Enhancing Socio-cultural Interaction Through Development of Travel Packages

The purpose of this research was to study the needs and desires of Americans who are interested in socio-cultural aspects of travel. In this study we analyzed interest in Finnish Spas and Finland. Qualitative research was conducted using focus groups. After identifying four market segments who were interested in socio-cultural travel, travel packages were specifically designed and tested for each market segment. Ultimately, our goals were to tailor-make travel packages to meet the needs of each specific market segment. To encourage discussion regarding inter-cultural travel to Finland, background information was provided on this country, emphasizing its uniqueness as a cultural crossroad between East and West. A video tape showing Finnish people, food, history, natural and scenic beauty were used to initiate the discussions. Slides depicting activities available to the traveler were shown. The research process by which socio-cultural travel packages can be designed will be reported together with key findings

Tell Me at What Time You Usually Wake up, I’ll Tell You What Type of Traveller You Are: An Investigation of the Influence of Chronotype and Time-Of-Day on Travellers’ Behavioural Intentions, Satisfaction and Lifetime Value for a Tourist Destination

Individuals differ in their chronotype, which ranges on a continuum from extreme morningness to extreme eveningness (Natale and Cicogna, 2002). Individuals exhibiting extreme morningness, also called larks, rise in the early hours of the morning and go to bed early at night, while those exhibiting extreme eveningness, also called owls, rise in the late hours of the morning and go to bed late at night (Horne and Österberg, 1976, 1977). This thesis addresses a call from marketing scholars to better understand intra-day consumer behaviours and preferences, by investigating two time-related variables, chronotype and time-of-day, within the context of tourism. Indeed, tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the world (World Tourism Organization 2016). Given the active role of travellers as co-creators of their tourism experiences as well as the high level of competition and seasonality of the tourism industry, it is essential for tourist destinations to consider the specific characteristics and time preferences, based on their chronotype, of travellers when designing experiences. Doing so may contribute to the optimization of consumer overall satisfaction and ensure revisitation and positive word-of-mouth. Therefore, this thesis examines the influence of chronotype and time-of-day on travellers’ behavioural intentions, overall satisfaction with a tourist destination and lifetime value for a tourist destination. It consists of two studies using a survey methodology. Study 1 focuses on 1982 consumers who travelled to the tourist destination under investigation at some point in the past, regardless of the year of their last trip. Study 2 focuses on 1483 consumers who travelled to the tourist destination under investigation within the past eight months. Results demonstrate that chronotype influences behavioural intentions and several indicators of consumer lifetime value, and that time-of-day moderates the influence of chronotype on the likelihood of visiting the tourist destination. The findings of this thesis fall into the Transformative Consumer Research perspective, which aims at optimizing consumers’ decision quality and protecting their interests (Mick, Pettigrew, Pechmann and Ozanne, 2011). They contribute to the limited theoretical literature on chronotype within the field of marketing. It is hoped that they will help consumers understand that their chronotype influences their behavioural intentions and their “value” in the eyes of tourist destinations. They suggest that consumers could optimize their decisions by synchronizing the timing to their chronobiological nature. This strategy is referred to as the synchrony effect (May, Hasher and Stoltzfus, 1993; May and Hasher 1998). The findings could thus pave the way for future public policy to protect at-risk consumers at non-optimal chronobiological times-of-day. It is also hoped that they will contribute to the evolution of the social responsibility of tourism destinations, in order to develop stronger consumer relationships and consumer satisfaction based on a mutual understanding of the influence of chronotype and time-of-day on behaviours

Exploring Sport and Intergroup Relations in Fiji: Guidance for Researchers Undertaking Short-Term Ethnography

There is a key tension associated with ethnographic explorations into the lives of people in the Global South – ‘outsider’ researchers from the Global North who lack experience of the environments they are seeking to understand. A considered response, therefore, is for scholars to seek physical immersion in a field—to live among those they are trying to understand. Such ethnographic inquiries are optimal when researchers have the capacity to engage over long periods of time. However, in some circumstances, this may not feasible. Thus, questions arise about the veracity of field work investigations that are not only temporally brief but undertaken by scholars who lack local experience. This paper reflects on the experiences of a researcher who was faced with those challenges. It provides guidance as to how scholars might prepare for short-term ethnography (STE) in field work, along with the limitations and constraints of such an approach. The research centered on a sport for development and peace study into intergroup relations and ethnic separatism in Fijian sport

Casas partilhadas monetizadas: a experiência turística e seus efeitos na autenticidade percebida, no apego ao destino e na lealdade

The emergence of the shared peer-to-peer accommodation (SP2PA) has attracted the attention of practitioners and academics, given this new business model’s increasing popularity amongst travellers. It is therefore suggested that this type of accommodation can offer a differentiated, eventually more authentic, experience to its guests, introducing new values and meanings to the hospitality provided at destinations. To sustain this argument, it is important to enhance the understanding of guest experiences while staying in such a SP2PA, while also the impact of these new tourist behaviour patterns on destinations is worthwhile exploring. Taking into account the relevance of understanding the tourist experience associated with the SP2PA, this study aims to gain theoretical and empirical understanding of the SP2PA guest experience by proposing and testing a theoretical model that estimates the relationships between the dimensions of the tourist experience (the SP2PA guest experience) and the constructs of ‘destination attachment’, ‘perception of authenticity’, ‘destination attitudinal loyalty’ and ‘SP2PA attitudinal loyalty’. To achieve this goal, two complementary methodology stages were undertaken: (i) an ‘exploratory qualitative approach’ by conducting focus group discussions and passive netnography; and (ii) a ‘quantitative approach’ by applying a survey to a convenience sample of SP2PA guests. Statistical analysis of data used descriptive and inferential methods, with the Partial Least Squares (PLSSEM) as the main method for testing the hypotheses. A total of 409 valid responses were used to test the proposed conceptual model. Findings confirm the ‘aesthetic’, ‘escape’, ‘entertainment’, ‘educative’, ‘affective’, ‘social interaction’, and ‘sharing experience’ dimensions as appropriated dimensions to analyse the SP2PA guest experience. Amongst these dimensions, the ‘educative’, ‘social interaction’, ‘aesthetics’, ‘sharing’, and ‘affective’ are, in this order, the dimensions that most influence the SP2PA guest experience. Regarding the influence of the SP2PA guest experience on the tourist experience outcomes, this study demonstrates that this experience positively influences the ‘perception of destination authenticity’ and ‘destination attachment’ formation. In turn, destination attachment mediates the relationship between the ‘SP2PA guest experience’ and ‘destination loyalty’, while the SP2PA guest experience predicts the ‘SP2PA attitudinal loyalty’. Besides, the ‘perception of authenticity’ positively influences ‘destination attachment’ formation and ‘SP2PA attitudinal loyalty’. The results contribute to the tourist experience theory by providing an empirically-based insight into its dimensionality in the hospitality sharing economy context. This study also provides an analytical framework to understand the effects of the SP2PA guest experience on constructs such as the perception of authenticity, destination attachment and tourist loyalty. Furthermore, results may help design management strategies for both SP2PA platforms and SP2PA hosts to develop and implement an experience-oriented service strategy in order to achieve a memorable experience for SP2PA guests and create positive future behavioural intentions. Limitations of the study and suggestions for further research complete the picture.O surgimento do alojamento partilhado pessoa para pessoa (SP2PA) tem vindo a atrair a atenção de profissionais e acadêmicos uma vez que esse novo modelo de negócio tem ganho crescente popularidade entre os viajantes. Sugere-se, portanto, que esse tipo de alojamento ofereça aos seus hóspedes uma experiência diferenciada, eventualmente mais autêntica, introduzindo novos valores e significados à hospitalidade proporcionada nos destinos. Para sustentar esse argumento, é importante melhorar a compreensão das experiências dos hóspedes durante a permanência em um SP2PA, ao mesmo tempo em que vale a pena explorar o impacto desses novos padrões de comportamento turístico nos destinos. Tendo em vista a relevância de compreender a experiência turística associada ao SP2PA, este estudo tem como objetivo desenvolver uma compreensão teórica e empírica da experiência dos hóspedes no SP2PA, propondo e testando um modelo teórico descritivo que estima as relações entre as dimensões da experiência turística (a experiência dos hóspedes no SP2PA) e os construtos de ‘apego de destino', 'percepção de autenticidade', 'lealdade atitudinal ao destino' e 'lealdade atitudinal ao SP2PA'. Para atingir esse objetivo, duas etapas metodológicas complementares foram realizadas: (i) uma "abordagem exploratória qualitativa", conduzindo as técnicas de grupos focais e netnografia passiva; e (ii) uma "abordagem quantitativa", administrando uma pesquisa a uma amostra conveniente de hóspedes do SP2PA. A análise estatística dos dados utilizou métodos descritivos e inferenciais, sendo o principal método para testar as hipóteses a modelagem de mínimos quadrados parciais - PLS-SEM. Assim, 409 questionários foram utilizados para testar o modelo conceitual proposto. Os resultados confirmam a "estética", "escape", "entretenimento", "educativa", "afetiva", "interação social" e "experiências de partilha" como dimensões apropriadas para analisar a experiência dos hóspedes no SP2PA. Entre essas dimensões, "educativa", "interação social", "estéticas", "partilha" e "afetivas" são, nessa ordem, as dimensões que mais influenciam a experiência dos hóspedes no SP2PA. Com relação à influência da experiência dos hóspedes no SP2PA nos resultados analisados da experiência turística, este estudo demonstra que a experiência dos hóspedes no SP2PA influencia positivamente a ‘perceção da autenticidade’ do destino" e a formação do ‘apego ao destino’. Por sua vez, o ‘apego ao destino’ media a relação entre a "experiência dos hóspedes do SP2PA’ e a "lealdade ao destino", enquanto a experiência dos hóspedes do SP2PA condiciona positivamente a “lealdade atitudinal ao SP2PA". Além disso, a "perceção da autenticidade" influencia positivamente a formação do "apego ao destino" e a "lealdade atitudinal ao SP2PA". Os resultados contribuem para a teoria da experiência turística, especificamente em contexto de alojamento turístico partilhado, monetizado, fornecendo uma visão baseada empiricamente em sua dimensionalidade no contexto da economia da partilha na hospitalidade. Este estudo também fornece uma estrutura analítica para a compreensão dos efeitos da experiência dos hóspedes no SP2PA em constructos como a perceção de autenticidade, o apego ao destino e a lealdade do turista. Além disso, poderá auxiliar o gerenciamento de plataformas SP2PA e aos anfitriões do SP2PA a desenvolver e implementar uma estratégia de serviço orientada à experiência, a fim de obter uma experiência memorável para os hóspedes no SP2PA e criar intenções comportamentais futuras positivas. Limitações do estudo e sugestões para futuras pesquisas completam o quadro.Programa Doutoral em Turism

Beyond anecdotes: The development of social capital through inter-community sport events

Sport events are believed to promote dialogue, integration and peaceful understanding among groups, even when other forms of negotiation have not been successful (Croft, 2005; Sugden, 2006). At the same time, sport events are thought to play a role in the construction, reproduction or consolidation of social identities in politically, socially or ethnically divided societies. Better publicised events, such as the Olympics, may demonstrate this social utility of sport, where diverse communities stand and feel together as one. However, the social outcomes from sport events are largely anecdotal. This paper argues that for disparate communities to experience lasting benefits from sport events there is the need to move beyond symbolism and anecdotes. There is a need to examine the active engagement of groups with `others in participatory sport event projects where they experience first hand the impacts of cooperation and diversit

CULTURE-BASED INTERPRETATION OF PROJECTED DESTINATION IMAGES: A SEMANTIC NETWORK ANALYSIS

This study attempts to explore destination image interpretation in the context of two cultural groups (US and China) and two information sources (Blog and Destination Management Organization website). Semantic Network Analysis was employed to obtain a visual representation and comparison of perceived destination image categories of Marrakesh across groups. Computer-Aided Textual Analysis software, AutoMap3.0 Program and ROST Content Mining System, were used initially for data preparation and keywords analysis, and UCINET 6 was then applied to conduct semantic network analysis such as centrality analysis and network structure measurements. The results indicated that the perceived image of Marrakesh varies by the different online information sources and cultural groups. In addition, features of the two specific information sources and cultures were discussed to explain the discrepancies and similarities. The study also underscores affective attributes in destination image perception by combing both quantitative and qualitative methods in the research. Practical and theoretical implications were demonstrated to shed light on managing and marketing desired destination images

Marketing forest-based ecotourism in Sri Lanka: predicting the ecotourism behavior and defining the market segment through a behavioral approach

Tourism industry is one of the main drivers of the global economy and plays a key role in regional development. As negative environmental and socio-cultural impacts of mass tourism became apparent, the appeal of alternative forms of tourism, especially ecotourism, continued to gain a broad recognition. As a result, ecotourism became one of the fastest growing sectors in global tourism during the past decade. Being a fast-developing country with ample natural resources, Sri Lanka can benefit from adopting and promoting ecotourism. At present, Sri Lanka’s ecotourism resources remain largely under-utilized. With rising demand, ecotourism operators are under pressure to meet expectations of diverse consumers of their products. In this background, the need to define and distinguish ecotourists from other types of tourists has become important. The importance of using a behavioral approach to distinguish true ecotourists from other types of tourists is widely emphasized by tourism scholars. This study developed distinct motivational and behavioral profiles of visitors to forest-based attractions in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, understanding and predicting ecotourist behavior is important for ecotourism operators to better cater their target markets. Many authors have attempted to explain the recreational behavior through various behavioral theories. Based on Ajzen\u27s (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior, this study proposed an ecotourism behavioral model of forest-based recreational areas in Sri Lanka, and incorporated knowledge and satisfaction in predicting ecotourism behavior. The role of previous visits in predicting future behavioral intentions in an ecotourism setting was modeled separately. The results identified four different types of tourists based on their behavioral and motivational characteristics i.e. ecotourists, picnickers, egoistic tourists, and adventure tourists. A typical ecotourist in Sri Lanka represents a relatively young recent high-school or university graduate, or a university student. The segment identified as “egoistic tourists” seems to be the most lucrative market segment to target from both environmental sustainability and business perspectives. The proposed ecotourism model suggests that knowledge and satisfaction are important determinants of ecotourism behavior. In addition, previous experiences of participating in ecotourism proved to be an important precursor of future behavioral intentions. Broad implications of visitor profiling and behavior modeling are also discussed

Blue-collar Nature(s): Socioeconomic Class Membership And Its Relationship To Ecology And The Environmental Movement

Environmentalism - a broadly construed and elusive term that covers innumerable approaches in examining our relationship to nature - has been termed the most influential mass movement of the 20th century (Nisbet in Dowie 1995). Notwithstanding the emergence of an anthropocentric environmental justice movement, organized and institutionalized environmentalism - especially nature preservationism in North America - remains a primarily middle-class domain (Eckersley 1989; Gottlieb 1993; Dowie 1995; Dunlap 1975). A visible working class is relatively absent in the organizations arisen from this social revolution, and muted in the histories written about the movement's origin. This paper aims to investigate current environmentalism(s) by applying the lens of history to socioeconomic class in the early environmental movement. While the emphasis will be the historiography of the working class's exclusion and marginalization that is the environmental movement's legacy, this work will also examine more recent 'blue-collar' engagement with ecology and examine the tensions inherent in this social dynamic. Key questions to be addressed are numerous. Is 'class' even a relevant construct, when it has been all but abandoned in academia and as deindustrialization, global restructuring and the service sector's rise reshapes our society's economic base? What is the early class history of the North American environmental movement? What is the usefulness of utilitarian approaches in explaining the dearth - real or apparent - of the working class in nature conservation? How do working-class people view mainstream environmentalism? What questions are raised by the 'revolving door' between industry and mainstream environmentalism? Is there any evidence of a more inclusive approach by environmentalists, given sustained criticism of the movement's middle-class orientation? What opportunities arise for cooperation between labour and ENGOs? And is a working-class political ecology even realistic given the ever-increasing concentration of political power in the economic realm? I will argue that environmentalism has lost its way and squanders opportunities for broader social engagement, in no small part because it has failed to integrate working-class perspectives and understandings of nature. In a world facing catastrophic climate chaos, as monumental patches of plastic swirl the world's oceans and the Holocene extinction proceeds apace, I assert here, the agency and resources of all humanity must be engaged to mount a concerted, sustained, representative and legitimate effort to avert the destructive results of industrial capitalist hegemony, which lies at the root of our unfolding ecological catastrophe