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Book part
Publication date: 24 September 2010

Are tourism websites useful for travelers? Applying an information audit rubric for Mediterranean tourism destination websites

Lauren M. Fryc

Numerous travel websites have become popular in the past decade. Some destination websites allow travelers to book flights, hotels, restaurant visits, and tours. They also…

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Abstract

Numerous travel websites have become popular in the past decade. Some destination websites allow travelers to book flights, hotels, restaurant visits, and tours. They also provide a great way for other tourists to leave feedback on the visits they had to specific travel destinations and provide other customers with reliable accounts. In this case, the theory proposes that unique offerings on a website have a greater affect on getting website visitors who are potential tourists to actually visit the website's destination. The findings show that interactive tourism websites that keep up with current technology will translate into attracting the most visitors to that specific city location. This study is unique and valuable as the analysis of the three tourism websites indicates the uniqueness of each of the three specific cities located on the Mediterranean Sea: Valencia, Marseille, and Genoa. This study provides a detailed analysis of each of the three cities’ travel websites and ranks each of the websites to evaluate which is the most reliable and most appealing to today's busy travelers. Valencia's tourism website earns “Best” of the three tourism destination websites. Marseille and Genoa's website do not offer the same caliber of information and lack the detail of Valencia's website. Valencia's website is easy to use, has the most up-to-date technology sources, and is physically the most appealing.

Details

Tourism-Marketing Performance Metrics and Usefulness Auditing of Destination Websites
Type: Book
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/S1871-3173(2010)0000004008
ISBN: 978-1-84950-901-5

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Article
Publication date: 31 August 2020

Compliance of accessibility in tourism websites: a pledge towards disability

Ranjit Singh, Abid Ismail, Sibi PS and Dipendra Singh

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the US states and territories’ official tourism information websites based on the Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) and…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the US states and territories’ official tourism information websites based on the Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) and Section 508 guidelines to identify the compliance of websites towards disabilities policies and their behaviour pattern.

Design/methodology/approach

The official tourism websites of 57 states and territories were analysed through the TAW tool for WCAG 2.0 and AChecker for Section 508. Cluster analysis was used to produce a group of websites underlying the accessibility issues obtained from the online tool to understand the common pattern of behaviour.

Findings

The result revealed that websites have serious and significant accessibility issues underlying the prescribed guidelines that would interfere with the use of the website by disabled people. The main issues that make the website least accessible focussed on the following guideline of WCAG 2.0: compatible, navigable, text alternative, distinguishable and adaptable.

Research limitations/implications

The empirical results provide the US states and territories’ tourism authority to better understand web accessibility in their websites and its impact on disabled people.

Originality/value

As the web plays an important role in individual lives, this study highlights the accessibility issues which need immediately focussed and technically planned actions from the respective states and territories to ensure that designed web content should communicate effectively and universally.

Details

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-05-2020-0092
ISSN: 2514-9792

Keywords

  • Accessible tourism
  • Cluster analysis
  • Disabled people
  • WCAG 2.0
  • Web accessibility

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Article
Publication date: 6 August 2018

Representation of cultural tourism on the Web: critical discourse analysis of tourism websites

Sotiroula Liasidou

Culture is an important motivation force to people within the context of tourism. It provides new opportunities for destinations to promote cultural elements and attract…

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Abstract

Purpose

Culture is an important motivation force to people within the context of tourism. It provides new opportunities for destinations to promote cultural elements and attract more travellers. This study aims to investigate how the cultural heritage of Cyprus is promoted online and to identify whether the needs of travellers who focus on experiential aspects and prioritise culture can be fulfilled.

Design/methodology/approach

The research aim is fulfilled through a critical discourse analysis of selected WebPages concerning representation of the culture of Cyprus within the tourism context.

Findings

Eighteen websites were included, and the results suggest that Cyprus has Web exposure specifically promoting its cultural heritage. However, the websites have been established with different tourism scopes, with culture comprising just one part of the content. Thus, the development of specialised websites is dedicated exclusively to culture and tourism, and it seems appropriate to attract travellers interested in more educational activities with cultural and historical value. This approach would bring many benefits because this cohort of travellers is in an upper-scale tourist market.

Originality/value

This study is original in nature because it brings together the case of Cyprus, an island destination highly depended on tourism in relation to cultural tourism Web discourse. The promotion of cultural parameters will provide more opportunities for the island and escape from the 3S’s (sea, sun and sand) image to be positioned as a culturally sustainable destination.

Details

International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, vol. 12 no. 3
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCTHR-07-2017-0078
ISSN: 1750-6182

Keywords

  • Cyprus
  • Critical discourse analysis
  • Cultural tourism
  • NVIVO
  • Web content

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Article
Publication date: 9 January 2017

An updated comprehensive review of website evaluation studies in hospitality and tourism

Sunny Sun, Davis Ka Chio Fong, Rob Law and Shan He

This study aims to review published articles on website evaluation in hospitality and tourism for the period of 2000-2015 to provide a comprehensive updated review, as…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to review published articles on website evaluation in hospitality and tourism for the period of 2000-2015 to provide a comprehensive updated review, as well as to offer implications for academic researchers and industry practitioners.

Design/methodology/approach

Content analysis was adopted by this study to review retrieved articles on website evaluation in hospitality and tourism. Articles were then analyzed from consumers’ perspective, suppliers’ perspective, and both consumers and suppliers’ perspectives using a systematic approach.

Findings

Major findings of this study showed that a majority of articles focused on either hospitality or tourism. Moreover, most of the articles generally discussed user interface, marketing effectiveness and website quality. However, these articles did not discuss in detail the implications of website evaluation and ignore the connections between suppliers and consumers to some extent.

Research limitations/implications

This study can be used as a reference for academic researchers to extend previous frameworks and for industry practitioners to reconstruct the traditional organizational chart and implementing e-strategic management strategies, including m-marketing.

Originality/value

This study updates website evaluation development in hospitality and tourism in the new millennium. The findings of this study provide significant implications for hospitality and tourism researchers and practitioners to encourage supplier-consumer engagement.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 29 no. 1
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-12-2015-0736
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

  • Internet
  • Technology led strategy
  • Website performance
  • E-strategic management strategies
  • Hospitality and tourism
  • Website evaluation

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Article
Publication date: 5 August 2019

Increasing rates of impulsive online shopping on tourism websites

Chun-Der Chen, Edward C.S. Ku and Chien Chi Yeh

Customers who engage in impulsive online shopping make immediate, unplanned and ill-thought-out purchases online. The purpose of this paper is to present a model to…

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Abstract

Purpose

Customers who engage in impulsive online shopping make immediate, unplanned and ill-thought-out purchases online. The purpose of this paper is to present a model to illustrate how website quality (moderated by hedonic value) influences impulsive shopping behaviors in the context of online tourism.

Design/methodology/approach

The model and hypotheses presented here were tested by structural equation modeling. Empirical data were collected by conducting a questionnaire survey, in total, 3,000 invitation messages were mailed to the members of the two travel communities (1,500 invitation messages for each one), of which, 402 were returned completed (a return rate of 13.4 percent).

Findings

Visually appealing websites are more likely to attract customer attention and illicit pleasurable emotional responses. In addition, effective tourism websites also maintain good service quality and ensure accuracy of information. Finally, good functional benefits can help customers reduce the time and effort spent searching for a specific service and can also serve as a stimulus triggering impulse buying.

Research limitations/implications

This study used a reliable multidimensional measure of factors that influence the relational benefit of initiators and buyers to help elucidate which factors encourage impulsive online shopping. From a theoretical perspective, the authors determined that website quality is positively associated with functional benefits, and thereby influences impulsive shopping behaviors; in addition, the functional benefits conferred by websites have a strong and direct influence on impulsive shopping behavior. However, this effect is moderated by hedonic value.

Practical implications

Online tourism retailers should continually seek to enhance this function because it is the primary motivation behind customer use of online shopping websites. Effective tourism websites also maintain good service quality and ensure accuracy of information. Finally, navigation systems should be designed to meet the needs of new users, for example by offering help pages that address a variety of topics. Therefore, tourism websites should feature an adequate number of images, a colorful design, and well-described services and products.

Originality/value

In recent years, the popularity of online shopping websites has continued to rise. In seeking to elucidate impulsive online shopping behaviors, this study focused on online-to-offline applications, the uses-and-gratifications perspective and service-dominant logic. The authors also discussed the important influence of website quality on impulse buying and how this is moderated by hedonic value. The research model presented in this study provides a reliable instrument to operationalize key constructs in the analysis of impulsive shopping behavior and has important implications for the online tourism industry.

Details

Internet Research, vol. 29 no. 4
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-03-2017-0102
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

  • Functional benefits
  • Impulsive shopping
  • Tourism websites
  • Visually appealing

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Article
Publication date: 9 November 2015

Exploring rural tourism and sustainability in Southeast Asia through the lenses of official tourism websites: A benchmarking exercise

Paolo Mura and Saeed Pahlevan Sharif

The purpose of this study is to report the findings of a benchmarking exercise among official tourism websites of five Southeast Asian countries. website benchmarking…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to report the findings of a benchmarking exercise among official tourism websites of five Southeast Asian countries. website benchmarking, namely, a strategy used to evaluate and compare website quality, has been widely used within the context of tourism studies. Yet there is a relative lack of information concerning best practices for official tourism websites as a form of promoting rural tourism and sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

By using a qualitative approach, a group of six tourism researchers were invited to evaluate official tourism websites of Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines for user-friendliness, site attractiveness, marketing attractiveness and provision of information on rural tourism and sustainability.

Findings

Overall, the evaluations provided by the researchers indicated that in general, the Indonesian and Malaysian websites were always perceived as the best options compared to the Thai, Philippine and Vietnamese online platforms, mainly due to their visual appeal. However, this study also highlighted that the information about rural tourism products in all the websites evaluated was regarded as being very limited. Furthermore, the variety and diversity of respondents’ opinions showed that subjective components played a role in the interpretation of the websites.

Practical implications

Based on the findings of this study, three main recommendations have been suggested to assist tourism websites’ designers to design more impactful websites.

Originality/value

The novelty of this study lies in the consideration of websites as interactional and dialectical narratives whose meanings are produced, negotiated or challenged by the users.

Details

Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, vol. 7 no. 5
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-06-2015-0025
ISSN: 1755-4217

Keywords

  • Sustainability
  • Rural tourism
  • Sustainable development
  • Qualitative research
  • Official tourism websites
  • website-benchmarking

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Article
Publication date: 8 October 2019

Marketing local food and cuisine culture online: a case study of DMO’s websites in Egypt

Mohamed E. Mohamed, Mahmoud Hewedi, Xinran Lehto and Magdy Maayouf

Given the increased importance of food in tourists’ travel experience, the purpose of this paper is to explore the current and future potential of local food and foodways…

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Abstract

Purpose

Given the increased importance of food in tourists’ travel experience, the purpose of this paper is to explore the current and future potential of local food and foodways in marketing Egyptian destinations online.

Design/methodology/approach

The content of 20 Egyptian destination marketing organization (DMO) websites was subject to a content analysis. A checklist was developed based on literature analysis. The frequencies of information related to food culture and cuisine marketing were tallied, followed by a qualitative assessment of contents from the various websites. The results were further discussed with DMO representatives to provide contextualized insights as to the future potential of utilizing local food and food tourism initiatives as a component of DMOs website marketing in Egypt.

Findings

The study noted some initial efforts for Egyptian DMO websites to market food culture and gastronomic practices; however, the results suggest that the usage of food culture on Egyptian DMOs websites is still in its infancy. The study also highlights the challenges that need to be tackled as well as the resources required for food tourism development.

Practical implications

This study illustrates the need and potential capacity of Egyptian DMO websites to market food culture and local cuisines (including traditional foods and table manners). These results are expected to help Egyptian DMOs to strategically embrace local cuisine and food culture as a vehicle for destination marketing.

Originality/value

This case study provides insights for African and other developing economies in their destination marketing. The proposed framework and guidelines are intended to potentially serve as a framework for destination marketers and entrepreneurs to optimize the tourism potential of food culture.

Details

International Journal of Tourism Cities, vol. 6 no. 4
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJTC-05-2019-0067
ISSN: 2056-5607

Keywords

  • Egypt
  • Case study
  • Food tourism
  • Web marketing
  • Destination marketing organizations
  • Local cuisine

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Article
Publication date: 31 May 2011

Tourism ' s destination dominance and marketing website usefulness

Arch G. Woodside, Vicente Ramos Mir and Mariana Duque

The purpose of this article is to propose and test empirically tourism ' s destination dominance and marketing website usefulness hypothesis (TDDH). The study…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to propose and test empirically tourism ' s destination dominance and marketing website usefulness hypothesis (TDDH). The study proposes a multi-item metric for marketing website usefulness. The main hypothesis is that the usefulness of a destination ' s marketing website associates positively with the dominance of tourism in the destination.

Design/methodology/approach

The following ratio defines tourism ' s destination dominance: the number of tourists visiting annually to a destination ' s residential population. The method includes creating a multi-item metric for judging the usefulness of a destination ' s marketing website. The study applies the metric in evaluating the usefulness of 40 destination marketing websites.

Findings

The study ' s findings indicate a significant relationship between tourism destination dominance and marketing website usefulness. The effect size of this relationship is small. The small effect size indicates that some destinations with relatively few tourists (relative to the destination ' s residential population) do include substantial amounts of information in their websites and some destinations with relatively many tourists do not do so.

Research limitations/implications

The usefulness of a destination ' s website for potential visitors does not relate substantially to tourism ' s dominance in the destination. Some destinations with relatively few tourists are highly competent in designing websites that are highly useful for potential visitors.

Originality/value

Providing a discussion of alternative tourism destination dominance metrics, confirming the view that destination marketing websites vary in their usefulness for potential visitors and offering a metric for testing usefulness are the valuable contributions of the study.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 23 no. 4
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/09596111111130038
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

  • Tourism
  • Marketing
  • Web sites

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Article
Publication date: 1 January 2005

Web‐based national tourism promotion in the Mediterranean area

Metin Kozak, Enrique Bigné and Luisa Andreu

The purpose of this study is to analyze the promotion of the Mediterranean areas over the Internet. To meet this objective, the tourism board of each country is identified…

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the promotion of the Mediterranean areas over the Internet. To meet this objective, the tourism board of each country is identified and Website indicators based on the assessment of seven “best practices” (WTO 1999) and e‐business for tourism strategies (WTO 2001) are analyzed. Content analysis reveals differences among countries. Managerial implications are developed.

Details

Tourism Review, vol. 60 no. 1
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/eb058447
ISSN: 1660-5373

Keywords

  • Information technology
  • destination marketing
  • direct marketing
  • Web‐based promotion
  • best practices
  • Mediterranean area

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Article
Publication date: 3 October 2016

Website benchmarking: an abridged WAM study

Leonie Jane Cassidy and John Hamilton

Website benchmarking theory and the website analysis method (WAM) are benchmark tested across non-commercial tropical tourism websites. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

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Abstract

Purpose

Website benchmarking theory and the website analysis method (WAM) are benchmark tested across non-commercial tropical tourism websites. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The abridged WAM benchmarks 280 tropical tourism websites from four continental areas (Africa, Asia, Oceania, and The Americas) and presence or absence of website components objectively rank-scores. Across locations significant website benchmark score differences are determined. In all, 20 of these websites are ranked by an eight expert focus group. These experts also seek-out the existence of allocated common website components.

Findings

The abridged WAM approach is suitable for benchmarking tropical tourism websites. Website benchmarking scores at-level are determined. At the website, domain, and function levels significant continental area differences exist. Experts cross-check the study. They find it easier to rank websites with fewer components, and show split decisions when determining the existence of common website components.

Research limitations/implications

This study’s abridged version of WAM uses publicly viewable components to show significant differences across website scores, and identifies some missing components for possible future inclusion on the website, and it also supports the WAM benchmarking theory approach.

Practical implications

Website managers/owners can apply WAM (or an abridged WAM) to benchmark their websites. WAM is theoretically supported and it systematically allows comparison against the universal set of components and/or against competitor websites. A full or abridged WAM approach to website benchmarking is preferable to subjective or survey-based approaches.

Originality/value

This study successfully applies the Cassidy and Hamilton (2016) theory and approach to practical website benchmarking.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 23 no. 7
Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-05-2015-0047
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

  • Service operations
  • Continuous improvement
  • Benchmark
  • Technological innovation
  • Website
  • Tourism management

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