Acquisition and Relevance of Geotagged Information in Tourism

In the case of tourism applications, it is particularly evident that geography is emerging as a fundamental principle for structuring Web resources. Recent improvements in semantic and geographic Web technology, often referred to as the Geospatial Web, acknowledge the relevance of adding location metadata to existing databases and accessing the vast amounts of information stored in these databases via geospatial services. This paper outlines the acquisition of geospatial context information, describes usage scenarios and real-world applications in the tourism industry, and presents an automated software tool for annotating large collections of Web documents automatically. The quality of this tool is tested based upon Web pages from the Austrian National Tourism Organization. Initial results are encouraging and help define a roadmap for further improving the automated tagging of tourism resources

What Drives Fitness Apps Usage? An Empirical Evaluation

Part 3: Creating Value through ApplicationsInternational audienceThe increased health problems associated with lack of physical activity is of great concern around the world. Mobile phone based fitness applications appear to be a cost effective promising solution for this problem. The aim of this study is to develop a research model that can broaden understanding of the factors that influence the user acceptance of mobile fitness apps. Drawing from Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), we conceptualize the antecedents and moderating factors of fitness app use. We validate our model using field survey. Implications for research and practice are discussed

Environmentally friendly holiday transport mode choices among students: The role of price, time and convenience

Transport mode choice is a critical element in holiday decision-making, affecting other components of the holiday and the holiday's environmental impacts. This study investigates the role of price, time and convenience regarding transport mode choice using a stated choice experiment. It explores differences in mode choice among European student travelers, a very active travel segment, with some environmental awareness but low regard for the environmental impacts of their travels. Survey data from 372 respondents, resulting in 5952 choice situations, gives insight into transport mode choice and the role of travel cost, travel time, punctuality, access time/mode, travel class and type of connection. Results indicate that cost is the most important product attribute followed by time, with convenience playing a secondary role for student travelers. Flying emerged as the top choice (50%), followed by rail (25%) and car (21%). The findings also show that the degree of respondents' general pro-environmental behavior-rather than their environmental attitudes-shapes students' transport mode choices. However, a complex picture emerges, with a range of varying perceptions about the importance of time components (punctuality and access time) for each mode, and a negative threshold for journeys by rail of over five hours. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

Coupons Going Wireless: a Study on Consumers' Intentions to Redeem Mobile Coupons

Firms are increasingly using the mobile media for communication and promotion and Short Message Service (SMS), in particular. This study investigates consumers' intentions to redeem mobile (m-) coupons. Results from a survey of 370 mobile phone users in Austria indicate that consumers' attitude toward and perceived control of m-coupons affect their intention to redeem such coupons. The effort involved in redeeming m-coupons strongly affects consumers' attitudes toward m-coupons, and fear of mobile spam influences consumers' perceived control with regard to commercial SMS. Value seekers are more sensitive to the effort involved in redeeming m-coupons and to mobile spam than are other consumers. The results suggest that firms should not overwhelm consumers with m-coupons, consider the usability of m-coupons in deciding the right offer, and educate their consumers about how to use the m-coupons. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and Direct Marketing Educational Foundation, Inc