Search Results (142)

Botanical tourism is a growing niche within nature-based travel, yet little is known about tourists who travel specifically to observe plants in their natural habitats. This study addresses this gap by examining the travel motivations of international botanical tourists visiting Turkey through the push–pull framework. A qualitative approach was adopted, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 56 tourists recruited through a specialist botanical tour operator. Reflexive thematic analysis identified six push factors: biophilia and nature centrality, psychological escape, plant passion and identity, knowledge seeking, transformative experience, and ethical reflection. Five pull factors were also identified: professional guides, endemism, natural landscapes, seasonality, and remoteness and authenticity. The findings show that botanical tourism is an identity-based and knowledge-oriented form of travel in which personal motivations are closely linked to ecological destination attributes. The study extends push–pull theory and offers practical implications for guide training, endemic-route design, phenology-based itineraries, and conservation-sensitive tourism management. Full article

The nature of the psychedelic experience, and the distinctive phenomenological features it generates, leaves it susceptible to an unresolved epistemological tension between first-person phenomenological reports and claims about the fundamental nature of consciousness and reality. This tension is examined through the concept of ontological tourism: the practice of treating phenomenological data as sufficient grounds for ontological conclusions without adequate engagement with alternative mechanistic explanations or the philosophical requirements that such inferences demand. This practice, absent adequate epistemic scaffolding, poses a genuine threat to scientific integrity and clinical ethics. At the same time, reflexively dismissing phenomenological data as mere pharmacological artifacts represents an equally impoverished position. The tourist analogy cuts both ways: the tourist may be an unreliable cartographer, but the tourist has been somewhere. An alternative stance is proposed, one that takes subjective experience seriously as a form of evidence without overclaiming its metaphysical implications or dismissing its epistemic weight, along with a framework for achieving it. Ontological tourism risks bypassing the explanatory work that makes psychedelic phenomenology valuable to consciousness science. Full article

Social and behavioral research often needs to examine policy shocks, information interventions, platform-mediated attention, and governance feedback, but direct experiments on real populations are constrained by ethical risks, intervention costs, and limited repeatability. This study proposes Multi-Agent Social Simulation (MASS), a protocolized form of large language model-driven agent-based modeling (LLM-driven ABM) designed as a low-risk, repeatable, and auditable pre-experimental simulation method for quantitative research. MASS embeds LLMs in an agent-based modeling (ABM) framework and uses role settings, round-based scheduling, information control, background-rule control, structured outputs, harness checks, reason-action logs, and replication manifests to transform open-ended language generation into recordable, checkable, and statistically analyzable agent-round observations. The method is evaluated through the New Jersey–Pennsylvania minimum wage natural experiment, the 2016 UK Brexit digital campaigning context, and the 2023 Zibo barbecue tourism public-opinion event. Results show that protocolized LLM-driven ABM can generate analyzable and empirically assessable outputs across policy-shock, information-intervention, and governance-feedback scenarios. The strongest evidence concerns rule-shock identification, declining undecided share under targeting, and mechanism-chain consistency among governance response, public sentiment, and behavioral intention. MASS is not a substitute for real-world experiments or causal inference; it is a pre-experimental simulation method for mechanism rehearsal, risk identification, counterfactual comparison, and research design preparation. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly transforming tourism management by improving operational efficiency, enhancing visitor experiences, and supporting sustainability objectives. However, existing studies primarily focus on individual AI technologies and lack a comprehensive framework for comparing their sustainability performance. Therefore, this study evaluates and ranks major AI applications used in tourism management from a sustainability perspective. An integrated Entropy–TOPSIS framework was developed to assess six AI applications: Generative AI Systems, AI Chatbots, Digital Twin Systems, Smart Destination Management, Smart Governance, and Open Data Tourism Platforms. Ten evaluation criteria covering economic, environmental, social, managerial, and ethical dimensions were identified through a comprehensive literature review. The Entropy method was employed to determine objective criterion weights, while the TOPSIS method was used to rank the alternatives. The results indicate that personalization capability, privacy and ethical risk, and energy efficiency are the most discriminating evaluation criteria, with weights of 0.2217, 0.2190, and 0.2108, respectively. Smart Destination Management achieved the highest sustainability performance (CC = 0.5968), followed closely by Digital Twin Systems (CC = 0.5950) and Open Data Tourism Platforms (CC = 0.4978). The findings suggest that AI applications integrating sustainability-oriented destination management, operational intelligence, and personalized visitor services outperform solutions focusing on isolated technological functions. The proposed framework offers a practical decision support tool for tourism managers and policymakers seeking to prioritize AI investments that maximize sustainability outcomes while supporting responsible digital transformation. Full article

Guided forest bathing is increasingly incorporated into resort wellness portfolios, yet tourism evaluations often report average programme outcomes without examining how guests differ at entry or what the findings imply for product and service design. This prospective one-group pre–post field study examined a three-day guided forest bathing programme delivered as part of the organised wellness offer of a forest-rich Northern Adriatic resort. Of 150 enrolled adults, 132 provided matched questionnaires. Six study-specific experiential and relational dimensions were assessed before and after the programme: nature connectedness, restorative perception, sensory awareness, environmental-ethical sensitivity, planetary health orientation, and intention to continue nature-based self-care. All six post-programme scores were higher after Holm adjustment. The largest standardised differences were observed for sensory awareness (mean difference = 0.91, Cohen’s dz = 1.42), restorative perception (mean difference = 0.61, Cohen’s dz = 1.17), and future nature-based self-care (mean difference = 0.59, Cohen’s dz = 1.04). Change in sensory awareness correlated with change in restorative perception (r = 0.62) and nature connectedness (r = 0.58). Previous nature contact, nature-related hobbies, and spiritual-existential orientation predicted baseline nature connectedness, whereas integrative health orientation, wellness self-care, spirituality, and expectations predicted baseline future self-care. In baseline-adjusted models, lower previous forest contact was associated with higher post-programme sensory awareness. Because the study had no control group, these differences cannot be attributed specifically to guided forest bathing rather than to the wider resort stay, time away from routine, recreation, social interaction, expectancy, or repeated measurement. Co-created restorative value is proposed only as an interpretive framework and was not measured as a construct. For tourism and hospitality management, the findings generate testable decisions concerning guest onboarding, adaptive facilitation, guide training, expectation management, and the development of low-infrastructure nature-based wellness products. Full article

This study examines how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can contribute to the development of a responsible governance orientation in hotel companies located in inland tourism destinations through internal organizational capabilities. Unlike approaches focused primarily on the external dimension of CSR, this research directs attention to the internal mechanisms that enable responsible commitments to be transformed into ethical, verifiable, and sustained management practices. Drawing on stakeholder theory and the resource-based view, the proposed model analyzes the effects of ethical organizational design, internal CSR implementation, and accountability and evaluation mechanisms on responsible hotel governance orientation. The empirical analysis is based on a sample of 112 hotel managers in Extremadura, Spain, and uses partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), complemented by a multigroup analysis based on hotel category. The results show that ethical organizational design is the model’s primary antecedent, positively influencing internal CSR implementation, accountability and evaluation mechanisms, and responsible hotel governance orientation. Internal CSR implementation and accountability and evaluation mechanisms also act as explanatory pathways linking ethical structures to responsible governance. The multigroup analysis reveals distinct patterns across hotel categories, particularly in the relationships associated with ethical organizational design. At the practical level, this study offers guidance for strengthening responsible management in hotel companies through ethical structures, internal training, and continuous monitoring and improvement systems. Full article

Agritourism is increasingly intersecting with digital technologies to foster rural resilience, economic growth, and sustainable development. This study conducts a comprehensive systematic bibliometric review to map the intellectual structure, thematic evolution, and collaborative networks characterizing the digitalization of agritourism from 2010 to 2025. Guided by the PRISMA framework, data from the Scopus database were analyzed using scientific mapping techniques, including keyword co-occurrence, thematic evolution tracking, and spatial collaboration analysis. The findings reveal a paradigm shift categorized into three evolutionary phases: an incubation period of basic web adoption (2011–2017), a disruptive phase catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic (2018–2022), and an exponential maturation phase driven by Industry 4.0 technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, and Virtual Reality (2023–2025). Four primary thematic clusters emerged: digital marketing and connectivity, smart tourism and advanced analytics, immersive technologies for heritage preservation, and macro-level sustainability policies. Geopolitically, research is driven by two distinct networks: an Asian-centric hub led by China focusing on state-sponsored smart villages, and a Western hub anchored by the USA and Italy emphasizing entrepreneurial diversification. The study concludes that digitalization has transitioned from a reactive survival mechanism to a proactive strategic necessity. It highlights the critical need to bridge the digital divide through human capital investment and provides a future research agenda focusing on the ethical application of AI, the circular economy, and the preservation of rural authenticity in emerging ’phygital’ environments. Full article

Design management in Industry 5.0 faces a persistent gap due to fragmented conceptualizations that treat AI, human creativity, and machine capabilities as largely separate elements, limiting their effective integration within complex socio-technical systems. Addressing this gap, the present study develops and empirically validates a Design Management Model grounded in human-centered, ethical, and sustainability-oriented principles, framing design management as an adaptive and relational system rather than a linear or technology-driven process. Departing from the automation-oriented logic of Industry 4.0, the study adopts an augmented cognition perspective in which AI functions as a collaborative partner supporting, rather than replacing, human judgment. A sequential mixed-methods approach was employed, integrating systematic literature review, qualitative content analysis, expert evaluation, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) based on data from 316 participants, followed by empirical examination in two service-oriented case contexts, namely tourism/hospitality and healthcare services. The findings identify and validate six interrelated domains and demonstrate that Human–AI–Machine Synergy plays a central role in shaping design outcomes. More specifically, the results show that effective design management in Industry 5.0 depends on the coordinated interaction between cognitive processes, technological infrastructures, and organizational strategies, rather than on isolated technological advancement. Empirical applications further illustrate how the model supports ethically guided AI integration, enhances adaptive decision-making, and improves experience-oriented innovation across different contexts. By providing a validated structural framework that connects previously disjointed elements, this study contributes a clearer operational understanding of how human–AI collaboration can be embedded within design management practices in Industry 5.0. Full article

Background: Private and community hosting have emerged as important community-based responses to forced displacement, through which host-country citizens provide accommodation, practical support, and relational care to refugees in domestic and community settings. These hosting arrangements extend hospitality beyond commercial and tourism contexts into everyday spaces of welcome, co-living, and social support. Existing literature has examined a range of hosting experiences, including reasons citizens choose to host, ways hospitality is practiced, challenges arising from hosting, and the impacts of hosting on hosts, refugees, and communities. However, the evidence remains fragmented across disciplines, including migration studies, social work, sociology, public health, and hospitality scholarship. Objective: This scoping review aims to map and synthesize the existing literature on why host-country residents and local hosting actors host refugees, with a focus on hosting motivations, hospitality practices, challenges, and impacts in private and community hosting. Methods: This review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews and be reported in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Guided by the Population–Concept–Context framework, the review will include studies involving host-country residents and local hosting actors, engaged in refugee hosting. Literature published in English from 2010 onward will be identified through searches in MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, Sociological Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, and selected grey literature sources. Two reviewers will independently screen records and extract data, which will be analyzed descriptively and thematically to map motivations, hospitality practices, challenges, and impacts in private and community hosting. Results: The review will generate a comprehensive map of the literature on refugee hosting in private and community settings. It will identify how hosting is conceptualized and practiced, the motivations driving citizen involvement, the relational and structural challenges associated with hosting, and the reported impacts on hosts, refugees, and communities. It will also highlight system-level support, policy considerations, and gaps requiring further attention through research and practice. Conclusions: This scoping review will provide an interdisciplinary synthesis of evidence on refugee hosting as a form of social and domestic hospitality. The findings will inform future research, policy, and community-based hosting initiatives and will contribute to a deeper understanding of the ethical, relational, and structural dimensions of refugee hospitality and hosting in host countries. Full article

The concept of dark tourism has obtained significant attention in recent years, and its appeal to younger generations is a topic of great interest. This study examines the behavioral intentions of Generation Z towards dark tourism in Albania, a country with a strong cultural and historical heritage. Using a quantitative research design, the study collected data from 312 respondents and analyzed them using exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression. The results found several key variables that influence the behavioral intentions of Generation Z towards dark tourism, including attitude, motivations, social media, and perceived psychological risk. Interestingly, the study found that attitude is the strongest predictor of behavioral intentions towards dark tourism. This suggests that if young people have a positive attitude towards dark tourism, they are more likely to visit dark tourism sites. On the other hand, the variable of perceived psychological risk was found to have a negative influence on the behavioral intentions of Generation Z to visit dark tourism sites. This implies that if young people perceive dark tourism as risky or threatening, they are less likely to participate in it. The study contributes to dark tourism research by offering empirical evidence from Albania and by highlighting the importance of educational, reflective and ethically sensitive interpretation for Generation Z visitors. The findings of the study reveal the importance of developing tourism experiences that are not only educational and emotionally engaging, but also ethically based. This is particularly relevant for emerging destinations like Albania, where dark tourism remains underdeveloped despite its significant cultural and historical potential. By shaping tourism experiences for younger audiences, destinations like Albania can tap into the potential of dark tourism and offer unique, meaningful experiences for visitors. Full article

Health tourism represents a dynamic sector operating at the intersection of medical services, international patient mobility, and tourism development. Despite its growing prominence, the academic literature frequently conflates health tourism with medical and wellness tourism—a conceptual ambiguity that complicates the establishment of robust, sustainable legal frameworks. Addressing this gap, the present paper conceptualizes health tourism as an overarching framework that encompasses recovery, wellness, and medical sub-sectors. Within this comprehensive paradigm, we explore the contemporary landscape of health tourism in Northern Cyprus through a stakeholder-driven qualitative lens. Utilizing a qualitative case study design, data were gathered via semi-structured interviews with 40 key respondents representing healthcare, travel, public administration, academia, and related professional domains, and subsequently subjected to thematic analysis using NVivo 15 software. The findings reveal that the sector in Northern Cyprus is heavily skewed toward medical tourism, with a concentrated focus on in vitro fertilization (IVF), cosmetic surgery, dental care, and bariatric procedures. Conversely, wellness and rehabilitation tourism remain largely untapped strategic niches. The analysis further indicates that sectoral growth is constrained by structural bottlenecks, including fragmented governance, limited international recognition, transport and accessibility barriers, inadequate accreditation systems, lack of stakeholder synergy, and ethical concerns regarding advertising and patient safety. Moving beyond standard environmental sustainability, this research underscores that long-term destination resilience requires ethical governance, clinical quality controls, patient-rights advocacy, transparent legal frameworks, and community-level economic integration. Ultimately, this study proposes an integrated, stakeholder-centric paradigm tailored to the unique socio-political and structural realities of Northern Cyprus, offering actionable policy recommendations that enrich the discourse on sustainable medical tourism from a small-island perspective. Full article

Despite sustained interest in sustainable tourism, the gap between environmental concern and travel behavior is still often explained as an individual failing. This article develops an integrative conceptual review and synthesis of behavioral, discursive, organizational, household decision-making, environmental ethics, and political-economic studies to reframe this gap as a multilevel condition of environmental incoherence. The proposed model explains how values, household negotiations, platform-mediated choices, institutional incentives, and mobility regimes interact to produce and stabilize misalignment between environmental commitments and travel practices. Its main contribution is a diagnostic framework that distinguishes temporary inconsistency from structurally reproduced incoherence, identifies the mechanisms through which incoherence circulates across micro-, meso-, and macro-levels, and clarifies which institutional levers may strengthen alignment between sustainability discourse and material mobility practices. Full article

As digital transformation accelerates in tourism and hospitality, sustainability-related information on booking platforms has become increasingly relevant to consumer decision-making. However, prior research has not sufficiently explained how such information operates as part of digital choice architecture or how it becomes meaningful for sustainable consumption decisions. To address this gap, this study introduces sustainable informativeness as a sustainability-specific and platform-contextual construct reflecting the visibility, interpretability, usefulness, comparability, and decision-facilitating role of sustainability-related information. Drawing on digital choice architecture, value theory, and trust theory, this study examines the structural relationships among sustainable informativeness, sustainable functional value, ethical–emotional value, trust, and sustainable consumption behavior. Data were collected through an online survey of 304 Korean adult consumers with experience using digital accommodation booking platforms and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results show that sustainable informativeness was positively associated with both value dimensions, and both value dimensions were positively associated with trust. Trust showed the strongest direct association with sustainable consumption behavior, whereas the direct association between sustainable informativeness and behavior was not significant. Significant indirect associations through value and trust suggest that sustainability-related information is more closely related to sustainable consumption behavior when it is useful, meaningful, and trustworthy. Practically, the findings suggest that platforms should design sustainability-related information to be not only visible but also comparable, interpretable, useful, and credible. Full article

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. Full article

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. Full article