Domestic Tourism in COVID-19 Era: Travel Choice in Himalayas Correlates to Geographic Origin and Age

COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent has created recession in the tourism industry on the global scale impacting the livelihood of the millions of people worldwide. Speedy recovery of the tourism industry is essential to ensure the development progress do not retard drastically due to this pandemic. As the world is severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and international tourism will take quite a bit longer time to recover, domestic tourism could be a way forward for the recuperation of the industry. Therefore, this article aims to understand the potential of domestic tourism to keep the momentum of tourism development, after the pandemic situation gets over. Data on general characteristics of the respondents and their attitude towards travel after restrictions are over were collected using online survey. Descriptive and regression analyses were used to understand the relationship between travel decisions and respondents’ attributes. The travel decision was found significantly related to the age and geographic origin of the respondents indicating those who are less susceptible to infection are willing to travel sooner than other. Study indicates the expansion of tourism demand in relatively less popular destinations and diversified tourism products which might pose both the challenges and opportunities for tourism industry in post-COVID-19 situation. The findings of our study are expected to help in planning the post-pandemic recovery of the tourism industry in the country.

“Better Not Let Me Know”: The Mediating Role of Regret on the Relation Between Social Comparison Discrepancy in Online Hotel Review and Revisit Intention

Online review is powerful in influencing tourists’ travel decision. However, understanding of how online reviews affect tourist emotion and decision at the post-trip stage is limited. The present study examines whether encountering travel experiences shared on social media by other users with disparity in the cost of same accommodation after a trip will cause regret and alter the intention to revisit from a retrospective point of view. Drawing from the experimental study, the result showed that regret mediates the negative effect of comparison discrepancy (in the case of differences in the paid room rate) on intention to stay in the hotel again. The current study of the effects of social comparison on revisit intention adds to the literature and establishes the groundwork for future scholarly work on post-trip online review management. Meaningful implications and strategies are recommended to online review platform and hotel marketing management.

The Influence of Social Media on Millennial Generation about Travel Decision-Making

<p><em><span>The presence of the millennial generation in the world of tourism has different characteristics from the previous generation. They are not interested in commercial advertising but prefer a User-Generated Content (UGC) approach and influence in their social environment. The purpose of this research is to determine the influence of social and UGC on Instagram on millennial generation travel decision-making. Instagram was chosen because 67% of travelers use Instagram for travel inspiration before booking a trip and after a trip is booked, and continue to use it for future trips. The sample of this study was 384 millennial respondents in the Greater Jakarta area because it had the demographic bonus and the most productive age. The results show that UGC on Instagram is highly trusted as a media for millennial tourism decision-making because it is authentic and reliable. This research also succeeded in answering the phenomenon which states that the millennial generation can change the tourism industry. This finding is useful for destination managers and the government in their efforts to increase the promotion of tourist destinations to the millennial generation with the Instagram user-generated content approach.</span></em></p>

SOCIAL MEDIA’S OFFICIAL DESTINATION PROMO VIDEOS AND COUNTRY IMAGE INFLUENCING VISITING INTENTION TO RISKY DESTINATIONS

Social media destination promo videos (DPVs), are among the most important information sources of travel decision-making for their interactive and sharing features, and outstanding destination promotion strategy. Country image is also another important factor for travel decision-making. This study’s purpose is to assess whether the social media DPVs like DMOs’ promo videos and country image have any impact on visiting intentions towards risky destinations. A quantitative method was used for this study. Data was collected by online questionnaires, and 609 valid responses were considered for the analysis of the study. The results showed that the country's image positively influences the attitude of young tourists towards the country and that attention towards the promo videos positively influences young tourists’ overall emotions, attitudes, social norms, interests, desires and behaviours toward visiting a risky destination. This study results would be beneficial for those who are interested in using social media DPVs as part of their destination-promotion strategy, and also can guide destination-marketers to monitor and create better destination promotional contents in social media platforms, to encourage tourism to the destinations, especially risky ones.

Factor Analysis about Indonesian Students’ Motivations to Study in China Based on Push-Pull Theory

Based on the push-pull model, the study is aimed at testing 116 China (Jiangsu Province) overseas students’ travel motivations with the methods of factor analysis，ANOVA analysis, and independent t -test to explain internal and external factors, which influence overseas students’ travel decision, and further improve overseas students travel market. The results show that leisure and relaxation, togetherness and socialization, and knowledge and culture are top three push factors, while special festivals, historical sites, and financial budgets are top three pull factors. Among sociodemographic factors, gender differences, lengths of visit in China, and main income sources have significant differences in overseas students travel decisions. With “One belt, one road” initiative, travel industries should precisely understand overseas students traveling preferences, explore travelling market layout to balance economic benefits and cultural transmission, and develop overseas students’ traveling destination groups.

A REVIEW ON THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN TRAVEL DECISION OF YOUTH TRAVELERS

This paper will highlight the review of previously reported data by numerous authors. Nowadays, widespread social media is used more and more especially in tourism. Recent trends in technology have observed the emergence of social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. These websites encourage users to share information on what they are doing, upload pictures of what they have been up to, and post blog entries in order to share their interests and activities with other users. From the industry perspective, more and more hotels or tourist destinations are using these social networking sites as communication tools with their guests. It is evident that people are depending on their peers’ reviews through these social networking sites before purchasing products and services. As a result, social networking sites are growing both in popularity and importance for consumers as well as corporate. Previous research regarding the use of social media among youth travellers has mainly focused on its impact on travellers’ travel planning process and there is consensus that travel decisions are highly influenced by social media. Considering that an answer to the research question of “will social media influence the travel decision of the youth travellers”, the aim of this study is to fill this research gap and to examine the influence of social media on youth travellers’ decision making. A proposed conceptual framework is developed in order to understand the influence of social media on travel decision making among youth travellers. The findings of this study are important to tourism online marketers in order to have a better understanding on youth travellers in the use of social media so that they can adapt online marketing strategies for this segment.

The Impact of Destination Image on Tourist Behavior: Karbala as a Case Study

The destination image is regarded as one of the elements affecting visitors' choices in selecting tourist locations that satisfy their wants and aspirations in a way that corresponds to their expectations of such places. The destination image influences tourist behavior by stimulating tourist desires to travel and engage in tourist activities, as well as influencing that behavior in the travel decision-making process during the pre-trip, trip, and post-trip phases. The destination image is also linked to visitor satisfaction with regard to their appraisal of their travel experience and the extent to which that experience meets or comes near to their earlier expectations. Therefore, the current study looks at the image and personality of religious, tourist, and commercial brands, as well as how they connect to future tourist behavior. The study considered Karbala city, Iraq, as a case study. The study was based on the in-filed study technique, which was represented by a questionnaire that was delivered to the study sample, which consisted of seven first-class hotels in Karbala city, with 40 copies of the questionnaire handed over to the administrative personnel at these hotels. The study discovered that the cognitive image, emotional image, and destination personality all had different effects on global image and behavioral intentions for first-time and recurrent visitors. Additionally, the findings show that the qualitative remarks focused heavily on attractions, culture, and the environment. The practical consequences are explored, and destination personality and behavioral outcomes for first-time and recurrent visitors were designed and evaluated independently.

Segmenting Visitors to Battlefield Sites: International Visitors to the Former DMZ in Vietnam

<p>Vietnam is an emerging tourist destination with rapid development in the tourism industry over the last decade. Well-known for the Vietnam War, it is expected that battlefield sites are among the country's main attractions for international tourists. However, to date, there has been no research examining visitors to battlefield sites in Vietnam. This study aims to contribute to filling this perceived gap by examining the visitors to the former Vietnamese De-militarised Zone (DMZ). Its objectives are: (1) to identify tourist motivations for visiting the DMZ, (2) to segment the DMZ visitors based on motivations, and (3) to determine the importance of battlefield sites in tourists' decision to travel to Vietnam. International visitors to the Vinh Moc Tunnels, a site often included in the DMZ tour, were chosen as a study sample. Data in this study was collected in an intercept self-completed questionnaire survey, which resulted in a sample of 481 respondents. Statistical analysis of the data was supplemented by content analysis of qualitative findings where appropriate. The findings show that respondents visited the DMZ for a variety of motivations. Five motivations were generated from the factor analysis of 22 quantitative motivational items namely: Personal involvement, Interest in war related sites and exhibitions, Education and exploration, Location and convenience, and Novelty seeking. These delineated motivations were supported and extended by respondents' self-expressed motivations. Based on these motivations, three groups of visitors to the DMZ were identified using cluster analysis: the Battlefield Tourism Enthusiast, the Opportunist, and the Passive Tourist. These three visitors segments differed significantly in terms of socio-demographic characteristics, trip related characteristics, and especially travel decision-making. The Enthusiasts had the highest interest in visiting battlefield sites in Vietnam. The Opportunists tended to visit sites based on location and convenience, and the Passive Tourists indicated relatively low rankings for all reasons for visiting battlefield sites. This study also found that battlefield sites only played a small role in tourists' decision to visit Vietnam and that most tourists visited Vietnam for its culture, landscape and history. Several implications and recommendations arise from this study, including the need for continuing research on motivations for battlefield tourism in other countries. In addition, it is suggested that the educative function should be emphasised in developing battlefield sites as tourist attractions.</p>

Segmenting Visitors to Battlefield Sites: International Visitors to the Former DMZ in Vietnam

<p>Vietnam is an emerging tourist destination with rapid development in the tourism industry over the last decade. Well-known for the Vietnam War, it is expected that battlefield sites are among the country's main attractions for international tourists. However, to date, there has been no research examining visitors to battlefield sites in Vietnam. This study aims to contribute to filling this perceived gap by examining the visitors to the former Vietnamese De-militarised Zone (DMZ). Its objectives are: (1) to identify tourist motivations for visiting the DMZ, (2) to segment the DMZ visitors based on motivations, and (3) to determine the importance of battlefield sites in tourists' decision to travel to Vietnam. International visitors to the Vinh Moc Tunnels, a site often included in the DMZ tour, were chosen as a study sample. Data in this study was collected in an intercept self-completed questionnaire survey, which resulted in a sample of 481 respondents. Statistical analysis of the data was supplemented by content analysis of qualitative findings where appropriate. The findings show that respondents visited the DMZ for a variety of motivations. Five motivations were generated from the factor analysis of 22 quantitative motivational items namely: Personal involvement, Interest in war related sites and exhibitions, Education and exploration, Location and convenience, and Novelty seeking. These delineated motivations were supported and extended by respondents' self-expressed motivations. Based on these motivations, three groups of visitors to the DMZ were identified using cluster analysis: the Battlefield Tourism Enthusiast, the Opportunist, and the Passive Tourist. These three visitors segments differed significantly in terms of socio-demographic characteristics, trip related characteristics, and especially travel decision-making. The Enthusiasts had the highest interest in visiting battlefield sites in Vietnam. The Opportunists tended to visit sites based on location and convenience, and the Passive Tourists indicated relatively low rankings for all reasons for visiting battlefield sites. This study also found that battlefield sites only played a small role in tourists' decision to visit Vietnam and that most tourists visited Vietnam for its culture, landscape and history. Several implications and recommendations arise from this study, including the need for continuing research on motivations for battlefield tourism in other countries. In addition, it is suggested that the educative function should be emphasised in developing battlefield sites as tourist attractions.</p>