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1 – 10 of over 16000Yui-Yip Lau, Jing (Bill) Xu and Tsz Ching Mang
This study aims to explore university students' push and pull motivational factors towards their study tour destination choices and to investigate the differences between…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore university students' push and pull motivational factors towards their study tour destination choices and to investigate the differences between experienced and non-experienced students concerning their push and pull motivational factors.
Design/methodology/approach
The study collected surveys from Hong Kong university students. In total, 248 usable responses were gathered. Among the 248 respondents, 148 university students from various universities did not have experience on a study tour in their university lives while 100 students did. The study also conducted interviews and collected qualitative data to supplement the survey findings.
Findings
Top push and pull motivational factors were highlighted in the study tour context. This study also indicated that non-experienced students relatively have more concerns about geographic location, political stability and financial budget as pull factors and education as the push factor than experienced students. Education, as a high-level human need and push motivational factor, becomes less important for experienced students.
Originality/value
A large number of Asian university students participated in study tour programmes each year. Nevertheless, there are few research papers relevant to exploring university students’ motivation to choose study tour destinations. This study provides useful insight for the universities to design and implement appropriate study tours according to students’ motivation.
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Carmen Sum, Yui-yip Lau and Ivy Chan
The paper aims to address the gap in the literature related to students’ mindsets and learning activities through investigation of the differences in students’ expectations of…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to address the gap in the literature related to students’ mindsets and learning activities through investigation of the differences in students’ expectations of, feelings towards, and perceptions of an overseas study tour based on their mindset. The study provides an in-depth analysis of students with different mindsets and proposes the use of overseas tours and intercultural learning to foster students’ growth mindset.
Design/methodology/approach
An overseas study tour hosted by a self-financing tertiary institution in Hong Kong was selected for investigation. 13 sub-degree students participated in the study tour during the summer term in 2018. Two types of primary data – quantitative (i.e., a questionnaire survey) and qualitative (i.e., in-depth interviews) – of fixed mindset and growth mindset students were collected for analysis.
Findings
The findings indicate differences in students’ expectations of, feelings towards, and perceptions of an overseas study tour depending on whether they demonstrate a fixed or growth mindset. The growth mindset students had more and higher expectations of the study tour, all of which were related to personal growth and development. The fixed mindset students did not have as much of a desire for personal development and their expectations were easily met. Both growth and fixed mindset students had positive feelings and perceptions of the tour.
Originality/value
Research on the application value of overseas study tours in helping students from self-financing tertiary institutions develop a growth mindset is scarce, and thus warrants further investigation.
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Dawood Sulaiman Al Jahwari, Ercan Sirakaya-Turk and Volkan Altintas
The purpose of this research is to evaluate the communication competency of tour guides using a modified importance–performance analysis (MIPA). Tour guides are cultural…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to evaluate the communication competency of tour guides using a modified importance–performance analysis (MIPA). Tour guides are cultural ambassadors of a country; their communication skills can make or break tourists’ experiences with guided tours and memories of a destination.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 387 professional tour guides representing 38 per cent of all tour guides in Antalya, Turkey. The study further performs factor analysis using 32 communication competency items to determine underlying performance dimensions. This is followed by an MIPA to statistically identify the gap between factors that tour guides consider important and their perceptions of how they perform on these factors.
Findings
The study reveals that tour guides need improvement in verbal skills such as grammar, manner of speech and choice of words, as well as non-verbal behaviors such as approachability and the ability to remain friendly while maintaining a certain personal space.
Research limitations/implications
Due to the nature of this study and certain time limitations, the most effective method proved to be collecting data from a convenient sample of tour guides during their annual workshop. The theory of behavioral communication competency details theoretical and practical implications.
Practical implications
The study findings provide tour operators and the Association of Professional Tour Guides with a platform from which they can launch educational seminars and workshops to enhance tour guides’ communication competency.
Originality/value
The study contributes two main findings: This research provides a first-of-its-kind examination of professional tour guides’ communication competency using MIPA. The study improves the efficacy of traditional importance–performance analysis (IPA) models by enhancing them with a gap analysis through a t-test and effect size analysis including a gap analysis takes the arbitrariness out of the process of determining the location of items within the IPA grid. Tourism service providers can use these findings to offer educational seminars that can increase the skill sets of tour guides.
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Chieh‐Wen Sheng, Ming‐Jian Shen and Ming‐Chia Chen
The paper research objectives are: to investigate into the classification of special interest tour preferences in terms of their types and to compare whether consumers with…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper research objectives are: to investigate into the classification of special interest tour preferences in terms of their types and to compare whether consumers with different demographic attributes result in discrepancies in special interest tour preferences.
Design/methodology/approach
Those collected questionnaires that had incomplete answers and that had a significant response tendency or were left blank with no answers were eliminated. The required statistical methods are explained thus: this study conducts analysis on special interest tour preferences by factor analysis to distinguish between the categories of special interest tour preferences; this study adopts correlation analysis to examine the ratio scale of the study's demographic variables, including age and education level; this study adopts one‐way ANOVA to examine the variables of categorical or nominal scale, such as gender, marital status, and occupation.
Findings
After collecting the questionnaire data, factor analysis is used to conduct classification of the types and a total of four types emerged: recreation type, nature/ecology type, physical adventure type, historical/artistic activity type. Furthermore, in the verification of the demographic variables of each type preferences: age and nature‐eco type preferences constitute a significant positive correlation, and age has also formed a significant negative correlation with physical adventure type; gender differences result in a significant difference in recreation type preferences and a significant difference in physical adventure type preferences; marital status has a significant variation regarding physical adventure preferences.
Practical implications
Special interest tours are gradually on the rise and the previous literature is still lacking a systematic method for investigative analysis. Accordingly, conducting a systematic categorization of special interest tour preferences and to examining the background of the consumers of each type of special interest tour preference is essential.
Originality/value
The necessity for special interest tours to conform to consumer interests, and the existence of special interests, require that those in the travel industry conduct market segmentation, prior to designing travel itineraries, so as to have an understanding of the target market. Furthermore, the types of special interest tour preference this study provides can offer the basis for discussion of relevant issues for those travel business industry operators in the industry and future researchers.
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Ilinka Terziyska and Radina Damyanova
Winescape is the space where wine experiences occur, consisting of both tangible and intangible elements, and its understanding is very important for both the wine and the tourism…
Abstract
Purpose
Winescape is the space where wine experiences occur, consisting of both tangible and intangible elements, and its understanding is very important for both the wine and the tourism industry. The purpose of this study is to define the attributes of winescape as seen from the perspective of organized travel.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses the netnography approach by analyzing online user-generated content. A total of 118 TripAdvisor reviews for a wine tour company in Piemont, Italy, were coded using NVIVO12 software.
Findings
Six major elements of winescape were identified: tour guiding, core wine product, tour planning and logistics, complementary activities, food and dining and nature and scenery prominent. When compared to previous research, the findings show that the type of travel (organized versus independent travel) has a significant impact on the perceived winescape.
Research limitations/implications
As the study refers to a particular type of destination (Piedmont, Italy), and a specific product (private or small group tours), findings may not fully apply to wine regions and market segments of a different kind.
Practical implications
The proposed winescape model can be used by both practitioners (for enhancing the quality of their products) and researchers (for comparative studies or as a basis for customer satisfaction models specifically tailored to wine tours).
Originality/value
Organized wine tours as a specific aspect of wine tourism have been neglected in research so far. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to focus on winescape as seen through the lens of organized wine tourists, and the resulting model differs significantly from the existing ones.
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Cheng-Yue Yin and Patrick Poon
This paper aims to examine the impact of other group members on the travel experiences of Chinese tourists participating in domestic package tours.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the impact of other group members on the travel experiences of Chinese tourists participating in domestic package tours.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the critical incident technique, usable responses were obtained from 253 tourists regarding the influence of other group members on their travel experiences in the same group package tour (GPT).
Findings
The results show that the travel experiences of Chinese tourists on a domestic package tour are affected by three general factors, namely, appearance, behaviors, and language of other group members.
Research limitations/implications
This research mainly involves samples of young tourists. The findings may not be able to generalize to elderly tourists. Future studies may involve samples from various age cohorts.
Practical implications
The findings offer new insights and directions for GPT operators and tour guides to improve tourism management and tourist experiences.
Social implications
This study contributes to tourism literature about customer-to-customer interaction by identifying the major categories of other customers’ characteristics or behaviors that may positively or negatively influence a GPT tourist’s travel experience.
Originality/value
This study enriches the existing literature by investigating the attributes of other group members that may affect the travel experiences of a domestic GPT participant. Tourism firms can formulate better strategies and staff training to enhance tourists’ travel experiences.
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Erdim Kul, Bekir Bora Dedeoğlu, Fulden Nuray Küçükergin, Marcella De Martino and Fevzi Okumus
This study investigates to what extent the values perceived by tourists throughout cultural tours impact their overall satisfaction levels and behavioral intentions related to the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates to what extent the values perceived by tourists throughout cultural tours impact their overall satisfaction levels and behavioral intentions related to the destination. This study further examines the moderating role of tour guide competency in the relationship patterns concerned.
Design/methodology/approach
Empirical data were collected via a survey from 420 foreign tourists who visited Cappadocia and participated in guided cultural tours. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling was used for data analysis.
Findings
Study results reveal that the effects of quality, emotional, monetary and social value perceptions of tourists gained through cultural tour experiences on their overall satisfaction levels and the effects of overall satisfaction on recommendation and revisit intention are positive and significant. Furthermore, the moderating role of tour guide competency is significant and positive in the relationships between quality value and satisfaction and between satisfaction and revisit intention.
Originality/value
This study offers a critical analysis of discoveries concerning the pivotal role of tour guide competency within the cultural tour experience.
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Tianyu Fu, Shuhao Li, Jie XU, Min Liu and Guofu Chen
Tour guides often use humor to entertain tourists, but the process of tour guide humor (TGH) affecting tourists’ positive word of mouth (PWOM) remains unclear. To fill the gap…
Abstract
Purpose
Tour guides often use humor to entertain tourists, but the process of tour guide humor (TGH) affecting tourists’ positive word of mouth (PWOM) remains unclear. To fill the gap, this study aims to investigate how TGH enhances tourists’ PWOM through perceived relationship investment, perceived wellness value and trust in tour guides.
Design/methodology/approach
A comprehensive mediation model was proposed based on social exchange theory (SET). Data were obtained from 335 tour group tourists and analyzed using structural equation modeling.
Findings
Results present that TGH positively predicts tourists’ PWOM. Perceived relationship investment, perceived wellness value and trust in tour guides not only play mediating roles between TGH and tourists’ PWOM, respectively, but also jointly provide two sequential mediation paths (TGH → perceived relationship investment → trust in tour guides → tourists’ PWOM and TGH → perceived wellness value → trust in tour guides → tourists’ PWOM).
Research limitations/implications
The findings have practical value for tour guides and travel agencies to use TGH to improve tourists’ PWOM.
Originality/value
The major contribution is that a reciprocity-based framework rooted in SET was proposed to parse the complex process of TGH promoting tourists’ PWOM. Furthermore, this study enriches current knowledge by confirming that perceived wellness value is not only available in wellness tourism but can be experienced from TGH in mass tourism.
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Tomoya Kawasaki and Yui-yip Lau
The purpose of this study is to analyze the preferences of potential Japanese cruise ship tourists and identify the factors influencing their participation in cruise ship tourism…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyze the preferences of potential Japanese cruise ship tourists and identify the factors influencing their participation in cruise ship tourism. In the analysis, preference for cruise ports in East Asia is also examined.
Design/methodology/approach
The behavioral model of potential cruiser is developed through a mixed ordered logit approach. The data are collected by means of the stated preference method with the application of a Web-based questionnaire. Multiple answers are collected from each respondent. Hence, panel effects between answers are considered so as to obtain a robust model.
Findings
The results show that Nagasaki and Hong Kong ports are preferred, and other domestic ports, namely, Kobe, Kagoshima, and Naha are also relatively popular places to visit. However, potential Japanese cruisers are reluctant to visit two South Korean destinations which are frequently selected as cruise lines by avoiding Cabotage rule. Besides, shorter cruise duration and lower prices increase the possibility of participation in cruise tourism, particularly for working people. Retirees tend to have less interest in cruise tourism. However, Japanese-related services will increase retirees’ intentions to participate in cruise tourism.
Research limitations/implications
This study attempts to analyze potential cruisers’ behavior toward cruise ship tourism in Japan and discusses how to increase the number of cruisers participating in cruise ship tourism. In this vein, repeat behavior should also be analyzed. Repeat behavior contributes to the maintenance and increase in cruisers in Japan.
Originality/value
There is no study on potential cruiser’s behavior analysis in Japan which is the emerging country as cruise market. Thus, the number of potential cruisers is expected to be high. This study reveals that potential cruisers’ preferences on cruise ship services (e.g. duration, price, on board services, etc.), which are separately analysed for working ages and retirees. Besides, preferences on port of calls in East Asian context are revealed. These results are useful for cruise ship industries, especially for cruise lines.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of the order in which a set of cities are visited to ascertain the effects of position on group tourists’ recall and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of the order in which a set of cities are visited to ascertain the effects of position on group tourists’ recall and evaluations.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a questionnaire, the views of highly experienced tour guides were analysed to provide preliminary insights about the likely occurrence of position effects. The topic was studied in Iran where a natural variation in the order of visiting cities on guided tours exists.
Findings
Credible and consistent evidence was found for the perceived effects of recency when considering tourists’ recall and evaluations. In particular, the influence was seen as clearly enhancing the recall and positive evaluation for the most high profile cities in the set of visited locations.
Research limitations/implications
Replications of the position effect in other countries and for other kinds of tourism cities needs to be pursued, desirably by direct assessments of tourist’ views to buttress the present views held by guides.
Practical implications
Designing itineraries by making imaginative use of the effects of order on the tourists’ sequence of city visits should facilitate the memorability of destinations for tourists and benefit businesses.
Originality/value
Empirical evidence about order effects in multi-city tour itineraries has never been established. The study provides foundation evidence for such influences through a non-reactive and naturalistic assessment by tour guides who are in contact with varied itineraries and who regularly consider the experiences of diverse and large numbers of tourists.
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