Predicting LIS Scholarly Research Directions In The Era Of Data Science

Abstract Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to present the quantitative analysis of scholarly literature published worldwide on Data Science in the field of Library and Information Science (LIS). Design/methodology/approach –The Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection database was used as the main source for extracting data from the published documents during the period 2010-2019. The analysis of the published documents was based on the following important trends: Number of Data Science publications in all fields, Number of Data Science publications in the LIS field, the most cited document type on Data Science in LIS perspective, the most prolific author, the most productive publication year, the most productive country, annual citations, highly cited journal and research article on Data Science in LIS perspective, highly contributing research organizations and group authors on Data Science in LIS field and highly contributing universities on Data Science in LIS field during the period 2010-2019. The types of documents considered in this study were research articles, conference proceeding papers, book chapters, book reviews and editorial material. Findings –The findings of this study showed that the USA possessed the highest number of publications on Data Science in the field of LIS. The total number of publications on Data Science including all fields was 106,028 and the number of publications on Data Science in LIS perspective was 3,799 during the period 2010-2019. The year 2019 was identified as the most productive year as the research output in this year was maximum. IEEE was identified as the most productive research organization/group author, Wuhan University China as the most productive university and the Journal of Scientometrics was declared as the most prolific journal on Data Science in LIS perspective during the period 2010-2019. Bornmann Lutz, from Germany, was identified as the most prolific author with a total of 69 publications and the article titled “Business Intelligence and Analytics: From Big Data to Big Impact” was the highly cited article on Data Science in LIS perspective during the period 2010-2019. Originality/value –The study will be of great importance for students, scholars, educationists, professionals and researchers who intend to perform Scientometrics research studies in the LIS field

Pilgrimage in the COVID-19 Era: Uncovering Supply Side Challenges and Opportunities in Media Representations

Pilgrimage travel, a common practice across major religions, has historically exhibited remarkable resilience to global crises, owing to the unwavering conviction of its followers. However, the COVID-19 pandemic marked a significant departure from this trend, disrupting pilgrimage tourism, unlike any event since World War II. Despite extensive research on the pandemic’s impact on tourism, limited attention has been directed towards understanding its specific effects on pilgrimage travel. This study seeks to address this gap by examining the challenges and opportunities faced by pilgrimage tourism suppliers in the aftermath of COVID-19. To obtain a comprehensive global perspective, we collected and analysed one hundred and fifty media articles from thirty countries. The thematic analysis of these articles revealed eight challenges and four opportunities encountered by pilgrimage tourism suppliers during the pandemic. These findings not only highlight the distinctive struggles within the pilgrimage sector but also provide broader insights into the implications for the tourism industry at large. By exploring the intricacies of COVID-19’s impact on pilgrimage tourism, this research contributes valuable knowledge to guide strategies for resilience and recovery in this durable yet vulnerable sector

“To use or not to use” - Mobile technology in nature-based tourism experience

This study investigates the role of mobile technology in the three stages (pre-visit, during-visit, and post-visit) of nature-based tourism (NBT) experiences. By employing collaborative autoethnography and reflexive thematic data analysis, this research explored the NBT experiences of four researchers who participated in a nature-based trek. The findings revealed that in the pre-visit stage, mobile technologies enhanced the NBT experience by enabling the flow of information for planning and mediating the anticipated experiences. Mobile technologies supported tracking well-being, documenting, and sharing the experience online in the during-visit stage. In the post-visit stage, mobile technologies allowed for reliving, reflecting, and sharing the experience. Using mobile technology in this NBT experience also led to some negative experiences, specifically interruptions that resulted in some participants' inability to truly immerse themselves in the experience. This study adds to the existing body of literature on NBT, highlighting the implications of technology, particularly mobile technology, for NBT experiences that can be capitalised on by visitors and destinations/service providers

“To use or not to use” - Mobile technology in nature-based tourism experience

This study investigates the role of mobile technology in the three stages (pre-visit, during-visit, and post-visit) of nature-based tourism (NBT) experiences. By employing collaborative autoethnography and reflexive thematic data analysis, this research explored the NBT experiences of four researchers who participated in a nature-based trek. The findings revealed that in the pre-visit stage, mobile technologies enhanced the NBT experience by enabling the flow of information for planning and mediating the anticipated experiences. Mobile technologies supported tracking well-being, documenting, and sharing the experience online in the during-visit stage. In the post-visit stage, mobile technologies allowed for reliving, reflecting, and sharing the experience. Using mobile technology in this NBT experience also led to some negative experiences, specifically interruptions that resulted in some participants' inability to truly immerse themselves in the experience. This study adds to the existing body of literature on NBT, highlighting the implications of technology, particularly mobile technology, for NBT experiences that can be capitalised on by visitors and destinations/service providers

Tourism boycott calls by Twitter users due to concerns for the welfare of animals

There has been an increase in tourism boycotts from 2008, especially with the introduction of the Internet and social media. Despite this increase, there is a dearth of knowledge about tourism boycotts. Behaviours that raise concern for animal welfare is one of the reasons that destinations have become targets of boycotts. Yet, animal-oriented activism in the tourism context remains relatively under-researched. Considering the practical overlap of tourism boycotts, animal welfare, and social media as a platform for activism, this thesis aims to examine participation in tourism boycott calls due to animal welfare concerns on Twitter. Boycott calls refer to calling for a boycott and not necessarily participating in any resultant boycott. To contribute to the aim of the thesis, this research investigates: (1) the spatial distribution of Twitter users who participated in boycott calls; (2) the characteristics of the Twitter users who participated in the boycott calls; and (3) the strategies utilised by the Twitter users who participated in the boycott calls to influence mobilisation. The research employed a qualitative inquiry, analysing tweets and profiles of Twitter users who participated in the boycott calls of four destinations: China, Kerala (India), South Africa, and Spain. A total of 4,559 Twitter user profiles and 2,152 tweets were collected from Twitter between 1 August and 15 September 2016. The Twitter data were analysed using content analysis. The results demonstrate that Twitter users who participated in the boycotts are spread across continents and many countries, with Twitter users involved from an average of 42 countries across each of the four boycotts. The wide geographical spread of participants prompts concern for target destinations, especially given the potential for the boycott calls to damage the destination’s image. Additionally, this finding should provide hope for animal lovers that people across the globe are fighting for the welfare of animals. Despite the geographical spread of the participation in the boycott calls, it was observed that a large percentage of Twitter users participating originated from western and developed countries. The findings from the thesis mirrored some of the earlier studies in identifying support for equality and justice, pet-ownership, veganism, concern for the environment, being politically opinionated, and liberal-mindedness as important characteristics that demonstrate support for animal welfare. Women were dominant in their support for the welfare of animals in their participation in the boycott calls. However, one of the significant observations was the diffusion of support for animal welfare and related boycott calls across diverse groups of people. This stands in opposition to the stereotypical images of people who support the welfare of animals as people with extreme ideologies. The analysis of the content of the tweets revealed that hashtags, images, videos, hyperlinks, and the mention convention were utilised to influence mobilisation from the audience. The content of the tweets was employed for several purposes: (1) to disseminate information, (2) to seek support from specific groups (e.g., international leaders and organisations), (3) to evoke emotional responses (focus on anthropomorphising animals as well as highlighting the cruelty endured by the animals), (4) to use celebrities to gain attention and support, (5) to apply surrogate boycotts to pressure business organisations in the target destination, and (6) to create awareness about similar practices that impact animals in other destinations, as well as practices that involve other animals in the target destination

Tourism boycott calls by Twitter users due to concerns for the welfare of animals

There has been an increase in tourism boycotts from 2008, especially with the introduction of the Internet and social media. Despite this increase, there is a dearth of knowledge about tourism boycotts. Behaviours that raise concern for animal welfare is one of the reasons that destinations have become targets of boycotts. Yet, animal-oriented activism in the tourism context remains relatively under-researched. Considering the practical overlap of tourism boycotts, animal welfare, and social media as a platform for activism, this thesis aims to examine participation in tourism boycott calls due to animal welfare concerns on Twitter. Boycott calls refer to calling for a boycott and not necessarily participating in any resultant boycott. To contribute to the aim of the thesis, this research investigates: (1) the spatial distribution of Twitter users who participated in boycott calls; (2) the characteristics of the Twitter users who participated in the boycott calls; and (3) the strategies utilised by the Twitter users who participated in the boycott calls to influence mobilisation. The research employed a qualitative inquiry, analysing tweets and profiles of Twitter users who participated in the boycott calls of four destinations: China, Kerala (India), South Africa, and Spain. A total of 4,559 Twitter user profiles and 2,152 tweets were collected from Twitter between 1 August and 15 September 2016. The Twitter data were analysed using content analysis. The results demonstrate that Twitter users who participated in the boycotts are spread across continents and many countries, with Twitter users involved from an average of 42 countries across each of the four boycotts. The wide geographical spread of participants prompts concern for target destinations, especially given the potential for the boycott calls to damage the destination’s image. Additionally, this finding should provide hope for animal lovers that people across the globe are fighting for the welfare of animals. Despite the geographical spread of the participation in the boycott calls, it was observed that a large percentage of Twitter users participating originated from western and developed countries. The findings from the thesis mirrored some of the earlier studies in identifying support for equality and justice, pet-ownership, veganism, concern for the environment, being politically opinionated, and liberal-mindedness as important characteristics that demonstrate support for animal welfare. Women were dominant in their support for the welfare of animals in their participation in the boycott calls. However, one of the significant observations was the diffusion of support for animal welfare and related boycott calls across diverse groups of people. This stands in opposition to the stereotypical images of people who support the welfare of animals as people with extreme ideologies. The analysis of the content of the tweets revealed that hashtags, images, videos, hyperlinks, and the mention convention were utilised to influence mobilisation from the audience. The content of the tweets was employed for several purposes: (1) to disseminate information, (2) to seek support from specific groups (e.g., international leaders and organisations), (3) to evoke emotional responses (focus on anthropomorphising animals as well as highlighting the cruelty endured by the animals), (4) to use celebrities to gain attention and support, (5) to apply surrogate boycotts to pressure business organisations in the target destination, and (6) to create awareness about similar practices that impact animals in other destinations, as well as practices that involve other animals in the target destination

World’s First Destination Loyalty Programme – Will It Work?

The Maldives launched the first nationwide destination loyalty programme in 2020 named ‘Maldives Border Miles’, officially implemented on 1st January 2021. This case study proposes a framework that can be useful to assess destination loyalty programmes. It further explores the potential success factors of the Maldives Border Miles. The analysis indicates that visitor and destination factors can make Maldives Border Miles successful, but the current loyalty programme structure and reward factors may not entice repeat visits

Challenges and opportunities for sacred journeys: a media representation of the impact of COVID-19

Pilgrimage is a common phenomenon in all the major religions. Earlier studies showed that the pilgrimage sector has high resilience to crises. However, COVID-19 has affected and continues to have adverse impacts on pilgrimage tourism. Recognising the dearth of research addressing this developing crisis and its impact on pilgrimage tourism, this research note aims to explore the challenges and opportunities pilgrims face due to COVID-19. Hundred and fifty media articles from thirty countries are thematically analysed to address the aim of this research. The results indicate nine challenges and five opportunities for pilgrims due to COVID-19, which have varied implications for the pilgrimage sector as a whole

Staging fear: exploring how a dark fun factory is co-performed

Worldwide, dark tourism attracts millions of visitors to indulge in various experiences. In the lightest shade of dark tourism lie dark fun factories, which are entertainment-centred through a high level of tourism infrastructure. Arguably, to a large extent, dark fun factories for visitors are an interactive and affective performance of fear and fun. This study employs retrospective collaborative autoethnography to explore how a dark fun factory can be understood as an assemblage including co-performances of service providers and visitors along with their interaction with non-human affordances. In so doing, this assemblage co-creates a participatory and affective space, as well as the desired experience(s) of fearful fun. The findings suggest theoretical and practical implications for researchers, lightest dark tourism suppliers, and visitors. For researchers, the findings provide a nuanced understanding of the process of how both visitors and hosts approach and practice performances in a dark fun factory. Suppliers can use the information to enhance the elements that effectively work to provide a quality experience for visitors. The findings inform visitors that they have an essential role in co-performing and co-creating the dark fun factory and experience