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Purpose This study aims to compare the effect of barista type (human vs robot) on perceived safety and examine the role of two moderators (mask-wearing and coronavirus vaccination) on the effects of barista type on perceived safety and visit intention. Design/methodology/approach The research design consists of three studies. Three experiments were sequentially designed and conducted to address research questions. Findings Study 1 found that perceived safety mediates the effect of barista type on customers’ visit intention. Study 2 revealed that the mask-wearing of human and robot baristas differently influences perceived safety. Study 3 showed that customers, especially where robot baristas are used, perceive the effect of mask-wearing differently depending on their coronavirus vaccination status. Research limitations/implications Given that the levels of restrictions vary worldwide, together with the extent of countries’ vaccination rollouts, caution is required when generalising the research findings. Practical implications The findings have practical implications for the hospitality industry, where the roles of face masks and coronavirus vaccines in shaping consumer psychology and behaviour have been underexplored. Originality/value Coronavirus vaccination is considered one of the most important driving forces for the recovery of hospitality businesses. As a heuristic-systematic model postulated, this study identified that vaccination status (fully vaccinated vs not vaccinated) changes the level of involvement when customers assess the level of risk in service environments. By pinpointing the function of service robots in safeguarding customers from the potential spread of the disease, this study broadens the scope of human–robot interaction research in hospitality.

Purpose This study aims to examine international tourists’ local African food consumption experiences by using an attribute–benefit–value–intention (ABVI) framework. Design/methodology/approach A total of 336 respondents were collected in Ghana, Africa. A series of quantitative research methods were used in the data analysis to explicate the relationships. Findings By assessing critical structural relationships, 8 out of 14 hypothetical relationships were found to be empirically supported. They include the paths between food novelty, restaurant quality and food quality as antecedents of epistemic value, the path between restaurant quality and food quality and the path between restaurant quality and consumption value. Originality/value This study establishes the psychological mechanism behind tourists’ local food consumption experiences and further extends the utility of the consumption value theory and ABVI framework into the local food experience context. It confirms that tourists’ local food consumption experiences involve a sequential psychological process involving local food attribute evaluation, benefits sought, consumption values and future intention. This study offers a thorough explanation of variables that are crucial to promoting indigenous ethnic food consumption experience.

This study aims to analyse how memorable local gastronomic experiences and tourists' gastronomy-related traits influence destination loyalty and future intentions. A fuzzy set model is used to examine these intricate relationships using samples of US tourists who visited Europe and Asia. The findings reveal that dimensions of memorable local gastronomic experience and their influence on destination loyalty differ based on tourists' personal gastronomic traits. Hospitality explained destination loyalty well when combined with social interaction, neophilia, and local gastronomy tourism-induced wellbeing. Theoretical and practical insights are provided to aid destination planning and local food marketing efforts. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Purpose This study aims to test a new model by examining the influence of memorable local food consumption experiences (MLFCEs) on international diners’ affective states, well-being and attitudinal loyalty. Local food tasting destination, local food neophobia and previous local food tasting experience are used as moderating variables. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative data collection method was used to source data from 900 US tourists to European countries (excluding the UK) and Asian countries. The data were quantitatively analyzed to examine the multidimensionality of tourists’ MLFCEs as well as their influence on outcome variables. Findings The findings indicate that MLFCEs significantly explain diners’ attitude toward local food, subjective well-being, intention to recommend and attitudinal loyalty. Also, three variables partially moderate the associations between the proposed constructs. Research limitations/implications Theoretically, the study enhances our understanding of the dimensional nature of tourists’ MLFCEs and how they inform the affective and behavioral states of tourists. Practically, it provides insights for local food businesses and destination marketing organizations concerning the composition of tourists’ MLFCEs and promotion of a tourism destination. Originality/value This study has quantitatively unraveled the dimensionality of tourists’ MLFCEs. It also developed an integrated model to test the predictive effect of MLFCEs on outcome variables and has provided a deeper understanding of the relationships, thereby enriching the literature and aiding the development of relevant theories.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding of vegan-friendly restaurant customers’ experiences by investigating the “delighters” and “frustrators” characteristics. A qualitative appro...

This study examines the relationship between perceived impacts of COVID-19, risk perceptions, emotions, and travel intentions within selected higher education institutions of the Macau Special Admi...

The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the ecosystem of tourism businesses. This study aimed to assess the effect of the pandemic on consumers’ intentions to choose sharing economy products and services. A series of five experimental designs was conducted using online panel data. Consumers were found to be less likely to choose sharing economy products under pandemic conditions. During the pandemic, cleanliness is considered more important than location when people choose Airbnb accommodation. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the underlying psychological mechanisms that are driving consumers’ decisions in the current environment of market uncertainty, and offer evidence of the effects of the global health crisis on people’s decisions to use sharing economy products in the tourism industry.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of experiences with local food in Ghana on satisfaction, favorability and behavioral intention. Design/methodology/approach Unlike previous studies that have used multiple regression analysis or structural equation modeling, this study adopts impact-range performance analysis (IRPA) and impact asymmetry analysis (IAA). A total of 336 questionnaires were used in the data analyses. Findings Factor analysis generates five domains of experience of consuming local food. Socialization and boasting and experience with various menus and quality of food contribute most to explaining the three dependent variables. Originality/value This study has significant value because it extends the study of local food consumption experience to the understudied area of African food tourism, particularly Ghanaian food and tourists to Ghana.

The inevitable disruptions caused by COVID-19 in the hospitality and tourism education sector have made online learning a necessity rather than an option. This study employs the user experience questionnaire (UEQ) to examine students' online learning experiences specifically in the context of COVID-19. Data collection involved a Qualtrics online survey with a convenience sample of 216 tourism and hospitality students in Macau. Overall, results point to a generally positive appraisal of online attributes, but satisfaction is marginal. Initial principal component factor analysis generated three orthogonal factors of online learning attributes: “Perspicuity and dependability”; “Stimulation and attractiveness”; and “Usability and innovation”. Further regression analysis reveals that “Stimulation and attractiveness” is the strongest predictor of the students’ satisfaction regarding online learning during the COVID-19 disruptions. This novel finding points to the need for hospitality and tourism education institutions to develop an attractive and motivating visual environment for online course delivery since a stimulating online learning atmosphere is crucial in the context of the pedagogical disruptions caused by COVID-19. Nonetheless, these findings are specific to Chinese students and reflect their learning satisfaction which may differ in other contexts.

Robots and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are becoming more prominent in the tourism industry. Nowadays, consumers are faced with multiple options involving both human and robot interactions. A series of experimental studies were implemented. Four experiments demonstrated that consumers had a more positive attitude toward robot-staffed (vs. human-staffed) hotels when COVID-19 was salient. The results were different from previous studies, which were conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the moderating role of perceived threat in consumers’ preference for robot-staffed hotels was significant, the respondents’ preference was attributed to the global health crisis. This research provides a number of theoretical and managerial implications by improving the understanding of technology acceptance during a health crisis.

This study develops a multilevel framework that connects customer-to-customer (C2C) interaction quality to brand attachment through customer experience. Two food traits—uniqueness and taste—and service quality are posited to play different roles in this link. This research contributes to the literature on the effects of food traits and service on the experience creation process at upscale restaurants. By including both objective measures from user-generated ratings and subjective measures from customer evaluations of restaurant dining, this research sheds new light on the cross-level direct and moderating effects on the experience creation process, and thus answers the question of when and how this process is contingent on food traits and service of different dining outings. It further contributes to the brand attachment literature by revealing the cross-level moderated mediating effect of customer experience on customer emotional connection to a restaurant brand.

Even given the continuing interest of both academia and industry to understand what accounts for the length of stay (LOS) of tourists, explanatory variables have mostly been limited to socio-demographic and trip characteristics overlooking the influence of the holiday experience despite it being a major reason why tourism is embarked on. Departing from previous studies, this study proposed and tested an experience-led length of stay hypothesis employing a zero truncated negative binomial regression model. It was revealed that tourism experience significantly explains the variations in tourists’ LOS with self development, recreational engagements, hospitality, weather and sanitation identified as specific determinants. The findings also provide support for age, nationality, travel party size, budget, number of international trips, and risk taking behaviour as significant determinants of LOS. With these observations in mind, the study offers practical insights for sustaining tourists’ length of stay as well as propositions for future research on the tourism experience-led length of stay hypothesis. Management implications Provision of positive memorable experiences in the domains of self development, recreation, hospitality, weather and aesthetics is one way to ensure that tourists stay longer. Specifically, need exits for destination management organisations and service providers to step up efforts in maintaining sanitation at the destination, especially at attraction sites and tourism-related premises. They can do this by ensuring regular cleaning, providing well-designated trash cans and disposing of sewage properly. In addition, a diverse of novel activities should be made available to tourists to sustain their interest and prolong their stay. Activity engagements that allow for skill acquisition such as volunteerism, cultural immersion (i.e. food bazaars) and co-creation of services are recommended.

Increasing research has been devoted to investigating victimization of tourists at destinations with some research being committed to why and where harassments are perpetrated against tourists. This study brings up an important empirical aspect of tourists’ safety and security concerns that is still overlooked and provides an important piece to the puzzle in understanding tourists’ adaptation of coping or protective responses to harassment. An exit survey for 518 tourists departing Ghana was conducted in this regard. The study suggests that tourists’ responses are mixed ranging from a continuum of acceptance to resistance. These responses were significantly influenced by tourists’ marital status, age, travel party, awareness, and security. Greater resistance to harassment was also observed for tourists who reported such harassments.

The backpacker market segment is recognized as one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism trade. Despite its growth, literature suggests that the peculiar characteristics of backpackers predispose them to varied forms of risks. Consequently, the study sought to examine backpackers’ perspectives on issues concerning risk in the Cape Coast-Elmina area. Data were obtained from 387 backpackers to the Cape Coast-Elmina area in Ghana using the systematic sampling method. A Chi-square test was performed to explore the relationship between backpackers’ perception of risk and their travel and socio-demographic characteristics. Making inference to the perceived risk theory, the study identified three main risk areas, health, finance and crime, to be of concern to backpackers surveyed from the study area. The results suggest significant associations between some socio-demographic characteristics (gender and highest level of education) and risk perception. Likewise, some significant associations were ...