Tourism and Travel Commons^™

Satisfaction Vs Experienced Utility: Current Issues And Opportunities, Maksim Godovykh, Asli D. A. Tasci

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Satisfaction is one of the most studied constructs in many fields, including tourism. As an important marketing metric, satisfaction is typically measured with self-reported retrospective evaluations of travel experience. However, the memory-based approaches have numerous limitations related to social desirability, availability heuristics, previous knowledge, mood at the time of answering questions and do not reflect the moment-by-moment nature of visitor experience. The shortcomings and limitations of self-reported retrospective evaluations could be eliminated by introducing pre-visit, on-site, and post-visit instant components of experienced utility as measures of visitor experience. The experienced utility allows eliminating the majority of self-report biases, capturing the …

The "If-Then" Rules Matter More? The Roles Of Regulatory Focus And Leader–Member Exchange, You-De Dai, Wen-Long Zhuang, Annie Ko, Fevzi Okumus

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This study aimed to explore the impact of regulatory focus on employees' effort behavior and social loafing in the context of international tourist hotels. The moderating effect of leader–member exchange on this causal relationship was also examined. Data were analyzed using a regression model of 708 valid responses obtained from frontline employees working in five-star international hotels. The results reveal that regulatory focus is positively related to effort behavior and partially supports social loafing. Leader–member exchange moderates the relationship between promotion focus and effort behavior as well as between prevention focus and effort behavior. These findings provide managerial implications for …

Customer Experience In Tourism: A Review Of Definitions, Components, And Measurements, Maksim Godovykh, Asli D. A. Tasci

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Considered as a more competitive advantage than price, product, or quality, the concept of experience has received increasing attention in different disciplines. However, the pathway for handling experience has not been clearly set forth due to divergent conceptualizations and insufficient measures of customer experience. This study critically analyzes empirical and conceptual literature on experience, provides a holistic definition of experience, proposes an experience model with four main components (emotional, cognitive, sensorial, and conative), and suggests using a combination of several measures to capture the totality of tourism experience at pre-visit, onsite, and post-visit stages. These suggestions provide important implications for …

Bonaire: The First Blue Destination In The Caribbean, Robertico Croes, Manuel Rivera, Kelly Semrad, Valeriya Shapoval, Mathilda Van Niekerk

Rosen Research Review

In December 2016, the Tourism Corporation Bonaire (TCB) commissioned the Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies at UCF Rosen College to develop a Strategic Tourism Master Plan 2017-2027. At that time, the TCB felt the destination was at a critical crossroads. The central questions were how to make the tourism industry sustainable now and for the future, and how to optimize the participation of residents in the benefits that sustainable tourism could afford to them.

Improving Country And Destination Image Can Bring More American Tourists To Cuba, Suja Chaulagain, Jessica Wiitala, Xiaoxiao Fu

Rosen Research Review

Country image, how an entire country is perceived by potential tourists, and the more specific destination image are important concepts in tourism marketing. They have a profound impact on a person's intent to travel to a particular destination. Suja Chaulagain, Jessica Wiitala and Xiaoxiao Fu of Rosen College of Hospitality Management have used the example of Cuba to examine the impact of country image and destination image on U.S. tourists' travel intentions. Their work provides guidance for Cuba's tourist marketing industry for attracting more tourists from the United States.

Tourist's Delight: How Theme Parks Can Improve Tourism Experience, Edwin Torres, Ady Milman

Rosen Research Review

Understanding what drives customers to write delighted or outraged reviews on platforms such as TripAdvisor following their visits to theme parks would be highly valuable information for park developers and managers. Researchers Dr. Edwin Torres and Dr. Ady Milman from Rosen College of Hospitality Management use data extracted from the review platform to dissect tourism experience, delight and outrage in the previously overlooked theme park sector.

Increasing Health Tourism Spending In The United States, Jorge Ridderstaat, Dipendra Singh

Rosen Research Review

An increasing number of people are taking advantage of health tourism to access medical services abroad. For the U.S. to be competitive in the lucrative health tourism environment, it is essential to target the right markets. Until now the information available to do this has been limited. This knowledge gap is being addressed by Dr. Jorge Ridderstaat and Dr. Dipendra Singh from Rosen College of Hospitality Management and colleagues. These researchers have developed a microeconomic elasticity approach that offers an understanding of the effects of individual tourism markets on the total health tourism spending in the U.S.

Romantic Brand Love In The Luxury Hotel Sector, Juhee Kang

Rosen Research Review

When I fall in love…. it will be forever.' It's one of the best-known lines in the Great American Song Book, but romantic love is now an increasingly familiar concept in marketing. It's said that people can form a deep and meaningful emotional connection with their favorite brands, just as they can with a life partner. New research from Rosen College of Hospitality Management's Dr. Juhee Kang looks at what this means for luxury hotels and what they can do to stay in tune with modern consumers.

Do Loyalty Schemes Benefit Hotel Preferences?, Nan Hua, Wei Wei

Rosen Research Review

Loyalty schemes have been a significant development in many industries, including the highly competitive hotel industry. But do those schemes contribute real value by improving hotel performance, or are they just an expensive but outdated marketing tool? Dr. Nan Hua and Dr. Wei Wei from the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, University of Central Florida, seek to better understand this relationship.

Lgbt Events: Sense Of Belonging For Lgbt Travelers, Jeeyeon (Jeannie) Hahm, Heejung Ro

Rosen Research Review

A successful event or festival can be a huge draw to a tourist destination. As lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) travelers are increasingly recognized as a growing market for tourism, events aimed at this demographic are expanding in number and scale. It is therefore useful to understand what factors influence attendance. In a study designed to do just this, Dr. Jeeyeon Hahm and Dr. Heejung Ro from the Rosen College of Hospitality Management looked at psychological variables related to social identity to examine what influences satisfaction and repeat attendance at LGBT events.

Florida's Food Truck Industry: Tackling The Food Safety Challenges And Health Risks, Bendegul Okumus, Sevil Sonmez

Rosen Research Review

Street food is a popular part of daily life, with a vast variety of vendors and food trucks around the world. It is easily available and well-known foods contribute to the local economy. Despite these strengths, many cultures don't highly regard street food. In particular, it's often perceived as unhygienic compared to restaurant food. These concerns around standards are indeed upheld by research in some countries. Researchers Dr. Bendegul Okumus and UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management and Dr. Sevil Sonmez at UCF College of Business analyze the inspection challenges street food faces and review the gaps between food safety …

What Makes Them Share: Generation Y, Electronic World Of Mouth And Brand Success, Tingting Zhang, Behzad Abounia Omran, Cihan Cobanoglu

Rosen Research Review

Generation Y has redefined the way customers seek, share and consider information about products and services before purchasing. Proficient users of digital technologies and social media, members of Generation Y are quick to share their experiences with brands and companies and their opinions have a significant influence on brand revenue and reputation. Dr. Tingting (Christina) Zhang from Rosen College of Hospitality Management and collaborators Dr. Behzad Abounia Omran (Ohio State University) and Dr. Cihan Cobanoglu (University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee) examined what influences Gen Y's decision to participate in electronic work of mouth (eWOM).

Sweet Home Alabama: A Great Place To Visit?, Jeeyeon (Jeannie) Hahm, Kimberly Severt

Rosen Research Review

How we choose our leisure destinations is a critical insight required by cities and regions that rely on tourism to find their economy. In this study of Alabama as a destination, Dr. Jeeyeon (Jeannie) Hahm of Rosen College of Hospitality Management, University of Central Florida, and Dr. Kimberly Severt of Department of Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management, The University of Alabama, consider how destination marketing must focus on factors important to tourists to encourage them to visit, and then ensure they are not disappointed.

How Effective Are Virtual Reality Experiences As Destination Marketing Tools?, Alessandra Marasco, Piera Buonincontri, Mathilda Van Niekerk, Marissa Orlowski, Fevzi Okumus

Rosen Research Review

How did you decide where to go on your last holiday? Did you see a picture-perfect paradise promoted on your social media feed? Once upon a time, planning your perfect holiday was organized with a trip to the local travel agency. In recent years you are more likely to pick your destination based on the most attractive advertisements at the top of an online travel agency website. Dr. Mathilda van Niekerk, Dr. Marissa Orlowski and Dr. Fevzi Okumus from Rosen College of Hospitality Management, along with Allessandra Marasco and Dr. Piera Buonincontri from the National Research Council's Institute for research …

Holiday Research: How Academia Is Informing A Destination Marketing Organization, Misty Johantgen

Rosen Research Review

Destination marketing is a changing industry; the advent of the internet and smartphones has led to an explosion in the number of destination marketing companies looking to be the reason you visit somewhere. So how does one destination marketing organization (DMO) stand out from another? How much has the role of DMOs altered in recent years? Misty Johantgen, Chief Operating Officer of Experience Kissimmee, one of the largest DMOs in Florida, is here to tell us more.

Climate Change And Tourist Destinations: Florida's Case, Alan Fyall, Dr. Asli Tasci, Jill Fjelstul, Roberta Atzori

Rosen Research Review

Aside from the physical impacts of climate change, society's perception of climate change, and the response to it at different decision-making levels, are now critical issues. As public awareness of the consequences of climate change increases, it becomes a consideration in everyday decision-making, including tourism. The research of three colleagues at Rosen college o Hospitality Managment, Dr. Alan Fyall, Dr. Asli D. A. Tasci, and Dr. Jill Fjelstul, along with Dr. Roberta Atzori from California State University, Monterey Bay, examines how social representations of climate change may affect a choice of holiday destination. In particular, they examine how they might …

The Wine Tourist: Motivations, Satisfaction And Behavioral Outcomes, Robin M. Back, Diego Bufquin, Jeong-Yeol Park

Rosen Research Review

What inspires someone to visit a winery? And why do they go back? Three professors from the Rosen College of Hospitality Management have been considering these questions with a particular focus on the world-renowned winery, Marques de Riscal, in Spain. Dr. Robin Beck, Dr. Diego Bufquin, and Dr. Jeon-Yeol Park examined customer revisit intentions, previous visits, motivation to visit, customer satisfaction levels, and the geographic proximity of a destination to their home.

Tourism's Potential To Benefit Ecuador's Poor, Robertico Croes, Manuel A. Rivera

Rosen Research Review

Tourism development has long been discussed as having potential to promote economic growth and alleviate poverty in developing countries. In an award-winning paper, Rosen College researchers Dr. Robertico Croes and Dr. Manuel Rivera use a new model - the Social Accounting Matrix (SAM), to assess the impact of tourism development using Ecuador as an example. Their focus? To examine whether the poor, in particular, benefit from increased levels of tourism.

Antecedents Of Tendency To Help The Victims Of Human Trafficking From The Perspective Of High-Contact Service Employees In The Lodging Industry, Melissa Farboudi Jahromi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

International Labor Organization estimated that 40.3 million people were victims of human trafficking in 2016. The high rate of human trafficking has drawn policymakers' attention to this issue and made them enforce anti-trafficking laws and regulations. However, their legal measures have not been based on solid empirical evidence due to the lack of academic research on human trafficking. The scant research available on human trafficking has been mainly descriptive or an investigation of sex trafficking cases to provide help to survivors. Thus, there is a need for research to explore human trafficking as a human rights issue through various perspectives …

Cultural Institutions' Digital Responses To Covid-19 Temporary Closures, Brittany N. Ryder

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of the study was to explore what types of digital content cultural institutions implemented during COVID-19 temporary closures and their effects on social media engagement. Existing research identified the role of digital content and social media in cultural institutions, but only in times of normal operations. The study adds to the existing literature by exploring types of digital content implemented, impacts on social media engagement, measures of social media engagement, and future implications in regard to COVID-19 temporary closures.

The study recruited 16 cultural institutions from across the United States to take part in in-depth semi-structured phone interviews …

Dispositional, Place Perceptions, And Imagination: The Interactive Network Of Authenticity, Ying Chao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purposes of this dissertation are threefold: to define and operationalize different types of authenticity, to test the interactive network of different types of authenticity, and to test the relationships between authenticity and tourist outcome variables including transformation, place attachment, and loyalty. In psychology, authenticity is typically conceptualized to be subject-based in nature, referring to a person's state of being true to oneself across contexts and against external influences. This type of authenticity has been termed "dispositional authenticity" and operationalized in this study in dimensions of authentic living, accepting external influence, and self-alienation. In tourism, authenticity is usually considered to …

A Holistic Approach To Asses The Determinants Of Travel-Tracking Mobile Application Acceptance, Marcos De Medeiros

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This thesis investigated factors affecting travelers' intention to adopt a new type of travel-focused mobile application named travel-tracking mobile applications (TTMA). In general, TTMAs enable travelers to act as travel-posters (i.e., those who use the application to record and post/share their travel routes and travel-related information and experiences), and/or travel-takers (i.e., those who use the application to access, read, and follow the travel routes and other travel-related information and experiences posted/shared by travel-posters). By adopting an extended version of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) framework (Venkatesh et al., 2012), the first part of the …

Estimating The Economic Impact Of Vacation Home Rentals In Florida, Robertico R. Croes, Manuel A. Rivera, Kelly J. Semrad, Jorge Ridderstaat, Valeriya Shapoval, Mehmet Altin

Dick Pope Sr. Institute Publications

This report takes an in-depth look at the economic impact of the Florida vacation rental home industry and its ripple effects across the state. It includes an estimate of the magnitude of the industry's impact on Florida's economy as well as profiles of the main stakeholders who generate this impact.

The report focuses on the economic impact of the vacation rental home industry in 25 Florida counties selected by the client, Florida Realtors® (Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf, Franklin, Nassau, Duval, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, Collier, Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Orange, Osceola, Brevard, Volusia, and …

2019 Cnsjf: A Tantalizing Entertainment Experience Benefiting Curacao's Economy, Manuel A. Rivera, Robertico R. Croes

Dick Pope Sr. Institute Publications

The 2019 Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival (CNSJF) was held during the U.S. Labor Day Weekend between August 29 and August 31. The festival has generated beautiful memories for many and is a compelling magnet for bringing people together. Its sizeable economic contribution, promotional value, and its appeal to new and affluent market segments are the most significant benefits of the CNSJF to the destination. These gripping results make the festival the flagship platform shaping Curaçao's future.

The festival attracted 5,008 international attendees, which spent US$2,522 per trip per person, and US$413 per day per person. Spending per person was …

The Effects Of Japanese Ryokan Attributes On Perceived Values And Purchase Intention, Ryuichi Karakawa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The increasing demand for spa and hot spring resorts, particularly within the luxury markets, provides an opportunity for new types of accommodations. This study focused on Ryokan which is described as traditional Japanese hotels with hot springs. Despite the recent trend of expanding Japanese Ryokans in the global market, most extant research had only focused on perceptions of customers who have experienced Ryokans. Therefore, this study explored what attributes of Japanese Ryokans are important to potential customers and to what extent these attributes could enhance perceived values toward Japanese Ryokans. A total of 983 usable responses were collected through an …

2019 Icrcc Proceedings Table Of Contents, Conference Organizers

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

These proceedings are a representative sample of the presentations given by professional practitioners and academic scholars at the 2019 International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference (ICRCC) held March 11-13, 2019. The ICRCC is an annual event that takes place the second week in March in beautiful sunny Orlando, Florida. The conference hosts are faculty and staff from the Nicholson School of Communication. The goal of the ICRCC is to bring together prominent professional practitioners and academic scholars that work directly with crisis and risk communication on a daily basis. We define crisis and risk broadly to include, for example, natural …

The 2018 Muslim Pilgrimage To Mecca: Application Of Grunig’S Theory Of Excellence Two-Way Communication Efforts To Avoid A Crisis, Saud A. Alsulaiman, Terry L. Rentner

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

Every year, millions of Muslims converge in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. So how does a government prepare for a potential crisis when hosting an event of this magnitude? A content analysis guided this study on crisis communication strategies taken by the Saudi government before, during, and after Hajj 2018 and how Saudi Arabia utilized the media to deliver proactive messages to ensure a successful Hajj season. The study found that the government created and built a positive image in the media through the use of effective management, preemptive messages, and multiple communication channels.

Trouble In Paradise: Impacts Of Theme Park Tourism On The Mental Health Of Employees In Orlando, Florida, Lea Harvey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tourism is a topic that has gained much attention within the realm of anthropology over the past few decades. Anthropological research of the tourism industry has been largely devoted to the study of the tourist gaze and its subsequent sociocultural impacts as well as the benefits that travelers reap from their colonialist excursions. However, the voices of those who form the foundation of this industry, the laborers, remain almost entirely absent from said discourse. Furthermore, there is a lack of anthropological consideration for the relationship between tourism and mental health experiences of employees within the tourism industry. One specific region …

Destination Image And Tourist's Imagination: The Forgotten Component, Jalayer Khalilzadeh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of this dissertation was to 1) develop a comprehensive scale to measure visitors' imagination, 2) investigate the structural relationship between imagination and tourism destination image (TDI) components of cognitive, affective, and conative, 3) compare and contrast the various qualities of vividness, richness, saliency, control, and spatial between imagination and prospection, and 4) study the impact of different information sources on the evolving process of prospection to imagination. By conducting four different studies and seven data collection phases, the imagination scale was developed, validated, and utilized to test the proposed structural and differential hypotheses. In study 1, the phenomenology …

Exploring A Three-Dimensional Narrative Medium: The Theme Park As "De Sprookjessprokkelaar," The Gatherer And Teller Of Stories, Carissa Baker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the pervasiveness of storytelling in theme parks and establishes the theme park as a distinct narrative medium. It traces the characteristics of theme park storytelling, how it has changed over time, and what makes the medium unique. This was accomplished using a mixed methods approach drawing data from interviews with creative professionals, archival research, fieldwork, and an analysis of more than eight hundred narrative attractions. The survey of narrative attractions revealed the most common narrative expressions to be dark rides and stage shows. Source material tends to be cultural tales (legends, fairy tales) or intellectual properties (generally …