Search Results (87)

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

Background and Objectives: Infectious disease outbreaks are a major challenge for public health systems worldwide, especially for healthcare workers (HCWs). Taif city, in Saudi Arabia, has a high population density and is a tourist destination, which puts it at a high risk of infectious disease outbreaks. Despite its geographical importance, no previous study has been conducted that focuses on assessing the preparedness of healthcare workers in Taif city for managing infectious disease outbreaks. Therefore, we aimed to assess the overall level of preparedness among HCWs in healthcare facilities across Taif city and identify the challenges they face when managing infectious disease outbreaks. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study from October to December 2024 among 294 healthcare workers, using a structured questionnaire. We assessed the sociodemographic characteristics, infection prevention and control (IPC) training received by HCWs, the level of preparedness for managing infectious disease outbreaks, and their level of knowledge (low, moderate, or high). The association between sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge from having received IPC training and the level of preparedness was assessed using binary logistic regression. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: Around 31.7% of the participants were aged 31–40 years, with 59.2% of them being female. Among the HCWs we assessed, 44.6% were nurses and 31.3% of the HCWs were from hospitals with a bed capacity of over 500. Only 16.3% of HCWs felt fully prepared on a personal level and only 20.7% believed their facility was fully prepared for managing an outbreak. A low level of knowledge was reported among 71.8% of the participants. The odds of having received IPC training were significantly higher among HCWs aged 41–50 years (AOR = 15.7; 95% CI = 4.26–58.1), for those working in the inpatient department (AOR = 6.3; 95% CI = 1.46–27.05), and for those with a moderate level of knowledge (AOR = 0.12; 95% CI = 0.03–0.5). The odds of being fully prepared for an infectious disease outbreak were significantly higher for males (AOR = 2.58; 95% CI = 1.18–5.63) and those working in the in-patient department (AOR = 6.87; 95% CI = 1.7–27.8) and significantly lower for those with a low level of knowledge (AOR = 0.19; 95% CI = 0.06–0.61). Conclusion: Even though many HCWs have undergone IPC training, our findings highlight gaps in both knowledge and overall preparedness among healthcare workers in Taif city. Regular refresher courses, improved resource allocation, and implementing scenario-based emergency drills may help in improving the overall knowledge and preparedness of HCWs. Full article

As a globe leader in tourism, Spain relies on this sector as a key economic pillar, contributing over 12% to its GDP. The hospitality industry has expanded steadily in response to growing demand. In parallel, recent years have witnessed an exponential rise in tourist accommodations, such as privately owned properties repurposed for short-term rentals, largely facilitated by digital platforms. This study explores the evolution and spatial distribution of these accommodations, assessing their share within the overall housing stock across different scales. The focus is on Andalusian municipalities, a region characterized by both its geographical diversity and its significant tourism footprint. This study highlights two primary areas of concentration: the region’s Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines (most notably the Costa del Sol, centered in Malaga) and internationally renowned heritage cities such as Seville, Granada, and Cordoba. By applying quantitative methods, this research assesses the clustering of tourist accommodations in relation to major cultural landmarks, including several UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The findings provide an analysis of the implications of this trend, shedding light on the challenges and opportunities it presents within the tourism sector, particularly against the backdrop of mounting criticism surrounding the sustainability and socio-economic impacts of this evolving model of tourism. Full article

Tourism urbanization has become an important pathway for promoting regional economic growth, optimizing urban spatial structures and enhancing residents’ quality of life, especially in the context of sustainable development. Balancing the relationship between tourism urbanization and residents’ well-being in China’s Central Plains Urban Agglomeration is a key objective for the promotion of sustainable regional development in the context of rapid tourism development. However, few studies have quantitatively explored the spatiotemporal coupling dynamics between tourism urbanization and residents’ well-being at the urban agglomeration scale, leaving a significant gap in understanding their integrated evolution. Therefore, in this study, we constructed an evaluation index system for tourism urbanization and residents’ well-being. Next, we explored the coupling relationship between tourism urbanization and residents’ well-being and its influencing factors in the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration from 2005 to 2022 via the coupling coordination degree and random forest approaches. The study’s three major findings are as follows: (1) First, in terms of development level, the tourism urbanization of the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration from 2005 to 2019 generally showed a steady upwards trend, and the well-being of residents as a whole showed a steady development trend; however, there were significant regional differences in the level of development. The spatial differentiation between tourism urbanization and residents’ well-being was characterized by “high in the west and low in the east” and “high in the middle and low in the surroundings”, and the degree of spatial differentiation tended to gradually narrow over time. (2) In terms of the level of coupling coordination, the overall coordination between tourism urbanization and residents’ well-being in the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration increased annually and reached the stages of running-in and high coordination. (3) The key factors affecting the coupled coordination of tourism urbanization and residents’ well-being in the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration differed significantly over time. The importance of the number of tourists, policy support, and fiscal balance ratio increased significantly over time, whereas the importance of the vegetation index and the distance to the nearest provincial capital city decreased. These findings have valuable implications for urban planning, governance optimization, and the formulation of sustainable development strategies, highlighting the need to strengthen resilience and promote synergistic growth between tourism development and residents’ well-being. Full article

Urban street quality directly affects the daily lives of residents and the experiences of tourists, playing a crucial role in the sustainable development of cities. However, most studies either focus on a single demographic or lack interpretable data analysis. To address this, we propose a framework integrating deep learning, elastic net regression, and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAPs). Using street view images, we quantitatively assess street quality in Xi’an’s Mingcheng District, considering the perspectives of both residents and tourists. The framework assesses comfort, convenience, safety, and culture to determine street quality and explores influencing factors. The results indicate that high-quality streets are primarily located near major urban roads, tourist attractions, and commercial areas, while older residential areas in historic districts exhibit widespread low-quality streets. Building density significantly and negatively impacts street quality, whereas visibility of the sky and green coverage positively influences street quality. SHAP reveals that greenery can mitigate the negative effects of high building density and enhance street quality. This study provides actionable insights for enhancing urban street quality through data-driven, human-centered approaches, directly contributing to the Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) by promoting more livable, safe, inclusive, and sustainable urban environments. Full article

This article explores the challenge of developing a sustainable cultural brand for cities that are primarily perceived as tourist destinations. While major urban hubs like Berlin (DE), Edinburgh (UK), and Lisbon (PT) have successfully transitioned from being known mainly for tourism to becoming recognized cultural destinations, the process behind this transformation remains underexplored, especially when it comes to mid-sized cities. How does a town move beyond its touristic image to build a lasting cultural identity? What strategies enable this shift, and what role do different stakeholders play? Focusing on the Romanian city of Brașov, a scenic destination in Transylvania mostly known for its natural environment and medieval architecture, the paper addresses this gap by investigating how a cultural brand can be developed through strategic marketing efforts. Using an integrated approach that combines two qualitative studies and one quantitative analysis, the research provides new insights into (i) cultural marketing strategies that can enhance Brașov’s city brand; (ii) stakeholder perspectives on developing Brașov’s cultural identity; and (iii) the role of Generation Z, whose influence on urban cultural branding has, so far, been minimally researched, in shaping the cultural future of cities, particularly Brașov. Some of the findings highlight key areas for developing Brașov’s cultural brand, including expanding nightlife activities, introducing more contemporary and year-round themed festivals, and tailoring promotional efforts to the short attention spans of the “TikTok generation”. Participants emphasized the need for a more diverse range of cultural events, including experimental and niche performances, alongside stronger educational initiatives to encourage long-term engagement by involving schools and universities. The results offer actionable insights for policymakers, urban planners, and cultural leaders seeking to develop a city brand centered around culture, focusing on long-term identity and community engagement rather than solely on tourism. Full article

Cruise ship tourism in port cities, while offering opportunities, has brought its own challenges, including overcrowding, disruption to local community mobility, and growing resident concerns, which recently escalated to anti-tourism activities. This article aims to understand the mobility patterns, transportation preferences, and spatial behaviors of cruise ship passengers within the City of Barcelona (Spain). The study is based on a survey conducted with cruise ship tourists visiting the city (n = 793). The key findings reveal the concentration of tourist activity in the old part of the city, and the similarity in spatial behaviors within the city, while the primary mode of exploration is walking, supported by motorized modes of transfer to access distant attractions. Socio-demographic factors and visit characteristics, such as age, group composition, and expenditure levels, are associated with mobility and spatial behavior. This article adds new evidence on the mobility patterns and spatial behaviors of cruise ship tourists visiting a major tourist city. With better knowledge of where cruise ship passengers concentrate, what activity patterns they show, and their preferred modes of transport, policymakers can manage more effectively the influx during peak times and in high-density areas. Strategies to distribute visitors more evenly across the city could be devised to alleviate pressure on heavily frequented zones. Full article

Public transportation serving urban tourism has a positive impact on sustainable urban development. With the rapid rise of “subway tourism” in China and the emergence of numerous popular attractions, the pedestrian spaces connecting subway stations and attractions are important public spaces for tourists’ perception. Identifying, cognizing, and perceiving the pedestrian spaces around subway stations near popular tourist attractions from the tourists’ perspective holds significant value for promoting station–city coordination and enhancing spatial quality. This paper establishes an optimization design framework for the pedestrian spaces around subway stations near urban popular tourist attractions, moving from identification to cognition and perception. Taking Tianjin, China as an example, we collected 11,405 travelogue data entries and street network data of the subway stations around popular attractions. (1) We constructed an LDA topic model to identify popular tourist attractions; (2) we applied space syntax to understand the features and forms of the pedestrian spaces around subway stations; (3) we utilized the ROST-CM network text analysis method to analyze tourists’ overall perception of the pedestrian spaces around subway stations; (4) we proposed suggestions for optimization. The contribution of this study lies in constructing a vertical analytical framework that transitions from “identification” to “cognition” to “perception”. The cognitive and perceptual dimensions can mutually corroborate some of their findings but are not interchangeable. Future urban spatial optimization research should consider both cognitive and perceptual dimensions, enhancing the comprehensiveness of the human-centered perspective. The research results provide empirical references and guidance for the management and practice of urban space renewal around subway stations near major cities’ tourist attractions. Full article

This research explores the perceptions of tourists regarding the state and sustainable management of tangible cultural heritage in the city of Porto (Portugal), the destination recognised for its historical and cultural heritage. Porto attracts a growing number of tourists due to its rich heritage, encompassing cultural, architectural, and scenic elements. This rising demand necessitates sustainable management practices to protect the city’s heritage and ensure long-term sustainability. With the increase in tourism and the need to preserve cultural and environmental resources, sustainable management becomes essential to balance economic development and heritage conservation. The study’s main objective is to analyse tourists’ perspectives on the sustainable management of the cultural heritage of the city of Porto. It focuses on analysing current tourism management practices and calls for new strategies to promote sustainability. Structured questionnaires were distributed to a random sample of tourists in strategic locations between January and April 2023, obtaining quantitative data. The sample consists of 264 respondents. The results revealed four main factors, showing that most respondents show a high level of awareness and appreciation of sustainability and its relevance for heritage conservation. Regarding tourism, the majority agree that it contributes positively to the conservation and restoration of the city’s heritage. Full article

The question of how to assess the comprehensive competitiveness of tourist destinations within cities is an important aspect for determining the potential of a city’s tourism development and its ranking among peers in the field. There are four main parts to the content of this article, which consist of the analysis of competition formation motives based on “Field Theory”, the selection of influencing factors by drawing on Porter’s theory of competitiveness, the construction of an assessment model based on the multi-factors weighted comprehensive evaluation method, and an empirical analysis using Nanjing as the research area. The conclusions are as follows: Firstly, the tourist destination field within a city is composed of three interrelated elements, which are actors, rules, and competition. Under the influence of mainstream social and cultural trends, each tourist destination occupies a certain “position” by relying on the attractiveness formed by various types of capital, and then participates in peer competition within the field. Secondly, the three major influencing aspects of the competitiveness of tourist destinations are element conditions, demand characteristics, and supporting conditions. The key points involved in the three aspects can be summarized into four categories of factors, namely, quality evaluation, popularity level, spatial attractiveness, and emotional cognition, which together constitute the indicator system. Thirdly, there are thirteen tourist destinations in Nanjing that are rated above the average, accounting for about 43% of all the popular destinations. The variation coefficient of competitiveness results is about 35%, indicating a moderate to relatively weak degree of dispersion. Finally, the competitiveness of the thirty hot tourist destinations generally presents a spatial order that gradually weakens in an outward direction from the center zone of the city, forming an overall pattern of cluster groups of well-known tourist destinations in the core of the city, relatively random small clusters in the new main city area, and scattered point distribution in the suburbs. Full article

Accurate forecasting of tourist volume is crucial for the sustainable development of the tourism industry. Deep-learning methods based on multivariate data can enhance the accuracy of tourism demand forecasting, enabling tourism management departments and enterprises to make evidence-based decisions. This study adopts an inverted transformer approach with a self-attention mechanism, which can improve the extraction of correlation features from the time series of multiple variables. Taking Zhejiang Province, a major tourist destination in China, and Hangzhou, a famous tourist city in China, as case studies, this research considers historical tourist volume, search engine data, weather data, date pattern data, and seasonal data in daily tourism volume forecasting. By comparing the forecasting results with three benchmark models, including CNN, RNN, and LSTM, the inverted transformer model’s effectiveness in forecasting the daily total visitors and overnight visitors is validated. This study’s findings can be applied to forecast the regional daily tourist arrivals, enabling decision-makers in the tourism sector to make more precise forecasts and devise more dependable plans. Full article

Chiang Mai Old City, a cultural heritage site and major tourist destination in Thailand, has significant cultural capital but lacks a well-designed urban lighting system, limiting its nighttime development potential. This issue arises from the absence of an urban lighting master plan, a crucial tool for guiding the city’s growth. The challenge lies in reconciling the diverse perspectives of stakeholders to create a comprehensive lighting master plan that meets shared goals. This research proposes a system dynamics approach to analyze stakeholder complexity. A qualitative, multi-stage method was employed, through in-depth interviews and focus groups with 60 stakeholders from three groups: government, professionals, and end users, to prioritize critical factors. Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs) were used to illustrate the interrelations among those factors, leading to alternative scenarios for the lighting master plan’s development. The findings demonstrate that safety and security is the top priority, followed by cultural and economic factors. Eleven reinforcing loops and two balancing loops are proposed through CLD visualization. This framework highlights the importance of a participatory process, advocating for a systematic and holistic approach where all stakeholders with diverse perspective collaborate side-by-side in the development of the urban lighting master plan for Chiang Mai Old City. Full article

Synthetic fibers are widely used in daily life due to their durability, elasticity, low cost, and ease of use. The textile industry is the primary source of synthetic microfibers, as these materials are mostly used in production processes. Globally, plastic pollution has been identified as a major environmental threat in this era, since plastics are not degradable but break down into smaller particles such as mesoplastics, microplastics, and microfibers. Synthetic microfiber pollution is a significant issue in aquatic ecosystems, including oceans and rivers, with laundry wastewater being a major source. This problem is particularly pressing in cities like Galle, Sri Lanka, where numerous tourist hotels are located. Despite the urgency, there has been a lack of scientific and systematic analysis to fully understand the extent of the issue. This study addresses this gap by analyzing the generation of microfibers from laundry activities at a selected hotel and evaluating the efficiency of a laundry wastewater filtration system. This study focused on a fully automatic front-loading washing machine (23 kg capacity) with a load of 12 kg of polyester–cotton blend serviettes (black and red). Samples (1 L each) were taken from both treated and untreated wastewater during four wash cycles, with a total of 100 L of water used for the process. The samples were filtered through a 100 μm sieve and catalytic wet oxidation along with density separation were employed to extract the microfibers, which were then collected on a membrane filter paper (0.45 μm). Microfibers were observed and analyzed for shapes, colors and sizes under a stereo microscope. Results revealed that untreated laundry wastewater contained 10,028.7 ± 1420.8 microfibers per liter (n = 4), while treated wastewater samples recorded 191.5 ± 109.4 microfibers per liter (n = 4). Most of the microfibers observed were black and white/transparent colors. Further analysis revealed that 1 kg of polyester–cotton blend fabric can generate 336,833 microfibers per wash, which was reduced to 6367 microfibers after treatment. The filtration unit recorded an impressive efficiency of 98.09%, indicating a remarkably high capacity for removing microfibers from wastewater. These findings highlight the potential of such filtration techniques to significantly reduce microfiber emissions from laundry wastewater, presenting a promising approach to mitigating environmental pollution from microfibers. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted global tourism, raising the need for sustainable recovery strategies. This study examines how tourists’ confidence in tourism recovery (CTR) influences travel intentions across different pandemic phases—outbreak, stabilization, and conclusion. Positioned within the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the research explores the mediating role of CTR in the relationships between attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and travel intention. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), multi-group analysis (MGA), and Importance–Performance Matrix Analysis (IPMA), this study assesses changes in travel behavior during each pandemic phase. Data were collected through three surveys conducted in major Chinese cities between late 2022 and early 2023. The findings reveal that CTR significantly mediates the influence of behavioral factors on travel intention, especially during the stabilization and conclusion phases. The IPMA results highlight key areas for intervention, with CTR, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms varying in importance across phases. This research underscores the need for adaptive and sustainable strategies to strengthen traveler confidence, offering practical insights for supporting long-term resilience and growth in the tourism industry during and beyond health-related crises. Full article

(1) The enactment of Sub-Decree No. 113/2015 on Solid Waste Management marked a significant policy shift towards the decentralisation of waste management in Cambodia and some progress has been observed in Phnom Penh and some other large cities and tourist destinations. However, information in rural areas is lacking. Rapid and simple waste assessment methodologies are needed in rural areas where waste data is scarce and different waste management measures are required compared to urban areas. This study aimed to fill the information gap on the status and fate of municipal solid waste management in rural areas by focusing on three underrepresented cities in different geographical areas through empirical studies. (2) Rapid waste assessments, including waste composition analysis, truck scaling, waste recovery surveys, waste flow analysis, and waste hotspot surveys, were conducted. (3) The per capita waste generation averaged 0.44 kg/day, which is lower than the national average, but did not show significant differences between income levels. The waste composition was similar to that of urban areas, with plastics making up more than 20% of the waste. There were major contrasts in the waste collection rates, with one city having a high rate (85.9%) while the other two cities were as low as 22.6% and 24.2%, respectively. This suggests that rural cities in Cambodia are at different stages of transition in establishing their waste management systems after the decentralisation of waste management to municipalities. The main cause of the low waste collection rate was that private waste collectors were finding it difficult to collect service fees. In the absence of waste collection services, a total of 370 waste hotspots were identified outside of the waste collection areas, where littering and open burning of waste were common. (4) Addressing these challenges requires urgent development of sustainable financing mechanisms, enhanced institutional capacities, and implementation of targeted awareness-raising programmes. These measures are essential for providing basic waste collection and disposal services, as well as for curbing littering and open burning of waste in rural cities in Cambodia. Full article