An Impact Model for Experiential Activities of Farming and Food Education in Agricultural Sustainable Tourism

This paper examines the development, implementation, and implications of farming and food experiential activities and the effects of these activities on agricultural sustainable tourism. A model is proposed that examines the major correlates and possible impacts related to these variables. A heuristic inquiry research design was adopted, employing a major multiple case study approach. In addition to secondary data, primary data were collected through 18 interviews with farmers, customers, government employees, community leaders and scholars, as well as 132 quantitative surveys from tourists and visitors involved in the activities on site. The major cases of the Small Bee Project, Pitaya Tour and three other examples of farming and food education programs are introduced. Results show that farming and food educational experiences provide participants with more awareness of ecological sustainability, food safety, and a sense of sociability, as well as an appreciation of the linkages between farming and safe food. Farming and food education are still developing and need more promotion, training and support. More cooperation is desired among both the private and public sectors, as well as the local community. The local farmers could benefit from training to increase knowledge about the latest scientific advances and technology tools, adopt practices that are less harmful to the environment, reduce food contamination, build professional tours for farming and food education, and increase profits. This study concludes that a comprehensive farming and food education program includes farming experiences, nutrition, food safety, and environmental education about respecting sustainable development. The major correlates of farming and food educational experiences include positive attitudes towards green tourism and potential demands for authentic experiences and educational experiences in food safety. These correlates contribute to the perceived value of experiential activities in farming and food education. Further, possible impacts of these experiential education activities on participants in this type of agricultural sustainable tourism include more awareness of ecological sustainability and food safety

Human experience in the natural and built environment : implications for research policy and practice

22nd IAPS conference. Edited book of abstracts. 427 pp. University of Strathclyde, Sheffield and West of Scotland Publication. ISBN: 978-0-94-764988-3

Sustainability and Consumer Behaviour

This book highlights the latest research findings on sustainability within the context of consumer behaviour. It brings together the collaborative work of researchers from Finland, Denmark, USA, the Netherland, Mexico, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan and China to improve our understanding on consumer behaviour and its relationship with sustainable resource consumption. The thirteen chapters in this book focus on different aspects of consumer behaviour and sustainability, including purchase intentions towards recycled products, environment fit hospitality experiences, purchase intentions of recycling items, consumer loyalty, electric vehicle market consumption, consumption of the educational products, revisit intention, online complaint behaviour, consumer and CSR, eco-friendly behaviour, brand trust and social media consumer communication

The interest of visitors to protected natural areas in \u27green\u27 accommodation

The development in tourism should be done within the framework of environmentally friendly tourism. A part of environmentally friendly tourism is the development of "green" hotels. The main objective of this study was to investigate the extent to which visitors to the protected natural areas are interested in "green" hotels. It was conducted on a sample of visitors to ten protected natural areas in the Czech Republic. The results reveal a low interest for this type of accommodation. Pro-environmental orientation of visitors is comparable to other areas. Relaxation is the most participated activity among these visitors. Non-parametric regression with the normal distribution of dependent variable and Log Function was used to identify predictors of such an interest. A higher degree of interest was identified among the environmentally oriented visitors. A higher degree of interest was also identified among bicycle tourists, gamekeepers, anglers (who are gamekeepers at the same time) and female anglers. A higher interest in environmentally friendly accommodation is generally higher among female tourists rather than among male tourists. Those categories have identified the main target segments (each distinct one from another) of the potential creation of the supply of such an accommodation in vulnerable areas

Examining the Impact of Motivation, Service Quality, and Value on Satisfaction and Loyalty Among Golf Tourists to Rural Areas

Economic development in rural areas has undergone a fundamental change over the past several years as the dependence on agriculture continues to decline in rural economies and rural areas experience depopulation along with an increase of outmigration of educated youth. As a result, tourism has emerged as an alternative economic revitalization strategy in many rural areas. One strategy rural areas have begun to implement to attract visitors to a region is attempting to entice individuals interested in participating in sport and recreation. Sport tourism is one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism industry as more and more destinations attempt to benefit from hosting sport events and providing sport participation opportunities. Within the sport tourism industry the golf travel market has become an important component of the sport tourism market. The increased popularity of golf has created significant economic, social, and environmental impacts on the local communities. The golf market represents a significant opportunity to grow and maintain visitation to a destination as well as generate substantial revenues. Given golf’s ability to attract higher than average spending visitors and generate revenue within a region, rural destinations should be particularly interested in the golf travel market, as visitor spending can represent a significant economic influx in less populated areas. Previous research indicates that visitor loyalty is vital to the long term success of a tourism destination. Common variables that have been linked to visitor loyalty include travel motivation, satisfaction, value, and service quality. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact that golf tourists’ travel motives, perceived value, and service quality have on satisfaction and loyalty. Loyalty was measured using repurchase and word of mouth intentions. Participants were 228 golf travelers that purchased a rural golf vacation package in the upper Midwest United States. Results indicated that the travel motives of relaxation, social interaction, and knowledge exploration had a significant influence on visitor satisfaction and loyalty, with relaxation accounting for the most variance. Of the three variables satisfaction, value, and service quality, only satisfaction was found to be a significant predictor of repurchases intentions. All three variables were found to be significant predictors of word of mouth intentions with satisfaction accounting for the most variance. Both value and service quality had a significant impact on satisfaction, with value having the strongest influence. Market segmentation strategies and appropriate resource allocations are discussed, as well as managerial implications

A STUDY ON THE BENEFITS OF SPORTS TOURISM ON CITY MARKETING

The purpose of this study is to explore the benefits of sports tourism on city marketing. In recent years, Taiwan has been actively striving for the marketing of large-scale sports events in the development of international sports. The host city uses the resources invested before the holding of the sports event to develop sports tourism attractions, develop sports tourism policies, and make good use of marketing and promotion strategies to shape the city’s image; and uses media marketing as a tourism promotion tool to expand Taiwan’s sports tourism facets which would bring huge tourism effects. This study organizes the research of past scholars by way of literature discussion, and then collects, organizes and analyzes the data. It is concluded that Taiwan has opened up its international reputation through international large-scale sports events and city marketing. From the experience of hosting international large-scale events, Taiwan not only attracts countless domestic and foreign tourists, but also promotes its city’s culture, tourism, and economy. The vigorous development of related industries, the enhancement of sports tourism quality and the improvement of sports tourism image in Taiwan are also achieved. Finally, international large-scale events revitalize the city to bring business opportunities and make such events the pride of the city. Therefore, this study serves as a reference for future exploration of sports tourism development and city marketing issues, integrating relevant resources, and providing reference for relevant organizations to jointly build Taiwan as a sports tourism island. JEL: L10; L80; L83 Article visualizations

Tourism in contemporary cities. Proceedings of the International Tourism Studies Association Conference: University of Greenwich, London, UK 17–19 August 2016 Conference Proceedings

The 6th International Tourism Studies Association (ITSA) Biennial conference was held at the University of Greenwich, London, England from 17‐19 August 2016. This was the first time that the conference had been held in Europe and it provided a unique opportunity to meet, hear from and network with tourism scholars and professionals from across Europe, Asia, Australasia, and North and South America. ITSA has a mission to encourage interaction and cooperation between developing and developed countries and the conference was successful in attracting 130 delegates from 29 countries. The main theme of the conference was 'Tourism in Contemporary Cities' with four conference sub‐themes of ‘Tourism Cities and Urban Tourism’, ‘The Chinese Market for European Tourism’, ‘River, Cruise and Maritime Tourism’, and ‘Heritage Tourism in Cities’, The subthemes were chosen to reflect the unique location of the conference on the UNESCO Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, and London which is Europe’s most visited tourist destination. The conference also presented ‘Dark Tourism and Cities’ and ‘Tourism and Communist Heritage’ as special sessions