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Oceans are ultimately a sink of plastic waste. Complex artificial coastlines pose remarkable challenges for coastal plastic waste monitoring. With the development of machine learning methods, high detection accuracy can be achieved; however, many false positives have been noted in various network models used for plastic waste investigation. In this study, extensive surveys of artificial coastlines were conducted using drones along the Dongjiang Port artificial coastline in the Binhai District, Tianjin, China. The deep learning model YOLOv8 was enhanced by integrating the InceptionNeXt and LSK modules into the network to improve its detection accuracy for plastic waste and reduce instances of tourists being misidentified as plastic. In total, 553 high-resolution coastline images with 3488 items of detected plastic waste were compared using the original and improved YOLOv8 models. The improved YOLOv8s-IL model achieved a detection rate of 64.9%, a notable increase of 11.5% compared with that of the original model. The number of false positives in the improved YOLOv8s-IL model was reduced to 32.3%, the multi-class F -score reached 76.5%, and the average detection time per image was only 2.7 s. The findings of this study provide technical support for future large-scale monitoring of plastic waste on artificial coastlines. [Display omitted] • The YOLOv8 model is effective in large-scale plastic waste distribution surveys. • The model is enhanced by integrating the InceptionNeXt and LSK modules. • The improved model has improved the detection rate and accuracy of plastic waste. • The improved model reduces instances of tourists being misidentified as plastic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Survey of vehicle-based tourists conducted in 2018 in Norway. • Route features, trip and socioeconomic characteristics were observed. • Tourist route choice estimated using a path size correction logit model. • Travel time, road width, and road scenery were significant. • Sightseeing places, outdoor activities, and facilities were significant. The tourism industry is rapidly growing, and the massification of certain areas is jeopardising the environment. Certain roads in protected areas or near tourist attractions are experiencing an increase in traffic volumes, leading to higher pollution and noise levels and greater discomfort in the travel experience. To recommend measures intended to ensure a sustainable tourism industry without compromising the environment, it is necessary to obtain further knowledge regarding tourists' travel behaviour as it may differ from that of other travellers, i.e., tourists might choose a route based on variables other than time and cost, such as landscape or tourist attractions. Using Geiranger Fjord in Norway as a case study, tourist route choice preferences were observed and analysed. In total, 60 routes from 12 different origins were observed based on 408 responses collected through a tourist survey administered in the summer of 2018. These data were combined with information regarding road features and the locations of tourist attractions. A path size correction logit model was selected to estimate the significant variables in the choice of one route over other routes. The results showed that tourists selected their routes mainly based on the travel time, road scenery (water bodies and forests), sightseeing places among first-time visitors, and outdoor activities among those living outside of Norway. In addition, the tourists preferred local roads, and 'caravan' tourists were more attracted to roads with fewer facilities. The findings of this study show that tourists' route choice behaviour differs from that of other travellers. Policymakers should consider these differences to enhance transport systems. Further research should focus on incorporating these findings into a transport model to simulate tourists' travel patterns and quantify changes in traffic volumes due to different sustainable measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2019, the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism is in the process of improving the Go Digital program for the industrial era 4.0, where the internet has become one of the ways to determine travel destinations. However, currently, tourists still have difficulties obtaining detailed and complete information about tourist destinations, when visiting several destinations in one trip. Tourists are still having trouble estimating the distance and time needed for tourism independently, without having to depend on travel agents. These problems are often referred to as Traveling Salesman Problems (TSP). Therefore, we provide a solution to solve this TSP problem in the form of a system scheduling and searching route tourist using the tabu search method which enables tourists to find the optimal solution based on travel time, operational hours of tourist attraction, and the time limit of visits per day. Calculations in the tabu search method are combined with the concept of MAUT (Multi-Attribute Utility Theory) to determine the optimal tour based on several criteria: popularity, cost, and the number of attractions to be visited. Then, the test results of the tabu search method are compared with the firefly method. The result shows that the tabu search method is better than the firefly method, where there is an increase in accuracy of 48% in the calculation of fitness values, 47% in running time average, and 27% in the number of tours to be visited during 3 days of tour visits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Understanding the underlying behavioral mechanism of tourist destination choices is the first and foremost step in establishing effective and appropriate management measures for a scenic area. Few studies have used high-resolution and fine-grained spatio-temporal data to develop sophisticated statistical models for uncovering micro-scale tourist movements. This study combined Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and conventional questionnaire survey data of 312 respondents from Gulangyu, China, a small island with a total area of 1.87 km2, to develop multinomial logit (MNL) models for identifying factors that affect tourists' destination choices. A market segmentation analysis for different ticket purchasers was then performed. The Watson and Westin pooling test demonstrated that destination choices vary significantly between joint- and single-ticket purchasers. Joint-ticket purchasers are shown to be a more regular group whose mobility behavior can be better predicted and modeled compared with single-ticket purchasers. Several policy implication are discussed based on the modeling results. The proposed modeling, findings, and discussions provide the basis for policy instruments and will be useful for the enhanced planning of on-site movement, improved regulation of tourist flows, and rationalized design and management of tourist destinations. Highlights • Develop discrete choice models to depict tourist destination preference. • Identify significant factors that affect tourists' intra-destination choices. • Perform a market segmentation analysis for different ticket purchasers. • Observe that joint-ticket purchasers' behaviors are easier to be modeled. • Combine GPS technologies and statistical models to understand tourist behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Save for a few studies from the medical literature, little is known about the frequency, causes, and long-term trends of tourist deaths and injuries. Our obliviousness to the phenomenon, however, seems less disturbing than the notion it suggests: A general disregard that leisure travel and mortality are co-occurring events and therefore worthy of investigation. Worse, the absence of solid facts surrounding tourist mortality is often obscured if not supplanted outright by inordinate media attention on or treatment of tragedies befalling tourists. To redress this state of inadequacy, this study relies on English news reports published between 2000 up to the first half of 2017 to estimate the frequency and long-term trends of tourist-related fatal and non-fatal incidents. Findings reveal tourist killings or deaths to be the most commonly occurring incidents, with the major cause of tourist mortality being road injuries and falls. Tourists dying from cardiovascular causes are also increasing. The study proffers an alternative method for tracking tourist mortality, injuries, and other traveler misfortunes, and weighs its efficacy for tourism safety planning and management. Finally, the study discusses the import of knowing how tourists die for theorizing the inexorable advance of tourism. Highlights • Despite the rapid and inexorable growth of tourism, the likelihood of tourists dying—while not zero—is rare. • The leading causes of tourist deaths are road injuries, falls, as well as conflicts and terrorism. • Despite the media attention they attract, incidences of rape or sexual assault of tourists show a constant trend over time. • Data from news reports suggests an alarming and increasing trend of tourists dying from cardiovascular causes. • Knowing how tourists die or encounter unfortunate events reveals tourism's capacity limits and challenges to managing it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking a Consumer Culture Perspective, this paper explores the co-production of meaning among participants in tourists' restaurant experiences. Responding to criticisms that interpreting consumer behaviour should focus both on the individual and also on the collective context of consumption (Askegaard and Linnet, 2011), our research explores the social significance of these experiences and how they feed into the tourist's identity project. 34 ethnographic interviews are led with a view to exploring how tourists co-produce meaning within their group and also with staff and other patrons in the context of restaurant experience and these are followed up with a further 57 semi-structured interviews. Restaurant experiences are shown to be both rich and complex in social meanings. Thematic analysis leads to the identification and discussion regarding four contexts where social meanings are co-produced, namely sharing experiences, family togetherness and transmission, cultural guidance and customer-to-customer interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food tourism or food and tourism has emerged as a major theme for recent tourism research. This paper critically reviews and evaluates this growing subject area of tourism research thus identifies the core concepts associated with food tourism as major research themes, perspectives, and disciplinary approaches. Using the process of cognitive mapping this paper discovers that the literature on food tourism is dominated by five themes: motivation, culture, authenticity, management and marketing , and destination orientation . The authors conceptualise food tourism research from a cultural anthropology perspective, given that much of the literature on food tourism defines cuisine as place and is used in many forms and interactions with tourists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying early signs of anthropogenic disturbances in protected areas is critical for determining overuse, safeguarding natural beauty, protecting biodiversity, and sustaining resource use and economy. Assessing disturbances to aquatic systems of such areas is challenging due to the low-dose, diffused, and cumulative nature of disturbances; high risk at iconic sites; and difficulty of linking human activities with degradation. Using Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve as an example study to overcome such challenges, we developed an approach that integrated human activities known to impact aquatic systems to calculate a holistic disturbance index for assessing the extent of human uses at scales of entire reserve and individual sub-watersheds. We linked human disturbance index with benthic algae and macroinvertebrate indicators of individual waterbodies to identify early signs of degradation. We conducted in situ nutrient experiments and intensive sampling of biota at iconic sites with early signs of degradation to provide direct linkage between tourist activities and eutrophication, and to pinpoint mechanisms of how human disturbances have resulted in such degradations. We found that the human disturbance index significantly correlated with benthic algae and macroinvertebrate indicators, and Jiuzhaigou is largely in healthy condition. For the two identified iconic sites with early signs of degradation, intensive tourist activities at observation and rest areas of Five-Color Lake seemed to link to extra amount of nitrogen input into the lake and resulted in overgrowth of phytoplankton and filamentous algae during summer peak tourist months. Extra amount of phosphorus input from tourism activities at Pearl Shoal seemed the cause of changes in substrate colors and of shifts in attached moss and algal communities. Our example study demonstrates that early signs of degradation can be visually observed and should be further assessed by measuring water quality and sensitive biological indicators at high risk areas of a waterbody during summer and peak tourist seasons. Sensitive biological indicators (e.g., intolerant diatom and macroinvertebrates) are better indicators than nutrient concentrations because of rapid assimilation of nutrients by algae and macrophytes. Our assessment approach and findings of studying Jiuzhaigou have broad applications to other protected areas for determining overuse, and hence for making science-based policy and taking adequate management actions to prevent overuses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is nearly always implicitly assumed that authenticity is a positive trait, as opposed to the fake or the plastic. As opposed to allegedly positive authenticity, negative authenticity is something that is authentic but which tourists and residents consider not valuable enough to be preserved. However, researchers rarely pay attention to it, and there remains a lack of theoretical recognition and in-depth understanding of it. Using the case of China's ancient towns of Zhouzhuang and Tongli, this article aims to empirically verify negative authenticity and validate its dimensions on the consensus of tourists and residents through a mixed-method design. Based on interviews, this paper further analyzed the formation mechanism of negative authenticity. We found that the values of modern civilisation play a key role in the constructive process of negative authenticity. The findings further clarify the position of negative authenticity in the theoretical system and indicate its application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Tourist food waste (TFW) and its carbon footprint (CF) in China was quantified for the first time. • The per capita TFW was 256.90±11.89 g/d, with 9.95±0.50 million t of TFW generated in 2019. • CF of national TFW reached 23.47±0.43 million t CO 2 eq in 2019 which varied geographically. • Agricultural production contributed the most to the total CF of the food life cycle. • The study results contribute to CF reduction in the tourism industry. This study presents the first calculation of the total amount of tourist food waste (TFW) and its carbon footprint (CF) in China. Using first-hand data from the hotel/restaurant/café sector in four popular tourist cities, the TFW and its CF of the food life cycle for 31 regions in 2019 were quantified. The findings reveal that the average amount of TFW in China was 256.90±11.89 g/d/cap, totaling 9.95±0.50 million t of TFW generated in 2019, with grain accounting for 32.69% (3.25±0.24 million t). Furthermore, the annual CF of TFW attained 23.47±0.43 million t carbon dioxide (CO 2) eq in 2019. Meat exhibited the largest CF (55.25%). Geographically, the CF of TFW was consistent with the geographical characteristics of the Hu Line, that is, larger toward the southeast. Notably, the CF of TFW during agricultural production (15.96±0.93 million t CO 2 eq or 67.99%) accounted for most of the food life cycle. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toponymy and place name conversion has received little attention in the tourism literature. In particular, how the way the local names of sites are converted into the language of foreign tourists can affect their visiting experience has received no attention. This article identifies the nature of the place name conversion problems that arise in tourism by examining the case of the Historic Centre of Macau as experienced by South Korean independent tourists. The findings reveal that various sources providing tourism information on Macau in Korean are inconsistent in their use of the source languages - Chinese, Portuguese or English - and inconsistently utilise different methods for the conversion of local place names into Korean script. Interviews with Korean tourists indicate that they get confused, and that their tourist experience is adversely affected by the resulting wayfinding difficulties they encounter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study intended to evaluate thermal comfort conditions in microclimates of the urban historical areas of Isfahan, Iran during a heatwave. The thermal comfort conditions of different historical sites were compared during the daylight hours to determine the best time to visit each historical site. Using the results of this study, tourists can select the best timeframe with appropriate thermal conditions to visit the historical sites of Isfahan. Along with performing field measurements in the intended historical sites, a questionnaire was used to determine the thermal comfort range of tourists. ENVI-met is used in order to properly simulate the outdoor thermal environment of the historical touristic areas in Isfahan during the hottest as well as the most touristic month of the year. The results of questionnaire and simulations are compared with each other. It was shown that three historical sites with higher thermal stress experience an unpleasant thermal condition. The results of questionnaire show that the comfort range of tourists is within 23.06–29.73 °C PET. The thermal conditions of Si-o-Se Pol, Hasht Behesht and Naqsh-e-Jahan are within the thermal comfort range at 19,20 and 21 p.m. respectively. During the daytime, thermal comfort conditions varied from 4.9 °C PET at 8 a.m. to 8.1 °C PET at 3 p.m. Early morning hours were the most comfortable time to visit the historical sites of Menar-e-Jonban, Masjed-e-Jame and Vank Cathedral in Isfahan. During the peak hours of heat, the priority of thermal comfort goes to Masjed-e-Jame, Menar-e-Jonban and Si-o-Se Pol, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to expand tourism value co-creation to include resident-tourist social interactions. Specifically, we aim to empirically verify the effects of residents' life satisfaction and their perceived benefits and costs of tourism development on their value co-creation with tourists. An online questionnaire survey was conducted with a sample of 380 urban residents in China. Partial Least Square structural equation modelling was adopted to analyze the data. The results show that residents' perceived economic and social-cultural benefits of tourism development have positive effects on both value co-creation and life satisfaction, while perceived costs have negative effects. Life satisfaction influences value co-creation. This study contributes to the literature by conceptualizing tourism value co-creation between tourists and residents and empirically investigating residents' participation in value co-creation in the tourism context. Moreover, we introduced broaden-and-build theory to analyze a tourism phenomenon for the first time. This study also provides important managerial implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background In recent years, tourism has become the number one account for foreign exchange income in Iceland, overtaking the fisheries industry and aluminium production. The rise of tourism has strongly affected Icelandic society in various sectors. With the increase of tourists visiting Iceland, the number of foreign citizens that died and were autopsied also rose. Method Data were collected from the Department of Forensic Pathology at Landspitali University Hospital in Reykjavik for the period January 2006 – December 2016. Result During this time there were 109 autopsies performed on foreign citizens of which 58 died from natural causes, 49 were injury deaths and in 2 cases no certain cause of death could be determined. Most represented were citizens from North America, United Kingdom and Germany (each 11%). The main causes of death were cardiovascular events (41%) followed by unintentional injuries (34%). Conclusion The research at hand shows the significant influence of tourism on Forensic Medicine and provides an update on deaths of overseas travellers. Furthermore this study points out variable risks of travel-related injuries and deaths in Iceland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of customer characteristics, differentiating between tourist and business travelers, and the date of travel are considered important elements in airline price behavior. In the literature, the difference between tourist and business travel is based on consumer characteristics; however, the main contribution of this paper is to examine this difference with respect to the characteristics of the destination. Thus, in this paper, we consider the top- and bottom-ranked tourist destination cities (to differentiate between most-and least-visited tourist destinations) and two travel periods (a holiday period and an off-peak period) in order to analyze the effect of the destination and travel period on airline price behavior. The results show that the price level is highest during the holiday period to the lowest-ranked tourist destinations, and that the price dispersion is highest during the holiday period but to the top-ranked tourist destinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to increasing online sales of Asian tourism, discussion of the factors influencing Asian online tourist e-satisfaction is an issue of critical importance. The major purpose of the study was to enhance regretful (e.g. high tendency-to-regret) tourist e-satisfaction by providing post-purchase information (sellers' ratings) to reduce post-purchase cognitive dissonance in the high uncertainty avoidance context (e.g. Taiwan). Results obtained from 2 × 2 experimental designs indicated that, the influence of regretful personality on e-satisfaction was fully mediated via post-purchase cognitive dissonance. The effect of valid sellers' ratings on raising regretful tourist e-satisfaction was also confirmed. The current study focused on Taiwanese online tourists, it provided a precise explanation of the relationships among variables and may expand understanding of Asian online regretful tourist post-purchase behaviors in a high uncertainty avoidance context. The current study could provide practitioners with post-purchase e-marketing implications and applications in such a context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the attitudes of recreational anglers towards regulations and other stakeholders is important to inform fisheries management actions. We investigated the relationship of salient angler characteristics, specifically, specialization, catch orientation, place attachment and demographics, and the attitudes and beliefs regarding conservation and management of the northern pike (Esox lucius) stock inhabiting the lagoon ecosystems around the island of Rügen, Germany, in the southern Baltic Sea. The stock is currently in decline and stakeholder conflicts have escalated. Human dimensions data were gathered in an online survey where 1,965 anglers generated complete answers. Angler specialization (specifically behavioural and psychological commitment), selected catch orientations (release orientation and catch something construct), place attachment, and demographics (particularly age, residency, and education) were consistent correlates of attitudes toward management and conservation of northern pike. Anglers with a strong release orientation were more likely to express positive attitudes to their own harvest constraints, while more committed anglers held more negative beliefs about the behaviour of commercial fisheries, anglers, and conservation activity. Addressing local angler-fisher-conservation conflicts currently present in the Rügen pike fishery can best be achieved by targeting the more specialized, release-oriented, old, highly place-attached angler segments because these angler types have the highest degree of conflict sensitivity with other user groups and with conservation while at the same time accepting regulations more that minimize the impacts of fishing and angling on the fishery resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the tourism industry plays a crucial role in revitalizing traditional crafts, craftspeople are increasingly becoming the core attraction in craft tourism. They are employed by tourism organizations with their main duties as showcasing the craft production process in front of tourists. However, how craftspeople negotiate their autonomy in such an emergent "organization-craftspeople-tourist" ternary work structure remains unclear. This research uses a qualitative research method to analyze craftspeople's autonomy by investigating their interactions with their organization and with tourists at a scenic spot in Jingdezhen, China. Interviews with 47 respondents reveal that craft tourism has changed the traditional work structure from organization-craftspeople-final products to organization-craftspeople-tourists. Craftspeople can execute their agency and obtain autonomy in such a work structure. Moreover, such arrangements also benefit elderly craftspeople. This research contributes to a further understanding of craftspeople's working experience in an organized tourism context and improves tourism employment for craftspeople. • The "organization-craftspeople-tourist" ternary work structure frames craftspeople's work in the tourism organizations. • Craftspeople can execute their agency and obtain autonomy in the ternary work structure. • This research contributes to a better understanding of craftspeople's working experience in the tourism context. • The tourism industry has the potential to revitalize traditional crafts by improving tourism employment for craftspeople. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence and impacts of plastic marine debris (PMD) have been documented in the oceans worldwide, and they deserve special attention. This study is the first to report the presence of microplastics in tourist beaches located in Huatulco Bay, southern Mexico. A total of 70 beach sediment samples (for 2 distinct seasons) were collected from Huatulco Bay in April 2013 and December 2014. The samples were subsequently extracted by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to identify the fibrous microplastics (diameter < 5 mm). The maximum number of fibrous materials was found in April 2013 and December 2014 in the Rincón Sabroso beach (48/30 g sediment) and the Cuatunalco beach (69/30 g sediment), respectively. Overall, a high amount of microplastics is present in the Conejos, Tangolunda, Santa Cruz, and San Agustin beaches. The microplastics are mainly derived from tourism-based activities and effluents discharged from the hotels and restaurants located along the beaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors analyze the features of the existing legal guarantees of the international tour operators, such as financial provision and a compensation fund for urgent tourist support. Legal practice shows that these guarantees may not be sufficient in the event of large-scale suspensions of tour operators' activities, and the problems with the return of tourists to their home countries may arise as a result. Because of these facts, the legislator amended the fundamentals of the legislation on tourism to increase responsibility of tourist market participants and to improve legal protection of tourists going abroad from the Russian Federation. The authors analyze the amendments and conclude that the excessive increase of tour operators' responsibility may considerably decrease the number of tour operators in the tourist services market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although smart tourism has gained increasing attention, empirical investigations of smart tourist attraction (STA) from a tourist perspective are still limited. The purpose of this study is to explore a methodological approach of assessing tourist preference of STA, and the strengths and weaknesses of an STA accordingly. First, factor analysis was used to determine tourists' key evaluation items of STA. Next, fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method and analytic hierarchy process were applied to the STA evaluation of Hongshan Zoo, a popular tourist attraction in China. Then, importance-performance analysis was conducted to diagnose the strengths and weaknesses of Hongshan Zoo's STA construction. Findings suggest that “smart information system”, “intelligent tourism management”, “smart sightseeing”, “e-commerce system”, “smart safety”, “intelligent traffic”, “smart forecasting” and “virtual tourist attractions” are tourists' key evaluation factors of STA. This paper extends previous research on smart tourism, and offers insights into the theoretical investigation and practical development of STA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the roles of tourists' risk beliefs, connectedness, hurricane knowledge, and their past experiences with hurricane impacts in relation to their information seeking behavior regarding hurricane evacuation while in the destination. Surveys were collected from tourists who were visiting Florida in September 2011, during the Atlantic hurricane season. Findings from this study reveal and confirm the existence of the critical relationship among tourist information seeking, past experience with hurricanes, individual risk beliefs, and level of knowledge. It is recommended that destination managers make investments in hurricane communication messages, which target a wide array of tourists. The effectiveness of hurricane evacuation information is linked to the receptiveness of the content of the message by differing groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecotourism is regarded as an ideal mechanism for achieving both economic and ecological sustainability. The objective of this study is to determine the tourists’ willingness to pay for conservation in Yankari game reserve using a dichotomous choice contingent valuation method (DC-CVM) on 335 local tourists. The result of the study showed that the mean willingness to pay as entrance fee by a tourist is 508 Naira (USD 3.4). The findings of this study would provide a guide to the management of the game reserve to take into account the benefits associated with resources conservation and the need to review their pricing policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study applies a hybrid analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to evaluate West Virginia's (WV) resource-based tourism competitiveness in relation to its neighboring states. The study also sought to investigate the utility of AHP in destination competitiveness evaluation. Ten executive directors from West Virginia's Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) and 891 visitors to West Virginia participated in this study. Findings revealed that West Virginia performed well in the areas such as availability of adventure-based and nature-based activities, and had a competitive edge on hospitality and friendliness of residents, safety and security, and value for money in shopping items. However, WV was seen to be less competitive on variety and quality of restaurants and availability of activities for children. The hybrid AHP model was shown to be a reliable tool to evaluate destination competitiveness. Theoretical and managerial implications and future research suggestions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the importance of the festivals for the culture and the economy of nations, little research has been conducted in order to understand the behaviour of the Romanian tourists regarding the festivalattendance and the intention to travel in order to participate in festivals. The originality of this study is highlighted by the analysis of the behaviour of Romanian tourists regarding the attendance at festivals, from the point of view of studying festival tourism as a form of cultural tourism. The article is based on the findings of an exploratory survey–based research carried out in February – May 2014.The purpose of this paper is to analyse the behaviour of the Romanian tourist regarding the participation in festivals, both in his town and also when he is travelling. Our objectives are to: find if Romanian people in general, and Romanian tourists, in particular, are interested in traveling with the purpose of attending a festival, identify the main motivations for attending a festival, the types of festivals that are preferred and the tourists ‘perception on Bucharest as potential international festival destination.The paper concludes that Romanian tourists tend to participate in one festival per year in average in their country and less than one festival per year in another countries, that music festival is the most appreciated type of festival and also we discovered that the most important motives for attending festivals in tourists’ perception are psychological, cultural and emotional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No research in tourism or medicine has addressed the potential relationship between travel and the medical treatment of dementia. Given tourism's increasingly important role in society, a cross-disciplinary team of tourism and dementia experts provide insight into the potential benefits of tourism for individuals with dementia. This conceptual effort critically reviews the tourism and dementia literature and addresses pertinent knowledge gaps. Tourism is presented as a possible way to improve dementia patients' well-being as an adjunct to non-pharmacological interventions. Accordingly, a conceptual framework is proposed to highlight the nexus between tourism experiences and dementia interventions. Future interdisciplinary research directions are also described. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the attitudes of employees working in Indian hotels catering to tourists. It analyzed their perception of training opportunities and the impact of such training on the service provided to guests. An integrated model was developed highlighting the relationship between perceived accessibility to training, perceived support for training, perceived benefits from training, and the implications of training on service quality mediated through organizational commitment. Using a sample of 494 employees, structural equation modeling was conducted to establish this relationship by analyzing the responses of employees working in small and medium size tourist hotels operating in Uttarakhand, India. The findings of the study reveal a strong relationship between employee training and the quality of services offered by employees in tourist hotels. The study discusses the implications of the presented findings and suggests potential practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Spatial relevancy is one of the primary types of relevancies that determine whether a context is spatially related to the user or not. This paper specifically addresses the use of fuzzy spatial relationships for detecting spatially relevant contexts. The proposed approach is restricted to the urban network and assumes that in such an environment, the user relates to contexts via linear fuzzy spatial intervals. The main contribution of this work is that the proposed model applies customized Fuzzy Interval Algebra (FIA5) and the Range Neighbour Query (RNQ) to introduce spatially relevant contexts according to their arrangement in space based on the position and direction of the user. The Fuzzy Spatial Relevancy Algorithm for Context-Aware Systems (FSRACAS) helps the tourist to find his/her preferred areas that are spatially relevant. The experimental results in a scenario of tourist navigation are evaluated with respect to the accuracy of the model, performance time and satisfaction of users in 100 iterations of the algorithm on 100 routes in Tehran. The evaluation process demonstrated the efficiency of the model in real-world applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Marine plastic pollution is a global issue that has calamitous consequences for global economy, biodiversity, human health, and the climate. A few of the studies were carried out on the Gopalpur coast and the current baseline survey was conducted during Covid-19 pandemic lockdown (April–August 2021) and post lockdown (August–September 2021).The survey was covered about 1500 m along the coast, divided into 10 equal zones of each (20 × 150 m2) to collect the plastic debris based on colour, density, and weight. Plastic debris was categorized into 33 types with an average 1.276 g/m2 during lockdown and was categorized into 34 types with an average 3.34 g/m2 in post lockdown. The results imply that tourism has a greater impact on the beach in terms of pollution when compared with the local sources, which will have a drastic effect on the aesthetics of the beach, neighbouring turtle nesting site and indirectly on human health. [Display omitted] • Plastic pollution increased by 2.616 folds in post lockdown than lockdown in the study area. • Plastic average debris per 100 m2 was found 127.6 g in lockdown and 333.9 g in post lockdown. • Poly-bags and food wrappers were found mostly as dominant debris during post lockdown. • Tourism and use of plastics have a greater impact on the beach pollution compared to local sources. • The 3-R (Reduce, Recycle and Reuse) formula to be implemented to minimize plastic pollution [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a key policy instrument used for the protection of ocean and coastal environments. However, many MPAs are currently falling short of their intended objectives. Studies show that meaningful public engagement can assist in optimising the outcomes of an MPA by improving stakeholder knowledge, support, and social license, and thus improving voluntary compliance with local MPA regulations. Ensuring more meaningful engagement, however, requires a context specific understanding of how different stakeholder groups understand the MPA, how they acquire that knowledge, and how information delivery can be tailored more effectively to reach the target audience. To that end, this study employed a quantitative survey to explore stakeholder awareness and knowledge of the Ningaloo Marine Park (NMP), a multi-use marine park on the west Australian coastline. Specifically, we surveyed visitors (i.e., tourists) to the Ningaloo region to understand their awareness of the NMP, their knowledge of the marine zoning regulations, and their access to information (N = 169). Results suggest that visitors to the region exhibit low levels of awareness of the primary management bodies, and of the presence of zoning regulations in the NMP. There was also a significant gap in the perceived level of protection afforded by the NMP compared to the actual protection, with visitors believing that the MPA provides more protection of the marine environment than it does in practice. These findings highlight a need for future regional communication strategies to be focused on improving the overall awareness and knowledge of the NMP among visitors through clear, consistent and accessible information. Specifically, visitors indicated that moving forwards, they would like to access this information through visitor centres, on local signage and on websites. The results of this study provide valuable insights for local marine park managers and decision-makers to improve existing communication strategies in order to maximise the ecological, social and economic outcomes of the NMP. These insights also have a wider application for improving ongoing public engagement with MPAs globally, which is particularly important given the rapid designation of MPAs to meet the global target of 30% of global oceans protected by 2030. • Visitor survey to assess awareness and knowledge of Ningaloo Marine Park (NMP). • Participants had low levels of awareness of management bodies and zoning regulations. • Participants believed the NMP provides more protection than it does in practice. • Future communications should improve awareness and knowledge of zoning regulations. • Communication efforts should be via visitor centres, on signage and on websites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents a review of published literature that addresses the connection between tourism and economic growth, and provides a thematic and chronological analysis of empirical research on this topic. The approach leads to a classification of the numerous works into three major sets according to the methodology applied therein: time series, panel data and cross-sectional data. Within each set, we chronologically organise the literature and drawn conclusions about their findings. It can be shown that the relation between tourism and growth depends on various factors, the main one being the country's degree of specialisation in tourism. In a similar manner, empirical results are very sensitive to the selection of model specifications and to econometric techniques used. Consequently, an evolution towards the use of more refined techniques can be seen in recent works. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper suggests a classification of cultural tourism participants by building on the McKercher–Du Cros typology in a Polish context. Based on a sample of 600 tourists arriving in Cracow to visit monuments and museums, participate in cultural events, and experience the cultural milieu, the study identified five main clusters. These were the ‘Purposeful’, ‘Serendipitous’, ‘Sightseeing’, ‘Incidental’ and ‘Casual.’ It was also found that motives for participation in cultural tourism are based on two dimensions, the importance of culture to the visitor and presentation of culture at the destination. The ‘Purposeful’ tourist proved the most numerous, thereby indicating the importance of the cultural motive as a determinant to travel within this sample. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to study the interrelationships among electronic word of mouth (eWOM), destination image, tourist attitude, and travel intention in the tourism industry. In addition, the paper examines the effect of sociodemographic characteristics on the research variables. A 10min pen and paper questionnaire was distributed to international tourists in Isfahan through a nonprobability, convenience-sampling approach. Reliability and validity of the measurement scale were established through average variance extracted (AVE), Cronbach''s alpha analyses, and intercorrelation analyses. A structural equation model (SEM) test with maximum likelihood estimation was performed to test the relationship among the research variables using 264 participants. In addition, the possible influence of sociodemographic characteristics on the research variables was analyzed using an ANOVA. The empirical results from the structural model suggest that: (1) eWOM positively influences the destination image, tourist attitude and travel intention; (2) destination image and tourist attitude have a significant relationship with intention to travel; (3) destination image positively affects tourist attitude, and (4) the socio-demographic characteristics influence using eWOM, destination image, tourist attitude, and travel intention. Implications and future research issues were discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The study of tourist decision-making usually focuses on destination choice, framed in terms of informational inputs into the rational decision-making processes of individuals. We report on a study of on-site tourist decision-making in the South Island of New Zealand. The framework within which decision-making is conceptualised draws on process accounts derived from work in naturalistic decision-making, and adaptive, situated and embodied cognition, and in this respect the study distinguishes itself from much previous work in this area. One hundred and forty qualitative interviews were analysed thematically to identify four dimensions of an emergent process of decision-making: (In)Flexibility; Location/timing; Social Composition; Stage of Trip. Decision-making varies on these dimensions in line with various ‘Types of Trip’ also identified from the data. This study provides support for process approaches to tourist decision-making and characterises it in terms of a continual process of socially mediated adjustment to features of the destination and overall trip evolution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper analyzes the determinants of international tourist arrivals in China, especially for World Heritage Sites and various kinds of travel spots. Utilizing annual provincial panel data over the 2000–2005 period, the empirical results suggest that key determinants include the relative income, population in the original country, cost of travel, and tourism infrastructure. In addition, World Heritage Sites are also found to be significant in explaining the numbers of international tourists and have a greater tourist-enhancing effect. Other famous tourist sites rated 4A- and 3A-class are also attractive to foreign tourism. Moreover, cultural rather than natural sites attract more interest among foreign tourists, because China is internationally renowned for its long-standing historical and cultural assets. Finally, the importance of the determinants of the demand for tourism varies from country to country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents an innovative method for tourist market segmentation-based on dominant movement patterns of tourists; that is, the travel sequences or patterns used by tourists most frequently. There were three steps to achieve this goal. In the first step, general log-linear models were adopted to identify the dominant movement patterns, while the second step was to discover the characteristics of the groups of tourists who travelled with these patterns. The Expectation–Maximisation algorithm was then used to partition tourist segments in terms of socio-demographic and travel behavioural variables. The third step was to select target markets based upon the earlier analysis. These methods were applied to a sample of tourists, over the period of a week, on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. A significant outcome of this research is that it will assist tourism organisations to identify tourism market segments and develop better tour packages and more efficient marketing strategies aligned to the characteristics of the tourists. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: Naegleria fowleri is a free-living amoeba commonly found in warm freshwater environments such as hot springs, lakes, natural mineral water, and resort spas frequented by tourists. N. fowleri is the etiologic agent of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), an acute fatal disease of the central nervous system that results in death in approximately seven days. Previously thought to be a rare condition, the number of reported PAM cases is increasing each year. PAM is difficult to diagnose because the clinical signs of the disease are similar to bacterial meningitis. Thus, the key to diagnosis is physician awareness and clinical suspicion. With the intent of creating awareness among travel medicine practitioners and the tourism industry, this review focuses on the presenting features of N. fowleri and PAM and offers insight into the prevention and treatment of the disease. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The study investigates the causal relationship between tourism demand, economic growth, and external competitiveness in leading tourist destination countries using the bootstrap panel Granger causality test between 2005 and 2019. To determine the direction and the sign of the causality, study first test the existence of cross-sectional dependence among the countries and slope homogeneity across the countries. The empirical findings of the study produced varying results for countries reflecting the heterogeneity among the sample countries. Results also provide evidence of tourism-led growth, economic-driven tourism growth, feedback, and neutrality hypotheses. Moreover, results show evidence of tourism induced external competitiveness and vice-versa. Therefore, even though the study's empirical results have a significant implication for policymakers, regulators, and sector representatives. It is not fair to suggest one size fits all policies for the sample countries. • Inspects nexus of tourism demand, economic growth, and external competitiveness • The study empirically tested TLDG, EDTG, feedback, and neutrality hypotheses. • Direction and sign of the causality are not uniform across the countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A review of tourism policy documents reveals three key objectives: environmental, social and economic sustainability. This paper examines the role of scheduled buses in meeting these objectives, using data from a large survey of bus passengers in rural tourist destinations. It finds that buses achieve modest modal shift from cars, allow access to the countryside for people without cars and generate spending in local economies. It suggests how these functions could be improved by market-segmentation, better publicity and service delivery and questions why many such services struggle for funding each year. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Legionella spp. is the etiological agent of the serious respiratory pneumonia known as Legionnaires' disease. This respiratory illness is frequently associated with travel and tourist resorts. Spain is an important tourist destination, and one of the top European countries concerning Legionnaires' disease cases, both community and travel associated. Still, the colonization of Legionella in our hotels remains scarce. Here, we surveyed 204 hotels in the Canary Islands, Spain, for five years (2015–2019), to determine the Legionella prevalence. Samples were obtained and analysed following national and international guidelines. We detected the pathogen in 140 of 2,318 samples (6.0%). The water distribution systems (WDS) were more colonized (7.4%) than the whirlpools (4.7%). Contamination levels were minimal (<3 log CFU L−1) in most of the cases, and only 3.6% of samples were highly contaminated minimal (>4 log CFU L−1). We isolated Legionella in 4.3% and 8.5% of cold and hot water distribution systems, respectively. The Legionella prevalence in cold water systems samples was higher when free chlorine levels were below 0.2 mg L−1, whereas in the hot water systems samples, the prevalence was higher at <50 °C. Legionella pneumophila was the most frequently isolated species, being the members of the serogroups 2–14 the most prevalent. The annual distribution showed a colonization pick in June, followed by the winter months. Regarding the geographical distribution, the presence of Legionella was more prevalent in the western islands. Our study concludes that Legionella contamination rates in samples from facilities of the Canary Islands is lower than most of the observed in other European studies. However, corrective measures are still needed to improve Legionella control. • The prevalence of Legionella in Canary Islands hotels is lower than in other European countries. • The contamination levels of the facilities are minimal in most of cases. • Conditioning measures must be implemented to avoid overheating in cold water systems. • Hot water distribution systems are the most colonized installation. • Whirlpools constitute a low-risk installation due to the low Legionella prevalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Recommend multiple itineraries by considering POI within POI. • Maximizes the tourist's interest, tour popularity, and minimizes travel costs. • Can be further extended when a tourist wishes to visit unfamiliar places. • The PWP algorithm is designed to solve the Orienteering problem. The significance of tourism in the globe today is enormous since it is a major source of income and jobs for a nation. Tourists are facing a range of difficulties as they select suitable tours, consisting of several itineraries in terms of their interests and distinct constraints. An itinerary consists of many Points of Interest (POIs) and a POI can further be splitted into several attractions which are named as POI within POI. For selecting the itinerary, the existing techniques use the characteristics of POIs. However, a POI consists of many attractions. Out of these, one dominating attraction's type is considered as POI type. This ignores the other type of attraction's present in that POI. It may cause improper selection of itineraries. Therefore, selection of itineraries by considering POI within POI is of great benefit. But, it is very challenging. For this task, we suggest an algorithm called PWP. It recommends multiple itineraries that are based on the interest of visitors, popularity of itineraries and the cost of itineraries. If a tourist wants to visit unknown areas, the PWP algorithm can be expanded further. We have taken the similar user's features to advise multiple itineraries using the Flickr dataset. The findings show that the proposed PWP algorithm out-performs the baseline algorithms in terms of real-life matrices and heuristic based metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism is often considered as an important way to diversify island economy, reinforce island culture and support island residents. As a dynamic multi-actor process, an island tourism destination is constructed and evolved with different stakeholders interacting and co-creating the setting, values, experiences, meanings and identity of the island. Taking the bioluminescent "Blue tears" of Pingtan Islands, Fujian Province of China, as a focal point, the interactions of local government and tourists and the responses of the tourism sector in co-creating Pingtan as a tourism destination were evaluated. A mixed methods approach was adopted, including assessment of policies and plans to reflect government perspectives, online review analysis to present tourist perspectives, analysis of online news and onsite observations to reflect tourism sector involvement. As an attraction provoking tourists' imagination and emotions, the "Blue tears" enriched Pingtan as a tourism place. The wide-spread uses of social media in travel information exchange disseminated tourists' use patterns and preferences and empowered tourists in the tourism place making process of Pingtan. Such market demand not only responded to, but also influenced the official positioning and strategies of the local government and was stimulating the development and involvement of the tourism sector. Theoretical reflections on tourism place making theory and practical implications for Pingtan and other island and coastal destinations are discussed. • Interactions of local government, tourists, tourism business are examined in co-creating Pingtan as a tourism destination. • The decentralization of power with increased bottom-up actor involvement in tourism place making in the era of social media is revealed. • Understanding of the dynamic interplay of multiple actors in tourism place making process is advanced. • Practical implications are generated to enhance stakeholder cooperation to support island tourism development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on visitor attitudes to tourism destinations is an established area of scholarly attention. This research note provides a critical commentary of the theoretical trends in visitor attitude studies based on a systematic review of 162 journal articles in top tier journals between 1977 and 2019. This short communication contributes to tourism research and scholarship by demonstrating that prior research on visitor attitude is predominantly descriptive and lacks theoretical engagement, with the gap between atheoretical and theoretical articles expanding proportionally over time. Scholars should consider the application of active theory from parent (sub)disciplines such as social psychology and cognitive psychology to provide future research on visitor attitudes to tourism destinations with much needed depth, substance and theoretical maturity. • Visitor attitudes to tourism destinations are assessed across a 42-year period. • Research is primarily descriptive and lacks theoretical maturity. • Atheoretical papers dominate studies on visitor attitudes. • Application of cutting-edge theory from parent disciplines would advance future inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the concept of emotional attachment has been used in various disciplines, the research on the formation process of tourist attachment to a destination (PTAD) aimed at the state traits of the interaction process between destination and habitation is still limited. This research uses mixed methods-grounded theory (MM-GT) to develop the PTAD scale of the dynamic causal chain consisting of a motivational-cognitive- emotional framework. Qualitative research resulted in the framework that was derived from 16 online travel logs about Hainan Island, China. Quantitative research resulted in the development of 23-item with 6 dimensions PTAD scale with high reliability and validity. The six-dimensional solution discovers those important but underexposure dimensions. Destination managers can use the knowledge of PTAD to help tourists enjoy the psychological process, formulate destination management and marketing strategies, and then win the competition war of destination. [Display omitted] • The perspective of emotional attachment is changed from stable traits to state traits. • Grounding state characteristics of tourist' attachemnt to a destination. • Anchored in attachment theory to explore attachment formation. • Developed a 23-items PTAD scale by introducing MMGT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visiting the beach is a popular tourist activity worldwide. Unfortunately, the beach environment is abundant with hazards and potential danger to the unsuspecting tourist. While the traditional focus of beach safety has been water safety oriented, there is growing concern about the risks posed by the sand environment on beaches. This study reports on the death and near death experience of eight tourists in the collapse of sand holes, sand dunes, and sand tunnels. Each incident occurred suddenly and the complete burial in sand directly contributed to the victims injury or death in each case report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fostering tourist environmentally responsible behavior is critical for sustainable destination management, pertinent to both rural and urban settings. Tourist negative impact perception and social responsibility awareness are identified as important factors in shaping tourist environmental behavior. However, the influencing mechanism is not yet fully understood. Taking Yuelu Mountain, a key tourism attraction in Changsha City, Hunan Province of China, as an example, this study explores the influencing mechanisms of tourist negative impact perception, the self and public dimensions of social responsibility awareness on the complying and promoting environmentally responsible behaviors. On site tourist questionnaires were collected and the structural equation model was used to empirically test the proposed theoretical framework. Results suggest that negative impact perception (NIP) has a direct and significant positive effect on public responsibility awareness (PRA). The latter demonstrates a significant positive impact on complying environmentally responsible behavior (CERB) and promoting environmentally responsible behavior (PERB). Public responsibility awareness (PRA) is found to play an important intermediary role between negative impact perception (NEP), self responsibility awareness (SRA) and environmentally responsible behavior (ERB). Accordingly, suggestions for managing and promoting tourist environmentally responsible behavior are proposed for Yuelu Mountain. Management implications are then extended to other destinations at a broader context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the effect of sensation seeking and food neophobia personality traits on the intention of foreign tourists to buy traditional Turkish food. The sample of the study, 500 foreign tourists who visited the Istanbul Historic Peninsula in the summer of 2018 were surveyed by easy sampling method. In the first phase 100 participants were asked to fill personal information form, food neophobia scale, brief sensation seeking scale and purchase intention scale. The obtained data were analyzed in SPSS program. After the pilot survey normality test, Cronbach's alpha coefficients and factor analysis were used to construct validity and reliability of food neophobia, brief sensation seeking scale and purchase intention scales. After ensuring the validity and reliability of statements in the survey form, 400 more survey forms were filled by participants to complete the major survey. After the data acquisition phase, regression analysis was used to evaluate the impact of food neophobia and sensation-seeking on purchase intention. The analysis showed that food neophobia has a considerably great impact on purchase intention. Results also showed that tourists with a low level of food neophobia show a high-level of purchase intention on Turkish traditional meals. On the SS side of the study it was found that experience-seeking is the only sub-scale of sensation-seeking that affects purchase intention. Consequently, experience seeking has a negative correlation with food neophobia. According to study results personality plays role in what people want to it. This information can be used to achieve more revenue and promote Turkish cuisine through tourism. Some suitable Turkish foods can be customized on the same line with major culinary cultures in the world for highly food neophobic tourists and also unique Turkish foods can be introduced to highly experience-seeker visitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of price hedonic theory in the hotel pricing domain has relatively ignored the destination and country-level differences. We compare hotel rents across tourist and non-tourist destinations for an emerging (India) and a developed (USA) market. Utilizing multiple regression on a combined dataset of 21,904 data points spread over 2458 unique hotels, we show that the nature of destination and market moderates the association between hotel attributes and rents. Further, the results show that hotels at tourist destinations enjoy a rent premium across markets. However, this rent premium is positively associated with star rating, only in emerging markets, and is stable in developed markets. We contribute to price hedonic theory by proposing destination and market variables as moderators. Globalization and industry concentration make location decisions recurring and flexible. The study aims to help hotel managers by providing a contextual framework for making these strategic investment decisions. • Market state (emerging/developed) moderates hotel attribute-rent relationships. • The type of destination (tourist/non-tourist) moderates hotel attribute-rent relationships. • Hotels at tourist destinations command a rent premium. • Tourist rent premium is negatively associated with hotel attributes other than star rating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourists with dissimilar cultural backgrounds think and behave differently. Precisely capturing and correctly understanding the cultural difference will help tourism managers generate greater customer satisfaction and increased business revenue. To this end, this paper uncovers and compares the motivation and satisfaction of restaurant tourist customers coming from China and U.S. by investigating their online ratings and reviews. From two major online review communities, customer ratings and reviews have been retrieved, quantified, text-mined, compared, and interpreted using statistics, latent Dirichlet allocation, and frequency analysis. Results suggest that Chinese tourists are less inclined to assign lower ratings to restaurants, and are more strongly fascinated by the food offered, whereas U.S. tourists are more apt to be fun-seeking, and are less uncomfortable with crowdedness. • Cross cultural comparison of Chinese and U.S. tourists in restaurants: motivation and satisfaction. • Authentic tourist data from Dianping.com & Yelp.com. • Text mining of tourist review comments by leveraging latent Dirichlet allocation. • Verification, elaboration, and tentative extension of cross-cultural tourist service theory. • Managerial suggestions regarding the optimal strategy of serving Chinese and U.S. tourists diners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]