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Keeping your audience: Presenting a visitor engagement scale
Abstract
Understanding visitors’ level of engagement with tourist attractions is vital for successful heritage management and marketing. This paper develops a scale to measure visitors’ level of engagement in tourist attractions. It also establishes a relationship between the drivers of engagement and level of engagement using Partial Least Square, whereby both formative and reflective scales are included. The structural model is tested with a sample of 625 visitors at Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow, UK. The empirical validation of the conceptual model supports the research hypotheses. Whilst prior knowledge, recreational motivation and omnivore-univore cultural capital positively affect visitors’ level of engagement, there is no significant relationship between reflective motivation and level of engagement. These findings contribute to a better understanding of visitor engagement in tourist attractions. A series of managerial implications are also proposed.
... Despite the growing interest in cultural tourism, there is limited understanding of how Geoparks can leverage cultural elements, such as traditional rituals, to enrich visitor experiences and foster loyalty. For instance, while studies acknowledge the role of visitor engagement in shaping MTEs (Chen & Rahman, 2018;Taheri et al., 2014), inconsistencies remain regarding its direct influence . Additionally, most research overlooks the unique interplay between geological heritage and cultural traditions within Geoparks (Ansori et al., 2021;Darmawan et al., 2021), creating a need for further investigation. ...
... It extends beyond passive consumption of attractions to foster active participation and interaction with a destination's offerings, ultimately creating more meaningful and memorable experiences for tourists (Lao et al., 2023). Engagement is shaped by tourists' level of knowledge, cultural understanding, and motivation to visit cultural destinations (Chen & Rahman, 2018;Taheri et al., 2014;Tang & Xu, 2023). Visitor engagement can take various forms, ranging from participating in local cultural activities, such as traditional art workshops or culinary experiences, to interacting with residents and engaging with digital platforms designed to enhance the visitor journey (Liberato et al., 2018). ...
... Furthermore, by fostering a sense of connection, personalization, and active involvement, visitor engagement not only increases satisfaction but also enhances the emotional and cognitive dimensions of MTEs. For instance, tourists who participate in cultural activities or meaningful exchanges with locals are more likely to form positive memories and associations with the destination, contributing to their overall experience (Taheri et al., 2014). ...
This study examines the impact of engaging in the Seren Taun ritual at the Ciletuh-Palabuhanratu UNESCO Global Geopark (CPUGGp) on tourist loyalty, with an emphasis on Memorable Tourism Experiences (MTEs) within three indigenous communities: Ciptagelar, Sinaresmi, and Ciptamulya. This study investigates how MTEs influence tourist loyalty by exploring destination image, visitor engagement, and cultural interaction. A quantitative method was utilized involving 200 participants who attended Seren Taun, with data collected through Google Forms. The application of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) through the PLS technique, utilizing SmartPLS 4.0, facilitated the assessment of reliability, validity, and correlation analysis. The results demonstrate that MTEs play a crucial role in improving destination image and fostering cultural interaction, yet they do not markedly boost visitor engagement. The influence of MTEs on loyalty intention is significant, underscoring the importance of enhancing destination image and cultural engagement to promote the growth of cultural tourism in Geoparks. The research highlights the significance of cultural interaction and MTEs in fostering tourist loyalty. Rituals such as Seren Taun enhance visitors' ties to the local culture and encourage sustainable tourism, positively impacting local economies.
... Customer engagement has been identified as a crucial component of a tourism experience [15,16], which involves fostering customers' participation as cocreators of products and services to enhance their service experience [16] and optimize the overall tourist experience [16]. Several empirical studies in the tourism industry have indicated that improved customer engagement has a positive impact on the overall visitor experience and can lead to a higher level of MTE [17,18]. Previous studies have suggested a positive correlation between visitor engagement with cultural attractions and sites and enhanced MTE [17]. ...
... Moreover, researchers have suggested that tourist engagement can be a predictor of the intention to repurchase in the marketing literature [20]. Similar research in the tourism literature has shown that increased levels of tourist engagement with a destination can have a positive effect on the intention to revisit [17,18]. ...
... According to this theory, Chen and Rahman [17] argue that different forms of motivation to participate in cultural tourism result in varying degrees of visitor engagement in cultural tourism. Tourist engagement is a vital component of a tourism experience [18,19] that enhances customers' interaction as cocreators of products and services, further improving the customer service experience [16] and optimizing the overall tourist experience [16]. Empirical studies in tourism suggest that better visitor engagement positively affects the overall visitor experience and creates a higher level of memorable tourism experiences (MTE) [14,15]. ...
A tourism that relied on nature-based tourism (NBT) was not enough as a reason for revisit intention. Revisit intention are the key of tourism sustainability. This study aim to determine cultural background as personalities of tourism destination. The objectives are to justify the tourism destination culture personality relevant for destination personality measurement which seen from culture perspective. Through destination personality approach, this study investigates the role of tourism destination culture personality to strengthen the effect of tourist engagement and memorable tourism experience which can lead to a higher revisit intention considering the match between destination image and tourist’s self-concept. Tourism destination culture personality is a concept that integrates the concepts of destination personality and Hofstede's dimension of culture to describe the unique cultural identity of a tourism destination. In this matter, 259 respondents from a single nation was involved to evaluate 15 scale items of tourism destination culture personality and the framework of current research. Results show that all scale items of tourism destination culture personality were valid. The SEM-PLS and The importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) justified that tourism destination culture personality is essential concept for optimizing the relationship between tourist engagement and memorable tourism experience on revisit intention. Moreover, the tourism destination culture personality has È-Shape curvilinear relationship on the tourist engagement and revisit intention which projected. The last, these results were assessed by robustness and configuration tests to reduce the possibility of error regarding our findings. Overall, this study contributes to the extant literature on tourism destination culture-personality by constructing a composite picture of tourism destination culture-personality dimensions on the tourist’ engagement, memorable tourism experience and revisit intention of NBT. The study’s theoretical contributions, its restrictions and practical implications for NBT operators are further discussed.
... While most agree that CE is multidimensional, the dimensions tend to differ across studies. For example, Harrigan et al. (2017), Hollebeek et al. (2014), and Taheri et al. (2014) found that CE consists of cognition, emotion, and behavior, whereas Van Doorn et al. (2010) and So et al. (2014So et al. ( , 2016 proposed different dimensions, including valence, modality, scope, nature of impact, customer goals, as well as identification, attention, absorption, enthusiasm, and interaction, respectively. ...
... More importantly, it is imperative to note that engagement is distinct yet related to other constructs such as involvement and commitment (Brodie et al., 2011;Lim et al., 2022b). Specifically, involvement refers to the psychological state of perceived relevance and interest a tourist has with a destination, acting as a precursor to engagement, whereas commitment denotes the enduring desire to maintain a valued relationship, which, in tourism, translates into repeated visits and positive referrals (Bryce et al., 2015;So et al., 2021b;Taheri et al., 2014). Therefore, while involvement is the affective and cognitive recognition of a destination's significance, and commitment is the long-term bond, engagement encompasses the active interactions stemming from this recognition and can result in loyalty. ...
... Understanding tourists' levels of engagement and emotional reactions is essential for predicting future trip planning and, by extension, destination loyalty (Taheri et al., 2014). Engagement has been studied from various perspectives, including destination branding and loyalty, tourist participation, and experience (Lin et al., 2019;So et al., 2016). ...
Tourist engagement (TE) has gained prominence in academia and industry. While previous studies have focused on exploring TE in tourism and hospitality, no consolidated empirical study has been conducted. We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis using data from 73 independent studies retrieved from 72 papers, with a total sample size of 41,757. Our analysis, using meta-analytic structural equation modelling, tested a conceptual framework and found that tourist experience and TE individually mediate tourists’ satisfaction, emotion, behavioral intention, and loyalty. Additionally, cultural (e.g., power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, indulgence) and economic (e.g., human development index) moderators influence TE. Our findings also suggest that popular global destinations enhance the relationship between tourist experience, engagement, and behavioral intention.
... While most agree that CE is multidimensional, the dimensions tend to differ across studies. For example, Harrigan et al. (2017), Hollebeek et al. (2014), and Taheri et al. (2014) found that CE consists of cognition, emotion, and behavior, whereas Van Doorn et al. (2010) and So et al. (2014So et al. ( , 2016 proposed different dimensions, including valence, modality, scope, nature of impact, customer goals, as well as identification, attention, absorption, enthusiasm, and interaction, respectively. ...
... More importantly, it is imperative to note that engagement is distinct yet related to other constructs such as involvement and commitment (Brodie et al., 2011;Lim et al., 2022b). Specifically, involvement refers to the psychological state of perceived relevance and interest a tourist has with a destination, acting as a precursor to engagement, whereas commitment denotes the enduring desire to maintain a valued relationship, which, in tourism, translates into repeated visits and positive referrals (Bryce et al., 2015;So et al., 2021b;Taheri et al., 2014). Therefore, while involvement is the affective and cognitive recognition of a destination's significance, and commitment is the long-term bond, engagement encompasses the active interactions stemming from this recognition and can result in loyalty. ...
... Understanding tourists' levels of engagement and emotional reactions is essential for predicting future trip planning and, by extension, destination loyalty (Taheri et al., 2014). Engagement has been studied from various perspectives, including destination branding and loyalty, tourist participation, and experience (Lin et al., 2019;So et al., 2016). ...
Tourist engagement (TE) has gained prominence in academia and industry. While previous studies have focused on exploring TE in tourism and hospitality, no consolidated empirical study has been conducted. We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis using data from 73 independent studies retrieved from 72 papers, with a total sample size of 41,757. Our analysis, using meta-analytic structural equation modelling (MASEM), tested a conceptual framework and found that tourist experience and TE individually mediate tourists’ satisfaction, emotion, behavioral intention, and loyalty. Additionally, cultural (e.g., power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, indulgence) and economic (e.g., human development index) moderators influence TE. Our findings also suggest that popular global destinations enhance the relationship between tourist experience, engagement, and behavioral intention.
... In letteratura è possibile rinvenire diverse modalità di misurazione della dimensione del TE. Ad esempio, Taheri et al. (2014) e poi Rasoolimanesh et al. (2019) hanno misurato il costrutto del TE utilizzando cinque dimensioni: Enthusiasm, Attention, Absorption, Interactions, and Identification. Queste dimensioni comprendono sia componenti psicologiche che comportamentali. ...
... In particolare è stata realizzata una survey somministrando un questionario strutturato ad un campione di convenienza di turisti del sito archeologico di Pompei. Per indagare la dimensione del TE è stato adottato il modello multidimensionale proposto da Taheri et al. (2014) illustrato in Appendice 1 con 16 affermazioni di cui misurare il grado di accordo/disaccordo attraverso una scala di likert a 7 punti, dove 'molto in disaccordo' = 1 e 'molto d'accordo = 7. Sono state incluse anche domande sociodemografiche per descrivere il campione e qualificare i turisti, capire il motivo del viaggio, la compagnia e il numero di volte in cui sono stati in quel sito turistico (Villamediana-Pedrosa et al., 2020;Rather, 2019). Il questionario è stato preparato su Microsoft Forms e le domande sono state somministrate ai visitatori del Parco Archeologico Nazionale di Pompei (Italia) tramite la scansione di un codice QR, in tre giornate a marzo e aprile 2023. ...
... Come si evince dalla tabella 1, gli items utilizzati per la misurazione della dimensione del TE si aggregano differentemente dal modello proposto da Taheri et al. (2014) passando da una struttura a 5 fattori ad una struttura a 2 fattori. In particolare, la prima (EN1, EN2, EN3, AT1, AT2, AT3) è più legata all' "attaccamento" del turista al sito archeologico, mentre la seconda (AB1, AB2, AB3, AB4, IN1) era più legata al livello di assorbimento e "immersione" del turista. ...
Obiettivo dell’articolo:
Lo studio ha l'obiettivo di analizzare come le differenze culturali dei turisti influenzino il loro
coinvolgimento nell'esperienza di visita.
Metodologia:
È stato somministrato un questionario presso il Parco Archeologico di Pompei, con 426 risposte che sono
state analizzate utilizzando la statistica descrittiva e l'analisi delle componenti principali.
Risultati:
I risultati hanno rivelato che il coinvolgimento dei turisti si divide in due componenti: l'attaccamento e
l'immersione, le quali presentano significative variazioni in base alla cultura di appartenenza dei turisti.
Implicazioni manageriali:
Gli operatori dovrebbero tenere in considerazione i fattori culturali e l'origine dei turisti nello sviluppo di
nuove esperienze di visita, allo scopo di adottare modelli di business innovativi, sostenibili e resilienti.
Limiti della ricerca:
Questo studio presenta limitazioni riguardanti la generalizzabilità dei risultati, poiché si è adottato un
approccio quantitativo con un moderato numero di partecipanti, prevalentemente provenienti da Paesi
occidentali, e l'utilizzo di misure basate su autovalutazioni.
Originalità:
L'originalità di questo lavoro risiede nell'esame della relazione tra cultura nazionale e il coinvolgimento dei
turisti fornendo nuove prospettive per l'implementazione di esperienze di visita e modelli di business
innovativi.
... Visitor engagement is another factor that influences visitor pleasure and inclination to return. The condition of mentally being tied to or involved is called visitor engagement (Taheri et al., 2014). Customer engagement, which has been characterized as a degree of a person's mental state about a brand, motivation, and context that is specifically influenced by cognitive, affective, and behavioral levels through direct interaction with the brand, can be related to visitor engagement (Hollebeek, 2011). ...
... Customer engagement, which has been characterized as a degree of a person's mental state about a brand, motivation, and context that is specifically influenced by cognitive, affective, and behavioral levels through direct interaction with the brand, can be related to visitor engagement (Hollebeek, 2011). Prior knowledge (information learned beforehand), varied motivations (a variety of incentives), and 220 cultural capital are the three factors that promote visitor engagement (cultural capital) (Taheri et al., 2014). Aspects of cognition, emotion, and behavior can also be used to identify the characteristics that influence visitor engagement (Ahn & Back, 2018). ...
... Conceptually bound or involved visitors are said to be engaged (Taheri et al., 2014). Visitor engagement is similar to customer engagement, which has been described as a degree of a person's mental state regarding a brand, motivation, and context that is specifically influenced by cognitive, affective, and behavioral levels through direct interaction with the brand (Hollebeek, 2011). ...
This study aims to determine the effect of destination image, visitor experience, and visitor engagement on visit intention through visitor satisfaction. The population in this study were visitors to the National Museum. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling with 148 respondents. The data analysis method uses a structural equation model with the help of smartPLS software. The results of the study show that there is a significant effect of destination image on visitor satisfaction, visitor engagement on visitor satisfaction and visitor experience on visit intention. Meanwhile, the results also show that there is no effect of destination image on visit intention, visitor satisfaction on visit intention and visitor experience on visitor satisfaction. The addition of the customer engagement and customer satisfaction variables to the model is originality in this study in measuring the desire of visitors to return with moderation of customer satisfaction. The managerial implication of this research is that the management of the national museum should increase activities that can enhance the image of the museum among the public as a tourist destination which, in addition to providing education, also provides pleasure, especially for the younger generation to prefer museums.
... Taheri et al. [26] and then Rasoolimanesh et al. [27] operationalised the construct of Tourist Engagement (TE) into five dimensions that were used in this study: Enthusiasm, Attention, Absorption, Interactions, and Identification. These dimensions cover both psychological and behavioural components. ...
... A structured questionnaire was developed including multiple-dimensions construct of tourist engagement (TE) from [26] Future usage of technology (FUT) was included in the questionnaire with behavioral intention items from [30] and [8]. All the statements were set to answer on a 7-point likert scale and can be viewed in Appendix 1. ...
... For instance, Baptista and Oliveira [43] found that collectivism and a low degree of uncertainty influence the use behavior of technology. Therefore, it would be relevant to consider cultural indicators as antecedents of the TE and as moderators of the relationship between TE and FUT, given the significant influence that culture can have on user behavior and acceptance of new technologies [26,27]. Furthermore, many studies in the literature posit the acceptance of technology as a key determinant of engagement and future use, suggesting that understanding cultural factors could be critical for optimizing the visitor experience and enhancing engagement with immersive technologies in the tourism industry [24,36]. ...
This paper aims to investigate the relationship between tourist engagement (TE), future behavioral intentions in adopting new immersive technologies (FUT), and national culture. The study explores whether cross-cultural differences exist in tourists’ engagement and adoption of new immersive technologies. A questionnaire was administered at the archaeological park of Pompeii, Italy, resulting in 426 preliminary responses that were analyzed using correlation matrix, Principal Component Analysis, and descriptive statistics. The findings indicate significant variations in TE and FUT factors, with tourists from culturally similar countries demonstrating similar behaviors. This research contributes to the understanding of the role of culture in tourist engagement and technology adoption. While the study has important implications for both researchers and tourism practitioners, it acknowledges the limitations of a small sample size and ongoing research, suggesting potential for further investigation. The originality of this paper lies in its examination of the relationship between national culture, tourist engagement, and the adoption of immersive technologies.
... To promote PEB, it is essential to establish a deep connection between the destination and tourists, especially through emotional arousal , as glacier tourists may hesitate to translate their awareness of climate change obtained during their visit into actual PEB D'Souza et al., 2023). Tourist engagement, defined as the extent of interaction between tourists and destination (Hollebeek, 2011), involves a deeper level of activity and emotional investment from tourists (Taheri et al., 2014) and is key in building such a deep connection. Fueled by the establishment of these emotional bonds, tourists may have a heightened inclination to modify their long-term environmental behavior. ...
... psychology, marketing, tourism; Achterberg et al., 2003;Bryce et al., 2015;Kumar & Pansari, 2016). Tourist engagement, defined as the extent of interaction between tourists and destination (Hollebeek, 2011), involves a deeper level of activity and emotional investment from tourists (Taheri et al., 2014). Highly engaged tourists tend to develop positive emotions and an increasing satisfaction with their destination, which results in an overall enhanced experience (Taheri et al., 2014;Organ et al., 2015). ...
... Tourist engagement, defined as the extent of interaction between tourists and destination (Hollebeek, 2011), involves a deeper level of activity and emotional investment from tourists (Taheri et al., 2014). Highly engaged tourists tend to develop positive emotions and an increasing satisfaction with their destination, which results in an overall enhanced experience (Taheri et al., 2014;Organ et al., 2015). For example, tourist engagement was found to be positively related with visitor loyalty in heritage tourism (Bryce et al., 2015) and with guest trust and service evaluation at hotels (Wei et al., 2013). ...
... So et al. (2014So et al. ( , 2021 CE is defined as customers' personal connection to a brand as manifested in cognitive, affective, and behavioral actions outside of the purchase situation in five dimensions: enthusiasm, attention, identification, absorption, and interaction. Taheri et al. (2014) Visitor engagement is conceptualized as a state of being involved with and committed to a specific market offering. Cabiddu et al. (2014) Interaction between customers and organizations in three forms of engagement: persistent, triggered, and customized Bryce et al. (2015) The concept of engagement includes aspects of attachment, emotional connection, commitment, and devotion. ...
... Bilro et al. (2018) pointed out the relevance of website stimuli experience to engage users. Collectively, these drivers can be regarded as motivational drivers, which represent one of the most usually studied antecedents of CE (Taheri et al., 2014). Research has indicated that cultural motivation might develop visitors' engagement and consumption of culture at heritage sites/attractions (e.g., Bryce et al., 2015;Loureiro & Sarmento, 2018;Ramkissoon et al., 2013;Rather et al., 2022b). ...
... Research has indicated that cultural motivation might develop visitors' engagement and consumption of culture at heritage sites/attractions (e.g., Bryce et al., 2015;Loureiro & Sarmento, 2018;Ramkissoon et al., 2013;Rather et al., 2022b). Another motivational factor developing engagement is recreational and intrinsic motivations that impact CE via service offerings (Loureiro & Sarmento, 2019;Taheri et al., 2014). ...
... Although tourist engagement is a consolidated concept in tourism, little attention has been paid to the study of its antecedents (Taheri, Jafari, & O'Gorman, 2014;So et al., 2020;Harrigan, Evers, Miles, & Daly, 2017;Rather et al., 2019;Fang et al., 2020;Villamediana-Pedrosa, Vila-L opez, & Kü ster-Boluda, 2020;Hao, 2020;Rasoolimanesh et al., 2021). Antecedents studied in the literature include service quality, customer satisfaction and brand image in airlines (Hapsari, Clemes, & Dean, 2017), physical attractiveness of a hotel (Fang et al., 2020), social media and information richness in hospitality (Lee et al., 2021), prior knowledge, multiple motivations and cultural capital of museums (Taheri et al., 2014) place authenticity and place attachment (Rather et al., 2019) and consumer motivations (Villamediana-Pedrosa et al., 2020). ...
... Although tourist engagement is a consolidated concept in tourism, little attention has been paid to the study of its antecedents (Taheri, Jafari, & O'Gorman, 2014;So et al., 2020;Harrigan, Evers, Miles, & Daly, 2017;Rather et al., 2019;Fang et al., 2020;Villamediana-Pedrosa, Vila-L opez, & Kü ster-Boluda, 2020;Hao, 2020;Rasoolimanesh et al., 2021). Antecedents studied in the literature include service quality, customer satisfaction and brand image in airlines (Hapsari, Clemes, & Dean, 2017), physical attractiveness of a hotel (Fang et al., 2020), social media and information richness in hospitality (Lee et al., 2021), prior knowledge, multiple motivations and cultural capital of museums (Taheri et al., 2014) place authenticity and place attachment (Rather et al., 2019) and consumer motivations (Villamediana-Pedrosa et al., 2020). Fyall & Garrod (2020) considers that performance management and the scrutiny of organisations that exist to manage and market, destinations more effectively are a primary area of research in tourism. ...
... Though several studies have analysed the importance of tourist engagement, few have done so within the context of a tourist destination (Fang et al., 2020;Lee et al., 2021;Rasoolimanesh, Noor, Schuberth, & Jaafar, 2019;So et al., 2020;Villamediana-Pedrosa et al., 2020). Tourist engagement is a key objective for destination management organisations (DMOs) because it optimises visitor experience and enhances the destination's value proposition (Taheri et al., 2014). DMOs are therefore very interested in discovering the key factors that generate tourist engagement and bring about favourable customer reactions to the destination (Villamediana-Pedrosa et al., 2020). ...
Purpose
This paper aims to establish the causal relationship between destination image and tourist motivation and engagement.
Design/methodology/approach
A causal model with seven hypotheses was tested into a sample of 438 domestic tourists in Acapulco (Mexico).
Findings
Cognitive destination image is the main antecedent of tourist engagement, exerting an important direct and indirect effect through push and pull motivations. Affective image also exerts a direct effect on tourist engagement and an indirect effect through push and pull motivations. Only pull motivations exert an influence on tourist engagement.
Research limitations/implications
The study is based on domestic tourists at a sun and beach destination.
Practical implications
Destination management organisations should invest in the care, improvement and promotion of tourism resources. Online and offline communication campaigns should be based on tourism resources and experiences.
Originality/value
This paper fulfils three research gaps: destination image is associated with tourist engagement; tourist motivations affect tourist engagement; and destination image is associated with tourist motivations.
... Based on the hypothetical framework illustrated in Figure 1, part one of the questionnaire contained 36 survey items; 13 items measuring multidimensional, knowledge, contribution, remembered, creative, and responsibility generativity Wells et al., 2016;Urien & Kilbourne, 2011;McAdams & de St Aubin,1992), 7 items measuring engagement (Taheri et al., 2014), 11 items measuring multidimensional experience, including sensory, affect, cognition, and conation (Godovykh & Tasci, 2020;Tang & Qiu, 2015;Barnes, Mattsson, &Sorensen, 2014;Dirsehan, 2012), and 5 items measuring psychological well-being (World Health Organization, 1998). A fivepoint Likert scale from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5) was used to rate each measurement item. ...
... The engagement and experience of museum visitors have been examined in previous studies using standard tourism theories (e.g., Dirsehan, 2012;Loureiro & Ferreira, 2018;Taheri et al., 2014;Tang & Qiu, 2015). It is imperative to research the particular psychological variables that impact visitors' participation and experience within the museum context. ...
... "Word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing", a concept with deep historical roots in marketing liter ature, has experienced considerable theoretical evolution through the adoption of cognitive, emotional, and interactionist perspectives (Taheri et al., 2014) The literature predominantly defines WOM as "informal communications among consumers regarding the ownership, usage, or characteristics of specific goods and services and/or their vendors " (Westbrook, 1987). WOM has proven particularly effective in sectors like health services and tourism, where the products or services offered are intangible (Taheri et al., 2014). ...
... "Word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing", a concept with deep historical roots in marketing liter ature, has experienced considerable theoretical evolution through the adoption of cognitive, emotional, and interactionist perspectives (Taheri et al., 2014) The literature predominantly defines WOM as "informal communications among consumers regarding the ownership, usage, or characteristics of specific goods and services and/or their vendors " (Westbrook, 1987). WOM has proven particularly effective in sectors like health services and tourism, where the products or services offered are intangible (Taheri et al., 2014). Numerous studies have demonstrated that WOM recommendations serve as a tool to mitigate the risks associated with these sectors (Cham et al., 2022;Han and Hyun, 2015;Taheri et al., 2021). ...
The aim of this study is to reveal the effects of word-of-mouth marketing, hospital social media accounts, user social media accounts, hospital advertisements and price policy on hospital brand image from the perspective of medical tourists visiting Türkiye. Data were gathered using English, Arabic, and Turkish questionnaires from 1 July 2023 to 31 December 2023. There is a strong and positive relationship between hospital brand image, word-of-mouth communication (WOM), hospital social media use, social media accounts of followers, hospital adve rtisements (r>0.500, p<0.01). Hospital brand image is influenced by word-of-mouth communication (WOM), hospital social media use, social media accounts of followers, hospital advertisements and price perception (p<0.05). As a result of the study, it was de termined that social media use and marketing activities were the most important predictors in the formation of hospital brand image.
... Destination engagement is a multi-dimensional construct that encompasses the link between cognitive perception and affective response to the destination (Brodie et al., 2013;Hollebeek, 2011;So et al., 2016;Vivek et al., 2012). This concept emphasizes psychological factors such as absorption, attention, and identification that induce tourists to engage with various elements within the destination (Bolton, 2011;Brodie et al., 2011;So et al., 2014;Taheri et al., 2014). ...
... This involvement reflects the early phase of attraction as tourists start connecting with the destination's offerings, exploring its sociocultural elements (Villamediana-Pedrosa et al., 2020). Tourists engage with the destination by participating in activities, tours, or immersive experiences with fellow tourists, thereby developing an initial attraction (Taheri et al., 2014). This engagement could initiate the process of forming a deeper bond with the destination. ...
The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) stands as a compelling destination for heritage tourism due to its rich historical and sociocultural significance. This study employs the psychological continuum model to explore allegiance development across four dimensions—awareness, attraction, attachment, and allegiance—within the context of DMZ tourism. The investigation delves into how DMZ tourists’ sociocultural motivation shapes their destination engagement, subsequently influencing emotional attachment and ultimately impacting revisit intention. Through a survey of DMZ visitors and the application of structural equation modeling, this study explores the dynamics of DMZ tourists’ allegiance. The findings reveal a positive relationship between sociocultural motivation and destination engagement, emotional attachment, and revisit intention. Destination engagement positively affects emotional attachment, albeit indirectly influencing revisit intention. Emotional attachment positively influences revisit intention. Furthermore, this study identifies notable moderating effects of DMZ tourists’ residency. Specifically, sociocultural motivation more strongly influences revisit intention, and destination engagement has a stronger impact on emotional attachment in international tourists compared to domestic tourists.
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Citation: Lee, S., Kim, T., & Kim, Y. H. (2024). Heritage tourism and allegiance development: A study of the Korean demilitarized zone. Journal of Vacation Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1177/13567667241249178
... The concept of engagement has not received much attention in the field of tourism, and most of the few studies on tourist engagement have been conceptual [14]. It was not until Taheri et al. [15] developed a participation scale in the context of museums that research on the antecedents and consequences of tourist engagement began to increase. For example, studies have shown that the higher the degree of tourist engagement, the more memorable the tourism experience, leading to unforgettable tourism memories [16]. ...
... The test was followed by adjustments and exclusions based on their feedback. The measurement of tourist engagement refers to the scale developed by Taheri [15], which includes eight indicators. Some of the expressions of tourist engagement behaviors are modified to reflect intentions. ...
Amidst the burgeoning interest in rural Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) tourism, this study, anchored in the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S–O–R) theoretical framework, chose Meizhou Island in Fujian Province as a case study to examine the impacts of tourists’ perceptions of authenticity and their engagement levels on the destination image and loyalty towards rural ICH tourism. Utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to analyze survey data, findings revealed that higher perceptions of a destination’s preservation of original characteristics and traditional values correlate with a more favorable overall perception of the destination, albeit with smaller impact on emotional connections. Conversely, depth of tourist engagement was shown to enhance both understanding and emotional bonds with the destination. Further, familiarity with the destination was found to foster affection, thereby increasing the likelihood of repeat visits or recommendations. The more tourists know about a place, perceiving it as authentic, the more likely they are to remain loyal; similarly, deeper engagement enhances understanding and affection, increasing the probability of revisiting or recommending the place. These outcomes not only offer new insights into tourist behavior but also provide theoretical and practical guidance for the protection and development of rural ICH tourism, destination marketing, and management strategies, thus promoting the sustainable development of rural ICH tourism.
... Tourist engagement merupakan situasi di mana seorang wisatawan terlibat dalam suatu pengalaman tertentu yang sudah dialami (Taheri et al., 2014). Sedangkan menurut Melón et al. (2021) tourist engagement adalah kontribusi dan minat wisatawan pada pengalaman berwisata, selain itu terdapat dua faktor pendorong yang mempengaruhi tingkat keterlibatan yakni pengetahuan dan motivasi sebelumnya. ...
... Sedangkan menurut Melón et al. (2021) tourist engagement adalah kontribusi dan minat wisatawan pada pengalaman berwisata, selain itu terdapat dua faktor pendorong yang mempengaruhi tingkat keterlibatan yakni pengetahuan dan motivasi sebelumnya. Definisi yang dirujuk untuk mengukur tourist engagement dalam penelitian ini bersumber dari Taheri et al. (2014). Filep & Deery (2010) mendefinisikan tourist happiness sebagai respon afektif pada wisatawan dengan emosi positif yang sesuai dengan pengalaman berwisata. ...
ABSTRAK Berdasarkan data dari Dinas Pariwisata dan Kebudayaan Kabupaten Bandung Barat menunjukkan tingkat rata-rata pertumbuhan kunjungan wisatawan ke Kabupaten Bandung Barat periode 2021-2022 mengalami kenaikan sebesar 12,1%. Sedangkan rata-rata pertumbuhan kunjungan wisatawan ke Orchid Forest Cikole Lembang hanya mengalami kenaikan sebesar 2%. Fenomena tersebut dapat mengindikasikan adanya kenaikan revisit intention Orchid Forest Cikole Lembang yang jauh lebih rendah dari pada kunjungan wisatawan ke Kabupaten Bandung Barat. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menguji pengaruh destination image , tourist engagement , dan tourist happiness terhadap revisit intention melalui memorable tourist experience wisatawan Orchid Forest Cikole Lembang. Sebanyak 164 responden yang berpengalaman mengunjungi Orchid Forest Cikole Lembang berpartisipasi dalam penelitian ini. Metode cross-sectional atau one-shot digunakan untuk mendapatkan data. Instrumen telah dinyatakan lulus uji validitas dan reliabilitas. Teknik analisis data yang digunakan adalah structural equation modelling (SEM) dengan menggunakan alat bantu Smart-PLS versi 3.0. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa destination image dan tourist happiness berpengaruh positif terhadap memorable tourist experience. Selain itu, destination image, tourist engagement dan tourist happiness berpengaruh positif terhadap revisit intention . Kata Kunci: Destination Image; Tourist Engagement; Tourist Happiness, Memorable Tourist Experience, Revisit Intention ABSTRACK Based on data from the West Bandung Regency Tourism and Culture Office, it shows that the average growth rate of tourist visits to West Bandung Regency for the 2021-2022 period has increased by 12.1%. Meanwhile, the average growth in tourist visits to Orchid Forest Cikole Lembang only increased by 2%. This phenomenon could indicate an increase in revisit intention for Orchid Forest Cikole Lembang which is much lower than tourist visits to West Bandung Regency. The aim of this research is to examine the influence of destination image, tourist engagement, and tourist happiness on revisit intention through memorable tourist experiences of Orchid Forest Cikole Lembang tourists. A total of 164 respondents who had experience visiting Orchid Forest Cikole Lembang participated in this research. The cross-sectional or one-shot method is used to obtain data. The instrument has been declared to have passed the validity and reliability tests. The data analysis technique used is structural equation modeling (SEM) using the Smart-PLS version 3.0 tool. The results showed that destination image and tourist happiness have a positive effect on memorable tourist experience. Apart from that, destination image, tourist engagement and tourist happiness have a positive effect on revisit intention. Keywords: Destination Image; Tourist Engagement; Tourist Happiness, Memorable Tourist Experience, Revisit Intention
... Building upon this, So (2014) developed a five-dimensional scale for measuring tourism brand engagement based on a literature review [37]. Taheri et al. (2014) emphasized the need for further research on the concept of tourist engagement, highlighting that it encompasses qualities such as attachment, emotional connection, commitment, and devotion [38]. Wang et al. (2015) applied the theory of customer engagement to the tourism industry and suggested that due to the unique nature of cultural heritage tourist destinations, tourists have a greater demand for engagement [39]. ...
... Building upon this, So (2014) developed a five-dimensional scale for measuring tourism brand engagement based on a literature review [37]. Taheri et al. (2014) emphasized the need for further research on the concept of tourist engagement, highlighting that it encompasses qualities such as attachment, emotional connection, commitment, and devotion [38]. Wang et al. (2015) applied the theory of customer engagement to the tourism industry and suggested that due to the unique nature of cultural heritage tourist destinations, tourists have a greater demand for engagement [39]. ...
Tourist loyalty is the key to the sustainable development of tourism in urban historical blocks. This article focuses on exploring the relationship between authenticity perception and tourist loyalty in this context. With this aim, we introduce the mediating variable of tourist engagement and construct a theoretical model of authenticity perception, tourist engagement, and tourist loyalty. Hierarchical regression analysis and bootstrapping were performed on questionnaire data of 287 West Street tourists in Dujiangyan, China. The results of this study demonstrate that both object-related authenticity perception and existential authenticity perception have a significant positive impact on tourist loyalty behavior, with similar degrees of influence. Additionally, the study reveals that tourist engagement plays a mediating role in the relationship among object-related authenticity, existential authenticity, and tourist loyalty. From the perspective of tourist engagement, this article reveals the impact mechanism of authenticity perception on tourist loyalty in the context of historical block tourism, enriches the research on tourism authenticity, and deepens the understanding of tourist loyalty behavior. Furthermore, the results of this study also provide reference for the formulation of sustainable development policies related to tourism in historical blocks.
... The author corroborates her theorizing with an observation of museum projects combining the elements mentioned before and achieving community engagement. Further on, the measuring of engagement has been investigated by Taheri et al. (2014), who established a visitor engagement scale; therefore, the focus is narrow as compared to the previous studies, but the gap addressed by the authors is the setting of a measurement system supporting managers. The scale they set consists of drivers and level of engagement; the drivers are prior knowledge, multiple motivations, and cultural capital. ...
The purpose of this chapter is to track back the recent evolutions in the domain of museum management, as well as the upcoming changes. The factors shaping change will most likely affect the decisions and the activities of the key entities in museums context in the coming years. Technological innovations, changes in society, the growing and different requests from the audience, and the managerialization process—besides still ongoing—of some entities of the museum domain are among the engines of the ongoing evolution. This evolution is commonly recalled by the pivotal international institutions, and the ongoing change can be observed in the dissemination activities of these institutions, in the promotion they made, as well as in the contents of the recently issued reports, and in their indications that stimulate the debate between museum companies themselves and the world of research.
... Consumer engagement is defined as the attachment and emotional bond of consumers to a particular context [53]. In this study, consumer engagement refers to the intensity of interaction, participation, and connection of consumers with second-hand clothing [54]. ...
The high demand for the fashion industry currently results in the emergence of the fast fashion phenomenon, prompting consumers to spend more money on unnecessary clothing. This leads to excessive clothing production, which impacts pollution, waste, and emissions. The phenomenon of excessive fashion consumption and production can be mitigated by utilizing second-hand clothing products. Purchasing second-hand clothing products can be classified as part of mindful consumption behavior. The aim of this study is to examine the direct and indirect effects of Electronic Word of Mouth on mindful consumption behavior in the context of local second-hand clothing purchases. Additionally, this study also tests the mediating effects of consumer engagement and environmental attitudes. This research is quantitative in nature, employing data collection through questionnaires from local second-hand clothing consumers within the active workforce demographic (aged 18–59) in Indonesia, yielding 205 respondents. The data analysis technique used is structural equation modeling-partial least square (SEM-PLS). The research findings indicate a significant positive direct influence of Electronic Word of Mouth on environmental attitudes, consumer engagement, and mindful consumption behavior. Moreover, there is a notable positive direct influence between consumer engagement and mindful consumption behavior, while no significant influence is found in the relationship between environmental attitudes and mindful consumption behavior. Furthermore, the study confirms the mediating effect of consumer engagement between Electronic Word of Mouth and mindful consumption behavior but does not support a significant mediating effect of environmental attitudes on local second-hand clothing mindful consumption behavior.
... Involvement is a widely recognized concept in marketing, drawing significant attention and application in studies of behavior, including those in social psychology (Abbasi et al., 2023). Within the tourism sector, the concept of "involvement" is extensively applied across various activities such as leisure, Internet usage, and tourism itself (Sallaku and Vigolo, 2022;Chua et al., 2017;Taheri et al., 2014). It is often linked to the theme of experiential marketing, exploring the role of experiences and activities in tourists' engagement within destinations (Dini et al., 2023;Mastroberardino et al., 2022;Pine and Gilmore, 1998). ...
Purpose
The study aims to provide a detailed definition of Destination Cultural Reputation while also exploring its impact on tourist satisfaction through an investigation of the dynamics between these two elements. Additionally, the potential moderating role of on-site engagement in sustainable activities has been investigated, examining whether satisfaction prompts tourists to exhibit behaviors such as the intention to return and recommend the cultural destination.
Design/methodology/approach
To achieve these objectives, a survey and a structural equation model, based on a sample of 647 visitors to an important UNESCO World Heritage site (i.e. Urbino), have been adopted.
Findings
Findings confirm tourists’ recognition of the destination’s cultural reputation, supporting its relationship with visitor satisfaction. Additionally, tourist satisfaction is positively associated with destination loyalty. However, on-site sustainable activities negatively moderate the relationship between destination reputation and tourist satisfaction. This suggests that a favorable cultural reputation should align with quality sustainable activities in the destination to prevent tourist dissatisfaction.
Practical implications
The paper offers valuable practical insights for destination managers and policymakers aiming to enhance appeal and sustainability.
Originality/value
The study contributes to enhancing the understanding of the complex relationship between reputation, satisfaction, and loyalty in cultural destinations. In addiction it measures the reputation of tourist destination through the specific cultural dimension.
... In this case, cultural tourists value the breadth and depth of their experiences (McKercher, 2002). The unique architectural heritage has become a factor in increasing visitor involvement, leading to a better overall experience and, ultimately, a higher level of memorable tourist experiences (Chen & Rahman, 2018;Taheri et al., 2014). ...
Objective: This study aims to explore and understand the interrelationships between cultural tourism and architectural heritage sites through tourist image and perception. These interrelationships must balance community needs, available resources, executive efforts and regional planning while protecting the environment. Theoretical Framework: Historic buildings are considered important elements in cultural heritage, and architecture is further considered to be one of the most important aspects that attract tourists. As a significant part of cultural heritage and tourism resources, architectural heritage is the most important commemorative, secondary architectural buildings and its natural and artificial environments in ancient areas and characteristic villages. Method: This study's method is based on mixed-method research, which is known as triangulation. This approach entailed gathering initial data, conducting interviews and surveys, and creating house maps. Traditional architectural documentation tools, such as drawings, plans, sections, elevations, and photographs, are required in all three process stages. Results and Discussion: Bali has a diversity of forms and varieties of traditional architecture. East Bali, part of the Karangasem kingdom called puri during the Mindle era of Bali, has preserved several unique architectural masterpieces. In this context, architectural heritage is critical in increasing property values. Preserving architectural heritage is considered environmentally friendly for cultural tourism. Research Implications: This study explores to what extent heritage architecture can be utilized as cultural heritage ideally and efficiently. This can be achieved by building sustainable restoration of archaeological and heritage sites to achieve sustainable heritage tourism. Originality/Value: This research utilizes experiments in countries with cultural heritage to obtain lessons, values and concepts that contribute to achieving an efficient program for sustainable tourism development based on the preservation of heritage areas.
... Most scholars' research is about customer or tourist participation (Harrigan et al., 2018;Hollebeek et al., 2019). This perspective recognizes that the importance of engagement is based on cognition and affect (Hollebeek et al., 2014;Taheri et al., 2014). Emotional engagement can be positive or negative and can spill over from one brand element to another (Klapp et al., 2017). ...
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games has made more people focus on skiing. How to promote the development of ski tourism is the focus of this study. This study explores the relationship between skiers’ motivation and tourism intention. Based on social learning theory, the moderating effect of attractive influencers on satisfaction and travel intentions was explored. The results show that perceived ski motivation and affective engagement positively impact perceived value. The perceived value affects tourism intention through satisfaction, and perceived value directly impacts satisfaction and tourism intention. The willingness of skiers to travel will change with the attraction of ski influencers. Furthermore, the study results provide recommendations for enhancing ski destinations and offer suggestions for improving marketing strategies.
... The first part consists of 9 general questions based on scientific studies aimed at determining the profile of the respondent (Yang, 2011;Taheri et al., 2014;Kim et al., 2012) and the attitude of local residents to innovation consisted of 7 attitude questions (Gardiner and Scott, 2018;Ozseker, 2018;Tomescu and Botezat, 2015). ...
This study aims to identify the local residents’ attitude to ethno-tourism development in Ulytau region, which is located in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The research also analyses the economic, environmental, and socio-cultural impact of ethno-tourism both from positive and negative perspectives. To meet the research goals, a structured survey was constructed and distributed from February 2022 to September 2023 among locals of Ulytau. It was studied the attitude of the local population to ethno-tourism, openness and readiness for innovation and ethno-tourism. All variables of the measurement instrument were created based on a review of the relevant literature and modified to define the target group in accordance with the objectives of the study. Based on the results, local citizens are positive to develop ethno-tourism, but in sustainable way with preserving natural and cultural heritage.
... The authors suggest seven potential partnerships that are influenced by five mitigating variables, emphasising the importance of going beyond a conflict paradigm and examining other relationship types between these two sectors. Taheri et al. (2014) with 179 citations, the author of third most cited article, the study presents a novel visitor engagement scale and shows a correlation between the factors influencing engagement and its level, offering managers a systematic method to evaluate engagement. Engaging with museums is crucial for enhancing visitors' experience, and this study helps by creating a novel scale to assess the degree of engagement and finding a correlation between the factors that promote engagement and its level. ...
Heritage management involves the implementation of management strategies to preserve and enhance cultural resources, ensuring their continued existence as a valuable and beneficial aspect of cultural heritage for the wider public. The objective of the work is to conduct a bibliometric analysis to examine the research patterns, growth, and effect of authors, references, and nations in the field of Heritage Management. The study employed the Scopus database to gather comprehensive datasets and utilized science mapping analysis to visually depict the organization and connections among authors, journals, and nations in the domain of Heritage Management.
... Customer engagement is an independent concept with a relatively short history but a reasonably well-developed concept in the marketing literature (Barari et al., 2021). CE is attachment, commitment, devotion, and emotional connection (Taheri et al., 2014). CE motivates, empowers, and measures customer contribution to the marketing function (Harmeling et al., 2017). ...
Deep relationships with consumers are not limited to products. In tourism, deep relationships can be built based on valuable and meaningful travel experiences in sustainable tourism destinations. The aim of the study is an examination of tourist engagement for loyalty in the sustainable destination image. This research was designed through a causal study. ASurvey for data collection was conducted employing questionnaires specifically designed for local tourists visiting tourist villages in Bali and Yogyakarta. A sample of 282 local tourists was determined incidentally according to established criteria. Data analysis used statistical inference analysis, namely Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) maximum likelihood method. The research findings indicate that the alignment of values demonstrated in the image of sustainable tourist villages encourages tourists to engage in and support sustainability. The congruence of normative values and beliefs portrayed by the brand image as a tourist village fosters intentions to revisit and recommend it to others. Tourists’ behaviors further contribute to sustainability based on normative considerations of tourist village sustainability. The theoretical implication is the congruence of values as a concept that cannot be separated from consumer engagement and sustainable tourism destinations. Values developed based on tourists’ self-congruence with sustainability form the basis of relationships with tourists. These values become the primary preferences for engagement and loyalty to sustainability. By understanding self-congruence theory, managers can design strategies that consider the values and attributes the target market identifies in sustainable tourism destinations. Creating value congruence between the destination and the tourist’s self-image can encourage emotional engagement and tourist preference for sustainable destinations.
... Customer engagement adalah intensitas dalam partisipasi individu dan hubungannya dengan penawaran organisasi atau aktivitas organisasi, yang dilakukan oleh pelanggan atau organisasi (Vivek et al., 2012). Visitor engagement berasal dari istilah yang digunakan dalam literatur pemasaran dan digunakan dalam penelitian ini secara konsisten dikonseptualisasikan dari istilah consumer engagement atau customer engagement (Taheri et al., 2014). So et al., (2020) mengemukakan bahwa visitor engagement mencakup lima dimensi yang terdiri dari identification, enthusiasm, attention, absorption, dan interaction. ...
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the visitor engagement on revisit intention mediated by Candi Borobudur's memorable tourism experiances in Magelang Regency. The instrument used in this study has passed the external validity test, construct validity test, instrument validity test using product moment, and reliability test. The instrument is used as a means of collecting data from respondents, namely domestic tourists with a minimum age of 17 years who have experience visiting tourist destinations which are the objects assessed in this study as many as 121 people. The data collection technique used is cross-sectional or one shot study. The data analysis technique used is multiple linear regression using SPSS version 25 and using the sobel test. Of the ten proposed research hypotheses, seven of them are supported by empirical data. The findings of this study indicate that memorable tourism experiences cannot mediate the effect of visitor engagement on revisit intention. Meanwhile the use of other concepts to directly influence revisit intention can be proposed by further researchers. The results of this study are also useful for the management of the object being assessed and similar tourism industries regarding the design of strategies that are relevant to improving the quality of these attributes.
... Engagement is gaining traction in modern hospitality and tourism practices due to its beneficial effects on customers' behavioral intentions, including purchase intentions [8], patronage and purchase recommendations. Tourist engagement, measured by the level of involvement and commitment to an individual's travel experience, reflects their initiative, dedication and engagement with the tourism offering [9]. The concept of engagement can be divided into two dimensions. ...
... To the best of our knowledge, the literature on influencer and on conceptualizing consumer engagement with this new HB is very limited. Further, tools that measure consumer engagement with an inanimate brand sometimes focus on a single dimension of engagement (e.g., behavioral, see [26]) or on measuring brand usage [27], visitor engagement [28] which is hardly applicable to a HB [29]. Many researchers fail to consider that the expression of engagement dimensions varies considerably across objects and contexts [30]. ...
This research aims to conceptualize, develop, and validate a specific instrument for measuring the engagement of followers towards influencers on social media, and more specifically, in this first research, on Instagram. We surveyed (in-depth interviews, and questionnaires) 32 marketing experts and 1170 Instagram followers. Based on the applications of factor analysis and structural equation modelling, we determined 21 valid items. The scale assesses the cognitive, affective, and behavioral characteristics of follower's engagement across five dimensions. The results provide insight into the interactive, personal, and social aspects of this type of virtual engagement. It is the first scale to measure this engagement in a multidimensional framework, which advances future research. Additionally, it will help managers identify the strongest dimensions of their influencers' engagement and thus be able to adjust marketing communication strategies to foster multidimensional follower engagement and subsequent partnerships.
... Cultural experience can lead to memorable tourism experiences, which can improve destination loyalty (Chen & Rahman, 2018). This result is achieved by promoting tourist engagement to connect a deeper level of commitment and interest among tourists (Taheri et al., 2014). ...
... Hollebeek [49] believed that engagement is a multidimensional structure, including emotional, cognitive, and behavioral elements. Tourists' engagement is the emotion and cognition of engaging in all relevant experience activities in the tourism destination, which includes the concentration and concentration of tourists' activity engagement when they are at the destination [16,27,50]. Previous studies measured tourists' engagement by two dimensions: interaction and participation [14]. ...
Tourist engagement not only yields advantages for the destination but also holds significance within the realm of group travel. In this context, if tour guides are able to leverage tourist citizenship behaviors (TCB) to augment interactivity and participation, tourists can essentially transform into “tour guide assistants”. To this end, the study introduces intimacy as a mediating variable, aiming to investigate the influence of TCB on engagement levels among group tourists. The subjects were Taiwanese tourists who had engaged in outbound group tourism for more than five days within three years. A total of 436 online questionnaires were collected by convenience sampling and analyzed in LISREL and SPSS 21.0. The research results: 1. TCB significantly positively affects intimacy and engagement; 2. Intimacy is a mediating variable between TCB and engagement. 3. Different levels of TCB have significant differences in intimacy and engagement. The research results can help tour guides and travel agency operators know the characteristics of group tourists and improve the experience of group tour tourists.
... To measure and evaluate visitor experiences, various qualitative and quantitative research methods have been adapted, and visitor behavior observation is one of the most widely used methods, which includes visiting style (e.g., Verón and Levasseur, 1989;Dean, 2002;Serrell, 1996;Sparacino, 2002), mean duration (Falk and Storksdiek, 2005;Kim and Lee, 2016), engagement level (e.g., Loureiro andFerreira 2018, Taheri et al. 2014), and the process and extent of the interaction (e.g., Bryce et al. 2015). Visiting style is a characteristic of how visitors view an exhibit and move within an exhibition space (Veron and Levasseur, 1983), mean duration is the real viewing time (Falk and Storksdiek, 2005), and engagement and interaction is an interactive process that integrates the visitor's proactive involvement and commitment to an exhibit (Loureiro and Ferreira, 2018;Taheri et al., 2014). ...
The growing interest in the metaverse has led to a corresponding increase in attention towards virtual reality (VR) exhibitions. Furthermore, with the potential and possibility of a virtual environment without physical and economic constraints, expectations for user experiences based on diverse exhibition environments are increasing. Accordingly, this study investigated the characteristics of visitor experience in relation to the spatial environment of VR exhibitions, particularly focusing on the representational fidelity of the real-physical world. We experimented with comparing the user experience in reality-based (realistically representing the physical world, high representational fidelity level) and virtuality-based (surreal, low representational fidelity level) VR exhibition settings to explore design implementation. User experience data were collected through surveys, behavioral observation by video recording, and interviews. In terms of surveys, there was no significant difference in presence and enjoyment by environment, but the reality-based environment was scored significantly higher for communication. The behavioral analysis found that more active movements were captured in the virtuality-based environment. Qualitative analysis of the interview found differences in perception, emotions, and behavior by spatial environment, such that the newness and openness of the virtuality-based environment induced active movement of participants, and the familiarity of the reality-based environment provided comfortable feelings and supported participants’ concentration on exhibition contents. The results of the study suggest how the spatial environment of VR exhibitions can contribute to user experiences.
... Introduction of the concept of involvement occurred in the 1990s. The concept of involvement is extensively applied in many activities such as leisure, usage of the internet and tourism (Taheri et al., 2014;Chua et al., 2017). Many researchers have defined involvement, but it is commonly accepted that this variable is related to the level of one's concentration in an activity (Novak et al., 2003). ...
Purpose
COVID-19 pandemic led to changes in the mental processes of tourists towards online travel agents. Therefore, the study aims to determine the factors affecting experiential loyalty intention of travellers during pre- and post-COVID times.
Design/methodology/approach
Empirical data analysis using structural equation modelling was performed in the study.
Findings
Results indicate that there is a change in the mental process of tourists. Travel companies need to understand that post-COVID, travel has transformed into a completely new world and it is essential to change behaviour accordingly. Traveller’s satisfaction would still be the key to driving loyalty of travellers towards a company.
Research limitations/implications
The study implies that managers must put more effort into creating confidence among travellers because many people are still scared to travel due to the prevalence of the COVID-19 virus. Motivation to travel has declined significantly, which can only be regenerated if managers develop great strategies to drive demand from people.
Originality/value
This study will help in filling the gap that exists in extant literature of tourism by developing a robust model for analysing the factors enhancing experiential loyalty intention of travellers towards online travel agents in the pre- and post-COVID scenarios.
... They are more willing to return to a destination and advocate the destination brand (Loureiro & Ferreira, 2018). Prior knowledge, recreational motivation, and cultural capital are determinants of visitors' engagement at sites (Taheri et al., 2014). Engagement and authenticity are related; Site authenticity causes a high level of visitor engagement (Bryce et al., 2015). ...
... Tourists' involvement in tourism products is higher in the game scene. Previous studies have found that tourists' experiences through their engagement during visitation determine their satisfaction (Szymanski & Henard, 2001;Taheri et al., 2014) and that satisfaction will further affect tourists' post-travel behavioral intention. Therefore, compared with industrial tourism products without gamification innovation, gamification causes tourists to have stronger revisit and recommendation intention. ...
Industrial tourism has achieved great development. The diversification of tourism
demand has led to higher requirements for the innovation of industrial tourism
products. Based on theory of tourists’ spatial–temporal behavior and experience
economy, this study takes Shanghai M50 park to study the impact of gamification
innovation of industrial tourism products. There are few studies on tourists’
internal response and external behavior response. This study confirms for the first
time that gamification innovation can extend the travel time and travel distance,
improve the travel experience, and enhance tourists’ willingness to revisit and
recommend. This study shows gamification innovation improves tourists’ experience.
... The engagement construct was used to assess the interest, importance, and relevance of TikTok content. Indicator items were adapted from Taheri et al. (2014), Baldus et al. (2015), and Paruthi and Kaur (2017). The loyalty construct included indicator items that asked about preference for using TikTok over other social media platforms, continued interest, the value of seeing new content at each visit, and the degree of loss if TikTok was shut down, as was done a few years ago. ...
... Engagement has recently attracted more attention in tourism with several researchers developing scales to measure tourists' engagement (Harrigan et al., 2017;So et al., 2014;Taheri et al., 2014). Tourists' engagement can result in outcomes such as revisitation (Vittersø et al., 2017), satisfaction(Abror et al., 2019) and loyalty (Zhou & Yu, 2022). ...
This research explores international tourists’ engagement with Māori indigenous tourist attractions in New Zealand. In-depth interviews with 18 international tourists were conducted after their visits to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds in Northland, New Zealand. The findings revealed clear evidence of some general engagement behaviours such as spending time and enjoyment which led visitors into deeper levels of behavioural and psychological engagement. The behavioural engagement occurred in two primary forms which are taking photos for a range of personal and impersonal purposes as well as conversation with staff. Also, three forms of psychological engagement were found, including engagement with cultural aspects, imagination, and learning. Perceived authenticity and uniqueness of the attraction were important precursors to the behavioural and psychological engagement of visitors.
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the impact of virtual tours on the engagement and travel intentions of older adults, emphasizing the role of emotional and informative content. It aims to enhance travel confidence and reduce stress among older travelers, fostering inclusive tourism through advanced avatar technology.
Design/methodology/approach
Using two between-subjects experiments, this research compares the effects of emotion-driven and knowledge-centric virtual tours on older adults. It explores the mediating role of travel confidence and stress reduction, along with the moderating influence of positive psychological cues on engagement and travel intentions.
Findings
The results highlight the potential of technology in promoting inclusive tourism. Emotionally engaging virtual tours significantly increase travel intentions among older adults by boosting confidence and alleviating stress, with positive psychological cues enhancing these effects.
Practical implications
This study offers valuable insights for tourism industry stakeholders by suggesting the development of avatar-based virtual tours tailored to the emotional and cognitive needs of older travelers. This approach could create more accessible and satisfying tourism experiences for older travelers.
Originality/value
This study extends the socioemotional selectivity theory to the realm of metaverse travel, providing a novel perspective on the emotional and cognitive engagement of older adults in the metaverse. This underscores the importance of inclusive technology in addressing the needs of older travelers.
The main objectives of this research are: i) to analyze the spatial structure and
connectivity of the operational bases of Ryanair, the largest European low-cost
carrier, in Europe and North Africa; ii) to investigate the impact of the carriers’
operating base opening or closure of passenger traffic (and, as a result, on airport
hierarchy).
This study uncovers the essential role of customer involvement in determining customer engagement and its valence, affecting word-of-mouth in the tourism industry. The relationships proposed were based on the study of extant literature, which were tested empirically. An empirical study was conducted using an online and offline survey to test the hypotheses. Data were collected from 921 domestic and foreign tourists who have visited heritage sites in India, which was processed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The study uncovers and validates the existence of the positive and negative valence of all three dimensions of customer engagement: cognitive, affective, and conative. This indicates that more involved customers are expected to be more engaged with the tourism process and are thus more likely to share information about it. This study adds to the literature on the direct impacts of customer involvement on these valence-specific dimensions of customer engagement and how these dimensions positively impact word-of-mouth. This research also provides insights for tourism marketers and destination site managers
Objective: This research aims to determine the relationship between Emotional and Recreational Experience on Customer Engagement and the relationship between Customer Engagement on Destination Loyalty and satisfaction felt while traveling. Method: This research is survey research, with the sample research consisted two parts respondent's criteria, the first part included 180 respondents from the mountaineering community who had climbed Mount Lawu and Mount Merbabu, and the second part consisted of 180 respondents who had visited the Prambanan Temple and Borobudur Temple tourist attractions. Primary data collection in this research was carried out using a questionnaire. The data analysis technique in this research uses the multivariate Structural Equation Model (SEM) method with the Smart PLS3 program Results and Discussion: From the model, five significant hypothesized paths are the influence of emotional experiences on customer engagement, the influence of recreational experiences on customer engagement, the influence of between customer engagement on destination loyalty through, and the influence of customer engagement on destination loyalty. The results of further analysis of the role of satisfaction on destination loyalty show that higher tourist satisfaction leads to higher destination loyalty, which encourages tourists to revisit the destination and recommend the destination to others. Conclussion: This research concludes that emotional and recreational experiences can increase customer engagement with tourists who visit tourist destinations.
The study aims to fill the gaps in theoretical studies of the new travel trend of city walk in Malaysia from the perspective of embodiment with factors of sensory experience, visitor engagement, authenticity, and behavioral intention. Memorable tourism experiences and perceived risk are mediators and moderators between embodied cognition and behavioral intention, MTEs, and behavioral intention. Chinese tourists who are the major international tourist in Malaysia were taken into the investigation. The results show that sensory experience and existential authenticity have a positive effect on behavioral intention, MTEs play a mediating role in the relationships of sensory experience, authenticity, and behavioral intention. there is no significant mediation effect between visitor engagement and behavioral intention through MTEs. Perceived risk also shows no significant moderating effect on behavioral intention in city walk in Malaysia. This study provides new conceptual frameworks and research perspectives on City walk in Malaysia with theoretical and practical contributions leading to further study and city tour development practices.
Kazakhstan is a unique country, with beautiful nature, original culture, and traditions. Ulytau region is the historical and geographical center of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the cradle of the Kazakh people. It is one of the epicenters of steppe civilization and nomadic culture. Ulytau is a unique region with over 700 registered monuments of history and culture and has a great potential to develop ethno-tourism. According to conducted survey over a 10-month period from January to October 2021, it was revealed that a huge part of tourists doesn’t know about this destination and features of this region and would like to visit this region with ethno-cultural purposes. This article shows the results of the study, the main constraining factors, and mechanisms for the implementation of ethno-tourism. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the involvement of tourists in visiting a tourist destination for the purpose of ethno-tourism, and a number of recommendations are proposed for key stakeholders.
Purpose
Conducting mixed methods (MM) research is one of many ways to study a research topic in the hospitality and tourism domain. This paper aims to offer a synopsis and guidelines on the application of MM research design within hospitality and tourism.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper summarizes the pivotal information on how to write high-quality MM research papers. In doing so, the paper draws on common practices and advice from previous books and articles as well as advice from the editor-in-chief and one of the associate editors of the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management .
Findings
This study provides explanations, guidelines and examples of MM research design.
Research limitations/implications
It offers specific recommendations and examples of MM research design in the hospitality and tourism field. This study concludes with a discussion of common mistakes, useful tips and a framework for the self-assessment of MM research.
Originality/value
This is one of the few studies providing specific guidance and recommendations on designing MM research papers in hospitality and tourism studies.
Drawing on literature from three systematic reviews, this umbrella review aims to create a comprehensive overview of customer engagement in the context of hospitality and tourism. This review offers a holistic macro-level view of the customer engagement literature in the area of hospitality and tourism which has been primarily studied in the past from diverse individual perspectives with standalone models relevant to the micro-level context with scant regard towards the development of literature. By doing so, it offers insight regarding customer engagement perspective within the tourism and hospitality context along with its antecedents, consequences, and moderators.
The present study investigates the impact of online service convenience on customer engagement. Furthermore, the role of customer engagement has been examined in relation to attitudes and intentions to use mobile food delivery apps. The data was collected in five malls of the National Capital Region (NCR) of India through a structured questionnaire. The convenience sampling method was employed, resulting in 161 responses. The Adanco 2.2 software was used to analyze the responses. Since this study represents the first attempt in the context of food delivery apps, its findings have implications for both academics and marketers.
In this investigation, the serious leisure inventory and measure (SLIM) was developed from convenience and target samples. The multidimensional framework of serious leisure contains six qualities from which 18 operations were employed. With the use of a q-sort, an expert panel, and confirmatory factor analysis, the 72 item SLIM demonstrated acceptable fit, reliability and equivalence across samples. Mean differences and correlation patterns found between samples demonstrated preliminary evidence for the predictive ability of the new measure. The SLIM short form (54 items) demonstrated good model fit and construct validity. Future replications are needed to adequately address the psychometric complexities of the SLIM within the network of interrelated leisure constructs.
Heritage brands stand for longevity and sustainability, as proof that the core values and performance of the given products are reliable. Focusing on the automotive industry, the aim of the present study is to analyze the drivers and outcomes of brand heritage, focusing on the functions of the brand as perceived by consumers. To explore the perceived values and outcomes of heritage brands, we present the methodology and the results of our empirical study using a partial least squares—based path modeling approach. Our results show the significant effects of brand heritage on consumers' attitudes and behaviors related to the given brand.
The present study presents a biologically based measure of audience engagement. The measure is based on a neuroscience informed combination of signal processing methods that yield a continuous time-locked index of synchrony plus intensity leading to engagement from four noninvasive wireless biosensors. The study compared two television commercials in several different contexts. The results suggest that levels of engagement were significantly different depending on the context of the presentation. The results highlight the importance of context in study design and support the use of a biologically based measure of audience engagement.
Within marketing and consumer behaviour research, museums have been generally conceptualised as public consumption spaces where visitors benefit from a variety of affective, recreational, and cognitive experiences. As such, the social context has been largely subordinated to enhancing visitors’ cultural consumption experience in the physical environment of the museum. Our study takes a reverse path by highlighting how the cultural consumption experience in the museum nourishes ‘interactive sociality’ both inside and outside the museum. The analysis of our qualitative data (interpretive individual and group interviews and non-participatory observations) on Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery in Glasgow, UK, imply that by leveraging interactive sociality, managers can enhance the museum's value proposition and societal worth in contemporary society.
The paper critiques museum studies’ over-reliance on (social) psychology theories and demonstrates the value of adopting alternative (sociocultural) approaches to the advancement of theory in the field. It provides evidence for the fact that cultural consumers’ interaction with(in) the organisation is not confined to the physical boundaries of a given context. People extend their varying experiences and sensibilities to other domains beyond the museum walls.
Evaluates a technique which allows the simultaneous examination of push and pull motivations. The relationship between these two motivations for overseas pleasure travel has been studied for a German sample of 1,212 respondents. Argues that the information generated from this analysis could provide significant insight and marketing advantage when segmenting travellers, designing promotional programmes and packages, and in making decisions about destination product development.
This article is concerned with the design of interactive art systems intended for display in public locations. It reviews approaches to interactive art systems and discusses the issue of creative engagement with them by the active audience. An approach to elaborating a model of creative engagement is described and exploratory work on its refinement is reported.
This article develops and discusses the concept of customer engagement behaviors (CEB), which we define as the customers’ behavioral manifestation toward a brand or firm, beyond purchase, resulting from motivational drivers. CEBs include a vast array of behaviors including word-of-mouth (WOM) activity, recommendations, helping other customers, blogging, writing reviews, and even engaging in legal action. The authors develop a conceptual model of the antecedents and consequences—customer, firm, and societal—of CEBs. The authors suggest that firms can manage CEBs by taking a more integrative and comprehensive approach that acknowledges their evolution and impact over time.
Of recent interest in consumer behavior research is the consumer's use of owned possessions to develop and maintain self-concept. This study presents a measure of a central concept in this area–attachment. A conceptual definition of the construct is proposed and is related to social-cognitive theories of the self. The role of attachment in the relationship between people and possessions is discussed. Evidence is presented for the reliability and predictive validity of a simple measure of attachment and for the discriminant validity of the construct. Relationships between attachment and other important consumer behavior constructs are explored.
The involvement construct has been explored in relation to products, services, and leisure but not in an art-museum context. The purpose of this paper is to address this theoretical gap by drawing on the marketing and leisure literature to understand members' consumption of Tate using the involvement construct. Tate, a portfolio of four art museums in the UK, has more than 90,000 members that receive a benefits package in return for a membership fee. Data were collected using an interpretive, qualitative approach. A total of 59 face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with Tate Members during spring 2008. The narratives expose the complexity in exploring the involvement construct, and the analysis revealed six new involvement characteristics: (1) centrality and pleasure; (2) desire to learn; (3) escapism: spirituality and creativity; (4) sense of belonging and prestige; (5) physical; and (6) drivers of involvement. These are discussed in the context of previous studies into museum consumption, services, and leisure involvement literature. The authors discuss how these findings may be transferred to other settings, and the managerial implications for marketers and membership managers are considered.
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In today's highly dynamic and interactive business environment, the role of ''customer engagement'' (CE) in cocreating customer experience and value is receiving increasing attention from business practitioners and academics alike. Despite this interest, sys-tematic scholarly inquiry into the concept and its conceptual distinctiveness from other, associated relational concepts has been limited to date. This article explores the theoretical foundations of CE by drawing on relationship marketing theory and the service-dominant (S-D) logic. The analysis also examines the use of the term ''engagement'' in the social science, management, and marketing academic literatures, as well as in specific business practice applications. Five fundamental propositions (FPs) derived from this analysis are used to develop a general definition of CE, and distinguish the concept from other relational con-cepts, including ''participation'' and ''involvement.'' The five propositions are used in the development of a framework for future research, the undertaking of which would facilitate the subsequent refinement of the conceptual domain of CE. Overall, CE, based on its relational foundations of interactive experience and the cocreation of value, is shown to represent an important concept for research in marketing and service management.
Most people visit a science center in order to satisfy specific leisure-related needs; needs which may or may not actually include science learning. Falk proposed that an individual's identity-related motivations provide a useful lens through which to understand adult free-choice science learning in leisure settings. Over a 3-year period the authors collected in-depth data on a random sample of visitors to a large recently opened, hands-on, interactive science center; collecting information on why people visited, what they did within the science center, what they knew about the subject presented upon entering and exiting, and what each individual's long-term self-perceptions of their own learning was. Presented is a qualitative analysis of visitor interviews collected roughly 2 years after the initial visit. Although there was evidence for a range of science learning outcomes, outcomes did appear to be strongly influenced by visitor's entering identity-related motivations. However, the data also suggested that not only were the motivational goals of a science center visit important in determining outcomes, so too were the criteria by which visitors judged satisfaction of those goals; in particular whether goal satisfaction required external or merely internal validation. The implications for future informal science education research and practice are discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47:194–212, 2010
Dumbing down intellectual culture museum and society, Jul 2005. 3 (2) 98-114 © 2005, Jean Barr. ISSN 1479-8360 Viewpoint Readers who feel that they have something they would like to say, which is not strictly a research report but which could be included under the heading Viewpoint, are invited to submit papers to the Journal in the usual way. Such papers will normally be between 4,000 and 8,000 words in length.
Falk and Dierking's Contextual Model of Learning was used as a theoretical construct for investigating learning within a free-choice setting. A review of previous research identified key variables fundamental to free-choice science learning. The study sought to answer two questions: (1) How do specific independent variables individually contribute to learning outcomes when not studied in isolation? and (2) Does the Contextual Model of Learning provide a useful framework for understanding learning from museums? A repeated measure design including interviews and observational and behavioral measures was used with a random sample of 217 adult visitors to a life science exhibition at a major science center. The data supported the contention that variables such as prior knowledge, interest, motivation, choice and control, within and between group social interaction, orientation, advance organizers, architecture, and exhibition design affect visitor learning. All of these factors were shown to individually influence learning outcomes, but no single factor was capable of adequately explaining visitor learning outcomes across all visitors. The framework provided by the Contextual Model of Learning proved useful for understanding how complex combinations of factors influenced visitor learning. These effects were clearerest when visitors were segmented by entry conditions such as prior knowledge and interest. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed89:744–778, 2005
This chapter, Chapter 19, is the first in Section IV, Visitors, Learning, Interacting, of the book, A Companion to Museum Studies. Chapters in this section discuss questions about the visitor experience, models of education and learning, visitor studies and museological approach. This specific chapter contextualises visitors' use of museums within the framework of changes in society, notably that people are now living in a Learning Society, with a consequent focus on free-choice learning, that is, bottom-up learning based on a person's curiosities and needs, rather than top-down, compulsory learning. Authors argue that these societal changes in perceptions of and approaches to learning require new models for understanding why people visit museums, what they do while they are there and what sense they make of the experience, as well as changes in museum learning research and methodology.
The proposition is that arts marketing should be conceived of as a dedicated field of endeavour so that consumers' immersion in the artistic experience occurs even in the case of a "difficult" art work. The focus is artistic experience-related phenomena. The authors introduce the concept of appropriation and then develop an appropriation cycle construct. Empirical research comprises introspective reports on consumer attendance at classical music concerts. The results show that the artistic experience is predicated on multiple rather than one-time immersion, and that full immersion may never occur. The authors conclude that those service elements that affect the way in which consumers experience an arts event should be managed throughout the appropriation process. Les auteurs proposent de concevoir le marketing des arts comme un domaine d'activité spécifique, afin que l'immersion des consommateurs dans l'expérience artistique soit possible même dans le cas d'une œuvre « difficile » . L'accent est mis sur les phénomènes liés à l'expérience artistique. Ils présentent le concept d'appropriation, puis développent un construit du cycle d'appropriation. Ils ont recours à la recherche empirique, soit les rapports d'analyse introspective des consommateurs ayant assisté à des concerts de musique classique. Les résultats indiquent que l'expérience artistique suppose de multiples immersions, non pas une seule, et que l'immersion totale risque de ne jamais se produire. Les auteurs concluent que les éléments du service qui influent sur l'expérience individuelle d'un événement artistique devraient être gérés tout au long du processus d'appropriation. Los autores proponen la idea de que el márketing de las artes debe concebirse como un emprendimiento en sí mismo, a fin de lograr la inmersión del consumidor en experiencia artística incluso en el caso de obras de arte "difíciles". El acento, entonces, está puesto en los fenómenos que se vinculan con la experiencia artística. Los autores presentan el concepto de apropiación y elaboran luego un modelo teórico de ciclo de apropiación. Por otra parte, analuzan los resultados de uno investigación empírica basada sobre los relatos introspectivos realizados por consumidores luego de asistir a conciertos de música clásica. Dichos resultados indican que la experienca artística toma forma con múltiples inmersiones y no sólo con una, y que la inmersión total puede no darse jamás. Los autores llegan a la conclusión de que el proceso de apropiación es el abordaje más idóneo para manejar aquellos elemontos del servicio que afectan la forma en que el consumidor experimenta un evento artístico.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Consumer goods can have significance beyond their utilitarian and commercial value (McCracken 1986)," and can become a vehicle of transcendent experience (Belk, Wallendorf, and Sherry 1989). Intense experiences with brands can lead to consumer loyalty—sometimes extreme levels of loyalty. Consumer Devotion—In some cases, consumer connections with brands reach a level of loyalty so intense that it survives poor product performance, scandal, bad publicity, high prices, and absence of promotional efforts. It is loyalty that motivates consumers to buy T-shirts, baseball caps, and bumper stickers in order to display the brand name and trademark. The term "consumer devotion" implies religious fervor and it includes elements of sacredness (Belk, Wallendorf, and Sherry 1989). Fans of college football teams provide a convenient context for discussion of this fervor. Fandom—Previous research has created a typology of sports fans (Hunt, Bristol, and Bashaw 1999). Additional research has observed extreme fandom in non-sports contexts, such as exhibited by Star Trek fans (Kozinets 2001). Commitment—In our study, we are concerned with three types of commitment: calculative normative, and affective (Echambadi 2000).
Tourism is a potent realm for theorizing broader issues of culture and taste. Exploring dining and culinary pursuits can shed light on the production and reproduction of gastronomic culture and broader struggles for authenticity. We explore the ‘liquid times’ of late modernity, and how the competing processes of popularization and legitimization contribute to the ongoing reconfiguration of tourism's field of taste within a context of culinary celebrification. Applying Bourdieu's theory of distinction to culinary elites, we develop a model that captures transitions in habitus. This model can be applied to any cultural context within the tourism industry to illustrate the impact of competing processes of taste. Implications of this model are that the celebrification of products and services can potentially narrow the field of production and undermine the cultural contribution tourism can make to society at large.
Visitor studies including studies of experience and expectations of visitors are important for museums in terms of management and development, however few studies have been designed to explore the components of experience expectations for museum visitors. This research tried to analyze the experience expectations of museum visitors. Using content analysis of diaries written by museum visitors, a questionnaire of experience expectations of museum visitors was developed. After a survey with 425 valid returns, factor analysis was used to extract 5 types of experience expectations, which included: easiness and fun, cultural entertainment, personal identification, historical reminiscences, and escapism. Moreover, this research analyzed visitors’ preferences for visiting museums and their demographic factors among different types of experience expectations. Finally, some related discussion and suggestions were proposed.
Within the professional kitchen bullying is reported as widespread, aggressive and related to a significant retention problem. This research explores negative behaviour in professional kitchens and its impact on organisational commitment. A mixed methods approach is used employing a survey among chefs followed by semi-structured interviews. An exploratory factor analysis examines the underlying constructs of bullying and job satisfaction and data are analysed through Partial Least Squares. Our research highlights that bullying behaviour is experienced most by younger, more junior chefs. However verbal bullying, the form most strongly reported, has no effect on either satisfaction or commitment. Emergent themes of communication and inclusion illustrate bullying behaviour to be a cohesive aspect of kitchen culture. Our findings suggest behavioural impacts, rather than bullying characteristics, must be considered within their context in order to establish whether or not they are actually damaging to an industry.
This paper begins with the premise that interpretation is the key to ensuring the quality of the tourism experience and argues that successful interpretation is critical both for the effective management and conservation of built heritage sites and for sustainable tourism. The paper introduces the concept of mindfulness and outlines its use in developing a model for designing effective interpretation at built heritage sites. A supporting set of principles for this design is provided. It is argued that mindfulness is an integrating concept that can be used to enhance the quality of visitor experiences and create a sustainable link between tourism and built heritage.RésuméVisiteurs attentifs: patrimoine et tourisme. L'article commence en partant du principe que l'interprétation est la clé pour assurer la qualité de l'expérience touristique. L'article soutient qu'une interprétation réussie est nécessaire pour la gestion efficace, la conservation du patrimoine construite et le tourisme soutenable en général. On présente le concept de l'esprit attentionné et propose une façon d'appliquer ce concept pour élaborer une interprétation efficace aux sites patrimoniaux construits. L'article présente un ensemble de principes pour l'élaboration de ce genre d'interprétation. On soutient que l'esprit intentionné représente un concept unifiant qu'on peut utiliser pur rehausser la qualité de l'expérience touristique et créer un lien soutenable entre le tourisme et le patrimoine construit.
This book explores where leisure and consumption are the same and where they differ
Construct definition, Object classification, Attribute classification, Rater identification, Scale formation, and Enumeration and reporting (C-OAR-SE) is proposed as a new procedure for the development of scales to measure marketing constructs. C-OAR-SE is based on content validity, established by expert agreement after pre-interviews with target raters. In C-OAR-SE, constructs are defined in terms of Object, Attribute, and Rater Entity. The Object classification and Attribute classification steps in C-OAR-SE produce a framework (six types of scales) indicating when to use single-item vs. multiple-item scales and, for multiple-item scales, when to use an index of essential items rather than selecting unidimensional items with a high coefficient alpha. The Rater Entity type largely determines reliability, which is a precision-of-score estimate for a particular application of the scale.
This paper presents a model for understanding contemporary museum practice. It identifies three fundamental museological domains—materiality, engagement, and representation—and examines them from the perspective of what museums have been, what museums are becoming, and what museums could become. This examination produces a series of configurations that can be useful for thinking about change in museums of all kinds. Recognizing the range of configurations can enable museums to reflect on how they have positioned themselves for the future in relation to collections and constituents.
This paper begins with the premise that interpretation is the key to ensuring the quality of the tourism experience and argues that successful interpretation is critical both for the effective management and conservation of built heritage sites and for sustainable tourism. The paper introduces the concept of mindfulness and outlines its use in developing a model for designing effective interpretation at built heritage sites. A supporting set of principles for this design is provided. It is argued that mindfulness is an integrating concept that can be used to enhance the quality of visitor experiences and create a sustainable link between tourism and built heritage.
Tourism as a rural growth tool has to adapt to current market mechanisms, which are becoming extremely competitive and which are dominated by communication and promotion strategies and techniques. We need to know the causative factors and influences by which tourists in rural areas are motivated to become included in various market segments. The primary purpose of this study is to segment and profile the motivations of tourists, so as to enable a better understanding of rural tourism in Korea. A self-administered survey in four languages was collected from 252 tourists in the study area. A factor-clustering method identified four distinct segments: family togetherness seeker, passive tourist, want-it-all seeker, and learning and excitement seeker.
This study examines the relevance and conceptualizations of the authenticity concept in cultural tourism from the managerial standpoint. We propose a consumer-based model in which authenticity is a key mediating construct between cultural motivation and loyalty. The model is empirically examined by means of a survey conducted on 25 Romanesque heritage sites in four European countries. A confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were performed using LISREL 8.72. The results indicate that cultural motivation is an important antecedent of both object-based and existential authenticity, which in turn influence tourist loyalty. Theoretical, managerial and marketing implications of authenticity are discussed, showing that the consumer-based perspective can transcend some 'irreconcilable tensions' related to this concept.
Since the advent of the contract culture, the reduction in museum budgets, and the implementation of performance measures based on customer satisfaction management, museums have faced increasing pressure to attract wider audiences. This requires an understanding of visitor expectations, and experiences, of visiting a museum. However, for the most part, public museums have concentrated their research efforts into obtaining statistical data which measure through-put and provide demographic profiles, ignoring in the process the nature of the experience itself. This paper looks at research derived primarily from academics working in the field of visitor studies. It outlines three approaches; the social, the cognitive, and the environmental perspective, which have been applied to studies of museum visitor behaviour. The paper then presents the findings from an observational study of visitors to a city museum. These findings are recast in the light of the three approaches described, in order to offer an integrated framework of customer behaviour which has implications for the management of the service encounter in museums.
Engagement plays a contingent role in the effectiveness of advertising processing that corresponds to the message effects created during the process. Such message effects are advertising recall, message involvement, message believability, attitude toward the message (Am), and attitude toward the advertisement (AAD). This study's objective is to examine whether higher engagement initiated by contextual relevance increases advertising recall, message involvement, message believability, Am, and AAD. The results have revealed that higher engagement increases advertising recall, message involvement, message believability, Am, and AAD- Moreover, message involvement mediates the engagement effect on message believability, whereas Am mediates message believability on AAD. Implications based on the findings demonstrate the importance of engagement as a driver of message involvement and a metric for advertising effectiveness.
Although the methodological literature is replete with advice regarding the development and validation of multi-item scales based on reflective measures, the issue of index construction using formative measures has received little attention. The authors seek to address this gap by (1) examining the nature of formative indicators, (2) discussing ways in which the quality of formative measures can be assessed, and (3) illustrating the proposed procedures with empirical data. The aim is to enhance researchers' understanding of formative measures and assist them in their index construction efforts.
This conceptual paper explores the nexus between travel and learning; an area of investigation long neglected by tourism researchers. Using Aristotle’s concepts of phronesis, techne and episteme a framework for the major areas of literature dealing with touristic learning are considered and opportunities and challenges for expanding the boundaries of knowledge are explored. Key proposals are: learning resulting from tourist experiences is likely to be highly personal and strongly tied to individual interests, motivations and prior knowledge; the nature of learning from a tourist experience only emerges over space and time; and long-term meanings created by tourists are likely to be strongly influenced by their perceptions of how these experiences satisfy identity-related needs and expectations.
Whilst market research and academic studies by sociologists have identified the personal and socio-cultural factors that influence visits to galleries, there has been less attention to the area of motivational research. Understanding motivations is important as it reveals the underlying reasons why visitors choose to participate in specific leisure activities. This paper focuses on the motivations of two groups of visitors at events at an art gallery. A pre-tested motivational scale built around three factors, learning, social/family interaction and Escapism explained 71.5% of variance. Escapism explained 29.4% of that variance and was the core motivation. The findings of the research are important to both academics and practitioners as previously learning was thought to be the main motivation. This study should be replicated in other settings to evaluate whether gallery and museum managers need to re-consider the purpose, content and marketing of their programmes in a post-modern society.
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By analysing the Arts Council England survey of 13,300 respondents in 2001–2004 I take snapshots of the space of cultural consumption and map its social stratification. Mirroring a redrawn image of Americans' cultural consumption in the early 1990s, the emergent image in the UK exhibits evidence of division within the omnivores. The image and division raise questions about the omnivore-univore thesis and existing literature on cultural consumption. The findings also show that contrary to some recent studies, cultural consumption continues to be structured by social class. Most intriguing, however, is the result that culture is seen by avid cultural omnivores to be hierarchical. The received understanding of omnivores as tolerant and possessing inclusive tastes across culture hierarchy (consuming high, middle and low brow cultures), therefore, diverges from evidence of both division within and culture hierarchy perceived by the omnivores. The apparent divergence can be resolved by acknowledging that the concept of omnivores as those whose tastes are inclusive pre-supposes and guarantees the existence of culture hierarchy.
The ''tourist realities'' or verisimilitudes of cultural tourists to the Edinburgh Old Town are analyzed using both their own voices and their responses to marketeers' ima-ges and descriptors. Specifically, the study tests the utility of familiarity in the modeling of image recognition and propensity to visit. It uses a typology of familiarity: informational, experiential, proximate, self-described, and educational. As a result of the analysis, an expansion of the typology is proposed to include two further types: self-assured and expec-ted familiarity. Educational familiarity is further expanded into a multi-aspect concept. This septet of familiarity is proposed as a conceptual framework and methodology for character-izing ''particle'' markets for experience marketing.
Regulatory engagement theory [Higgins, E. T. (2006). Value from hedonic experience and engagement. Psychological Review, 113, 439-460.] proposes that value is a motivational force of attraction to or repulsion from something, and that strength of engagement contributes to value intensity independent of hedonic and other sources of value direction. This paper reviews different sources of engagement strength, including dealing with challenges by opposing interfering forces and overcoming personal resistance, preparing for something that is likely to happen, and using "fit" or "proper" means of goal pursuit. We present evidence that each of these sources of engagement strength can intensify the value of something, and we show how stronger engagement can not only make something positive more positive but also make something negative more negative. We also discuss how these effects of stronger engagement on the value of something else are independent of actors' own personal experiences during goal pursuit. We then broaden regulatory engagement theory by describing the nature of these personal experiences from different sources of engagement strength - distinct positive experiences (e.g., feeling "pleasure" vs. feeling "right") and distinct negative experiences (e.g., feeling "tension" vs. feeling "defiance") - and consider the science and art of combining them with engagement strength for maximal persuasion and influence.