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1 – 10 of 14Soyeon Kim, Xinran Lehto and Jay Kandampully
The primary purpose of this study is to examine the effects of destination familiarity on consumers’ evaluations (cognitive image) and feelings (affective image) about the…
Abstract
Purpose
The primary purpose of this study is to examine the effects of destination familiarity on consumers’ evaluations (cognitive image) and feelings (affective image) about the destination, leading to their intention to visit.
Design/methodology/approach
The data for this study were collected through a Web-based survey. Based on a sample of 460 respondents, structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed hypotheses.
Findings
The results showed that familiarity with a destination not only influences consumers’ cognitive evaluations of the destination but also affects their feelings about it, which translates into their intentions in travelling to the destination. The findings indicate that destination familiarity can enhance consumers’ knowledge about the destination, but more importantly, their affective perceptions can lead to a higher likelihood of visiting a destination.
Practical implications
The findings provide useful guidance for efficient marketing programs to attract more visitors to a certain tourist destination. Destination marketers must assess the level of familiarity of potential travelers in the development, design and promotion of a destination. This understanding will enable the marketers to more effectively communicate with their target markets and allow them to tailor advertising to different segments of their customers based on their familiarity.
Originality/value
The majority of previous studies regarding destination familiarity tend to measure the overall familiarity or experiential familiarity (e.g. a comparison between visitors vs non-visitors) without considering consumers’ indirect familiarity with a destination. This study attempts to conceptualize and empirically test the role of destination familiarity on consumers’ cognitive and affective images and intentions.
Purpose
本研究的主要目的是探讨消费者的目的地熟悉度对其对目的地的评价(认知形象)和感受(情感形象)的影响, 从而得出消费者的旅游意向。
Design/methodology/approach
本研究通过网络调查收集数据, 并以460名受访者为样本, 采用结构方程模型对所提假设进行检验。
Findings
结果表明, 消费者对目的地的熟悉程度不仅会影响消费者对目的地的认知评价, 还会影响他们对目的地的感受, 进而影响他们前往目的地的意愿。研究还发现, 目的地熟悉度可以增强消费者对目的地的认知;更重要的是, 他们的情感感知会使他们前往目的地的可能性有所提高。
Practical implications
研究结果可为开展高效的营销计划提供有益指导, 以吸引更多的游客到特定的旅游目的地。目的地营销人员必须评估潜在游客对目的地的开发、设计和推广方面的熟悉程度;在了解了这些之后, 营销人员方可更有效地与目标市场进行沟通, 并根据各个客户群体不同的熟悉程度对其投放定制化广告。
Originality/value
以往大多数关于目的地熟悉度的研究倾向于测量总体熟悉度或经验熟悉度(例如比较游客与非游客之间的差别), 而不考虑消费者对目的地的间接熟悉程度。本研究试图将目的地熟悉度对消费者认知、情感意象和旅游意向的影响概念化, 并加以实证检验。
Propósito
El objetivo principal de este estudio es examinar los efectos de la familiaridad en las evaluaciones de los consumidores (imagen cognitiva) y sentimiento (imagen afectiva) sobre los destinos, y como influye en su intención para visitarlo.
Diseño/Metodología/aproximación
Los datos de este estudio fueron obtenidos a través de una encuesta web. Apoyado en una muestra de 460 respuestas, se utilizo la modelización de ecuaciones estructurales para testear las hipótesis propuestas.
Resultados
Los resultados muestran que la familiaridad con el destino no sólo influye en las evaluaciones cognitivas de los consumidores, sino también afecta a los sentimientos de estos, lo que se traslada a sus intenciones de viajar al destino turístico en cuestión. Los resultados indican que la familiaridad con el destino puede mejorar el conocimieto de los consumidores sobre éste, pero lo más importante, es la percepción afectiva, la cual puede liderar una mayor confianza para visitarlo.
Implicaciones practicas
Los resultados proveen una guía útil en la eficiencia de los programas de marketing para atraer más visitantes a un determinado destino. Los gestores de destinos deben evaluar el nivel de familiaridad de los potenciales viajeros en el desarrollo, diseño, y promoción de un destino. Entender estás cuestiones, hará a los gestores de destino más efectivos en su comunicación con sus mercados objetivos y les permitirá adaptar la publicidad a diferentes segmentos de clientes, en función de su familiaridad.
Originalidad/valor
La mayoría de estudios previos, respecto a la familiaridad en los destinos, tienden a medir la familiaridad de forma global o experimental (por ejemplo, una comparación entre visitantes y no visitantes) sin considerar el efecto indirecto de la familiaridad con un destino. Este estudio sirve para conceptualizar y empíricamente testar, el papel de la familiaridad del destino en la imágenes e intenciones cognitivas y afectivas de los consumidores.
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Xinran Lehto, Dori Davari and Soona Park
This study aims to provide a fresh perspective toward understanding the forces that exist in the guest-host dynamic and thereby contribute to the guest–host relationship…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to provide a fresh perspective toward understanding the forces that exist in the guest-host dynamic and thereby contribute to the guest–host relationship literature.
Design/methodology/approach
This study examines guest–host relationship via the philosophical lens of convivialism.
Findings
This study conceptualizes conviviality in the guest–host relationship. A convivial guest–host relationship is characterized by well-being mutuality and hospitality mutuality. Such a relation can be built when the guest and the host form a tri-party of coalitions, namely, economic, experience and hospitality. While an economic coalition represents the pragmatic value in a guest–host relationship, an experience coalition represents an experiential value in a guest–host relationship. A hospitality coalition then represents the spiritual alliance in such a relationship.
Practical implications
This paper suggests that tourism development should be guided by a conviviality vision. Health and well-being of both the visitors and the destination community should be a goal priority. This paper suggests that the starting point of experience planning is the residents, not the visitors. The critical role of hospitality in formulating market communication strategies is emphasized.
Social implications
This study contributes to the larger conversation of diversity and sustainability.
Originality/value
This study proposes a convivial tourism model – a form of tourism that is oriented toward mutuality of hospitality and well-being of both visitors and destination communities.
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The purpose of this study is to provide a nuanced understanding of Chinese family tourists’ value co-creation by examining three important aspects of family vacation: What do…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to provide a nuanced understanding of Chinese family tourists’ value co-creation by examining three important aspects of family vacation: What do families do during vacation? How do they make meaning of what they do? Do travelers’ role identities within their families play a role in the value creation process?
Design/methodology/approach
Upon reviewing related theoretical work, the authors undertook a mixed-method study consisting of both survey data and in-depth interviews.
Findings
The analysis revealed three clusters of family interactional content, including We open and share our worlds, We build knowledge and skills and We co-create and co-evaluate, and five clusters of family travelers, including Outdoor enthusiasts, Socializers, Nature lovers, Culture admirers and Relaxation seekers. Family roles, life situations and destination environments also interfaced with family activity participation and family conversations. A family vacation value co-creation process framework with four propositions was, thus, proposed.
Research limitations/implications
Further exploration and validation of the proposed framework and propositions which emerged from the findings of this study are needed. Impacts of various family types and relational dynamics also warrant future investigation.
Practical implications
The results of family interactional and relational well-being facilitated by family vacation are pertinent to academia, industry and public policy-making.
Social implications
Family vacation can be a positive intervention for the creation of family value and a means of meaning-making. Programs that integrate multiple family roles and address family-level value propositions would be collectively enriching.
Originality/value
The current study initiated a pioneering investigation by providing a depiction of how family travelers experience and make sense of a shared tourism experience, along with their value perceptions in such a co-created consumptive scenario.
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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 in…
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.
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Mohamed E.A. Mohamed, Mahamoud M. Hewedi, Xinran Lehto and Magdy Maayouf
Using destination brand experience as a conceptual lens and data evidence from international visitors to Egypt, the purpose of this study is to examine the relative impact of the…
Abstract
Purpose
Using destination brand experience as a conceptual lens and data evidence from international visitors to Egypt, the purpose of this study is to examine the relative impact of the various dimensions of local food experience on tourist overall food satisfaction and destination revisit intention.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from a convenience sample of international visitors to Cairo, Egypt, (N = 302) was quantitatively analyzed using the structural equation modeling approach to test the relationships among constructs.
Findings
Empirical results reveal that three components of destination food experiences – sensory, affective and behavioral – effectively explain tourists’ food satisfaction and destination revisit intention, while intellectual food experience was reported to only influence destination revisit intention. Interestingly, the effect of food experience satisfaction on destination revisit intention was not significant.
Research limitations/implications
This study identifies local food experience aspects that require to be managed at a strategic level and provides guidelines on how these aspects can be effectively managed.
Originality/value
This study is the first empirical application of a multidimensional experience model to the context of tourists’ local food experience; it identifies the multifaceted characteristics of local food experience that deserve scholars’ and marketers’ attention.
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Makarand Amrish Mody, Courtney Suess and Xinran Lehto
Accommodations providers in the sharing economy are increasingly competing with the hotel industry vis-à-vis the guest experience. Additionally, experience-related research…
Abstract
Purpose
Accommodations providers in the sharing economy are increasingly competing with the hotel industry vis-à-vis the guest experience. Additionally, experience-related research remains underrepresented in the hospitality and tourism literature. This paper aims to develop and test a model of experiential consumption to provide a better understanding of an emerging phenomenon in the hospitality industry. In so doing, the authors also expand Pine and Gilmore’s original experience economy construct.
Design/methodology/approach
Using data from a survey of 630 customers who stayed at a hotel or an Airbnb in the previous three months, the authors performed a multi-step analysis procedure centered on structural equation modeling to validate the model.
Findings
The authors demonstrate that the dimensions of serendipity, localness, communitas and personalization represent valuable additions to Pine and Gilmore’s original experience economy construct. Airbnb appears to outperform the hotel industry in the provision of all experience dimensions. The authors further define the pathways that underlie the creation of extraordinary, memorable experiences, which subsequently elicit favorable behavioral intentions.
Practical implications
The findings suggest the need for the hotel industry to adopt a content marketing paradigm that leverages various dimensions of the experience economy to provide customers with valuable and relevant experiences. The industry must also pay greater attention to its use of branding, signage and promotional messaging to encourage customers to interpret their experiences through the lens of these dimensions.
Originality/value
The study expands a seminal construct from the field of services marketing in the context of the accommodations industry. The Accommodations Experiencescape is offered as a tool for strategic experience design. The study also offers a model of experiential consumption that explains customers’ experiences with accommodations providers.
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Edwin N. Torres, Xiaoxiao Fu and Xinran Lehto
This paper aims to understand how male and female hotel guests become delighted customers. It aims to present the similarities and differences along with respective implications…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to understand how male and female hotel guests become delighted customers. It aims to present the similarities and differences along with respective implications for theory and application.
Design/methodology/approach
During a period of three months, tourists were interviewed at an upscale Florida hotel. A total of 208 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The script for the interviews was based on an interview protocol used by Crotts et al. Adapted from a previous customer delight study (Torres and Kline), a codebook was developed to determine the salient themes that emerged during the interview process. Interviews were coded independently by three experienced reviewers using the process of content analysis.
Findings
The results demonstrated that while men and women agreed on most aspects of the service experience that led them to feel delighted, there were other aspects of the delight experience that seemed to vary by gender. More specifically, female guests were more likely to be delighted by employee friendliness and professionalism. In contrast, male tourists appeared to be more likely to be delighted by having their needs met, by efficient and timely service and by the availability of complimentary amenities or upgrades.
Research limitations/implications
The present study contributes to existing literature by demonstrating that men and women can potentially be delighted by different aspects of the service experience. Such information can potentially benefit hospitality industry practitioners to deliver service experiences desired by each gender.
Originality/value
Ekinci et al. proposed that the ultimate evaluation of customer experiences can be highly individualized by elements such as personality. The present research argues that the process of delighting customers might be more complex than originally conceived. Accordingly, the results suggest: a universal set of criteria will tend to delight all guests, and a more specific set of criteria will potentially delight guests of a certain gender. Future research is encouraged to quantitatively validate the findings and explore other factors that impact customer delight such as personality, age, income and culture.
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Song Ee Kim and Xinran Y. Lehto
While the topical areas of service failure and complaints have been systematically investigated for the general traveling public, service failure issues for disabled tourists have…
Abstract
Purpose
While the topical areas of service failure and complaints have been systematically investigated for the general traveling public, service failure issues for disabled tourists have been widely ignored. This exploratory study attempts to provide some insights into this phenomenon by analyzing disabled travelers' complaints reported through online customer complaint websites.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 316 customer complaints were collected and analyzed utilizing a modified procedure of the Critical Incident Technique (CIT). Differences in service failure dimensions in industry sector and recovery type were investigated through the correspondence analysis.
Findings
Critical incidents of disabled travelers were classified into three dimensions of service failures including service delivery failure, unfulfilled special requests, and unsolicited employee conduct. Significant relationships in service failure dimensions were identified in the industry sectors and types of recovery.
Research limitations/implications
The limitations of this study are unidentifiable demographic information and lack of necessary details, since this study is based on textual data collected from online complaint/review websites. For further research, more inclusive quantitative data could provide a more complete picture.
Practical implications
The findings of this study could represent a valuable step toward assessing the current status of service failure provided by hospitality and tourism industry, and thus provide useful insights for practitioners to more effectively serve this market segment.
Originality/value
This study serves as exploratory research and contributes to a better understanding of the tourism experience of individuals with disabilities.
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Edwin N. Torres, Howard Adler, Xinran Lehto, Carl Behnke and Li Miao
The present study aimed to understand the relationships between the various kinds of feedback received by hospitality operators. Information from guests, experts, and internal…
Abstract
Purpose
The present study aimed to understand the relationships between the various kinds of feedback received by hospitality operators. Information from guests, experts, and internal sources are often received, valued, and processed in various ways. The researchers sought to further explore the usage of such feedback and implications for theory and practice.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was sent to hotel general managers of four‐ and five‐diamond properties around the USA using the listing of the American Automobile Association (AAA). A total of 140 responses were received. The researchers utilized correlations and canonical correlation analysis to help understand the relationships among the variables.
Findings
The results of the study revealed moderate to strong correlations between improvement in consumer‐generated feedback and customer satisfaction; between improvement in AAA ratings and customer satisfaction and mystery shopping scores. There were also moderate to high correlations among value placed in consumer‐generated and that placed on other electronic forms of electronic feedback such as social networking, blogs, and online travel agency feedback. Canonical correlation was also performed among the variables in the various correlation matrices. Two statistically significant dimensions emerged. The most influential variables in the first dimension were value placed on TripAdvisor and value placed on meeting planner feedback. The second dimension featured three influential variables: value placed on reviews in TripAdvisor, value placed on social networking, and perceived improvement in consumer‐generated ratings.
Practical implications
The present research revealed two distinct sets of general managers: those who have a strong preference towards online feedback and those who place greater value in traditional sources of feedback such as letters from customers. Additionally, the researchers discovered some similarities between improvement in scores of experts and consumers. This in turn, points out to the existence of some universal aspects of service that appeal to both stakeholder groups. The different levels of value placed on various kinds of feedback points out to the need for tourism and hospitality operators to adopt a more comprehensive strategy to collect, analyze, and take appropriate actions based on such information.
Originality/value
The researchers contribute to the nascent literature on consumer‐generated feedback by exploring its relationship to other variables. Furthermore, the study of various sources of feedback (i.e. guests, experts, and operators) is often studied separately in the tourism literature. It was the aim of this study to explore all of these together in order to better understand their relationships, value, and uses.
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Oun‐Joung Park, Xinran Lehto and Jung‐Kun Park
This study attempts to provide insights into three justice dimensions that constitute a negative family travel experience and to examine the differences existing in industry…
Abstract
Purpose
This study attempts to provide insights into three justice dimensions that constitute a negative family travel experience and to examine the differences existing in industry sectors, service failure settings, and compensation types across the dimensions.
Design/methodology/approach
The research dissected service failures in the family travel market based on the three dimensions of the justice theory. Qualitative data were collected and analyzed utilizing a modified procedure of the critical incident technique. Differences in industry sector, complaint setting, and compensation type were investigated through comparisons of service failure themes within the three justice dimensions using correspondence analysis.
Findings
Critical incidents of family travelers were divided into distributional, procedural, and interpersonal justice categories. The distributive justice dimension showed the highest complaint frequency. Significant differences in justice dimensions were found in the industrial sector, complaint settings, and desired compensation types.
Research limitations/implications
The study is based on data collected from only four public domains. For further research, log data could be collected to triangulate the result from public domains and improve the reliability of the research.
Practical implications
The study has merit in pioneering an examination of the distinct dimensions of family travel service failures across all industry sectors. The results of this study will help tourism suppliers to provide total tourism products for family travelers.
Originality/value
The paper serves as the first exploratory research and contributes to methodological advances in the family travel market by combining justice dimension theory, the CIT approach, and more quantitative tools.
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