, and smart transport systems. The findings further reveal that demographic and cultural factors influence technology preferences, while immersive tools such as augmented reality play a secondary role. Overall, the results indicate that, in Small Island Developing Countries, smart tourism should be understood as a strategic approach to improving accessibility, connectivity, sustainability, and destination resilience rather than merely adopting high-end technologies.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030065

Authors: Sitaram Sukthankar Relita Fernandes Sadanand Gaonkar Arya Shetye

Emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), including chatbots, are now transforming the hospitality and tourism industry. Chatbot technology is an excellent tool for enhancing communication, boosting service delivery efficiency, reducing costs, and improving the tourist experience. Despite their potential benefits, the adoption of AI-powered chatbots in Goa’s hospitality and tourism industry remains low, underscoring the need to identify the determinants influencing tourists’ behavioural intention to adopt this technology and use behaviour. Therefore, this study examines the key determinants influencing tourists’ behavioural intentions to adopt AI-powered chatbots in the hospitality and tourism industry. In addition, the study also examines the impact of tourists’ behavioural intentions to adopt AI-powered chatbots on use behaviour. For this purpose, a revised UTAUT2 model is assessed by leveraging a quantitative research approach. Structured questionnaires were distributed to a total of 400 inbound and outbound tourists, of which 227 respondents who were aware of AI-powered chatbots were chosen as the respondents for this study based on purposive sampling. The collected data were analysed using Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 4.0. The findings revealed that attitude, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, and perceived enjoyment significantly influence tourists’ behavioural intention to adopt AI-powered chatbots, whereas automation and habit do not significantly influence their behavioural intention to adopt AI-powered chatbots. This study has implications for tourism managers and policymakers in the tourism and hospitality industry, who can gain insights into the factors that can encourage tourists to adopt AI-based facilities.

Tourism and Hospitality doi: 10.3390/tourhosp7030064

Authors: Hang Thi Bich Tran Tran Hung Nguyen Xuan Cu Le

This study aims to examine the mechanisms fostering users’ intention to follow generative artificial intelligence (GenAI)-assisted travel destination recommendations (ATDRs) in the context of digital transformation. A research framework was developed by integrating perceived value, trust, and perceived intrusiveness with the Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Data were collected from 469 respondents who expressed an intention to visit GenAI-ATDRs. This study utilizes structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the research model. The findings indicate that perceived value and trust are affected by SDT-related dimensions, namely perceived competence, perceived relatedness, perceived autonomy, and perceived intrusiveness. However, trust does not influence perceived value. Furthermore, all three GenAI-related constructs, including perceived value, trust, and perceived intrusiveness, significantly affect users’ intention to follow GenAI-ATDRs. Finally, this work contributes to the body of knowledge on GenAI and user engagement by enlightening its necessity as a helpful virtual assistant and providing practical guidance for industry practitioners on how to enhance users’ willingness to adopt GenAI-ATDRs.