Pro-poor tourism development in Viengxay, Laos : current state and future prospects

Author name used in this publication: Thomas Bauer2008-2009 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

Factors that Influence Chinese Outbound Tourists’ Intention to Consume Local Food

Food consumption is an essential activity for tourists. Food can be used for destination marketing to attract travellers, and is one of the main purposes of travel for Chinese tourists. This study investigates the factors that motivate Chinese tourists’ intention to consume local food during their travels. Using a quantitative study of 308 mainland Chinese tourists to Hong Kong, we find that these tourists value local and traditional food experiences. The physical surroundings and prestige of the food experience are Chinese tourists’ major concerns for dining experiences. Local food consumed at the destination is a way to escape from the routine and acquire knowledge of the local culture. The sensory appeal brought by local cuisines also motivate Chinese tourists to consume local foods. These results can assist destination marketers and local restaurateurs to increasing the attractiveness of their destinations and restaurants

Investigating the tourism experience of Thai cooking classes: An application of Larsen's three-stage model

Cooking classes have emerged as popular activities for international tourists seeking to learn and participate in Thai culinary culture. Applying Larsen’s psychological three-stage model for understanding the tourism experience, this study identifies motivational and experiential factors of tourists’ participation in cooking classes, and their subsequent behavioral intentions. Drawing on functional motivational theory and Pine and gilmore’s experience economy concept, a quantitative instrument is developed to survey 300 tourist participants in cooking classes in Chiang Mai, Thailand. results suggest that the top-most motivational factor for participation in cooking classes is socioutilitarian needs—a combination of social and utilitarian items, whereas the top-most experiential factor is “Ent-escapist”—a combination of Pine and gilmore’s entertainment and escapist realms. The results indicate that both the motivational and the experiential facets of cooking clases are influenced by a combination of factors. These findings offer implications for the marketing of cooking class products by destination management organizations

Social identity positively impacts sustainable behaviors of backpackers

While backpacker social identity remains an important theme among tourism researchers, its influence on sustainable behaviors has received limited attention. We examine the impact of backpacker social identity on sustainable behavior based on both a structural modeling approach and regression analysis. A survey of 400 backpackers is conducted within Cape Coast, a major tourism hub in Ghana, West Africa. Supporting seven out of eight hypotheses based on PLS-SEM, social identity has a positive effect on sustainable behavior, which in turn positively affects satisfaction suggesting that the more backpackers identify themselves with this group the more sustainably they behave. Additionally, social identity has a negative impact on unsustainable behavior which negatively impacts behavioral intentions. These findings suggest that individuals who identify themselves as backpackers are less likely to engage in unsustainable behavior. Findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the nexus between backpacker social identity and sustainable behavior

Aggravated fragmentation: A case study of SME behaviour in two emerging heritage tourism regions

This paper investigates the behaviour of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) within the heritage tourism supply chain (HTSC), in two emerging heritage regions. SMEs are conceptualised as implementers, working within the constraints of government level tourism structures and the heritage tourism supply chain. The research employs a case study approach, focusing on two emerging regions in Northern Ireland. In-depth interviews were carried out with small business owners and community associations operating within the regions. The research identifies SME dissatisfaction with the supply chain and the processes in place for the delivery of the tourism product. To overcome the perceived inadequacies of the heritage tourism supply chain SMEs engage in entrepreneurial behaviour by attempting to deliver specific products and services to meet the need of tourists. The challenge for tourism organisations is how they can integrate the entrepreneurial, innovative activities of SMEs into the heritage tourism system

Cultural political economy and urban heritage tourism

The paper explains a cultural political economy “framing” for interpreting heritage tourism in urban contexts. Key ideas behind this research perspective are explained and illustrated through discussion of past research studies of urban heritage tourism. It is underpinned by a relational view of the inter-connectedness of societal relations, and an emphasis on taking seriously both the cultural/semiotic and the economic/political in the co-constitution of urban heritage tourism’s social practices and features. A case study of heritage tourism in Nanjing, China considers cultural political economy’s relevance and value, including the distinctive research questions it raises. It reveals, for example, how economic relations in the built environment were related to tourist meaning-making and identities in the cultural/semiotic sphere

Application of carrying capacity management in Vietnamese national parks

Implementing carrying capacity is a prerequisite for national parks (NPs) striving to meet the three mandates of park management, namely, recreational use, conservation, and economic value. This study attempts to investigate the application of carrying capacity management in Vietnam’s park system and to assess its application for further development of the concept. Findings show that there are three different approaches to the implementation of carrying capacity in Vietnamese parks, including (1) a laissez-faire approach, (2) a relaxed approach, and (3) a strict approach. It is suggested that economic consideration is one of the major constraints to the implementation in developing countries such as Vietnam. This study not only contributes to the literature on capacity management in NPs, especially in the context of developing countries, but its findings are also valuable for park authorities to achieve the triple mandates of park management

The Role of Political Transition in Tourism Development: The Example of Vietnam.

With the 1986 declaration of the doi moi programme of economic reforms, the Vietnamese government instituted a process of transition in the country, with the aim of transforming the Vietnamese economy from a centrally planned communist model to a free market economy within a socialist political culture. These changes have accompanied and encouraged a gradual opening-up of Vietnam to the international tourism market, which has brought a large new source of both income and foreign influence to Vietnam. This study seeks to chart changes in Vietnam’s tourism sector since the beginning of doi moi, and to relate these transformations with changes in the political culture in the country. The study focuses particularly upon the ways in which political transition has affected developments in tourism as well as the ways in which changes in the tourism sector have influenced political change in Vietnam and changes in other aspects of Vietnamese society. . The historical, economic and political context for the research is established in a series of surveys on the topics of colonialism, communism and Vietnamese history. Background studies in tourism development and the relationship between politics and tourism form a foundation and framework for the understanding and critical assessment of the phenomena of change under investigation. The findings of the research are presented as four sub-case studies addressing different sectors of the Vietnamese tourism industry, including 1) visa, transportation and marketing (grouped under the title ‘visitation to Vietnam’), 2) accommodation and tour operators, 3) attractions and 4) protected natural areas. Each of these sub-case studies is used to exemplify a certain facet of change in Vietnam tourism, especially with regard to the ways in which tourism and politics interact in a mutually-forming dialogue in present-day Vietnam. The findings of the sub-case studies are synthesised in a discussion chapter, which proposes broad themes by which the various developments in the relation between political change and change in tourism patterns in Vietnam may be collated and understood. These themes include the division of roles between the state, private and foreign sectors; dependences that limit development; changes in government culture; new influences on Vietnam tourism development; and human resources issues. The concluding chapter of the study offers answers to the questions posed at the outset of the research, by assessing the effects of political transition on tourism patterns in Vietnam, the changes in the relationship between government policy and tourism development, the effects of tourism on development in other aspects of Vietnamese culture, and commenting on the changing tourism image of Vietnam