In the realm of cultural tourism, cultural heritage destinations offer something distinctive and authentic.Cultural heritage tourism destinations, as niche-market tourism, face many challenges from mass tourism.To ensure the sustainability of cultural tourism attractions, it is essential to recognise the potential of variouscultural tourism resource assets to increase tourist visits. This study investigates, from a demand-side perspective,the priority and potential attributes of Toraja cultural tourism destinations perceived by tourists, usingan integrated Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA)-Kano model. The integration of the IPA and Kanomodel consistently demonstrated that attributes of cultural heritage tourism in Toraja can be classified intotwo main categories based on importance-performance and satisfied-dissatisfied. The findings revealed distinctcategories and implications for enhancing cultural tourist attractions. Attributes related to performingarts, social practices, rituals, festive events and cultural sites consistently fell into these categories, indicatingtheir significance in enhancing tourist satisfaction. By contrast, some attributes within oral traditions, expressions,knowledge of nature and the universe, and certain aspects of traditional craftsmanship were perceivedas indifferent by tourists. Further information from the IPA-Kano analysis regarding strategic priorities andpotential attributes of cultural heritage tourism that need to be improved and maintained was discussed.
In recent years, electronic music festivals have become an increasingly important segment of event tourism.As a result of the growing demand, the number of music festivals is constantly increasing. The size of themarket represents a great potential for tourism destinations. Many organisers and stakeholders in the destination(as well as scientists) are becoming aware of the importance of cooperation, which results in numerouseconomic and non-economic impacts. For the purpose of the paper, primary research was conducted withinthe population of the two largest electronic music festivals in Croatia. The research results showed that theaverage daily consumption of electronic music festival visitors is higher than the average daily tourist consumptionin the Republic of Croatia. Satisfaction with the festival and the destination among festival visitorshas a positive impact on the image of the destination. Based on the research results in the segment of festivalvisitors' motivation, the motive of getting to know the destination and the motive of attending the festivalas an opportunity to visit the Republic of Croatia were rated exceptionally highly on average.
Maternity tourism has become an increasingly important area of study in tourism and population economicsin recent years. As Canada is one of the few developed economies that practices Jus Soli, this study investigatesthe determinants of maternity tourism in the country. To this end, the study applies the conventionaltourism demand model to identify the factors that influence maternity tourism, including average incomein priority markets, the real effective exchange rate, the number of obstetricians and gynecologists, thenumber of hospital beds, and the infant mortality rate. The study employs a recently introduced FourierVAR model to examine relationships among these variables. The empirical results, based on impulse-responsefunctions, show that higher-quality healthcare, indicated by more hospital beds and obstetricians, attractsmore maternity tourists. Additionally, higher income levels in priority markets increase demand, while anappreciation of the Canadian dollar reduces maternity tourism. Variance decomposition analysis also showsthat infant mortality is a critical explanatory factor, highlighting the importance of healthcare outcomes inshaping maternity tourism flows. These findings could help the government implement effective policiesto promote maternity tourism.
Sustainable tourism development is complex, with multiple stakeholders influencing and being influenced by it. Effective collaboration among stakeholders is essential to identify solutions and achieve shared objectives. Notably, systematic reviews exploring the link between stakeholder collaboration and sustainable development are limited. This research seeks to address this gap and propose directions for future research. A systematic review identified forty-four relevant articles from the Scopus database, drawn from an initial pool of one hundred and twelve articles. The analysis revealed three key themes. Recommendations were provided to enhance stakeholder collaboration and promote sustainable tourism. The findings suggest that improved stakeholder collaboration can lead to better management, advances in environmental and resource conservation, and economic growth. This study systematically examines the relationship between stakeholder collaboration, stakeholder management and sustainable development, offering valuable insights for policymakers and contributing to the academic literature by elucidating the role of stakeholder collaboration in sustainable tourism development, while proposing strategies to enhance collaboration.
This paper examines the complex interaction between heritage authenticity and tourists’ revisit intention, with a particular emphasis on the mediating role of emotional attachment and the application of place attachment theory. Unlike prior research predominantly conducted in Western contexts, this study investigates five UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Central Vietnam. Utilizing structural equation modelng on data from 319 respondents, the findings challenge conventional assumptions by demonstrating that authenticity alone does not directly drive revisit intention. Instead, emotional attachment emerges as a crucial mediator, reinforcing the significance of experiential and affective dimensions in heritage tourism. Moreover, existential authenticity exerts a stronger influence on emotional attachment than object-based authenticity does, emphasizing the need for immersive and meaningful visitor experiences. These insights provide valuable theoretical and managerial implications, advocating for a shift from passive heritage preservation to emotionally engaging tourism strategies that foster deeper connections and sustainable destination loyalty in non-Western settings.
ChatGPT, a user-based technology, has gained popularity in the tourism industry due to its human-like interaction capabilities. This study investigates the adoption of ChatGPT for travel and aims to address these gaps by integrating the extended technology acceptance model, the theory of planned behaviour, and word of mouth into a comprehensive model. The data were collected from ChatGPT users for travel, using an online questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was applied to the proposed model. The direct and indirect effects between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude, behavioural intention, subjective norm, trust, and word of mouth were identified.
This research examines the digital presence and e-commerce maturity of national parks in seven Europeancountries (Spain, France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Andorra). Using a combinedWeb Content Analysis (WCA) and Extended Model of Internet Commerce Adoption (eMICA) model,the websites of 87 nature parks were evaluated. The results show that, although all of the surveyed parkshave an online presence, their focus is mainly informational. They also exhibit low interactivity, except forthose in the United Kingdom, which have the best digital presence. E-commerce maturity is limited, withonly a small proportion of sites allowing full online transactions. Four profiles of parks were identifiedaccording to their digital presence: online sales-oriented; online presence-oriented; low presence and basicpresence. We conclude that national parks need to improve their interactivity and e-commerce functionalitiesin order to increase visitor engagement and the effectiveness of their digital marketing strategies.
The relationship between transport infrastructure and tourism development is substantial, as tourists' mobility largely depends on infrastructure. Therefore, this paper examines the role of transport infrastructure as a significant determinant of foreign tourist growth in India. This study employs 44 years of time-series data from 1980 to 2023, because the Government of India declared its first tourism policy in the 1980s. To understand the rate at which the system reverts to the long-run equilibrium following a short-run shock, we use the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model and the Error Correction Model (ECM). The results of this paper show a long-term relationship between variables such as air transport, GDP and exchange rates, which provide substantial access to foreign tourist benefits. Rail and road infrastructure have a minor contribution to foreign tourist arrivals. The error-correction model indicates robust short-term adjustment towards equilibrium following short-term disturbances. Finally, the Granger causality results indicate unidirectional and bidirectional causality between the variables, supporting the centrality of the transport variable in foreign tourist development in India. The article offers an innovative method that combines multimodal transport variables and non-transport variables to assess the process of tourist progression in India.
Sustainable tourism has taken over the tourism industry in the last few years. However, the rise of new technologiesand platforms has significantly influenced the segment. Artificial intelligence (AI) and GenerativeAI (GAI) tools have added immense value to the domain. Sustainable tourism and the role of AI and GAIare the focus of the current study. Many studies have examined the impact of AI and GAI on sustainabletourism; however, most were either empirical, meta-analyses, or systematic reviews. Hence, this study aimsto address the gap by employing a bibliometric and science-mapping approach to collate and analyse studiespublished between 2016 and 2024. Thirty-eight articles are included, and the chosen database was the Webof Science. A general performance analysis is conducted first, followed by a keyword analysis. After a detailedanalysis of the articles, valuable insights were generated and thoroughly discussed. The findings focused onthe role of technology, AI, and GAI on sustainable tourism dimensions. Specific implications are providedthat are universally applicable.
The study aims to assess whether finfluencers’ recommendations can influence both short-term and longtermperformance by producing abnormal returns and affecting decisions to invest in tourism stocks.While existing research has explored the impact of traditional stock recommendation channels, the roleof social media influencers remains relatively understudied in emerging market settings. Data is gatheredfrom ten leading Indian financial influencers on YouTube, and stocks recommended in their most-viewed,liked, and commented shorts are analysed using the event-study methodology. A ±5-day event window,Carhart’s four-factor model for calculating average abnormal returns and cumulative average abnormalreturns, Buy and Hold abnormal returns, and the NIFTY 200 as a benchmark are used in the study tomeasure abnormal returns following influencer recommendations. The findings reveal asymmetric abnormalreturn patterns with temporal decay effects after finfluencer recommendations. There are initialpositive abnormal returns that diminish over time. These results have implications for market efficiencyand investor behaviour in digital-age financial markets. This research contributes to behavioural financeliterature by providing evidence of social media influence in the capital markets. It additionally enhancesthe literature on digital finance and offers practical insights into semi-strong form market efficiency inemerging markets.
This study analyses tourism as a multidimensional phenomenon using a mixed-methods approach that integrates structured thematic coding with the development of ad hoc quantitative indicators (TEII, TICI, ESI). Drawing on five case studies (Rwanda, Bhutan, Bali, Venice, and Machu Picchu), it evaluates the economic impact, international cooperation, and environmental sustainability associated with tourism development. The findings confirm a positive correlation between economic growth and international cooperation, and identify environmental trade-offs in mass tourism destinations, which can be mitigated through strong regulatory frameworks and adaptive governance strategies. The study highlights the need for holistic, resilient, and evidence-based approaches to manage tourism's potential and risks. It also advocates incorporating longitudinal methodologies and emerging paradigms, such as regenerative tourism, to advance towards more sustainable and inclusive models of tourism development in an era of accelerated global transformation.
Memorability has emerged as a critical concept in tourism experience research over the past decade. However, research on how perceived authenticity and flow affect memorable tourism experiences remains scarce. This study examines the relationships between perceived authenticity, flow experience, memorable tourism experiences, and intention to recommend in the context of a folkloric event, namely Sıra Gecesi. Using a questionnaire survey, data were collected from 657 domestic tourists. A structural equation model was employed to examine the relationships between constructs. The findings show that perceived authenticity had a positive direct effect on both flow experience and memorable tourism experiences, but no direct significant effect on intention to recommend. Perceived authenticity positively affected the intention to recommend through the mediating roles of flow experience and memorable tourism experiences. When designing Sıra Gecesi, the dimensions of perceived authenticity – particularly music – should be considered, and the event should be structured to enhance the flow experience. The study enriches understanding of perceived authenticity while providing valuable insights into tourists’ flow and memorable tourism experiences.
This study examines the relationship between firm characteristics and the adoption of Industry 4.0 (I4.0)technologies across near-, medium-, and long-term timeframes. A chi-square analysis was conducted ondata collected from 208 hotel businesses. The findings reveal a statistically significant association betweenadopting I4.0 technologies and business type, star rating, ownership structure, business age, business size,service type, and customer segment. The results indicate that five-star hotels, older businesses, large-scaleenterprises, and luxury hotels are more likely to adopt face recognition systems in the near future (1-5 years).The study challenges prevailing discussions in the literature by demonstrating that older businesses play amore prominent role in the early adoption of I4.0 technologies.
The research note elaborates on the role of green marketing in creating the hotel brand experience (HBE). It aims to reduce the gap in understanding how hotel brand managers stage green encounters within the brand experience and what they believe drives negative vs. positive guest experiences when exposed to specific green marketing initiatives. The theoretical background is followed by the presentation of results from qualitative research conducted with managers in Croatia's leading four- and five-star hotel chains and standalone hotels. Hotel managers consider green marketing a crucial driver for success and long-term survival. Despite a shared belief that delivering a superior experience is a priority, green initiatives are often chosen primarily on the basis of implementation costs. Encounters in which guests are presented with higher investments by the hotel lead to more positive brand experiences. Although hotel managers believe that affective experiences are the most important, they are particularly interested in evoking cognitive experiences through green marketing messages. Therefore, further research should focus on identifying ways to evoke an affective brand experience.
Crisis is an inherent feature of contemporary societies; hence, risk awareness and crisis preparedness have become important in planning strategies. A crucial component that has emerged is the need for crisis communication and investigations to promote and involve communication by various local groups. One such group is second-home tourists, who are commonly well-integrated socially into local communities in the Nordic countries. However, the knowledge and inclusion of second-home tourists in planning strategies, including risk preparedness, requires improvement in local jurisdictions. Second-home communities are diverse, implying that efficient crisis communication needs to account for the place-specific characteristics of these temporary population groups. This short communication presents results from a survey on crisis-communication preferences and behaviour among second-home owners in Sweden. We explore how second homeowners communicate from their second home, to what extent they are aware of risks, and how they view the role of communication in a potential crisis.
This paper investigates the psychological and cultural elements that influence pilgrims' pro-environmental activity. By combining the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) with insights from the religious studies literature, a conceptual framework was developed that identified religious beliefs, environmental knowledge, pro-environmental attitudes, and normative perspectives as the main determinants of pilgrims' intentions to engage in sustainable practices during their journey. Using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) via SmartPLS and data collected from a sample of 201 pilgrims, the study demonstrates complex interactions among these variables. A person's degree of environmental awareness is influenced by their religious beliefs and values; thus, their pro-environmental attitudes and intentions to act also alter. Moreover, the data showed how these aspirations change in keeping with society's expectations. Though there was no clear direct link between pro-environmental views and behavioural intentions, our results suggest that religious beliefs and values—formed by environmental knowledge—are crucial in shaping pilgrims' pro-environmental activities. We advise that projects that aim to support sustainability in pilgrimage settings focus on raising environmental awareness through shared values and religious doctrines. This strategy could effectively use the psychological and cultural settings of pilgrims to encourage more environmentally responsible travel habits.
Residents are key stakeholders in sustainable tourism development and play an essential role in tourism growth. While previous studies have explored residents' support for tourism from economic and environmental perspectives, the unique relationship between cultural heritage preservation and community empowerment has not been sufficiently explored. Cultural heritage tourism naturally generates conflicts between commodification and preservation, yet current frameworks often overlook residents' cultural identity and empowerment as crucial factors for sustainable outcomes. This omission is particularly significant in the post-pandemic recovery context, where heritage sites face increased risks of over-tourism and community marginalization. To address this gap, the study conducted a systematic literature review of 53 articles published through January 2025. Using the PRISMA methodology, it identified relevant theories and examined direct, mediating, and moderating factors. Additionally, this research developed a conceptual framework to support the sustainable development of cultural heritage tourism, offering new insights and guiding future studies. The findings provide valuable knowledge for tourism researchers, destination managers, and policymakers, while the framework serves as a practical tool for destinations seeking to balance tourism growth with heritage preservation and community well-being.
surrounding premium tourism development in Labuan Bajo. It specifically focuses on the eviction of the Ata Modo community from Komodo Island, as depicted in the documentary Dragon for Sale . The documentary is both a cinematic work and a journalistic report that documents real-life socio-political issues. Using Teun A. van Dijk's Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the study examines the tension between government-driven tourism policies and the rights of local communities. It delves into the government's plans for tourism development around Komodo dragons, highlighting the adverse impacts on local communities, including displacement and loss of cultural identity. The findings underscore the conflict and deprivation of community rights, emphasising the exclusion of local voices from decision-making and calling for more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable tourism policies.
The study examines sustainable tourism behaviour at the historic city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. The research aims to explain tourists' sustainable behaviour and to uncover configurations that lead to sustainable or unsustainable behaviour. The present study is based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) as its theoretical framework. A mixed-method design is then employed, integrating quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. The quantitative arm of the study employs regression analysis, while the qualitative research uses the fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). The findings from the regression analysis revealed that sustainability-oriented attitudes, social norms, and behavioural control have a statistically significant impact on tourists' sustainability-oriented behavioural intention, in descending order of importance. The fsQCA results showed that strong attitudes are a necessary condition for strong behavioural intention toward sustainable tourism activities. Weak social norms are an essential condition for weak behavioural intention toward sustainable tourism activities. Furthermore, the study identified the following sufficient conditions for a strong intention to engage in sustainable tourism activities: strong social norms paired with weak behavioural control, or strong attitudes in conjunction with strong social norms.
The application of gamification has become a transformative innovation in the tourism industry. This study explores how gamification influences tourists' attitudes and behavioural intentions, highlighting its role in driving technology adoption in the tourism sector by integrating the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and examining the determinants of gamification adoption, emphasising hedonic behaviour and social influence as primary motivators. Data were gathered from 418 respondents using purposive sampling through a face-to-face, structured survey administered to tourists in Gembu, Nigeria, across various demographic groups. The TAM served as the theoretical framework, while Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modelling (CB-SEM) was used to analyse data to evaluate the links among hedonic behaviour, social impact, and the adoption of gamification technology. The findings indicate that social influence has a substantial and positive effect on the adoption of gamification and further demonstrate that hedonic behavior is substantially associated with the utility of use. Attitude towards adoption exerted the most substantial influence on intention to use. These findings validate the need to integrate external factors, such as hedonic behaviour and social impact, into the TAM framework to better understand gamification adoption in tourism. The paper addresses potential research directions and constraints for future work. Based on the findings, the study authors recommend that tourism managers and destination marketers integrate social interaction and user enjoyment elements into gamified applications to enhance tourist engagement and technology adoption.
