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Some researchers have found that disasters may have a “blessing in disguise effect” that some disaster sites transformed into more popular tourism destinations; however, no studies have analyzed the heterogeneity of the “blessing in disguise effect”. This paper aims to explore and determine the effect of cultural distance on international inbound tourist arrivals to a post-disaster tourist destination that could explain this heterogeneous phenomenon.

This study used a threshold regression model and a differences-in-differences (DID) approach to analyze 2000–2016 international tourist arrival data from 13 main origin countries to Sichuan Province before and after the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake in China.

The effect of cultural distance on post-disaster inbound arrivals from the various origin countries followed a non-linear U-shaped “double-edged sword” pattern rather than displaying a simple linear relationship. Most notably, the disaster appeared to have a more positive effect on arrivals from countries with larger cultural distances, while the effect on arrivals from countries with shorter cultural distances was negative.

This study found that cultural distance could explain the heterogeneous “blessing in disguise” phenomenon, and it had both positive and negative impacts on tourism destination recovery; that is, a definite “double-edged sword effect” of cultural distance was found, which could help destination marketing organizations and management departments to design appropriately targeted marketing for post-disaster tourism destination recovery.

些研究人员发现, 灾难可能会产生“因祸得福效应”, 即一些灾难现场变成了更受欢迎的旅游目的地。然而, 目前还没有研究分析这种“因祸得福效应”的异质性。本研究旨在探讨文化距离对灾后旅游目的地的国际入境旅游流的影响, 从而解释这种异质性现象。

本文采用门槛回归模型和双重差分法（DID）分析了2008年汶川地震发生前后（2000–2016年）来自13个主要来源国到中国四川省旅游的国际入境旅游流数据。

文化距离对灾后客源国的入境旅游人数的影响呈现非线性的U型“双刃剑”模式, 而不是简单的线性关系。最值得注意的是, 灾难似乎对来自文化距离较大的客源国的游客人数产生了更积极的影响, 而对来自文化距离较短的客源国的游客人数产生了消极的影响。

本研究发现, 文化距离可以解释异质性的“因祸得福”现象, 文化距离对旅游目的地恢复既有积极影响, 也有消极影响, 即文化距离具有明确的“双刃剑效应”。这可以帮助旅游目的地的灾后恢复设计合理的、有针对性的营销策略和恢复政策。

Algunos investigadores han encontrado que los desastres pueden tener la “bendición del efecto disfraz” de que algunos sitios de desastre se transformen en destinos turísticos más populares;Sin embargo, ningún estudio ha analizado la heterogeneidel “efecto de bendición disfrazado”.El objetivo de este estudio es explorar y determinar el efecto de la distancia cultural en los flujos turísticos internacionales hacia un destino turístico después del desastre, lo que podría explicar este fenómeno heterogéneo.

se empleun modelo de regresión de umbral y un enfoque de diferencias en diferencias (DID) para analizar los datos de llegada de turistas internacionales de 2000–2016 de trece países de origen principal A la provincia de Sichuan antes y después del terremoto de Wenchuan de 2008 en China.

el efecto de la distancia cultural en las llegde los diversos países de origen después del desastre siguió un patrón de “espada de doble filo” no lineal en forma de u, en lugar de mostrar una relación lineal simple.Más notablemente, el desastre pareció tener un efecto más positivo en las llegde países con distancias culturales más grandes, mientras que el efecto en las llegde países con distancias culturales más cortas fue negativo.

este estudio encontró que la distancia cultural podría explicar el heterogéneo fenómeno de la “bendición disfrazada” y que tenía impactos tanto positivos como negativos en la recuperación de un destino turístico;Es decir, se encontró un “efecto de doble filo” de la distancia cultural, que podría ayudar a las organizaciones de comercialización de destinos turísticos y a los departamentos de administración a diseñar estrategias de comercialización dirigidas adecuadamente para la recuperación de destinos turísticos después del desastre.

Due to climate change and an increasing concentration of the world’s population in vulnerable areas, how to manage catastrophe risk efficiently and cover disaster losses fairly is still a universal dilemma.

This paper applies a law and economic approach.

China’s mechanism for managing catastrophic disaster risk is in many ways unique. It emphasizes government responsibilities and works well in many respects, especially in disaster emergency relief. Nonetheless, China’s mechanism which has the vestige of a centrally planned economy needs reform.

I propose a catastrophe insurance market-enhancing framework which marries the merits of both the market and government to manage catastrophe risks. There are three pillars of the framework: (i) sustaining a strong and capable government; (ii) government enhancement of the market, neither supplanting nor retarding it; (iii) legalizing the relationship between government and market to prevent government from undermining well-functioning market operations. A catastrophe insurance market-enhancing framework may provide insights for developing catastrophe insurance in China and other transitional nations.

First, this paper analyzes China’s mechanism for managing catastrophic disaster risks and China’s approach which emphasizes government responsibilities will shed light on solving how to manage catastrophe risk efficiently and cover disaster losses fairly. Second, this paper starts a broader discussion about government stimulation of developing catastrophe insurance and this framework can stimulate attention to solve the universal dilemma.

School buildings have suffered disproportionate damage during past and recent earthquakes. For example, during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, many school buildings collapsed, resulting in loss of life. School buildings in many other parts of the world are also susceptible to this type of widespread damage because of inadequate design, detailing, or poor construction quality. The purpose of this paper is to show how these fatal flaws can be mitigated prior to future catastrophe by using good engineering practice to retrofit vulnerable schools.

Conventional and innovative, cost‐effective, and reliable tools are available to prevent damage to schools. It is often necessary to examine a group of buildings or all structures in a locality and develop a comprehensive risk management plan for the vulnerable buildings. As an example, a comprehensive evaluation and retrofit project, under the auspices of the World Bank, is currently under way in Istanbul, Turkey, to address vulnerable school and hospital buildings as discussed in the paper. As part of this effort in Turkey, a guideline that relies on state‐of‐the‐art evaluation and retrofit methods has been developed to assist the local engineers.

Implementation of the program based on the uniform standards developed in the retrofit guidelines, has significantly reduced the seismic risk to schools in Istanbul.

The proposed evaluation and implementation technique can be utilized by governments worldwide to prevent further damage to key infrastructure and save millions of lives.

Innovative retrofits can be used to provide enhanced performance and provide seismic resiliency for cluster of school buildings.

Discussion of China's one-child policy generally centres on its demographic effects. Bereavement among parents of singleton children and the role of social capital in the bereavement process have been under-explored. The purpose of this paper is to focus on mothers who lost their only children during the Sichuan earthquake in 2008. The paper aims to discuss the under-explored yet crucial issues of the one-child policy – the ways in which Chinese bereaved mothers handle the death of their singleton children – and the roles that social capital can play in their bereavement process.

The author conducted eight case studies on bereaved mothers through home visits, semi-structured interviews and participation in public activities during August 2010 and May 2011. In-depth interviews were used to collect information from these bereaved mothers in Sichuan, China.

The case studies reveal two major experiences of bereaved mother whose familial support varies substantially. One major experience is shared by those who had received emotional support from husband (who offered bonding social capital), and were able to get through the psychological pain. Another experience is shared by bereaved mothers who lost their familial relations. Weak social ties (i.e. an NGO which offered bridging social capital) remained the only source of support. Policies can target at the latter group of mothers by helping them to organise themselves into community-based groups and help to relieve their frustration and grief.

These research findings have implications for the development of NGOs, as well as complementary support for community-based bereavement counselling and community care in China.

This study aims to explore the heterogeneity of the tourist market for people with a physical disability (PwPD) based on travel barriers, to serve them better, from a tourism marketing perspective.

A market segmentation analysis was conducted on a sample of 480 PwPD in Sichuan Province, China, based on their perceived travel barriers. Data were obtained through three on-site and four online surveys. A four-step factor-item mixed segmentation, including factor analysis, cluster analysis, discriminant analysis and chi-square tests, was applied to examine the differences among PwPD tourist market segments in terms of various demographic characteristics, disability conditions (e.g. duration of disabilities and causes of impairment) and travel features (e.g. travel frequency and tourist destinations).

This study revealed that the PwPD tourist market is heterogeneous due to individual perceived travel barriers. Three market segments were identified, namely, the Explorer Moderates group, the Explorer Minimals group and the Explorer Intensives group. Additionally, the three market segments were found to have significant differences in terms of travel barriers, demographic characteristics, travel features and disability conditions.

This research provides suggestions for authorities and private entities to optimize the layout of accessible facilities in public areas for the benefit of all. It also offers crucial implications for tourism marketers to determine the key facets of marketing, for travel organizers to evolve the organization of travel groups for PwPD, and for practitioners to provide personalized tourism services.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to apply perceived travel barriers as a market segmentation criterion in understanding PwPD as a heterogeneous travel market. The findings of this study initially expand the scope of application of the travel barrier model and deepen understanding of the Chinese PwPD tourist market from a marketing perspective. The study results elucidated the heterogeneity and characteristics of this market through a four-step factor-item mixed segmentation approach, offering new insights into the behaviors and experiences of travelers with disabilities.

本研究旨在探索肢体残障人士旅游市场的异质性, 以便从旅游营销的角度更好地为他们服务。

基于对中国四川480名肢残人士出游障碍感知的问卷调查, 探索了肢残人士的旅游市场细分。数据是通过七次现场和在线调查获得; 采用四步因子-项目混合细分法, 根据残障状况、人口统计特征和旅游特征, 识别出肢残群体旅游细分市场之间的差异。

研究发现, 基于个体感知的出游障碍, 肢残群体旅游市场是异质的, 研究确定了三个细分市场, 即低度、中度和高度受限群体。三个细分市场在出行障碍、人口特征、出游特征和残障状况方面存在显著差异。

这项研究有助于政府管理部门优化公共区域无障碍设施布局; 旅游营销者确定营销的重点, 并为旅游组织者设计肢残旅游团体成员构成, 以及从业者提供个性化旅游服务提供重要的启示。

论文首次将感知出游障碍作为市场细分标准, 用以理解肢残群体作为异质游客市场。本研究的发现拓展了出游障碍模型的应用范围, 并从市场营销的角度加深了对中国肢残游客市场的理解。研究结果通过四步因子-项目混合细分方法阐明了该市场的异质性和特点, 为肢残游客的行为和体验研究提供了新见解。

Este estudio explora la heterogeneidad del mercado turístico de las personas con discapacidad física (PcDF) en función de las barreras percibidas para viajar, con el fin de prestarles un mejor servicio desde una perspectiva de marketing turístico.

Se realizó un análisis de segmentación de mercado en una muestra de 480 PcDF en Sichuan, China, en función de las barreras que percibían para viajar. Los datos se obtuvieron a través de tres encuestas in situ y cuatro encuestas en línea. Se aplicó una segmentación mixta factor-ítem de cuatro pasos que incluye análisis factorial, análisis de conglomerados, análisis discriminante y pruebas de chi-cuadrado para examinar las diferencias entre los segmentos del mercado turístico de PcDF, en términos de diversas características demográficas, condiciones de discapacidad (por ejemplo, duración de la discapacidad, causas de la discapacidad) y características de los viajes (por ejemplo, frecuencia de viaje, destinos turísticos).

Este estudio reveló que el mercado turístico de las PcDF es heterogéneo debido a las barreras de viaje percibidas por cada individuo. Se identificaron tres segmentos de mercado, a saber, el grupo de Exploradores Moderados, el grupo de Exploradores Mínimos y el grupo de Exploradores Intensivos. Los tres segmentos de mercado presentaban diferencias significativas en cuanto a las barreras para viajar, las características demográficas, las características del viaje y las condiciones de discapacidad.

Este estudio es el primero en aplicar las barreras percibidas para viajar como criterio de segmentación de mercado para comprender a las PcDF como un mercado turístico heterogéneo. Los hallazgos de este estudio amplían inicialmente el ámbito de aplicación del modelo de barreras para viajar y profundizan en la comprensión del mercado turístico chino de PcDF desde una perspectiva de marketing. Los resultados de nuestro estudio explicaron la heterogeneidad y las características de este mercado a través de un enfoque de segmentación mixta factor-ítem de cuatro pasos, contribuyendo a la literatura sobre el comportamiento y las experiencias de los viajeros con discapacidad.

Esta investigación proporciona sugerencias para que las autoridades y las entidades privadas puedan optimizar la disposición de instalaciones accesibles en zonas públicas en beneficio de todos. También ofrece implicaciones importantes a los comercializadores turísticos para que determinen aspectos clave del marketing, a los organizadores de viajes para que evolucionen en la organización de grupos de viaje para PcDF y a los profesionales para que presten servicios turísticos personalizados.

The purpose of this paper is to offer an assessment of seismic structural vulnerability of a sample of public schools using Lang survey questionnaire. The structural integrity of public schools in Lebanon is a source of deep concern due to their outdated design and deteriorated status, their apparent lack of compliance with seismic design regulations, the unknown status of their safety and stability, their substandard maintenance and their low construction quality. These schools have not undergone any strengthening improvements to enhance their load-carrying capacity or their resistance to earthquake activity.

This paper is based on survey questionnaire illustrating the seismic risk exposure of public schools in Lebanon. It offers an assessment of seismic structural vulnerability of a sample of public schools using Lang survey questionnaire. It stresses the needs of retrofitting of public school buildings to enhance their functional capacities against future destructive earthquakes.

The findings of the survey emphasize the seismic structural vulnerability of the majority of public schools in Lebanon and call for deeper assessment and investigation that involve government officials for strengthening and retrofitting of public school buildings as part of holistic disaster risk-reduction strategy to prevent the induced serious risk to children in the event of a devastating earthquake.

This article should alert school administrators, public leaders and government officials regarding the seismic threats and their subsequent effects on the structural safety of public school buildings in Lebanon. The assessment of seismic structural vulnerability has rarely been performed or even discussed in the Lebanese-related literature.

The aim of the present study is to add to the existing research on online city branding by studying how metropolitan cities are internationally positioned using the internet and online branding. The focus is on objectives and strategies, method and expression (including five illustrations), and challenges in online city branding.

The article relies on a single-case study approach, using the Chinese city of Chengdu as a case and illustration. Methods used are interviews, observations and documentation (including online material).

The study illustrates how Chengdu uses online city branding in its international positioning. Chengdu's online branding is influenced by certain imagery, as well as challenges. Collaboration and endorsement crystalize as central elements in Chengdu's online city branding.

This article and study can be seen as an important element in broadening the understanding for online city branding to international audiences.

The study offers insights to practitioners on how online city branding is carried out in a Chinese context and in the city of Chengdu.

The study can be regarded as an important contribution to an area of practice and research which still is fairly new and unexplored, and an area that hitherto has not been well covered in the international literature.

The question under the focus is how an MNC manages the increasing demands for corporate social responsibility when entering and expanding in a market. Based on business network, the study develops a view highlighting the four concepts of learning, commitment, legitimacy and trust for studying of socio-political relationships. The view is employed for analysis of the experiences of a Korean MNC's entry into the Chinese market. The case illustrates that the Korean MNC, Samsung Electronics, has behaved proactively by large commitment in several long- and short-term projects towards the society. Besides the theoretical view, the study contributes new knowledge on how the MNC's activities have enabled the firm to transfer learning, commitment, legitimacy and trust from socio-political relationships to business relationships. Further, it adds new knowledge on how corporate social responsibility plays a critical role in a successful entry, thereby building up a stable market position.

The purpose of this paper is to measure and compare the level of earthquake preparedness of individuals living in Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey, evaluate whether prior earthquake experience has an impact on earthquake preparedness and discuss the cultural factors that may play a role in determining the level of preparedness.

Three locations were identified for the study. Aşkale and Erçiş district had experienced a major earthquake where Erzurum City Center had no major earthquake experience. A total of 174 participants were included in the study. Earthquake preparation was assessed using the Turkish version of the Wellington Earthquake Preparedness Scale by Spittal et al. (2006).

The results showed a significant relationship between the place of living, earthquake experience and preparation. Those who had prior earthquake experience had higher preparation than those who had no prior earthquake experience. Home owners had taken more steps to prepare for an earthquake than non-home owners Individuals who were married had higher preparation scores than those who were single or widowed. A comparison of general perception of preparedness levels reported by participants having a major earthquake experience and no earthquake experience showed that Erçiş and Aşkale residents were significantly more prepared for an earthquake than Erzurum residents. Home ownership and past earthquake experience were found to be predictors of preparation.

Although the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey encounters many earthquakes resulting in mass destruction, the issue of whether individuals living in this region are ready and prepared for a possible earthquake has not been researched sufficiently.