Tourism and Travel Commons^™

Go Pick Me Out A Winner: Visitor Perceptions And Priorities Regarding Operational Attributes At U-Pick Farms In Western New York, Nicholas Pitas, Ya-Ling Chen

Journal of Extension

This study seeks to identify visitor priorities for and perceptions of operational attributes at U-pick farms. Using a survey of farm visitors in the Rochester/Finger Lakes region, we applied importance-performance analysis to identify priorities, and the repositioning framework to create strategies for addressing them. Our results indicate that U-pick visitors generally perceive high levels of service quality, especially on attributes that they perceive as most important. Priorities for improvement include produce-related factors (price and availability of specific varieties) and visit logistics (information to plan a visit). Real, psychological, and associative repositioning strategies for Extension professionals and U-pick operators are discussed.

Go And Grow Business Plan For A Social Media Application, Piper Duke

Information Systems Undergraduate Honors Theses

Go and Grow proposes to develop a new iOS social media application to connect students studying abroad with students in the destination country. With the use of geolocation, in-app communication, and multi-language support, Go and Grow allows students to make the most of their once in a lifetime experience and give local people and businesses a chance to show off their home country. With Go and Grow, users will create relationship networks by posting questions, connecting with locals, and accessing information not provided by their program, making the student feel more comfortable before they depart and while they are in …

Overcoming Challenges And Building Bridges: A Journey Towards Sustainable Tourism Development In Dangriga, Belize, Drew Patterson

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

This article discusses the challenges and potential solutions for enhancing tourism in Dangriga, the largest town in the Stann Creek District of Belize. Despite being known as the "Culture Capital of Belize," Dangriga attracts fewer tourists compared to smaller towns in the country. The lack of tourist influx could be attributed to limited understanding of internet marketing by local business owners and the town's focus on its cultural identity rather than catering specifically to tourists. The article emphasizes the importance of online marketing in promoting tourism and suggests that improving the online presence of local businesses could boost the tourism …

Beyond Boarders For First-Generation Students, Nayeli Ortiz

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

1. Tabeling at TRIO and Multicultural Center events

2. Require academic advisors to have at least one conversation with every student about studying abroad (never assume a student is not interested or unable to go)

3. Overtly feature first-generation study abroad students in social media and Hogs Abroad website.

4. Network interested students with students who have completed study abroad

5. Offer a promotional study-abroad program for first-generation students

6. Promote funding information and add more first-generation specific scholarships

Wakesurf Nwa: A Surfing Entertainment Business Plan, Ethan Carney

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

WakeSurf NWA is a thrilling entertainment facility that will fill a void in this highly affluent market. Our design is to bring surfing where surfing has never been before, in a land-locked location. With high-tech engineering to allow surfing on land, WakeSurf NWA will provide real surfing to the people in and around Northwest Arkansas. Our company will also be built around helping our community, donating a portion of proceeds to a local nonprofit. What sets WakeSurf NWA apart from other companies in the area is how we will bring something completely new to the region that can be enjoyed …

Impact Of Tourism In Developing Nations, Thomas Consolino

Supply Chain Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Belize, a small country located in Central America, thrives on tourism. The industry makes up 15% of the country’s GDP and employs roughly 40% of Belize’s population. However, the majority of tourism takes place in only a few Belizean towns, causing the economies of the other towns to not benefit from the industry. One of the towns lacking tourism is called Dangriga. Although Dangriga is on the coast and is known as the “Culture Capital of Belize”, not many tourists make is stop in or even know of Dangriga. One of the main reasons for this is the lack of …

Historic Downtown Streetscape Plan Price City, Utah, Patricia Beckert

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The idea of a small-town Main Street has profound meaning within the American culture that has prevailed for the past two centuries. Historically, Main Street serves as the beating heart of a community, a place where economic, social, cultural, and civic activities are centered (Francaviglia, 1996; Main Street America, n.d.). Since the beginning of the 19th century, many factors have led to the decline of Main Streets, and despite a variety of efforts from different stakeholders, that decline has only intensified in recent decades (Isenberg, 2008; Orvell, 2014 Howard, 2015). In 1980, after a three-year project conducted by the National …

Economic Impact Assessment Of Nature-Based Coastal Resilience Solutions In Charleston. Estimating Local Economic Effects With Algorithm-Based Supporting Tool., Oksana Veselkova

All Theses

Coastal cities are at the forefront of the risks induced by climate change. Local communities are adversely affected, but the essential cultural assets and economies are also at risk of damage or destruction. In the efforts to limit hazard risk exposure, local governments are increasingly planning for long-term flood protection. One prospective flood risk mitigation measure is living shorelines or nature-based adaptation. The coastal ecosystems, such as beaches, wetlands, barrier islands, oyster reefs, and salt marshes, deliver multiple benefits to communities, including recreation, natural resources, freshwater, and carbon sequestration. Moreover, when combined with structural solutions, they can effectively reduce water …

Forgotten Spirits: Enslaved And Free Black Contributions To Bourbon And Reshaping Public Memory., Kevin Bradley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bourbon distilling is a multi-billion-dollar industry that draws hundreds of thousands of tourists to Kentucky each year. However, the industry usually overlooks or ignores the historic and ongoing contributions of African Americans. This thesis offers distilleries methods for incorporating into their public tours the often-difficult history of free and enslaved Black participation in the bourdon industry. Change requires cooperation between corporate leaders, public historians, and relevant stakeholders to forge new narratives and retrain tour guides. Based on primary and secondary research, in-person visits to distilleries, and interviews with public historians, this thesis explores free and enslaved African American contributions to …

Stopovers As Valued-Based Experience: A Conceptual Model, Filareti Kotsi, Kim Johnston, Steven Pike

All Works

This study on stopovers, defined as consisting of a one to three-night transition to a destination featuring value-based experiences, uses a multi-site data collection approach of focus groups in six cities to examine stopovers during long-haul air travel in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Hong Kong. It contributes to the literature on stopovers by defining and conceptualizing the term and identifying the key influences of stopover choice and value experiences of travelers from distant geographic areas, namely, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and New Zealand. The proposal of the conceptual model on stopovers offers a basis for destination marketers …

Climbers’ Risk Perceptions Of Erosion From Flooding At Carderock Recreation Area, Chandler J. Berry

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Through increased temperature, precipitation, frequency of extreme weather, flooding, drought, and fire, climate change will alter where and how people can recreate. Extant research illustrates the effects of climate change on a variety of outdoor recreation activities; however, little research has been completed on the effects of climate change on rock climbing outside of the alpine environment. One such impact found at Carderock Recreation Area is riverine flooding and erosion. This study used a quantitative survey research design to understand how risk perceptions of erosion from flooding are affected by place attachment and the past use history of rock climbers …

Meeting, Moving, Mastering - A Text Analysis Of The Aesthetic Attractions Of 'Wild Swimming', Dagmar Dahl, Åsa I. Bäckström

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Why are people fascinated by swimming in nature? This article addresses the aesthetic experiences of wild swimming as expressed by five wild swimming authors in their books. Drawing from aesthetic philosophy, we analyze the ways in which the appeal of wild swimming is described on three levels: the allure of water in the environment, the sensory encounter between water and the body, and the experience of moving in water. Furthermore, with reference to Seel’s concept of nature aesthetics (1996), the experience of wild swimming is analyzed in terms of contemplation, correspondence, and imagination. We can conclude that the special intensity …

In This Issue (14:1), Stephen J. Langendorfer Ph.D.

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

In This Issue 14:1 introduces and overviews the research and education articles and position statement associated with the first issue of the fourteenth volume of the International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education.

Towards A Globalised Vision Of Aquatic Competence, Rita F. Pinto, Juan Antonio Moreno Murcia

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Human interaction with the aquatic environment has always taken different forms to meet the needs of pleasure, survival, therapy or performance. The diversity of existing aquatic spaces presents itself as a challenge, due to their variety, dynamism, unpredictability and unrepeatable conditions. These factors potentiate an infinite number of possibilities for human response in interaction with the aquatic environment, with aquatic competence being the one that will be able to sustain all types of interaction. Thus, the aim of the proposal has been to present a new approach to the contextualisation of aquatic competence. After a literature review on the concept …

Revisiting The Metaphorical Concept Of “No Strokes First - All Strokes First”: Part One - Beginning Strokes, Robert Keig Stallman Ph.D., Alex Mwaipasi, Ebbe Laakso Horneman, Nils Olof Vikander, Bente Wäinösdatter Horneman Laakso, Haakon-Paavo Laakso Nysted, Toni Ongala

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

The aim of this article is to address the familiar question “Which swimming stroke should be taught first?” The discussion is usually focused on breaststroke versus crawl. Provoked by these naïve discussions of which stroke should be taught first (as if stroking equals swimming, which it emphatically does NOT), the question was answered metaphorically in an earlier article “No Stroke First – All Strokes First” (Stallman, 2008a). Here in Part I we identify and describe six strokes, all of which might be a candidate for any learners ‘very first’ stroke. We describe them as beginning strokes. Having identified and learned …

The Economic Impact Of The Cruise Ship Industry On Destination Port Countries During Covid-19, Katherine Snowberger

Honors College Theses

The travel and tourism industry was the fastest-growing industry in 2019. With more discretionary income available, many people spent their time traveling and exploring new cultures. One major sector of the travel and tourism industry is the cruise industry. In this sector of the industry, the clientele pays a flat fee to cover room, food, travel, and entertainment, which allows them to explore new and exciting ports of call. These port destinations rely heavily on tourism income to support their communities and infrastructure. This economic study aims to show how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted destination port cities and how …

An Exploratory Study Of Aquatic Walking On Symptoms And Functional Limitations In Persons With Knee Osteoarthritis: Part 1, John M. Coons, Brandon Grubbs, Vaughn W. Barry, Ryan T. Conners, Sandra Stevens

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

This paper represents Part 1 of a study that explored the effects of an underwater treadmill (UT) walking program on pain and function in adults with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). The Western Ontario & McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), numerical rating scale (NRS), timed up-and-go (TUG), and 10-m walk were assessed in 6 adults (62.7 ±14.2 years) who participated in an 8-week (3x/wk) UT walking intervention based on the Arthritis Foundation’s Walk With Ease (WWE) program. Walking pace was self-selected, and walking duration of each session was increased from 10 to 45 minutes throughout the study. Knee pain and function were …

An Exploratory Study Of The Effects Of Aquatic Walking On Function And Muscle Activity In Knee Osteoarthritis: Part 2, John M. Coons, Brandon Grubbs, Conor Theiss, Vaughn W. Barry, Sandra Stevens

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

This paper presents Part 2 of a study that investigated the effects of an 8-week (3x/week) underwater treadmill (UT) walking intervention on knee osteoarthritis (KOA) outcomes in 6 adults with KOA (62.7 ± 14.2 years). The Knee Outcome Survey (KOS) for activities of daily living and muscle activity during a 10-m walk and a 20 cm step down were measured before and after the intervention. The following KOS measures improved after the UT walking program (p < 0.05; g > 0.8): stiffness, swelling, weakness, walking, going up stairs, going downstairs, kneeling on the front of the knee, squatting, and sitting with the …

Effects Of Risk Message On Loneliness And Travel Intention: Roles Of Conflictive Family Atmosphere And Risk Propensity In The Context Of Covid-19 Pandemic, Chaowu Xie, Beibei Li, Jiangchi Zhang, Xiang Li, Songshan Huang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study examines the effects of risk message frames on tourists’ post-pandemic travel intention via the meditation of loneliness and went further to investigate the roles of conflictive family atmosphere and risk propensity in moderating these effects. A situational experiment was conducted in China resulting 622 valid responses. The study found that respondents in risk attenuating frame had higher travel intention than those in risk amplifying frame; social loneliness partially mediated the effect of risk message on travel intention. Conflictive family atmosphere moderated the effects of risk message on social loneliness and travel intention. And risk propensity alleviated the negative …

A Study Of The Social Media Perceptions And Guest Satisfaction Concerning Recent Changes Related To The Genie+ System In The Walt Disney World Theme Parks, Kylie N. Bennett

Honors College Theses

This study examines the social media perceptions and guest satisfaction rates concerning recent changes related to the introduction of the Genie+ system in the Walt Disney World theme parks. Social media has allowed the public to share these opinions about changes in the Walt Disney World theme parks, but it is not known how these opinions compare to the lived guest experience. It is said that with the introduction of a paid standby queue bypass system the Walt Disney Company is making that aspect of its parks less accessible than in the past (Austin, 2022). This study uses a mixed …