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Publication WORKING IN A SPACE HOTEL. IDYLLIC FANTASY OR A NON-REALITY?(2011) Strickland, PaulAlthough not yet a reality, space hotels will become another product offered by the tourism and hospitality industry in the future. It is therefore appropriate to start exploring this fast growing phenomenon and ascertain if the most likely employees will be people formally trained in the tourism and/or hospitality fields. The aim of this study is to identify the motivations (if any) of current tourism and hospitality (T & H) students willingness to work in a space hotel based on motivational research conducted by Kim, Guo, Wang and Agrusa (2007). The findings suggest that many students would be willing to work in a space hotel based on current expectations and industry attractiveness, job opportunities, salary and sense of adventure. However, the participants were less likely to work in a space hotel if they were married, had children and if space hotel employment would negatively impact on their personal health.Publication Education in Ecolodges in Panama and Costa Rica(2011) Osland, Gregory E.; Mackoy, RobertEducation of tourists at nature-based lodges can significantly affect their awareness, understanding, appreciation, and appropriate values and behaviors regarding the natural environment and the local community. This research seeks to explicate and synthesize theories and best practices in environmental education in the context of ecotourism. Using data from interviews and participant observation, it describes, classifies and compares the educational efforts directed toward guests of 14 leading ecolodges in Costa Rica and Panama. Relationships among educational goals and tourists’ satisfaction and views of the educational performance of nature guides are uncovered. Managerial recommendations are provided, including ways to improve the effectiveness of guides in educating lodge guests.Publication Why Do I Forget to Recycle While on Vacation?(2011) Oliver, Jason D.; Benjamin, StefaniePublication Differentiation of Tourism Online Information Channels through Information Search Activities(2011) Wang, Daniel; Park, Sangwon; Fesenmaier, Daniel R.This study argues that since information search activities of online travel planners are outcome oriented, the selection of tourism online information channels is highly predictable. Building upon this assumption, this study examined the extent to which one could differentiate tourism online information channels through the online information search activities of online travel. The results of a series of logistic regression analyses of online American travelers confirm that there are significant and meaningful differences in the core functions of the various online information channels. The online travelers select different information channels based on different needs such as booking, generating ideas. Thus, the results of this study clearly suggest that tourism marketers can develop their competitive advantage by structuring their advertising program to match the information needs of those travelers based upon information channel.Publication Vodka Tourism in Estonia: Cultural Identity or Clearly Commerce?(2011) McKenzie, Dr. BrentVodka has been produced in Estonia since the late 1700’s. It has been said that 90% of Estonian Manor homes during that period had their own “vodka kitchen” for distilling the product. This cultural orientation of vodka changed to commerce with the introduction of a ferry service between the Finnish capital city of Helsinki and Estonia’s capital Tallinn in 1968. So called “vodka tourism” began to appear. Today approximately 15% of the total alcohol consumed in Finland is purchased in Tallinn area stores. This research examines the role of vodka, and “vodka tourism”, as it pertains to culture and commerce in Estonia.Publication Visitors’ Gaze on the Local Living Culture of a Historical District: its Perceptual and Behavioral Aspects(2011) Naoi, Taketo; Soshiroda, Akira; Iijima, ShojiA historical district as a tourism destination encompasses various aspects, including ones as heritage, as an attraction for visitors, and as a living place for the locals. For investigations of visitors’ gaze on aspects that depict lives of the locals in such a district, this study aims to present some of the theoretical backgrounds and the outlines of the potential methods. This study, which is the first step of a long-term investigation, discusses the nature of the local living culture of a historical district and proposes the use of techniques to obtain verbal responses related to visitors’ perceptions, to capture objects of their focus as projected in photographs, and to record the traits of their behaviors. The difference in visitors’ levels of previous visits is also considered as a variable that may affect their perceptions of the local living culture and the manners in which they interact with it.Publication The Use of YouTube as a Tourism Marketing Tool(2011) Reino, Dr. Sofia; Hay, BrianYouTube started as a social media tool, but is now evolving into a marketing communications tool. The aim of this paper is to investigate the use of YouTube as a tourism-marketing tool from the viewpoint of tourism organizations and tourists. Developing its theoretical base from the perspective on how tourists recognize images, a review of 320 European tourism videos on YouTube concluded that many organizations failed to understand that media produced for traditional marketing outlets (TV, cinema) cannot be transferred directly to YouTube. The study also highlighted the growing power of the individual consumer in tourism marketing, as reflected in the dominance of tourism videos produced by real tourists rather than by official tourism organizations. The study concluded that while YouTube was useful as a promotional/ communications tool, more research is required to understand how the YouTube generation filter, select and use tourism information in their trip planning.Publication Ukraine’s destination image as perceived by U.S. college students(2011) Iarmolenko, Svitlana; Schneider, Paige P.Publication The Use of the Expects Concept in Designing and Assessing Web 2.0 Sites for Destination Management Organisations(2011) Duguay, Benoit; Bedard, Francois; Khomsi, RedaThe advent of Web 2.0 has revolutionized many areas of marketing, among them product design, distribution, and communications. Understanding what the consumer/tourist wants has thus become increasingly important. To that end, a new concept has been proposed, that of expects—expects being short for expectations or expectancies—, to better render the complexity of purchase behaviour. Web 2.0 has also given rise to the phenomenon of social networks. In the wake of these interactive tools, many Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) have designed photo and experience sharing sites. Using three sites as case studies, this article demonstrates the usefulness of the expects concept for analyzing sites, including the identification of their appeal and the evaluation of their theoretical potential in attracting and retaining users.Publication Travel Blogs in Marketing Research: Stories of Stratford, Canada(2011) Banyai, MariaThis paper provides a case study for the exploration of travel blogs for market research. The growth and popularity of travel blogs over the Internet influenced few tourism researchers to see the online narratives as valuable sources of information for destination marketing. This research analyzed the content of travel blogs related to trips to Stratford, Canada to establish the most talked about topics and the experiences surrounding these. Three phases of data analysis were completed to achieve both quantifiable and qualitative results reflecting the travel experiences. The findings suggest that Stratford is primarily seen as a cultural and culinary destination. Methodological and practical implications are discussed.Publication Publication Travelers’ Intent to Purchase Tourism Products and Services Online(2011) Nunkoo, Robin; Ramkissoon, Haywantee; Juwaheer, Thanika DeviThis study develops and tests a model predicting travelers’ intent to purchase tourism products and services online using data collected from travelers to Mauritius. Results from the structural equation modeling analysis indicate a good model fit and support four of the five proposed hypotheses. Findings suggest that travelers’ perceived usefulness, trust and perceived risks are good determinants of their attitude to e-purchasing which in turn significantly influences epurchase intent. Theoretically, our model provides a holistic view of the determinants of travelers’ e-purchase intent by incorporating the effects of perceived risk and truth with the basic variables of the technology acceptance model in an integrated framework. The managerial implications of the research for online tourism and hospitality vendors are discussed, together with the study’s limitations.Publication Surveying Backpackers through Facebook: A Case for a Mixed-Mode Dual Frame Procedure(2011) Paris, Cody MorrisThe emergence of social media has created a new medium for administering surveys for tourism research. Deciding the optimal collection method can be a complicated question. In the case of backpacker, destination based surveys, email surveys, survey links posted in online forums, and social media sites like Facebook, have all been used to administer surveys. The purpose of this study is to present the case for a mixed-mode dual frame sampling procedure as an optimum for targeting backpackers. The sampling procedure discussed in this paper included self administered surveys through backpacker specific groups on Facebook.com, and selfadministered surveys at backpacker hostels in Cairns, Australia.Publication The Role of Environmental Attitude in a Nature-Based Festival: The Case of Bryeong Mud Festival(2011) Choi, Youngjoon; Buzinde, Christine N.; Kerstetter, Daborah; Graefe, AlanPublication Profiling Rural Festival Visitors by Previous Visits, Purpose of Travel, and Activities: A Multi-Segmentation Approach(2011) Wang, Wei; Cole, Shu T.; Chancellor, CharlesFestivals in rural areas are increasingly being used as instruments for promoting tourism and boosting the regional economy (Felsenstein & Fleischer, 2003). However, most market segmentation studies have been conducted using a single segmentation basis. The present study used three variables to identify segments of visitors from ten rural community festivals to avoid this limitation. A total of 366 visitors provided usable data. The results show significant differences in information sources, length of stay, travel expenditures, and satisfaction levels among three clusters. Visitors did not come to the area for the events were actually the ones who stayed longer and spent more to the event. Event managers should consider different needs and preference of these two segments and create value proposition for non-event seekers.Publication Opinion of Inexperienced and Experienced Tourists on Curaçao Regarding Locally Produced Handcrafts(2011) Hawkins, Mark. A; Rusch, Pamela I.The authors based this relatively large-sample, quantitative study upon Love and Sheldon’s (1998) small-sample, qualitative study in an attempt to differentiate inexperienced from experienced tourists on souvenir preference, arguing that if inexperienced tourists primarily assign meaning to souvenirs that are representative of place, they should prefer to purchase souvenirs that are representative of place and if experienced tourists are more concerned with hedonics, they should prefer non-representative, artistic souvenirs. Data were collected in ovember 2008 from cruise-ship and stay-over tourists on the island of Curaçao and analysed primarily using chi-square tests of independence to determine the influence of level of travel experience. The results were mixed and different populations of tourists were not clearly distinguished by any of the hypothesis tests. Future research that includes a larger sample size, improved grouping variables, and wider separation of samples may show more promising results.Publication The Relationship between Residents’ Individual Characteristics and Their Preferences for Involvement in Tourism Development(2011) Zhang, Ye; Cole, Shu T.; Chancellor, Chale H.This study investigated whether residents have different preferences for their involvement in local tourism development, and whether residents’ preferences were influenced by their individual characteristics. A mail survey method was adopted and involved a sample of residents from 11 counties in the state of Indiana, United States. Factor analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were conducted to group residents by their preferences; cross-tabulation and MANOVA analysis were used to detect the differences in individual characteristics between groups; then multivariate standard regression was conducted to discover if individual characteristics could explain the differences in preferences. This research contributes by suggesting that governments design tourism policies that meet the different involvement demands existing in a host community.Publication Metrics for Destination Marketing in An Era of Interactive Marketing(2011) Wang, Dan; Park, Sangwon; Fesenmaier, Daniel R.Destination marketing has shifted from one-to-many and one-one to completely interactive communication, and therefore requires new metrics which reflect the immersive nature of marketing interactivity. These metrics include traditional quantifiable outcomes such as awareness, brand position, and product purchase but, because of the transformation of destination marketing, must include a range of new metrics which reflect the social structure of the Internet. This paper proposes a number of metrics that destination marketing organizations should use to evaluate the effectiveness of their marketing efforts.Publication Perceived Benefits of Agritourism: A Comparison between Missouri Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Residents(2011) Barbieri, Dr. Carla; Sotomayor, MS, Sandra; Aguilar, Dr. Francisco X.The Recreation Experience Preference (Driver, 1983) and Sustainable Development (WTO, 2004) frameworks are used to examine the perceived personal, socio-cultural, economic and environmental benefits associated with agritourism among metropolitan and non-metropolitan residents in Missouri (US). Results show that doing something with their family (personal), preserving natural resources and ecosystems (environmental), preserving rural heritage and traditions (socio-cultural), and revitalizing local economies (economic) are the most important benefits that agritourism provide to citizens and society. MANOVA tests show few significant differences on the perceived personal benefits and no differences on the perceived socio-cultural, environmental and economic benefits between metropolitan and non-metropolitan residents.Publication Paradox, Metaphor, and Practice: Serious Complaints and the Tourism Industry(2011) Weaver, AdamThis paper addresses both paradoxes and metaphors within the context of a study that examines serious complaints within the tourism industry. A series of paradoxes were identified when a collection of published complaints from the magazine Condé Nast Traveler were analyzed. It is proposed that metaphors derived from the domain(s) of tourism and mobility may offer some insight into the way in which these paradoxes can be managed. The field(s) of tourism and mobility studies may therefore be a potential source of ideas – and offer some guidance – for those seeking to approach the quandaries created by paradoxes in a more focused manner. Moreover, the metaphors discussed in this work can potentially inform management practice within the tourism industry.