Search Results (361)

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influence tourist behavior and revisit intentions in the context of halal tourism. The antecedent variables in this study included religiosity, digital halal literacy, halal destination features, contentment, and trust. This is a quantitative study that used travelers that visited halal tourism attractions in West Sumatra, Indonesia, as the sample population. The sample size was 400 respondents. The data were analyzed using the partial least squares–structural equation model (PLS-SEM). We discovered that religiosity is an important predictor of contentment and trust. Satisfaction was achieved through digital halal literacy and halal destination qualities and was found to have a significant influence on trust, tourist behavior, and revisit intentions. Finally, trust was found to have a significant association with intention to revisit and behavior. The results of this research are insightful for managers and policymakers on how to provide halal tourism attributes and analyze tourists’ digital halal literacy that lead to tourist satisfaction. This study also provides further knowledge to policymakers and local authorities on how to promote future tourist participation in halal tourism development in Indonesia; thus, it can help create more tourist returns for further visits to the same location in the future. Full article

This study examines the determinants of environmentally responsible behavior among tourists in the heritage villages of Paveh County, Iran, through an integrated theoretical framework that synthesizes place-related psychological constructs with the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Employing structural equation modeling on data collected from 443 tourists across three heritage villages (July–November 2024), the investigation tested comparative theoretical models with differing explanatory capacities. The baseline TPB model confirmed significant positive effects of environmental attitudes (β = 0.388), environmental norms (β = 0.398), and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.547) on behavioral intentions, which subsequently influenced environmental behavior (β = 0.561). The extended model incorporating place-related variables demonstrated enhanced explanatory power, with the R² values increasing from 48.2% to 52.7% for behavioral intentions and from 49.2% to 54.7% for actual behavior. Notably, place identity exhibited dual psychological functions: moderating the intention–behavior relationship (β = 0.155) and mediating between place attachment and environmental behavior (β = 0.163). These findings advance sustainable tourism theory by illuminating the complex pathways through which place-based psychological connections influence environmental behavior formation in heritage contexts, suggesting that more sophisticated theoretical frameworks are required for understanding and promoting sustainable practices in culturally significant destinations. Full article

Social media platforms like Instagram significantly shape destination images and influence tourist behavior. Understanding how different cities are represented and perceived on these platforms is crucial for effective tourism marketing. This study provides a comparative analysis of Instagram content and engagement patterns in Seoul and Tokyo, two major Asian metropolises, to derive actionable marketing insights. We collected and analyzed 59,944 public Instagram posts geotagged or location-tagged within Seoul (n = 29,985) and Tokyo (n = 29,959). We employed a mixed-methods approach involving content categorization using a fine-tuned convolutional neural network (CNN) model, engagement metric analysis (likes, comments), Valence Aware Dictionary and sEntiment Reasoner (VADER) sentiment analysis and thematic classification of comments, geospatial analysis (Kernel Density Estimation [KDE], Moran’s I), and predictive modeling (Gradient Boosting with SHapley Additive exPlanations [SHAP] value analysis). A validation analysis using balanced samples (n = 2000 each) was conducted to address Tokyo’s lower geotagged data proportion. While both cities showed ‘Person’ as the dominant content category, notable differences emerged. Tokyo exhibited higher like-based engagement across categories, particularly for ‘Animal’ and ‘Food’ content, while Seoul generated slightly more comments, often expressing stronger sentiment. Qualitative comment analysis revealed Seoul comments focused more on emotional reactions, whereas Tokyo comments were often shorter, appreciative remarks. Geospatial analysis identified distinct hotspots. The validation analysis confirmed these spatial patterns despite Tokyo’s data limitations. Predictive modeling highlighted hashtag counts as the key engagement driver in Seoul and the presence of people in Tokyo. Seoul and Tokyo project distinct visual narratives and elicit different engagement patterns on Instagram. These findings offer practical implications for destination marketers, suggesting tailored content strategies and location-based campaigns targeting identified hotspots and specific content themes. This study underscores the value of integrating quantitative and qualitative analyses of social media data for nuanced destination marketing insights. Full article

This study employs a mixed method. In-depth interviews and observational studies are among the data collection approaches used in qualitative research. The quantitative method measures the weight of respondents’ answers to the distributed questionnaire. The questionnaire, containing 82 items, was distributed to 202 tourists to collect their perceptions based on the 4A tourist components. The results indicate that tourists’ perceptions of attractions, accessibility, and ancillary services are generally positive. In contrast, perceptions of amenity services are less favorable. Using the scores from IFAS, EFAS, and the I-E matrix, the total weighted scores for IFAS and EFAS are 2.68 and 2.83, respectively. The appropriate strategy for BTV is one of aggressive growth in a position of strengths and opportunities. The study highlights key techniques, including the application of information technology in service and promotion, the strengthening of community and government roles, the development of infrastructure and facilities, the utilization of external resources, sustainable innovation, and the encouragement of local governments to issue regulations for halal tourism villages. By identifying drivers and barriers from an economic, environmental, social, and cultural perspective, the SWOT analysis results help design strategies that can make positive contributions to the development of sustainable, community-based halal tourism and digital information in the future. Full article

This study integrates Expectation–Confirmation Theory (ECT) and the existing literature on service failure to propose a novel service gaps model. This model categorizes service gaps into three dimensions: Gap 1—the service delivery system gap; Gap 2—the customer needs and requests gap; and Gap 3—the unprompted and unsolicited service behaviors gap. This study examines the effects of these service gaps and recovery satisfaction on repurchase intention, as well as the moderating role of service recovery in the relationship between recovery satisfaction and repurchase intention. Based on the findings, this study offers practical recommendations to address service gaps, enhance recovery satisfaction, and ultimately improve customers’ repurchase intentions in the restaurant industry. Full article

Globalization and market saturation have led Portuguese textile companies to seek international markets not only for growth but also to contribute to their country’s international image. This study aims to explore how the internationalization of the Portuguese textile sector into the Chinese market contributes to Portugal’s destination image and identify the critical success factors in this process. The research follows an inductive, qualitative methodology based on semi-structured interviews with two groups of companies: those already operating in China (n = 5) and those preparing to enter the market (n = 5). The interviews were thematically analyzed to extract key patterns and insights. The findings reveal that successful companies operate in the luxury segment, rely on prior international experience, and often use local intermediaries. Firms planning to internationalize highlight quality differentiation, brand authenticity, and innovation as strategic advantages. These insights support the role of niche positioning and cultural adaptation in building both commercial success and a refined international image of Portugal. This study contributes to the literature by linking internationalization and destination branding through industry-specific case evidence and offers practical implications for managers targeting emerging markets like China. Full article

Online reviews increasingly shape experiential travel decisions. This study investigates how structural and linguistic features of user-generated content influence peer endorsement in wine tourism. While prior research has explored review valence and credibility, limited attention has been paid to how micro-level textual and identity cues affect social approval metrics such as likes. Grounded in the Elaboration Likelihood Model, the analysis draws on 7942 TripAdvisor reviews using automated web scraping, readability metrics, and multivariate regression. Results indicate that location disclosure significantly increases likes, while higher textual complexity reduces endorsement. Title length and reviewer contributions function as peripheral cues, with an interaction between complexity and title length compounding cognitive effort. Findings refine dual-process persuasion theory and offer practical insights for content optimization in post-pandemic tourism engagement. Full article

This study examines how memorable tourism experiences (MTEs) influence tourists’ intention to recommend coastal tourism destinations. Using a quantitative approach of PLS-SEM analysis and a disjoint two-stage approach, this study examines MTE as a higher-order construct (HOC) with its seven dimensions and the moderating role of coastal destination competitiveness (CDC) in structural relationships. Data were collected through purposive sampling from 339 tourists who had visited Likupang, one of the priority tourism destinations in Indonesia. The results show that MTE plays a crucial role in increasing perceived economic value (PEV) and place attachment (PLA), and it is directly related to the intention to recommend the destination (ITRD). In addition to the prominent mediation role of PEV, these findings reveal that the CDC can strengthen or weaken the influence of these factors on tourists’ intention to provide recommendations. Specifically, the CDC can strengthen PLA influence towards intention to recommend, whereas, in contrast, it weakens the PEV in driving these intentions. The findings of this study expand the horizon of managing coastal tourism with an understanding of tourist behavior, particularly through a focus on improving MTE from the dynamics of its seven dimensions in encouraging promotion through tourist recommendations while optimizing the natural competitiveness elements of Likupang. Full article

This study analyzes how Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST) communicates policy implementation in tourism governance through 35 official responses to citizen petitions, using Heidbreder’s Multilevel Policy Implementation Strategies Framework (centralization, agencification, convergence, networking). Content coding, frequency analysis, co-occurrence network, and sentiment analysis reveal a dominant centralization pattern, with MoCST maintaining strong top-down control in decision-making and resource allocation. Convergence reflects increased inter-ministerial coordination, while agencification is limited, and networking with private or civil sectors remains weak. This weak networking limits participatory decision-making and hinders the development of adaptive, community-based tourism initiatives, which are crucial for sustainable tourism governance. Positive sentiment is more associated with centralized and convergent actions, indicating institutional trust. The study extends Heidbreder’s framework to a non-Western, centralized context and calls for stronger local agency roles and inclusive networks to enhance resilience and community ownership in policy implementation. Full article

This paper focuses on regeneration projects in ‘first-generation’ seaside resorts in England from the perspective of those leading and managing such projects. There have been numerous recent initiatives intended to revive seaside resorts and enable them to regain competitiveness, but limited analysis of what is necessary for such regeneration projects to be successful. This paper contributes to debates about the role of critical success factors (CSFs) in regeneration by identifying issues that apply to the specific context of seaside resorts. In-depth interviews were undertaken with ten managers responsible for individual projects focusing on the CSFs necessary for regeneration projects to succeed. Four such factors were identified: (1) the need to secure appropriate funding (and associated difficulties); (2) the importance of involving stakeholders (particularly the local authority and local community); (3) the need for a strong business plan (which must evolve as the project progresses); and (4) the importance of considering best practices elsewhere. The importance of each success factor varied by the sector (public/commercial/third) leading the regeneration initiative and varied at different stages of a regeneration project. These findings have practical implications for local authorities, commercial enterprises, and third-sector bodies in seaside destinations. Full article

Sociodemographic aspects influence consumer perception in a food hall. This study evaluates the attributes that determine the gastronomic experience and examines how sociodemographic aspects (age, education level, income, consumption) affect the perception of restaurant attributes, satisfaction, and loyalty. Using a valid sample of 420 participants, exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression were applied. The results show that education level and income significantly affect satisfaction (β = −0.173; p = 0.006 and β = 0.195; p = 0.015, respectively) and loyalty dimensions, including revisit intention (β = −0.179; p = 0.004 and β = 0.269; p = 0.001), recommendation (β = −0.171; p = 0.005 and β = 0.295; p = 0.001), and intention to say positive things (β = −0.120; p = 0.051 and β = 0.215; p = 0.006). Unlike prior studies focused on traditional restaurants, this research offers new empirical evidence within food halls as hybrid gastronomic spaces. The findings provide practical insights for food hall managers and urban tourism developers by emphasizing the importance of segmenting marketing strategies according to education, income, and visit frequency to enhance customer satisfaction, loyalty, and destination attractiveness. Full article

As health and well-being become central concerns in the post-pandemic tourism landscape, health tourism is evolving to prioritize not only physical recovery but also psychological engagement and emotional value. This study explores how gamified design can enhance tourist participation and experience quality within health-related tourism contexts. By integrating theories from tourism psychology and game-based experience design, a structural equation model is proposed to examine the relationships among memorable tourism experiences, tourist motivation, game design elements, flow experience, and perceived value, and their joint influence on behavioral intention. Data collected from tourists who engaged in gamified experiences were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques. The results identify a dynamic “participation–immersion–value” mechanism, in which gameful design fosters flow and perceived value, thereby mediating gamification’s impact on behavioral intention. These findings offer valuable insights for health tourism developers and experience designers seeking to create emotionally engaging, motivating, and sustainable visitor experiences in the context of health and well-being. Full article

This study introduces a novel reflective–formative hierarchical model specification for the classic push–pull tourist motivation construct, aligning its measurement with the theoretical distinction between intrinsic “push” drives and external “pull” attributes. Unlike the traditional reflective-reflective structuring of tourist motivation we defied the higher order factors (novelty, knowledge and facilities as formative. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) on a purposive sample of 319 international tourists, we empirically validate the reflective–formative (reflective first-order, formative second-order) model. The reflective–formative model showed a superior fit and predictive power: it explained substantially more variance in key outcome constructs (social motives (R² = 53.60) and self-actualization (R² = 23.10)) than the traditional reflective–reflective specification (social motives (R² = 49.30) and self-actualization (R² = 21.70)), which is consistent with best-practice guidelines for theoretically grounded models. In contrast, the incorrectly specified reflective–reflective model showed stronger effects between unrelated constructs, supporting concerns that choosing the wrong type of measurement model can lead to incorrect conclusions. By reconciling the push–pull theory with measurement design, this work’s main contributions are a theoretically justified reflective–formative model for tourist motivation, and evidence of its empirical benefits. These findings highlight a methodological innovation in motivation modeling and underscore that modeling push–pull motives formatively yields more accurate insights for theory and practice. Full article

Higher education in tourism plays a pivotal role in the development of the tourism sector in Portugal—one of the country’s most vital economic pillars. In recent years, there has been growing interest in the adoption of innovative teaching methodologies by higher education institutions, aiming to foster more dynamic and student-centered learning environments. This article analyzes, through a qualitative approach grounded in educational and social science research, the main pedagogical and didactic strategies employed in leading tourism programs across Portugal. Drawing on a content analysis of curricular unit descriptions and all relevant public pedagogical information available on official institutional websites, this study provides a critical overview of current didactic practices. Finally, the research reflects on the degree to which innovative teaching and research practices are integrated and discusses their alignment with recognized international standards and best practices. This study contributes to bridging a significant research gap by systematically linking pedagogical practice in Portuguese tourism programs with global educational standards. Full article

The increasing use of Global Positioning System (GPS) tools reshapes nature-based recreational practices. While previous research has examined the role of GPS technologies in outdoor recreation, limited attention has been given to the specific factors driving GPS use in nature-based settings such as natural parks. This case study examines the sociodemographic, behavioural, motivational and experiential factors influencing GPS use among visitors to the Capçaleres del Ter i del Freser Natural Park (Catalonia, Spain). A structured visitor survey (n = 999) was conducted over a one-year period and a hierarchical binary logistic regression model was applied to evaluate the explanatory contribution of four sequential variable blocks. The results showed that the behavioural factors (i.e., physical activity intensity) emerged as the strongest predictor of GPS use. Additionally, the final model demonstrated that visitors who were younger, engaged in higher-intensity physical activities, motivated by health-related goals, undertook longer routes, and reported more positive experiences were significantly more likely to use GPS tools during their visit. These findings highlight the need to adapt communication strategies to diverse visitor profiles and leverage volunteered geographic information (VGI) for improved visitor monitoring, flow management, and adaptive conservation planning. Full article