Between Sacred and Profane. A Systematic Literature Review on Religious Tourism in Marketing Research

Religious tourism appears an increasingly important phenomenon in the contemporary tourism industry, being able to move huge amounts of people. It is a particularly complex and peculiar kind of tourism, that entails different meanings and spheres of human psychology and culture. Due to the prominent role of cultural heritages and anthropological dynamics in its development, religious tourism has represented fertile ground for humanistic and anthropology-based research. However, data show that also the economic impact of this increasingly relevant phenomenon is strongly growing. Hence, tourism research has approached this phenomenon also from managerial and marketing perspectives, considering it as a particular kind of consumption phenomenon. The interest of tourism marketing and management is particularly recent, intensifying only in the last decade. The present work provides a general overview of the research knowledge that has been developed so far, regarding religious tourism in tourism research, particularly focusing on tourism marketing and management research. This objective has been carried out by applying Systematic Literature Review (SLR) in order an international literature perspective on the topic. Results are provided in order to delineate major avenues for future research

Motivations, perceived risk and behavioural intentions in hard adventure tourism. A natural park case study1

Purpose of the paper: This study on consumer behaviour intends to combine two lines of investigation. First, we examine how different motivation factors in adventure tourism affect behavioural intentions. Secondly, in order to provide a better understanding of behavioural intentions we further explore the differences between the groups of individuals\u2019 subjective perception of risk. Design/methodology/approach: A visitor survey was conducted on a sample of hard adventure tourists at the Friuli Dolomiti Alps Natural Park. Factor analysis of motivational items resulted in four dimensions (i.e. nature, risk, contemplation and socialization). In order to discover a relationship between the four motivational factors and the adventure tourists\u2019 behavioural intention, a stepwise regression analysis was conducted. Then, using ANOVA and post hoc analysis (Scheffe\u2019s test), the existing differences between various levels of risk perception of adventure tourists and their response to behavioural intentions were analysed. Findings: The analysis of motivational factors indicates that \u201cactivity related motivations\u201d include four dimensions: nature, risk, contemplation and socialization. The stepwise regression results show that nature is the only motivational factor that affects tourists\u2019 behavioural intention. Originality/value: This paper shows that \u201cnature\u201d is the key motivational factor for adventure tourists to revisit a park. Practical implications: The analysis provides a framework suggesting how organizations might usefully implement a marketing strategy. This study encompasses the risk perception as a motivational factor and tries to discuss how this concept can be operationalized in tourism marketing. Limitations: This paper presents two main limitations. Firstly, the cross sectional nature of the data, and secondly, the hypotheses were tested using a sample from a limited area

Living Forever Inked? Tattoo Consumption and Materialism. Evidence from Italian Tattoo Conventions

In the last twenty years, tattooing has gained in increasing social relevance. From a socially condemned practice, signaling social marginalization, rebellion, or deviance, tattooing has gained a completely new social status, driven by factors such as the increasing interest of well-known personalities, such as celebrities (Goulding et al, 2004), and, more in general, to cultural and fashion changes. This massive change (Pentina & Spears, 2011), has made tattoos one of the most diffused forms of body modification over the world. This exponential growth has actually created a real business phenomenon, with a sector increasingly shaping itself as an industry, worth $ 722 million (IBISWorld, 2015). The increasing relevance of this phenomenon in business and consumer terms has increasingly attracted the attention of consumer and marketing research (e.g., Watson, 1998; Sierra et al, 2013). This work sheds some light on the actual impacts, on this consumption behavior, of materialistic tendencies of consumers. Materialism is in this case considered as a proxy of the consumer tendency to follow mainstream messages and tendencies, such as mass media messages or popular social models. Results provide some insights on the actual effects of such contemporary, socio-cultural ironic fad (Kosut, 2006) of tattoo consumption

Social Network Analysis in Cultural Tourism Organizations. Methodological and Managerial issues of text analysis approach of Heritage Festivals

Objectives. This paper proposes an interpretive framework addressing social network analysis in tourism-cultural organizations, helping develop a feasible solution for Social Media (SM) analysis within cultural organizations (better fitting organizations specificities, and culturally closer to their collective mindsets, generally humanistic). Methodology. An interpretive framework has been developed. Such framework has been operationalized by performing Content Analysis using T-LAB software. Empirical analysis was divided in two steps, addressing the same research context (local heritage festival). Findings. The analysis provides schematization of contexts classification in SM data analysis, that is potentially generalizable. Basing on empirical evidence, some insights about a) the possible uses of T-LAB, and b) of the conditions within which to use the software in small cultural/tourist organizations, have been provided. Research limits. The proposed schematization is tested only on a single empirical context. Generalizability of usage processes of T-LAB, indicated in this paper on SM data analysis requires additional testing in other contexts. Practical implications. The present work identifies stages and processes that small cultural/touristic organizations can follow to enable an analytic process, with respect to SM data (i.e., texts), using tools better fitting their operational capabilities, degree of complexity and cultural background. Originality of the study. The study offers an original framework and mapping of possible analytic tools for analogic and digital data, in small cultural organizations. It also provides a representation of the usage processes of the T-LAB software, with respect to the processing of written contributions, within a consumer behavior perspective

The Triathlon sport consumer. A segmentation proposal

In the last decades, triathlon has gained globally an increased popularity. This sport is now a worldwide diffused discipline: triathletes can choose between a wide number of challenges and events, taking place in different corners of the world. The exponential growth of this sport has led to an increasingly relevant weight of triathlon in economic terms: in 2014, revenues of triathlon industry were estimated in $ 2.8 billion only in the United States (Triathlon Business International, 2015). The phenomenon started being increasingly studied by marketing and management research. From a consumer behaviour point of view, triathlon is a quite underresearched topic is related to triathletes\u2019 motivational analysis. Particularly relevant, also in practical terms, appears motivation analysis aimed at identifying the characteristics of individuals performing this peculiar sport discipline. Few works have applied segmentation to the triathlon sport context, while in other sport contexts segmentation was instead applied in a wider number of contributions. The present research provides an additional point of view on triathlon athletes by providing a segmentation with respect to international triathlon events. Results provide insights both on athletes\u2019 inner characteristics, trigger some considerations about how to harness differences and peculiarities of different athletes, from the point of view of sport event managing organizations. A discussion of touristic implications of triathlon sport events is also provided

International entrepreneurship, export planning and export performance: evidence from a sample of winemaking SMEs

While some entrepreneurs opt to be born global from inception, others internationalise their firms over time; these are inherently different cases with unlike causal variables, forms and consequences. This article models and tests the influence that international entrepreneurship exerts on the export performance of a firm. Five hypotheses are derived from the literature. With a sample of winemaking SMEs, we test these by means of moderated hierarchical regression analysis. The results discuss the relationship of cognitive traits with international entrepreneurship and highlight the importance of combining these cognitive characteristics with strategic planning in order enhance export performance

Effect of consumption values on consumer behavior: a Meta-analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to clarify the findings and criticisms in the extant literature concerning the theory of consumption values (TCV) by conducting a meta-analysis to (1) examine the extent to which consumption values influence consumer behavior and (2) to explore contextual and methodological factors that may account for between-study variance in the focal relationship. Design/methodology/approach – The study employs a random-effects model and psychometric metaanalysis approach to examine 82 studies with 297 effect sizes in 34 countries between 1991 and 2022, inclusive. Findings – Results reveal that consumption values have a positive significant and moderate effect on consumer behavior. Moreover, emotional value is the most influential predictor of consumer behavior, while social value is the weakest. Furthermore, the study’s findings show that some contextual and methodological factors moderate the relationship between consumption values and consumer behavior. Practical implications – The findings highlight that managers can work on consumption values to prompt positive consumer responses like attitude, intention, satisfaction and overall value perception. However, managers must consider that the relevance of the consumption values depends significantly on the outcome variable and the context, which calls for a tailored-made marketing strategy to appeal to consumers’ diverse needs and wants. Originality/value – Besides providing empirical evidence of the broad validity of the TCV, this study is the first meta-analytic review of the TCV, which integrates several insights to provide valuable research directions for future researchers and insightful implications for practitioners. Keywords Theory of consumption values, Consumption values, Consumer behavior, Meta-analysi

Conceptualizing triathlon sport event travelers’ behavior

This paper analyzes the relationships between self-congruity, functional congruity, satisfaction, sport event involvement and behavioral intentions of triathlon sport travellers. The moderating effect of different training experiences is assessed in allowing these relations. 885 data were collected among triathletes participating to international triathlon competitions. A theoretical model has been developed and tested using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The majority of hypotheses are empirically confirmed. Regarding the moderation hypothesis, a multi-group SEM has been estimated (considering high-intensity and low-intensity sport training as moderators). Some differences between the two groups are highlighted, remarking the need to develop differential marketing strategies in active sport tourism

Conceptualizing triathlon sport event travelers’ behavior

This paper analyzes the relationships between self-congruity, functional congruity, satisfaction, sport event involvement and behavioral intentions of triathlon sport travellers. The moderating effect of different training experiences is assessed in allowing these relations. 885 data were collected among triathletes participating to international triathlon competitions. A theoretical model has been developed and tested using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The majority of hypotheses are empirically confirmed. Regarding the moderation hypothesis, a multi-group SEM has been estimated (considering high-intensity and low-intensity sport training as moderators). Some differences between the two groups are highlighted, remarking the need to develop differential marketing strategies in active sport tourism