Exploring drivers of consumer well-being in music festivals: a relationship marketing approach

In the recent decades, the music festivals industry has developed very fast as well as contributed for the growth of wealth in the tourism sector. However, the research up-to-date about festivals is at an early stage, as there are plenty concepts and themes that have not been explored yet. Therefore, this study is motivated to explore what is behind the music festivals’ phenomenon. This dissertation considers the context of music festivals in Portugal due to its increasing levels of tourism growth, and investigates the existing relationships between common concepts within the field of Relationship Marketing, such as consumer’s experience, emotions and level of satisfaction, and yet their level engagement and their sense of well-being. In order to establish a connection between all these constructs, the S-O-R framework developed by Mehrabian and Russell (1974), regarded as one of the most influential in environmental psychology, was adapted to this study to carry this investigation. The results of the study revealed that all the constructs explored in the study show a positive relationship that enables to better comprehend the music festival experience felt by visitors, but it should be noted that not all the dimensions of each construct can be considered as relevant to our theoretical model. The overall findings in the Conclusion Chapter presented some interesting information, particularly, the relationship between consumers’ engagement and well-being, because it provides innovative and revealing facts that have not been explored previously in the music festivals literature. The managerial implications concerned to this study are discussed at the end.Nas últimas décadas, a indústria dos festivais de música tem vindo a desenvolver-se rapidamente, como ainda tem contribuído para o crescimento da riqueza que é gerada através do sector do turismo. No entanto, a pesquisa que é recolhida até à data acerca de festivais encontra-se ainda numa fase inicial, uma vez que existem vários conceitos e temas que não foram ainda investigados. Desta forma, este estudo é motivado a explorar o que está por detrás do fenómeno dos festivais de música. Esta dissertação considera o contexto dos festivais de música em Portugal, devido aos altos níveis de crescimento do seu turismo, e investiga as relações entre alguns conceitos que são comuns na área do Marketing Relacional, como por exemplo, a experiência dos consumidores, as suas emoções e satisfação, e ainda os seus níveis de compromisso, e as suas sensações de bem-estar. De maneira a estabelecer uma conexão entre todos estes conceitos, o framework S-O-R desenvolvido por Mehrabian e Russell (1974), reconhecido como um dos mais influentes na área de psicologia ambiental, foi adaptado a este estudo para que fosse conduzida esta investigação. Os resultados deste estudo revelaram que todos os constructos explorados neste estudo demonstram uma relação positiva que permite compreender melhor a experiência dos festivais de música sentida pelos visitantes, mas deve também ser referido que nem todas as dimensões de cada constructo podem ser consideradas como relevantes para este modelo teórico. Os resultados gerais que se encontram no capítulo das conclusões apresentaram informação relevante, nomeadamente, a relação entre compromisso e bem-estar dos consumidores, por apresentar factos inovadores e reveladores que não foram ainda explorados na literatura dos festivais de música. As implicações que foram reconhecidas neste estudo são discutidas no final do mesmo

An assessment of tourism customers’memorable experience in Ghana

Vários estudos acadêmicos têm-se focalizado nas experiências memoráveis no sector do turismo. Ao longo dos últimos anos, termos tais como experiência do cliente, experiência memorável e experiência turística, têm sido o tema de discussão na literatura de turismo, tornando-se o centro das atenções para a pesquisa e gestão do turismo atual. À medida que os estudos acadêmicos continuam a crescer em torno deste novo paradigma da relação entre o sucesso do turismo e as experiências memoráveis, mais contributos vão surgindo no sentido da compreensão das questões essenciais que transformam certas experiencias em experiências fantásticas, espetaculares e, o que é mais importante, memoráveis. Com base numa projeção futura, estima-se que o Gana, até ao ano de 2027, deverá receber cerca de 4, 3 milhões de turistas internacionais, o que significa a obtenção de receitas turísticas no valor de 8, 3 bilhões de dólares por ano. Neste sentido, é importante reflectir sobre o que poderá ajudar o país a attender e satisfazer melhor os seus turistas, garantindo que eles tenham uma experiência memorável e, assim, regressem ao destino turístico. Do ponto de vista dos negócios e do crescimento econômico, há a necessidade de a indústria do turismo de Gana fornecer uma experiência memorável ao cliente. O objetivo geral do presente estudo estudo foi avaliar a experiência de turismo memorável dos turistas no Gana. Para além deste, foram identificados dois objetivos específicos. O primeiro objetivo foi fornecer analisar as dimensões da experiência memorável dos clientes e o processo da criação de valor. O segundo objetivo do estudo foi examinar a influência das dimensões da experiência memorável dos clientes na memória e na lealdade dos turistas ao destino turístico. Para dar início ao trabalho, foi desenvolvida uma revisão detalhada da literatura académica recentemente publicada em jornais científicos. Foram identificados e analisados os conceitos emergentes tais como experiência do cliente, experiência memorável, experiência turística e cocriação de valor. Com base na naturesa exploratória do estudo, foram considerados dois métodos de análise o que consubstancia uma abordagem de pesquisa mista, em virtude da utilização de metodos quantitativos e qualitativos. Uma amostra de 240 respondentes foi selecionada para o propósito deste estudo. Um total de 170 entrevistas foi usado num segundo momento de análise da problemática. No processo de selecção dos respondentes para o estudo, foram utilizadas técnicas de amostragem probabilística e não probabilística. Especificamente, a amostragem aleatória simples, bem como a amostragem intencional e de conveniência foram adotadas. A recolha inicial de dados para o estudo foi feita por meio de um questionário. Os questionários foram elaborados com base nos objetivos do estudo e na revisão da literatura. Os questionários foram enviados via e-mail e plataformas de WhatsApp com o consentimento dos participantes. A análise dos dados foi feita com a utilização do SPSS para os dados quantitativos e a análise de conteudo para as entrevistas. Os resultados das entrevistas enfatizaram e mostraram que as dimensões da experiência memorável dos clientes e da “criação de valor” na indústria do turismo incluíam hedonismo, refrescância, cultura local, significado, conhecimento, envolvimento e novidade. Sobre a influência das dimensões da experiência memorável dos clientes nas suas memórias e lealdade, os resultados evidenciaram que todas as sete dimensões influenciaram os clientes no que diz respeito às suas memórias e lealdade. O estudo mostrou que todos os inquiridos consideram que as sete dimensões podem ser adotadas na conceção de ferramentas promocionais para a indústria do turismo. Por último foram reconhecidas as limitações do estudo e tecidas algumas recomendações sobre o que deve ser feito nesta matéria para benefício do turismo no Gana.Over the years, these terms; customer experience (CX), memorable experience (ME), tourism experience (TE), have been the topic for discussion in the tourism literature, making it the centre of attention for current tourism research and management. As academic studies continue to grow and in examining tourism as a function of memorable experiences (ME), more research is being conducted to uncover the essence of what exactly makes certain experiences fantastic, over the top, spectacular, and most importantly, memorable. In recent times, some scholars have tried to explore the essence of memorable experience; however, the findings have not been comprehensively able to explore the process of experiencing research. The purpose of the study was to assess customers‟ memorable tourism experience in Ghana. The study was guided by two specific objectives. The first objective was to provide insights into the dimension of customers‟ memorable experience and value creation. And the second objective of the study was to examine the influence of the dimensions of customers‟ memorable experience on their memories and loyalty. The researcher employed the mixed research approach where both the quantitative and the qualitative approaches were used. A sample size of 240 respondents was selected for the purpose of this study. A total of 170 respondents was used in the end due to the current pandemic all over the world. In selecting the respondents for the study, the researcher used sampling techniques from both probability and non-probability sampling. Specifically, simple random sampling as well as purposive and convenience sampling were adopted. The collection of data for the study was done through a questionnaire as the data collection tool. Questionnaires were designed based on study objectives, research questions and reviewed literature. Questionnaires were sent via emails and WhatsApp platforms with the consent of participants. The analysis of the data was done with the use of SPSS for the quantitative data whilst thematic data analysis was used for the qualitative data. The results showed that the dimensions of customers‟ memorable experience and ‟value creation‟ in tourism industry included hedonism, refreshment, local culture, meaningfulness, knowledge, involvement, and novelty. On the influence of the dimensions of customers‟ memorable experience on their memories and loyalty, the results showed that all the seven dimensions had an influence on the customers with regards to their memories and loyalty. The researcher found that all the respondents were of the view that the seven dimensions could be adopted in designing promotional tools for the tourism industry. The researcher then made some recommendations to help promote tourism in Ghana

Hotel front office staff and interest in tourist attractions : their influencing role in business tourists' visiting intentions

Introduction The National Department of Tourism (NDT) identified the underutilisation of tourist attractions as a challenge facing South Africa’s tourism. According to eThekwini Municipality (2014) and Gauteng Provincial Government (2001), domestic business tourists, amongst others, visit tourist attractions. The likelihood of business tourists requesting that hotel front office staff arrange visits to tourist attractions is acknowledged in the literature. There is, however, a dearth of research investigating the relationship between hotel front office staff and business tourists’ intentions to visit tourist attractions (hereafter mostly referred to as business tourists’ visiting intentions). The conceptualisation of this relationship is discussed in the context of hotel front office staff, interest in tourist attractions, and business tourists’ visiting intentions. The proposed mediating role of Interest in tourist attractions is highlighted, which was tested statistically, while evidence is provided that Hotel front office staff, Interest in tourist attractions, and Business tourists’ visiting intentions can serve in a causal Model of Business Tourist’s Intentions of Visiting Tourist Attractions. The inclusion of these constructs in a causal model will enable hotel and tourist attractions managers develop strategies to attract business tourists. Main research question Against the background of Frazier, Tix and Barron’s (2004) and Ro’s (2012) Mediation Model, see section 1.3, the following main research question was proposed for the present study: Is the relationship between Hotel front office staff and Business tourists’ visiting intentions mediated by Interest in tourist attractions in a Model of Business Tourists’ Intentions of Visiting Tourist Attractions? Literature review Based on the main research question, this study resulted in the proposal of a theoretical causal model for the mediating role of tourist attractions and a causal Model of Business Tourists’ Intentions of Visiting Tourist Attractions. The likelihood of the newly conceptualised Interest in tourist attractions as a mediator in the relationship between the Hotel front office staff and Business tourists’ visiting intentions is evident in tourism literature. As far as could be determined, the influence of interest in tourist attractions in the relationship between hotel front office staff and business tourists’ visiting intentions has not been established to date. An extensive literature review was conducted to conceptualise hotel front office staff, interest in tourist attractions, and business tourists’ visiting intentions as constructs to include in the theoretical model from which the causal model was developed. Business tourists’ demographic details were investigated in the context of gender, age, and province. Research design A research design comprises the research approach and research method of a study. In the present research, a cross-sectional survey was conducted to generate the study’s primary data. A statistical study design was adopted for the purpose of conducting factor analysis (FA) and validating the causal model by means of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) through structural equation modelling (SEM). Furthermore, this study was causal-explanatory, as it explored the mediating role of Interest in tourist attractions. International Business Machines (IBM) software SPSS 22.0 was used to conduct this study’s FA, and IBM SPSS AMOS 22.00 was used for this study’s CFA through SEM. Research method Convenience sampling, which is a non-probability sampling method, was used to select the respondents. The target population was domestic business tourists who stayed at the selected three-star hotel between 15 July 2014 and 15 April 2015. A new measuring instrument was developed to comprehensively investigate hotel front office staff, interest in tourist attractions, and business tourists’ visiting intentions. A seven-point intensity Likert scale was used for all items in the questionnaire. Data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire issued to domestic business tourists upon hotel check-in. The sample comprised 282 respondents. Results and discussion Data sets for all constructs were inspected for central tendency, distribution, and missing values. Missing values were replaced by the respective items’ mean score. Once inspected, PCA was conducted to explore the uni-dimensionality of items, and to reduce constructs. All constructs were retained by the PCA, and the achievement of Cronbach alpha scores exceeding .70 confirmed the validity and reliability of constructs (Hotel front office staff, Interest in tourist attractions, and Business tourists’ visiting intentions). PCA was not conducted on Business Tourists’ Visiting Intentions, due to a significant Cronbach’s alpha and the presence of only four items measuring the construct. Pearson’s product-moment correlation revealed positive inter-correlations between dimensions of the constructs Hotel front office staff and Interest in tourist attractions. CFA was conducted to establish the causal Model of Business Tourists’ Intentions of Visiting Tourist Attractions. The establishment of a causal model was followed by exploring the mediating effect of Interest in tourist attractions on the relationship between Hotel front office staff and Business tourists’ visiting intentions. The causal model confirmed that Interest in tourist attractions fully mediates the relationship between Hotel front office staff and Business tourists’ visiting intentions. This successfully answered this study’s main research question. This study makes a unique contribution by establishing a causal Model of Business Tourists’ Intentions of Visiting Tourist Attractions, confirming Interest in tourist attractions as a mediator in the relationship between Hotel front office staff and Business tourists’ visiting intentions. The causal model proves that there is no relationship between Hotel front office staff and Business tourists’ visiting intentions without the indirect connection with Interest in tourist attractions. In support of this study’s results, Yang, Jou, and in tourist attractions, and business tourists’ visiting intentions. A seven-point intensity Likert scale was used for all items in the questionnaire. Data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire issued to domestic business tourists upon hotel check-in. The sample comprised 282 respondents. Results and discussion Data sets for all constructs were inspected for central tendency, distribution, and missing values. Missing values were replaced by the respective items’ mean score. Once inspected, PCA was conducted to explore the uni-dimensionality of items, and to reduce constructs. All constructs were retained by the PCA, and the achievement of Cronbach alpha scores exceeding .70 confirmed the validity and reliability of constructs (Hotel front office staff, Interest in tourist attractions, and Business tourists’ visiting intentions). PCA was not conducted on Business Tourists’ Visiting Intentions, due to a significant Cronbach’s alpha and the presence of only four items measuring the construct. Pearson’s product-moment correlation revealed positive inter-correlations between dimensions of the constructs Hotel front office staff and Interest in tourist attractions. CFA was conducted to establish the causal Model of Business Tourists’ Intentions of Visiting Tourist Attractions. The establishment of a causal model was followed by exploring the mediating effect of Interest in tourist attractions on the relationship between Hotel front office staff and Business tourists’ visiting intentions. The causal model confirmed that Interest in tourist attractions fully mediates the relationship between Hotel front office staff and Business tourists’ visiting intentions. This successfully answered this study’s main research question. This study makes a unique contribution by establishing a causal Model of Business Tourists’ Intentions of Visiting Tourist Attractions, confirming Interest in tourist attractions as a mediator in the relationship between Hotel front office staff and Business tourists’ visiting intentions. The causal model proves that there is no relationship between Hotel front office staff and Business tourists’ visiting intentions without the indirect connection with Interest in tourist attractions. In support of this study’s results, Yang, Jou, andin tourist attractions, and business tourists’ visiting intentions. A seven-point intensity Likert scale was used for all items in the questionnaire. Data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire issued to domestic business tourists upon hotel check-in. The sample comprised 282 respondents. Results and discussion Data sets for all constructs were inspected for central tendency, distribution, and missing values. Missing values were replaced by the respective items’ mean score. Once inspected, PCA was conducted to explore the uni-dimensionality of items, and to reduce constructs. All constructs were retained by the PCA, and the achievement of Cronbach alpha scores exceeding .70 confirmed the validity and reliability of constructs (Hotel front office staff, Interest in tourist attractions, and Business tourists’ visiting intentions). PCA was not conducted on Business Tourists’ Visiting Intentions, due to a significant Cronbach’s alpha and the presence of only four items measuring the construct. Pearson’s product-moment correlation revealed positive inter-correlations between dimensions of the constructs Hotel front office staff and Interest in tourist attractions. CFA was conducted to establish the causal Model of Business Tourists’ Intentions of Visiting Tourist Attractions. The establishment of a causal model was followed by exploring the mediating effect of Interest in tourist attractions on the relationship between Hotel front office staff and Business tourists’ visiting intentions. The causal model confirmed that Interest in tourist attractions fully mediates the relationship between Hotel front office staff and Business tourists’ visiting intentions. This successfully answered this study’s main research question. This study makes a unique contribution by establishing a causal Model of Business Tourists’ Intentions of Visiting Tourist Attractions, confirming Interest in tourist attractions as a mediator in the relationship between Hotel front office staff and Business tourists’ visiting intentions. The causal model proves that there is no relationship between Hotel front office staff and Business tourists’ visiting intentions without the indirect connection with Interest in tourist attractions. In support of this study’s results, Yang, Jou, and Cheng (2011) asserted that business tourists expect hotels to arrange their visits to tourist attractions. According to Kasavana and Brooks (2009), it is a duty of the hotel front office staff to arrange visits to tourist attractions. Limitations This study was limited to domestic business tourists only, thereby excluding international business tourists. A non-probability sampling method was used to select respondents; this study’s results can therefore not be generalised to the population of domestic business tourists who stay at the selected three-star hotel in Pretoria. This study’s sample was uneven in the context of gender, age, and province of residence. Future research Future studies could explore the established causal Model of Business Tourists’ Intentions of Visiting Tourist Attractions at a different hotel, to verify the validity of the model. Future studies could also explore the moderating effect of domestic business tourists with regard to age, gender, and province of residence in the relationship between Hotel front office staff and Interest in tourist attractions. Future studies could further explore the causal Model of Business Tourists’ Intentions of Visiting Tourist Attractions using a different biographical segment, e.g., leisure tourists. Conclusion This study aimed to determine whether scores for Hotel front office staff related to scores for Business tourists’ visiting intentions, and how this relationship is mediated by scores on Tourist attractions scores. The Model of Business Tourists’ Intentions of Visiting Tourist Attractions confirmed that Interest in tourist attractions fully mediates the relationship between Hotel front office staff and Business tourists’ visiting intentions. Based on these results, this study’s main research objective has been achieved.Business ManagementM. Com. (Tourism Management

EUCEET 2018: 4th International Conference on Civil Engineering Education: Challenges for the Third Millennium

World economy is changing rapidly. On the one hand, issues like health and safety, quality, resilience, sustainability, social justice and environment are increasing their weight for decision makers compared with traditional pecuniary considerations. On the other hand, the advent of cheap powerful computers, smart phones and robots is changing society drastically and also the economic interactions. The general agreed on professional requirements for future generations are the ability to interact with computers and robots, and the ability to do what these are not able to do (the so called soft skills as ethics or creativity). Civil Engineer practice is also impacted by this change. In the frame of Bologna Treaty, most universities are striving to adapt their educational contents as well as their training methods. Is Civil Engineering Education able to keep pace? In this book, this question is answered addressing the following topics: 1. New contents and capabilities: Resilience, sustainability, BIM (Building Information Modelling), soft skills, automation, artificial intelligence, smart cities, UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). 2. Methodology: Student centered teaching methods, online learning, flip learning, active learning, PBL (Project Based Learning) 3. The impact of educational policies: quality management, quality control and accreditation agencies, links between teaching, research and practicePostprint (published version