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Government plays an important role as a well-being capital provider through policies, strategies, or even direct provision to local residents to improve their livelihoods. Pak Mun Dam is one of the most controversial dams in Thailand, and government intervention is needed to solve the issues the dam has created. This study tests the premise that government intervention will impact overall well-being only through structural means by providing strategy and policies related to social and economic well-being. Government training programs and government services will impact over all well-being through social well-being. A satisfactory solution to the Pak Mun Dam situation will impact overall well-being through economic well-being. In this study a number of items, related to different well-being dimensions, were examined. The findings suggest that appropriate policy must address the four significant items which surfaced in the economic well-being measure and ten items in the social well-being dimension.

The marginal rate of substitution shows that negatively affected residents of Pak Mun Dam are willing to trade three units of economic well-being to gain one more unit of social well-being. Marginal rate of substitution (MRS) provides important information to the government regarding such trade-offs. Given the limited budget and resources, the optimal point of the combination of these dimensions of well-being should be determined in order to provide better strategy and policy to improve the conditions for residents affected by the dam’s construction. Structural Equation Model (SEM) was used to find a standardized estimate of each dimension and used it for MRS calculation.

Understanding effects on the overall well-being of the communities affected by the Pak Mun Dam construction would fill in the gaps in existing knowledge and facilitate a deeper discussion of the factors that impact overall wellbeing. The Pak Mun Dam was finished in 1994 and from that point on there have been changes affecting local residents. This study attempts to understand the impact of those changes from a well being perspective using primary data collected from residents in villages close to the dam site. Structural Equation Model (SEM) was method for this research analysis. Results from a structural model show that social and economic well-being are important factors that impact the overall well-being of the affected residents from the Pak Mun Dam area. Furthermore, we discuss how information from 20 items within seven dimensions of the well-being measurement model can be used to develop more efficient strategies and policies to increase well-being capital.

Multidimensional well-being is an important method for understanding the social functioning of communities affected by the Pak Mun Dam, 26 years after its construction. This is the first quantitative research on the well-being of these communities. In six of eight well-being dimensions, the more distant communities are faring better than those in close proximity to the dam. Furthermore, 24 of 40 items which represent each dimension have statistically significant lower means in the affected community. This result shows the long-lasting nature of negative effects on communities and without appropriate policy action negative impacts will linger preventing developmental progress from occurring.

U ovom radu predstavljen je model nematerijalne kulturne baštine sa stajališta temeljenog na znanju kojim se proučava njezina uloga u konkurentnosti destinacije. Prvo se razmatra pojam nematerijalne kulturne baštine i njen odnos s turizmom. Zatim slijedi osvrt na značaj konkurentnosti destinacije u kontekstu nematerijalne baštine i potencijala koji će se analizirati u okviru stajališta temeljenog na znanju. Kako je pojam održive konkurentske prednosti ključan u tom okruženju, važno je raspraviti odnose oskudnosti, relevantnosti, autentičnosti vezane uz mjesto, kratkoročne zaštite i prijenosa inherentnog znanja o nematerijalnoj kulturnoj baštini. Na prednostima održivog razvoja temeljenim na nematerijalnoj kulturnoj baštini zasniva se generiranje renti, ali one bi trebale barem djelomično pripadati lokalnoj zajednici/glavnim dionicima u destinaciji., This work presents a model of intangible cultural heritage from a knowledge-based view that studies its role in destination competitiveness. Firstly, the concept of intangible cultural heritage and its relationship with tourism are reviewed. Next, the importance of destination competitiveness in the intangible heritage context and the potential to be analyzed under the framework of the knowledge-based view are addressed. As the concept of sustainable competitive advantage is key in that setting, the conditions of scarcity, relevance, place-embedded authenticity, short-term protection, and transfer of the underlying knowledge of intangible cultural heritage are discussed. Intangible cultural heritage-based sustainable competitive advantages are the basis to generate rents, but those rents should be at least partially appropriated by the local community/key stakeholders at the destination.

Tourists are known to behave differently from their home environment, a phenomenon that has been well interpreted by sociologists in early conceptual works. By investigating tourists’ self-presentational concerns, this study attempts to provide a psychological explanation of this phenomenon, as well as empirical evidence to test it in the context of rural tourism. Through a mixed-design questionnaire survey, the study shows that destination environment may function as the back stage for tourists to do away with the social constraints at home and relieve their daily self-presentational concerns. Specifically, rural destinations perform better than urban destinations in reducing urban residents’ self-presentational concerns but this advantage becomes weaker as tourists stay longer at the destinations.

Winter tourism in the Alps has been dominated, both in marketing and in academic publications, by an almost exclusive focus on winter sports activities, primarily on skiing. This paper shows that there exist other substantial markets for winter tourism in the Alps that have largely been ignored. Using results from a nationwide survey of German tourists and supplemented by primary research, numerous resorts/destinations and market segments are shown in a two-dimensional space. This multidimensional representation reveals that most Alpine winter tourism destinations are focusing on skiing and related winter sports (i.e. snowboarding). Yet a large share of the potential winter tourism market has other interests that are often not considered by destination developers as viable products. This paper offers evidence for reflection as resorts/destinations compete for a static or shrinking market while also facing the effects of external forces, primarily climate and demographic change. The future of many resort destinations in the Alps will depend on how they diversify and adapt to changing conditions. The face of winter tourism is changing and the European Alps are on the frontlines of the challenges brought by change.

This study examines the influence of a negative experience at a destination on tourists by identifying its effects on individuals' judgment. Empirical evidence of the tangible effects of a single travel experience on individuals' decision-making is lacking. Prospect theory and negativity bias theory are introduced for theoretical support. The ratings of generally important criteria for destination selection and the evaluation of the destination on those criteria were collected before and after visitation. A mean comparison showed that the effects of a single travel experience are tangible and affect tourists' future decisional behavior intentions by contributing to shaping the individuals' destination selection criteria. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This study examines the existence of a long-run relationship between indigence or extreme poverty reduction and agricultural, manufacturing and tourism development in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. An econometric methodology consisting of an autoregressive distributed lag bounds testing approach to co-integration is used. For Costa Rica, agricultural and manufacturing (not statistically significant) and tourism development are negatively related to indigence poverty with estimated elasticity values of −0.50 for agriculture, −0.17 for manufacturing and −0.58 for tourism. For Nicaragua, the estimated elasticity values are −0.40 for agriculture, −0.13 for manufacturing (not statistically significant) and −0.64 for tourism. Tourism's rate of poverty reduction was statistically significantly greater than that of agriculture for both countries. The main contribution of this paper lies in the understanding of sector contributions to alleviating poverty. The methods utilized can be undertaken by most countries in the world, thereby providing insights into developing targeted investment policies and strategies to achieve higher rates of poverty reduction.

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine if consumers have substantially common color preferences in hospitality uniforms for destination brands. Employee uniforms with their dimensions of style, material and color are a crucial part of the coordinated brand message of a business or a destination; however, this has been a void in tourism and hospitality literature. Current visitors to Hong Kong were studied using intercept surveys in four different groups controlling for potential confounding factors. Although results reveal the common perception and preference for black-white-formal uniforms for Hong Kong’s hospitality industry across different treatment groups as well as different cultural groups, implications and discussions are provided as a call for further research in this venue of inquiry. Design/methodology/approach – This is a cross-sectional study using a site intercept survey with structured questionnaires on Chinese and international travelers in Hong Kong. Four different surveys were used as different treatments for four groups of respondents that were randomly assigned into each group. Each group was presented with a different default pair of male and female uniform pictures for the initial evaluation on the first page of the survey, followed by a list of uniforms with different colors and styles on the second page of the survey to select and evaluate their own pairs of male and female uniforms. Findings – Results revealed that consumers’ general favorite colors may not apply to their preferences for the employee uniforms for a destination they visit. Also, there were similarities in the favorite color and choice uniform color for the three general culture groups, such as Chinese, Asia-Pacific and Western consumers, included in the study. Besides, findings implied that Hong Kong may be a strong brand with a uniform color preference for hospitality uniforms for different consumer segments. Research limitations/implications – This study needs to be considered as an exploratory attempt to bring researchers’ attention to the several questions still to be answered by future research. The results and discussions provided in this study are beyond being robust or conclusive; insights about potential brand connotations with employee uniform colors need to be taken as potential leads for future studies because there is a need for further study in this area. Practical implications – The importance of hotel employee uniforms for quality hotel experience was the highest for the Chinese group, whereas it was the lowest for the Western group. Chinese and Asia-Pacific respondents placed more importance on uniforms as a cue for a quality hotel experience, which signal a higher level of involvement in visible cues in the consumption environment. Hence, hotels as well as destinations catering to these groups need to take their market segment preferences into consideration before making decisions about brand cues for their products. Originality/value – There is a lack of attention to the color aspect of service encounter in tourism and hospitality literature. Therefore, color needs attention from researchers as a new venue of research in tourism and hospitality, especially in the tourism destination context. This study is a spearhead to generate interest by intriguing questions for future attention from researchers.

Brand equity is a well-known concept within the marketing sciences. It refers to a product’s value from the return generated from a firm’s marketing strategy. The concept is not easy to apply to a destination as the destination ‘firm’ is a mix of various stakeholders including residents who offer their space to tourists without remuneration. In this article, the history of destination image studies is traced to its eventual evolution into destination branding. The concept of destination brand equity is then discussed as more than a simple return to a destination’s marketing strategy. The case is made that destination brand equity is integrally tied to sustainability. The article offers a model and corresponding equations to measure destination sustainability arguing that brand equity measurement is one and the same process. Owing to the unique characteristics of a destination the two concepts converge.

The aim of this paper is to increase our understanding about the experienced value of hunting as a travel experience . Experienced value refers to the individual's multidimensional outcome of the hunting experience. The study consists of an auto-ethnography of one hunter and diary notes, photos and memories of the other. Holbrook's typology of consumer value has been used as the theoretical framework for analyzing the data. The findings suggest that first, numerous types of value may come into play during the course of one particular hunt, and second, that in tourism, “togetherness” should be included in the consumer value typology as a new dimension of intrinsic other-oriented. Active togetherness value refers to the person whose traveling would be motivated by the need to offer and share experiences for and with the loved ones and the reactive dimension is the reaction of those accepting this offer.

Governments spend considerable public resources, including tax dollars, on marketing their cities or countries in order to become a strong brand attractive for exports, foreign direct investment and tourism. Ironically at the same time, self-imposed and strict visa regulations that can potentially hamper the productivity of marketing and branding are fairly common. There are valid reasons for imposing strict visa regulations, two of the most important being national and economic security. Although strict visa regulations are a common phenomenon around the world, the tourism academia have yet to argue against strict visa regulations by providing empirical evidence on their potential impact on tourism demand, and hence the economy. The current study is a pioneer attempt to generate awareness about the potential detrimental impacts of visa restrictions on a country’s economy, by using the case of People’s Republic of China, one of the countries known to have a history of strict visa regulations. The research reported in this paper was based on the standard tourism demand function, which models the causal relationship between tourism demand and a number of macroeconomic variables. The autoregressive distributed lag model (ADLM) was used since it has a dynamic specification that takes the time path of the tourist decision-making process into consideration by using both current and lagged values of variables. Results show the negative effect of visa regulations on both country-level and prefecture-level economies. Implications are discussed and recommendations provided.

This article analyzes the impact of different wording used in surveys on tourism expenditure studies. Though there is evidence showing that bias arises from the wording of a question, there has not been further research to empirically measure the response bias that is generated. Most survey research is directed towards the design structure with little being done to analyze the economic impact words have on answers. This study analyzed two sets of tourism expenditure data and found that individual respondents reported expenditures up to 4 times higher than group respondents. Adjusting for influences that interjected bias into the results, we concluded that word bias, in particular if the expenditure question is asking for group or individual spending, is the most likely result of the significant differences uncovered. The implications of word bias can be potentially significant if data are used for decision-making.

This article investigates the concept of customer-based brand equity for a tourism destination, which has been introduced into the tourism literature only a few years ago. Specifically, it investigates whether differences between renewal and repeat tourists exist in their evaluation of a tourism destination. A theoretically proposed model, encompassing the dimensions of awareness, image, quality, and loyalty, was empirically verified for the European tourism destination Slovenia from the perspective of German tourists. The results imply that the dimensions of image and quality play the most important role in tourists’ evaluation of a destination, regardless of whether they are first-time visitors or repeaters. Results also reveal differences in importance for the dimensions of awareness and loyalty between renewal and repeat tourists. Drawing on the results, the article offers some implications for tourism organizations in developing and implementing destination marketing strategies in foreign markets.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is threefold: measure the differences in importance of cultural values between Turkish hosts and European guests; measure perceived cultural difference (distance) to see if importance of cultural values are commensurate with cultural distance perception; and identify potential influence of perceived cultural distance on job satisfaction for Turkish service providers (hosts) and trip satisfaction for European consumers (guests).Design/methodology/approachA survey research was conducted in tourist towns in the Southwest part of Turkey to gather data from Turkish hosts (service providers) and European tourists. Two stepwise regression analyses were conducted to assess the magnitude of the relative impact of several variables on job satisfaction for hosts and trip satisfaction for guests.FindingsAlthough results revealed differences in cultural values, cultural distance perception and satisfaction, the stepwise regression analyses did not reveal any influence of perceived cultural distance on satisfaction for either hosts or guests.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study may not apply to all tourism consumption settings since respondents were surveyed in a general tourism setting context rather than limiting them to a certain consumption setting such as a restaurant, a hotel or a cruise ship.Originality/valueBy shedding light on cultural distance and its influence on both demand and supply side aspects, this study addresses a long‐neglected aspect in literature. Although several studies provide discussions on the impact of culture on both service providers' and consumers' attitude and behavior, there is a lack of empirical studies on the relationship between cultural distance and satisfaction.

Image of a country as tourism destination brand can involve a biased or distorted view that is different from its objective reality. Although several destination image studies make references to negative destination images and stereotypical perceptions, bias in images of destination brands has been overlooked by researchers so far. A modified version of Gensch's methodology is used to measure three different spaces of destination image and identify potential biases in it. A quasi-experimental design is applied on three groups of students, using a promotional movie as the stimulant, representing the destination brand, Turkey, known to have a rather distorted image. The results show that the applied methodology can be used effectively in measuring the negative bias in the images of tourism destination brands. Negative bias was found in the perception of both Attractions and Basics factors of Turkey as a tourism destination brand. Managerial and theoretical implications are provided along with limitations and future research suggestions.

Destination image is commonly accepted as an important aspect in successful tourism development and destination marketing due to its impact on both supply- and demand-side aspects of marketing. Despite the ample amount of literature, a comprehensive conceptualization of destination image comprising its intricate relationships with several other factors on the supply and demand sides of the market has yet to emerge. In this study, a large body of literature on destination image and related concepts is reviewed and a comprehensive conceptualization of destination image is modeled. It was concluded that there are still many facets of this complex construct yet to be investigated empirically.

The destination image has received much attention for about three decades. Studies of various aspects of destination images increased in volume during the 1990s. Echtner and Ritchie's (1991) review of destination image literature resulted in several suggestions in terms of both the conceptualization and operationalization of destination image. This study looks at the evolutionary nature of tourism destination image studies from both theoretical and operational perspectives. Necessary adjustments in the methodological rigor and the focus of inquiry for destination image research are offered using Echtner and Ritchie's review as a guide. A review of literature about destination image and other pertinent concepts indicated that several of Echtner and Ritchie's recommendations have been followed, whereas others have not. Also, several other important conceptualization- and methodology-related issues identified in the destination image literature are addressed.

The paper introduces the concept of customer-based brand equity and applies it to a destination. The theoretically proposed and empirically verified model complements previous research findings on a destination’s evaluation from the tourist’s perspective. In addition to numerous studies, which have stressed the importance of image, the results of this study imply that an image plays a vital role in evaluation but is not the only brand dimension that should be considered. For a more complete evaluation, the dimensions of awareness, quality, and loyalty should also be examined. The concept of brand equity was tested on two Slovenian markets. Results reveal that brand equity differed between the markets according to their evaluation of brand dimensions.

Global tourism, although affected by international terrorism events and contagious disease, remains relatively robust and still performs important economic and social functions. Asian nations can and should take the potential of foreign tourists seriously. One nation of particular interest is Vietnam. However, the image of Vietnam as a tourist destination is assumed to be relatively unknown, especially among US tourists. Given the critical nature of image as it relates to marketing and development, this is a serious void. The purpose of this project was to examine the image of Vietnam among the attractive US market. Utilizing a combined quantitative and qualitative approach, an on-site questionnaire to US tourists revealed they are mature, affluent and well educated. Factor analysis of quantitative items revealed four key elements in Vietnam's image: world heritage sites; atmosphere and attractions; service value; and quality. Content analysis of open-ended questions supported and extended this image by d...

The study of urban tourism has not received as much attention as the magnitude of the phenomenon would seem to indicate. This study explores visitor perceptions of Seoul, Korea, held by three different nationalities and also by purpose of visit (i.e., pleasure vs. business). Perceptual mapping was utilized to differentiate between preferences shared by the six groups. It was determined that the Japanese business group was much more interested in security-centered and functional attributes of tourism products than either the North American or European business groups or even from within their own national ranks. The adventure and excitement that may come with the first few visits to an unfamiliar place seems to give way with repeat visitation to a focus on features that make the trip safe, productive, and routine. It may also be important to look for cultural differences that may explain why different groups locate on a perceptual map as they do.

This study analyzed the preferences of international urban travelers by focusing on European, North American, and Japanese travelers to Seoul, Korea, and attempted to identify the relationship between preferences and expenditures for the attributes or activities. The results indicated that, for both pleasure and business trips, the travelers from the near origin (Japan) tended to give most consideration to the ‘tangible’ attribute (shopping), while the travelers from the distant origins (Europe and North America) evaluated the ‘intangible’ attribute (local culture) as most valuable. Regardless of origin, business travelers spent significantly more than pleasure travelers in total trip expenditure. Preference for a specific activity does not seem to directly correlate with expenditure on the activity. The results provide useful implications for cities in developing a marketing plan for international travelers. Recommendations for future research are also suggested.

Eleven road segments in Minnesota were examined in a user survey that addressed road travelers' preferences for physical characteristics, aesthetics, and amenities of that segment. The user survey was based on earlier focus group work. Results indicated that road travelers were able to differentiate between physical and socially derived attributes and amenities associated with a particular roadway. Roads do have character, and users are able to identify and evaluate characteristics specific to each road segment. Many roadway features related to maintaining scenic and environmental qualities were highly valued. Users are not supportive of additional business development along some roadways and prefer instead that activity be clustered in communities located on the road segment. Results also indicated that even though a particular roadway may not have had official scenic designation, user evaluations were similar to those with such designation or even more focused on scenic qualities.

The recent development of cold-hardy and disease-resistant grape cultivars have enabled rapid expansion of the wine industry in northern states in the United States. As the nascent enterprises seek sustainable profitability, it is important to understand what factors are making the industry sustainable. Using the primary dataset collected in 2012 from 82 wineries currently operating across 10 northern states, this study examines how state-level policies are influencing the revenue of the emerging wine industry. OLS and quantile regression methods are employed to account for heterogeneous effects of policy instruments on sales of wineries. The empirical results show that policies directed at the wine industry have heterogeneous effects on the revenue streams of wineries depending on the location of a winery along the revenue distribution curve of wineries in northern U.S. states.

The analysis and results discussed in this article were developed as part of a study of landed property and home owners (including seasonal homes) in three representative counties of Michigan's northern lower peninsula. A model similar to the hedonic price method was used to isolate certain natural resource characteristics and detennine if property value fluctuated with respect to location. This study attempted to measure the intrinsic worth of one's property and relate it to the existence and location of certain natural resource characteristics. Although the study areas were heavily endowed with natural resources, making generalization to other areas problematic, the use of a hedonic price type model appears to show promise in identifying specific locations where accelerated development might occur if the seasonal home market enters a new growth cycle.

Part 1: Foundations for Tourism Research 1. An Outline of the History of Tourism Theory: Source Material (for Future Research) 2. Modern Mass Tourism in China: Some Theoretical Issues 3. Remodelling the Language of Tourism: From Monologue to Dialogue and Trialogue 4. Researching Tourism Distribution 5. To International Tourism: An Exploration of Issues in Five APEC Economies Part 2: Implications for Destination Management 6. Assessing the Impact of Forecast Combination on Tourism Demand Forecasting Accuracy 7. Comparative Tourism Shocks 8. Why the Public should Pay for Tourism Marketing: A Public Economics Perspective 9. The Role of Individuals in the Development and Popularisation of Tourist Destinations 10. Home away from Home: A Research Agenda for Examining the Resort Community Second Home Industry in Colorado Part 3: Planning for Tourism Development 11. Planning Sponsored Tourism Research: An Investigation about its Structure and Trend 12. Perspectives on Tourism Planning in China 13. Nurturing 'Social License to Operate' through Corporate-Civil Society Relationships in Tourism Destinations 14. A Consensus Building Approach for Optimizing Tourism as a Sustainable Development Strategy: The Case of the Tourism Policy Forum 15. Exploring Social Representations of Tourism: Analysing Drawings of Tourism Part 4: Human Capital for Tourism Development 16. Tourism, Migration and Human Capital: Knowledge and Skills at the Intersection of Flows 17. Reflections on the Social Construction of Skills in Hospitality: Preliminary Findings from Comparative International Studies 18. Stewardship in Family Businesses: Implications for Sustainable Tourism Part 5: Emerging Forms of Tourism 19. Entertainment Science and New Directions for Tourism Research 20. Major Trends in Contemporary Tourism 21. Resort Management Analysis: Current and Future Directions 22. Developments in Space Tourism: Current and Future Research Part 6: Insights into Tourism Evolution 23. Global Touristscapes in a Rainforest: Ecotourism in Sabah, Malaysia 24. Tourism in Postsocialist Countries of Southeastern Europe: Trends and Challenges 25. Landscape as Theme Park: Tourist Consumption and Identity of Place in Contemporary Japan under Conditions of Rapid Demographic Change 26. Interviews with Mainland Chinese Seniors on their Motivations for Leisure Travel

Tour operators function as intermediaries in the tourism distribution system linking producers and consumers. Their expertise in packaging tourism products allows for more offerings to a wider range of tourists. This study examined the role tour operators fill in packaging travel to developing countries using Indonesia as a case study. Many developing country governments, including Indonesia, have assumed active roles in tourism development. The results of this study indicate that the active role should include a focus on tourism's distribution channels, especially tour operators, if some of the problems common to developing countries' tourism development efforts are to be overcome.