Themes, relationships and trends in North American tourism research: A co-citation analysis of three leading journals (1996-2007)

The evaluation of research output and performance is becoming increasingly common as the field of tourism matures. This paper builds on the evaluative bibliometric work which has dominated the tourism literature by adopting a relational approach to provide insights into the intellectual structure of tourism research in North America. The study presents citation and co-citation analyses of papers authored by North American researchers in Annals of Tourism Research, JTR and Tourism Management between 1996 and 2007. A general picture of the field is drawn by examining the mostcited authors and works as well as co-citation patterns. The analysis is extended by the use of network analysis to explore the links between title words and influential works in the field. The paper also addresses the conference theme by identifying emerging themes and influences in tourism research. Results indicate that tourism research in North America has been strongly influenced by sociology and anthropology, geography, behavioural psychology and marketing. The study also identifies three major clusters or research focus: tourism and community impacts, destination image, and tourism as a socio-cultural phenomenon

Australian tourist attractions: The links between organizational characteristics and planning

An exploration of the links between the characteristics of\ud Australian tourist attractions and the amount of planning undertaken by attraction managers was conducted. Using a detailed mail survey (N = 407, response rate = 26.7%), a categorization indicating four planning levels was devised:\ud nonplanners, short-term planners, short- and long-term\ud planners, and long-term planners. Attractions with greater\ud levels of planning were shown to have higher levels of perceived performance and faced the future with better growth prospects and business confidence. They also reported\ud higher management turnover. Attraction research, it was argued, needs to develop with studies from different regions\ud and histories to test the value of specific findings. In addition, multimethod approaches are needed to disentangle causality issues linking planning and attraction characteristics

Exploring the future of tourism and quality of life

Few studies to date have examined the impact of tourism on quality of life (QoL) as conventional research has tended to focus, instead, on resident attitudes towards tourism and tourism ’s impacts in particular (Smith, 1977; 1989). Even less research has addressed whether tourism can drive or facilitate sustainable development (Miller and Twining-Ward, 2005) or whether tourism can contribute to the subjective wellbeing of those involved in travel and tourism. Impact studies generally ask residents to agree or disagree with statements regarding perceived impacts from tourism on their community. By contrast, QoL research aims to understand how these impacts are internalised and influence an individual’s overall life satisfaction (Andereck et al, 2007). With terms used interchangeably QoL, happiness and well-being refer to one’s satisfaction with life, and feelings of contentment or fulfilment with one’s experiences in the world (ibid.). Whether tourism as phenomena and practice may support the growing body of evidence that demonstrates a positive relationship between existential factors such as life purpose / meaning, personal growth and wellbeing (Vella-Brodrick, 2007) was the topic of intense debate during the 2008 Business Enterprises for Sustainable Travel Education Network (BEST EN) Think Tank VIII

An exploratory analysis of planning characteristics in Australian visitor attractions

This paper provides an exploratory analysis of the planning practices of 408 Australian attraction operators. The results indicate that attraction managers can be divided into four categories: those that do not engage in any formal planning, those that adopt a short-term planning approach, those that develop long-term plans, and those that use both short-term and long-term planning approaches. An evaluation of the sophistication of attraction planning showed a bipolar distribution. Attraction managers favored a planning horizon of three or five years, and were inclined to involve their employees in the planning process. Managers relied strongly on their own research and tourism industry intelligence when formulating business plans. The content of plans tended to focus on operational activities, financial planning and marketing. The study provides a benchmark for the comparison of attraction planning efforts in various contexts. © 2006 Asia Pacific Tourism Association

Destination marketing on the Internet: A case study of Australian Regional Tourism Authorities

The study develops an overview of the Internet as a marketing medium and investigates its applicability to the tourism industry and to destination marketing in particular. T he research focuses on Australian Regional Tourism Authorities (RTAs) and their current and future use and perceptions of the Internet. The evaluation of RTA Internet marketing efforts examines twelve elements grouped into four broad categories. T he first category explores planning elements consisting of RTA marketing objectives and target markets. The second investigates web site design elements consisting of interactivity, navigation and functionality. Content elements such as readability, integrity, value-adding and marketing mix variables are assessed in the third category. The fourth category evaluates management elements consisting of site maintenance, promotion and resources

Exploring the role of language proficiency and cultural adaptation in travel risk perception: a study of Asian working holiday makers in Australia

The perceived risk associated with international travel is frequently acknowledged as having a major influence on tourist behaviour. However, the influence of language proficiency and cultural adaptation on risk perception has not been well researched, especially in the context of tourists from non-English-speaking backgrounds. This study explored these influences and associations by focusing on Asian working holiday makers (WHMs) in Australia. It was found that English language proficiency and cultural adaptation were significant predictors of perceived risk. Asian WHMs who had difficulty adapting to the host culture perceived greater levels of risk. However, Asian WHMs with higher language proficiency tended to perceive greater travel risks. The findings have both theoretical and practical implications for the study of risk perceptions and the management of visitors with low language proficiency

Segmenting residents based on emotional reactions to tourism performing arts development

To identify residents’ heterogeneity beyond a perception lens, this research seeks to cluster urban and rural residents based on their emotions, commitment and behavioral intentions toward tourism performing arts (TPA) development. A survey comprising 438 urban and 435 rural respondents was collected in Hangzhou and Yangshuo, China. A two-step cluster analysis revealed that residents’ length of residence and birthplace were the most significant model predicators. Different cluster profiles labeled as “enthusiasts”, “committed supporters”, “appraisers” and “critics” were identified. Findings provide targeted strategies to cultivate resident commitment and reduce hostility toward TPA development in different types of communities

Beyond cost–benefit analysis: resident emotions, appraisals and support toward tourism performing arts developments

Abundant literature has examined resident reactions to tourism by their perceptions of perceived impacts, overlooking individual emotional responses that might be elicited by psychological causes toward specific types of tourism. This paper employs cognitive appraisal theory to explore the existence and causes of resident emotional responses to tourism performing arts developments. A survey of 438 residents was conducted in Hangzhou, China. Findings revealed that love and interest were dominant emotions. Appraisals of pleasantness, goal congruence, goal relevance, fairness, certainty and coping potential positively elicited happiness, love and gratefulness yet were negatively related to sadness and anger. Worry was elicited by low coping potential and high certainty of outcomes while anger was positively related to other attributions for tourism impacts. Results also detected that resident positive emotions had much more effects than negative emotions on their supports to TPA. The findings have implications for the way destinations position and promote tourism developments to encourage community engagement and manage resident hostility

The role of cognitive appraisal, emotion and commitment in affecting resident support toward tourism performing arts development

While residents' perceptions of tourism development have been widely explored through a rational cost-benefit lens, little is known about residents' emotional responses and their influences on resident support toward tourism development. By integrating cognitive appraisal theory and affect theory of social exchange, this study examines the psychological factors (cognitive appraisals, emotions, and commitment) that underlie residents' behaviors toward Tourism Performing Arts (TPA) development. Based on a survey of 435 residents undertaken in Yangshuo, China, the results reveal that outcome desirability, fairness and coping potential are significant antecedents differentiating resident positive and negative emotional responses toward TPA developments. Commitment was found to moderate the relationship between resident negative emotions and supportive behaviors and played a significant role in shaping resident behaviors. Additionally, resident support was found to be influenced by negative emotions rather than positive emotional responses toward TPA development. The findings have implications for alleviating resident hostility, cultivating commitment toward specific types of tourism, reducing community conflicts and obtaining local support for sustainable tourism development