Brand Experience Research in Hospitality and Tourism – Review and Future Directions

This article aims to present a critical review of brand experience (BE) research in hospitality and tourism brand management literature based on a systematic literature and content analysis of 40 articles published in 25 peer-reviewed journals. The concept of BE is discussed by identifying leading journals, research methodologies, research contexts, country of research distribution, dimensionality approaches, and theoretical perspectives. Quantitative research was applied in most reviewed papers, and structural equation modeling (SEM), together with factor analysis (FA) emerged as preferred data analysis techniques. A steady increase in research papers exploring the construct of BE in an online context has been observed. The study suggests that BE is a critical and substantial ingredient of successful hotel, place, destination, restaurant, coffeehouse, cruise, and casino brand management. Additionally, key insights from previous empirical research were discussed from the perspective of antecedents and consequences of BE to provide a comprehensive conceptual framework. Drawing on the findings, potential themes for future research within six important areas of BE in hospitality and tourism were identified

Strategic Brand Management in Emerging Markets: Consumer Perceptions of Brand Extensions

The purpose of this paper is to examine consumers’ perceptions of the parent brand and their attitudes towards the brand extensions by exploratory researching the topic in the new context of one emerging European market. Theoretical part gives a comprehensive description and analysis of the main features of the brand extension strategy. The purpose of the primary research is to explore and understand Croatian consumers’ perceptions about the global parent brand (Coca-Cola) and their attitudes towards its extensions on the Croatian market. Research results support the assumption that managers should introduce brand extension when they are sure of the position of the parent brand and its former extensions in the consumers’ mind. As such, results corroborate previous findings, showing how it is necessary to know the existing level of brand affect, brand loyalty, and brand trust since they have different impacts on consumers’ perceptions of the brand extension. The main contribution of the paper stems from the replication and extension of the previous research in the new context (in terms of the level of the market development and consumer culture). Research findings add to the existing knowledge with insights and results from the new market (Croatia), and as such might help in increasing understanding of the brand extension phenomena in the field of the strategic brand management in emerging markets

Understanding prevention measures and tourist behavior in Croatia during the COVID-19 pandemic. A mixed-method approach

This study investigates the adoption of prevention measures inCroatia during the COVID-19 pandemic and its relationship withtourist behavior. The research adopts a mixed-method approachas it examines both practitioners’and tourists’viewpoints. A quali-tative study was conducted with eight destination service pro-viders, while the quantitative study took place among 333international tourists during their stay in the country. Results fromthe qualitative study show that the most frequently employed pre-vention measures are cleaning and disinfection of customer-usespaces, the use of hand sanitizers, mandatory face masks foremployees and guests, and social distancing. Tourism service pro-viders observed that international tourist behavior changed signifi-cantly from 2020 to 2021. Findings from the quantitative studyshow relatively high levels of perception of adoption of preventionmeasures among tourists, low levels of the perceived risk ofCOVID-19, and high levels of tourist satisfaction. Some differencesin tourist behavior related to gender and destination type are alsoobserved. Positive correlations are found between tourists’percep-tions of prevention measures and their satisfaction level, while thecorrelations between perceived risk of COVID-19 and preventionmeasures on one hand and perceived risk of COVID-19 and tou-rists’satisfaction on the other are found to be negative

Exploring the Importance of Different Product Cues on the Selection for Chocolate from the Consumer Perspective

The purpose of this paper is to deepen the understanding of the product cues that influence purchase decision for a specific product category – chocolate, and to identify demographic differences in the buying behavior. ANOVA was employed for analyzing the significance level for nine product cues, and the survey showed statistically significant differences among different age and gender groups, and between respondents with different levels of education. From the theoretical perspective, the study adds to the existing knowledge by contributing with the research results from the new environment (Southeast Europe, Macedonia), which has been neglected so far. Establishing the level of significance for the product cues that affect buying behavior in the chocolate consumption context might help managers to improve marketing decision-making, and better meet consumer needs through identifying opportunities for packaging innovations and/or personalization toward different target groups

Assessments of country of origin and brand cues in evaluating a Croatian, western and eastern European food product

Abstract The economic and social changes occurring in the former socialist and communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe point to the need for more intensive consumer-based market research. This paper reports on a study of young Croatian consumers' attitudes towards a foreign and domestic product of a single low-involvement food product category (chocolate). The roles that country of origin (COO) and brand play in the consumers' purchase decision process are of particular interest. The research findings indicate some consistency in the way consumers structure their assessments of country of origin, brand and price cues in their evaluation of a Croatian, Western and Eastern European food product (chocolate)

The role of travelling distances: different planning, different motives

The impact of travel distance on travel planning and motives of travelling represents a notable research gap. This study aims to demonstrate that impacts of intention predictors are different, since longer distance increases complexities of planning; also – that a long-haul travelling is driven by different motives than short-haul travelling. The study is based on analysis of survey data from Lithuania. The findings showed differences in how beliefs impact intentions to travel to distant and nearby cities. Behavioural and normative beliefs had stronger impacts on intentions for nearby destinations, whereas control beliefs had strong impacts for distant destinations. Also, the sets of travel motives for long-haul destinations and for short-haul destinations had different structure of motives. The findings deepen understanding of travel distance as an aspect of travelling that differentiates impacts of travel intention antecedents and generates different sets of travel motives for long-haul and short-haul travelling

The role of travelling distances in tourism: different planning, different motives

The impact of travel distance on tourist travel planning and motives for travelling represents a notable research gap. This study aims to demonstrate that the impacts of tourist travel intention predictors are different, since longer distance increases the complexities of planning; also, that long-haul travelling is driven by different motives among tourists than short-haul travelling. The study is based on analysis of survey data from Lithuania. The findings showed differences in how beliefs impact tourists’ intentions to travel to relatively distant and nearby cities: behavioural and normative beliefs had stronger impacts on intentions for nearby destinations, whereas control beliefs had strong impacts for distant destinations. Also, the sets of tourists’ motives for long-haul destinations and for short-haul destinations had different structures and differed in the motives they included. The findings deepen our understanding of the importance of travel distance in tourism as an aspect that differentiates impacts of travel intention antecedents and generates different sets of travel motives for long-haul and short-haul travelling of tourists