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This article explores the potential for promoting wellness tourism in Muang District, Chachoengsao Province in Thailand. The study examines the government's support for wellness tourism in the area, as well as private businesses that offer wellness tourism services. The research identifies two main types of wellness tourism in the district: physical and spiritual. The government policy supports both types of wellness tourism, and the area has the necessary infrastructure and attractions to attract tourists. The findings suggest that promoting wellness tourism can boost tourism numbers and revenue for businesses in the district. [Extracted from the article]

In recent years, there has been a surge of Metaverse applications and tools striving to capture the attention of both the general public and businesses, with a particularly strong potential within the tourism sector. However, there has been significant criticism towards major corporations for marketing a concept of the Metaverse that fails to align with reality. On the other hand, smaller entities such as Spatial-io, which is an innovative metaverse platform, are introducing a different style of the Metaverse, one that is highly accessible from contemporary devices like smartphones, tablets, VR headsets, and traditional PCs via WebXR platforms. This article delves into and scrutinizes various methodologies of a tourism-oriented Metaverse, considering its prospective utility as a vehicle to attract more visitors. A virtual tourist information center was established on the Spatial-io Metaverse platform to promote Valencia, Spain. This research scrutinizes the navigation, accessibility, and usability of the service from a conventional PC browser, contrasting it with the experience offered by the Meta Quest 2 virtual reality headset. The study's quantitative and qualitative data analysis indicates that these innovative services are highly regarded, particularly when a real person (not a bot) provides information, fostering trust and offering details about various tourist attractions within the promoted city. The comparison of user inquiries' time and depth aligns with the immersion level, demonstrating more positive feedback when the service is accessed through the VR system rather than a standard PC browser. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability is a hot topic in our current society, and its effective measurement continues to be a challenge for researchers and practitioners. This issue is especially important, and at the same time delicate, in tourist destinations, where the interests of very diverse stakeholders intersect. In this paper, a novel combination of methodologies is proposed to treat this problem comprehensively. This methodology includes a) the identification of the interest groups, as well as the determination of the relationships between them; b) the collection and treatment of their opinions on the sustainability of the destination; and c) incorporating these opinions into a method for constructing composite sustainability indicators. The method used also incorporates two interesting features. On the one hand, it allows considering limits (or targets) for the different indicators considered. On the other hand, it allows the construction of synthetic indicators with different compensation levels, in accordance with the weak and strong sustainability paradigms. For illustrative purposes, the methodology is applied to the Costa del Sol (Spain), making use of a pre-existing system of indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, the tourism industry offers a broad variety of innovative products and services, and witnesses the emergence of FOMO and JOMO as an interesting phenomenon. These concepts provide strict guidelines for defining new products and services intended for use by the tourists. Hence, this paper attempts to describe both of these behaviors in the context of tourism. It also focuses on presenting selected results of research carried out with a group of students of the Poznań University of Life Sciences. The study provides grounds for concluding that the students are inclined to spend their holidays in quiet offline places. While they find it attractive to stay in a location with no Internet connection, they also believe that holidays with no access to social media can take no longer than 1–2 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Tourist bureaux in France are evolving from their conventional role of solely providing information toward a newer commercial role of selling goods and services to tourists. Window displays are an important marketing tool for attracting tourists, and traditionally attract attention and incite individuals into the point-of-sale. The goal of this study is to apply Construal Level Theory to tourist bureau window display content and to examine its influence on patronage intentions. Design/methodology/approach: The study applies the S-O-R (Stimulus-Organism-Response) paradigm to examine the influence of window display construal level on patronage intentions. One hundred and forty-four (144) volunteers participated in a laboratory experiment applying abstract (1) and concrete (2) window display images in a quasiexperimental design over a four-week period in November-December 2017. Results: The results show that window display construal level has a direct positive significant influence on patronage intention. The findings support those of previous studies and extend current research on window displays and exterior atmospherics in the tourism sector. Originality: This study is the first to explore the influence of window display construal level on patronage intentions in a retail-oriented context of tourist bureaux and contributes to the scant literature on exterior atmospherics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to identify the information sources used by backpackers before and during the visit to an urban destination and its influence on the movements performed. It uses a questionnaire survey combined with a GPS app to track the movements of backpackers to identify backpackers' spatiotemporal behavior. A bivariate analysis using non‐parametric tests was used to examine the relationships between variables. This study concludes that the consulting online information before the visit has a great deal of influence on the spatiotemporal behavior of the backpackers, namely on the linearity and intensity of the visit. If online information sources are very important due to the intense use of information by backpackers, word of mouth from other travelers should not be disregarded as an important information source. This research can contribute to the definition of more informed and differentiating tourism marketing strategy considering the information sources used and its influence on the movements performed during the visit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Economic Annals-XXI / Ekonomìčnij Časopis-XXI is the property of Institute of Society Transformation 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.)

This article investigates the role of the darkroom in the experiences of British amateur photographers who, between the 1880s and 1900s, chose to process their negatives themselves while travelling. It focuses, in particular, on the reasons underpinning the development of a network of facilities for changing and developing plates available to tourists, and on how photographers' engagement with this infrastructure expanded its function in ways that implicitly challenged dominant approaches to both photography and travel. It does so by examining the darkroom, first, as an alternative tourist bureau that put travelling photographers in contact with local knowledge, and second, as the site of a material culture that empowered photographers. These experiences demonstrate that close to the heart of these practitioners was not simply photographic mobility but, most importantly, photographic autonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the contemporary society characterized by dynamism, in the perspective of the globalization of social life in which rapid changes have generated a spectacular evolution of tourism marketing, it is necessary for each people or nation to look to the future intuiting what changes must make, what changes must bring the current situation in fact, not only to survive, but to prosper. Having an economic purpose, brands are an integral part of our visual culture. Any tourist destination, in the case of this work being the tourist destination of the city of Tg-Jiu, is increasingly determined to build a unique and competitive identity in the mind of the tourist consumer. Brand identity and brand image are necessary ingredients for a successful destination brand (Qu et al., 2010, p. 2). The article aims to reproduce the importance of the Brancusi brand, as a well-defined image and identity in the Gorj city, trying after the analysis and questionnaire applied in conducting research on the three tourist information centers in the area to draw with other specialists in branding and branding an image of the Brâncuși brand that cannot be built only on images transmitted externally but also needs to incorporate the direct experience supported by infrastructure, projects, events, initiatives for the aggressive promotion of the Brâncuși sculptural ensemble in parallel with the development of the place in order to build an original, sustainable image of the brand under investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stories of 19th century French travellers to Spain and their exotic vision of the country are well known. Many left their impressions of the country, from populars authors such as Georges Sand and his work Un hiver à Majorque (1855), translated in 1902, to the Geneva-based Valérie de Gasparin. In 1869, one of his works À travers les Espagnes, was published in Paris, the Spanish version of which was entitled Paseo por España (Valencia, 1875). The translation of this work is the starting point of our article as it links directly to the press as a vehicle for "tourist" information on the different cities of Spain. In this work we will expose the relevance of travel books, the press and even architecture books such as Espagne, Portugal. Notes historiques et artistiques sur les villes principales de la Péninsule ibérique, by French architect Gustave Clausse (Paris, 1889), in the gradual evolution of travel to tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the objective of knowing the situation of the Interpretation Center of the Historical Center of Lima, its context, problems and perspectives, a research was conducted in which 32 people were interviewed and a SWOT analysis based on daily experience and review of internal documents was carried out. This allowed gathering valuable information on the public perception of the Historical Center of Lima (CHL), its limitations, the opportunities and perspectives to improve the management of the Interpretation Center of the Historical Center of Lima and the fulfillment of its objectives, one of which is to reinforce the cultural identity of the population. Some of the recommendations, based on the results, are the presentation in english of the museum scripts, the improvement of the signage, the establishment of a fixed service schedule and the dissemination through social networks on their own platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Études Caribéennes is the property of Etudes Caribeennes 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.)

The present study aims to determine the role and importance of the tourist information and promotin centers from Bihor county taking into consideration the economic, social and cultural influence of tourism worldwide. These centers were established to provide tourists with the necessary and updated information regarding the tourist destination, thus to become a major part in the promotion of tourist attractions. The implemented methodology based on questionnaires helped us assess the role of these centers in the shaping of Bihor county tourist destination and the analysis of the existent web sites (8 out of 13 tourist centers have got one) gave us an insight into the significance of internet promotion as a powerful marketing tool of the 21st century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Marketing Science & Inspirations is the property of Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Management 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.)

Copyright of Economic History Research / Investigaciones de Historia Económica is the property of Asociacion Espanola de Historia Economica 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.)

This paper aims to improve our knowledge regarding types of queries raised by travellers on digital platforms by developing a model that helps in identifying and classifying such queries. Qualitative data collection and analysis of questions and answer postings of visitors on TripAdvisor forum of 10 U.K. destinations were used. Extracted data were analysed using NVivo11. Preliminary analysis identified basic themes in tourist information search. Further analysis indicated that two principal factors help in classifying online travel queries facilitating the development of the WOLF model. Findings in this study also indicate some practical implications and areas of further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research proposes and validates a model in which tourist motivations and self‐congruity with the destination are considered antecedents of the perceived value of that destination and in which the tourist's previous experience of the destination exerts an important moderating effect. This model is estimated using partial least squares path modelling, based on a sample of 503 British tourists visiting Spain. The findings show that a high level of self‐congruity between the tourist and the destination contributes significantly to destination perceived value; tourist motivations contribute significantly to destination value creation; and tourist previous experience is a major moderator of destination value formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the use of the internet to promote Halal cuisines and culinary tourism is compared and contrasted through content analysis method of investigation of the national tourism bureaus of China, South Korea, Japan and Thailand on their official websites. It was found that Japan, South Korea and Thailand attempted to strategize their country's potential as a preferred Halal tourism destination for Muslim tourists by introducing and promoting Halal cuisines, Halal food culture, Halal food restaurants and general Halal services of interest for Muslims. However, the same was not observed in the case of China, which dealt with the issue of religion as an ethnic issue in its culinary tourism strategies. The findings furnished by the present study accommodate both the perspectives of the industry and the research by providing a framework for essential website dimensions for the promotion of Halal culinary tourism and additional Halal services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, the speech act of requesting has been regarded as a face-threatening act (Brown & Levinson, 1987) due to the impositive nature on the addressee's negative face. Yet, in specific service encounters, requests can no longer be seen as threatening (Antonopoulou, 2001). This is the case of tourist information offices, where mitigators may not be present due to the task-oriented nature of the exchange. This study aims to widen the scope of research on service encounters by examining 147 naturally occurring requests by native speakers of English in a tourist information office taking into account the variable of gender. Our findings suggest that females used more direct questions whereas men employed want statements to a much higher extent. These results have to be understood within the context of this specific service encounter, in which direct requests do not imply impoliteness or threats to the requestee's negative face. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of tourism as a whole consists of the development of all the existing tourism categories in an economy, including tourism for people with disabilities. We address this issue given the fact that the number of people with disabilities is increasing and those willing to practice tourism are growing. These aspects constrain tourism service providers to adapt their infrastructure to be accessible to all categories of people with disabilities; whether we talk about people with hearing, seeing or talking problems, with locomotory problems, with various chronic conditions, these people have the right to practice tourism and benefit from special accessibility conditions. So we have to discuss in terms of equal opportunities for all in the practice of tourism. If in other areas such as Scandinavia, the world leader in wheelchair accessible places, there are extensive services and facilities tailored for people with disabilities, as well as transport especially dedicated to people with disabilities, or Denmark that has implemented a new system tourist labeling for the accessibility of hotels, attractions and other places that can be visited by people with disabilities, or the UK where there is a wide diversity in choosing an accommodation unit from country cottages to hotels, caravan camps, houses from beams, accommodation units provided to be accessible to the seats, adequately equipped with lifting equipment, electric beds, specially adapted kitchens, as well as sanitary units, in Romania the situation is somewhat different. Through this paper we aim to investigate the degree of development of tourist facilities for people with disabilities in the accommodation and catering establishments, the development of special tourism at national and international level. At the same time, through the research methods we use, we will analyze available statistical data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Environmental Bubble Theory, tourists perform a series of strategies in order to remain anchored to their residential spots. The environmental bubble is constituted by a sort of social pellicule able to immunize tourists from the identity/cultural attacks which the visit to a foreign country implies. Such a pellicule is activated by the tourists themselves as they decide to travel in group or, for example, to eat only at the restaurants proposing their own national cuisine, and so on. Generally the potential cultural shock of residents is not taken into consideration in literature, even if it is plausibile to make the hypothesis of a counter-environmental bubble performed by the residents in order to defend their own culture and their identity from the attacks of mass tourism, especially for cities that live on tourism, as, for example, Florence or Siena do. Our study aims at testing the access to local tradition made available in promotional material. The hypothesis we propose is that there should exist a difference in promoting cultural heritage and intimate culture. The intimate culture refers to the living culture, the way of living, comprehending cuisine, education, religion, the way by which the role of females and males are performed, and so on. On the other hand, the cultural heritage, or historical culture, makes reference to a culture meant as belonging to the whole mankind, as it happens, for example, for archeological sites or museums. In more detail, we propose the hypothesis that the intimate culture is maintained unaccessible for tourists' gaze, or at least accessible only in the shape of a spectacularized event, the so called pseudo-event of Boorstin. Using the software NUD*IST we analyzed the promotional material of the city of Siena. Our results confirm Boorstin's theory about pseudo-events realized for tourists. The difference between cultural heritage and intimate culture promotion we have revealed shows an additional lecture of the Boorstinian framework, which makes an echo to the environmental bubble theory (Cohen, 1972), stressing the risk in terms of social and cultural identity tourism implies for both residents and tourists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work is framed within the line of research addressing efficiency evaluation of tourist destinations, where regions are taken as territorial units able to determine their tourist appeal, and tourist flow is taken as the variable to be optimized. A virtual production function is therefore devise considering tourist flows as output and accommodation capacity and other tourist and cultural resources as the main inputs. We examine Chile as case study, a country with a growing number or tourists and increased investment in tourist and cultural infrastructures. We follow a two-stage model, estimating regional performance using data envelopment analysis and analysing the impact of external variables on efficiency applying bootstrap techniques and truncated regression models. Empirical results show that cultural endowments and activities together with natural resources determine Chilean regional efficiency in optimizing tourist flow, particularly in attracting international tourism. Thus, policy recommendations to improve regional management of tourist and cultural attractions are derived. This study contributes to increase applications in tourist destinations efficiency in Latin America, where works are still scarce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a qualitative research conducted among the master students at the study programme Business Administration in Tourism, within the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration, Transilvania University of Brașov, which targeted the awareness of the concept of volunteer tourism. The research has shown that the subjects have little information about this type of tourism, which should be better promoted in the future, among young people, especially among those who study tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During vacations, people try to explore new places, but it is impossible for tourists to see all interesting locations. In this paper, we shed the light on differences between favorite places of tourists and locals using Instagram profiles. The time windows based identification method is proposed to distinguish visitors from residents. The list of potential tourists’ attraction points in Saint Petersburg was obtained by analysis of locals’ popular places. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourists visiting unknown destinations become increasingly dependent on mobile city guides to locate tourist services and retrieve informative content about nearby points of interest (POIs). Several mobile guides already support the provision of personalized tour recommendations to assist tourists in making feasible plans and visiting the most interesting POIs within their available time. However, existing tourist tour planners only regard available attractions as sites lacking physical dimensions (i.e., POIs are treated as 'points'). This restricts the modeling of POIs as attractions that may be entered/exited from a certain location (e.g., the main entrance). Although this is adequate for scheduling visits at museums, galleries, small squares or parks with single entry points, it fails to capture practical properties of typical tourist visiting styles in urban destinations. Tourists commonly appreciate strolling through pedestrian zones, market areas or urban areas of architectural, cultural and scenic value rather than only visiting sites of restricted access or taking the fastest route to move among city landmarks. Herein, we introduce Scenic Athens, a context-aware mobile city guide for Athens (Greece) which provides personalized tour planning services to tourists. Far beyond than just providing navigational aid, Scenic Athens derives near-optimal sequencing of POIs along recommended tours, taking into account a multitude of travel restrictions and POI properties, so as to best utilize time available for sightseeing. Unlike similar tools, our application incorporates scenic (walking) routes (in addition to point POIs), thereby supporting more experiential exploration of tourist destinations. This broader perception of tourist attractions substantially increases the complexity of the entailed optimization problem's modeling. A user evaluation study validated the recommendation value, usability and perceived utility of the proposed application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the provisions of Title VII «Informing on tourism resources" of the Draft Law of Ukraine "On the tourism resources." It points out some defects of the bill, in particular, unclear funding mechanism of informing on tourism resources activity and the use of terms without definition in the Ukrainian legislation, such as the "official symbols" and "brand". Legal collision relating to the collection of payments for the use of tourist facilities listed in the Unified state database in the field of tourism and legal collision relating to tourist facilities signing are detected. The authors suggest improved edition of paragraph 5 Article 27 of the draft Law of Ukraine "On the tourism resources".В статье проанализированы положения Раздела VII «Информационное представление туристских ресурсов» проекта Закона Украины «О туристских ресурсах». Указывается на некоторые недостатки законопроекта, в частности, отсутствие четко определенного механизма финансирования деятельности по информированию о туристских ресурсах и использование терминов, не имеющих определения в украинском законодательстве, таких как «официальная символика» и «бренд». Выявлено юридические коллизии, связанные с взиманием платежей за использование туристских объектов, внесенных в Единую государственную базу данных в сфере туризма, и с обозначением туристских объектов знаками. Предложено авторскую редакцию п.5 ст.27 проекта Закона Украины «О туристских ресурсах».