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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 research paper aims to investigate the predictors and outcomes of immersive technology adoption in tourism.

PLS-SEM is used for data collected from tourists visiting the UAE and Egypt to examine predictors and consequences of adoption.

It is revealed that perceived ease of use, enjoyment, immersion, usefulness and attitude towards technology predict immersive technology adoption. It is also revealed that the adoption affects tourists’ perceived value and engagement, which, in turn, affects tourists’ satisfaction and loyalty.

The study has integrated a research model that combines both antecedents and consequences of immersive technology adoption where few empirical investigations were revealed to draw conclusions on this research area. Also, missing relations have been included and tested in the research model.

This paper investigates the interrelationships of destination social responsibility (DSR), emotional attachment, self-congruity, experiential satisfaction and environmentally responsible behavior (ERB).

Using a sample of 294 visitors to the Guangzhou Zoo in China, this study tested the aforementioned relationships via structural equation modeling.

Emotional attachment mediates the effect of DSR on experiential satisfaction, while emotional attachment and experiential satisfaction mediate the effect of DSR on ERB sequentially. Moreover, self-congruity moderates the relationship between DSR and emotional attachment.

The management of zoos should use DSR communication strategies more proactively to make visitors become well-aware of their economic, philanthropic, environmental and social activities in the host community. This will result in many positive consequences, including visitors’ ERBs.

The study adds to the DSR literature by introducing multiple mediation mechanisms and paths that lead to visitors’ ERBs.

我们的论文调查了目的地社会责任 (DSR) 情感依恋、自我一致性、体验满意度和对环境负责的行为 (ERB) 之间的相互关系。

我们的研究以中国广州动物园的 294 名游客为样本, 通过结构方程模型测试了上述关系。

情感依恋介导 DSR 对体验满意度的影响, 而情感依恋和体验满意度依次介导 DSR 对 ERB 的影响。 此外, 自我一致性调节 DSR 与情感依恋之间的关系。

动物园的管理层应该更积极地使用 DSR 沟通策略, 让游客充分了解他们在东道社区的经济、慈善、环境和社会活动。 这将带来许多积极的后果, 包括访客的 ERB。

该研究通过引入多种调解机制和导致访客 ERB 的路径增加了 DSR 文献。

nuestro artículo investiga las interrelaciones de la responsabilidad social del destino (DSR), el apego emocional, la autocongruencia, la satisfacción experiencial y el comportamiento ambientalmente responsable (ERB).

utilizando una muestra de 294 visitantes del zoológico de Guangzhou en China, nuestro estudio probó las relaciones antes mencionadas a través del modelo de ecuaciones estructurales.

el apego emocional media el efecto de DSR en la satisfacción experiencial, mientras que el apego emocional y la satisfacción experiencial median el efecto de DSR en ERB secuencialmente. Además, la autocongruencia modera la relación entre DSR y apego emocional.

la administración de los zoológicos debe utilizar estrategias de comunicación de DSR de manera más proactiva para que los visitantes estén bien informados sobre sus actividades económicas, filantrópicas, ambientales y sociales en la comunidad anfitriona. Esto tendrá muchas consecuencias positivas, incluidos los ERB de los visitantes.

el estudio se suma a la literatura de DSR al presentar múltiples mecanismos de mediación y caminos que conducen a los ERB de los visitantes.

The objective of this study was to examine the relationships among festival personality, satisfaction and loyalty. Also, the study further analyzed the moderation effect of involvement on the relationships between festival personality, satisfaction and loyalty.

The authors adopt a two-stage mixed-method approach. Through a list of brand personality traits from previous research and in-depth interviews with participants of a film festival, festival personality constructs were identified: exceptional, competent, reliable and cozy. The authors then analyzed an integrative model of festival personality, satisfaction, involvement and loyalty from the qualitative findings. A survey with a convenience sample of 279 film festival participants was conducted.

The findings suggest that festival personality influence satisfaction and loyalty. Furthermore, this study confirms the significant impact of involvement on the relationships between festival personality, satisfaction and loyalty.

This study enables authors to understand the festival personality from the perspective of the visitors and expands the theoretical understanding of how the personality of the festival affects the visitors. The findings of this study suggest that the festival personality can be predictors and determinants of participants' satisfaction and loyalty. Also, this is one of the first attempts to identify the effects of involvement on festival personality and its outcomes. Current research findings demonstrated involvement as a moderator variable in the relationships between festival personality and festival satisfaction and loyalty.

This study, a conceptual paper, analyses the growth of curation in tourism and hospitality and the curator role in selecting and framing products and experiences. It considers the growth of expert, algorithmic, social and co-creative curation modes and their effects.

Narrative and integrative reviews of literature on curation and tourism and hospitality are used to develop a typology of curation and identify different curation modes.

Curational techniques are increasingly used to organise experience supply and distribution in mainstream fields, including media, retailing and fashion. In tourism and hospitality, curated tourism, curated hospitality brands and food offerings and place curation by destination marketing organisations are growing. Curation is undertaken by experts, algorithms and social groups and involves many of destination-related actors, producing a trend towards “hybrid curation” of places.

Research is needed on different forms of curation, their differential effects and the power roles of different curational modes.

Curation is a widespread intermediary function in tourism and hospitality, supporting better consumer choice. New curators influence experience supply and the distribution of consumer attention, shaping markets and co-creative activities. Increased curatorial activity should stimulate aesthetic and stylistic innovation and provide the basis for storytelling and narrative in tourism and hospitality.

This is the first study of curational strategies in tourism and hospitality, providing a definition and typology of curation, and linking micro and macro levels of analysis. It suggests the growth of choice-based logic alongside service-dominant logic in tourism and hospitality.

This study aims to focus on assessing the psychometric properties necessary to validate the internal structure of the TOURQUAL scale.

A quantitative research study was conducted in collaboration with the Brazilian Network of Tourism Observatories, comprising 927 respondents surveyed between October 2021 and May 2022. The data analysis involved the application of descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis, in alignment with the principles outlined in the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing 2014 to validate the scale.

The findings of this study validate the TOURQUAL scale as a robust tool for assessing the perceived quality of tourist services, with results demonstrating one-dimensionality and replicability.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to assess the psychometric properties for validating the internal structure of the TOURQUAL scale.

The qualitative approach was applied the discover the optimum answers to the research objectives, which are (1) to understand the cultural and hedonistic characteristics of the (Lanna) Songkran festival; and (2) to examine the dilemma between cultural rituals and hedonistic activity for tourism.

This study used a case study of the Songkran festival in Chiang Mai to examine the dilemma between cultural rituals and hedonism for tourism, which brings lost or misperceived cultural values and identities. The semi-structured interview (SSI) with senior locals and participant observation during the festival was conducted in Chiang Mai, Thailand, to obtain the in-depth phenomena of the existing celebration pattern at the festival.

The study findings show three crucial phenomena that explain characteristics of unsynchronized cultural rituals and hedonistic activities for tourism: (1) the parallel phenomenon between cultural values and celebration practice, (2) the movement of local culture and(3) the hedonistic characteristics of the festival.

The study extends the knowledge on the interplay phenomena between cultural festivals and tourism; also, the involved stakeholders, such as local communities, public sectors and private sectors, can use the study findings in creating policies for using cultural festivals to promote a destination and urban economic development that will minimise cultural values distort while increase tourism economic values.

This study was conducted qualitatively, including SSIs and participant observation at the Songkran festival in Chiang Mai. The study findings were analysed, based on the empirical data, into significant themes representing the characteristics of dilemma phenomena within the festival.

The use of augmented reality (AR) and experiential learning go hand in hand. Although AR learning opportunities have been well discussed, there is limited empirical research on the use of AR within higher education settings. Drawing from the uses and gratifications theory (U&GT), this study aims to explore the use of AR for learning satisfaction and student engagement, while also examining differences in learning styles.

This study used experiments with higher education students in the UK to explore the use of AR as part of the learning experience. Data from 173 students who experienced AR as part of their learning experience were analysed using partial least square analysis.

The authors found that hedonic, utilitarian, sensual and modality gratifications influence AR learning satisfaction and student engagement. Furthermore, the authors found differences between active and passive learners with regards to utilitarian (information seeking, personalisation) and sensual gratifications (immersion, presence) and effects on learning satisfaction.

This study developed and validated a U&GT framework incorporating different learning styles rooted in Kolb’s learning cycle. Findings provide important implications for the use of commercial AR applications as part of the learning experience within higher education settings.

The research aims to identify the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site (WHS) managers' perception of cultural sustainability concepts and elements in tourism.

A literature review was carried out to identify the main speeches and characteristic elements of cultural sustainability present in the academic field, and then a quantitative survey was carried out with 60 managers of UNESCO WHSs to evaluate their perception of the theme.

The results show that managers believe that the concept of cultural sustainability is much more closely linked to the social dimension of sustainability than to the economic and environmental dimensions. Thus, elements such as the preservation of tangible and intangible assets, the participation of society in the management of heritage, the democratization of access, the guarantee of the appreciation of culture and its preservation for future generations are basic elements for cultural sustainability. Finally, although they believe that understanding the concept of cultural sustainability is fundamental to their activities, they still lack knowledge of how to measure cultural sustainability in their spaces.

Although the theme of sustainability has several published studies, most of the work focuses only on studies of its social, economic and environmental dimensions. The debates on the role of culture in sustainability are still incipient, and understanding the managers' perception of the topic enables the creation of more effective strategies that guarantee cultural sustainability in heritage by tourism.

Based on stimulus-organism-response theory, this study aims to develop and tests a model of memorable heritage tourism experience (MHTE). The model proposes that experiencescape, experience co-creation, education and photography are important antecedents of MHTE, which is then a driver of place attachment.

Data for this study were collected using a Web-based questionnaire of people aged 18 years and over who had a heritage tourism experience during the previous three months (February–April 2023). The survey was distributed in May 2023 using Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). A survey link was posted on MTurk, which remained active for the first week of May 2023. Out of the 283 responses received, 272 were valid responses from individuals who met the participation criteria.

Experiencescape, experience co-creation, education and photography were found to be positive drivers of the MHTE, with a positive relationship between MHTE and place attachment.

Many studies linked to memorable tourism experience (MTE) mainly replicate Kim, Ritchie, & McCormick’s (2012) MTE scale, regardless of the specific study context. This study offers an alternative framework through which alternative antecedents and outcomes of tourists’ MTE can be identified.