Factors That Influence Virtual Tourism Holistic Image: The Moderating Role of Sense of Presence

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically restricted domestic and foreign travel; thus, virtual tourism has become a new option for traveling. As regards virtual tourism, the present study seeks to investigate the effect of tourist involvement on the three components of holistic image, namely cognitive, affective, and conative images; the influence of cognitive, affective, and conative images on the construction of the holistic image; and the moderating effect of sense of presence on the relationships between cognitive, affective, and conative images on the holistic image. Prospective tourists were chosen as research subjects in the present study on non-immersive virtual reality (VR) tourism, or virtual tourism. Participants first watched the 360° VR tour video of AirPano. Afterward, they filled out an online questionnaire, of which 386 valid samples were collected for analyses. Results show that tourist involvement considerably affects cognitive, affective, and conative images, which significantly influence the holistic image. Furthermore, a sense of presence was found to positively moderate the relationships between (1) cognitive and holistic, (2) affective and holistic, and (3) conative and holistic images. These results may allow tourism marketing organizations to better understand how to strengthen the holistic image in the context of virtual tourism.

Social Media's Influence on Destination Image

Social media have become key tools for promoting and spreading the image of a tourist destination. In particular, these communication channels are critical for heritage destinations looking to boost awareness and attract a greater number of visitors. However, the tourism marketing literature has devoted limited attention to how these destinations project their image on social media. In order to cover this gap, this chapter focuses on analyzing the image projected by a specific heritage destination—Cuenca, a World Heritage City—on Facebook and Instagram. To this end, the chapter analyzes the posts, comments, and hashtags that have been published on the different tourism pages about Cuenca. The results of the analysis underscore the growing importance of the image projected by destinations on social networks. That said, there is a need to deepen our knowledge about the communication potential of these channels.

Market Segmentation and Dark Tourism and the (Post) Pandemic Scenario

Dark tourism is a segment of tourism that has been growing in recent decades and is strongly associated with tragedy and mystery. There are several academic researchers who present literature on this specific group of tourist consumers. As a result, 2020 was strongly marked by the pandemic of the new coronavirus (COVID-19). This chapter presents a reflection on the role of dark tourism in the pandemic and post-pandemic period. From an interdisciplinary perspective, this chapter presents contributions to (dark) tourism, marketing, and pandemic management.

Video Game Experiential Marketing in Tourism: Designing for Experiences

While film and television have a long tradition in tourism marketing, the potential of video games is overlooked. This study unlocks a novel era of marketing by investigating the interplay between experiential factors and in-game experiences, and how they may contribute to one’s intention to visit in-game destinations. By taking Assassin’s Creed Odyssey as the study context, game world dynamics, level of immersion, level of freedom, connection to characters, and sense of realism are identified as the five pillars that shape gaming experiences. Drawing upon experience design, this study lays the groundwork for emerging marketing opportunities using video games for tourism and contributes to the broader field of media-induced tourism literature.

An analysis of Trophy Hunting Tourism Marketing Mix Performance of Zimbabwe

The study analysed the performance of trophy hunting tourism marketing mix activities in Zimbabwe in an attempt to improve tourism performance. Mixed methodology research comprising of 137 survey stakeholders and survey 274 tourists, one (1) focus group discussion and four (4) in-depth interview key informants was carried out from January 2019 to June 2019.Hunting quotas were based on the three regions, of Zimbabwe and Wildlife Management Authority, namely Southern Region, Western Region and Northern Region showing tourists type and stakeholder classes, and this was done. Quantitative data were analysed by correlation tests and one sample mean test values using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Qualitative data were synthesised using content and narrative analyses. The study indicated that Zimbabwe performed highly in terms of process, product, people and place marketing mix strategies in its trophy hunting activities. The results indicated a weak relationship between perceptions of local and foreign trophy hunting tourists on rating the marketing mix performance of Zimbabwe. Tourists and stakeholders were found to have a significant positive relationship in their perceptions of wildlife tourism performance of Zimbabwe. The test of trophy hunting acceptability showed a statistically significant and above average performance of Zimbabwe on trophy hunting marketing mix. The study concluded that, though Zimbabwe performs high on overall trophy hunting tourism marketing mix strategies, there was need for improvements on promotion and pricing strategies.

Economic Storytelling, Tourism Improvement Districts and University Partnerships

Business Improvement Districts (BID), sometimes called Tourism Marketing Districts (TMD) are innovative initiatives that levy assessments as a means of funding what might be traditionally paid for by local government. A recent increase in such organizations internationally may provide universities with an opportunity for a variety of positive benefits including revenue, research, educational improvement, and impactful student experiences. Universities and colleges have a history of partnering with industry, often referred to as University-Industry Partnerships (UIC), as a means for confronting ever-increasing economic challenges and shrinking budgets. Indeed, as funding for public universities continues to decrease, schools and departments within the university are forced to seek alternative revenue streams. The goal of the current study is to provide a conceptual model for understanding and engaging in economic storytelling as the research arm of such organizations. A case study of the partnership between San Diego State University and San Diego’s Tourism Marketing District is assessed against a model of best practices in partnering. Results highlight the value of the model and provide direction for other University-Industry Partnerships (UIC).

Repositioning the Swellendam Municipal Area as a Tourist Destination: Trends, Destination Marketing and Place Branding

In 2017 the Swellendam Tourism Bureau’s board adopted a new marketing brand for the municipality under the banner Cape Trade Route. The brand was introduced without using any market intelligence to inform it. The Swellendam Municipality subsequently resolved that any new tourism strategy had to be informed by current market research, including media, trade and industry sentiments about the region. This paper reports on five sets of empirical evidence collected by various means to better understand Swellendam’s tourism brand and marketing strategies. They are (1) workshops with business and community roleplayers; (2) an online questionnaire survey conducted with tourist-aligned enterprises in the Swellendam municipal area; (3) a content analysis of traditional and social media relating to Swellendam; (4) a visitor interview survey; and (5) a snap review of sixteen tour operators’ opinions about Swellendam as a tourism region. The findings highlight the crucial role of sound market intelligence in creating tourism marketing strategies for municipalities. The reported findings and the recommendations made have subsequently informed the municipality’s spatial development framework and tourism strategy.