Tourism and Travel Commons^™

Talent Management And Sustainable Performance In Travel Agents: Do Green Intellectual Capital And Green Servant Leadership Matter?, Yehia Shihata Elzek, Mohammad Soliman, Hafidh Al Riyami, Noel Scott

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Talent management (TM) can contribute to improving sustainable business performance in the face of a competitive and socially responsible environment. The use of TM to improve tourism staff skills and motivation is contentious, given such jobs are seen as routine and low-paid. Indeed, the precise processes through which TM techniques support sustained performance outcomes in tourism enterprises requires examination. This paper provides empirical evidence for the impact of TM practices on sustainable organizational performance (SOP). This effect of TM on performance is mediated by green intellectual capital (GIC). The moderating role of green servant leadership (GSL) on the link between …

The Impact Of The Intensity Of Media Use On Potential Tourists’ Risk Perception And Travel Protective Behavioral Intentions In Covid-19, Ruihong Sun, Xinliang Ye, Jianping Tang, Jiexi Yang, Noel Scott

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an increased need for potential travelers to gather information about their trips to mitigate perceived risks. This study aims to understand the relationship between the intensity of media use (both new and traditional), epidemic risk perception, and tourism protection behavior intention among potential tourists. Methods: A total of 491 valid questionnaires were collected in Shanghai, China. Factor analysis, path analysis, and effect analysis were conducted using SPSS and AMOS to examine the impact of different media types on epidemic risk perception and tourism protection behavior. Results: The findings indicate a positive …

Tourism Experiences Reduce The Risk Of Cognitive Impairment In The Chinese Older Adult: A Prospective Cohort Study, Qian Li, Zheng Guo, Fangli Hu, Mengfei Xiao, Qiang Zhang, Jun Wen, Tianyu Ying, Danni Zheng, Youxin Wang, Song Yang, Haifeng Hou

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Given the etiological complexity of cognitive impairment, no effective cure currently exists for precise treatment of dementia. Although scholars have noted tourism’s potential role in managing cognitive impairment and mild dementia, more robust empirical investigation is needed in this area. This study aimed to examine the associations between tourism and cognitive impairment and dementia in older Chinese adults. Method: From a nationwide community-based cohort, 6,717 individuals aged ≥ 60 were recruited from 2011 to 2014, of whom 669 (9.96%) had had at least one tourism experience in the 2 years prior to enrollment. All the participants were then prospectively …

Exploring Perceptions Of Travel-Eligible Individuals With Dementia And Hotel Operators, Jun Wen, Danni Zheng, Yangyang Jiang, Haifeng Hou, Ian Phau, Wei Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Although people with dementia have leisure travel needs, no scholars appear to have empirically explored how to meet this group’s needs as hotel guests. To bridge this research gap in tourism literature, the current study employed in-depth interviews to collect first-hand data from 15 travel-eligible tourists with early-stage dementia and 15 senior luxury hotel managers in China. Specifically, six key themes were extracted from Chinese hotel guests with dementia. Hotel managers’ commentary on meeting travel-eligible tourists with dementia’ needs during leisure travel led to three themes. Innovatively, this study further sheds light on possible contributions the tourism and hospitality industry …

Understanding Tourists’ Dining Behaviors At Traditional Chinese Nutraceutical Restaurants, Jong-Hyeong Kim, Fangli Hu, Jun Wen, Haifeng Hou

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Nutraceutical restaurants providing medical and/or health benefits have become an emerging market; however, the underlying factors and the mechanism explaining dining behaviours in nutraceutical restaurants remain unknown. This study utilized a mixed-methods approach to bridge this research gap. An exploratory qualitative interview was conducted to identify the determinants of patronage behaviour at nutraceutical restaurants. We further conducted a quantitative study utilizing an extended value-attitude-behaviour model to provide quantitative evidence. The results showed that health, cultural values, and social norms significantly influenced customers’ attitudes, thus leading to their revisit intentions. Furthermore, we found a significant role of social norms in determining …

Bringing The Past To Life: Co-Creating Tourism Experiences In Historic House Tourist Attractions, Jacqui Doyle, Felicity Kelliher

Articles

This ethnographic study concentrates on the co-creation of experiential value between the tourist and tour guide in a single historic tourism site; Huntingdon Castle, Ireland. Built upon the principles of service dominant logic, the research explores how storytelling acts as an engagement platform and value enhancing strategic resource. In doing so, it impels the value co-creation journey and shapes the tourist’s experience. Observation is coupled with qualitative interviews to capture the dual perspective of both guides and tourists. Findings exhibit the co-creation process through the performance of stories; how and when people derive pleasure (value); the influencing aspects of the …

Can Tourism Market Diversification Mitigate The Adverse Effects Of A Blockade On Tourism? Evidence From Qatar, Ghialy Yap, Shrabani Saha, Nelson O. Ndubisi, Saif S. Alsowaidi, Ali S. Saleh

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study examines the effects of an unfavorable political event or environmental hostility, namely, a blockade affecting international tourist inflows, and how tourism market diversification (TMD) could mitigate the adverse effects in the case of Qatar. To quantify these effects, we adopted a standard tourism-demand model and augmented it with a Herfindahl index (HI) for the geographical diversification of tourism exports, a dummy variable for the blockade, and an interaction variable. We further analyzed the tourist inflows from various regions using regional dummies and their interaction terms to capture the different impacts of the blockade on Qatar’s inbound tourists from …

Tourists' Perceptions Of And Reactions To Child Sex Tourism: An Exploratory Qualitative Investigation, Joshua Aston, Jun Wen, Shaohua Yang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: Using a qualitative approach, this cross-disciplinary study integrating modern slavery, tourism and marketing expertise outlines Chinese outbound tourists' perceptions of and reactions to issues related to child sex tourism.

Design/methodology/approach: In total, 27 in-depth interviews were conducted, and data were analysed. Manual coding was chosen as an efficient method to process qualitative interview data given the relatively small sample size in this study.

Findings: Three main themes emerged from analysis: (1) tourists' negative perceptions of child sex tourism; (2) tourist boycotts against child sex tourism destinations and activities as reactions to this socially deviant and illegal phenomenon and (3) …

Covid-19 Two Years On: A Review Of Covid-19-Related Empirical Research In Major Tourism And Hospitality Journals, Songshan (Sam) Huang, Xuequn Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: This study aims to provide a timely review of the COVID-19-related empirical research published in 19 quartile one (Q1) and quartile two (Q2) tourism and hospitality journals in social science citation index (SSCI).

Design/methodology/approach: A total of 407 COVID-19-related empirical papers were collected from the 19 SSCI Q1 and Q2 tourism and hospitality journals via Scopus database. Thematic content analysis was supplemented with Leximancer software to identify the research themes/subthemes, research methods and countries/regions of research.

Findings: The study found studies of COVID-19’s impact on consumer behaviour predominate in number, followed by studies on response actions and recovery strategies, …

Effect Of Perceived Job Risk On Organizational Conflict In Tourism Organizations: Examining The Roles Of Employee Responsible Behavior And Employee Silence, Jun Yu, Chaowu Xie, Songshan (Sam) Huang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Job risk and organizational conflict create pervasive dilemmas within the tourism industry that significantly concern managers and practitioners. However, little research has informed the relationship between job risk and organizational conflict. Based on conservation of resources theory, this study adopted a multi-study design and examined the effect of perceived job risk on organizational conflict in the tourism industry in both tourist hotels (Study 1, n = 495) and tourist attractions (Study 2, n = 401). In addition, the roles of employee responsible behavior and employee silence in moderating the effect of job risk on organizational conflict were examined. Study 1 …

Review Of: Perpetual Journey: A Semester On The Road To Santiago, Amy Horton

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This is a film review of a unique, semester-long study abroad program on the Camino.

Working Paper Part 1 : The Very First Pilgrimage - An Inspired Trajectory Out Of Africa, Ian S. Mcintosh

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

One hundred thousand years ago, give or take, the forebears of some of Australia’s First Nations—by some accounts as few as 150 people—left Africa on an immense journey. After some 2,000 generations, the passage through new and unfamiliar territories of these first modern human beings terminated in a supercontinent that included Australia, Papua, and Tasmania. By some estimates, no more than 150 people—the same number that had originally left Africa—made the final sea crossing that separates Indonesia and Australia. Research on such ancient migrations emphasises population growth, the ‘selfish gene,’ and the territorial imperative, as key drivers of mobility. This …

The Epic Pilgrimage: The Way Of The Ascetics Of El Capitan, John Shultz

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

El Capitan and its related environs constitute the ‘holiest of holies,’ the ‘center of the universe,’ or the ‘mecca’ of the rock climbing world. Big walls are simply the tallest, steepest, and most challenging rockfaces on the planet. For the tribe of big wall climbers, El Capitan, which stands nearly 1000 meters above the Merced River in Yosemite National Park in California, has a mystique and allure unmatched by any other location. In previous work, I establish the concept of climbing on El Capitan as ‘vertical pilgrimage’ (Shultz, 2020), and in this paper, I focus specifically on climbing efforts as …

A Semi-Autoethnographical Account Of The Order Of Malta’S Annual Pilgrimage To Lourdes, Dane Munro Km

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Lourdes, in the French Pyrenees, has been a pilgrimage site since 1858. At present, about six million Roman Catholic pilgrims and others visit Lourdes every year. During the annual weeklong pilgrimage of the Order of St John, an average of about 7,500 participants from 45 countries, including 380 doctors, nurses and pharmacists, 250 priests and other volunteers, are nursing and caring for 1,500 malades (the sick and suffering). This semi-autoethnographical account is based on many years of visitation as a member of the Order of St John and describes the various changes of a political and societal nature, while the …

Making History Visible: Ireland’S National Famine Way Told Through Models And Interactive Digital Narratives, E. Moore Quinn

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The National Famine Way is a trail along Ireland’s Royal Canal that traces the remarkable trek of the 1,490 tenants who were evicted by their landlord, Denis Mahon, from his estate in Strokestown, County Roscommon, in the Republic of Ireland, during ‘Black ’47,’ the worst year of the Great Irish Famine (Irish: An Gorta Mór, the Great Hunger of 1847). The evictees were ‘escorted’ from their homes to vessels that awaited them in Dublin. They were then taken to Liverpool, where they were placed on four so-called ‘coffin ships’ bound for Canada. The path along the Royal Canal is 165 …

Roles Of Religious Guides In Tourism: A Qualitative Study From Japan, Ricardo Nicolas Progano

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage travel has become an important element in contemporary tourism, as visitors flock to sacred locations (UNWTO, 2015). However, some aspects of pilgrimage travel remain relatively understudied, with one of them being the roles of guides in these locations. Based on previous academic works, the present study aims to bridge this gap by analysing the role of religious figures who engage in guiding activities aimed at the general public. For this, Shippōryū-ji, a Shugendō temple located in Japan, is presented as the case study. As previous research on the subject is scarce, a qualitative approach was deemed suitable. Utilising interview …

A Changed Understanding Of Miracles In Religious Tourism, Stephen F. Haller

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

In this modern age, an unsceptical acceptance of supernatural events–those which cannot be explained as part of the natural order of things–is less common than it once was. This trend is reflected in the declining frequency of miracle-cures certified by the Medical Bureau at Lourdes. Yet miracles past, and the promise of possible miracles in the present, still attract multitudes of religious pilgrims and tourists to sacred sites all over the world. While the frequency of miracles goes down, the appeal of miracles goes on, and the number of religious visitors has not declined. What role do miracles now play …

Emotions At The Border: Verbal Aspects Of The Attari-Wagah Patriotic Pilgrimage, Anna V. Bochkovskaya

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

For over sixty years the Attari-Wagah checkpoint at the border between India and Pakistan has been a site for the Beating Retreat, a colorful ceremony of lowering the national flags performed jointly by the Indian Border Security Force and the Pakistan Rangers. This emotional ritual is generally perceived as a demonstration of aggressive designs, on the one hand, and as a symbol of goodwill and possible cooperation between neighbouring countries, on the other.

In recent decades visiting/viewing the border (sīmā darśan) has become an essential part of tourist packages for travellers in North-West India, while the notion of ‘patriotic pilgrimage’ …

From Palma To Lluc – The Social And Organisational Life Of A Nocturnal Pilgrimage In Mallorca, Maja Balle

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Although the island of Mallorca is well known for its beaches and mass tourism sector, a local pilgrimage tradition with deep roots in Catholicism is still thriving on the island; on the first weekend in August, thousands of people gather to make a nocturnal pilgrimage to a shrine at Lluc Mountain. Rather than focusing on the actual performance of the sacred journey or the culmination of its ritualised accomplishment, this case study explores the social and economic framing of the event orchestrated by actors from the local community, the church, the governmental sector, and other private and public stakeholders. The …

The Pilgrimage To The Grand Magal In Ṭūbā, Senegal, Tahar Abbou

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The Grand Magal in Ṭūbā, in Senegal is the third biggest religious event in the Muslim community after the pilgrimage to the mausoleum of Imam al-Hussayn in Karbala, Iraq and the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. This paper deals with the pilgrimage to Ṭūbā that celebrates the life and teachings of Shaykh Amadou Bamba, the founder of the Sufi Murīdiyya Brotherhood. The event takes place on the 18th of Safar, the second month in the Islamic lunar calendar. Murīds (novices committed to spiritual enlightenment), pilgrims, and visitors from over the world descend onto the city of Ṭūbā to visit the …