The growth in tourism has brought benefits but also pressured urban transportation systems, particularly in capitals where it intersects with business and local life. While urban sustainable mobility development typically centers on the transportation needs of the residents, it frequently neglects the unsustainable travel habits of tourists. This study focuses on the key elements influencing sustainable tourist transportation, stressing the imperative for city administrations to tackle this concern. Based on a study of ten European capital cities and 5220 individual tourists, unique perspectives on urban tourist transportation are provided. Initially, a DCSM index (Destination City’ Sustainable Mobility Index) was crafted to mirror the sustainability of urban transportation systems, integrating data on cities’ transportation modes and factors promoting sustainable transportation while deterring unsustainable options. This index was then embedded in an ordered logit model, with the sustainable transportation choices of tourists as the dependent variable. The findings show that the traits of the destination city and the transportation preferences from the tourist’s home location, combined with accommodation and trip details, considerably influence their transportation decisions at the destination. These insights underline the potential to mold sustainable tourist behaviors by advancing environmentally friendly transportation systems, enhancing urban planning, and optimally positioning hotels. However, it is vital to acknowledge that without influencing tourists’ routine behaviors at home through education, their travel choices might persist. This research underscores the need for holistic strategies that integrate both destination-specific actions and pre-trip educational initiatives to truly promote tourists’ sustainable transportation behavior.
This study aims to determine the associations between socio-demographic profiles, respondents’ self-assessed technology proficiency, willingness to carry out different immersive virtual tourism experiences, and willingness to pay for these kinds of activities compared to real-life experiences. The theoretical framework of the Technology Acceptance Model identifies the perceived usefulness and ease of use of a new technology as key acceptance factors. An Artificial Neural Network was applied to the information obtained through the questionnaires. The study discovered that two factors, virtual tourism engagement and perceived usefulness, significantly impact willingness to pay. Previous video game experience enhances ease-of-use perception. While previous experience with video games increases perceived ease of use, it is revealed that a high degree of experience with technology, which is somewhat in line with the profile of digital natives, may reduce willingness to pay, in line with the experience paradox theory. This knowledge can guide the development of new market segments and marketing strategies, including pricing policies and the promotion of tourist destinations. The growth of technology and tourist capabilities has led to virtual tourism, which can act as a complementary, substitute, or marketing tool. This emerging form of tourism experiences an acceptance curve, where willingness to pay has yet to be explored. This study on the experience paradox and digital natives' impact offers originality, shedding light on the factors affecting willingness to pay in virtual tourism.
In recent decades, hospitality and tourism scholars have shown increasing interest in medical tourism research. However, a comprehensive and systematic review of medical tourism research is lacking. To address this gap, this study undertook a review of 131 medical tourism studies published in the Social Sciences Citation Index-listed journals from 1987 to 2022. Their research designs, geographic foci, types of medical tourism, and applied theories were thoroughly described. Based on thematic analysis, critical reflections were conducted on five existing research streams, including the medical tourism economy, medical tourism destination management and marketing, medical tourism suppliers, medical tourists, and local community involvement. A conceptual framework was developed and visually presented. This study concludes by addressing the existing knowledge gaps and highlights several implications for future medical tourism research, including destination management and marketing, as well as conceptual and methodological aspects. These critical reviews and implications offer medical tourism scholars a wide range of research domains, research questions, theoretical frameworks, and methodological approaches for future inquiries.
This study employs the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) paradigms to delve into the intricate variables that shape Instagram users' intentions to visit renowned Spanish museums, known as the Golden Triangle of Art. Leveraging a comprehensive analysis using partial least squares, this research scrutinizes the visiting intentions of Instagram users and synthesizes insights from a diverse sample of 956 respondents. The findings of this study yield remarkable contributions: (1) presenting an exceptional framework for advancing research in the realm of visiting intentions within the S-O-R and TAM paradigms; (2) bridging a critical research gap by exploring the influence of social networks on visiting intentions; and (3) illuminating the vital role of cognitive and affective reactions in translating information attributes into tangible behavioural responses. This research offers insights for academia, practitioners, and museum stakeholders alike, shaping the understanding of digital platforms’ impact on cultural tourism.
Tourism aims to enhance community quality of life, but its impacts can be positive and/or negative by community. Under increasing uncertainty from multiple crises, this study links tourism sectors with the concepts of community resilience and quality of life to support sustainable development. We examined how community resilience spatially mediates dynamic relationships between tourism and community quality of life. To consider locally varying relationships, we developed an integrated framework and model, employing spatial path analysis to address spatial interactions at the community level between tourism sectors, community resilience, and community quality of life. The proposed model was applied to Florida, a US state heavily reliant on tourism and regularly affected by natural hazards. Findings indicate that community resilience spatially mediates the positive and/or negative effects of two tourism sectors on community quality of life: Accommodation and Amusement/Gambling/Recreation, leading to spatially varying positive/negative relationships between tourism and community quality of life across communities. This study demonstrates that the accuracy of community-level measurements of tourism and qualty of life can be improved by acknowledging spatial interactions and the resilience status of each community. Our findings support localized community policies for achieving sustainable, resilient, and healthy community development based on tourism.