A reflective–formative hierarchical component model of perceived authenticity

Discussions on authenticity have become prominent in tourism research, particularly in the context of heritage tourism. Quantitative approaches have become popular methods to investigate authenticity, especially from a tourist’s perspective. Previous studies, however, have failed to include multiple forms of authenticity into a single quantitative scale, as well as to use a formative approach for its measures. This study develops a comprehensive and reliable scale of authenticity, considering its multi-dimensional complexity and its formative nature. A reflective – formative hierarchical component model of perceived authenticity towards heritage experience, including three lower-order components of objective authenticity, existential authenticity, and constructive authenticity, is proposed. The scale of authenticity also indicates a strong predictive power over tourist satisfaction

The classification of heritage tourists: a case of Hue City, Vietnam

Heritage, especially with World Heritage status, is increasingly becoming the main attraction of many tourist destinations. Heritage tourism is also the major tourism product in Hue city, Vietnam. Hitherto, there are almost no official statistics and research pertaining to heritage tourism as well as heritage tourists in Hue. This study aims at providing a preliminary profile of heritage tourists to Hue city and identifying different categories of heritage tourists, with a special focus on package tourists. The international heritage tourists’ profile seems to be similar to official statistics of international arrivals, indicating almost no difference in socio-demographic profile between heritage tourists and general tourists in the context of Hue. Various significant differences were found between international and domestic tourists in terms of tourist characteristics, trip profile and the perception of Hue. Adopting McKercher’s [(2002) Towards a classification of cultural tourists. International Journal of Tourism Research, 4, 29–38] cultural tourist classification, five categories of heritage tourists were identified, including purposeful heritage tourists, sightseeing heritage tourists, casual heritage tourists, incidental heritage tourists and serendipitous heritage tourists. Among these, sightseeing heritage tourists and purposeful heritage tourists were dominant

FIELD EVALUATION OF AGRONOMIC PARAMETERS OF PROMISED-INTRODUCED TOMATO CULTIVARS (Solanum Lycopersicon Mill) IN WINTER-SPRING SEASON 2016–2017 IN THUA THIEN HUE, VIETNAM

Abstract: The main objective of this study is to evaluate the growth ability and yield of promised-introduced tomato cultivars during winter-spring season 2016–2017 in Thua Thien Hue province. A total of eight cultivar treatments were used, namely GC171, GC173, CLN2001A, CLN5915, CLN1621L, Hawai7996, Cherry, and ThuanDien. Three promising cultivars (CLN2001A, CLN5915, and CLN1621L) were selected from two previous experiments. The field experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Ten plants per replication were examined. The results show that CLN2001A, GC171, CLN1621L, CLN5915, and Hawai7996 have an early harvest period, ranging from 106 to 109 days, and their morphological and vegetative characteristics of are suitable under Thua Thien Hue conditions. Cultivars CLN5915, CLN1621L, and CLN2001A have a high actual yield with 15.7, 12.1, and 7.8 ton/ha, respectively. The Brix degree of high fruit quality ranges from 4.1 to 4.6 Bx. Therefore, these introduced cultivars can be considered as promising for tomato breeding and cultivation under the local conditions.Keywords: tomato, agronomic characteristics, yield, Thua Thien Hu

INFLUENCE OF GROWING MEDIA AND VARIETIES ON GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF MOKARA IN TAM KY, QUANG NAM PROVINCE

Abstract: Mokara Orchid is a trigeneric hybrid between the Ascocentrum, Vanda and Arachnis Orchids and was created in Singapore in 1969. Mokara is now popularly grown in Vietnam; however, research on variety or growing medium for Mokara orchid in Quang Nam has not been reported yet. The objective of this study is to identify adapted Moraka varieties and suitable growing media for the cultivation of Mokara orchids under the local conditions. The experiment was conducted from June 2016 to December 2017 at Truong Xuan Ward, Tam Ky City, Quang Nam province using a subplot design, where the growing medium is the main plot and Mokara orchid varietyis the split-plot. The experiment includes three Mokara varieties belonging to genus Mokara with 3 colors: yellow, lime, and pink spotand four growing media with different ratios of peanut shell, charcoal, and coir. The results show that the growing media significantly affect the plant height and flower yield, but they do not affect the leaf number, leaf length, leaf width, root number, and flower quality of the Mokara varieties. The varieties affect the growth and development, flower quality, and yield of Mokara. Using the same media, the pink spot Mokara variety gains the best growth and development, and the yellow Mokara variety provides the highest yield. These Mokara varieties gain the best flower quality. The growing medium with 50% coir and 50% peanut shell can be used to plant yellow Mokara (or pink spot Mokara) under the local conditions.Keywords: Mokara orchid varieties, growing medium, coir, peanut shell, yellow Mokara, pink spot Mokar

Authenticity and commodification of Hong Kong heritage tourism

This study aims at examining the level of commodification and authenticity of heritage tourism in Hong Kong from a tourist standpoint. It also attempted to examine the influence of perceived commodification on perceived authenticity in the context of Hong Kong heritage tourism. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were applied, whereas the focus was on the later one. Findings indicated a fairly authentic heritage experiences perceived by tourists. Commodification was not considered as a problem by respondents although signs of commodification were found. The findings also suggested that commodification indeed “does not necessarily” ruins the tourist’s perception of authenticity

Book review: Heritage tourism in China: modernity, identity and sustainability

China is ranked the second in the world in terms of number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The rapid economic growth of the country, however, has been associated with the deterioration of the physical and cultural environment. Thus, any discussion on the relationship between planning and representation of heritage for tourism development and the notions of modernity, sustainability and identity from a Chinese perspective is of immediate academic and practical interest

EFFECT OF SPENT MUSHROOM SUBSTRATE ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF THREE CULTIVARS OF MUSKMELONS (Cucumis melo)

Muskmelons are currently grown in several areas of Vietnam for domestic and international consumer markets. The fruit grows well in greenhouses in soil or soilless substrate such as coconut peat. Researchers in Vietnam are investigating the growth of muskmelons in a range of organic by-products. In this study, spent mushroom substrate was recycled for use as an organic substrate and to evaluate the growth, quality, and yield of three muskmelon varieties including RZ F1, PN 128, and TL3 in greenhouses over three months. The substrate was incubated for one month before use and contained 45% spent mushroom substrate, 30% manure, 7.7% rice husks, 1.5% phosphorus, 0.2% commercial Trichoderma (Tribac), 0.1% rice bran, 15% sand, and 0.5% micronutrients and water. Following incubation, the substrate had optimal pH for the growth of muskmelon and the concentration of nutrients and beneficial microorganisms had increased significantly. The growth of RZ F1 and TL3 cultivars was significantly better than PN 128 in terms of growth, fruit quality, and yield. Specifically, RZ F1 and TL3 species took 78 days and 75 days to complete their life cycle produced 1.76 kg and 1.62 kg of fruit, had a pericarp thickness of 4.0 cm, and possessed 14.20o Brix and 14.88o Brix of soluble solid content, respectively. These findings suggest that agricultural by-products, such as spent mushroom substrate, could be a valuable resource for the culture of muskmelons in Vietnam