Market Segmentation by Motivations of Urban Forest Users and Differences in Perceived Effects

The purpose of this study aims at segmenting the urban forest users’ market by motivation and analyzing the difference in perceived effects of urban forests. Based on a literature review, the study selected seven motivating factors of urban forest users: experiential activity, relaxatin/healing, health management, escape from everday life, daily leisure, affinity toward nature. Data were collected online from 21 to 29 Sepember 2020 with urban forest visitors. We analyzed 878 questionnaires received from those with experience of visiting an urban forest within the previous 24 months. We performed a cluster analysis to classify the subjects according to the characteristics of urban forest utilization, and assigned them to four clusters (rest in nature, family leisure, passive participation, and multiple pursuit). An additional analysis was performed to determine intergroup differences, which revealed differences in perceived benefits and healing effects of urban forests as well as satisfaction. The results of this study provide implications for urban forest operation and strategy setup.

Intergenerational family leisure in the COVID-19 pandemic: Some potentials, pitfalls, and paradoxes

COVID-19 has significantly changed the way we engage in leisure. The influence of public health measures and messaging on leisure put older and younger people alike at increased risk of stress, anxiety, loneliness, and isolation. Despite these similar experiences, ageism and tensions between generations intensified during the pandemic. Thus, it is imperative to encourage strategies that foster connections and solidarity between generations, such as participating in intergenerational family leisure. Intergenerational family leisure can both attenuate negative outcomes heightened or created by the pandemic (i.e., risk reduction) and increase positive experiences (i.e., wellness promotion). However, it is important to recognize that intergenerational family leisure may not be available, or ideal, for everyone, especially during the pandemic. There are longstanding and pandemic-specific pitfalls to engaging in intergenerational family leisure that need to be considered. Further, the conditions and handling of the COVID-19 pandemic have complicated family leisure in paradoxical ways. Many contradictions emerge as we navigate social systems and personal experiences when engaging in intergenerational family leisure during the pandemic. This paper critically presents some of the potentials, pitfalls, and paradoxes associated with connecting multiple generations in and through family leisure during the pandemic.

Adolescents’ Alcohol Use: Does the Type of Leisure Activity Matter? A Cross-National Study

The main objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between structured, unstructured, and family leisure activities on the frequency of adolescent alcohol intake across three different countries (Spain, Peru, and The Netherlands). The self-control of adolescents was also investigated as a moderator in the relationship between leisure activities and alcohol consumption. Methodology: This research involved 4608 adolescents aged between 12 and 17 from three countries (Spain, Peru, and The Netherlands). In Spain and Peru, data was collected through a self-report questionnaire which was part of the Your Life project. In The Netherlands, a self-questionnaire was used, collected by the University of Utrecht. A multiple logistic regression was performed for each country. Results: The results showed that participation in unstructured leisure activities increased the likelihood of drinking more frequently and more heavily in all three countries. Structured leisure activities, in general, did not have a significant predictive effect on alcohol consumption in any of the countries. Family leisure activities reduced the risk of engaging in yearly alcohol use and yearly binge drinking among adolescents, especially in The Netherlands and Spain. The protective effect of family leisure and unstructured leisure risk on yearly alcohol use applied especially to Dutch adolescents with a low level of self-control. Discussion: The article emphasizes the need for parents to engage in leisure activities with their child; participation in unstructured activities is not to be encouraged.

Planning the Mysterious

This chapter illustrates how parents and their young adult children approached making decisions about how they would walk the Camino de Santiago together and the role that Camino guidebooks, published pilgrims’ narratives, and online sites played in their expectations and design. Drawing largely from formal interviews with pilgrims, it highlights the abundance of choices these parents and young adult children faced regarding hospitality, travel, and digital technologies. The chapter emphasizes how, through familiar mechanisms and processes of buying family leisure time, they pursued the Camino’s call to be open to the unknown and its promise of sacred connection to others, nature, and mystical encounters.

Segmenting Cruise Consumers by Motivation for an Emerging Market: A Case of China

After around four decades of fast growth, the cruise industry has become the most profitable and dynamic segment in the entire global leisure and tourism sector. Behind this growth is a significant shift in the profile of cruise consumers/passengers/tourists, with growth rates twice as fast as those of other types of tourists. China has become a strategic emerging market for the global cruise industry, quickly developing their cruise reception business and holding about 10% of the market share of global cruisers. In this paper, we examine and categorize various travel motivations of Chinese cruise tourists by means of a questionnaire via factor analysis, mean analysis, and K-cluster analysis. The results of the study indicate that Chinese cruise tourists are primarily encouraged to participate in cruise tourism by the motivational dimensions of family leisure/relaxation, natural and cultural exploration, bond/communication, social respect, tourism shopping, and cruise-promotion information sources. The strongest motivations for Chinese cruise tourists were found to be family leisure/relaxation and natural/cultural exploration. We identify four types of cruisers using the K-means cluster method. We find that for all cruiser demographics, leisure/relaxation is the most important motivational factor. Based on these results, we propose some specific solutions for expanding the customer pool in the Chinese cruise market.