Development of Beach Quality Assessment Parameters Based on Tourist Reviews

Beaches are popular natural attractions for holiday vacations and recreational activities among tourists and important tourism resources to tourism communities that brings valuable economic value. However, increasing pressure of the beach tourism impacts the beach coastal environment, negatively affecting both ecological status and the recreational experience of tourists. Massive amounts of tourist data, such as online reviews and consumer behavioral data on social media, have vastly grown and become a valuable source of information to understand tourists and support the environmental and marketing decisions of tourism destinations. To date, measurement parameters of beach quality perception, as expressed by actual or potential beach visitors, have been developed mainly by relying on the survey questionnaires on physical, social, environmental, and service-related aspects. Therefore, there is a need to define and assess the quality of tourist beaches based on visitors’ experiences presented in online reviews on social media. The purpose of this study was to compare commonalities and variations of beach quality between assessment parameters from questionnaire surveys and those from tourist online review analysis on social media and, ultimately, to propose measurement parameters of beach quality and prioritizes based on beach visitors’ perceptions and attitudes presented in reviews on social media

INFLUENCE OF CONSUMER INNOVATIVENESS ON PERCEPTIONS OF MUSEUM PODCASTS

The primary objective of this study was to investigate museum visitors’ interest in podcast museum tours and identify determinants which influence perceptions of the podcast tour experience. In particular, this study hypothesized a positive effect of consumer innovativeness on expected changes in the museum experience as a result of the podcast tour. Self-report questionnaires were distributed to visitors who had finished their museum visit and a total of 797 usable questionnaires were collected. The findings of this study indicate that the majority of museum visitors included in the study are still unaware of emerging technologies such as podcasts. However, museum visitors clearly show interest in special audio tours and expect those to enhance their museum experience. Innovativeness as an individual’s trait drives these perceptions as well as actual technology ownership. Thus, it is recommended that offerings for visitors with different levels of innovativeness have to be designed (e.g. devices to be rented at the museum vs. podcasts downloadable from a Web site) in order to speed up the adoption process and to make podcast tours useable for the majority of visitors. The study findings suggest that new technologies such as podcasts provide opportunities for museums to interpret their offerings in new ways, targeting more specific audiences. With growing familiarity of museum visitors with these technologies and increasing adoption by other museums, it is expected that demand for special interest tours available as podcasts will rapidly increase

INFLUENCE OF CONSUMER INNOVATIVENESS ON PERCEPTIONS OF MUSEUM PODCASTS

Previously ProvidedThe primary objective of this study was to investigate museum visitors’ interest in podcast museum tours and identify determinants which influence perceptions of the podcast tour experience. In particular, this study hypothesized a positive effect of consumer innovativeness on expected changes in the museum experience as a result of the podcast tour. Self-report questionnaires were distributed to visitors who had finished their museum visit and a total of 797 usable questionnaires were collected. The findings of this study indicate that the majority of museum visitors included in the study are still unaware of emerging technologies such as podcasts. However, museum visitors clearly show interest in special audio tours and expect those to enhance their museum experience. Innovativeness as an individual’s trait drives these perceptions as well as actual technology ownership. Thus, it is recommended that offerings for visitors with different levels of innovativeness have to be designed (e.g. devices to be rented at the museum vs. podcasts downloadable from a Web site) in order to speed up the adoption process and to make podcast tours useable for the majority of visitors. The study findings suggest that new technologies such as podcasts provide opportunities for museums to interpret their offerings in new ways, targeting more specific audiences. With growing familiarity of museum visitors with these technologies and increasing adoption by other museums, it is expected that demand for special interest tours available as podcasts will rapidly increase

Perceptions of museum podcast tours: effects of consumer innovativeness, Internet familiarity and podcasting affinity on performance expectancies

Information technologies provide important opportunities for museums to create more engaging visitor experiences. Many museums have decided to adopt podcasting technologies to provide more interesting and cost efficient audio tour offerings. The study presented in this paper investigates whether museum visitors also perceive podcast tours as being able to enhance museum experiences. Using a technology adoption framework, influences on museum visitors' performance expectations regarding podcast tours were investigated. The results show that podcast affinity mediates the influences of innovativeness and Internet familiarity and is significantly positively related with perceptions of podcast tours as means to enhance museum visits. Thus, the research stresses the importance of conceptualizing performance expectations relevant to tourism settings and understanding the personal characteristics of tourists that influence them. It also shows that general Internet familiarity drives attitudes toward newly emerging Internet-based technologies

The Robot Workforce and Technology Response to the Pandemic

This paper aims to provide a perspective for extensive service robot usages in terms of technological responses that deal with tourism changes and challenges from the pandemic. This study investigated technology responses in the current pandemic situations and developed a response map including some directions for post-action plans in tourism research and practice. The findings capture the current technology responses of major tourist cities toward this outbreak. Tracing and early detecting individual visitors using technology responses such service robot workforce and blockchain technology based on big data network systems are key methods to slow the spread of the contagious virus before effective vaccine and clinical treatments are prepared. Most tourism cities are expected to face a post-tourism situation after such pandemics. When effective strategies to treat this pandemic or other pandemics are developed, tourism businesses can be prepared to manage the outbreak and minimize any losses

Effects of podcast tours on tourist experiences in a national park

This study examines the influence of podcast tours on tourist experiences. Based on theoretical accounts that human voices convey rich social information, this study proposes that podcast tours increase perceived social presence and mindfulness that lead to enhanced tourist experiences and environmental stewardship. A field experiment was conducted at a national park using MP3 players containing podcast tours based on four experimental conditions: 2 information source compositions (single vs. multiple narrator voices) × 2 narrating styles (formal vs. conversational). The results support that even if communicated through audio-only media, the human voice creates a positive social context for meaningful interaction which influences tourist experiences and stewardship. Mindfulness was also found to be an important construct affecting the quality of experiences. The findings support the usefulness of podcast tours as interpretative media

Perceptions of museum podcast tours: Effects of consumer innovativeness, Internet familiarity and podcasting affinity on performance expectancies

Information technologies provide important opportunities for museums to create more engaging visitor experiences. Many museums have decided to adopt podcasting technologies to provide more interesting and cost efficient audio tour offerings. The study presented in this paper investigates whether museum visitors also perceive podcast tours as being able to enhance museum experiences. Using a technology adoption framework, influences on museum visitors\u27 performance expectations regarding podcast tours were investigated. The results show that podcast affinity mediates the influences of innovativeness and Internet familiarity and is significantly positively related with perceptions of podcast tours as means to enhance museum visits. Thus, the research stresses the importance of conceptualizing performance expectations relevant to tourism settings and understanding the personal characteristics of tourists that influence them. It also shows that general Internet familiarity drives attitudes toward newly emerging Internet-based technologies

Differences in consumer-generated media adoption and use: a cross-national perspective

Adoption of consumer-generated media (CGM) and social networking applications has been reportedly rapid and impacts on the travel industry are assumed to be tremendous. CGM such as blogs, reviews and podcasts provide great opportunities for travel marketers. In order to be able to respond to CGM developments, travel marketers need to better understand what drives CGM use in different markets. Using secondary data from various sources, this paper outlines national differences in adoption speed and usage patterns for four major origin markets: the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and China. Based on the existing technology adoption literature, the information is summarized and analyzed with respect to forces which could drive these differences, mainly focusing on cultural dimensions, media landscapes, infrastructure development and information needs due to specific travel behavior characteristics. The results reveal interesting differences in these four markets and suggest that many factors stimulate CGM adoption. The findings imply that travel marketers need to adjust their CGM-based marketing strategies to the particular circumstances present in a visitor market

Differences in consumer-generated media adoption and use: a cross-national perspective

Adoption of consumer-generated media (CGM) and social networking applications has been reportedly rapid and impacts on the travel industry are assumed to be tremendous. CGM such as blogs, reviews and podcasts provide great opportunities for travel marketers. In order to be able to respond to CGM developments, travel marketers need to better understand what drives CGM use in different markets. Using secondary data from various sources, this paper outlines national differences in adoption speed and usage patterns for four major origin markets: the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and China. Based on the existing technology adoption literature, the information is summarized and analyzed with respect to forces which could drive these differences, mainly focusing on cultural dimensions, media landscapes, infrastructure development and information needs due to specific travel behavior characteristics. The results reveal interesting differences in these four markets and suggest that many factors stimulate CGM adoption. The findings imply that travel marketers need to adjust their CGM-based marketing strategies to the particular circumstances present in a visitor market

HLA-B*5901 is strongly associated with methazolamide-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis

Aims: The carbonic anhydrase inhibitor methazolamide infrequently causes Stevens Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). An association between these diseases and the HLA-B59 serotype has been suggested in case reports. This study examined the disease-associated B*59 allele and investigated the association of these diseases with other HLA class I alleles. Methods: We performed high-resolution HLA-A, -B and -C genotyping in five patients with methazolamide-induced SJS/TEN using a PCR-sequencing-based typing method and analyzed the association between HLA-class I alleles and occurrence of methazolamide-induced SJS/TEN. Results: B*5901 and Cw*0102 alleles were observed in all patients and A*2402 was observed in four patients. The B*5901 allele showed the strongest association with methazolamide-induced SJS/TEN (p < 0.001; odds ratio: 249.8; 95% Cl: 13.4-4813.5), followed by Cw*0102 (p = 0.004; odds ratio: 22.1; 95% Cl: 1.2-414.3), when compared with the general population as a control. The frequency of the patients carrying B*5901, Cw*0102 and A*2402 simultaneously was significantly higher than that in the general population (p < 0.001; odds ratio: 110.1; 95% Cl: 11.7-1038.6). Conclusion: A strong association was observed between HLA-B*5901 and methazolamide-induced SJS/TEN in Korean patients. HLA-B*5901 may be a useful screening marker for predicting methazolamide-induced SJS/TEN in patients of Korean and Japanese ancestry.This study was supported by a grant of the Korean Health 21 R&D Project, Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, Republic of Korea (A030001).SHEFFIELD LJ, 2009, CLIN BIOCHEM REV, V30, P55SEO YS, 2009, J KOREAN OPHTHALMOL, V50, P1881KIM JW, 2009, KOREAN J DERMATOL, V47, P317Chun JS, 2008, ANN DERMATOL, V20, P260Kaniwa N, 2008, PHARMACOGENOMICS, V9, P1617, DOI 10.2217/14622416.9.11.1617Borchers AT, 2008, AUTOIMMUN REV, V7, P598, DOI 10.1016/j.autrev.2008.06.004Lonjou C, 2008, PHARMACOGENET GENOM, V18, P99Chung WH, 2007, CURR OPIN ALLERGY CL, V7, P317Monnet D, 2006, CURR OPIN OPHTHALMOL, V17, P545Alfirevic A, 2006, PHARMACOGENOMICS, V7, P813, DOI 10.2217/14622416.7.6.813FRENCH LE, 2006, ALLERGOL INT, V55, P9Pirmohamed M, 2006, AAPS J, V8, pE20Lee KW, 2005, TISSUE ANTIGENS, V65, P437, DOI 10.1111/j.1399-0039.2005.00386.xSUNG KH, 2005, KOREAN DERMATOL, V43, P561Slatore CG, 2004, IMMUNOL ALLERGY CLIN, V24, P477, DOI 10.1016/j.iac.2004.03.011Brackett CC, 2004, PHARMACOTHERAPY, V24, P856Chung WH, 2004, NATURE, V428, P486, DOI 10.1038/428486aMARTIN TM, 2003, OPHTHALMOL CLIN N AM, V16, P555HA JH, 2003, KOREAN J DERMATOL, V41, P248Saito S, 2000, TISSUE ANTIGENS, V56, P522MOON JI, 2000, J KOREAN OPHTHALMOL, V41, P2241AHN EY, 2000, KOREAN DERMATOL, V38, P798PARK YJ, 1999, J KOREAN OPHTHALMOL, V40, P613Cotter JB, 1998, ARCH OPHTHALMOL-CHIC, V116, P117LEE JH, 1998, J KOREAN OPHTHALMOL, V39, P216Shirato S, 1997, ARCH OPHTHALMOL-CHIC, V115, P550FLACH AJ, 1995, OPHTHALMOLOGY, V102, P1677ROUJEAU JC, 1994, NEW ENGL J MED, V331, P1272ROUJEAU JC, 1994, J INVEST DERMATOL, V102, pS28MILLER SA, 1988, NUCLEIC ACIDS RES, V16, P1215ROUJEAU JC, 1987, ARCH DERMATOL, V123, P1171