Tourism and Travel Commons^™

Virtual Reality As A Promotional Tool: Insights From A Consumer Travel Fair, Mary O'Rawe, Alex Gibson

Books / Book chapters

Although the potential of virtual reality (VR) as a technology in tourism has been recognised for more than twenty years, (Horan, 1996; Williams and Hobson, 1995), we have witnessed a renewed interest in both academic and business circles recently (Jung, tom Dieck, Lee, & Chung, 2016). From a marketing perspective, VR offers the potential to build a sensory experience of a tourism destination or attraction, and can be used in sales contexts to complement, or indeed, supplant traditional promotional tools such as brochures. The immersive nature of the experience offers a deeper and more emotional assessment of the tourist offering …

Marketing The Mountain State: A Large N Study Of User Engagement On Twitter, Kirk Richardson

Capstone Projects – Politics and Government

Much of the evolving research on the use of social media in destination marketing emphasizes how information diffusion influences the reputational image of place. The present study uses Twitter data to focus on the relative differences in user engagement across discrete account types. Specifically, this is done to examine how the official destination marketing organization of Montana—the Montana Office of Tourism (MTOT)—performs relative to other account types. Several regression analyses conducted on Twitter data associated with an ongoing MTOT place branding campaign reveal that tweets sent from ‘official’ accounts are more likely to be retweeted, and are estimated to receive …

Impact Of Photo Angle On Food Perceptions And Evaluation, Austin B. Jacobs

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Food photography is an increasingly popular phenomenon, especially on social media. There are over 215 million photos on Instagram with the hashtag “food.” There is a growing trend to showcase the food on social media, as both health and “food art” has become part of popular culture. The purpose of this project is to explore how the photo angle utilized in the image influences a number of consumer outcomes, including evaluations of the food itself, the company, and desire to interact with the image. Specifically, pictures of food commonly employ either a three-quarter downward looking angle (as if you were …

Images Of Alzheimer’S: A Visual Analysis Of The Imagery Used To Globally Market Alzheimer’S Services Online​, Elizabeth Spencer, Alicia Mason

Faculty Submissions

Currently more than 46 million people are living with dementia globally (ADI, 2015). The World Health Organization (WHO) reports the worldwide population of persons 60 years of age and older will more than triple between 2000 and 2050 to two billion. The concept of Western patients receiving long-term dementia care in foreign countries is a new and emerging phenomenon (Gray, 2013; Pomareda, 2014; Wegerer, 2014). This study examines the visual images within Alzheimer’s care facility websites (n=105) and uses a cross cultural comparison lens to contrast differences in patient representations and treatment facilities. The goal of this study is to …

"(Don’T You) Wish You Were Here?”: Narcissism, Envy And Sharing Of Travel Photos Through Social Media: An Extended Abstract, David G. Taylor

WCBT Faculty Publications

Consumers are increasingly relying on user-generated content on social media for their awareness and subsequent decisions regarding travel destinations. This user-generated content – photos, comments, narratives and stories – is perceived by consumers to be more trustworthy and reliable compared to traditional sources of tourism information. ). Thus, understanding consumer motivations for sharing their travel through social media may provide tremendous advantage for tourism marketers.

Rights Of Publicity: A Practitioner's Enigma, Gil N. Peles Esq.

Georgia Journal of Law & Technology

No abstract provided.

Marketing Alaskan Seafood: Strategies With Brand Identification, Differentiation, And Promotions, Anna Jacobson

Journalism

Everyday the globe experiences changes with food. New methods in growing and harvesting are becoming approved, while others are frowned upon. People care more about where their food comes from than ever before. This research is to explore how Alaska seafood can successfully market their products in an ever-changing world. As challenges present themselves in the industry, opportunities are there as well.

This study sets out to explore marketing strategies for promoting a seafood brand. Through exploring current literature and interviewing experts to obtain data, conclusions will be drawn and analyzed. These findings will help to understand the best practices …

Removing The Undesirables: A Case Study, William K. Foxx, Melissa C. Northam, Corlette S. Burns

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

The lodging industry has been particularly challenged by the bed bug’s resurgence. Bed bugs are primarily associated with places where people sleep and most of these places are properties associated with the lodging industry such as hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts.

In the United States, this industry is massive.

All In Or A` La Carte: Preferences Of Medical Tourists Towards Value Of Co-Creation, Michael Dotson, Jennifer Henson Nevins, Bonnie S. Guy

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

Patients Beyond Borders (2014) defines a medical tourist as anyone who travels across international borders for the purpose of receiving nonemergency medical care. It has been estimated that the market size in USD ranges from 38.5 to 55 billion based upon eleven million cross-border patients worldwide spending an average of 3,500 – to 5,000 USD per visit. Further, Patients Beyond Borders suggests that the top Medical tourism destinations are Costa Rica, India, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United States.

A Research Note On Street Pricing Requirements In Major U.S. Airport Retail Concessions Requests For Proposals, Blaise Waguespack

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

When reviewing the subject of airport marketing, much of the literature is broken down into issues external or internal to the airport. The external literature tends to divide and differentiate airports on the issues of size (passenger counts) and who is the target of the marketing campaign. Those articles and books that tend to focus on the larger commercial airports (Jarach, 2005; Halpern and Graham, 2013) note the role the airport can play in economic development. Much of the external marketing tasks for the larger commercial airports are aimed at either attracting more airline service to the community or working …

How Customer Shopping Motivation Influences Perceived Design Of The Retail Environment, Julie C. Steen

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

Previous research shows that the decisions retailers make about the retail environment influence the amount of time customers spend in retail stores and the total amount of money spent in the retail store (Turley & Milliman 2000). One recent example of a retailer’s efforts to influence customers through the retail environment is Walmart’s Project Impact. In 2009, Walmart embarked on a five year plan to remodel seventy percent of its stores (Gregory 2009). Based on feedback from customers, Walmart sought to change several aspects of the retail environment, including reducing clutter, reducing crowding, wider aisles, clearer sight lines, brighter stores, …

Municipal Tourism Promotion: Mid-Size Cities In The United States, Peggy O. Shields

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

The competitive environment in the tourism industry requires municipalities interested in attracting tourists’ dollars to strategically manage city resources. Often public and private sector bodies cooperate and combine their efforts and resources to promote visitation to a city emphasizing the desire to maximize the limited resources of each available for tourism promotion. To succeed cities are challenged with finding an identity, or ‘personality’ that has a unique combination of functional and symbolic attributes to differentiate themselves from countless other destination options (Hankinson 2001). A city’s distinctiveness can be built on many different characteristics, such as cultural events and institutions, sporting …

Exploring Motivations And Usage Patterns Of Social Media Users, Anita Whiting

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

Social media is an important aspect of marketing today. According to Hanna et al (2011), social media is not an optional part of marketing strategy but a mandatory component for most companies today. Social media usage is rapidly growing. Facebook, the largest global social network, has over 1.19 billion users with an annual growth rate of eighteen percent (Aichner & Jacob 2015).

The Clothing Swap: Social, Sustainable, And Sacred, Mary M. Long, Deborah Fain

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

While there is much focus on recycling household waste such as paper, plastic, and metal, there is less focused attention on the waste produced by clothing and textiles. As noted by Joung (2013), consumers dispose of clothes by recycling, donating to charities, or giving to friends and family. But when individuals are not motivated to do this or are unaware of recycling options, they simply discard unwanted clothing where it ends up in landfill sites.

Motives for recycling clothes can range from altruistic (e.g., donating to a clothing drive for the poor or victims of a natural disaster) to economic …

Case Study: Sexism In Advertising And Airlines, Tamilla Curtis, Anke Arnaud Ph.D., Blaise Waguespack

Publications

This case study outlines an ethical dilemma faced by a young female student who is planning to buy airline tickets. Her purchase decision is influenced by cost and advertising strategies. The case discusses advertising ethics, ethical moral philosophies, including teleology and deontology, and sexist advertising with examples from the airline industry. This case will be beneficial for marketing students to discuss the topic of advertising ethics, and for business students to discuss the topic of organizational ethics. Students enrolling in aviation related classes will also benefit from this case. The teaching notes for instructors are available upon request.

Accessibility Of Tourism Websites: Attitudes And Behaviors, Filza Armadita

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

While developed countries continue to shape an industry that has somehow become an integral part of the society, it only seems fair that the industry should provide equal access for every member of the society, recouping members of the market that is excluded without notice. The basic tier of service in the web interface is to provide information, before any booking systems and online purchasing (Siegel, 1997). In the travel industry, this basic tier is achieved in many different travel businesses, but consistently in destination marketing websites that solely promotes a tourism destination through delivering information about the specific location. …

Analysis Of Automobile Advertisements In American Magazines, Asnika Bajracharya, Lukwesa K. Morin, Kendall H. Radovich

Student Publications

The automobile is one of the most important products in American consumer culture. Throughout the history of the automobile industry in America, advertising has been an important strategy for marketing automobiles and their features to consumers on a mass scale. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how print (magazine) automobile advertisements have changed through time (1960-2013) and across different genres of magazines: general (National Geographic, New Yorker), male-oriented (Esquire), female-oriented (Cosmopolitan), and ethnic (Ebony). The trends that we examined included: numbers and proportions of car advertisements, relative numbers of domestic and foreign car advertisements, and the mix of …

Family-Friendly Las Vegas: An Analysis Of Time And Space, Diana Tracy Cohen

Occasional Papers

This paper explores the rise and fall of the “family-friendly” Las Vegas marketing era. Through analysis of casino advertisements, internal and external building infrastructure, and qualitative in-depth interviews with industry insiders, this work investigates the city’s reinvention of the early 1990s. Key factors that set the stage for the emergence of targeted family marketing are identified, addressing why this advertising approach ultimately did not sustain. Unique marketing case studies are identified throughout.

Making The Magic: How Public Relations Is Handled At The Disney Parks, Elizabeth Demeo

Senior Honors Theses

The Walt Disney Company has always been an organization that has prided itself on its corporate image. One of their biggest successes has been their 11 theme parks across the globe. Ever since its creation in 1955, Disneyland has been known as "the happiest place on earth." However, many wonder how this reputation came to be and how it is being maintained today. To find this answer, one must look to the creative minds behind Disney's public relations. By examining the Disney parks and their public relations history, tactics, crisis management and current and future campaigns, companies can find out …

Analysis Of The Current Public Relations Practices Within The Irish Luxury Hotel Sector And The Importance Of These Practices To The Industry., Aoife Ducatta Lohse

Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the current knowledge, importance and application of public relations within Irish Luxury Hotels. Another aim was to find out how the public relations theories of relationship management, strategic management and communications are used in the sector.

The research methodology in this study used a mixed method approach. Quantitative research was used in the form of an online questionnaire and qualitative research was used in the form of semi-structured interviews. The online questionnaire was distributed to all luxury four star and five star properties with an online presence in Ireland with an aim …

F.A.C.E.S. (Faculty Academic Community Education Showcase): Professional Growth Experiences In A Career University, Paul J. Colbert, Ph.D.

MBA Faculty Conference Papers & Journal Articles

Institutes of higher education exist for the purpose of developing, fostering, nurturing, and stimulating the intellectual growth and development of students. The core values of a college education provide students conceptual and practical educational opportunities that focus on improving their skills and knowledge. These skills and knowledge translate into purposeful, real-life learning experiences. However, in the academic community, learning is not restricted to students. Faculty, too, must be supported and provided opportunities for personal and professional growth and development. Although professional development is not a novel concept in the education profession, schools often take up the gauntlet, but fall short …

The Marketing Plan Of The Cotai Strip, Pui Shan Wong

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In 2003, when most the current Cotai Strip was still a piece of reclaimed land, Sheldon Adelson started a visionary development on this piece of land: the Asian Las Vegas - the Cotai Strip under the corporate Sands China Limited. Its first property, the Venetian Macau was opened in August 2007 followed with a Four Seasons hotel in 2008 with a great success. The forthcoming project is the Sands Cotai Central which includes a 1,200-rooms Holiday Inn Macau, a 600-rooms Conrad Macau and a 4,000-rooms Sheraton Macao with an additional complex of casino, meeting facilities, and shopping mall.

Marketing these …

A Sense Of Place: Examining Music-Based Tourism And Its Implications In Destination Venue Placement, Richard Bret Campbell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Music, and the ability to make it, understand it and interpret it, is one of the characteristics that make us uniquely human. However, when it comes to seeing the performance of live music, there are other variables that come into play when determining where to see a concert. The potential connection between people, music, and a “sense of place” are explored in this examination of music-based tourism. Based on information from journals and related news media, and using parallels to the sports tourism industry, the paper found a distinct connection between humans and music in the context of human development, …

Identifying Green Meetings In The Hospitality Industry, Shin Yi (Felicity) Chiou

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose:

The purpose of this paper is to identify what constitutes green meetings in the hospitality industries with special attentions on the applications of modern technologies and marketing strategies. This professional paper will search and collect the related literature reviews and existent practices with green ideology in hospitality to clarify the myth and difficulties of being green and help the readers or potential advocates better understand green meetings and adopt them.

A Content Analysis Of Indonesian Hotel Website, Irene Hidayat

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose:

The purpose of this professional paper is to develop an effective content model for the Hotel Tentrem website. The content model will be obtained and modified from literature review. This study will also utilize content analysis to analyze five-star hotel websites in Indonesia to identify the common problems associated with the hotel websites, justify specific measures to build a successful website and provide suggestions on the potential areas of improvement.

Carnival Corporation & Plc, Ye Zhou

MBA Student Scholarship

Carnival Corporation & plc is a global cruise company and one of the largest vacation companies in the world. This paper researches the company by analyzing environmental factors, strategic position within the cruise industry and competitive advantages. After reviewing company's strategic history, this paper evaluates the effectiveness of the company's present strategies (Carnival Corporation and PLC, 2010b).

Developing A Culturally Responsive Classroom Collaborative Of Faculty, Students, And Institution, Paul J. Colbert

MBA Faculty Conference Papers & Journal Articles

Culture is integral to the learning process. It is the organization and way of life within the community of students and teachers and directs the way they communicate, interact, and approach teaching and learning. Although founded in particular values and principles, the academy, like most organizations, is impacted day-to-day by its culture. Yet, the traditional higher education institution has not been designed to operate within a racially or ethnically diverse student population. The social, political, economic, and cultural forces that support the institution influence the teaching and learning environments. To better address cultural diversity in the classroom, faculty must first …

Gratitude Works: Its Impact And The Mediating Role Of Affective Commitment In Driving Positive Outcomes, Randle D. Raggio, Judith Anne Garretson Folse

Marketing Faculty Publications

After studying the effects of Louisiana’s post-hurricane “thank you” campaigns, the researchers find expressions of gratitude significantly improve perceptions of Louisiana in the midst of its recovery. Through a national survey conducted November 2006, they find that those who saw or heard a thank you advertisement have more positive attitudes toward the state and its people, a greater willingness to pay a premium for its products, services and travel to the state, and spread positive word-of-mouth, thus justifying the use of public funds to support the campaign. The authors investigate the role of participation on the effectiveness of expressions of …

Easy: An Integrated Marketing Communications Program For The City Of New Orleans, Brett Rogers

Honors Theses

The following is an integrated marketing communications program for the city of New Orleans entitled "Easy." The paper outlines the history of the marketing of New Orleans, as well as the city's current goals. A detailed summary of the current market is provided with detailed demographics and beliefs held, as well as the segmentation variables that will be used within the "Easy" campaign to define the targeted audiences. The PRIZM NE segmentation system is used to better define the target markets of the campaign. Broadly defined, the two targeted segments of the campaign are: 1. younger families with children who …

Obesity, Educational Attainment, And State Economic Welfare, Martin W. Sivula Ph.D.

MBA Faculty Conference Papers & Journal Articles

For the first time in history, estimates of the overweight people in the world rival estimates of those malnourished. The World Health Organization (WHO, 2002) ranked obesity among the top 10 risks to human health worldwide. In the early 1960s, nearly half of the Americans were overweight and 13% were obese. Today some 64% of U.S. adults are overweight and 30.5% are obese. Even more alarming, twice as many U.S. children are overweight than were twenty years ago, a 66% increase. Non-communicable diseases impose a heavy economic burden on already strained health systems. Health is a key determinant of development …