Search Results (1,734)

This study specifies and validates a three-layer Structural Equation Model (SEM) that accounts for how tourists’ evaluations of destination attributes translate into loyalty; the model is based on UN Tourism’s sustainability pillars. Guided by service-science and Customer Experience (CX) logics, and adopting a Tourist Experience (TX) framework that treats Tourist Experience as a domain-specific case of CX, we define five first-order antecedents—Emotions (EMS), Local Culture (CTL), Authenticity (AUT), Entertainment (ENT), and Servicescape (SVS)—that load onto a higher-order appraisal, Global Perception (GEN), which in turn drives Destination Loyalty (LOY). Using ordinal indicators and a robust diagonally weighted least squares estimator (WLSMV), the model exhibits a good global fit (CFI/TLI = 0.970/0.968; SRMR = 0.049; RMSEA = 0.073 [90% CI = 0.070–0.076]). Standardized effects indicate that GEN is primarily explained by Emotions (β = 0.445, p < 0.001), Authenticity (β = 0.271, p < 0.001), and Servicescape (β = 0.241, p < 0.001), whereas CTL and ENT are not significant when competing with these other predictors. GEN strongly predicts LOY (β = 0.967, p < 0.001), mediating sizable indirect effects from EMS, AUT, and SVS to LOY. The findings corroborate a parsimonious mediational chain in which affective, meaning-related, and infrastructural inputs cohere into a single global appraisal that is proximal to loyalty. Our study provides a decision-focused blueprint for designing emotion-rich, authenticity-protecting, and well-orchestrated servicescapes to enhance GEN and, consequently, LOY; it adheres to established SEM reporting standards and articulates a holistic transactional conceptualization grounded in recent tourism literature. Improvements in GEN reflect not only better experiences but also designs consistent with long-run destination sustainability. Full article

To avoid tourism market failure caused by inappropriate development strategies, a study was conducted on the travel preferences of Generation Z, the future tourism market. The study found that tourism has shifted from comfortable, tranquil, and easily accessible areas to areas with unique views, extreme topography, proximity to nature, and instagrammable features. This shift reflects tourists’ responses and motivations. This study used a mixed-methods approach, involving 28 tourism managers and 147 Generation Z tourists. Quantitative methods, such as questionnaires, examined tourism motivations through push and pull factors, while in-depth interviews, a qualitative method, examined shifts in the tourism space. The results of this study demonstrate a shift away from the classical view that younger generations’ tourism behavior is predominantly hedonistic and consumptive toward an experience-oriented, nature-connected orientation, aligned with the concept of eco-experiential tourism. Rather than indicating a uniform or definitive shift in reflection, this tendency highlights the growing importance of experiential, cultural, and digital values in Generation Z’s travel preferences. Theoretically, the study contributes to refining existing perspectives by emphasizing the social, technological, and ecological dimensions shaping these preferences. In practice, the findings underscore the need for tourism policies that integrate nature conservation, digital innovation, and the strengthening of local culture to support sustainable destinations. Full article

Cultural tourism has emerged as a key factor in destination development, but moving from growth-oriented expansion to sustainability necessitates a better comprehension of the psychological processes influencing visitor involvement. Existing studies insufficiently integrate destination-level diversification with tourist psychological identity, particularly within emerging economies. Drawing on a diversified development framework, this study constructs a theoretical model linking economic, cultural, social, and environmental dimensions with tourist psychological identity and sustainable destination development. Questionnaire data from 300 respondents were analyzed using regression analysis to examine direct and indirect effects across influencing factors. Economic development (β = 0.45), government policy support (β = 0.23), and investment orientation (β = 0.32) significantly strengthen sustainable cultural tourism development. Cultural resources (β = 0.51), cultural exchange (β = 0.27), and creative industries (β = 0.18) also exhibit strong positive effects. Tourist psychological identity is shaped by personal economic status (β = 0.42), cultural experience (β = 0.33), and social recommendations (β = 0.35). Moreover, psychological identity exerts a substantial influence on sustainable development (β = 0.56), indicating a reinforcing mechanism between destination diversification and long-term sustainability. Findings demonstrate that diversified development pathways enhance both destination sustainability and tourists’ psychological attachment, offering actionable implications for destination marketing and management. This study contributes to shifting tourism development from a growth paradigm toward a sustainability paradigm, supporting SDGs 8, 11, and 12. Full article

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and smart technologies is transforming hospitality operations, yet guest acceptance remains uneven, shaped by utilitarian, experiential, ethical, and cultural evaluations. This study develops and empirically tests a multicomponent framework to explain how these factors jointly influence two behavioral outcomes: whether AI-enabled features affect hotel choice and whether guests are willing to pay a premium. A cross-sectional survey of 689 hotel guests in Tirana, Albania, an emerging hospitality market and rapidly growing tourist destination in the Western Balkans, was analyzed using cumulative link models, partial proportional-odds models, nonlinear and interaction extensions, and binary robustness checks. Results show that prior experience with smart or AI-enabled hotels, higher awareness, and trust in AI, especially trust in responsible data handling, consistently increase both acceptance and willingness to pay. Perceived value, operationalized through the breadth of identified benefits and desired features, also exhibits robust positive effects. In contrast, privacy concerns selectively suppress strong acceptance, particularly financial willingness, while cultural–linguistic fit and support for human–AI collaboration contribute positively but modestly. Interaction analyses indicate that trust can mitigate concerns about reduced personal touch. Open-ended responses reinforce these patterns, highlighting the importance of privacy, human interaction, and staff–AI coexistence. Overall, findings underscore that successful AI adoption in hospitality requires aligning technological innovation with ethical transparency, experiential familiarity, and cultural adaptation. Full article

Population ageing is one of the main demographic trends of modern Europe. It is a challenge for the whole economy, including the tourism industry. The specific needs of seniors, resulting from the processes of physiological ageing, require appropriate adaptation of tourism offers to their requirements. This is the only way to implement the principle of inclusivity that underpins sustainable tourism. This article discusses the results of research on the preferences and habits of older people with regard to tourist trips, taking into account psychological aspects. The research goal was to learn about seniors’ tourism activity and the factors hindering it, as well as to determine the relationship between tourism and seniors’ well-being. This article presents the results of the survey conducted in a sample of 209 seniors from the Polish city of Szczecin, with the use of Paper and Pen Personal Interview (PAPI) and Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) techniques. The results enabled the identification of the frequency and purposes of senior travel, as well as the factors and the extent to which participation in tourist trips was hindered. Furthermore, the study examined the impact of tourist trips on seniors’ well-being and overall mood. As a result of the conducted research, it was demonstrated that travelling constitutes a source of positive emotions for seniors. It was found that the tourism activity of this group declines with age, and the main factors limiting participation in tourism were poor health and insufficient financial resources. Among the primary barriers to travelling, respondents indicated long travel times and language obstacles. Overall, seniors exhibited an open attitude toward tourism, expressing a positive outlook on discovering new destinations and meeting new people. The adopted research framework assumes that psychological and organisational factors influence behavioural outcomes through mechanisms related to constraints and preferences. By incorporating organisational and psychological aspects, the obtained results contribute to filling the existing research gap. Such a broad research perspective, along with the conclusions drawn from the study, may also have practical implications. A senior-centric approach adopted by entities involved in developing tourism offers for seniors may contribute to reducing or even eliminating the barriers that members of this group currently face when participating in tourism activities. This entails both economic and social benefits and supports the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in the area of tourism. Full article

As a representative case that embodies both the attributes of a Buddhist sacred site and those of a UNESCO World Heritage site, Mount Wutai provides a distinctive research setting for examining behavioral mechanisms in temple tourism. This study aims to construct an integrated model to systematically test the effects of enjoyment, memorability, attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) on revisit intention (RI), while incorporating social media exposure as a moderating variable. Based on data collected through a two-wave on-site survey, this study analyzed 617 tourists in Mount Wutai and employed structural equation model to examine the relationships among the variables. The results indicate that all five psychological antecedents exert significant positive effects on revisit intention, among them, PBC demonstrating the most substantial impact. Further analysis reveals that social media exposure significantly moderates the relationships among enjoyment, memorability, attitude, subjective norm, and revisit intention, most notably in the “memorability–RI” relationship, whereas its moderating effect on the “PBC–RI” relationship is not significant. These findings not only enrich the theoretical framework by integrating emotional attribution, behavioral cognition, and digital media engagement but also provide practical implications for sacred tourism destinations, enabling them to enhance visitor loyalty through digital communication and experience optimization. Full article

The cross-fertilization of video games and tourism has expanded in recent years, with digital narratives increasingly shaping real-world travel behavior, yet the mechanisms linking mythological video games to pre-trip travel intention remain underexplored. Using the Chinese mythological game Black Myth: Wukong as a case, this study examines how digital myth narratives relate to overseas audiences’ perceptions of, and travel intentions towards, Chinese tourist destinations in a cross-cultural context. Based on a large corpus of YouTube comments, we integrate topic modeling, sentiment analysis, and interpretable machine learning to identify semantic cues associated with travel intention. The results indicate that multidimensional perceptions elicited by digital myth narratives are associated with a gradual evolution of destination image from cognitive to affective and then intentional. Cultural symbol perception, cross-cultural understanding, aesthetic appreciation, and emotional resonance show positive relationships with travel intention and appear as important predictors in the model. SHAP analysis further suggests a nonlinear threshold effect, whereby the probability that a comment is classified as expressing travel intention increases when overall perception reaches a relatively high level. Embedding the cognition–emotion–intention path within a digital game context, this study provides empirical evidence on destination image and behavioral intention in digital narrative settings and offers implications for cross-cultural communication and sustainable tourism planning. Full article

Sustainable tourism is increasingly important for local sustainable livelihoods; however, its development is often hindered by financial limitations. To address this critical constraint, this study investigates the relationship between tourist satisfaction and their Willingness to Pay (WTP) for Community-Based Tourism (CBT) service improvements. Employing a novel Culture Tower/KHUC Tower-based approach, Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling with the Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (CPBM), we analyze data from 275 young respondents collected in mid-December 2024 and mid-August 2025. Our empirical results demonstrate that tourist satisfaction is a strong predictor of WTP, alongside financial status, environmental concerns, and environmental quality assessment. Additionally, we identify food quality, service delivery, and infrastructure as the primary determinants of satisfaction in CBT contexts. The findings reveal that satisfaction-driven financing mechanisms can unlock sustainable revenue streams for CBT destinations, provided that strategic investments address key service quality dimensions. Our results have important implications for tourism managers and policymakers seeking to enhance financial sustainability through coordinated stakeholder engagement, targeted infrastructure improvements, and transparent fund management systems in Lac Village and beyond. Full article

Nighttime tourism has become a key driver of urban nighttime economic development. The nighttime tourism experiencescape (NTE)—comprising elements such as atmospheric lighting landscapes, culturally distinctive night markets, and diverse entertainment formats—creates an environment markedly distinct from daytime settings. This NTE significantly influences tourist experiences and contributes critically to the sustainable development of urban destinations. Grounded in the Stimulus–Organism–Response framework, this study investigates how the NTE shapes tourist loyalty. Empirical results indicate that the effect of the NTE on tourist loyalty is primarily mediated by place attachment, with place dependence demonstrating a stronger mediating effect than place identity. In the direct pathway, only the socio-symbolic dimension of the NTE exerts a significant positive impact on tourist loyalty. The study offers both theoretical and practical contributions: it reveals the mechanisms that influence tourist loyalty in nocturnal contexts and offers actionable insights into the sustainable management of nighttime tourism in urban destinations. Full article

This study presents a replicable methodology for identifying and evaluating the tourism potential of natural and cultural heritage through a comprehensive inventory. It aims to enhance regional competitiveness and foster sustainable destination development. The methodology combines bibliographic review, field observation, and local surveys, and it was validated through its application in a tourist destination city in Colombia, where resources were systematically classified and evaluated using qualitative and quantitative criteria, focusing on preservation quality and market relevance. The results revealed a rich and underutilized heritage portfolio with exceptional potential in categories such as religious architecture, goldsmithing traditions, local festivals, and natural riverine ecosystems. The city demonstrated a high capacity for developing tourism products grounded in cultural identity and environmental preservation. This methodology offers a robust, adaptable tool for tourism planning, bridging heritage valuation with market relevance. By integrating structured evaluation with local knowledge, the model supports data-driven decision-making and inclusive governance—essential for combating overtourism and promoting long-term resilience in heritage towns. Full article

The present research examines how employees perceive their firms’ CSR initiatives that ultimately translate into desired attitudes and behaviors, i.e., employee environmental commitment (EEC) and knowledge sharing (KS) at the workplace, by underpinning social identity theory. However, when do undesired working conditions, i.e., Perception of Politics (POP), adversely influence these desired outcomes? We deliberately selected 45 firms in the services and manufacturing sectors of Pakistan operating in larger metropolitan cities and prevalent tourist destinations, and actively participating in CSR activities. Thereafter, three self-administered surveys were conducted by employing a time-lagged design with two temporal breaks. A total of 655 surveys were distributed among middle managers across selected firms. Accordingly, it is found that employees who strongly identify with their organizations tend to align their personal values with organizational sustainability efforts and actively participate in environmentally responsible practices. They also demonstrate a greater willingness to share knowledge and enhance the organization’s collective intelligence. However, when employees perceive a high level of political behavior within the organization, their trust in its ethical standards diminishes, leading to various negative attitudes and behaviors in the workplace. This research contributed in two ways to the existing literature: (a) by examining the employees’ understandings of firms’ CSR engagements and their trickle-down effect on EEC and KS, (b) and studying when POP adversely effects the above relationship. Full article

The tourism sector faces constant changes in consumption patterns, competition, and globalisation, which require strategic adaptations. In this sense, marketing and innovation are relevant factors in tourism research, guiding the development of innovative strategies and practices. In this study, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of scientific production on marketing and innovation in tourism using Web of Science and Scopus as reference databases. Productivity, impact and collaboration indicators were evaluated, and co-occurrence analysis, thematic maps and factor analysis were applied to identify trends and relationships between topics. The results show sustained growth in the literature in recent decades, identifying five main thematic clusters and emerging trends in technology, sustainability, and collaboration. Spain and China stand out as the countries with the highest scientific output in this field, supported by international collaboration networks. These findings provide a basis for future research on how innovation and sustainability can influence business practice and tourism planning. Full article

Tourism, although a key driving force for the flourishing of local/regional and national economies, is also a source of distinct negative repercussions, e.g., the intense use of scarce resources, environmental deterioration, social marginalization, and the degradation of the quality of life of host communities, to name but a few. These repercussions appear to be further exacerbated under overtourism conditions in a number of highly rated tourist destinations around the globe. Identifying host communities’ perceptions of the tourism footprint/burden is essential in contemporary policy research, which seeks to realize local perspectives, values, and expectations regarding the acceptable type/level of tourism development of their land and to highlight potential policy directions for future action that ensure sustainability and resilience objectives. Grounded in an assessment of overtourism impacts in a highly rated insular destination (Santorini Island, Greece), this work aims to gather community perceptions as to the drawbacks of the current tourism trajectory through a questionnaire survey. Results demonstrate that, although respondents recognize the crucial role that tourism plays in the island’s economic profile, they also acknowledge that the rapidly escalating expansion of the sector is unsustainable in the long run, with severe repercussions for both the environment and the quality of the community’s everyday life. Full article

Tourism is a key spatial process linking human mobility, resource consumption, and environmental change. Despite growing awareness of climate risks, sustainable travel behavior often remains inconsistent with pro-environmental attitudes, reflecting the persistent attitude–behavior gap. This study examines how psychological factors—sustainability motives, ecological identity, and climate attitudes—interact with artificial intelligence (AI) transparency to shape travel decisions with spatial and environmental consequences. Using survey data from 1795 leisure travelers and a discrete-choice experiment simulating hotel booking scenarios, the study shows that ecological identity and climate attitudes reinforce sustainability motives and intentions, while transparent AI recommendations enhance perceived clarity, data visibility, and reliability. These transparency effects amplify the influence of eco-scores on revealed spatial preferences, with trust mediating the relationship between transparency and sustainable choices. Conceptually, the study integrates psychological and technological perspectives within a geographical framework of human–environment interaction and extends this lens to rural destinations, where travel decisions directly affect cultural landscapes and climate-sensitive ecosystems. Practically, the findings demonstrate that transparent AI systems can guide spatial redistribution of tourist flows, mitigate destination-level climate pressures, and support equitable resource management in sustainable tourism planning. These mechanisms are particularly relevant for rural areas and traditional cultural landscapes facing heightened vulnerability to climate stress, depopulation, and uneven visitation patterns. Transparent and trustworthy AI can thus convert environmental awareness into spatially sustainable behavior, contributing to more resilient and balanced tourism geographies. Full article

This mixed-methods study examines how cultural heritage identity and co-creation value influence the tourist heritage experience in Prenggan Tourism Village, Yogyakarta, particularly focusing on local wisdom’s role as a mediator of these effects. This study was conducted in two sequential phases: the qualitative phase explored community narratives, cultural practices, and co-creation activities through interviews and observations, while the quantitative phase validated these insights using survey data collected over the past year from 208 domestic tourists. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the reliability and validity of the results and evaluate the hypothesized relationships. The findings reveal that both cultural heritage identity and co-creation value significantly strengthen local wisdom, which in turn enhances the depth and authenticity of the tourist heritage experience. This study demonstrates that local wisdom serves as a bridge between cultural identity and visitor engagement, promoting immersive and meaningful experiences. This research aligns with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): it contributes to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) by supporting local livelihoods through tourism, SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) by preserving cultural heritage and empowering local communities, and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) by fostering sustainable and culturally respectful tourism practices. The findings contribute theoretical insights to the heritage-based experiential co-creation literature and offer practical implications for policymakers and destination managers aiming to enhance community-based tourism sustainability. Full article