Improvement Axons for Ardas Cultural Festival in Evros, Greece, based on attendees perceptions

Festivals provide not only the hosting community but the wider destination area as well, with many benefits. In consequence they have gained increasing attention in the prism of tourism growth. The most popular festival in Evros prefecture in the Thrace region (Northern Greece) is Ardas festival which takes place annually near the banks of the Ardas River and is known as “Festival Arda: youth gathering”. In the highly competitive tourism market, festival organizers need to keep their customers satisfied in order to maintain and increase their market share. To accomplish this task, festival organizers must understand the visitors’ behaviour and intentions and formulate their strategy accordingly. In this context, this study aims to examine the current status of Ardas Festival based on attendees perceptions and, secondly to propose a segmentation of the attendees market, based on their overall visiting experience as well as the degree of their satisfaction. quantitative research study was conducted on the premises of Ardas festival .The questionnaire developed specifically for this purpose. It includes the following areas of improvement which were generated based on a prior qualitative study. The quantitative research obtained a sample of 410 visitors attending the festival. Statistical analysis included classical descriptive analysis, cluster analysis, and cross-tabulation tests. Results showed that all statements were considered important for attendees of the festival (MS>3.51), with cleanness being the most important (MS=4.53) and the increase of the number of Balkan countries bands the least (MS= 3.62). Three clusters (n1=116; n2=146; n3=140) were produced based on the points of development as well as visitors’ satisfaction and impression. Results also showed that clusters were statistically significantly different regarding gender, marital status, education, occupation, and net individual monthly income. Results of the research can be a valuable input for the Ardas festival organizers. The findings can contribute to the success of the festival by satisfying the visitors and consequently increasing retention rate and loyaltyFestival, tourism, destination marketing, improvement axons, consumer’s behaviour, marketing, Greece

Counterfeit purchase typologies during an economic crisis

Purpose-The economic crisis has become a global phenomenon, although in Europe it mostly affected the Mediterranean countries of Southern Europe. In times of economic stress, counterfeit products increase their market share. In this context this paper aims to explore, and attempt to explain, consumer perspectives on the purchasing of counterfeit brands. Methodology-The study utilized an e-mail based open ended questionnaire as its data collection method. The research used a sample of 83 participants belonging to generation Y (younger and older) and upper medium and high income class brackets. Findings-Purchasing behaviour of counterfeit products during the economic crisis enabled us to identify four types of consumers. Furthermore, the results indicated that some consumers have significant interest in counterfeits while some consumers show apathy or indifference towards counterfeiting. Furthermore, some consumers believe that the government’s economic austerity policies cause high level consumption of counterfeits while others consider the authorities to be responsible for counterfeiting, since they do not adequately tackle it. Research limitations/implications- This research is exploratory in nature and restricted to Greek generation Y consumers. Suggestions are presented regarding future studies and generalization of the findings. Practical implications- Implementation of law, joint communication campaigns and social media usage are the major implications for the stakeholders in the marketplace. Originality/value-This study extends the body of knowledge of purchasing behavior on non-deceptive counterfeit products by offering empirical findings from Greece, a country facing a severe economic crisis. To our knowledge this is the first study that explores counterfeit buying behaviour during an economic crisis perio

The mediating effect of environmental policy on the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty in the hotel industry

Customer satisfaction and loyalty, according to the literature, are influenced by many factors such as perceived value, corporate image, perceived quality, trust, communication etc. This study investigates the mediating effect of environmental policy in the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty. For this purpose, empirical research on Greek hotels’ customers, with the use of a structured questionnaire, was conducted. In data analysis, the S.P.S.S 20 and LISREL software were used. The results indicate that the degree of perceived, by customers, environmental policy is not related to satisfaction, and moreover to their loyalty towards the hotel

City image, city brand personality and Generation Z residents’ life satisfaction under economic crisis: Predictors of city-related social media engagement

The originality of the present study lies in that it examines generation Z residents’ engagement with the city’s social media during economic crisis in relation to city image, city brand personality and residents’ overall satisfaction. In order to test our hypotheses, 947 usable questionnaires were collected in Thessaloniki, Greece via the mall intercept technique. The findings reveal the significant impact city image and city brand personality have on generation Z residents’ engagement with city’s social media. The results also demonstrate a negative linkage between residents’ overall satisfaction and their engagement with the city’s social media. Lastly, the results support that the relationship between residents' overall satisfaction and their engagement with city's social media accounts is moderated by the effect of economic crisis on residents' personal daily routine. Implications for theory and practice are also discussed

Measuring Destination Image and Consumer Choice Criteria: The Case of Mykonos Island

Destination image has long been identified as an environmental characteristic that influences consumer behaviour and choice. As destinations compete nowadays globally, marketers need to acquire new knowledge and a greater understanding of the business and the environment, in which they operate in order to determine and adopt an appropriate marketing mix. So, first research objective was to measure attitudes towards island of Mykonos in order to identify key dimensions and their relative importance in determining consumer choice. Then, Cluster analysis was performed in order to segment the market and identify different clusters of tourists. Four different clusters were identified based on choice criteria and attitudes. Results can be a valuable input for both marketers and practitioners

Measuring Destination Image and Consumer Choice Criteria: The Case of Mykonos Island

Destination image has long been identified as an environmental characteristic that influences consumer behaviour and choice. As destinations compete nowadays globally, marketers need to acquire new knowledge and a greater understanding of the business and the environment, in which they operate in order to determine and adopt an appropriate marketing mix. So, first research objective was to measure attitudes towards island of Mykonos in order to identify key dimensions and their relative importance in determining consumer choice. Then, Cluster analysis was performed in order to segment the market and identify different clusters of tourists. Four different clusters were identified based on choice criteria and attitudes. Results can be a valuable input for both marketers and practitioners

The impact of the macro-environment on consumer scepticism towards cause-related marketing: insights from an economic crisis setting

Purpose- The aim of this study was to explore how the macro-environment influences consumer scepticism towards cause-related marketing (CRM), especially in a turbulent economic setting. Design/methodology/approach- An exploratory qualitative research study utilizing open ended, semi-structured Skype interviews with 26 respondents was conducted in a country experiencing economic crisis. Findings- The findings demonstrate that respondents hold a strong scepticism toward CRM campaigns and they are more negative toward the CRM campaigns initiated by foreign enterprises as compared to the domestic ones. This can be attributed to ethnocentrism, or even antipathy or animosity towards foreign companies due to crisis. Furthermore, results reveal that the political and legal elements of the macro-environment have an impact on consumer scepticism towards CRM campaigns, while the impact of the economic crisis itself did not seem to be equally significant. Originality/value- This work contributes to the existing literature of CRM as it is the first study that explores the impact of macro-environmental elements on consumer scepticism towards CRM within an economic turbulence setting

Social media for cultural communication: A critical investigation of museums’ Instagram practices

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate the use of Instagram by museums in the Greek cultural scene. Specifically, the study focuses on examining the use of Instagram by museum communication professionals and aims at carrying out a twofold investigation: Firstly, if and how the Instagram is used to reach out to their visitors and secondly, the public response to this type of communication. Methods: A list of all archaeological museums in Greece was obtained and related Instagram accounts were retrieved. The dataset structure was enhanced by eleven variables, which were measured and visualized by a descriptive statistics analysis. Inter-variable correlations, normality and equality tests were also performed. Moreover, a linear predictive model for the number of museum tags was investigated. Results: Only one museum in Greece maintains an Instagram account. Visitors usually tag museum exhibits or people and exhibits on the photographs they upload on their personal accounts. T-tests and Mann-Whitney U tests revealed equal distributions for all variables between central and peripheral museums. Implications: Museum officials have not seized the opportunity offered by social media and especially Instagram today. Their importance seems to be underestimated. With respect to the linear model derived, results suggest that more features should be surveyed; this could be the subject of future research studies

Knowledge Assessment of COVID-19 Symptoms: Gender Differences and Communication Routes for the Generation Z Cohort

This paper explores the generation Z (Gen Z) cohort’s self-assessed knowledge regarding the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms as well as their interest in acquiring information and learning more about the transmission and spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2 virus) and the COVID-19 symptoms. Additionally, it investigates gender differences in self-assessed knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms. Field research employing a nonprobability sampling method with an online questionnaire resulted in collecting 762 valid questionnaires. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, factor and reliability analysis, and the independent sample t-test. Results reveal that overall symptom knowledge was assessed higher than the self-assessed knowledge of the 13 specific symptoms. No gender differences were detected regarding self-assessed knowledge of the following COVID-19 symptoms: cough, dyspnea, anorexia, productive cough with expectoration (phlegm), headache, and diarrhea. On the other hand, for self-assessed overall knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms, as well as self-assessed knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms related to fever and fatigue, myalgia (muscle pain), pharyngodynia, nausea–vomitus, hemoptysis, and abdominal pain, the t-tests conducted showed that there are statistical differences in knowledge assessment between male and female subjects. Based on the outcomes, the paper provides marketing communication practices targeting this young generation cohort to raise awareness so that Gen Z’ers may react effectively if these symptoms are observed and, thus, request medical assistance