Browsing by Subject "tourism"
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Item Aesthetic responses to urban greenway trail corridors: Implications for sustainable development in tourism and recreation settings(Texas A&M University, 2005-08-29) Chon, Jin HyungUrban greenway trails are emerging as potential tourist attractions in cities and are well recognized for their recreation opportunities in general. The study presented an opportunity to expand the scope of aesthetic response research into the realm of urban greenway trails. The concept of likability (Nasar, 1998) was used as a guiding concept in the study. In order to gather data for the study, a web-based virtual tour was developed and implemented. Treatments were assigned to 6 groups that viewed two urban greenway trail corridors. Each trail had three treatments including the existing trail condition, a manipulated trail condition, and a reverse in direction of the existing trail condition. Analyses were conducted to 1) identify dimensions of aesthetic responses, 2) examine relationships between cognitive evaluation, affective response, trail characteristics, and likability, and 3) evaluate specific greenway trail characteristics and their relationships to the trail experience. Results indicated five aesthetic dimensions of the greenway trail corridors. The cognitive dimensions were maintenance, distinctiveness, and naturalness and the affective dimensions were pleasantness and arousal. Pleasantness and distinctiveness were the strongest predictors of likability in urban greenway trails. In terms of greenway trail characteristics, six of eight specific characteristics had predictive value in relation to how inviting the virtual trail was to the viewer. Finally, several greenway trail characteristics had significant influences on human perception and the likability of trail environments. This study proposed a new way of conceptualizing likability and a model of relationships leading to likability. One of the major implications of this study is to identify a way to improve physical conditions of greenway corridors in urban areas based on aesthetic responses. The study also implied that greenways can encompass natural or man-made features and can be managed and developed as a tourist attraction while providing local opportunities in cities. Aesthetic quality influences perceived quality of life and sense of well-being. Findings of the study can help enhance the aesthetic quality of the greenway trails that can contribute to sustainable development in various tourism and recreation settings.Item Delegation in Tourism Decision Making: Toward an Understanding of the Role of Social Surrogate(2014-07-30) Stone, Matthew JohnTourism is often a group-based activity, but tourism decision-making research has primarily focused on individual decision making and who makes decisions in families. However, there are numerous situations in which individuals do not make decisions for themselves, effectively delegating decisions such as where to visit, stay, or eat to others in their travel party, called ?social surrogates.? Unlike traditional surrogates described by prior researchers, social surrogates are not part of a formal business relationship and often participate in consumption. The purpose of this study was to investigate delegation of decisions to social surrogates and to determine which attributes lead to delegation. A nationwide web-based survey (n=404) found that decision delegation to social surrogates frequently occurred in travel environments. The study also revealed that there are two separate factors comprising decision delegation: the desire to defer a decision and the desire to make a choice (?choose?). Two structural equation models were tested. The first model found that decision-making style affected decision delegation. Additionally, results provided evidence that desire to defer decisions and desire to make a choice are not clear opposites, but are separate components of decision delegation. A second model revealed that high purchase involvement, desire to control others, relinquishing control, and propensity to make risky decisions led to the desire to choose. A desire to relinquish control led to deferring decisions, as did low purchase involvement. Decision delegation also was found to be more likely in situations in which the decision-maker felt that others had more relative experience and expertise. Decision delegation to social surrogates was found to be common in tourism. Results suggest it would be incorrect to assume that individuals make all of their decisions, so all customers may not be of equal importance to tourism marketers. Some individuals may have little to no role in choice (as they defer decisions), while others (social surrogates) may hold great influence over others (by making decisions). Results suggest that individuals may defer about half of restaurant and activity decisions in tourism. Thus, identifying who actually made the decision may be an important prerequisite to understanding tourism consumer behavior.Item Dusky dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) behavior and human interactions: implications for tourism and aquaculture(2009-05-15) Duprey, Nicholas Matthew ThomsonInteractions between humans and dusky dolphins in the coastal waters of New Zealand are increasing. My research focused on tourism interactions, with Kaikoura as the study site; and, on habitat use in an active aquaculture area, with Admiralty Bay as the study site. In Kaikoura, companies engaged in commercial cetacean tourism (For Hire Company) have permits issued by the New Zealand?s Department of Conservation, allowing them to take paying customers out to view and swim with wild dusky dolphins. During summer and fall of 2005, I assessed the effectiveness of a voluntary ?rest period? established to give time free of humans to the dolphins. I used a theodolite to track the movements of large groups of dusky dolphins and recorded the arrival, departure and behaviors of all vessels approaching within 400 m of the group. The ?rest period? resulted in a reduction of vessel visits compared to non-rest periods, yet one For Hire Company and private recreational vessels continued to visit dusky dolphin groups during this time. To increase compliance with the voluntary regulation, more education is needed targeting private recreational vessels. Weekend traffic was higher compared to weekday traffic, during both rest and non-rest periods; a large increase occurred in weekend non-commercial vessel traffic. Swimming with calves is prohibited by New Zealand?s Marine Mammal Protection Regulations of 1992, yet 71.4 percent of the swim attempts I observed on-board For Hire Company tours were conducted with groups containing calves. More should be done to reduce the number of swims conducted with groups of dusky dolphins containing calves. In winter of 2005, I used hourly theodolite scans to record the number of dusky dolphin groups using Admiralty Bay, a different near-shore environment with less tourism than off Kaikoura, and with near-shore mussel farms. Groups of dusky dolphins were observed in Admiralty Bay using the full extent of the bay. This re-enforces previous findings that Admiralty Bay is an important winter foraging ground for dusky dolphins, and further aquaculture development in the bay would remove available foraging habitat.Item Effectiveness of internet information for park, recreation and tourism practitioners(Texas A&M University, 2004-09-30) Patterson, Joni DeniseThis research is a four-step process. 1) Development of the Park, Recreation and Tourism (PRT) Planning Web site to meet the needs of rural communities, indicated through the Texas Community Futures Forum needs assessment process. 2) Evaluation of the PRT Planning Web site by experts in the field of PRT Sciences. 3) Inspect differences in the information needs and use between rural and urban PRT practitioners. 4) Examine factors contributing to the flow experience while utilizing the PRT Planning Web site. Evaluation information provided insight about strengths, weakness and modifications to be made to the PRT Planning site. Programming was reported as the service provided most by survey participants. Internet information is considered the most effective information resource, with suppliers/manufacturers and libraries being the least effective. When acquiring information on developing and providing PRT services, not knowing where to find information was the problem experienced most, while not understanding the information was the problem encountered the least. Marketing information was deemed the most useful type of information, and increasing community well being is the most important service benefit provided by respondents. No significant differences were reported between groups' perception of Internet information as the most effective information resource, intent to return to the PRT Planning Web site, or education levels. Significant differences were reported between groups' Internet connection speed, use of a dial-up modem, computer experience and Internet experience. Study findings also reported less computer and Internet experience for rural and small communities when compared to large and urban communities. In Skadberg's (2002) proposed model of flow in human-computer interaction, the factors that contribute to the flow experience are, experience, ease of use, response speed, interactivity, vividness, telepresence, knowledge of the information being presented, and challenge of the information being presented. Of these factors, experience was the only variable that did not show a significant or positive relationship with factors in the flow model. Increased learning and change in attitude and behavior are considered outcomes of achieving the flow state; both reflected a positive and significant relationship with the variable flow.Item Examining the Antecedents of Behavioral Intentions in a Tourism Context(2010-07-14) Huang, Yu-ChinThe purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the structure and antecedents of travelers' behavioral intentions. Understanding travelers' behavioral intentions is an important goal of both destination marketing organizations and host destinations. However, little research has contributed to the theoretical development in this area, and the lack of a solid theoretical framework has negatively influenced the validity of existing research. Thus, this study attempted to explain travelers' behavioral intentions, using a model which was developed based on existing human behavior theories: the theory of reasoned action and the theory of planned behavior. Another major objective of the current study was to test the validity of the proposed model. Based on the theory of reasoned action and the theory of planned behavior, a conceptual framework was established to explain travelers' behavior intention in a tourism context. Attitude was conceptualized as destination image which is a two-dimensional construct including cognitive and affective components. Subjective norms were conceptualized as the combination of normative beliefs and motivation to comply. Perceived behavioral control was conceptualized as constraints which is a three-dimensional construct including intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural components. An online panel survey was launched in September 2008 to collect data. Respondents were specially asked their perceived image about Texas, what were the barriers preventing them from traveling to Texas, and how their reference groups affected their travel decision to Texas. Totally, 1,448 completed surveys were received and utilized for analysis which included both visitors and non-visitors. The data analysis procedures included six major steps, from descriptive analysis and preliminary data analysis, to model and hypothesis testing. To do so, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 16.0 (SPSS) and Amos 16.0 were utilized. The structural relationships between all variables were tested with using structural equation modeling (SEM). Results of the study showed that destination image and subjective norm positively impacted behavioral intentions while constraints negatively affected behavioral intentions. Hence, this research provides important direction for the development of a more comprehensive theoretical framework to explain travelers' behavioral intentions, and presented a step toward offering practical as well as theoretical implications for future research.Item Justice and Fairness in Tourism: A Grounded Theory Study of Cultural Justice in Quintana Roo, Mexico(2012-07-16) Camargo Ortega, Blanca AlejandraEquity and fairness in the distribution of tourism benefits and participation in tourism decision-making are key tenets of sustainable tourism. However, little attention has been paid to the study and conceptualization of justice in tourism and robust theoretical or methodological foundations to examine fairness and justice; in particular, in regards to the well-being of ethnic, minority and/or disadvantaged groups are especially lacking in tourism studies. This dissertation reports the results of a grounded theory study of justice and equity in relation to tourism and the Yucatecan Maya in Quintana Roo, Mexico. A robust framework is offered to guide the study of cultural justice in tourism, which was developed based on theoretical contributions from environmental justice, social justice, and political philosophy, among others, and empirical data from multiple sources. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 47 tourism stakeholders, participant observation, and examination of tourism-related government reports, statistics and other data related to legislation, planning and development. Issues of justice were found to be complex and multifaceted, rooted in post-colonial and contemporary power dynamics that affect the economic, social, and cultural status of the Yucatecan Maya in society. The study identified four major issues directly related to tourism that affected the economic and cultural well-being of this ethnic group: cultural exploitation, cultural marginalization, cultural racism, and cultural domination. The extensive research also identified the positive role of tourism in providing for cultural justice, in particular, recognition and respect for cultural, ethnic and minority groups and the cultural sustainability of their cultural manifestations. Based on the above findings and drawing upon theoretical contributions in the extensive literature on justice and fairness, it is argued that discourses of justice and equity in tourism should look beyond the distribution of tourism benefits and access to political power and address intangible matters of respect, recognition, and cultural valuation. A number of key principles to help address cultural injustices are suggested and implications for tourism policy and practice discussed.Item Peripheral travelers: how American solo women backpackers participate in two communities of practice(Texas A&M University, 2004-09-30) Tomaszewski, Lesley EleanorTo investigate the ways in which communities of practice affect individuals' identity development, qualitative research methods were used to understand the impact solo travel had on American women's identity development. A theoretical framework developed from the disciplines of tourism, feminism and adult education was used to inform the study. Using a combined method methods approach (naturalistic inquiry and grounded theory), three components of the backpacker community of practice were identified which gave rise to a model of identity development within a particular community. This study has implications for adult education theory as it clearly suggests the interrelatedness of the social context in which this learning takes place (communities of practice), and adult development theory (identity formation). In practical terms it illustrates and also challenges the notion of identity change as irreversible, suggesting learners need constant support to retain new ways of viewing the world and themselves.Item Tapping the invisible market: the case of the cruise industry(2009-06-02) Park, Sun YoungThe definition of business success has evolved from winning larger market share in fierce competition to creating one?s own markets. Exploring new markets is crucial especially for tourism businesses, as one of the basic motives for leisure travel is seeking new or different experiences. Nonetheless, current non-customers have rarely been studied in the context of tourism. Using the cruise industry as a case, the first purpose of this study was to enhance the understanding of current non-customers (i.e., ?the invisible market?). Current noncustomers of the cruise industry were defined as leisure travelers who take other leisure vacation types, but have not taken a cruise vacation in the last five years (i.e., pastcruisers) or have never taken a cruise vacation (i.e., non-cruisers). The second purpose was to propose practical approaches for the cruise industry to utilize to tap the invisible market based on the findings. This study consists two phases using a sequential study design. In Phase 1, 22 guided conversations were conducted with people with and without cruise experiences using a modified Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique to explore their images of cruise vacations. The findings suggested that current non-customers had different images of cruise vacations than current customers. In Phase 2, a conceptual model was developed based on the findings of Phase 1 and the literature on destination image and choice, the Model of Goal-directed Behavior and the leisure constraints model. Eleven hypotheses were tested with data collected from a survey of U.S. leisure travelers using descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling. Most relationships (e.g., directions and valence) among constructs were found to be in accordance with previous studies. Further, results suggested that current non-customers were more similar to than different from current customers in terms of socio-demographics and general vacation behavior. However, results implied that current non-customers? biases or negative images of cruise vacations could be the underlying factors that influence their decisions not to choose cruise vacations over other leisure vacation types. Practical recommendations for innovative marketing strategies are presented for the cruise industry.Item The effects of selected visual cues on tourists' perceptions of quality and satisfaction, and on their behavioral intentions(2009-05-15) Tomas, Stacy ReneeIn tourism, the product is the experience. The destination sets the stage, which facilitates the experience. First impressions, based largely on visual cues in the environment, help to determine the level of quality tourists should expect from their encounter. While much research has focused on destination image in advertising, little attention has been given to on-site assessments of tourists? perceptions of the visual environment. This study had three specific objectives. The first was to determine if changes in the visual environment affect respondents? attitudes, perceptions of quality and satisfaction. The second objective set out to determine which visual quality elements have the strongest influence on respondents? attitudes, their perceptions of quality and satisfaction. The final objective was to explore the interrelationship between attitudes, quality, satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Utilizing a series of digitally modified photographs and an experimental design approach with three treatments, this study examined how selected visual environmental cues affected respondents? perceptions. The relatively high adjusted R2 values across the three treatments suggests the strong influence of visual quality elements on hedonic (R2 values ranging from .16 to .27) and utilitarian attitudes (R2 values ranging from .16 to .24), and particularly on satisfaction (R2 values ranging from .31 to .44) and overall quality (R2 values ranging from .28 to .35). The visual cues having the strongest influence on perceptions were level of crowding, available seating, maintenance and upkeep, and type of signage. Utilizing structural equation modeling, this study examined the interrelationship between the endogenous variables in the model. The influence of hedonic attitude on overall quality and satisfaction was confirmed, but the influence of utilitarian attitude on overall quality and satisfaction was not. This suggests that some tourism experiences are more hedonic in nature. This research supports previous literature suggesting that a high level of quality will result in a high level of satisfaction for the visitors (significant path estimate of .422). Additionally, standardized path coefficients indicate that overall quality (.416) and satisfaction (.486) were both related to behavioral intentions, with satisfaction being a stronger predictor.Item Tourism oriented policing and protection service units: a necessary tool for the tourist community(Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT), 2015) Peltier, Christopher M.Item "We Are Even Poorer, But There Is More Work" An Ethnographic Analysis of Ecotourism in Nicaragua(2010-01-14) Hunt, Carter A.This research examines ecotourism outcomes in the context of large-scale tourism development in Nicaragua and focuses on Morgan's Rock Hacienda and Ecolodge. Since ecotourism involves the imposition of Western constructs of nature, biodiversity, communities and conservation, our attempts to evaluate or certify ecotourism are likewise derived from these constructs. Failing to recognize the context where ecotourism occurs may lead to evaluations that place excessive emphasis on poor performance while overlooking relative successes. Initial evaluations of this ecotourism project revealed deception, exploitation, and minimal dedication to ecotourism principles; however, continuing participant observation and ethnographic interviewing among employees and residents forced re-evaluation. In relation to unchecked tourism development in the region, and given the desperate Nicaraguan socio-economic reality for most rural residents, the project must be considered a moderate success. This dissertation later invokes the dominant literature on local reactions to tourism development coming out of the field of tourism studies that uses stage-based models to show that increasing experience with tourism leads to increasingly negative reactions to tourism. This is contrasted with ecotourism research that has shown how increasing participation in ecotourism leads to more favorable attitudes towards ecotourism projects. This dissertation examines these two seemingly disparate perspectives in the context of an ecotourism project. Three groups representing different levels of involvement with ecotourism are compared. The results support traditional tourism theory, suggesting fruitful opportunities for integration of research on conventional forms of tourism with research specific to ecotourism. Finally, a political ecology approach is adopted to reveal mutually reinforcing cycles of capital accumulation and impoverishment leading to environmental degradation in the region resulting from tourism development in the region, as originally described in the influential book Social Causes of Environmental Destruction in Latin America. While that work focuses primarily on agricultural activities, here recent ethnographic research on ecotourism in southwestern Nicaragua is contextualized within rapid tourism development in the region and examined through a political ecological lens to reveal how tourism is responsible for the same destructive cycles revealed above. Despite achieving certain on-site success, even ecotourism contributes to, if not enables, larger processes of environmental exploitation in the Nicaraguan context.Item "We gotta get out of this place": A qualitative study on the effects of leisure travel on the lives of gay men living in a small community(Texas A&M University, 2005-02-17) Herrera, Sergio LinoA feminist point of view is used in this study of gay men living in a small, collegiate community who use leisure travel as a negotiation strategy to achieve freedom of expression. Feminism is concerned with equality, empowerment, social change, the elimination of invisibility and the distortion of situated experiences. Feminist research is no more defined by the sex of the researcher than by the sex of the researched. Several in-depth interviews were conducted with key informants who revealed the complex nature of how many gay men pursue leisure experiences that are affirming to their gay self-identities in "Soledad." While gay meeting places and people exist in this small community, they remain mostly covert and invisible. Leisure travel to larger cities was a major negotiation strategy used to escape the stifling, hetero-normative community in which they lived. Escaping perceived hostilities was essential for gay men to feel comfortable exploring their homosexuality in a positive, affirming manner. Furthermore, the benefits of leisure travel bled into the daily lives of gay men after leisure travel was performed. For instance, leisure travel helped gay men make other gay friends who helped them cope with their homosexuality, and, in the process, they helped them "learn" how to be gay. The skills and experiences these gay men acquired while pursuing leisure in other places helped them transform their daily lives and home community into a more bearable place to live, thereby making home an easier place to negotiate. Gay men were able to discover a whole new set of possibilities of how to express themselves and discovered a new "gaze" by which to view the world. This research adds to the literature on travel and tourism, while expanding the information we have concerning the gay subculture that is becoming more socially and politically efficacious and economically powerful. Likewise, some of the gaps in the literature concerning leisure constraints and negotiation are also filled by this research.