Religious Tourism versus Secular Pilgrimage: The Basilica of La Sagrada Família

In recent decades, the number of tourists visiting religious buildings of special cultural attraction, mainly due to their exceptional architecture, has significantly increased. In such cases, it is hard to discern whether it is a question of religious tourism or of so-called secular pilgrimage. This paper analyses this issue by means of a paradigmatic case study: The Basilica of La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Catalonia, a Roman Catholic church that receives over 3 million visitors a year; the part of the “unfinished cathedral”, built under the direction of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi, was registered in 2005 as a cultural site on UNESCO’s World Heritage List; and the church was consecrated in 2010 as a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI. The methodology used consists of two parts: the study of events and circumstances that may have influenced the projected religious or secular image of the basilica, and the analysis of the image perceived by visitors. Perceived image is obtained through a quantitative content analysis of more than 10,000 online travel reviews (OTRs) on La Sagrada Familia, written by foreign tourists from five English-speaking countries. OTRs, as user-generated content (UGC), are a trustworthy source for analysing perceived and transmitted image. To ensure the quality of the results in the case study, the most suitable websites hosting OTRs are selected by applying a weighted formula, and then these OTRs are downloaded, classified, cleaned and debugged so that the HTML pages collected contain only what is written by the user, preserving the original format. Through a quantitative content analysis, we construct a table displaying the frequencies, density and weight of keywords is constructed, which are in turn categorized, and segmented by nationality, to observe in detail the density and weight of keywords related to feelings and religion. Our findings suggest a prevalence of cultural over religious motives for visiting La Sagrada Familia, and that Irish and British OTRs stand out for their content of good feelings while North-American OTRs are notable for containing keywords related to the Christian religion

The impact of food additives, artificial sweeteners and domestic hygiene products on the human gut microbiome and its fibre fermentation capacity

Purpose This study investigated the effect of food additives, artificial sweeteners and domestic hygiene products on the gut microbiome and fibre fermentation capacity. Methods Faecal samples from 13 healthy volunteers were fermented in batch cultures with food additives (maltodextrin, carboxymethyl cellulose, polysorbate-80, carrageenan-kappa, cinnamaldehyde, sodium benzoate, sodium sulphite, titanium dioxide), sweeteners (aspartame-based sweetener, sucralose, stevia) and domestic hygiene products (toothpaste and dishwashing detergent). Short-chain fatty acid production was measured with gas chromatography. Microbiome composition was characterised with 16S rRNA sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Results Acetic acid increased in the presence of maltodextrin and the aspartame-based sweetener and decreased with dishwashing detergent or sodium sulphite. Propionic acid increased with maltodextrin, aspartame-based sweetener, sodium sulphite and polysorbate-80 and butyrate decreased dramatically with cinnamaldehyde and dishwashing detergent. Branched-chain fatty acids decreased with maltodextrin, aspartame-based sweetener, cinnamaldehyde, sodium benzoate and dishwashing detergent. Microbiome Shannon α-diversity increased with stevia and decreased with dishwashing detergent and cinnamaldehyde. Sucralose, cinnamaldehyde, titanium dioxide, polysorbate-80 and dishwashing detergent shifted microbiome community structure; the effects were most profound with dishwashing detergent (R2 = 43.9%, p = 0.008) followed by cinnamaldehyde (R2 = 12.8%, p = 0.016). Addition of dishwashing detergent and cinnamaldehyde increased the abundance of operational taxonomic unit (OTUs) belonging to Escherichia/Shigella and Klebsiella and decreased members of Firmicutes, including OTUs of Faecalibacterium and Subdoligranulum. Addition of sucralose and carrageenan-kappa also increased the abundance of Escherichia/Shigella and sucralose, sodium sulphite and polysorbate-80 did likewise to Bilophila. Polysorbate-80 decreased the abundance of OTUs of Faecalibacterium and Subdoligranulum. Similar effects were observed with the concentration of major bacterial groups using qPCR. In addition, maltodextrin, aspartame-based sweetener and sodium benzoate promoted the growth of Bifidobacterium whereas sodium sulphite, carrageenan-kappa, polysorbate-80 and dishwashing detergent had an inhibitory effect. Conclusions This study improves understanding of how additives might affect the gut microbiota composition and its fibre metabolic activity with many possible implications for human health

The acute effect of meal timing on the gut microbiome and the cardiometabolic health of the host: a cross-over randomized control trial

Purpose: The interaction of diet with gut microbiome has been implicated in the onset of cardiovascular disease. The gut microbiome displays diurnal rhythms, which may be influenced by meal timing. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of the timing of main meal consumption on the microbiome and cardiometabolic biomarkers of the host. Methods: Seventeen healthy adults randomly consumed an isocaloric diet for 7 days, twice, by alternating lunch with dinner meals, and with a 2-week washout in-between. Sixty percent of the participants’ daily energy requirements was consumed either as lunch or dinner, respectively. Meals were provided free to the participants. All fecal samples produced the last 3 days of each intervention were collected and analyzed for microbial profiling (16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing), quantitative estimation of representative bacterial groups (qPCR) of the gut microbiome, and the output of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in feces. Fasted blood samples were analyzed for low-grade inflammatory biomarkers, blood lipids, insulin, and glucose levels. Cumulative energy loss in feces was measured over the collection period using bomb calorimetry. Results: Meal timing had no significant effects on fecal SCFA output, energy loss in feces, microbial community profiling, and bacterial species relative abundance. The absolute concentration of Escherichia coli was significantly higher after the large lunch intervention (p = 0.02). No effects on blood biomarkers of cardiometabolic health were observed. Conclusions: In a well-controlled study, main meal timing displayed minimal acute effects on the gut microbiome composition, its diet-related function, and blood biomarkers of cardiometabolic health

Big data marketing during the period 2012–2019: a bibliometric review

The present study identifies the most significant trends in production of high impact scientific papers related to the Big Data Marketing variable during the period between the years 2012 and 2019 through a revision of the Scopus database, which manages to highlight the relevance of 113 indexed papers. For this purpose, the following descriptive bibliometric indicators are implemented: production volume, type of document, number of citations, and country of application. In the studied time period, the evidence suggests an annual growth in the production volume of papers related to the variable, but with a significant drop in 2017. The knowledge areas that showcases more researches about the Big Data Marketing variable are computer science, mathematics, decision-making, and engineering domain

The Evolution of Primate Short-Term Memory.

Short-term memory is implicated in a range of cognitive abilities and is critical for understanding primate cognitive evolution. To investigate the effects of phylogeny, ecology and sociality on short-term memory, we tested the largest and most diverse primate sample to date (421 non-human primates across 41 species) in an experimental delayed-response task. Our results confirm previous findings that longer delays decrease memory performance across species and taxa. Our analyses demonstrate a considerable contribution of phylogeny over ecological and social factors on the distribution of short-term memory performance in primates; closely related species had more similar short-term memory abilities. Overall, individuals in the branch of Hominoidea performed better compared to Cercopithecoidea, who in turn performed above Platyrrhini and Strepsirrhini. Interdependencies between phylogeny and socioecology of a given species presented an obstacle to disentangling the effects of each of these factors on the evolution of short-term memory capacity. However, this study offers an important step forward in understanding the interspecies and individual variation in short-term memory ability by providing the first phylogenetic reconstruction of this trait’s evolutionary history. The dataset constitutes a unique resource for studying the evolution of primate cognition and the role of short-term memory in other cognitive abilities.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Evolution of Primate Short-Term Memory

Short-term memory is implicated in a range of cognitive abilities and is critical for understanding primate cognitive evolution. To investigate the effects of phylogeny, ecology and sociality on short-term memory, we tested the largest and most diverse primate sample to date (421 non-human primates across 41 species) in an experimental delayed-response task. Our results confirm previous findings that longer delays decrease memory performance across species and taxa. Our analyses demonstrate a considerable contribution of phylogeny over ecological and social factors on the distribution of short-term memory performance in primates; closely related species had more similar short-term memory abilities. Overall, individuals in the branch of Hominoidea performed better compared to Cercopithecoidea, who in turn performed above Platyrrhini and Strepsirrhini. Interdependencies between phylogeny and socioecology of a given species presented an obstacle to disentangling the effects of each of these factors on the evolution of short-term memory capacity. However, this study offers an important step forward in understanding the interspecies and individual variation in short-term memory ability by providing the first phylogenetic reconstruction of this trait’s evolutionary history. The dataset constitutes a unique resource for studying the evolution of primate cognition and the role of short-term memory in other cognitive abilities

Analytics in Hospitality and Tourism: Online Travel Reviews

User-generated content, shared with other users through social media, has increased considerably in the previous decade. In particular, the content generated by travelers, mainly online travel reviews (OTRs), has grown dramatically. This abundant recorded information has served as a basis for conducting numerous researches on big data and social media analytics. Reviewers share their OTRs on travel-related websites including peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation platforms and online travel agencies (OTAs). The aim of this chapter is to offer an overview of the state of the art of hospitality and tourism analytics based on OTRs, and explore the possibilities of gaining insight, through OTRs, about perceived image and visitor preferences. In the context of hospitality prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, empirical substantiation is obtained by crossing paratextual data from hotels, registered on TripAdvisor and in three OTAs indexed in the Nasdaq 100 (Booking, Expedia and Ctrip), located in five tourist cities (Barcelona, Cape Town, Los Angeles, Singapore, and Sydney). Regarding the content analysis of OTRs text, although there are numerous publications on Airbnb (the main P2P lodging platform), research on the influence of Airbnb OTRs on destination image construction is scarce. Therefore, the content of the Airbnb OTRs of these five cities is explored in search of patterns and metrics that allow us to measure the image perceived and transmitted by visitors

Analytics in Hospitality and Tourism: Online Travel Reviews

User-generated content, shared with other users through social media, has increased considerably in the previous decade. In particular, the content generated by travelers, mainly online travel reviews (OTRs), has grown dramatically. This abundant recorded information has served as a basis for conducting numerous researches on big data and social media analytics. Reviewers share their OTRs on travel-related websites including peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation platforms and online travel agencies (OTAs). The aim of this chapter is to offer an overview of the state of the art of hospitality and tourism analytics based on OTRs, and explore the possibilities of gaining insight, through OTRs, about perceived image and visitor preferences. In the context of hospitality prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, empirical substantiation is obtained by crossing paratextual data from hotels, registered on TripAdvisor and in three OTAs indexed in the Nasdaq 100 (Booking, Expedia and Ctrip), located in five tourist cities (Barcelona, Cape Town, Los Angeles, Singapore, and Sydney). Regarding the content analysis of OTRs text, although there are numerous publications on Airbnb (the main P2P lodging platform), research on the influence of Airbnb OTRs on destination image construction is scarce. Therefore, the content of the Airbnb OTRs of these five cities is explored in search of patterns and metrics that allow us to measure the image perceived and transmitted by visitors

Búsqueda y compartición de información en las redes sociales durante las distintas fases del viaje

ABSTRACT: There are three phases in the use of online social media by tourists: before, during and after the trip. The aim of this study is to determine what social network users use to find information before and during the trip, the type of information they search, and where they share information. The study also identifies the relationship this has with the trustworthiness social networks provide them, especially distinguishing the social networks managed by the destination organizations. Therefore, we conduct a survey of 800 tourists who are social network users. Results show that social networks are not a major source of information before or during the trip but are very important for sharing contents after the experience, and that the most searched information concerns the main attractions of the destination. Moreover, there is a relationship between the use of social media and their perceived trustworthiness. In this case, for those who use social networks managed by destinations, these give them greater confidence.RESUMEN: Existen tres fases en el uso de los medios sociales en línea por parte de los turistas: antes, durante y después del viaje. El objetivo de este estudio es determinar qué red social es la más utilizada por los usuarios para encontrar información antes y durante el viaje, qué tipo de información buscan, y donde comparten información. El estudio también identifica la relación que esto tiene con la confianza que las redes sociales les aportan, distinguiendo especialmente las redes sociales gestionadas por las organizaciones de destino. Para ello, se administró un cuestionario a 800 turistas que son usuarios de medios sociales. Los resultados muestran que las redes sociales no son una fuente principal de información antes o durante el viaje, pero sí son muy importantes para compartir contenidos después de la experiencia y que la información más buscada concierne las atracciones principales del destino. Además, hay una relación entre el uso de los medios sociales y la confianza percibida por los usuarios. En este caso, para aquellos que utilizan las redes sociales gestionadas por los destinos, estas les aportan mayor confianza