Search

Copyright of Journal of China Tourism Research is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Content analysis of mass media publications has become a major scientific method used to analyze public discourse on climate change. We propose a computer-assisted content analysis method to extract prevalent themes and analyze discourse changes over an extended period in an objective and quantifiable manner. The method includes the following: (1) sample selection; (2) preparation of the text segments for computer processing; (3) identifying themes in the texts using exploratory factor analysis; (4) combining identified themes into higher order themes using confirmatory factor analysis; (5) using factor scores to interpret themes obtained from public discourse; and (6) tracking the main themes of public discourse through time. We apply the proposed methodology to the analysis of the articles published in the New York Times on climate change during the period from 1995 to 2010. We found a gradual decline in the volume of material within the "Science" topic and an expansion of themes classified under the "Politics" topic.

Tourism is a powerful economic driver for communities, but there are dangers of overtourism in tourism-dependent destinations. The study proposes an approach to detect early signs of overtourism by integrating census and industry data with residents' perceptions of tourism benefits. The indicators include industry performance, its economic impacts, and indirect measures related to quality of life. The public perceptions are collected through surveying four different tourism-dependent communities in Florida. We found that in general local residents are highly positive about the tourism industry benefits to their communities, yet many respondents would like the tourism levels reduced. Especially concerning are negative sentiments toward tourism among the younger population groups and racial minorities. The findings are interpreted as early signs of overtourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological advancements significantly reduce the cost of space travel, thereby making many other activities in space technologically feasible and financially affordable for a larger number of people. This paper considers tourist travel to outer space, that is, beyond the 100-km Karman line altitude accepted by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale as the border between the Earth atmosphere and outer space. Because of the scarcity of literature on the market for space flights, the study investigates factors that affect enthusiasm for becoming an orbital space tourist among those who are interested in space exploration and, at the same time, are younger and educated. We investigate motivations and risk factors as well as the moderating role of involvement, gender, and age in enthusiasm to become an orbital space tourist and compare the findings with the outcomes of previously conducted marketing research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study expands the empirical evidence amassed to date concerning tourists' decision-making processes in a situation of conflict between a country of origin's market and country of destination. It uses the constructs of animosity, national attachment, consumer ethnocentrism, country image, and perceptions of the state of bilateral relations in order to examine three intent to visit scenarios. To obtain the robust results, the study uses two methods of analysis from distinctly different repertoires of techniques, such as traditional statistical and data-mining approaches, and applies them to each scenario. The results consistently indicate a high level of influence of general animosity and ethnocentric tendencies in addition to country image and bilateral relation variables in tourists' decision making. The situational context of the study is the conflict between China, the country of origin, and South Korea, the country of destination, over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online public discussions of service failure incidents might result in significant reputational damage for service providers. This study examines the geographical and personal proximity factors that contribute to public involvement in such discussions, using a high-profile incident that happened in a hotel of a popular Chinese budget chain as an example. A geographically weighted regression model is developed to illustrate spatial variations of public response at a prefecture division level. Economic development, area status, and presence of the service provider on the market are identified as significant predictors. This analytical approach can assist hospitality organizations in developing regionally-tailored image recovery strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]