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In this article, the authors analyse a complex social process affecting historic public paths in rural areas in southern Spain. Despite the fact that urban populations are demanding the enhancement of this type of natural heritage for tourism, sports and recreational use, some parts of the network have been abandoned or usurped.

The study is multidisciplinary, comprising three interlinked studies. The cartographic study comprises an inventory of public paths in rural areas based on administrative sources. The legal study analyses local, regional and national regulations governing agricultural, environmental, heritage, sports and tourism uses of the infrastructure. The sociological study analyses social discourses on the uses of public paths, and identifies conflicts between farmers, landowners, environmentalists, sportspeople and tourists.

The preliminary results identified an important public paths network in Andalusia, approximately 160,000 km. The legal study found that there are laws regulating use, although local authorities do not monitor compliance or provide solutions to enhance management. The sociological study determined the attribution of environmental, cultural and economic value to public paths, but also the existence of conflicts between rural and urban populations.

Given that this is ongoing research, only state of the art and some preliminary albeit sufficiently consistent results are presented.

The results could help to guide public policy and governance of public paths.

Public paths promote rural development and a green/sustainable economy.

The research results and conclusions are original.

This study investigated the travel intentions (TIs) of Chinese travelers and their utilization of virtual tourism technology during the Zero COVID-19 policy period by using a stimulus-organism-response (SOR) model. The study specifically examines the interplay between knowledge of policy, perception of risk, TI, usage of virtual tourism technology (UVTT) and the mediating role of personal values.

The data were collected from 333 Chinese travelers through an online questionnaire, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the proposed hypotheses.

The study suggests that knowledge of policy and risk perception increase changes in personal values (PVs), which, in turn, affect Chinese travelers' TIs and the UVTT, with PVs playing a mediating role. Risk perception has a positive effect on the UVTT.

This study highlights the positive impact of tourism policy knowledge and risk awareness on individual values as a stimulus. Stakeholders need to implement industry-specific policies that are in line with scientific developments. Tourism managers should prioritize understanding the psychological reactions of tourists in crises and provide support to mitigate negative emotions. Anticipating changes in PVs is crucial, as instability affects tourists' behavior. The findings of the study also provide valuable insights for technology designers and underscore the substitutability of virtual technologies in improving the tourism experience.

This study is the first to examine the mediating role of PVs in the relationship between knowledge of policy, tourism risk perception (TRP), TI and the UVTT based on the SOR model. The insights gained from this analysis can assist policymakers and tourism managers in understanding the psychological changes of tourists, thereby facilitating the development of appropriate tourism planning.

The digital economy has become a key force supporting the high-quality development of tourism. This paper discusses the coupling coordination relationship and spatiotemporal evolution path of digital economy and tourism in China's provinces.

This paper uses the entropy method to measure the development level of digital economy and tourism, and establishes coupling coordination model and spatial autocorrelation model to study the interaction between the two industries.

Results show that the development levels of the two industries are rising, which spatially show a progressively decreasing pattern of east-middle-northeast-west. The coupling coordination degrees of the two industries have increased steadily, but the overall level is still near maladjusted. Spatially, the positive correlation is increasing, but the incongruity of spatial agglomeration is still significant. The coupling coordination evolution path in the provinces shows differentiated characteristics. The migration path is mainly concentrated in Zones I and II. The eastern region has an obvious trend of extending to Zone III, where the tourism industry was the most affected by the pandemic.

The study helps clarify the industrial coupling and coordination relationship in various regions and formulate regional tourism digital transformation strategies to promote the high-quality development of China's tourism industry.

This paper enriches the research on the relationship between digital economy and tourism from the perspective of industrial integration. The development commonality of China's tourism digital transformation summarized provides theoretical reference and demonstration for the coordinated development of China's tourism.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the contribution of big data in the transforming process of an IT firm to a learning organization.

The authors adopted a qualitative research approach to define and interpret the ideas and experiences of the IT firms’ employees and to present them to the readers directly. For this purpose, they followed a single-case study design. They researched on a small and medium enterprise operating in the IT sector in Düzce province, Turkey. This paper used a semi-structured interview and document analysis as data collecting methods. In all, eight interviews were conducted with employees. Brochures and website of the organization were used as data sources for the document analysis.

As a result of in-depth interviews and document analysis, the authors formed five main themes that describe perception of big data and learning organization concepts, methods and practices adopted in transforming process, usage areas of big data in organization and how the sample organization uses big data as a learning organization. The findings of this paper show that the sample organization is a learning IT firm that has used big data in transforming to learning organization and in maintaining the learning culture.

The findings contribute to literature as it is one of the first studies that examine the influence of big data on the transformation process of an IT firm to a learning organization. The findings reveal that IT firms benefit from the solutions of big data while learning. However, as the design of the research is single-case study, the findings may be specific to the sample organization. Future studies are required that examine the subject in different samples and by different research designs.

In literature, research on how IT firms’ managers and employees use big data in organizational learning process is limited. The authors expect that this paper will shed light on future research that examines the effect of big data on the learning process of the organization.

Awe is an important yet largely overlooked emotion in tourism. This paper aims to reveal the underlying mechanism of the effects of nature-inspired awe on stimulating tourists' environmentally responsible behavior (TERB) intention by delving into the serial mediation effect of state construal level, small-self perception and state connectedness to nature (CNT).

This research was built upon the appraisal theory of emotion. Study 1 was a scenario-induced quasi-experimental study to test the proposed model linking awe, small-self perception, state CNT and TERB intention. A total of 271 valid questionnaires were collected via an online questionnaire platform. Study 2 was a field study designed to replicate the findings of Study 1 and further uncover the mediating role of the state construal level. Study 2 was conducted in Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area, China. A total of 229 valid questionnaires were used for analysis.

This research deepens our understanding of the effects of nature-inspired awe in the tourism and travel fields. This research uncovers the underlying mechanism by which awe increases TERB intention through serial mediation. Specifically, awe inspires tourists to apply a higher level of construal, which makes tourists perceive a smaller self, making them feel more connected to nature and exert more intention to adopt ERB.

This research linked tourists' mindset (i.e. state construal level), internal (i.e. small-self perception) and external (i.e. state CNT) cognition in an integrated model, explaining how nature-inspired awe contributes to eliciting TERB intention. The findings add critical theoretical contributions to the travel and tourism literature and provide important implications for the tourism industry to inspire awe and benefit from such emotion.

敬畏在旅游中是一种十分重要的情绪, 但却鲜少被关注。本研究旨在深入研究解释水平状态、小我感知和自然关联感的链式中介效应, 揭示自然敬畏激发游客环境责任行为意向的内在作用机制。

本研究的基础理论为情绪评价理论。研究一通过场景诱导的准实验研究, 检验将敬畏、小我感知、自然关联感和游客责任行为意向的假设模型; 研究一以网络问卷平台收集的271份有效问卷数据进行分析。研究二是一项在中国白云山风景区开展的实地研究, 旨在检验研究一的研究结果, 并进一步揭示解释水平状态的中介效应; 研究二采用229份有效问卷数据进行分析。

本研究揭示了敬畏通过链式中介作用影响游客环境责任行为意向的内在作用机制, 深化了对自然敬畏在旅游和旅行领域价值的理解。具体而言, 本研究发现敬畏激发了游客启动更高的解释水平, 这使游客感知到更渺小的自我, 并促使他们感到与自然的联系更加紧密, 从而提升了游客的环境责任行为意向。

本研究将游客的心理定式（即解释水平状态）、内在认知（即小我感知）和外部认知（即自然关联感）整合到一个综合模型中, 解释了自然敬畏引发游客环境责任行为意向的作用机制。研究结果为旅游研究提供了重要的理论贡献, 也为旅游行业如何在实践中激发敬畏感并从中获得效益提供了重要的实践启示。

El asombro es una emoción importante pero en gran medida ignorada en el turismo. Esta investigación pretende revelar el mecanismo subyacente de los efectos del asombro inspirado por la naturaleza en la estimulación de la intención del comportamiento responsable con el medio ambiente (TERB) de los turistas, profundizando en el efecto mediador en serie del nivel de interpretación del estado, la percepción del pequeño yo y la conexión del estado con la naturaleza (CNT).

Esta investigación se basó en la teoría de la valoración de la emoción. El estudio 1 fue un estudio cuasiexperimental inducido por escenarios para probar el modelo propuesto que vincula el sentimiento de asombro, la percepción del pequeño yo, el estado CNT y la intención TERB. Se recogieron 271 cuestionarios válidos a través de una plataforma de cuestionarios en línea. El Estudio 2 fue un estudio de campo diseñado para replicar los hallazgos del Estudio 1 y descubrir más a fondo el papel mediador del nivel de interpretación del estado. El estudio 2 se llevó a cabo en la zona escénica de la montaña de Baiyun (China). Se utilizó un total de 229 cuestionarios válidos para el análisis.

Esta investigación profundiza en nuestra comprensión de los efectos del asombro inspirado por la naturaleza en los ámbitos del turismo y los viajes. Esta investigación descubre el mecanismo subyacente por el que el asombro aumenta la intención de TERB a través de la mediación en serie. En concreto, el asombro inspira a los turistas a aplicar un mayor nivel de interpretación, lo que hace que los turistas perciban un yo más pequeño, lo que les hace sentirse más conectados con la naturaleza y ejercer así una mayor intención de adoptar TERB.

Esta investigación vinculó la mentalidad de los turistas (es decir, el nivel de nterpretación del estado), la cognición interna (es decir, la percepción de un yo más pequeño) y la externa (es decir, la CNT del estado) en un modelo integrado, explicando cómo el asombro inspirado por la naturaleza contribuye a suscitar la intención TERB. Los hallazgos añaden contribuciones teóricas críticas a la literatura sobre viajes y turismo y proporcionan implicaciones importantes para que la industria turística inspire asombro y se beneficie de dicha emoción.

Religious tourism is one of the oldest and fastest-growing segments. This study analyzes religious tourism through the pilgrimage of Muslims to the holy city of Mecca and has the following objectives: (1) establish the motivational dimensions of religious tourism; (2) identify the motivational dimensions that predict the satisfaction of religious tourism and (3) determine the motivational dimensions that predict return, recommend and say positive things about religious tourism applied to the pilgrimage to a sacred city.

The sample consisted of Muslim pilgrims who had visited Mecca. The sample was collected in Bahrain, a country located on the Persian Gulf, where most of its population is Muslim. A total of 380 valid questionnaires were obtained online. For the data analysis, factorial analysis and the multiple regression method enter were performed.

The results show that religious motivations are more important when visiting a sacred city than secular ones. Three motivational dimensions were found: religious, social and cultural and shopping. The three dimensions found have a significant relationship with satisfaction and loyalty. Likewise, it was found that the religious motivational dimension is the factor that most predicts satisfaction and loyalty in the behavior of religious visits to a sacred city.

The main limitation of the present study was the temporality in which the sample was taken because the demand may vary at another time of the year and therefore vary its results.

The authors of the study recommend that holy cities increase the religious motivations of these travelers by periodically researching their needs and organizing services to suit their desired spiritual experience. Also, to improve the social and cultural part, travel agencies and tourist companies to Mecca should promote social and cultural motivation among travelers in an appropriate way by providing service packages that involve visits to cultural and social sites such as museums and cultural centers.

This research will serve as a management guide for public institutions and private companies to develop more efficient planning in religious destinations and sacred cities.

This study is the first to analyze the construct of motivations in the pilgrimage to the city of Mecca, to then establish what the main motivations are that predict satisfaction and loyalty in a religious city. Thus, its results provide important information for tourist destination managers and tourism service providers.

This study aims to explore the influence of risk preference and information acquisition on outdoor tourism safety decision-making.

Five hundred twenty outdoor tourists were surveyed, and data were analyzed using two-stage regression.

Risk preference positively affects tourists’ safety decisions for outdoor travel. The greater the risk preference is, the more likely the tourists are to make the risky decision of outdoor tourism. Information acquisition significantly negatively affects tourists’ safety decisions for outdoor tourism. Tourists who obtain information through social channels are more likely to make safer travel decisions than those who do not.

Risk preference and information acquisition are introduced into outdoor tourism safety research.

This research focuses on analysing the effect of wine tourism on green product and process innovations developed by Spanish wineries. In addition, age, size and membership in a protected designation of origin (PDO) are introduced as control variables to increase the precision of the cause–effect relationship analysed.

The study proposes a conceptual model based on previous studies, which is tested using structural equations (partial least squares structural equation modelling [PLS-SEM]) with data collected from 202 Spanish wineries.

The research results show that wine tourism activity has a positive and significant influence on green product and process innovation.

The research contributes to the academic literature in several ways. First, the study advances knowledge and understanding of the benefits generated by wine tourism. Second, the research contributes to the literature that analyses the wine tourism–sustainability link, since it is predicted that this type of tourism can increase the capacity for green innovation. Third, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no previous research that has analysed wine tourism as a catalytic variable for green innovation. Fourth, the proposed theoretical model has not been previously addressed in the academic literature, so the study represents an important advance in scientific knowledge.

The purpose of this study is to examine how the tourism economy affects local food availability, access, utilization and stability in dessert-prone agricultural heritage sites. Specifically, the study aims to explore the relationship between the tourism industry and local agricultural practices and how this connection influences food security in the Siwa Oasis, located in the Western Desert of Egypt.

The study employs a qualitative exploratory research design using in-depth interviews and focus groups to investigate the impact of the tourism economy on food security and identify potential benefits and limitations for food security in the region.

The research reveals that the tourism economy in Siwa Oasis has only a marginal contribution to food security. The study highlights a lack of a strong connection between the tourism industry and local agricultural practices within the heritage site. As a result, the potential benefits and synergies that could be achieved between tourism and agriculture have not been fully realized, leading to a limited impact on food stability.

This study primarily relies on qualitative data from Siwa Oasis, Egypt, which may limit the generalizability of findings beyond this specific context. Additionally, while the study provides valuable insights into the complex relationship between tourism and food security, it does not quantitatively measure the magnitude of tourism's impact. Future research could incorporate quantitative methods for a more comprehensive understanding of this relationship in diverse desert-prone regions. Finally, the study highlights the need for more integrated approaches to enhance food security through tourism, but the specific strategies and policy recommendations require further investigation and adaptation to local contexts.

This study underscores the need for tourism development strategies that prioritize food security in desert-prone areas like Siwa Oasis. Policymakers and stakeholders should promote sustainable tourism practices that enhance local agriculture, create diversified income sources and foster equitable benefits for communities. Moreover, recognizing the seasonal nature of tourism, interventions to address food shortages during off-peak periods are crucial. Efforts should also focus on skill development and gender-inclusive opportunities within the tourism sector to ensure broader community participation. Additionally, collaborations between tourism and agriculture should be encouraged to optimize food availability and stability while preserving cultural food traditions.

This study adds original insights by examining the specific impact of the tourism economy on food security in dessert-prone agricultural heritage sites. The study's originality lies in its exploration of the untapped potential for synergy between the tourism and agricultural sectors and the implications for local food security. This research contributes to understanding how tourism can improve food security in specific contexts and provides valuable insights into sustainable development in heritage sites.

The study investigates the mediated moderation impact of Memorable Religious Experience (MRE) and Religiosity (REL) on the relationship between Memorable Tourism Experience (MTE) and Attitude towards Pilgrimage (ATT) finally driving Recommend Intention (RCI) of visitors to a religious site. It suggests visitors' incentive variable religiosity can influence their decision to recommend visiting a religious destination.

The research uses a quantitative cross-sectional approach wherein a self-administered survey was used for data collection from 223 pilgrims who visited a popular pilgrimage site. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed for analysis.

The results showed that MTE has a significant influence on ATT which further influences RCI (a dimension of behavioral intention-BI) of visitors towards a religious destination. Further, MRE mediates the relationship between MTE and ATT. Nevertheless, REL illustrated a significant moderation influence on the relationship between MRE and ATT, further verifying the mediated moderation impact of MRE and REL in the model.

Recommendation of existing customers is one of the most powerful indicators of customer loyalty and usually leads to revisit. The research provides destination managers/tourism planners of pilgrimage sites to formulate appropriate marketing strategies to develop RCI and sustainable branding.

This study adds to the empirical studies conducted on REL by constructing a composite picture of the memorable tourism experience within a pilgrimage tourism context. The uniqueness lies in the attempt to investigate the mediated moderation impact of MRE and REL using a symmetric (PLS-SEM) approach.