The purpose of this study is to develop a destination image model that shows how the overall destination image of a winter sports destination is defined and how it affects the intention to revisit. ...The article undertakes a review of the relevant literature and develops a structural equation model for destination image, which is tested with data from a survey of n=795 winter sports tourists in Oberstdorf (Germany) and Saalbach-Hinterglemm (Austria), collected between February 14 and 28, 2011. The model depicts that destination image is a multidimensional concept including important sports characteristics and has an impact on tourists’ intention to revisit the winter sports destinations. Practical implications for tourism marketers, for instance, include that more structural development and architectual changes have to be implemented carefully to maintain the tourists’ perception of landscape or their overall image of the destination.
Protected areas experienced changes in visitor flows after the easing of worldwide mobility restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The changing context added complexity to the functioning of ...these areas, so the entities involved in visitor management had to adopt protocols to contain the virus, as well as mechanisms to deal with the consequences of fluctuations in mobility flows in these areas. This study aims to analyze visitor management practices in protected areas of the Tarragona Province in Spain, in the context of the pandemic and as experienced by managers. We utilized a two-phase participatory methodology, initially employing a semi-structured questionnaire and subsequently conducting a focus group. Our findings revealed that concerns hindering visitor management before the pandemic not only remained relevant but worsened during this period. Managers faced organizational concerns, including poor communication among stakeholders or staff limitations. Visitor-related concerns also arose, such as changes in leisure and behavioral patterns that resulted in crowds and damage in sensitive areas. These concerns led to mostly reactive responses, with a strong reliance on strategies such as enforcement and regulation of visitor use and mobility. The findings provide useful information on the management approaches put into practice, as well as on opportunities to improve strategies for the sustainable management of visitors in protected areas.
Residents' coping with cruise tourism Sandven, Amanda Hauso; Jørgensen, Matias Thuen; Wassler, Philipp
Annals of tourism research,
March 2024, 2024-03-00, Volume:
105
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Cruise tourism is a contested practice, requiring research that moves beyond oversimplified accounts of progress or despair and applies primary data at the community level. Using in-depth interviews ...with residents of Eidfjord, Norway, during the pandemic-induced “break” from cruise tourism, this study critically examines their perspectives on and coping with cruising. It reveals that the pandemic has spurred residents to shift from more individualistic (reactive/anticipatory) coping to more communal (proactive/preventive) coping. Findings suggest that the good/bad, for/against debate about cruising needs to transition towards a comprehensive approach emphasizing not only sustainable planning, regulations, and visitor management but also a better understanding of how residents cope with cruise tourism and distinguish between impacts that they can and cannot cope with.
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•Finds that individual residents' have an ambivalent relationship with cruise tourism.•Coping theory is introduced to understand this relationship.•Many residents want cruising back despite negative impacts, as they can cope with it.•Covid prompted a shift in coping practices from individualistic to communal.•Cruise debate should focus on how residents weigh pros and cons, and how they cope.
VMS Support is a mobile-based application which is intended to integrate with a computerized visitor management system (CVMS). The application is used as a receiver of visit notification, respond to ...the CVMS and update the current whereabout. Visit notification was built using a mobile offline push notification which will not force the organization to invest in any internet provider and subscribe to a premium push notification service. User may respond to visit notification by sending a message that may be visible to the CVMS, and update its current whereabout to guide the visitor correctly.
•Integrative application.•Visiting notification receiver.•Mobile offline push notification.•Update of current user whereabout.•Reject or accept visitor.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to clarify the mechanisms of conflict between residents and tourists and to propose a conceptual model to assess the impact of such conflicts on city tourism and ...to suggest a framework to develop strategies to deal with such conflicts and mitigate negative impacts.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on desk research a conceptual model was developed which describes the drivers of conflicts between residents and visitors. Building blocks of the model are visitors and their attributes, residents and their attributes, conflict mechanisms and critical encounters between residents and visitors, and indicators of the quality and quantity of tourist facilities. Subsequently the model was used to analyse the situation in Hamburg. For this analysis concentration values were calculated based on supply data of hotels and AirBnB, app-data, and expert consultations.
Findings
The study shows that in Hamburg there are two key mechanisms that stimulate conflicts: (1) the number of tourists in relation to the number of residents and its distribution in time and space; (2) the behaviour of visitors measured in the norms that they pose onto themselves and others (indecent behaviour of tourists).
Research limitations/implications
The model that was developed is a conceptual model, not a model with which hypotheses can be tested statistically. Refinement of the model needs further study.
Practical implications
Based on the outcomes of the study concrete strategies were proposed with which Hamburg could manage and control the balance of tourism.
Originality/value
City tourism has been growing in the last decades, in some cases dramatically. As a consequence, conflicts between tourists, tourism suppliers and inhabitants can occur. The rise of the so-called sharing economy has recently added an additional facet to the discussion. The ability to assess and deal with such conflicts is of importance for the way city tourism can develop in the future. This study is an attempt to contribute to the understanding of the mechanism behind and the nature of those conflicts, and the way they can be managed and controlled. Besides it illustrates how data generated by social media (apps) can be used for such purposes.
The increasing popularity of digital media among protected area visitors poses challenges to protected area management. It alters the way visitors move and behave in the area, potentially increasing ...disturbance of nature, and it might also affect their expectation prior to the visit and their reflection on it. Simultaneously, digital media allow protected area managers to develop and implement new methods of digital visitor management (DVM). This may help to avoid conflicts and ensure compliance with rules and regulations and may have much further reaching positive consequences. Based on an online survey across 131 parks in 46 countries covering all continents, this study examined for the first time how protected areas view DVM. The results showed that the majority of park managers see digitalization as an opportunity, with 91% agreeing that it enables them to reach larger numbers of visitors and to provide real-time information. The advantage of integrating digital media into visitor monitoring was recognized. However, some park managers perceived digitalization as problematic, with 42% agreeing that it increases visitor load in sensitive areas and 40% agreeing that it leads to more off-trail activity. A clear majority of the respondents (61–91%) saw the proposed methods of DVM as effective or very effective. Accordingly, 70% of them envisioned using DVM in the future. Our findings suggest that the effects of digitalization in outdoor recreation are largely similar across the globe, with no significant influence of economic status or region. They offer insights into the potential of DVM for protected area management, but also its main obstacles. Adoption will be facilitated by increasing staff and funding for DVM. Additionally, knowledge exchange between protected areas can ease the successful implementation of new digital tools.
•Digitalization presents opportunities for protected area management worldwide.•Changes in visitation due to digital media may present challenges for protected area managers.•Most protected areas will use digital visitor management in the future.•Increasing funding and staff resources can help adopt digital visitor management.
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•The correlation matrix reveals key variable interactions in sustainability and tourism.•Education and capacity-building show the highest consistency.•Government interventions and ...support correlate most strongly with visitor management.•Tourism development and government support contribute to environmental management and economic sustainability.•The promotion of environmental sustainability policies requires a coordinated approach.
The complex interplay between tourism expansion and environmental conservation responsibilities necessitates the adoption of sustainable practices in aquatic ecosystems around the world. Still, existing scholarly investigations predominantly focus on the dynamics of individual rivers, resulting in considerable gaps in our comprehension of large river network systems. To redress these gaps, this study examines the potential effects of tourism development on the environmental sustainability of the Yangtze River and its tributaries in China. Furthermore, it evaluates government support and interventions aimed at strengthening environmental sustainability while proposing specific improvements. In 2023, a comprehensive survey involving 982 stakeholders provided invaluable insights into the multilayered nexus between tourism development and environmental sustainability. We analyzed carefully gathered data from a thoughtfully designed questionnaire using rigorous reliability assessments, correlation analyses, and regression techniques. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from 0.83 to 0.95 support the results, indicating robust reliability. The findings reveal predominantly positive correlations between governmental support and interventions and environmental sustainability, with visitor management showing the strongest correlation (r = 0.66**). Furthermore, regression analysis reveals that tourism development and governmental support and interventions contribute to both economic sustainability (R2 = 0.61 ∼ R2 = 0.77, ΔR2 = 16) and environmental conservation and management (R2 = 0.51 ∼ R2 = 0.62, ΔR2 = 11) in environmental sustainability. Thus, the study highlights the importance of governmental support and intervention in achieving environmental sustainability. Therefore, it advocates a coordinated approach to maximize policy formulation and implementation benefits. This study provides actionable insights for researchers, stakeholders, and policymakers alike to promote sustainable tourism practices.
Tourism to religious sites is growing worldwide, yet our understanding of the motives, interests and needs of tourists at these sites is limited. Research in British cathedrals suggests that many ...regard religious sites as leisure or recreational attractions and correspondingly, seek interpretation of the secular as well as spiritual aspects. This study surveyed 233 tourists at Canterbury Cathedral in the UK and found that tourists felt it was important to provide directional signage, displays and exhibits, value for money, attendants and equal access at the site. Overall, respondents rated their experiences positively, but wanted more information on the cathedral's history, architecture and artwork, as well as stories regarding people connected with the site. Recommendations for improving interpretation at Canterbury Cathedral are presented, and implications for the design of interpretive experiences at this and other religious sites discussed.
► Visitors to Canterbury Cathedral were surveyed on their preferences and perceptions of services, facilities and interpretation. ► An importance/performance matrix identifies areas that require attention. ► Suggestions for designing interpretation and experiences at religious sites are given. ► The importance of balancing religious and secular information is discussed.
While changes in society continue to inform understandings of what leisure is and how it manifests itself, the emergence of Chinese outbound tourists, with specific motivations, travel styles and ...leisure choices are having powerful impacts on multiple host destinations. While university campuses have long been marked as visitor attractions in China, this study explores the motivations and implications of outbound Chinese tourists visiting university campuses abroad for leisure. On site qualitative interviews took place with 25 fully independent Chinese tourists at three campuses in Seoul, South Korea and a campus in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The study results found that Chinese visitors mark specific university campuses as attractions and are motivated to visit because of their prestige, by novelty and exploration, emotion and nostalgia and learning and knowledge seeking. This study argues that campus tourism may be difficult to develop and manage as a well-defined product that meets the needs of Chinese tourists, university governors and university stakeholders. The study explores the implications for universities and recommends universities begin a critical evaluation of prestige markers and especially those markers present in the Chinese cultural, pop-culture and (social) media context, which may be counterproductive to the primary mission of universities.
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