Sustainable Mountain-Based Health and Wellness Tourist Destinations: The Interrelationships between Tourists’ Satisfaction, Behavioral Intentions, and Competitiveness

As mountain-based health and wellness tourism increases, destination competitiveness becomes ever fiercer. The pre-visit expectations and post-visit perceptions of tourists and the tourists’ behavioral intentions are related to the competitiveness of mountain-based health and wellness tourist destinations. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we explored the factors that affect destination competitiveness and its relationships with tourism satisfaction and tourists’ behavioral intentions to return to and to recommend the location to others. We used a questionnaire for data collection from 550 tourists who visited a mountain-based health and wellness tourist destination in Panzhihua, China. The results suggested that there is an indirect positive correlation between tourists’ satisfaction and destination competitiveness, as well as a direct positive correlation between behavioral intentions and destination competitiveness, illustrating that tourist behavioral intentions can be an important factor in destination competitiveness. In the case of Panzhihua, the tourist source market in China has provided a competitive edge to this city. In addition, considering the environment’s capacity, developing an intention to return in tourists is important for tourism marketing in view of the increasing mountain-based health and wellness tourism competitiveness and concerns about sustainability.

The Jewish Israeli Diaspora

Among the largest Jewish migrant populations in Western societies during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, Israeli emigrants live and work with native-born Jews, achieve impressive records of social and economic mobility, raise families, and acquire citizenship. Yet they commonly reject the assimilationist narrative emphasized by local coreligionists, socialize almost exclusively with other Israelis, frequently describe their intentions to return home and often do so. Generally educated and white, their reluctance to join the host society reflects their national identity rather than discrimination. Initially stigmatized by both Israel and the Jewish communities in points of settlement, Israeli émigrés’ presence abroad is now increasingly tolerated for political, economic, and cultural reasons. This article describes Israeli emigrants’ experience and examines how they try to reconcile conflicting identities associated with the country of origin and host society.

Perceived Value and Its Predictive Relationship with Satisfaction and Loyalty in Ecotourism: A Study in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park in Spain

Ecotourism involves visiting natural areas to carry out environmentally friendly activities, contributing to environmental care. The present study aims to: (i) establish the dimensions of the perceived value in ecotourism applied to a natural park, (ii) analyze the dimensions of perceived value that predict ecotourism satisfaction, and (iii) identify the dimensions of perceived value that predict ecotourists’ intentions to return, recommend, and provide positive word of mouth about the ecotourism destination as loyalty variables. The research was conducted in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park in Spain. The sample taken in situ consisted of 341 questionnaires. For data analysis, factor analysis and the stepwise multiple regression method were used. The results showed three dimensions of perceived value: economic, functional, and social and emotional. The “functional” value was the most significant predictor of ecotourists’ satisfaction, intentions to return, and to provide positive word of mouth. Likewise, the “functional” and the “social and emotional” dimensions were important predictors of tourists’ intentions to recommend these places. These findings will serve as management guides for different institutions and tourism service providers of protected areas to develop products according to tourists’ perceived value.

EXPRESS: Choosing the Light Meal: Real-time Aggregation of Calorie Information Reduces Meal Calories

Numeric labeling of calories on restaurant menus has been implemented widely, but scientific studies have generally not found substantial effects on calories ordered. The present research tests the impact of a feedback format that is more targeted at how consumers select and revise their meals: real-time aggregation of calorie content to provide dynamic feedback about meal calories via a traffic light label. Because these labels intuitively signal when a meal shifts from healthy to unhealthy (via the change from green to a yellow or red light), they prompt decision makers to course correct in real time, before they finalize their choice. Results from five pre-registered experiments ( N = 11,900) show that providing real-time traffic light feedback about the total caloric content of a meal reduces calories in orders, even compared to similar aggregated feedback in numeric format. Patterns of ordering reveal this effect to be driven by people revising high-calorie orders more frequently, leading them to choose fewer and lower-calorie items. Consumers also like traffic light aggregation, indicating greater satisfaction with their order and greater intentions to return to restaurants that use them. The authors discuss how dynamic feedback using intuitive signals could yield benefits in contexts beyond food choice.

The role of relational dependence, forgiveness and hope on the intention to return with an abusive partner

The aim of this study was to examine psychological and relational variables such as dependence, forgiveness (both in their positive and negative dimensions), and hope that may explain why women reconciliate with abusive partners. We administered a questionnaire to women victims of violence. Relational dependence was indirectly associated with greater intentions to return to the violent partner via benevolent forgiveness and hope of a change in the partner. The positive dimension of forgiveness (benevolence) could represent a phase of the cycle of violence, during which the hope for change in the partner can increase the probability of reconciliation.

A Sense of Connection: Examining Social Identity and Adherence to a School-Based Exercise Club

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between social identity and adherence in the context of a school-based, 8-week structured group exercise program. Methods: Secondary students (N = 116; Mage = 15.52 years) from 10 newly formed school-based exercise clubs reported social identity perceptions specific to their exercise group, which were used to predict attendance and intentions to return to the club in the future. Results: Controlling for sex and grade level, the results of hierarchical regression analysis revealed that exercise group social identity was significantly positively related to program attendance (ΔR2 = .09, p < .01). A positive relationship was also found between exercise group social identity and intentions to return to the exercise club in the future, while also controlling for sex, grade level, and program attendance (ΔR2 = .05, p < .05). Discussion/Conclusion: The findings suggest that stronger exercise group social identity in the form of ingroup ties is associated with greater attendance and intention to return to the school-based exercise club among secondary school students.

“Islamic State of Khorasan Province” – A Threat to the Central Asian Region

Over the past several years, there has been an influx of immigrants from Central Asian states into the ranks of “Islamic State” (IS) militants in Syria and Iraq. Those who survived after the defeat of the main detachments of terrorists on their return cannot escape the territory of Afghanistan, the northern regions of which are inhabited by related ethnic groups. It is easy to find supporters of radical Islam in Central Asian countries. The weakness of state and public institutions contributes to the politicization of Islam, especially in the periphery. Islamist preachers, skillfully using the mistakes of local authorities, call for the creation of alternative state structures. Most of the former IS fighters do not hide their intentions to return home. They can gain support in the border provinces of Afghanistan, among their comrades-in-arms in the war, and also join some of the Taliban groups. The planned withdrawal of American troops and their allies from Afghanistan does not yet imply the coming of peace in the region. Therefore, among the main threats to the security of the region are the activities of transnational terrorist groups such as “The Islamic State of Khorasan Province”, “The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan” and “The Islamic Movement of Eastern Turkestan”.