Importance-Performance Analysis of Tourism Destination Attractiveness

This chapter presents an importance-performance analysis to evaluate the ability of a destination's attributes to attract tourists through tourism stakeholder perceptions. In this case, one of Europe's larger destination cities, Lisbon, was considered. It departs from the proposition that tourists are not the most knowledgeable about a destination while the evaluation of a destination's competitiveness from the supply side perspective is scarce. This stakeholder feedback approach to identifying a destination's attributes to attract tourists showed that only 7 of the 40 attributes (five of them related to accessibility and technological infrastructures as municipality responsibility) fall in the IPA grid Concentrate Here quadrant, results that are consistent with the recently received Best City Destination and Best City Break World Travel Awards. This research shows the relevance of multiple stakeholders' feedback to evaluate a city's attributes, including the feedback about the city's need to improve its technological offer through an integrated digital strategy.

DESTINATION ATTRACTIVENESS FROM THE VIEW OF TOURISTS – A CASE ANALYSIS ON THE TEMPLE CITY, BHUBANESWAR, INDIA

The history of Bhubaneswar in the state of Odisha can be dated back to 3rd century B.C. It is the largest city in the state, popularly known as the ‘Temple Town’ or ‘Temple City’ which receives thousands of tourists every year for its attractions. The principle aim of this paper is to find out the factors influencing the destination attractiveness with the help of the perception of tourists in the temple city of Bhubaneswar through their level of satisfaction. Apart from that, the study analyzed that how the key elements of a destination can contribute to its attractiveness which further enhances the destination’s image. The method advised in the paper was questionnaire method where the responses were taken on a five-point Likert scale. A sample of 100 tourists was taken to find out their perception regarding destination attractiveness. The data was analyzed through descriptive statistics, factor analysis and correlation. From the study it was found out that the core determinants of the attractiveness are the facilities provided in the destination and its support services while the secondary determinants consist of people-related factors. It was also found out that the people related factors and the support services and facilities are complementary to each other when it comes to destination attractiveness.

Determinants Of Destination Image And Competitiveness In Sibu Heritage Trail: A PLS-SEM Approach

Tourism is the largest sector in the world and contributes significantly to the economies of the most advanced and developing countries. A major concern on limited resources and acknowledgement of competitiveness all led to the expansion of the literature on the competitiveness of tourism destinations. While, there are limited studies that investigate destination image and destination competitiveness, no studies have been found to examine the determinants of destination image and destination competitiveness. Thus, the present study attempts to explore whether accessibility quality, accommodation quality, destination attractiveness & resources on destination image and competitiveness. Data were collected from 132 tourists who have visited Sibu Heritage Trail. The research employs PLS-SEM, and the result specified that there are total of four hypotheses were supported. The implications and limitations of the present study were further discussed.

Exploring the ecotourism service experience framework using the dimensions of motivation, expectation and ecotourism experience

This study explores the ecotourism service experience framework by analysing ecotourists’ motivations and expectations, as well as the dimensions of ecotourism experiences. A total of 51 ecotourists were interviewed in person at ecotourist lodges in Lower Kinabatangan, Malaysia. Interview responses were analysed using thematic analysis, and a multi-data triangulation was carried out to identify key service experience dimensions guided by the co-creation concept. Findings reveal that motivations and expectations of ecotourists are connected to the dimensions of ecotourism experiences. Several findings reveal that key dimensions include ‘wildlife’, ‘nature/environment’ and ‘experiences driven from ecotourism activities’ (such as riverboat cruises and jungle trekking). Based on the interviews, these dimensions can be further interpreted and conceptualised as ‘education’, ‘aesthetic’, ‘escape’ and ‘entertainment’, similar to the four realms of experience in the experience economy model by Pine and Gilmore (1998 , 1999) . Hence, an ecotourism service experience framework, comprising both tangible and intangible elements, is proposed as a sound and practical approach to understanding ecotourism service experiences. This study offers empirical evidence and an innovative approach by identifying the ecotourism service experience dimensions and exploring a relevant framework, which was previously neglected. Ecotourism operators should utilise the four identified service experience dimensions to stage unique ecotourism experiences and enhance destination attractiveness and competitiveness. Experiential marketing can capitalise on these dimensions as innovative selling points and attract ecotourists, thus providing practical value in marketing ecotourism destinations.

Halal destination attributes and revisits intention: the role of destination attractiveness and perceived value

Purpose The growing numbers of Muslims visiting halal destinations motivated this study to explore halal destination attributes and revisit intention. This study aims to investigate how halal destination attributes affect destination attractiveness. Hence, it identifies the influence of halal destination attributes on perceived value, including functional and emotional value. It also verifies the effect of destination attractiveness on both functional value and emotional value. Finally, this framework verifies the effect of functional value and emotional value on revisit intention. Design/methodology/approach This study collects data from visitors who have visited a halal destination located in three cities of Central Java Province in the past two years (2019–2020) using purposive sampling methods. A total of 314 respondents participated in this study and the data are analyzed by using structural equation modeling. Findings The result showed that halal destination attributes positively and significantly impact destination attractiveness. Moreover, halal destination attributes positively and significantly affect both functional and emotional value. Destination attractiveness positively and significantly affects functional value, as well as emotional value. Concerning the effect of functional value and emotional value on revisit intention, only emotional value positively and significantly affects revisit intention while functional value does not. Originality/value This study contributes to city tourism by elucidating halal destination attributes based on the means-ends theory. The results of this study reported the importance of halal destination attributes and the role of halal destination attractiveness and emotional value in enhancing Muslim travelers’ revisit intention to halal destination.

Impact of Destination Attractiveness on Tourists’ Attachment with Mediating Role of Destination Image

The dynamic role of the tourism industry is observed as a catalyst to augment the economic development of worldwide economies. Due to its crucial role in economic growth, world economies have rapidly considered tourism as an important revenue generation industry. In this regard, to enrich tourism, destination image and its competitiveness play a crucial part. The main purpose of this study is to find the mediating role of destination image between the destination attractiveness and tourism attachment relationship. This study also intends to investigate the significance of various determinants of destination attractiveness within that relationship by the collection of firsthand data from tourists who belong to diverse demographic backgrounds. Study data is collected through a questionnaire from 300 conveniently sampled respondents who had visited Dubai, UAE as tourists. Statistical analyses were conducted to deduce the results by employing PLS-SEM. The results suggested that destination attractiveness has a significant positive relationship with destination image, similarly, destination image has a significant relationship with destination attachment. Therefore, the data analysis suggests that destination image partially mediates the relationship between destination attractiveness and destination image. This study will provide unique findings to tourism practitioners and organizations to formulate tourism marketing strategies on pragmatic grounds. In conclusion, the study provides suggestions and future research recommendations.

Identifying Destination Attractiveness of Kuala Terengganu Perceived by Domestic Tourist

The mission of Terengganu Tourism Department is to attract and increase tourists so that they will spend on the increased attractiveness and delivery of high-quality services, create an unforgettable experience, and make Terengganu a great destination. However, the last statistics proved that Terengganu is among the states that received a small number of domestic tourists, including tourism receipts, as compared to other states. Terengganu was ranked in the ninth place of visited domestic tourists and receipts in 2018. Therefore, this study aims to identify the underlying factors of destination attractiveness of Kuala Terengganu: assuring that the advertising strategies will use the best strategy which has been formulated to attract the groups of domestics’ tourists to visit Kuala Terengganu. Data collection has been carried out using a Google Forms online questionnaire. A total of 90 respondents who had experience visiting Kuala Terengganu were involved in this study. The method of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) divided destination attractiveness construct into three factors namely 1) recreation, leisure and amenities; 2) accessible and; 3) attractions. The findings of this study are very useful to marketing practitioners in designing promotional campaigns of destination attractiveness towards Kuala Terengganu.

Memorable experience, tourist-destination identification and destination love

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the impact of memorable destination experience and destination attractiveness on tourist-destination identification and destination love. It also investigates the moderating role of gender. Design/methodology/approach Using the cluster sampling method, the study selected cities of a developing country with the most popular destinations. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from a sample of foreign and domestic tourists. To test the research model, a covariance-based structural equation modelling approach was adopted. Findings According to the results, destination attractiveness and memorable experience had a positive effect on tourist-destination identification. Similarly, tourist-destination identification positively influenced destination love. In addition, destination love impacts the intention to revisit and word-of-mouth. Finally, the results indicate that gender moderates some of these relationships. Originality/value Understanding what items can create strong bonds between destination and tourist is of great importance. By providing a validated conceptual model that traces the relationship between memorable experience, destination attractiveness and tourist-destination identification through cognitive, affective and evaluative dimensions, this study attempts to answer prior calls for examination from the viewpoint of tourism scholars.

Microscopic Modeling of Pedestrian Movement in a Shida Night Market Street Segment: Using Vision and Destination Attractiveness

Research has shown that night markets play a positive role in improving urban sustainability. In Taiwan, many people go to night markets for leisurely strolling and to eat out with family and friends. The variety of food choices is a major reason for visiting. This preference and the shops’ locations affect not only how pedestrians move around but also the business of the night market. Pedestrian vision has been considered in only a minority of studies regarding pedestrian movement in shopping environments. Although some studies have focused on the impulse stops of pedestrians, few have considered “destination attractiveness” and its influence on surrounding shops. This paper aims to improve the pedestrian movement model in night markets with the incorporation of the “destination attractiveness” factor. The proposed microscopy agent-based model, implemented in NetLogo, uses “field of vision” as the possible destinations of the pedestrian’s next movement. Inside the “field of vision”, each shop competes for the pedestrian’s attention based on its “destination attractiveness”. The model’s parameter values were calibrated and the simulation results were verified with real-world observed data with good agreement. The proposed pedestrian movement model can benefit the retail sector by improving customer satisfaction and profitability by enhancing the layout of the facilities.