Benefits of applying hourly resolution in the assessment of the climate aptitude to manage tourist activities in arid regions

The availability of reliable information on local climatic-tourism conditions is a growing need due to the influence it exerts on the quality of the organizational strategy of tourist destination's, and travel experience. Evaluations of the tourism potential of the climate have been carried out on a daily or monthly resolution, thus limiting the collection of detailed information that makes it possible to fine-tune tourism management and operational decision-making on an intraday scale. This research is the first case study to analyse the climatic suitability for nature tourism, using the weather types method at hourly resolution. The study applies to arid tourist destinations in Isfahan province (Iran). The detailed resolution has made it possible to identify the time slots favourable to the development of nature tourism in those periods of the year recognized as critical in the daily resolution analyses. In the same way, the hourly resolution has also identified critical bands in those periods indicated as favourable in the evaluations to daily resolution. The hourly resolution provides detailed information that can allow tourists and also tourism managers to establish intraday adaptation strategies that make it possible to develop the activity even in places with extreme climates.

Management of cultural tourism in Ban Toon, Muang District, Phayao Province, Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background Add ABSTRACT above the background

The research aims to study the process of managing cultural tourism in the community and assess the socio-economic impact on the community with the help of eight key contributors to the project who play an essential role in the implementation of cultural tourism management.

Methods

We prepared field notes from interviews and observations, and provided details from data collection (in the form of transcripts). Thematic analysis was employed to answer the research questions using a content analysis tool to obtain the community context in cultural tourism and tourism management dimensions. Participatory Action Research (PAR) was employed to meet the needs of stakeholders and test tourism routes through such routes. The tourism route development was evaluated using descriptive statistics.

Results

There is one new cultural tourism route and the process of managing cultural tourism developed community-level organizations with spiritual leaders as the main advisors. The result of the net present value (NPV) analysis is 917,149 baht or 27,792$. The return from the implementation of this project (the internal rate of return (IRR)) is 11.32%. In addition, the ratio of the sum of the present value over the life of the project to the sum of the present value of the cost over the life of the project is 2.45 times, giving the project, if continued, an income 2.45 times greater than its expenditure.

Conclusions

Cultural tourism management in Ban Toon, Muang District, and Phayao Province during the COVID-19 pandemic can be used as a guideline in other communities with similar contexts.

Internet interventions and therapies for addressing the negative impact of digital overuse: a focus on digital free tourism and economic sustainability

BACKGROUND

The excessive use of information technologies (IT) and online digital devices are causing symptoms of burnout, anxiety, stress and dependency that affect the physical and mental health of our society, extending to leisure time and work relationships. Digital free tourism (DFT) is a phenomenon that emerges as a solution to technostress and pathologies derived from digital hyperconnection. The objective of this research is to advance the knowledge of new structures of motivational factors that can understand the decision of a tourist to make a DFT trip. To this end, it is investigated whether family and social engagement and health and relaxation have a positive impact on the behavioral intention of the potential tourist and whether this influences sustainability due to the importance of DFT in the new economic framework.

METHODS

With a quantitative approach, the methodology used consisted of an online questionnaire among potential travelers. IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0 statistical software was used to evaluate the data obtained and confirm the relationships of the model and the research hypotheses.

RESULTS

The results of the questionnaire assessed the contribution of each construct to the tourist's behavioral intention and the tourist's decision to make the decision to undertake a DFT experience.

CONCLUSIONS

DFT can be a driver of economic sustainability and health therapy in tourism in the digital age. This study aims to expand the lines of research on DFT and determine the complex factors that can lead a tourist to participate in the DFT experience. The results obtained can help managers of companies in the sector to offer more efficient and sustainable services that contribute to the health and wellbeing of tourists as a differentiating factor.

On the post-pandemic travel boom: How capacity building and smart tourism technologies in rural areas can help - evidence from Iran

While there have been numerous studies investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism, few research projects have examined the impact of the outbreak on using smart tourism technologies (STT), especially in developing countries. This study adopted thematic analysis, with data collected using in-person interviews. The participants for the study were selected using the snow-balling technique. We explored the process of developing smart technologies during the pandemic and its impact on smart rural tourism technology development upon travel restart. The subject was investigated by focusing on five selected villages in central Iran which have tourism dependent economies. Overall, the results indicated that the pandemic partially changed the government's resistance towards the fast development of smart technologies. Thus, the role of smart technologies in curbing the virus spread was officially recognized. This change of policy led to the implementation of Capacity Building (CB) programs to improve digital literacy and minimize the digital gap that exists between urban and rural areas in Iran. Implementing CB programs during the pandemic directly and indirectly contributed to the digitalization of rural tourism. Implementing such programs enhanced tourism stakeholders' individual and institutional capacity to gain access to and creatively use STT in rural area. The results of this study improve our understanding and knowledge of the impact of crises on the degree of acceptability and use of STT in traditional rural societies.

The relationship between destination image and destination safety during technological and social changes COVID-19 pandemic

This study aimed to assess the relationship between safety perceptions and destination image in the Central European region during the technological and social environment change brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study sample consisted of respondents from three Central European countries, namely, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. The quantile regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the image of the destination and its perceived safety. The results showed that concerns about the safety of the tourism environment could be negatively associated with the image of the infrastructure in Hungary and Slovakia, with value for money in the three countries, and with images of enjoyment in Slovakia. Higher levels of destination safety may be associated with a more positive destination image, with health, facilities and services being the most important dimensions of perceived safety, because of the pandemic. This study contributes to the knowledge of the concept of destination images and the development of tourism.

Impacts of COVID-19 on tourism and management response from Banff National Park, Canada

The COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges to the tourism sector globally. We investigated changes in visitor demographics, satisfaction level, and its determinants pre- and peri-COVID-19. Data were collected using questionnaire surveys in 2019 and 2021 within Banff National Park (BNP). The data analyses were based on a sample size of 1183 respondents by conducting factor analysis, correlation analysis and stepwise regression analysis. Results highlight that there were fewer international visitors and more local and domestic visitors during the pandemic. Park attributes were evaluated at a higher satisfaction level peri-COVID-19. The quality of the Park facilities and services were the most important satisfaction determinants pre- and peri-COVID-19, and all the Park COVID-19 measures and actions received positive experience from visitors. This research fills this knowledge gap by developing a better understanding in the change of visitor demographics and satisfaction level in BNP under the context of the pandemic. It also provides implication for both scholars and practitioners to understand the impacts of the pandemic on Park visitation. The study can provide insights for utilizing the pandemic as a transformative strength and for mitigating its negative impact on tourism industry.

Nature-based tourism influences ecosystem functioning along waterways: Implications for conservation and management

Nature-based tourism has an influence on ecosystem functioning around watercourses, but this influence lacks scientific evidence. Additionally, strategic and operational management of streams necessitates trade-offs between the recreational activities and values of tourists and riparian zone hospitality services. This paper aims to assist environmentalists and planners by exploring the effects of tourism-based recreational activities on ecosystem functioning along the drawdown zone. The study uses multivariate statistical techniques to delineate the relevant global tourism issues for planners. Kruskal-Wallis tests (p < 0.01) were conducted using quantitative data from 284 transects within the Three Gorges Dam Reservoir in China. The results revealed higher ecosystem function indices than tourism indices. Indicators of tourism contributed both positively and negatively to ecological indicators, with the Pearson correlation coefficients ranging from minor to moderate (r = ̶ 0.24 to 0.38, p < 0.05). Principal component analysis revealed that the critical variables of ecosystem functioning and tourism activities explained 72.26 % of the overall variance. Nevertheless, hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that these indicators responded differently in the upstream, midstream, and downstream sections. Our findings suggest that policymakers should consider the different characteristics of riparian zones in future planning, as doing so will improve both national and global strategic and operational management.

Tourism management in national parks: Šumava and Bayerischer Wald (Bavarian Forest) in the Czech-German borderland

Along the Czech-German border there are four national parks, two Czech and two German, arranged in cross-border 'pairs'. This article focuses on the southern 'pair' formed by the parks of Šumava and Bayerischer Wald (Bavarian Forest). The aim is to evaluate and compare tourism organization in their areas, taking into account selected aspects of management: the network of hiking trails with its related infrastructure, transport accessibility, a typology of tourist centers, as well as directions and destinations of tourist movements. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the availability of geographical space for tourists is much greater in the German than in the Czech national park, and the tourism infrastructure is clearly more extensive there, including the network of tourist trails. This is mainly due to the longer and fairly uninterrupted development of tourism in this area. Šumava National Park can be identified as a model in terms of how to adjust the directions of tourist movements and the layout of the tourist trail network to the needs of natural environment. On the basis of observations in both national parks, it is possible to indicate various solutions that, after appropriate adaptation, may bring benefits to other protected areas.

Coastal drowning in Costa Rica: incident analysis and comparisons between Costa Rican nationals and foreigners

International and domestic tourism is a growing industry in Costa Rica, with the most attractive places located along the coast. Despite their beauty, Costa Rican beaches can pose a high risk for foreign visitors: Drowning is the primary cause of unintentional death among international visitors. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of demographics, spatial and temporal trends of national and foreigner fatal drowning occurring at Costa Rican beaches during 2001-2019. For national beachgoers, teens and young male adults, ages 15-30 years are at greatest risk of drowning, while for foreigners, older adults ages 45-60 years exhibit higher risk. Temporal trends in drowning appear to be correlated with the number of beach visitors, which seem to be driven mainly by a combination of socioeconomical and climatic/weather factors. For instance, strong economic indicators for the Costa Rican population combined with good weather fostered during warm phases of El Niño Southern Oscillation attract more national beachgoers, which may increase the number of drowning deaths. These results will help authorities better understand the complex and dynamic drowning situation to develop better prevention strategies and policies that improve beach safety and raise awareness about coastal hazards and risk. Such actions will bolster the reputation of Costa Rica as a safe touristic destination.

Supply chain design to tackle coronavirus pandemic crisis by tourism management

The rapid growth of the COVID-19 pandemic in the world and the importance of controlling it in all regions have made managing this crisis a great challenge for all countries. In addition to imposing various monetary costs on countries, this pandemic has left many serious damages and casualties. Proper control of this crisis will provide better medical services. Controlling travel and tourists in this crisis is also an effective factor. Hence, the proposed model wants to control the crisis by controlling the volume of incoming tourists to each city and region by closing the entry points of that region, which reduces the inpatients. The proposed multi-objective model is designed to aim at minimizing total costs, minimizing the tourist patients, and maximizing the number of city patients. The Improved Multi-choice Goal programming (IMCGP) method has been used to solve the multi-objective problem. The model examines the results by considering a case study. Sensitivity analyses and managerial insight are also provided. According to the results obtained from the model and case study, two medical centers with the capacity of 300 and 700 should be opened if the entry points are not closed.

Modeling domestic tourism: motivations, satisfaction and tourist behavioral intentions

Investigating the antecedents of tourist behavioral intentions and its relations with the preceding factors has become an interest of researchers very recently. However, domestic tourism is one of the neglected forms of tourism among academics and policymakers in developing countries in general. This study, therefore, has tried to simultaneously analyze (i) the relationships among motivations (push and pull), satisfaction and behavioral intentions (intention to revisit and willingness to recommend), and (ii) the direct and indirect effects of motivations on the behavioural intentions of domestic tourists in the formation of domestic tourism behavioural model. The relationships were structurally analyzed with Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) method of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using data collected from 386 domestic tourists from four destination sites in Ethiopia. The results revealed that both pull and push travel motivations were found to be significant predictors of overall satisfaction. Moreover, the direct effects of pull travel motivation on revisit intention as well as willingness to recommend were observed. On the other hand, overall satisfaction influenced revisit intention more significantly than the willingness to recommend. Overall satisfaction also partially mediated the relationships between travel motivations and revisit intention. Furthermore, the direct and indirect effects of push travel motivation were assessed in this study. The results of this study hold important implications for destination managers and researchers to consider the influences of motivations factors on satisfaction and behavioral intentions in their attempt to develop domestic tourism.

Visitor preferences and satisfaction in Attica zoological park, Greece

In an increasingly competitive tourism market, it is essential to assess visitors' demands and levels of satisfaction. Currently, in Greece, there are two public and one private zoo. The Attica zoological park located in Athens has the most extensive collection of animals from all over the world. At the same time, the two public zoos serve a double purpose as zoos and peri-urban parks. A self-administered questionnaire was designed to determine the views and attitudes of the visitors in both public and private zoos of Greece. A total of 707 questionnaires were collected in Attika Park during the weekends of 2017. According to the results, the visitors were mainly middle-aged and highly educated with their motivation for their visits focused on entertainment. They visit the Park mostly in springtime, traveling mainly by car and covering distances of 5-50 km. As regards the quality of infrastructure, facilities, and services available at the zoo, the visitors of Attica Park found access to the area and security provided at the site as very satisfactory. At the same time, they consider that the animal's living conditions, their hygiene, and the existence of shelters for injured animals to be inadequate. The overall satisfaction with the outdoor recreation experience and satisfaction with the existing park facilities and services was higher at the Attica Zoological Park (91.1%) than in the two public zoos of Greece. The results of this work provide lessons that will improve zoo management, animal welfare, and sustain the flow of visitors.

Estimating visitors' willingness to pay for a conservation fund: sustainable financing approach in protected areas in Ethiopia

An increasing number of protected areas (PAs) are being established in many countries to conserve and preserve the wildlife species and to maintain earth's ecological balance, but in emerging economies such as Ethiopia, PAs are currently confronted with inadequate conservation funding that makes it tough to protect the remaining biodiversity. PAs, therefore try to use other financial means such as ecotourism to subsidize their financial shortage and nourishes the nexus between conservation and development. Estimation of visitors' willingness to pay (WTP) would be useful to craft strategies to strengthen the self-financing capability of PAs and hence realizing environmental and livelihood goals. In this study, the visitors' WTP for the proposed conservation fund in the context of Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP) was estimated using a contingent valuation method. The finding indicated that 75% of visitors were willing to pay a conservation fee. The mean WTP was estimated to be US$7.40 for foreign visitors and US$1.00 for domestic visitors. The finding suggests that the implementation of conservation fee in addition to the existing entry fee helps to improve the long-term sustainable financing of PAs.

Effects of mobile augmented reality apps on impulse buying behavior: An investigation in the tourism field

Many of today's online services are designed specifically to encourage impulse buying. Moreover, many studies have shown that with the assistance of Mobile Augmented Reality, retailers have the potential to significantly improve their sales. However, the effects of Mobile AR on consumer impulse buying behavior have yet to be examined, particularly in the tourism field. Consequently, the present study integrates the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework, and flow theory to examine the effects of Mobile AR apps on tourist impulse buyingbehavior. The research model is implemented using an online questionnaire, with the results analyzed by Partial-Least-Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The results obtained from 479 valid samples show that the characteristics of Mobile AR apps play an important role in governing tourist behavior in making unplanned purchases. In particular, as the utility, ease-of-use, and interactivity of the apps increase, the perceived enjoyment and satisfaction of the user also increase and give rise to a stronger impulse buying behavior. The results also reveal a mediating effect of the flow experience on the relationship between the perceived ease of use of the Mobile AR app and the user satisfaction in using the app. Overall, the findings presented in this study provide a useful source of reference for Mobile AR app developers, retailers, and tourism marketers in better understanding users' preferences for Mobile AR apps and strengthening their impulse buying behavior in the tourism context as a result.

Generic and Islamic attributes for non-Muslim majority destinations: application of the three-factor theory of customer satisfaction

To provide Muslim-friendly tourism and attract Muslim tourists, destination marketers must not only consider the generic attributes commonly available at the destination, they must also ensure the availability of attributes that serve the needs of Muslim tourists: Islamic attributes. This study identifies and classifies generic and Islamic attributes as basic, performance, and excitement factors in accordance with the three-factor theory of customer satisfaction to emphasise that the three factors may have different impacts on tourist satisfaction. This study also examines the influence of the three factors on satisfaction and the consequences of satisfaction on tourists' behavioural and attitudinal loyalty. A survey was conducted with 604 Muslim tourists who visited non-Muslim destinations. The results showed that all generic attributes influenced Muslim tourists' satisfaction, whereas for Islamic attributes, only the classification of excitement factors significantly affected their satisfaction. The consequences of satisfaction were also found to have a significant effect on increasing tourists’ behavioural and attitudinal loyalty.

Ecological impacts and management strategies for recreational diving: A review

Recreational diving is an expanding branch of ecotourism that when poorly managed, may cause considerable impacts to benthic organisms. Such impacts become a matter of concern in popular diving destinations. A systematic literature review was used to verify the characteristics of divers who cause damage to reefs, the effects on benthic organisms, and the range of management interventions available. We describe the knowledge gaps, addressed challenges and propose solutions hoping to reach successful management of diving tourism industry. We identified three main challenges on recreational diving management frameworks and discussed actions to overcome such challenges. The challenges are related to (1) the lack of baseline data and long-term monitoring; (2) integration of scientific research and management; and (3) adaptive management strategies and stakeholder involvement.

Introducing olive-oil tourism as a special interest tourism

Olive-oil tourism is an emerging tourism typology that is especially developing in the Mediterranean basin, though successful cases also exist in other regions of the world. The main motivation underlying olive-oil tourism demand is the desire to learn about and enjoy the world of olives and olive oil. The objective of this article is to characterise this new tourism typology and identify its main activities. Based on a thorough bibliographical review and an expert panel, we show that this tourism typology corresponds to special interest tourism, and derives from three types of general interest tourism (rural, nature and cultural) with connections to other specific types of tourism. Furthermore, we demonstrate its links to an increasingly broad range of activities and services, thus revealing how complex this type of tourism can be, a feature proper to so-called special interest tourism.

Potential of olive oil tourism in promoting local quality food products: A case study of the region of Extremadura, Spain

This work aims to highlight tourism based on gastronomy, heritage and olive oil-related activities. These activities enhance the knowledge about the product itself and its links with culture and local traditions. Olive oil tourism is based on a typical gastronomic product of internationally recognised quality. This type of tourism boosts sustainable destinations capable of introducing and promoting the consumption of local products. In addition, it favours the implementation of different activities in rural settings, such as routes through the olive groves, gastronomic markets, educational initiatives, historical events, etc. This study analyses the development of olive oil tourism in the district of La Serena in Extremadura (Spain). The study involved 208 tourists that were asked about their experience on oil tourism during their trip. The results emphasize the great potential of development that olive oil tourism can achieve in rural settings as sustainable destinations. From the results obtained, managers of rural settings with a great olive oil tradition can base their tourism strategies on the gastronomic and cultural context of this local product.

Designing of smart tourism organization (STO) for tourism management: A case study of tourism organizations of South Khorasan province, Iran

The present study uses a review of the literature and the views of tourism and management professors and experts in order to the identification of organizational intelligence elements in tourism management (STO) for the first time. The census method was used to determine the research sample and the Delphi technique was used to design the questionnaire. Construct divergence was then used to determine the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. The final results indicated that providing e-services for tourists had the greatest impact on the development of STO (loading factor: 0.677). Moreover, New Tourism Marketing Methods (NTMM) had the least effect on the development of STO (loading factor: 0.431). Overall, the most important achievement of the present research is introducing the concept of STO in tourism management.

Whale Shark Tourism: Impacts on Coral Reefs in the Philippines

Reef-based tourism has been developing rapidly in recent decades yet its impacts on reef ecosystems are often overlooked. In Tan-awan, Oslob, Philippines, whale sharks are attracted to the shallow reefs where they are provisioned up to 50 tons y^-1 of feed and this phenomenon in turn attracts >300,000 y^-1 visitors. Given the intensive provisioning and concentrating tourism activities, we hypothesized that the whale shark tourism-impacted site (IS) will have greater impacts on reef degradation and higher anthropogenic nitrogen pollution level compared to its reference site (RS). Ecological surveys revealed that relative to the RS, the IS had 36% higher relative abundance of Pocillopora and Porites coral over other genera, >2.5-fold lower coral density, and 20% higher macroalgal cover, which we concluded are signs of reef degradation. Also, we conducted stable nitrogen isotope analysis on gorgonian skeletons to trace nitrogen sources at both sites through time. Although an average 1‰ isotope enrichment found in the IS relative to the RS could indicate anthropogenic nitrogen inputs in the IS, this enrichment was consistent over time and existed before the tourism developed. Despite that, we cautioned against the imminent threat of local eutrophication caused by the continued inputs of nitrogen derived from provisioning and tourism activities. In summary, this study provided the first documentation of the impacts of provisioned whale shark tourism on the local reefs in Tan-awan and established an ecological baseline for future comparisons. Such assessments can offer important information on reef health, coastal development, and tourism management.

Recreational Diver Behavior and Contacts with Benthic Organisms in the Abrolhos National Marine Park, Brazil

In the last two decades, coral reefs have become popular among recreational divers, especially inside marine protected areas. However, the impact caused by divers on benthic organisms may be contributing to the degradation of coral reefs. We analyzed the behavior of 142 scuba divers in the Abrolhos National Marine Park, Brazil. We tested the effect of diver profile, reef type, use of additional equipment, timing, and group size on diver behavior and their contacts with benthic organisms. Eighty-eight percent of divers contacted benthic organism at least once, with an average of eight touches and one damage per dive. No significant differences in contacts were verified among gender, group size, or experience level. Artificial reef received a higher rate of contact than pinnacle and fringe reefs. Specialist photographers and sidemount users had the highest rates, while non-users of additional equipment and mini camera users had the lowest contact rates. The majority of contacts were incidental and the highest rates occurred in the beginning of a dive. Our findings highlight the need of management actions, such as the provision of pre-dive briefing including ecological aspects of corals and beginning dives over sand bottoms or places with low coral abundance. Gathering data on diver behavior provides managers with information that can be used for tourism management.

[Ecotourism disturbances to non-human primates]

In tandem with economic growth and rising living conditions, ecotourism has increasingly gained popularity among the Chinese public. Non-human primates, as charismatic animals and the closest relatives of human beings, have shown a strong affinity in attracting the general public and raising money, and for that reason a variety of monkey parks, valleys, and islands are becoming increasingly popular in China. Though successful in raising a substantial sum of money for the managing agency of a nature reserve, there may be negative impacts on monkey groups used in ecotourism. Here, to establish effective guards for non-human primates involved in ecotourism, we present a review on tourism disturbance and summarize the negative impacts on behavioral patterns, reproduction, and health condition of animals.