Search results

The popularity of adventure activities in leisure and tourism is escalating, yet little is known about how personality and perceived constraints can prevent consumption of such activities. The aim of this study was to test a model of the mediating role of psychological constraints in explaining the relationship between personality and interest in adventure activity participation. Based on a questionnaire survey of 1,324 respondents, a quantitative analysis using structural equation modeling (SEM) was carried out. The results show that personality does influence psychological constraints, which in turn have a significant negative effect on adventure activity participation. Increased knowledge about the constraints to adventure activity participation can contribute to realizing the full development potential that lies in adventure consumption in leisure and tourism. Implications of the research can prove valuable in both leisure and tourism marketing and management.

This theoretical paper provides an analytical review of a number of existing tourist typologies developed from a sociological perspective. Although current approaches to classification have contributed considerably towards an understanding of the tourist, they are still open to some salient criticisms. First, many of the typologies reviewed are based upon the unsystematic observations and/or a priori theoretical assumptions of their creators. Second, these taxonomies tend to focus on the individual (i.e., tourist), thereby neglecting social and cultural influences. Third, several of these typologies are constructed along just one or very few dimensions, such as number of tourists. In order to overcome these weaknesses, it is suggested that future research should adopt an ernic approach, focus on the home society and culture that the tourist inhabits, and finally, use several dimensions in the attempt to construct a tourist typology that provides explanation in addition to understanding.

The essence of the demand for nature‐based tourism is an important issue seen from both an academic and practitioner's perspective. One approach to understanding it is to examine the relationship between tourists' travel motivations and activities. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to conduct an empirical study of the links between travel motivations and travel activities within the nature‐based tourism context.

Performing a series of logistic regression analyses, the authors have adopted this approach to empirically investigate the travel motivations and activities (participated/planned to participate) of a sample of nature‐based tourists in Northern Norway.

The study clearly confirms the strong link between travel motivations and activities. More specifically, the study findings are moderated by the fact that “Novelty”, “Prestige”, and “Physical activity” are the main sources of motivation for participating in whale safaris, fishing and hiking respectively. Furthermore, the findings show that non‐Norwegian tourists are considerably more likely than Norwegians to participate in these nature‐based activities. Theoretical and practical implications of the study are also provided.

The survey was conducted in a limited geographical area, and the results should accordingly be tested in several places. Analysis of other motives and activities will provide further information.

Knowledge about factors motivating tourists to participate (or not) in certain nature‐based activities is of value to the industry, both in marketing and providing service to the customers.

The paper adds useful knowledge to the relationship between nature‐based tourists' travel motivations and activities.

This investigation studied a sample of 900 prospective international tourists to Norway with respect to their attitudes towards environmental sustainability on holiday. Sustainability was measured using a single item according to which the sample was first divided into highly sustainable tourists and low-sustainable tourists. Later, using a CHAID analysis, predictors of sustainability were identified. These included gender, nationality, being a nature-based tourist or not, and being interested in authenticity or not. The results showed that people who considered authenticity as important on holiday had a higher probability of being highly sustainable tourists. Further, different segments were identified. For instance, the segment that had the greatest likelihood of being highly sustainable tourists was represented by German tourists who were highly interested in authenticity on holiday.

Tourism research contains a large share of consumer behavior-orientated studies using multidimensional constructs (exogenous/endogenous). Accordingly, scholars have mainly made use of a two-step approach that can be referred to as PCA-MLR (principal component analysis and then ordinary least squares multiple linear regression analysis) to examine the relationships among exogenous and endogenous constructs in a statistical model. Although this two-step approach has contributed to the advancement of tourism research, it still suffers from a number of drawbacks which can readily be overcome by a so-called second-generation statistical tool, namely, partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The current chapter explains and illustrates (with an application to tourism data) the advantages (e.g., several layers of estimations, suiting small sample sizes, robustness to multicollinearity, model-based clustering, etc.) of PLS-SEM both from a statistical and practical point of view. Finally, an elucidation is also provided for suggesting PLS-SEM as an alternative to PCA-MLR instead of COV-SEM (covariance-based structural equation modeling). The chapter concludes by proposing that PLS-SEM is a reliable and flexible statistical approach that is of high value, in particular, for applied research.

Tourism motivation is a prerequisite in understanding tourist behavior. Push and pull factors have provided a simple framework for comprehending tourism motivation in various contexts. Nevertheless, many of the propositions related to the push–pull framework have rarely been empirically examined. One of these suggests that pull factors both respond to and reinforce push factors. The current study, consequently, examines this twofold proposition empirically through partial least-squares path modeling. The findings indicate that push factors influence the tourism-demand variable (length of vacation) via pull factors and vice versa. Further, the findings indicate that the total effects of push and pull factors on the tourism-demand variable of the study are nearly equal. Theoretical and practical implications are also provided.

The objective of the current study was to examine the relationship between visitation patterns of museums at home when compared to museums visited on holidays taken. The data were collected from a sample of residents of Alta, a fjord town in northern Norway. A multiple discriminant analysis was first conducted to ascertain the factors that increased the probability of visiting a museum at home. The variables that correlated significantly with the discriminant function were collectively named “cultural consumption”. Subsequently, a bivariate correlation analysis was performed in order to examine the relationship between the significant discriminant function and the frequency of visits of the same sample to museums on their holidays. Theoretical and practical implications of the study are also discussed.

This study aims to focus on what types of atmospheric experiences emotionally touch visitors at a winter park. The objective is to describe and explain the relationship between: three atmospheric constructs (ambience, interaction, and design); the construct of joy; and the construct of customer loyalty.

The research data are based on a study of customers visiting a Norwegian winter park, in which 162 visitors participated in the survey. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to test the measurements and structural properties between atmospheric experiences, joy, and loyalty to winter parks.

The findings reveal that two out of the three constructs of atmospheric experiences are linked to customers' feelings of joy, namely, design and interaction. The atmospheric construct of design had the strongest impact on customers' emotions. Furthermore, the study finds that customers' feelings of joy are highly related to the construct of customer loyalty.

The study limits its focus to one type of hedonic service, namely customers visiting a winter park. Although the results from the study offer implications for other winter parks, there is a need for further research in other hedonic services to verify their validity, reliability, and generality.

The study emphasizes how important it is that managers of hedonic services consider the significance of the atmospheric construct of design in such a way that it contributes positively to customers' experiences of the service setting. In particular, managers should focus on design in relation to customers' experiences in order to evoke feelings of joy.

The study establishes the need to manage customers' atmospheric experiences in winter parks. It also links atmospheric constructs to customers' emotions.

The aim of this study is to examine factors related to employee engagement in frontline jobs in service firms.

A conceptual model was developed and tested on a survey in which 279 hospitality frontline employees participated.

The findings show that employee engagement is closely linked to employees' innovative behaviour. Accordingly, the study clearly reveals the value of having an engaged frontline workforce. Moreover, the results show that perceptions of role benefit, job autonomy, and strategic attention were all significantly related to greater employee engagement.

This study limits its examination to the antecedents and effects of employee engagement for two types of service organizations.

The study has demonstrated the importance for managers of having an engaged workforce. In particular, it is important for managers to notice that engagement is a major driver to innovative behaviour. Consequently, one general and key practical implication from this study is the importance for mangers to measure regularly the engagement of their workforce.

This paper enhances one's knowledge of factors linked to employee engagement.