Persuasive Design of Destination Websites: An Analysis of First Impression

This research examines the persuasiveness of destination websites through an investigation of users’ first impression. To achieve this goal, it builds on research by Fogg (2003) and by Kim and Fesenmaier (2007) to assess the effect of the design factors of destination websites on first impression formation. The results of this study indicate that the subjects were able to make quick judgments on tourism websites, and that inspiration and usability were the primary drivers evoking a favorable first impression. This research concludes by discussing the implications of these findings and possible directions for future study

Innovative Behavior of Destination Marketing Organizations

The role of destination marketing organizations changed considerably over the past few decades. Today, these organizations are not only marketers of a certain area, but are also required to constantly develop new tourism offerings to keep pace with fast changing consumer demands and a volatile economic environment. The purpose of this study was to identify if American destination marketing organizations collaborate with other organizations to develop new services and to identify drivers of collaboration for innovation. Furthermore, the authors evaluated the impact of organizational settings for innovation and partnerships development on organizations’ partnership-for-innovation behavior. It was found that top management support for partnerships as well as a long-term perspective towards partnerships is the foundation of partnerships that can lead to innovation. Several other organization settings (e.g. top management support for innovation) increase the likelihood of establishing such partnerships

Validating Volunteered Geographic Information: Can We Reliably Trace Visitors\u27 Digital Footprints?

The objective of this study is to evaluate the quality of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) data for the purpose of describing patterns of visitor movement within a tourism destination. Using a Southern United States tourism destination as a case study, this research quantifies visitor flow networks using both data mined from Instagram and data collected using a traditional online survey methodology and then conducts a series of statistical analyses to compare results. In doing so, this paper highlights the advantages of using VGI data for tourism research, but also draws attention to potential trappings. Keywords: Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI), Instagram, visitor network, digital footprin

Relationships between the Direct and Induced Effects of Destination Advertising

Tourism advertising is one of the most important tools for destination marketing organizations. As such, many advertising effectiveness studies have been conducted which focus on the direct consequences of destination advertising. However, little of this research has examined the linkages between advertising, changes in trip-related decisions and their impact on length of stay and money spent. The results of this study confirm that destination advertising influences the various aspects of trip structure (e.g. including accommodations, etc.) which in turn, affects trip budgets, but this relationship is not linear. These relationships provide important implications for the design of destination advertising

Customer Relations 2.0 – Implications for Destination Marketing

This paper examines the relationships travelers form with travel companies and destinations via Facebook. Based on a sample of over 6000 online American travelers, the research finds that travelers have goal-driven motivations to enter such “friendships” with travel companies, from which they mostly expect deals. In contrast, relationships with destinations are more likely based on emotional attachment. The study further finds demographic differences in the likelihood to enter such relationships as well as differences based on Internet skills and travel experience, thus providing insights regarding basic profiles of fans and their motivations. Implications for customer relationship management are discussed

Modeling Tourism Advertising Conversion in the United States

This study attempts to develop tourism advertising conversion modeling throughout the United States. Geographic and demographic data were taken into account for developing the model using multivariate technique such as logistic regression and CHAID. The results of this research showed that residence states are the most important factor affecting the conversion and interestingly, the information that is relevant with the focal destination is more important than number of brochure information travelers received. This research ends with discussion of theoretical and practical implications for destination marketing

Nonresponse Bias in Internet-based Advertising Conversion Studies

This study examines the extent of nonresponse bias in online advertising conversion studies. Two indicators (i.e., conversion rates and travel expenditure) assessing the tourism advertising effectiveness were compared using unweighted and weighted data sets. The results of this study using 24 locations throughout the U. S. confirm the conclusions of previous studies, showing consistent overestimates in advertising effectiveness. Several methodological and managerial implications of these findings are discussed