Marketing of Tourism Destination in the Context of Tiger Safari

Tiger tourism plays a significant role in the overall scenario of Indian tourism. The forest destination managers face a major challenge in satisfying their visitors since tigers are elusive by nature and most of the time tourists return dissatisfied without sighting a tiger after a forest safari. This paper is the first scientific study of its kind based on empirical data in the context of tiger tourism and proposed a model to identify the optimum path in the forest with a higher probability of tiger sighting

A multiple criteria route recommendation system

The work to be developed in this dissertation is part of a larger project called Sustainable Tourism Crowding (STC), which motivation is based on two negative impacts caused by the tourism overload that happens, particularly, in the historic neighborhoods of Lisbon. The goal of this dissertation is then to mitigate those problems: reduce the tourist burden of points of interest in a city that, in addition to the degradation of the tourist experience, causes sustainability problems in different aspects (environmental, social and local). Within the scope of this dissertation, the implementation of one component of a recommendation system is the proposed solution. It is based on a multi-criteria algorithm for recommending pedestrian routes that minimize the passage through more crowded places and maximizes the visit to sustainable points of interest. These routes will be personalized for each user, as they consider their explicit preferences (e.g. time, budget, physical effort) and several constraints taken from other microservices that are part of the global system architecture mentioned above (e.g. weather conditions, crowding levels, points of interest, sustainability). We conclude it is possible to develop a microservice that recommend personalized routes and communicate with other microservices that are part of the global system architecture mentioned above. The analysis of the experimental data from the recommendation system, allows us to conclude that it is possible to obtain a more balanced distribution of the tourist visit, by increasing the visit to more sustainable places of interest and avoiding crowded paths.O trabalho a desenvolver nesta dissertação insere-se num projeto de maior dimensão denominado Sustainable Tourism Crowding (STC), cuja motivação assenta, essencialmente, em dois impactos negativos provocados pela sobrecarga turística que se verifica, nomeadamente, nos bairros históricos de Lisboa. O objetivo desta dissertação é, então, mitigar esses problemas: reduzir a sobrecarga turística dos pontos de interesse mais visitados numa cidade que, além da degradação da experiência turística, causa problemas de sustentabilidade em diversos aspetos (ambiental, social e local). No âmbito desta dissertação, a implementação de um componente de um sistema de recomendação é a solução proposta. Baseia-se num algoritmo multicritério de recomendação de percursos pedonais que minimiza a passagem por locais mais apinhados e maximizam a visita a pontos de interesse mais sustentáveis. Essas rotas serão personalizadas para cada utilizador, pois consideram as suas preferências (por exemplo, tempo, orçamento, nível de esforço físico) e várias restrições retiradas de outros microsserviços que fazem parte da arquitetura do sistema global mencionado acima (por exemplo, condições meteorológicas, níveis de apinhamento, pontos de interesse, níveis de sustentabilidade). Concluímos que é possível desenvolver um microsserviço que recomenda rotas personalizadas e que comunica com outros microsserviços que fazem parte da arquitetura global do sistema mencionada acima. A análise dos dados experimentais do sistema de recomendação, permite-nos concluir que é possível obter uma distribuição mais equilibrada da visita turística, aumentando a visita a pontos de interesse mais sustentáveis e evitando percursos mais apinhados

Visibility in Information Spaces and in Geographic Environments. Post-Proceedings of the KI'11 Workshop (October 4th, 2011, TU Berlin, Germany)

In the post-proceedings of the Workshop "Visibility in Information Spaces and in Geographic Environments" a selection of research papers is presented where the topic of visibility is addressed in different contexts. Visibility governs information selection in geographic environments as well as in information spaces and in cognition. The users of social media navigate in information spaces and at the same time, as embodied agents, they move in geographic environments. Both activities follow a similar type of information economy in which decisions by individuals or groups require a highly selective filtering to avoid information overload. In this context, visibility refers to the fact that in social processes some actors, topics or places are more salient than others. Formal notions of visibility include the centrality measures from social network analysis or the plethora of web page ranking methods. Recently, comparable approaches have been proposed to analyse activities in geographic environments: Place Rank, for instance, describes the social visibility of urban places based on the temporal sequence of tourist visit patterns. The workshop aimed to bring together researchers from AI, Geographic Information Science, Cognitive Science, and other disciplines who are interested in understanding how the different forms of visibility in information spaces and geographic environments relate to one another and how the results from basic research can be used to improve spatial search engines, geo-recommender systems or location-based social networks

Tourism on a Scenic Byway: Destination Image and Economic Impacts of the Beartooth Highway

Many tourism destination managers know who their visitors are and how they are perceived by them. However, when new destinations begin to take shape, understanding these perceptions and meeting the expectations of visitors can be a difficult task. Destination image provides the ability to explore the perceptions of visitors at a tourism place. One such place the Beartooth Highway in south-central Montana and north-central Wyoming is a scenic byway that reaches nearly 11,000 feet in elevation. Previously, little to no research has been conducted regarding travelers that frequent this region. The purpose of this study was to understand the destination image and economic impacts of nonresident travelers on the Beartooth Highway. Nonresidents were travelers who did not live in the counties of the Beartooth Highway (Park County, MT, Carbon County, MT and Park County, WY). A two-part survey method was implemented. First, an on- site visitor survey was conducted for all travelers along the highway. Second, a mailback survey was given to all nonresidents travelers. The survey included statements about the Beartooth Highway, trip spending categories, motivations for traveling the highway, and activities participated in while visiting. Visitors were intercepted at the three exit points of the Beartooth Highway. In total, 4,285 nonresident visitors were intercepted along the highway. Of those, 3,251 nonresidents were given mailback surveys. The survey was completed and returned by 1,473 respondents for a response rate of 45 percent. Results from the study show that visitors perceive the Beartooth Highway in positive light. Forty-four percent of respondents stated they were first-time visitors. Moreover, visitors who had a higher degree of loyalty to the destination had significant differences in many of the cognitive and affective image variables. Nonresident spending contributed over $50 million in economic impacts to the local communities in the four month time period. Because visitors perceive the place as a destination rather than simply a highway, it is recommended that more collaborative management be implemented. The highway should also be marketed and managed with these results in mind to ensure the preservation of the unique characteristics and qualities of the region

ISER Working Paper 2009.1

In this report we calculate the economic importance of nature-based tourism in Southeast Alaska as measured by business revenue. Our estimates are based on field research conducted during 2005, 2006 and 2007. We define nature-based tourism as those tourism activities for which the natural environment is a significant input.1 Our key findings include the following: • Nature-based tourism generates about $277 million per year of direct business revenues in Sitka, Juneau, Chichagof Island, Prince of Wales Island, Petersburg and Wrangell. This number is most likely an underestimate of total revenues because not all naturebased tourism businesses and business sectors could be included in our estimates. Our numbers do not include tips – which in some businesses might add 25taxes and fess paid directly to local governments. In addition, the especially rainy weather of 2006 probably caused abnormally low sales for some businesses. • Average revenue per visitor varies considerably among communities and activities; ranging from about$140 per visitor in Juneau to more than $2,600 per visitor on Prince of Wales Island. These differences reflect the range of activities offered -- from half-day excursions to multiple, overnight all-inclusive lodge stays. • Nature-based tourism expenditures create a significant economic ripple effect that keeps money circulating through the economy. This money supports jobs in marketing, support services, food and beverages, accommodations, fuel sales, government, and other sectors. • Communities are clearly striving to differentiate themselves and capitalize on local amenities such as the Stikine River, Anan Creek, the LeConte Glacier, Tracy Arm, Glacier Bay, Pack Creek and exceptional fishing and scenic opportunities. • A large and growing portion of Southeast Alaska’s visitors are cruise ship passengers. Both cruise passengers and independent travelers are similarly interested in nature-based tourism services. The majority of cruise ship shore excursions offer nature-based activities, from hikes and glacier viewing to flightseeing and forest canopy zip lines. • Communities hosting large numbers of cruise passengers are actively developing new and creative tourism products such as forest canopy zip lines and mountain biking while those with fewer visitors tend to be focused on sport fishing. This appears to be the case even if local amenities exist to support a broader range of business and visitor activities. Thus, there appear to be unrealized opportunities in some communities, but these may also reflect an inadequate visitor base upon which to risk additional investment. • There is a complex and competitive system for pre-booking cruise ship shore excursions. Businesses with exclusive cruise line contracts make price and tour information available only to cruise passengers and often agree to sell tours only through the cruise line.• The tourism businesses in cruise ports of call that appear to be most successful either have a cruise ship shore excursion contract or are catering to overnight (non-cruise) guests with high-quality and high-value services. Examples of these types of businesses include sport fishing lodges and multi-day yacht cruises. • It is difficult to compete with established businesses holding existing cruise line contracts. Despite this hurdle, a number of companies are offering creative new products including zip lines through the forest canopy, glass-bottomed boats, and an amphibious “duck” tour. • Some operators attribute the increased interest in adventure activities to a change in cruise ship clientele. In recent years, cruise companies have been catering to a younger crowd, targeting families. In any event, increasing numbers of passengers are interested in more active pursuits. • Competition for cruise passengers exists both within and between communities, as people are booking their shore excursions in advance and look at all the options. Sitka companies mentioned they were carefully tracking zip line activity in Juneau and Ketchikan, dogsled tours on the Mendenhall Glacier, and other activities to see which market niche they could capture. • There is some evidence that visitors are willing to pay premium prices for higher quality experiences in more pristine environments. However, it is not clear what specific attributes (seclusion, fishing experience, food, services, perceived exclusivity, and environmental amenities) are the key components of this higher market value. • It is possible to design a community-based tourism program that provides employment to local residents as is occurring in Hoonah. However, Elfin Cove appears to bring in more in gross revenues than Hoonah with about one-eighth as many visitors because Hoonah’s operation relies on volume while Elfin Cove businesses rely on higher-priced fishing lodge experiences. Day trips seem to be relatively higher cost, lower profit operations. • Independent travelers appear to try to avoid crowds and many are repeat visitors. Most tend to stay longer and have more open itineraries than those on cruise ships or organized tours. These characteristics make independent travelers more difficult to contact. • Independent travelers also appear to seek communities with fewer visitors and those that they perceive to be more “authentic,” such as Petersburg, Wrangell, and communities on Chichagof Islands. A lack of transportation capacity, whether on scheduled jets or on ferries, may be limiting the opportunities for these smaller communities. Less marketing may also be a factor limiting visits by independent travelers. • The primary marketing mechanisms for smaller, non-cruise related businesses are the internet and word of mouth. In addition, many customers return to the same fishing lodge, yacht tour, or charter business year after year. • Wildlife viewing is highly attractive to visitors due to spectacular scenery and abundant wildlife including whales and other marine mammals. Companies in several communities expressed a desire to move toward more wildlife viewing and sightseeing and away from sport fishing. These operators preferred wildlife viewing as it was less stressful due to less pressure to catch fish. Some operators were making this shift, while others thought they would not be able to match the revenue generated by sport fishing. • Weather has a significant impact on business for companies whose tours are not prebooked on cruise ships. Operators noted a marked difference between the sunny, dry summer of 2004 and the remarkably wet summer of 2006. Visitors walking off a ship in the rain were much less likely to go on marine tours or hikes in soggy conditions, and seasonal revenues were down. Businesses with cruise contracts did not experience this setback as passengers are not reimbursed for pre-sold tours when weather conditions are poor. The one exception was flightseeing, where companies had to cancel tours due to unsafe weather conditions. • Promoting wildlife watching is an important marketing strategy for Southeast Alaska communities. Visitors bureaus currently produce pamphlets with charismatic large animals, such as whales and bears. Bureau staff cited studies showing the desire to see wildlife was attracting a large portion of out-of-state visitors. • A significant policy question emerging from this research is how the public lands might be managed to increase the economic returns from tourism to residents of Southeast Alaska communities, especially the smaller communities that can only accommodate smaller numbers of visitors at one time. Bear viewing is one example of a high-value activity that depends on controlled access to specific infrastructure.Alaska Conservation Foundation. University of Alaska Foundation. The Wilderness Society.Executive Summary / Introduction / Methods / Ketchikan / Juneau / Sitka / Norther Southeast Alaska Yachts / Chichagof Island / Prince of Wales Island / Petersburg / Wrangell / Conclusion

Routeing in military tourism: gamification as an implementation proposal

This dissertation approaches three main concepts, routeing applied to tourism, Military Tourism as a segment of Cultural Tourism and Gamification as a tool for tourist fruition, with the aim at establishing a link between them. Following a literature review from various authors in each of these areas, and after the establishment of a firm conceptual base, this project investigates the possible links between them. In this specific case the application of the benefits of gamification to promote the development of Military Tourism products and their organisation in military themed tourism routes. In conclusion this dissertation presents a guiding model explaining the use of different forms of game based technology to develop different Military Tourism products and how this tool can aid in the organisation in a Military Tourism Route

Wayfinding in Boise

This document reviews the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of wayfinding within the Boise and downtown areas. This project was done in coordination with the City of Boise Parks & Recreation (Boise P&R) Department as an in-class Service Learning component of the Community and Regional Planning course “CRP 503 Plan Making and Implementation” at Boise State University. The purpose of this project is to develop a quality set of findings and recommendations that adhere to accepted planning processes and sound methodology. The goal from the onset is to develop content that is broad-based, all-inclusive, and will be helpful to Boise P&R in the future development of a detailed wayfinding plan. This document identifies major destinations in the city and recommends designated routes to reach these destinations. Recommendations are also made in regards to the location and design of signage, the potential uses of technology within a wayfinding system, and the next steps to take in working toward the implementation of a wayfinding system. This project referenced and incorporated wayfinding-related work already done by Boise P&R. This included what they see as their key assets, most popular recreation destinations, and typical park -user demographics. Incorporating existing plans allows for a better understanding of what had been considered by Boise P&R as well as what had worked and not worked in regards to wayfinding efforts in the past. While wayfinding can be designed for and used by major transit such as automobiles, this project sets out to focus on non-motorized users such as pedestrians and cyclists. Further consideration could be given to identify ways to improve wayfinding on a larger scale within the city to assist motorists. One of the major findings of this project indicates that early and consistent communication among various stakeholders would be essential to developing a successful wayfinding system. Multiple agencies should have roles in the design and implementation. It is important that these organizations feel they have a place at the table to discuss their ideas and opinions. The Boise downtown area is in need of an integrated wayfinding system. This project is a step forward in the development of a successful wayfinding system in the City of Boise

An investigation into international tourists' perceptions of Cape Town as a holiday destination : one destination - an unforgettable experience

Bibliography: leaves 283-291.The fundamental product in tourism is the destination experience. Despite Cape Town offering a unique experience, the destination lacks a dear and positive brand images that persuade international tourists to visit. Currently, it cannot be ascertained how international travellers perceive brand Cape Town. As such it is felt that a significant number of tourists are being forsaken. Thus, it is imperative that research be conducted in order to gain a greater understanding of the brand, thereby enabling Cape Town to be positioned in a manner that lives up to tourists' expectations. In April 2001, the Joint Marketing Initiative was created to align the marketing efforts of the various destination-marketing organisations responsible for marketing the province of Western Cape and the city of cape Town both internationally and domestically. This is necessary to achieve consistency in image and message communication. This investigation is one of many commissioned by the Cape Metropolitan Tourism to improve stakeholders' understanding of brand Cape Town

Mapping the travel blog : a study of the online travel narrative

This thesis examines the discursive tension between travel and tourism and analyses how narrative techniques negotiate this in travel blogs. This discursive analysis uses various theories of narrative and self-presentation, particularly Bakhtin’s heteroglossia, polyphony, and speech genres, Goffman’s theories of self-presentation, and Graham Dann’s framework for tourist discourse. It finds that the underlying discursive tensions in travel blogs indicate a need for a more flexible approach to defining and analysing this form of communication

Making Vacationland: The Modern Automobility and Tourism Borderlands of Maine and New Brunswick, 1875-1939

Modernizing nineteenth and twentieth century mobility reshaped and re- commodified the predominantly rural environments of Maine and New Brunswick. Landscapes like these can be better understood through the tripartite intersection of environmental commodification as “picturesque,” a democratizing tourism culture, and the development of modern individual mobility. The intersection of these forces produced a unique tourism borderland comprised of primarily second nature landscapes, which rapidly adapted to motor-tourism. All three themes are products of modernity, and their combination in Maine and New Brunswick produced a “tourism borderland” and “mobility borderland” between automotive spaces and the unprepared environments of pre-auto “Vacationland.” Before the twentieth century, vacationing culture, modern mobility, and economic dependence on tourism all existed in Maine and New Brunswick. However, the automobile revolution brought greater independence and accessibility to the experience. While westward expansion drew naturalist attention to wonders beyond the Mississippi River, the “pleasure periphery” of New England and the Maritimes became a testing ground for automotive vacationing. Urban centers on the East coast increasingly utilized places like Maine and New Brunswick as accessible wildernesses and seaside retreats as vacationing transitioned from an elite privilege to a possibility for the middle class. Early twentieth century affluent urbanites established anti-modern escapes that depended on automobiling technology, confronting local resistance to their new hobby that transformed the landscape into Vacationland for the autoists yet to come. Road construction and improvement carved the region into visually consumable routes and vistas, shaping regional identities, and helping to produce the modern North American model of tourism by the 1930s. The tourism borderlands of Maine and New Brunswick became a mobility borderland of automotive confrontation, resistance, and adaptation in the early twentieth century, existing in a “middle landscape” between urbanity and wilderness