Authenticity and Nostalgia: A Gastronomic Experience of a Local Food Night Market

The purpose of this study was to explore the roles of authenticity (food authenticity and atmosphere authenticity) and nostalgia in tourist’ food experiences. Data were collected with tourists visiting a local food night market in Macao. CFA and SEM were used for data analysis. Results suggested that authenticity, especially atmosphere authenticity, has a positive influence on nostalgia, which in turn influences attitude towards local food, perceived gastronomy destination image, as well as revisit intention for food consumption. The findings also provide some practical implications for the food night market as well as DMOs

Social impacts of casino gaming in Macao: A qualitative analysis

The casino gaming sector has witnessed rapid growth worldwide in the past three decades. As the casino industry has been developing rapidly, it is important to understand the pros and cons of casino development and seek ways to minimize the potential negative impacts. This study investigates the social consequences of casino gaming in Macao since the liberalization of casino licensing in 2002, using a qualitative research method. The results reveal that the expansion of casino gaming did bring certain social benefits to the community, such as increased personal incomes and improvement in the city\u27s financial power, landscape, infrastructure and facilities, and the enlargement of entertainment and recreation facilities. There were also many negative social costs, including; uncontrolled urban development, reduction of public leisure and green spaces, heavy traffic and traffic congestion, a high drop-out rate among school students, increase in problem gambling and crime, increased demand for counselling services and public health treatment, deteriorating quality of life and finally the difficulties of many small and medium-sized businesses in competing with the larger casino businesses. The results indicate that the challenges outweigh the benefits. Policy implications for destination managers in Macao and in other locales intending to open casinos are offered

Tourism destination image development: a lesson from Macau

Purpose – Drawing upon an analysis of resident and visitor survey data and Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) press releases in 2012, the purpose of this paper is to understand the tourism destination image for this tourist historic city produced by these three key stakeholder groups in Macau. Design/methodology/approach – This is achieved using a new stakeholder analysis tool, developed from previous studies, which compares the perspective of the MGTO, the city’s destination marketing organization, with that of its residents and visitors. This study examines the perceptions that residents and visitors have about the general images projected and generated in Macau. Findings – This research highlights the multiplicity of images and producers of images in Macau. Originality/value – The lesson from this case study is that public sector agencies need to acknowledge more clearly the tourism planning role of the host community in particular. The possibility of detecting disconnections and misalignments of shared destination imagery by residents and visitors has implications for the public sector in Macau and other destinations in relation to managing and developing a destination and contributes to a greater understanding of stakeholders and sustainable tourism development overall.</p

Identification of a Gene-Related Risk Signature in Melanoma Patients Using Bioinformatic Profiling

Introduction. Gene signature has been used to predict prognosis in melanoma patients. Meanwhile, the efficacy of immunotherapy was correlated with particular genes expression or mutation. In this study, we systematically explored the gene expression pattern in the melanoma-immune microenvironment and its relationship with prognosis. Methods. A cohort of 122 melanoma cases with whole-genome microarray expression data were enrolled from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The findings were validated using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. A principal component analysis (PCA), gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and gene oncology (GO) analysis were performed to explore the bioinformatic implications. Results. Different gene expression patterns were identified according to the clinical stage. All eligible gene sets were analyzed, and the 8 genes (GPR87, KIT, SH3GL3, PVRL1, ATP1B1, CDAN1, FAU, and TNFSF14) with the greatest prognostic impact on melanoma. A gene-related risk signature was developed to distinguish patients with a high or low risk of an unfavorable outcome, and this signature was validated using the TCGA database. Furthermore, the prognostic significance of the signature between the classified subgroups was verified as an independent prognostic predictor of melanoma. Additionally, the low-risk melanoma patients presented an enhanced immune phenotype compared to that of the high-risk gene signature patients. Conclusions. The gene pattern differences in melanoma were profiled, and a gene signature that could independently predict melanoma patients with a high risk of poor survival was established, highlighting the relationship between prognosis and the local immune response