Can this be spring? Assessing the impact of the “Arab Spring” on the Arab tourism industry

The socio-political unrest known as the “Arab Spring” has left its imprint on the tourism sector of the Arab region. This paper explores first the effects of the Arab Spring on the macro-tourism performance of selected Arab countries, both oil and non-oil, using official tourism and macro-economic statistical data. Subsequently, it examines the policies and strategies adopted by the Arab governments in order to mitigate the evolving tourism crisis in the non-oil Arab states. Finally, it examines the relationships between the non-oil and GCC countries with respect to the tourism trends characterizing the Arab World since the outbreak of the, so-called, Arab Spring. It concluded that the tourism “pain” of the non-oil Arab countries became the “gain” of the GCC countries, which have been perceived by both intra-regional and international tourists as safer to visit. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the future tourism prospects for both the non-oil and the GCC countries. Assuming that the socio-political unrest accompanied by safety and security threat to tourists in some of the non-oil Arab countries will prevail at least in the foreseeable future, the paper points at further research directions in order to monitor these future trends

Between wine consumption and wine tourism: Consumer and spatial behavior of Israeli wine tourists

The development of wine tourism worldwide has been accompanied by academic research on wine tourism and wine tourists. Wine tourists and wine enthusiasts have been found to share many socio-demographic similarities. It has been found that people visiting wineries consume wine on a regular basis, have an average to high level of knowledge about wine, and visit wineries and wine-producing regions a few times a year. Their involvement with wine is apparent both from their daily consumption and from their behavior as tourists. Research conducted among wine tourists shows that they share a number of lifestyle characteristics and tend to share the same values. In light of the development of the Israeli wine industry, and in Israeli wine tourism, the aim of this research is to provide an initial characterization of Israeli wine tourists, by looking at their specific characteristics and at wine tourism consumer behavior in relation to wine tourism

Spatial Differentiation in Risk Perception and its Impact on Travel Decisions: An Exploratory Study on the Geo-Familiarity with Israel Among German Residents

This exploratory study adopts a multi-dimensional approach to research on how travel-related risk perceptions are formed. It looks at risk-inducing factors both from the tourist and the destination perspectives. Using predefined risk characteristics observed in the literature, the study\u27s leading research question asked to what extent these individual risk factors influence tourists\u27 risk perception. A sample of potential German tourists to Israel was used for this exploratory study. Each interviewee was asked to indicate his/her socio-cultural background, travel experience at different spatial levels, risk-taking personality, level of perceiving Israel as a risky destination, and willingness to travel to Israel. Results show that accumulated travel experience does have a bearing on German tourists\u27 willingness to travel to destinations that carry a high risk image but does not affect the perceived level of risk. Using the concept of geo-familiarity, the study discovered that risk perception may not only be developed on a country destination level but may be different based on spatial perception of risk. Based on these results, the study draws several risk-management and marketing strategies

Spiritual hosting: An exploration of the interplay between spiritual identities and tourism

The facilitation of tourism experiences based on shared ideology is increasingly being seen to contribute to tourism worldwide. However, these studies have not considered informal networks that promote shared religious or spiritual ideology, such as that offered by the New Zealand HIT (Hosting Israeli Travellers) network. Whilst pilgrimage for spiritual goals has been given considerable attention by tourism researchers, these studies have exclusively focused on religion and spirituality as a motivation among travellers, rather than hosts or the effect of hosts\u27 spiritual motivations on the host-tourist encounter. Drawing on exploratory qualitative research applying the Value-Stretch Gap-Analysis Model, this paper analyses the ideological characteristics of the New Zealand HIT network and provides insights into the motivations of HIT hosts. As such, this paper seeks to contribute insights into the interplay between tourism and spiritual identities by exploring the conceptual power of faith and spirituality in potentially shaping tourism production and consumption. The notion of spiritual hosting is introduced as an appropriate conceptualisation of the performance and construction of hosted experiences facilitated by the HIT network in New Zealand

The role of marketing in tourism planning: Overplay, underplay or interplay?

Marketing has a key role in tourism planning. Yet, the tourism planning literature offers a range of roles that marketing should take, extending from a secondary planning component to a leading factor that guides the entire planning process. To understand better the relative role of marketing in tourism planning, an exploratory study was conducted, looking at the interplay between tourism marketing and tourism planning in the context of regional planning. Using a quantitative content analysis of regional tourism master plans, this study aims to unveil the exact role of marketing in the tourism planning process. The study\u27s empirical results indicate that marketing plays a dynamic role in tourism planning, and that the specific contribution of marketing to tourism planning changes with the region\u27s level of development and planning needs. Based on these findings, a tentative theoretical model is proposed, portraying the dynamic relations between tourism performance and the level of marketing integration in tourism planning. This model replaces a prevailing theoretical notion, treating the role of marketing in tourism planning as a static, \u27one-size-fits-all\u27 process

Risk Perceptions among Religiously Practicing Tourists: Are they Group Differentiated?

Religiousness and religious affiliation as a cultural phenomenon generating an array of travel risk perceptions has attracted only a handful of researchers so far. Using the case of the Ultra Orthodox Haredi community in Israel, we explored how belonging to a specific religious group within this community generates different risk perception constructs. Using the theoretical ‘Value Stretch’ model embedded into a ‘Nominal Group Technique’ methodology, we revealed that, generally, risk perceptions among religiously different Haredi groups are group differentiated. This is a result of various religious, cultural, social, and environmental differences, which characterise each Haredi subgroup. The findings call for further exploration of tourist subgroups’ cultural and religious backgrounds and their impact on shaping travel risk perceptions

BETWEEN MYTHS AND RISK PERCEPTION AMONG RELIGIOUS TOURISTS: THE CASE OF THE HAREDIM

Mitovi o ponašanju turista i načinima na koji percipiraju rizike dva su socio-kulturna konstrukta kojima se istraživanja u turizmu rijetko bave. Usto, nikad se nije istraživao njihov međusobni odnos kod religioznih turista koji su razapeti između svoje vjere u Boga i stvarnih turističkih okolnosti koje zahtijevaju nerizično odgovorno ponašanje. Ovaj rad nastoji ispuniti tu prazninu te istražuje mitove i percepcije rizika kod ultraortodoksnih haredskih Židova. Upotrebom metode nominalne grupe i modela s primjenjivim vrijednostima ovaj rad nastoji utvrditi na koji način ta zajednica percipira najveće opasnosti vezane uz putovanja te u kojoj mjeri te percepcije nalikuju na mitove o ponašanjima vezanima uz putovanja koji su stvoreni u sekularnom izraelskom društvu ili se od njih razlikuju. Rezultati pokazuju da je kod haredskih Židova percepcija opasnosti vezanih uz putovanja obično “vjersko-svjetovni hibrid”. Sastoji se od predodžbi o opasnostima koje prevladavaju među sekularnim turistima, ali i od nih koje proizlaze iz specifičnih socio-ekonomskih i logističkih ograničenja vezanih uz haredski način života.Myths about tourist behavior and tourists’ risk perception are two socio-cultural constructs rarely discussed in tourism research. Furthermore, their interrelations have never been discussed with respect to religious tourists who are caught between their trust in God and real tourist circumstances that require risk-free responsible behavior. This paper attempts to fi ll this gap by studying myths and risk perception of Ultra-Orthodox Jews known as Haredim. Using Nominal Group Technique and the Value Stretch model, the study unveiled this community’s main travel-related risk perceptions and to what extent they differ from or are similar to myths about travel behavior originated by the secular Israeli society. Findings show that travel-related Haredi risk perception is generally a “religio-secular hybrid.” It is composed of risk constructs prevailing among secular tourists but also of those that stem from the unique socio-economic, logistic and lifestyle constraints of the Haredim