International Conference on Tourism Research

Sentiment Analysis in Guest Reviews: An NLP Approach Applied to Portuguese Hospitality

Eduardo Albuquerque — 2026-04-10

Guest reviews represent a valuable resource for strategic decision-making in the hospitality industry. By analysing these evaluations, managers can identify market trends, adjust management practices, reshape marketing strategies, and implement improvements in infrastructure and services. In this way, adopting a data-driven approach based on feedback directly from customers enhances the competitiveness and differentiation of hotels in the tourism market.

This study aims to evaluate not only the level of sentiment—dissatisfaction, neutrality, or satisfaction—expressed by each guest regarding a specific product or service, but also how personal and opinionated the published message is. Highly subjective texts are expected to contain emotions, opinions, and individual perceptions, whereas texts with low subjectivity tend to resemble more factual and objective descriptions.

To achieve this, a Natural Language Processing (NLP) approach was employed, involving the extraction, translation, and pre-processing of 11,810 reviews from both Portuguese and foreign visitors. The dataset is organised by hotel rating (3, 4, and 5 stars), followed by the application of two complementary sentiment analysis techniques: VADER, to determine polarity (negative, neutral, or positive), and TextBlob, to measure the degree of subjectivity.

The results show that the majority of reviews (77%) carry a strongly positive connotation, allowing the conclusion that Portuguese hospitality enjoys a high approval rate among guests. However, by identifying dissatisfaction points and satisfaction patterns specific to different customer segments, managers can better target investments and strategies to further enhance the guest experience.

Redefining Value in Hospitality: Key Drivers of Satisfaction

Luis Catanho — 2026-04-10

In the hotel industry, customer behaviour is quite dynamic and impacted by a variety of factors. Primarily, guests choose hotels based mainly on location and price. Nowadays, personalized experiences, customer reviews, price comparison, and the availability of premium services, are all influencing actual preferences. New trends in hospitality are emerging as a reflection of the sector's dynamism and its constant transformations in consumer behaviour and technological advances. This shift underscores the growing importance of emotional engagement and perceived value over purely transactional interactions, especially among loyalty programme members who expect recognition and consistency. Showing an increasingly competitive global market, hotels face the challenge of balancing innovation with adaptation to emerging demands, such as sustainable and regenerative practices and personalised experiences. It is essential to identify the factors that influence their decisions and predict their choices in the Hotel Industry. This article aimed to measure satisfaction across multiple service dimensions, including room quality, staff responsiveness, personalisation, check-in and check-out efficiency, and overall service recovery. A quantitative research approach was employed, with data collected through a structured, on-site survey administered to 62 hotel guests during their stays between March and May 2025. Results indicate that room quality (e.g., cleanliness, comfort, and functionality) and staff performance (including friendliness, professionalism, and anticipatory service) are the strongest drivers of guest satisfaction. Notably, even in the absence of expected perks (e.g. upgrades), guests reported high satisfaction when staff demonstrated empathy and proactive service recovery. The study concludes that continuous investment in staff training, service personalisation and operational consistency is more impactful than reliance on perks alone. In addition to its analytical contribution, this study reflects key learning, including practical insights into guest relationship management, service design, and the operational realities of luxury hospitality. The findings offer actionable recommendations for hotel managers aiming to optimise loyalty programme effectiveness and elevate guest satisfaction in competitive urban markets.

Tourism Through the 15-Minute Lens: A Case Study of Porto

Rita Oliveira — 2026-04-10

The 15-minute city concept has become a cornerstone of modern urban planning. Despite its worldwide
application, research has mostly focused on accessibility to essential services, while accessibility to tourism remains less
explored. Tourism, key to urban identity, livability, and visitor management, needs to be considered within proximity
planning. In this context, analysing travel times and accessibility to tourist locations across different travel modes represents
a key opportunity to gain insight into how these shape cities. This study applies the 15-minute city framework to tourism,
characterizing accessibility from a visitor’s perspective. Porto, Portugal, a city facing the impacts of massive tourism, is used
as a pilot area to measure access to touristic amenities. Using the Porto open data portal, we compiled 290 points of interest
across eight tourism categories. For every Base Reference Geographical Information (BGRI) cell, the Portuguese census tracts,
we computed the centroid and generated network-based travel times to each amenity for walking, cycling, and driving. From
the origin-destination matrices, we derived a set of 15-minute city indicators, namely minimum travel time required to reach
the amenities and counts and percentage of amenities reachable within 5/10/15 minutes. Results show how accessibility
patterns vary by parishes and travel mode and offer a reproducible base for urban planning and destination management.
The outcomes reveal that accessibility to tourism is strongly centre-weighted: the historic centre offers short walking times
and high amenity variety, while the eastern and northern edges face slower access and fewer choices. Trips starting from
two central parishes reach 43% of amenities within a 15-minute walk, while trips originating in peripheral parishes typically
reach only 5% to 9%. Cycling enhances accessibility by making accessible a variety of amenities across most parishes within
10 minutes and nearly citywide by 15 minutes. This work reframes 15-minute accessibility around tourism, providing a
multimodal transportation assessment, translating analytics into actionable indicators. The framework supports policymaker
in diversifying attraction availability in underserved areas, distributing visitor flows, and aligning cultural-access goals with
livability agendas, promoting smart cities' development.

Industry-Academia Co-Creation in Hospitality Education: Sensory-Driven Innovation to Enhance Anchor Product Sales in Gastronomy

Marta Quintas — 2026-04-10

The alignment between hospitality education and real-world industry needs remains a critical challenge in tourism studies. In response, experiential learning models that foster direct collaboration between academic institutions and private enterprises are gaining prominence as effective strategies to develop practice-oriented competencies among students. This paper presents a co-creation project between a Portuguese higher education institution (School of Hospitality and Tourism, Polytechnic of Porto) and Gresso, a Portuguese premium gastronomy brand, designed to stimulate sales of the company’s ten “anchor products” by developing complementary sweet offerings through sensory-driven innovation. Hospitality students were tasked with creating original dessert concepts that could enhance the appeal and commercial performance of these core items. Four proposals were developed and refined through iterative feedback: a creamy custard with orange–lemon compote, a baked red berry cheesecake, a pistachio brigadeiro enrobed in dark chocolate with a red berry coulis. These were then submitted to a blind tasting evaluated by Gresso’s frontline sales representatives, who rated each product based on taste, originality, and perceived market potential. The pistachio brigadeiro emerged as the overwhelming favourite and was subsequently selected by the company for potential integration into its product portfolio. This outcome not only validated the students’ creative and technical skills but also demonstrated the tangible business value of embedding industry challenges into academic curricula. The project exemplifies a “family trip” approach applied to gastronomy—where industry defines the problem, academia proposes solutions, and industry validates the results—thereby reinforcing a cyclical model of knowledge exchange. Findings underscore the importance of sensory literacy, customer-centric design, and authentic learning contexts in hospitality education. Moreover, they highlight how such partnerships can serve as incubators for product innovation while preparing students for the dynamic demands of tourism and foodservice sectors. For the ICTR community, this case offers practical insights into bridging theory and practice, fostering resilience through education, and leveraging co-creation as a tool for sustainable industry–academia engagement.

Digital Marketing Strategies for Creating a Sustainable Image in Tourism Companies

Cândida Silva — 2026-04-10

The tourism sector, in addition to driving economic growth, plays an important role in encouraging and adopting sustainable practices. Digital channels emerge as the ideal means for this promotion and for raising awareness about sustainability. Thus, digital marketing presents itself as an effective tool for promoting an image of sustainability within organizations, both internally and externally. This study aims to understand how organizations' digital marketing strategies con-tribute to promoting a sustainable image within tourism companies, both internally with employees and externally with customers. To this end, a qualitative approach was adopted, through a multiple case study of 21 tourism companies. The results reveal that some invest in strategies such as email, WhatsApp, or intranet, while others still face limitations in internal communication. Regarding external communication with customers, the most effective digital strategies include social media, campaigns, and videos, which help strengthen companies' sustainable image. This study provides a better understanding of the connection between digital marketing and sustainability in the tourism sector, highlighting the relevance of consistent and integrated digital strategies to promote an image of sustainability.

Tourism Walkability Index: A Data-Driven Tool for Tourism Urban Planning

Inês Areosa — 2026-04-11

Walking plays a central role in how tourists experience cities, yet most walkability measures remain oriented toward residents and do not reflect the specific spatial behaviours, sensitivities, and motivations of visitors. Existing indices typically overlook the importance of cultural access, environmental comfort, and safety perceptions for tourist mobility. As a result, there is a need for tourism-specific approaches that can capture how walkability varies within cities and how it relates to tourist mobility patterns. This paper proposes the Tourism Walkability Index (TWI), a fully geospatial and street-level framework designed to quantify walkability from a tourist perspective. The TWI integrates three dimensions – accessibility to relevant points of interest, access to public and shared transport systems and comfort conditions shaped by infrastructure and environmental quality. These dimensions are operationalised using a pedestrian network with slope-adjusted travel times and geospatial datasets describing urban amenities, mobility services, and comfort-related variables such as lighting, pedestrianisation, heat exposure, air quality, noise and traffic safety. The TWI is applied to four cities in northern Portugal – Porto, Braga, Guimarães and Vila Real – representing contrasting data environments and urban morphologies. Across all cities, the TWI reveals a recurring spatial structure: historic centres emerge as the most walkable areas, while peripheral zones consistently score lower. The fine spatial resolution reveal micro-scale contrasts that broader neighbourhood metrics obscure, including highly accessible but low-comfort streets, and comfortable yet poorly connected areas. These patterns highlight opportunities for targeted interventions, improved tourist dispersal, and enhanced alignment between tourism mobility and urban liveability goals. The multi-city application further demonstrates that the TWI yields coherent results even when only open data are available, indicating that its conceptual structure is robust and transferable. By providing a replicable, open-source workflow and fine-grained urban diagnostics, the TWI offers a practical tool for integrating walkability into tourism planning and sustainable mobility management.

Home of the Brave! New Perspectives on Military Tourism

Daniela Penela — 2026-04-11

This study aims to deepen understanding of the tourist experience in European military museums by examining elements that influence both positive and negative evaluations and analysing how interactive features encourage a closer understanding of military history. Methodology: A content analysis of 17,500 TripAdvisor reviews from 35 European military museums was conducted using Leximancer 5.0, revealing thematic patterns across visitor experiences. Findings: Three key clusters emerged: the lively museum experience, the daily guided tour, and the practical facilities. Immersive displays and engaged staff enhance satisfaction, while ticketing delays and accessibility issues are primary sources of dissatisfaction. Practical implications: Museum directors should prioritise interactive exhibitions, streamline ticketing procedures, and improve transportation access to boost visitor engagement and expand audience reach. Originality: This study introduces a SWOT framework and Leximancer-based thematic analysis of military museum visitor experiences, highlighting the emotional aspects of heritage tourism.

Nuanced Gender Perceptions and Tourism Business Capabilities in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa: The Role of Marketing Capability in Business Performance

Nompumelelo Nzama — 2026-04-15

Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries, which offers possibilities for business development and expansion. Many entrepreneurs have concentrated on tourism as a lucrative sector that can generate revenue for any nation. According to earlier studies, the number of women entrepreneurs is increasing, however, many of them struggle to maintain their businesses compared to their male counterparts. With a focus on marketing capabilities and managerial capabilities, this study aims to investigate gender nuances in the performance of tourism-related enterprises in KwaZulu-Natal's Durban Central Business District. This study used questionnaire survey, a quantitative research method to collect data from 150 tourism-related business owners and managers in Durban Central Business District, KwaZulu-Natal using purposive sampling method. The participants were those who have specific knowledge in tourism-related business operations (managers and owners) and are willing to participate. Data was analysed using IBM’s SPSS version 25 software. Descriptive (frequency, mean), bivariate (Spearman’s Rank Correlation (two-tailed) test, Pearson’s Chi-Square test, Mann-Whitney U test) and multivariate (Reliability test using Cronbach’s Alpha) data analyses were applied in this study. There are no significant differences in the responses of male and female participants in this study with respect to "managerial and operational capabilities," "marketing capability," and "general entrepreneurial statements." This study did not make a conclusive finding that gender plays a strong role in differentiating business success or performance. However, marketing capability is the main factor that influence the business performance or success level. Based on this study results, authors recommend that entrepreneurial training and mentorship programmes should emphasise that formal education, marketing capability and other factors (but not gender) support business success.

Exploring the Travel Experience of Western Otaku Tourists: A Model-Based Approach

Bruno Abrantes — 2026-04-01

Although Japanese pop culture was regarded as a niche market in the West, its popularity, especially anime and manga, has significantly increased in recent years. This has led to a parallel growth in tourism to Japan, particularly to locations linked with this subculture. Despite this trend, Otaku Tourism remains an under-explored topic for travel companies and an under-researched topic academically in the West, which results in the lack of tourism products and tailored information to this emerging niche market. This article aims to understand the travel experience of Western Otaku Tourists in Japan, proposing a tourism model based on established theoretical frameworks. This research adopts a qualitative methodology focused on two complementary studies in order to obtain results. Firstly, was used a travel autoethnography, in which the author explores their two Otaku travels to Japan with previous literature. Secondly, using a snowball sampling method, 12 Portuguese Otaku who had previously visited Japan were interviewed through a semi-structured model. This approach provided insight into the experience through a personal approach, understanding their motivations and behaviors. Findings reveal that Otaku primarily obtain information about the trip through peers and social media. Their key behaviors include photographing places related to Otaku culture and purchasing merchandise of their favorite content. The must-see places are those featured in beloved anime, known as anime sacred places, or associated with Otaku culture, such as shops, themed cafés, Otaku-centric neighborhoods, and temporary exhibitions. Overall, the Portuguese Otaku experience can be characterized as a profoundly personal pilgrimage, with a sense of immersion in their preferred media while visiting Japan, particularly through travel to locations directly associated with those works. Thus, this study develops academic groundwork that can be used by tourism promoters and tour operators in the marketing of this niche, supporting Portuguese travel companies in developing tailored-made packages that address their preferences.

Preserving the Past, Innovating the Future: Integrating Metaverse, Blockchain, and Generative AI for Tourism and Cultural Heritage Preservation

Mousa Al-kfairy — 2026-04-01

The preservation and accessibility of cultural heritage are seriously threatened by urbanization, mass tourism,
neglect, and natural disasters. This study utilizes cutting-edge technologies to address these issues by presenting a novel
framework that combines generative AI, blockchain, and the metaverse. The Metaverse provides immersive virtual
experiences that lessen the physical strain on delicate locations by enabling the creation of lifelike digital replicas of cultural
heritage sites. By creating immutable records, blockchain technology ensures the legitimacy, ownership, and traceability of
digital assets, enabling open access and NFT monetization. Rebuilding lost or damaged artifacts, creating lifelike 3D models,
and customizing user interactions are all ways that generative AI supports these initiatives. Collectively, these technologies
provide a creative approach to preserving cultural assets while revolutionizing how people perceive and value them.
However, the adoption of these technologies presents several challenges, including high development costs, scalability
limitations, and concerns related to authenticity, ethical representation, and data reliability. Moreover, cultural institutions
face structural and technical constraints that may hinder the effective deployment of such systems. By explicitly addressing
these challenges, this study highlights the practical boundaries within which Metaverse, Blockchain, and Generative AI can
support cultural-heritage preservation. This study creates a conceptual architecture that integrates these technologies in
four layers: blockchain-based asset management, AI-driven content creation, data organization and storage, and virtual
environment-based user interaction. The framework provides audiences worldwide with safe, scalable, and engaging access
to cultural heritage, democratizing cultural experiences and supporting preservation initiatives through tokenized donations.
This study provides valuable insights for governments, technology developers, and cultural institutions, while also advancing
the theoretical understanding of digital preservation. The original contribution of this work lies in the development of an
integrated, multi-layer conceptual architecture that connects technological capabilities directly with preservation challenges
such as authenticity assurance, deterioration risk, limited accessibility, and funding shortages. This framework offers a
structured model that has not been previously synthesized in current literature.

Heritage-Themed Establishments as Identity Catalysts: A Food Tourism Case Study in Pampanga, Philippines

John Edward Edquilag Alfonso — 2026-04-01

Pampanga, known as the culinary capital of the Philippines, showcases a gastronomic heritage deeply woven into Filipino cultural identity. Amid the pressures of urbanization and evolving tourism dynamics, culinary venues have emerged as dining spaces and cultural platforms promoting Kapampangan identity. This study examines how heritage-themed dining establishments in Pampanga employ heritage branding to enhance food tourism and attract domestic and international visitors. Using a qualitative case study approach, the research began with a survey to identify the most visited heritage-themed establishments and to understand tourists’ motivations and satisfaction levels. These survey results helped pinpoint key cafés and restaurants that serve as cultural touchpoints. A complementary qualitative interview was then conducted with a Kapampangan cultural expert. The interview explored issues related to authenticity, branding, and cultural preservation from the perspective of one directly involved in heritage-based food culture. Tourist surveys also probed perceptions of culinary authenticity, satisfaction, and the importance of cultural ambiance and storytelling. Findings suggest that heritage-themed cafés and restaurants significantly enrich tourist experiences by offering authentic Kapampangan cuisine and immersive dining atmospheres. Tourists demonstrated strong preferences for culturally aesthetic environments and heritage-consistent menus, highlighting the effectiveness of heritage branding in responding to modern tourism expectations. However, the study also identifies ongoing challenges, such as maintaining cultural authenticity while ensuring commercial sustainability, and competing with mainstream or globalized dining alternatives. The study offers practical recommendations for enhancing institutional support and fostering collaborations between dining establishments, local cultural organizations, and government agencies. These strategies can strengthen heritage interpretation and promote Pampanga’s position as a premier culinary heritage destination in the Philippines. As part of an ongoing case study, survey responses continue to be collected to support future iterations of this research and to monitor evolving tourist perceptions over time. Ultimately, this research contributes to the discourse on sustainable culinary tourism by illustrating how heritage-themed dining establishments can serve as gastronomic attractions and venues for cultural transmission and identity reinforcement.

Community-Led Governance for Sustainable Tourism in Emerging Destinations

Deniza Alieva — 2026-04-01

Community-led governance is increasingly recognised as pivotal for sustainable tourism, yet empirical analysis of how informal neighbourhood institutions perform governance functions is scarce. This mixed-methods study examines how mahallas—traditional neighbourhood organisations in Uzbekistan—contribute to tourism sustainability by bridging formal institutions and local communities. Using social network analysis and ethnographic interviews, we mapped 159 actors (93 in Tashkent, 66 in Bukhara) and more than 420 confirmed ties to analyse network structure, central actors, and interaction mechanisms. Results show contrasting but complementary governance models: Tashkent exhibits a polycentric, institutionally connected network where mahallas act as intermediaries between government, businesses and NGOs; Bukhara shows a smaller, denser network grounded in bonding social capital and moral legitimacy. Mahallas increase project completion and participation (joint initiatives recorded 78–82% success rates versus lower rates for municipal-only projects), mobilise hashar and cultural stewardship, and enable rapid local learning and replication of sustainability practices. The paper contributes to governance and tourism literature by demonstrating three capacities of informal institutions (relational, moral and cognitive) and argues that sustainable outcomes depend on alignment between formal policy and culturally rooted community action. Practical implications include institutionalising mahalla participation in planning, capacity-building for local leadership, and promoting inter-city knowledge exchange.

Sustainable Tourism in the Era of Immersive Technologies: Creative Strategies for Placemaking and Place Branding

Giovana Goretti Feijó Almeida — 2026-04-01

The article proposes a critical and interdisciplinary approach that connects emerging technology to territorial regeneration, offering participants new perspectives on sustainable tourism, creativity, and belonging. It is especially relevant for those seeking to understand how cultural and digital practices can transform tourist destinations into spaces of innovation and resilience. The objective of this study is to examine the manner in which emerging technologies – namely, augmented reality (AR) and the metaverse are being utilized in a creative manner within the context of sustainable tourism. This analysis will elucidate the concepts of creative placemaking and place branding. The integration of these references contributes to the field of tourism by demonstrating the potential for emerging technologies to function as strategic, symbolic, and educational tools in the promotion of sustainable tourism. The method employed is a multiple case study (Yin, 2018), analysing four tourist destinations that use emerging technologies. The primary research question pertains to the application of these emerging technologies in the context of sustainable tourism, with a particular focus on the concepts of creative placemaking and place branding. The utilization of augmented reality (AR) in diverse contexts transpires within digital layers, thereby unveiling environmental and symbolic data concerning the destination. This phenomenon extends the conceptual scope of placemaking, which is traditionally understood as a tool for territorial awareness and activation. The proposal’s distinguishing characteristic is its interdisciplinary and critical approach, which has the potential to broaden the existing discourse beyond the confines of technological innovation. By repositioning tourism as a cultural practice dedicated to ensuring resilient futures and the collaborative creation of tourist destinations, the proposal offers a novel perspective on the subject. The integration of emerging technologies in sustainable tourism signifies an opportunity to redefine the tourist experience, although it concomitantly poses challenges in its implementation. However, when combined with approaches such as creative placemaking and place branding, these technologies transform tourist destinations into spaces for learning, belonging, and regeneration, thereby promoting sustainable tourism practices. The cases examined demonstrate that creativity is as critical as technological innovation. Collectively, these factors possess the capacity to transform the future of tourism.

Virtual Reality and Tourism: Perceptions of Switzerland

Anita Andziak — 2026-04-01

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of virtual reality (VR) on the feeling of Switzerland as a tourist destination within the Metaverse enthusiast community. A mixed-methods approach incorporating both quantitative and qualitative methods was employed, encompassing the analysis of responses from 354 participants from the USA, Japan and Germany. The study centred on perceptual changes, emotional engagement and the potential impact of VR experiences on travel intentions. The results show that VR experiences evoke strong emotional engagement, stimulating curiosity, enjoyment and fascination, and more than 70% of respondents declared a strong desire to visit Switzerland after a VR experience, confirming the technology's potential as an effective marketing tool. However, statistical analyses did not show significant changes in beliefs of the country, suggesting that VR can complement traditional promotional methods, but does not always lead to radical changes in belief. The study is not without its limitations, which include the geographical coverage of the sample and the lack of a long-term analysis of actual travel behaviour. Future research should therefore focus on the long-term impact of VR on actual travel decisions, increasing the diversity of the study groups and analysing the integration of VR tourism with other digital platforms.

In the Eye of the Beholder: Customer Experience Journey with Airbnb

Nisreen Bahnan — 2026-04-01

The rapid growth of the sharing economy has transformed the tourism and hospitality landscape, with peer-to-peer accommodation platforms such as Airbnb redefining how travellers search for, consume, and evaluate lodging experiences. Despite Airbnb’s global reach and disruptive impact on traditional hospitality models, limited research has empirically examined the customer experience across the full consumption journey. Addressing this gap, the present exploratory study investigates the Airbnb customer experience through the lens of Customer Journey Mapping (CJM), with the objective of identifying critical service touchpoints and proposing managerial strategies to enhance customer experience at each stage of the journey. Drawing on an integrative approach, the study combines a review of the peer-to-peer accommodation and customer experience literature with exploratory consumer insights. An initial set of customer touchpoints was identified through prior research and unstructured interviews with Airbnb hosts and guests. These touchpoints were subsequently evaluated using an online survey distributed via social media and email to respondents with prior Airbnb usage experience. Only touchpoints reported by more than one-third of respondents were retained for inclusion in the final CJM. The findings reveal that Airbnb customers engage with a diverse set of salient touchpoints across the pre-service, service, and post-service stages. Pre-service touchpoints—such as property search filters, map-based location search, host and property reviews, and host communication—emerged as particularly influential in shaping expectations. During the service stage, experiential factors related to property accuracy, cleanliness, functionality, safety, and host helpfulness were identified as central to customer satisfaction. Post-service engagement was dominated by review-writing and private feedback provision, underscoring the importance of social and customer-owned touchpoints in peer-to-peer platforms. Building on these insights, the study presents stage-specific Customer Journey Maps that integrate proposed strategic initiatives aligned with the Servuction Model, including improvements to the digital servicescape, host and customer service interactions, peer influences, and invisible organizational systems. By empirically grounding CJM in customer-reported touchpoint salience, this research contributes to the customer experience and sharing economy literature while offering actionable guidance for service innovation. Further research in collaboration with Airbnb management, hosts, and guests is recommended to refine and validate these strategic interventions.

Urban Culture Events as Drivers of in-City Expenditure: Evidence from The World Battle Porto

Ana Pinto Borges — 2026-04-01

Urban dance events are increasingly used by cities to attract visitors, media attention and spending, yet we still know surprisingly little about which attendees drive in-city expenditure in these contexts. These events have become increasingly important in urban and tourism development strategies contributing to the construction of territorial identities, the promotion of cultural diversity, and measurable revitalization of the local economy. This study examines The World Battle Porto (TWBP) using data from the 2024 and 2025 editions, analyzing the relationship between self-reported in-city expenditure and visitors’ levels of urban cultural engagement, event-specific motivations, first-time attendance, and sociodemographic characteristics. We draw on 769 valid questionnaires collected on-site through a structured questionnaire administered via direct, face-to-face interviews to attendees. Given the absence of a defined sampling frame and the dynamic flow of attendees at this open-access event, a non-probabilistic convenience sampling strategy was adopted, consistent with established methodological practice in event-based field research. Attendees were grouped into four profiles reflecting their engagement with urban culture: (1) active practitioners of breaking/urban dance; (2) culturally committed fans who do not practice; (3) newcomers exploring this cultural universe for the first time; and (4) outsiders whose interest does not extend beyond attending. Since expenditure is zero-inflated and strongly right-skewed, we estimate Tobit models to account for censoring while testing the role of engagement, motivations, loyalty and length of stay. Results point to marked heterogeneity. Cultural engagement matters: committed fans exhibit higher in-city expenditure, whereas weakly engaged attendees contribute much less. Motivations tied to the event’s cultural core, performances, competitions and learning about urban culture, are positively associated with spending, while generic relaxation motives are not. First-time visitors and longer stays also increase overall expenditure in Porto, suggesting that the event often functions as a reference anchor to broader city trips. Overall, the study shows that destination revenues from contemporary urban culture events depend less on “average impact” and more on who attends and how they engage with the event. For event organizers and destination managers, strengthening cultural authenticity and deepening participant-oriented programming can help attract higher-value segments, especially when paired with actions that extend stays and channel consumption across the city.

Climate-Related Resilience in an Alpine Tourism Destination: Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park

Chengxiao Liu — 2026-04-01

Alpine national parks are among the most climate-sensitive tourism landscapes, and Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park exemplifies how rapidly changing biophysical conditions are reshaping the foundations of destination management in Aotearoa New Zealand. Accelerated glacier retreat, unstable hydrological regimes, and increasingly variable weather patterns are altering access, damaging infrastructure, and challenging long-held assumptions about the stability of iconic alpine environments. While these shifts are well documented in scientific and hazard-management reports, far less is known about how such pressures are interpreted within the policy and planning documents that guide tourism and conservation decision-making. This paper addresses that gap through a qualitative document analysis of management plans, climate reports, visitor strategy materials and monitoring outputs drawn from institutional sources from 2005 onwards, offering a more contextualised understanding of how resilience is currently framed. The findings reveal a protected-area system in transition. Environmental change is clearly recognised across technical reports, yet its implications for tourism operations, visitor experience and long-term planning are not always addressed consistently across the document set. The term “resilience” appears in parts of the documents analysed, but it is applied in different ways, including in relation to hazard and visitor-safety management, infrastructure maintenance, and broader adaptation planning. An integrated framing that links climate projections to destination-level planning is not consistently evident, suggesting scope for clearer alignment between long-term risk information and day-to-day management decisions. At the same time, the document record highlights opportunities for reimagining visitor engagement, strengthening interpretation, and aligning future planning more closely with mana whenua values and cultural responsibilities. By situating Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park within broader scholarship on climate-related destination resilience, this study contributes a grounded analysis of how institutional narratives shape adaptation pathways in non-ski alpine tourism settings. It underscores the need for more coordinated, forward-looking and culturally grounded approaches capable of responding to ongoing environmental change in one of New Zealand’s most iconic protected landscapes.

A Cognitive Framework for Sensitive Problem-Solving in Hospitality and Tourism

Maurice Chia — 2026-04-01

Emotional intelligence (EI) is often treated as a stable trait or interpersonal skill, yet service contexts in hospitality and tourism demand dynamic emotional reasoning and adaptive foresight. This paper reconceptualizes EI as a developmental capacity grounded in executive functions, specifically inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility, and demonstrates its application to context-sensitive problem-solving in hospitality and tourism. Drawing on neurocognitive, psychological, hospitality, and pedagogical research, this study synthesizes evidence into a unifying model that integrates the Inhibitory–Cognitive–Emotional (ICE) Pathway with the 4Ps of Empathic Foresight (Perception, Projection, Pivot, and Personalization). The ICE Pathway describes how inhibitory control regulates emotional impulses while cognitive flexibility generates reflective alternatives; the 4Ps of Empathic Foresight operationalize this process as a Socratic recursive reasoning cycle that optimizes ICE-generated options according to context-specific goals. In hospitality and tourism, which are domains characterized by intercultural encounters, emotional labor, and service innovation, the ICE–4Ps model offers a teachable scaffold for cultivating empathic foresight and adaptive decision-making. By linking executive function theory with applied service practice, this framework reframes EI as a measurable developmental process that enhances sensitivity, creativity, and resilience in human-centered service environments.

Exploring the Cuisines of Iloilo: A Guide to Culinary Heritage in a UNESCO Creative City

Ma Flora Collado — 2026-04-01

The primary objective of this study was to develop an illustrative food guide focusing on noodle and soup dishes, rice-based delicacies, and baked goods. The guide aimed to highlight Iloilo City's culinary heritage, promote cultural preservation, support sustainable tourism development, and contribute to long-term economic growth. Data were collected through a focus group discussion with 25 participants, selected purposively and conveniently, including stakeholders, local chefs, community entrepreneurs, residents, and tourists. Thematic analysis, complemented by visualization tools, was employed to identify recurring themes and concepts embedded in the study. The findings reveal that noodles and soup dishes, most notably the iconic La Paz Batchoy, reflecting the city’s history, exemplify rice-based delicacies, such as Baye-baye, highlighting the Ilonggos’ creative use of indigenous ingredients. Baked goods, including Biscocho, illustrate the dynamic interplay between tradition and modern tastes. Collectively, these culinary expressions underscore food’s role as a living heritage, capturing historical interactions, community resilience, and the evolving cultural values of the Ilonggo people. The proposed food guide is envisioned as a strategic instrument for tourism promotion, cultural preservation, and sustainable development. Aligned with Iloilo’s designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, this initiative emphasizes the transformative potential of food-based tourism to empower local communities, celebrate cultural identity, and position Iloilo as a premier culinary destination both nationally and internationally.

Contribution of the Digitisation of Cultural Tourism to the Resilience of Local Communities in the Face of Global Crises: An Integrative Review

Franklin Cordova-Buiza — 2026-04-01

The use of digital technologies offers communities opportunities to strengthen their economic and social resilience, preserve their cultural heritage, and sustain tourism activity in times of crisis. However, its adoption remains uneven, limiting the development of community-based tourism and influencing visitor behaviour. This paper critically analyses how the digitalisation of cultural tourism contributes to the resilience of local communities in the face of pandemics, natural disasters, and social conflicts. An integrative literature review was conducted through an exhaustive search of the Scopus databases; high-impact articles (Q1 and Q2) published in the last five years and available in English were prioritised. The information was organised into an analytical matrix and synthesised by theme to identify convergences, gaps and practical guidelines. The findings indicate that geographic information systems, digital platforms, and immersive content (augmented reality and 360-degree video) are driving the transformation of cultural destinations. These tools improve heritage management and protection, guide data-driven conservation and adaptation strategies, and support authentic narratives that reinforce local identity. They also democratise access to culture, strengthen community empowerment and diversify income through digital channels, raising visibility in the recovery. Digital communication influences the image of the destination and travel decisions, while spatial planning allows risks to be anticipated and interventions to be prioritised. Limitations remain: connectivity and capacity gaps, uncertain financial sustainability and low visitor awareness. Policies and training are needed that integrate digital inclusion, collaborative governance, and indicators of authenticity and accessibility. In conclusion, the digitalisation of cultural tourism acts as a catalyst for a more resilient, sustainable and participatory tourism model, in line with SDG 11. Its consolidation requires investment in a technological base that enables secure connection and data exchange between different systems using open standards, content co-created with communities, and rigorous evaluation of results, with special attention to rural destinations and the effectiveness of emerging technologies.

Revaluing Ancestral Culinary Techniques through Sustainable Use in Contemporary Gastronomy: A Literature Review

Franklin Cordova-Buiza — 2026-04-01

Contemporary gastronomy faces the challenge of maintaining a balance between culinary innovation and the preservation of traditional knowledge that shapes cultural identity. In this context, ancestral culinary techniques have re-emerged as a valuable source of knowledge for developing sustainable gastronomic models that integrate ecological, cultural, and social dimensions. The purpose of this research is to analyse the revaluation of ancestral culinary techniques from a sustainability perspective, identifying their contribution to cultural, ecological, and economic innovation in contemporary gastronomy. The applied methodology corresponds to an integrative literature review based on scientific articles indexed in Scopus and Web of Science, with priority given to studies published in Q1 and Q2 journals. A qualitative interpretative analysis was conducted to identify patterns and trends regarding the incorporation of traditional knowledge into modern culinary innovation processes. The findings reveal that practices such as earth oven cooking, natural fermentation, the use of clay utensils, and the inclusion of wild ingredients have gained prominence in contemporary gastronomy, providing symbolic value, authenticity, and sustainability to culinary experiences. These techniques not only contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage but also promote fairer and more resilient food systems that respect the environment. However, theoretical gaps remain regarding the integration of ancestral knowledge into sustainable gastronomy policies and technological innovation frameworks. This highlights the need to strengthen interdisciplinary research linking culinary tradition, sustainability, and responsible tourism, fostering a dialogue between local knowledge and emerging sustainable development trends. In conclusion, the revaluation of ancestral culinary techniques constitutes a key strategy for promoting gastronomic innovation and reinforcing cultural identity, thereby contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 9, which focuses on innovation and sustainability.

Tourism Transformation, Spatial Justice and Inner Peripheries

Federico de Andreis — 2026-04-01

Climate change is profoundly reshaping tourism geographies, particularly in mountain regions and inner peripheral areas where historically dominant, climate-sensitive development models are becoming increasingly unstable. While a growing body of literature addresses tourism adaptation through the lenses of sustainability and resilience, less attention has been paid to the role of infrastructure in mediating uneven adaptation processes and their spatial justice implications. This contribution advances a critical, spatially grounded perspective on tourism transformation by conceptualizing infrastructure as a socio-spatial territorial mediator that selectively organizes accessibility, visibility, and investability across territories. Drawing on theories of spatial justice, uneven geographical development, and mobilities, the paper links tourism adaptation to processes of territorial selectivity and peripheralization. Mountain and inner peripheral regions – focusing on the Italian context–are approached as analytical laboratories in which the spatial effects of climate change and adaptation strategies become particularly visible. Historically, selective infrastructural investments oriented toward mass and seasonal tourism have generated strong path dependencies, locking territories into development trajectories increasingly misaligned with evolving climatic and socio-economic conditions. More recent adaptation strategies emphasize slow tourism, soft mobility, and low-impact infrastructures, often framed as inclusive and sustainable alternatives. The paper critically interrogates these narratives, arguing that “soft” infrastructures may function as new spatial filters, producing selective accessibility and symbolic valorization without necessarily redistributing essential services or long-term economic opportunities. To capture this tension, the paper introduces the concept of selective resilience as an analytical category that contributes to ongoing debates on uneven adaptation and spatial justice in tourism geographies. Rather than offering prescriptive solutions, the paper provides analytical tools to interpret how climate change, infrastructure, and tourism intersect in shaping future geographies of accessibility, marginality, and resilience in inner peripheral regions.

Fashion, Futurity and Cultural Narratives: Virtual Influencer Kim Zulu in Cultural Tourism Marketing

Charmaine Du Plessis — 2026-04-01

This study investigates how narratives about South African virtual influencer Kim Zulu in media coverage position fashion as a part of cultural tourism marketing. A qualitative research design and an interpretive worldview were adopted to analyse media articles published between 2020 and 2025. The analysis was conducted with Voyant Tools for topic modelling using the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) algorithm, cluster analysis and interpretive reading of the corpus supported by three theoretical lenses, namely cultural tourism, Destination Image Theory and Afrofuturism. The results indicate that fashion is not presented in isolation when reporting on Kim Zulu in media coverage. Rather fashion links to culture, futurity, and destination branding that strengthens South Africa’s visibility and appeal in the global tourism market. The paper adds to the literature on cultural tourism marketing, digital culture, and virtual influencer marketing while adding to research on digital cultural tourism in the Global South.

Implementing Circular Practices in Tourism: Examples From Portugal's Hospitality and Restaurant Sectors

Patricia Esteves — 2026-04-01

The transition to more sustainable tourism models is essential to address environmental degradation, the mismanagement of natural resources, and the social challenges exacerbated by overtourism. Within this context, the circular economy (CE) emerges as a solution to make the tourism value chain more efficient and even regenerative. By presenting concrete and diverse examples, this study seeks to inform policymakers and stakeholders of the significant potential of CE strategies in advancing tourism sustainability. Eight practical cases from the Portuguese tourism sector – particularly within hospitality and food service – are examined, each illustrating one of eight dimensions of circularity: waste management, energy, water, food and beverages, packaging, infrastructure management, consumables, and transport and suppliers. The study adopts a qualitative and exploratory approach. The examples were selected to demonstrate the diversity of CE applications in tourism, ensuring that they reflected distinct domains of intervention. Preference was also given to cases awarded certifications or prizes in the field of sustainability, as indicators of impact, credibility, and relevance. The findings show that CE practices are already being implemented in Portugal’s tourism sector through innovative and efficient strategies. The examples analysed include zero-waste kitchens, textile upcycling, closed-loop water systems, and locally sourced food supply chains. These initiatives demonstrate not only the feasibility of CE in tourism but also its multiple benefits, such as resource efficiency, community engagement, and enhanced brand recognition. For such practices to become more widespread, supportive policy frameworks and cross-sectoral collaboration are required. Future research should incorporate stakeholder interviews in order to provide a more holistic understanding of CE practices in tourism.

Sustainability Practices in Lebanese Wineries and their Impact on Tourism Development and Economic Growth

Raouf Fadlallah — 2026-04-01

The aim of this study is to examine how sustainability practices adopted by Lebanese wineries influence tourism development and contribute to broader economic growth. Lebanese wineries have increasingly integrated environmental initiatives into their operations in response to both local and global challenges. Such initiatives include reducing paper waste and transform wine corks into renewable energy, reforestation initiatives, energy-efficient practices, and green architecture. A variety of sustainability practices are implemented by wineries in Lebanon; however, an investigation deems necessary to evaluate their impact. Methodologically, this study employed open-ended exploratory interviews with two groups of stakeholders: (a) winery managers and owners, and (b) tourism stakeholders and community representatives. This approach was necessary in order to investigate how winery practices enhance destination attractiveness, support community development and employment, influence Lebanon’s image as a sustainable tourism hub, and contribute to long-term economic growth while preserving environmental and cultural heritage. The findings of this study are particularly important for winery stakeholders by offering insights into strengthening competitiveness and innovation, while tourism and community stakeholders could gain a deeper understanding of how sustainability-driven wine tourism can create employment, support local economies, and enhance Lebanon’s global tourism profile.

The Impact of Freight Transport on Event Tourism in Madeira Island

Ana Moutinho Ferreira — 2026-04-01

Assuming tourism as ‘a social, cultural, and economic phenomenon that involves the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or professional purposes’ (UNWTO, 2010), factors such as the availability and quality of transport and infrastructure are decisive for the success of this economic activity. These factors take on special importance when it comes to events tourism because, in this case, in addition to the movement of visitors from one territory to another, it is equally important to ensure the movement of work teams and a wide variety of goods and merchandise. Tourism has established itself as one of the main drivers of the economy of the island of Madeira, however, this economic activity depends on several conditions to thrive. Congresses, fairs, celebrations, and other events are part of the events tourism segment that has been gaining prominence on this island, but they require complex logistical organisation, where the efficiency and reliability of maritime and air transport have a direct impact on the quality, cost, and even the viability of events, thus conditioning the quality of the tourist offer, regional development, and the tourist experience. This study aims to assess the impact of the logistics and transport chain on events tourism on the island of Madeira. To this end, we sought to identify the operational challenges faced by event organisers and logistics operators, caused by the transport of goods and passengers. The methodology used for data collection and analysis includes, after a careful review of the literature, a quantitative method involving the application of a questionnaire to a universe of 50 respondents. We also used a qualitative method, conducting interviews with three logistics operators, a freight forwarder, an air carrier and a maritime carrier, all with regular operations on the island of Madeira. The results obtained allow us to highlight structural weaknesses in the air and sea freight transport systems, as well as in the logistics of events on the island of Madeira, which have a direct impact on the success of events organised in the region.

Capturing the Economic Value of Mzansi’s Local Cuisine Through Storytelling in Tourism

Hennie Fisher — 2026-04-01

Mzansi, the colloquial name for South Africa (SA) (from the Xhosa noun uMzantzi, meaning "South"), has a vast and varied national cuisine, known as the Rainbow Cuisine, that is relatively unexplored. The 2^nd UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Africa, Arusha, identified the need to strengthen local food ecosystems as a top priority, suggesting engagement with producers, the safeguarding of culinary heritage through the promotion and use of native crops, documentation of products, processes and traditional recipes, and more sustainable food systems. In other research, Local Economic Development (LED) has demonstrated that using local food can drive a destination’s competitiveness, add value to local economies, and foster tourism loyalty through high satisfaction with gastronomic offerings. The aim of this research was to present the local food-related travel tendencies of SA tourists, with a view to making recommendations to food entrepreneurs. An electronic questionnaire was made available to local South African tourists through Qualtrics. It included a demographic section to ensure participation by South African residents living and travelling locally, as well as a second section to record personal travel tendencies. Of the 276 valid responses, 97.5% indicated that they always/sometimes search for local foods when travelling locally, while 72.8% visited a local independent restaurant and 52% a food market. Our results indicate that each traveller had a mean of 4.33 (on a 5-point Likert scale) food related activities during their travels, that they were willing to try new foods (m = 4.37); purchase local food to take home (m = 4.29); can remember the food they consumed during their travels (m = 4.29); enjoy eating new foods (m = 4.27), and read up about places to eat before commencing with travels (m = 4.17). Local tourists' curiosity about other cultures’ food (m = 4.16) and their desire to eat where locals eat (m = 4.16) were also highly important. These results clearly demonstrate the advantages, importance, and multiple benefits of local and cultural foods, along with storytelling, that food and hospitality entrepreneurs can utilise in their marketing and offerings to harness economic benefits and build national pride, thereby delivering broader, even inter-regional, socio-economic benefits.

Entertainment Tourism Model: International Mega-Events as Driver of Tourism

Rey Julius Fortuna — 2026-04-01

Tourism is an integral driver of economic productivity. Using international arrivals as a link to national income, this study examines whether mega-events defined as large-scale cultural, music, sports, and trade shows can serve as predictors of foreign tourist arrivals. While previous literature has emphasized the importance of events in shaping destination image and competitiveness, few studies have examined their predictive value across multiple countries and years. This research addresses that gap by compiling a new dataset from 82 countries. Event counts were collected for the years 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2023, while UNWTO validated 2024 international arrivals were used as the dependent variable. The pandemic years were deliberately excluded to avoid distortions and irregularities in both tourism flows and event programming. The study applied a quantitative, ex-post-facto research design, relying on secondary data drawn from international databases and validated institutional reports. The sample size of 82 was consistent with accepted regression requirements under Green’s formula, ensuring reliability of results. Multiple regression analysis was conducted in SPSS to test the predictive strength of each event category. Results show that the model explains 28.1% of the variance in international arrivals (Adjusted R² = 0.243). Among the predictors, only music events produced a statistically significant effect, indicating that each additional large music concert or festival is associated with roughly 1.7 million more arrivals. Sports events showed a positive but non-significant effect, while cultural festivals and trade shows contributed little within the model. Moreover, the findings underscore the significance of event-led tourism strategies and the necessity for governments to view events as measurable policy instruments, rather than isolated cultural activities. By presenting a mathematical model grounded in cross-country data, this study provides policymakers with an evidence-based framework to guide investment, prioritize event categories with the strongest outcomes, and support long-term tourism planning and national development goals.

Over-Tourism Impacts and Strategies: An Assessment of Current Strategies for Sustainable Tourism

Gregory Gardner — 2026-04-01

This article explores the effectiveness of public protests and administrative policies in reducing the impacts of overtourism by examining two cases of cities facing overtourism; Barcelona, Spain and Venice, Italy. Total tourist visits are used as the dependent variable and compared across time with specific actions taken by local populations and their governments to reduce or mitigate overtourism. Strategic plans for tourism in both case cities are examined and plans are compared to a recommended set of actions from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Tourism levels are explored from 2010 to 2024, which includes the pandemic period. Quantitative analysis includes linear regressions showing strong correlations although the data does not allow useful tests of causality in many cases. The article finds that total visitor counts across most of the world had completely recovered from pandemic impacts by 2024, with strong forecast growth for future years. Excessive tourism levels bring threats to regional infrastructure, culture, quality of life, and environmental sustainability, making solutions critical as tourism levels continue to increase. Unfortunately, few of the actions taken within each city studied produced any significant reduction in tourist visits to the city. The economic and social/cultural conflicts between increasing and decreasing tourism are examined, as well as the difference between mitigation strategies aimed at the effects of overtourism and overtourism itself. Conclusions call for new approaches to limiting tourism, as well as specific additional research.

Framing Emirati Womanhood: Heritage, Modernity, and Soft Power in Tourism Discourse

Valerie Priscilla Goby — 2026-04-01

This paper examines how Emirati womanhood is framed within the tourism discourse of the United Arab Emirates, analysing how gendered representation operates as both a cultural and political instrument in nation branding. Drawing on framing theory and informed by feminist perspectives on tourism and media representation, this study explores the visual and textual portrayal of women on official online platforms, including Visit Dubai, Visit Abu Dhabi, Emirates Airlines, and the UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth. These materials constitute a state-sanctioned narrative of national identity that integrates cultural heritage with modernity. Through qualitative framing analysis, four recurrent interpretive frames were identified: guardian of tradition, empowered professional, cultural ambassador, and modern national icon. Each frame constructs Emirati women as both rooted in heritage and central to the UAE’s vision of progress and global leadership. The analysis demonstrates that these portrayals harmonise heritage and empowerment rather than position them as opposites. Emirati women are represented as mediators between tradition and modernity; figures through whom the state communicates moral legitimacy, cosmopolitanism, and social stability. These findings align with broader research on Emirati women’s narratives of economic and professional agency, revealing a consistent cultural mechanism of legitimation across both institutional and personal discourse. The study argues that tourism imagery functions as a communicative tool of soft power, affirming the UAE’s global identity as a progressive Arab nation while domestically reinforcing social cohesion and cultural continuity. The 2025 election of an Emirati woman, Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais, as Secretary-General of UN Tourism symbolically extends these representational strategies into global governance, converting visual representation into institutional leadership. The paper concludes that the UAE’s tourism discourse serves a dual purpose, showcasing gender equality to international audiences while reaffirming national authenticity at home, thereby contributing to a distinctive, culturally grounded model of gendered modernity. Theoretically, the paper advances the conceptualisation of gendered nation branding as a communicative process of cultural legitimation, wherein representations of women reconcile heritage and modernity through culturally coherent expressions of empowerment. While not engaging in-depth with soft power theory, the study highlights its relevance in understanding how tourism can serve as a site for producing credible and sustainable forms of gendered modernity. Emirati women thus emerge not merely as symbolic figures of authenticity but as central mediators of the nation’s image, embodying a model of progress that aligns cultural continuity with global visibility.

Generation Z’s Approach to Sustainable Tourism: Factors in Green Accommodation Choice

Kristina Grumadaitė — 2026-04-01

This paper presents a conceptual complexity theory-based framework that reveals the choice of green accommodation of Generation Z individuals as a complex phenomenon of interacting actors and relationships among them. This paper also describes a portrait of Generation Z through the complex concept of smartness, which includes the traits of knowledgeability, digitality, sustainability, intelligence, innovativeness, agility, network based and learning. It is also emphasised that the changes to influence the positive behaviour regarding sustainable choices should be directed to these traits, using them as leverage points.

An Empirical Study of Validating Cultural Event Experience in Determining Jordan’s Destination Competitiveness

Lubna Said Haijawi — 2026-04-01

A country's ability to attract the largest number of tourists depends on its capacity to enhance competitiveness in
the tourism sector. While Jordan's tourism competitiveness focuses on tourist destinations and basic resources, including
infrastructure and administration, cultural interaction remains marginalised and weak. This study aims to validate the
experience of cultural events in terms of (Cognitive engagement, Affective engagement, Physical engagement, and Novelty)
and to examine their role in determining Jordan’s destination competitiveness from the perspective of tourists. The study
adopted a questionnaire to collect primary data from 90 individuals in Jordan. SPSS was used to screen and analyse the
collected primary data. Results indicated a robust connection between the independent and dependent variables. The
independent variables accounted for 63.9% of the variance in the dependent variable. The F value was statistically significant
at the 0.05 level, indicating acceptance of the main hypothesis and that cultural event experience can determine Jordan's
destination competitiveness. The information and knowledge individuals gain from such events might facilitate word-ofmouth
and the intention to recreate the experience, driven by the feelings associated with the event. The study
recommended reevaluating cultural event prices to align with those of neighbouring countries that rely more on technology
and artificial intelligence. Furthermore, increasing the level of competitive analysis from a single tourism project to the sector
level, then to the national level, and finally to the regional level.

Sustainable Zero-Waste Kitchen Operations in Hotels: Leveraging Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Service Automation (RAISA)

Neeta Israni — 2026-04-01

Hotel kitchens, often the heart of food operations, generate significant amounts of waste and consume considerable resources, posing critical challenges to sustainability. This theoretical paper explores how Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Service Automation (RAISA) technologies can enable sustainable, zero-waste kitchen operations in the hotel industry. Through a narrative literature review, the paper identifies innovative RAISA tools such as AI-powered inventory systems, smart appliances, and robotic chefs that reduce food waste, energy use, and operational inefficiencies. Despite the potential of RAISA in hotel kitchens, not many hotels adopt RAISA. Key barriers to RAISA adoption, such as high costs, lack of training, resistance to change, and technological integration challenges, are critically analysed. This paper proposes two conceptual models: one positioning RAISA as an enabler of the triple bottom line: people, planet, and profit, and another advocating internal and external stakeholder collaboration for successful RAISA adoption. The paper concludes by highlighting the need for future research to empirically validate the environmental and financial impact of RAISA, develop new metrics, and create accessible business models. This work contributes to both theory and practice by linking RAISA adoption to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and offering practical roadmaps for hotel managers and policy-makers.

Developing Conversational AI to Enhance the Tourist Experience: A Methodological Framework Applied to the Case of Porto

Bruno Jardim — 2026-04-01

Tourism in Porto has expanded considerably over the last decade, with the number of visitors doubling between 2009 and 2019 and continuing to rise in recent years. This rapid growth creates challenges for the sustainable management of tourist inflows and highlights the need for innovative, data-driven solutions that can both support visitors and relieve pressure on local infrastructures. In response, this study proposes the development of a conversational AI system specifically designed to assist tourists in their daily activities and improve their overall experience of the city. The conversational AI is based on a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) framework, which combines an information retrieval component with a generative model to deliver accurate, context-aware responses. To ensure reliability, the system draws on more than 7,000 documents from diverse sources, including cultural guides, tourism platforms, and official city websites. Several experiments were conducted to identify the best performing system configuration, testing different retrieval strategies, ranking methods, and model architectures. The final solution demonstrates high retrieval accuracy and generates responses that score strongly on semantic similarity and answer quality metrics. Overall, the study demonstrates the potential of conversational AI systems as valuable tools for urban destinations facing growing tourist demand. Beyond Porto, this work illustrates how data-efficient conversational systems can support sustainable tourism management, improve the visitor experience, and serve as scalable solutions for cities with similar challenges worldwide.

Customer Experience in Urban Heritage Tourism: Insights from the Palácio da Bolsa

Hursia Zau — 2026-04-01

Urban heritage tourism plays a pivotal role in sustaining cultural identity and enhancing the experiential value of historic cities. Within this context, the Palácio da Bolsa, a 19th-century neoclassical landmark located in the heart of Porto’s UNESCO-listed historic centre, exemplifies how cultural heritage sites function simultaneously as civic institutions and major tourist attractions. Despite its architectural splendour and symbolic importance, limited empirical research has explored how visitors perceive service quality and how these perceptions shape satisfaction, loyalty, and recommendation behaviour in monument-based settings. This study investigates the visitor experience at the Palácio da Bolsa through a quantitative approach grounded in an adapted SERVQUAL framework, encompassing five core dimensions of service quality: Tangibles, Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, and Empathy. A structured on-site survey was conducted with visitors to assess perceptions of service quality and its influence on visitor behaviour. The analysis identified key dimensions—particularly those related to staff competence, trust, and reliability—as the strongest drivers of satisfaction and recommendation. Overall, the findings confirmed that the adapted SERVQUAL framework provides a valid and reliable approach for evaluating service quality in heritage tourism contexts. Results also highlight the continued relevance of human interaction in shaping the heritage experience, while revealing opportunities to enhance visitor engagement through context-sensitive interpretation and optional digital tools. Balancing technological innovation with authenticity and emotional connection emerges as a central challenge for managing visitor experiences in heritage environments. The study contributes to advancing experience-based place management in urban heritage tourism by integrating service quality assessment with experiential and emotional dimensions. It demonstrates that maintaining consistency, professionalism, and authenticity are crucial for sustaining visitor satisfaction and advocacy. By linking established service models with the unique characteristics of urban heritage sites, this research offers both academic insight and practical guidance for designing meaningful, sustainable visitor experiences in culturally significant destinations. This paper expands the understanding of how service quality shapes visitor experience in urban heritage contexts, highlighting the human and experiential dimensions of heritage tourism. Contributes to advancing theoretical and practical insights for developing authentic, emotionally engaging, and sustainable visitor experiences within culturally significant urban destinations.

Influence of Wellness Value on Tourists’ Intention to Revisit a Spa: A Case Study of Health Land Spa & Massage in Bangkok

Justin Kaewnopparat — 2026-04-01

Wellness tourism plays a significant role in the economic and tourism industry in many countries, especially in Thailand. Considering motivations for well-being and the uniqueness of Thai massage and spa, some tourists include wellness activities as part of their trip. Hence, many international tourists regard spa and massage as a must-try experience when traveling to Thailand. In the same vein, many businesses offer a variety of services, ambiences, and experiences to attract more customers. However, for wellness providers and business competition, customer revisit is both crucial for competitive advantage and challenging to maintain sustainability. This study investigates the relationship between perceived wellness value and tourists’ intention to revisit a spa, comparing tourists who receive only a single service type with tourists who use variety of services. It also examines service type satisfaction, spa ambience, and relaxation as predictors for perceived wellness value from international tourists. To collect data from real tourists visiting a wellness venue, this study uses Health Land Spa & Massage, one of the largest spa chains in Bangkok, Thailand, as a case study to examine their intrinsic responses and revisit intentions. An online questionnaire was used to collect data from international spa and massage customers of various nationalities who agreed to participate in the survey. Statistical analyses were conducted to test causal relationships among variables and mean differences between groups. The findings reveal a statistically significant difference between tourists who use a single service and those who use a variety of service types. Moreover, service type satisfaction, ambience, and relaxation contribute to perceived wellness value, fostering an intention to visit a spa and massage venue. Based on these results, both theoretical and practical implications for spa and massage businesses are discussed, along with relevant suggestions. Therefore, spa businesses can adjust their strategies to effectively enhance sales.

Regenerative Wellbeing in Arctic Tourism: Sense of Place and Community Resilience

Verena Karlsdottir — 2026-04-01

As Arctic and sub-Arctic destinations face increasing environmental, climatic, and social pressures, the tourism sector is being reimagined as a regenerative system that restores both human and ecological well-being. Tourism no longer serves just as an economic driver but as a catalyst for community resilience, cultural continuity, and care for the environment. This paper examines how nature-based and community-driven tourism in Iceland and Finnish Lapland cultivates resilience through a shared sense of place and explores how wellbeing can emerge as a collective, place-based achievement. Drawing on comparative qualitative research involving tourism organisations from Iceland and Lapland, the study investigates how tourism organisations embed local values, environmental respect, and care for people and place within their daily operations. The analysis highlights that the natural environment functions not only as the leading tourism attraction but also as a psychological, social, and cultural (re-)source for employees and residents. In both regions, connection with nature strengthens emotional resilience, job satisfaction, and commitment to sustainable practices, while also reinforcing a deeper understanding of Arctic fragility and interdependence. Leaders who integrate empathy, learning, and trust into their management styles promote supportive, value-driven workplaces that mirror the patterns of local settings. Community collaboration, storytelling, and shared outdoor experiences enhance belonging and stability, transforming tourism from seasonal employment into participation in living cultural ecosystems. The research demonstrates that regenerative wellbeing in tourism emerges when organisations align their operations with the ecological and cultural identity of their environment. In Iceland, this manifests through locally rooted entrepreneurship and community stewardship; in Lapland, through multicultural collaboration and a shared Arctic identity constructed through work in extreme environments. Both regions illustrate how tourism can move beyond sustainability toward the active renewal of ecosystems, cultural heritage, and human connection. By situating the sense of place and well-being at the centre of regenerative tourism, the paper contributes a framework linking leadership, culture, and community resilience.

Strategic Decision-making in Tourism, Events, and Hospitality SMEs: A Scoping Review

Henri Karppinen — 2026-04-01

This study explores how strategic decision-making (SDM) is addressed in tourism, events, and hospitality research and how contextual factors shape the understanding of strategy. While strategy remains a recurring topic in the field, only limited attention has been given to explaining how strategic decisions are actually formed, negotiated, and realised in practice. Drawing on the strategic management literature (Mintzberg, 1987; Eisenhardt, 1999; Elbanna et al, 2020), strategy is here conceptualised as a contextually embedded and iterative decision process rather than a fixed plan or analytical outcome. The aim is to identify how SDM appears in recent strategy-labelled studies and what kinds of contextual assumptions guide its interpretation. A scoping review framework (Arksey and O’Malley, 2005; Peters et al, 2020) was applied to map the fragmented research landscape and clarify how SDM has been implicitly examined across the tourism and hospitality domains. A total of 183 peer-reviewed articles published between 2020 and 2025 in 15 SJR-ranked journals were systematically reviewed. The analytical framework consisted of three tiers: SDM types (deliberate, emergent, reactive), approaches to uncertainty, and decision-making contexts. This design enabled a structured synthesis of conceptual emphases and revealed how different streams of literature define and position strategy and decision-making under uncertainty. The findings indicate that strategy is mainly understood as an organisational activity with a short-term, operational orientation. Uncertainty is often considered a controllable variable rather than an inherent and generative aspect of strategic behaviour. Small and medium-sized enterprises, despite their centrality to the sector, are commonly described as reactive instead of proactive decision-makers. Digital, hybrid, and data-driven contexts remain underexplored, indicating a conceptual gap in understanding how strategic choices are shaped in service-oriented environments. The study contributes to the strategic management discourse by systematising how SDM has been studied in recent tourism and hospitality research and by identifying directions for future studies focusing on context, uncertainty, and strategic decision-making processes in dynamic service settings.

Walking the Talk: Tourism Performance vs. Sustainability Communication in Six European Destinations

Duygu Kiraz — 2026-04-01

Tourism destinations increasingly promote sustainability in their branding efforts in the post-Covid period. However, a persistent gap often exists between their measurable sustainability performance and the communicated brand narratives. This study examines how countries with different World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2024 scores utilize sustainability themes in their tourism branding. We compare Germany, Portugal, Turkey, Spain, Italy, and Greece — six destinations with diverse performance levels and strategies — through a comparative case study approach. Quantitative data from TTDI are complemented by the Tourism Potential Creation Index (TPCI) to capture tourism efficiency relative to population size. These benchmarks are combined with a qualitative content analysis of official tourism websites, campaigns (2020–2025), and social media materials. The analysis builds upon Zenker's stakeholder-oriented place branding model and extends Kiraz's Sustainability-Oriented City Branding Index (SOCBI) to national tourism contexts. We employ the Tourism Potential Creation Index (TPCI= Country Tourism Creation Capacity Ratio ÷ Country Population Ratio) to understand the relationship between actual performance and the authenticity of branding. Official tourism websites and sustainability communication strategies are analyzed across three dimensions: Environmental Communication, Adaptive Branding, and Communication Authenticity. Our findings reveal a strong negative correlation (r = -0.913, p < 0.01) between environmental performance and communication intensity, suggesting that destinations with lower environmental performance compensate through intensified sustainability messaging. Four distinct patterns emerge: high-performing destinations (Germany, Spain) integrate sustainability authentically, silent performers (Portugal) underutilize their achievements, while aspirational communicators (Turkey) employ intensive branding focused on cultural and environmental heritage, and moderate aligners (Italy, Greece) balance performance with communication. This reveals a performance-communication gap that carries both opportunities and credibility risks. The analysis suggests sustainability communication serves primarily as a defensive strategy to avoid negative perceptions rather than a proactive differentiator, reflecting the asymmetric influence of environmental credentials on destination choice. The study contributes theoretically by linking performance indices with destination branding research, and practically by offering recommendations for aligning sustainability branding with measurable outcomes. The findings provide valuable insights for tourism boards seeking to balance authenticity and aspiration in sustainable destination marketing.

Trust or Convenience: Which is More Correlated to Continuous Usage of Chatbot Applications in the Travel Trade Industry?

Mark Chris Lapuz — 2026-04-01

Chatbot applications have benefited not only individual users but also corporate users, such as travel trade specialists. This research examined the unique characteristics of chatbot applications and the ongoing adoption of chatbots by travel agencies that provide airline-related services in the Philippines. Applying the Theory of Reasoned Action, this study evaluated respondents' perceptions of how chatbot applications addressed aspects of trust and convenience. This addressed the empirical research gap on the use of trust and ubiquity as correlates of continuous use of chatbot applications, as well as the scope gap by analysing the perceptions of travel trade specialists, which is innovative given that previous studies focused on individual customers as end-users of chatbot applications. Using survey research among travel trade specialists, the study revealed that either chatbot trust or chatbot ubiquity correlates with continuous usage. The study found that travel trade companies are more likely to use chatbots continuously when they have higher levels of trust and perceive chatbots as ubiquitous. Specifically, trust in chatbots strongly influences the intention to use them consistently, as these companies rely on them to manage risks across their business processes. While both trust and ubiquity play significant roles in chatbot adoption, developers should recognize that travel trade companies prioritize trust when embracing technological applications like chatbots.

Exploring the Perceived Influence of Cinema on Destination Image, Destination Attributes and the Intention to Travel

Rosa Alexandra Meira da Cruz Lavaredas — 2026-04-01

Cinema has long been acknowledged as a cultural mediator capable of shaping perceptions, imagery and attitudes associated with tourism destinations. However, empirical evidence regarding its influence on destination perceptions beyond single case studies remains limited. This quantitative exploratory study investigates how individuals perceive the influence of cinema on travel decision, mediated by destination image and destination attributes. An online survey was administered to 262 participants, examining patterns of cinema consumption, attention to filmed landscapes and self-reported predisposition to travel after watching films. Descriptive and inferential analyses do not demonstrate direct relationships among cinema consumption, destination image, destination attributes and travel decision. Rather, findings suggest that cinema may operate as an indirect experiential and symbolic stimulus within a longer decision-making trajectory. The study contributes a broader empirical perspective to the field of film-induced tourism and highlights the need for further research addressing contextual, motivational and demographic variables that may mediate these relationships.

Time Management Skills and Strategies of Hospitality Faculty: Practices and Demographic Differences in a Philippine State University

Ma. Nellie Mapa — 2026-04-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the time management skills and strategies practiced by Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management (BSHM) faculty members at West Visayas State University (WVSU) across its Calinog, Lambunao, Janiuay, and Pototan campuses. Specifically, the study aimed to assess the extent of time management practices among faculty and determine whether significant differences existed when grouped according to marital status, job status, length of teaching experience, and educational attainment. The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional survey design utilizing a researcher-adapted 25-item Time Management Behaviour Questionnaire (TMBQ) that measured six domains, namely planning, prioritization, organization, distraction control, delegation and boundary management, and recovery. A total of 32 faculty respondents participated through convenience sampling, and data were analysed using descriptive statistics for item ranking and inferential tests such as t-test, ANOVA, Mann–Whitney U, and Kruskal–Wallis to identify significant group differences. Findings revealed that the overall level of time management skills and strategies was rated “very good” across all classifications, with the highest-rated behaviours being setting clear career perspectives, prioritizing wisely, practicing personal goal setting, and demonstrating self-discipline and determination. Results also indicated significant differences when respondents were grouped according to marital status and length of teaching experience, while no significant variations were observed by job status and educational attainment. These findings suggest that personal circumstances and professional tenure influence time management practices more strongly than employment classification or academic degree. The practical contribution of the study reveals the need for institutional strategies such as professional development workshops, mentoring programs, and workload management policies that accept certain demographic and experiential variation while ensuring that there are robust aggregate practices by faculty. Further, the results offer empirical evidence that effective time management provides an essential function that facilitates effective teaching development, work-life balance, and modelling for hospitality program classes such that applied courses and lab-based classes require extensive preparation. The study's novelty and contribution are that hospitality faculty from higher education from the Philippines have never been examined previously for time management scholarship. Through item-level recording of behaviours and investigating demographic variation, the study offers theoretical contribution toward faculty workload management literature as well as practical contribution toward individuals who aspire that faculty efficiency, productivity, and instruction quality could be improved.

Exploring the Impact of Wildfires on Cyprus’ Wine Tourism

Stelios Marneros — 2026-04-01

This paper investigates the impact of wildfires on the wine tourism sector in Cyprus, where viticulture constitutes a vital pillar of rural development and cultural heritage. The primary objective is to understand how recent wildfires have affected wine tourism operations, infrastructure, and visitor perceptions, as well as to explore pathways for sustainable recovery and sectoral resilience. The study adopts a qualitative methodology. Primary data were collected through semi-structured interviews with winery owners, tourism stakeholders, and local policymakers in fire-affected areas. Secondary data through the form of content analysis—including regional tourism statistics, environmental assessments, and industry reports were analysed to contextualise the findings. Preliminary results revealed significant disruptions to vineyard landscapes, supply chains, and tourism flows. Nonetheless, interviews uncovered a growing awareness among stakeholders of the need for adaptive strategies, such as fire-resilient vineyard practices, climate-conscious marketing, and the integration of eco-tourism narratives. These strategies are seen not only as recovery tools but also as long-term opportunities for repositioning Cyprus’s wine tourism identity. The findings offer valuable implications for post-crisis rural destination management and regeneration. Further, the results contribute to the broader discussions on climate resilience in tourism planning, particularly for Mediterranean regions increasingly vulnerable to environmental hazards.

Bibliometric Analysis on "Sustainable Tourism" and “Destination Image " From 2009 to 2024

José Pereira — 2026-04-01

A comprehensive analysis of the extant body of scientific research on sustainable tourism and destination image in tourism literature is required. This analysis should encompass the period between 2009 and 2024. The bibliometric method was employed to analyse two tourism variables. The present study will utilise the PRISMA protocol to systematically review the extant literature on sustainable tourism and destination image, encompassing a total of 104 documents, with no exclusion filters applied. The year 2009 was selected as the initial point of reference because it marked the year when the volume of publications began to demonstrate a correlation with the two variables under investigation. The year 2024 was incorporated into the analysis as it represented the most recent complete year. The analysis concentrated on a set of three indicators: author, year of publication, and journal. The analysis employed a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, encompassing both simple statistics and qualitative content analysis. The theoretical implications of this study broaden the existing discussions on the variables investigated. The analysis of the publications revealed the presence of patterns and trends, thus highlighting an interconnection between the themes with direct impacts on both the projected image and the management of destinations. This was achieved through the implementation of preservation policies and sustainable best practices. The primary limitations of the research are related to the temporal scope of the analysis, which covers only the period from 2009 to 2024, the restriction of the Scopus database, and the non-use of software that could expand the bibliometric study. The importance of bibliometric analysis as a crucial tool for synthesising and understanding the vast body of literature in the field of tourism is reaffirmed. The results of the study highlight the importance of creating strategies that give priority to the interests of local communities. This is an essential factor in promoting more sustainable, responsible, and conscious development by tourism destination managers. Consequently, emphasis is placed on the significance of research contributions and trends, in addition to identifying gaps and opportunities for future investigation.

Township Tourism Marketing in South Africa: Challenges and Opportunities

Gift Muresherwa — 2026-04-01

Township tourism is increasingly seen as a tool that can be used to transform the overall tourism industry. For South Africa, township tourism illustrates attempts to drive inclusive growth, safeguard cultural resources, and promote socio-economic benefits to historically marginalised communities. Despite the opportunities presented by township tourism, its marketing faces persistent challenges that impede successful implementation. This conceptual paper critically examines challenges and prospects of township tourism marketing in South Africa. Utilising the extant academic literature as points of discussion, this study identifies marketing challenges in marketing townships as tourism products. These problems comprise a continual negative destination image, insufficient infrastructure, low level of digital visibility, safety and security issues, and fragmented marketing. The study also brings to the fore new opportunities that are linked with township tourism in South Africa. The article also highlights the importance of strategic multi-stakeholder partnerships and collaboration in developing sustainable township tourism. Theoretically, the study synthesizes stakeholder and destination branding models to gain a comprehensive understanding of different marketing approaches that can be applied to reposition township destinations as culturally rich tourism environments. The paper concludes by outlining a framework for marketing township tourism in South Africa. This framework underlines the need to focus on collaboration, authenticity, and innovation as three basic pillars for ensuring sustainable township tourism marketing. The study provides recommendations on how to use digital marketing, storytelling, and co-branding interventions that increase awareness and attractiveness of township tourism. This paper adds to the body of knowledge regarding ‛emerging market’ tourism by creating a conceptual base for future empirical studies about township destination marketing.

Mapping the Future of Ecotourism: A Decade of Research Insights

Elisabete Nogueira — 2026-04-01

This study underscores the importance of deepening understanding of ecotourism to foster sustainability and environmental responsibility in tourism. Through a systematic literature review of 84 articles published between 2015 and 2025 in Web of Science database, the study examines the intellectual and thematic structure of the discipline. Three major thematic clusters were identified, revealing a shift from descriptive studies focused on conservation and community participation toward integrative approaches that encompass governance, behavioral psychology, and digital transformation. By synthesizing current scholarship, this research highlights emerging theoretical trends, unresolved gaps, and future directions that align ecotourism with global sustainability goals. The findings offer conceptual insights for researchers, evidence-based guidance for policymakers, and practical strategies for tourism enterprises aiming to strengthen ecological integrity and community resilience.

Blended Intensive Programmes as a Tool for Critical Tourism Education: Insights from Military Tourism in Portugal

Marco Noivo — 2026-04-01

This paper examines Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs) as both an educational format and a research platform for critical tourism education. Using a Lisbon-based BIP in which 21 Generation Z tourism students engaged with six Portuguese military-heritage sites, the study explores how they evaluate and reimagine the design of interpretation. An interpretivist qualitative approach combined non-participant observation, informal stakeholder mini-interviews, reflective journals, and student artefacts. Cross-case qualitative content analysis identified recurring expectations shaping Gen Z military-heritage engagement, leading to a four-pillar interpretation framework: (1) narrative-first technology; (2) multisensory and inclusive access; (3) community co-creation as authenticity; and (4) choice-based immersion and gamified edutainment. These pillars are synthesised into a concise Gen Z “signature” of visitor expectations and paired with low-, medium-, and high-resource recommendations for progressive implementation. The study demonstrates BIPs as living-lab settings that bridge classroom learning, applied research, and site-level innovation, while positioning student co-production as a legitimate route to context-sensitive and ethically alert interpretation practice.

Media and Tourism in Shaping Sacred Sites: Empirical Insights From African Pilgrimage Destinations

Linda Nompumelelo — 2026-04-01

In the digital era, social media plays a crucial role in shaping tourist preferences and behaviours, particularly in pilgrimage tourism. Social media platforms shape destination selections and enrich the overall travel experience through user-generated content. This paper explores a shifting demand characteristic in pilgrimage tourism due to the rise of the experience economy and widespread social media use. It also examines the managerial implications and strategic use of social media marketing in promoting religious sites. A quantitative research design was employed, using numerical data to draw conclusions. Primary data was collected through a standardised questionnaire completed by 450 respondents, supplemented by interviews. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS Version 29, applying descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate methods. The findings were anticipated to highlight social media's significant impact on pilgrimage tourism, particularly in influencing destination image and motivating travel behaviour. The study adds to existing literature by focusing on sub-Saharan pilgrimage destinations, a region often underrepresented in tourism studies. It recommends leveraging social media tools as effective strategies for promoting pilgrimage destinations and engaging potential visitors.

The Influence of Formal Education and Business Networks on Female Entrepreneurship: The Case of Duban Kwa-Zulu Natal

Nompumelelo Nzama — 2026-04-01

Entrepreneurship contributes significantly to every nation’s socio-economic development, particularly through job creation, poverty alleviation, and innovation. Within developing countries such as South Africa, entrepreneurship has become an important driver of socio-economic development. Previous studies reveal that having adequate formal education and belonging to relevant business networks can be strong indicators of successful business development. However, existing literature also highlights that female-owned businesses often face more barriers to growth and sustainability than their male-owned counterparts, including unequal access to resources, skills development opportunities, and social capital. This study explored nuanced gender perceptions on the influences that formal education and business networks can have on tourism-related business operations in the Durban Central Business District, KwaZulu-Natal. A structured questionnaire survey was used to collect data from a purposively selected sample of 150 tourism-related entrepreneurs, comprising 75 females and 75 males. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate data analyses were employed to examine the relationships between gender, education, networking, and business performance. The study did not arrive at a conclusive finding that gender plays a decisive role in differentiating business success or performance, as is often perceived in entrepreneurial discourse. However, several patterns emerged: respondents with tertiary education reported stronger perceptions of business success compared to those without tertiary qualifications; male entrepreneurs expressed stronger agreement that formal education contributes to performance outcomes; and male entrepreneurs tended to be more actively involved in relevant business networks than their female counterparts. The study recommends that entrepreneurship training and mentorship programmes should emphasise the critical role of formal education (rather than gender) in supporting business success, while also creating targeted interventions to encourage greater female participation in business networks.

Tourism Through the 15-Minute Lens: Porto Case Study

Rita Oliveira — 2026-04-01

The 15-minute city concept has become a cornerstone of modern urban planning. Despite its worldwide application, research has mostly focused on accessibility to essential services, while accessibility to tourism remains less explored. Tourism, key to urban identity, liveability, and visitor management, needs to be considered within proximity planning. In this context, analysing travel times and accessibility to tourist locations across different travel modes represents a key opportunity to gain insight into how these shape cities. This study applies the 15-minute city framework to tourism, characterizing accessibility from a visitor’s perspective. Porto, Portugal, a city facing the impacts of massive tourism, is used as a pilot area to measure access to touristic amenities. Using the Porto open data portal, we compiled 290 points of interest across eight tourism categories. For every Base Reference Geographical Information (BGRI) cell, the Portuguese census tracts, we computed the centroid and generated network-based travel times to each amenity for walking, cycling, and driving. From the origin-destination matrices, we derived a set of 15-minute city indicators, namely minimum travel time required to reach the amenities and counts and percentage of amenities reachable within 5/10/15 minutes. Results show how accessibility patterns vary by parishes and travel mode and offer a reproducible base for urban planning and destination management. The outcomes reveal that accessibility to tourism is strongly centre-weighted: the historic centre offers short walking times and high amenity variety, while the eastern and northern edges face slower access and fewer choices. Trips starting from two central parishes reach 43% of amenities within a 15-minute walk, while trips originating in peripheral parishes typically reach only 5% to 9%. Cycling enhances accessibility by making accessible a variety of amenities across most parishes within 10 minutes and nearly citywide by 15 minutes. This work reframes 15-minute accessibility around tourism, providing a multimodal transportation assessment, translating analytics into actionable indicators. The framework supports policymaker in diversifying attraction availability in underserved areas, distributing visitor flows, and aligning cultural-access goals with liveability agendas, promoting smart cities' development.

A Study on Pet-Friendly Resort Experience: Policies, Practices, and Guest Satisfaction

Cristy Pagente — 2026-04-01

The rise of pet-friendly tourism has significantly transformed the hospitality landscape, driving resorts and accommodations to adjust their services to meet the needs of travellers who bring their pets. This study investigates the policies, operational practices, and guest satisfaction factors that shape the pet-friendly resort experience, using a systematic qualitative approach. A comprehensive literature review guided by the PRISMA framework was conducted to identify established policies, service models, and implementation gaps in pet-friendly accommodations. To complement the review, focus group interviews were carried out with ten stakeholders from pet-friendly resorts in Iloilo, Philippines—including resort managers, frontline staff, and pet-owning guests—selected through purposive sampling to ensure relevant and diverse insights. Thematic analysis using NVivo software was employed to analyse the collected data and extract key patterns related to service quality, guest expectations, policy clarity, and operational challenges. Findings reveal several critical drivers of guest satisfaction, including stringent cleanliness standards, availability of pet amenities, and measures that ensure pet safety and comfort. However, the study also identifies notable challenges that resorts commonly encounter, such as managing disruptive pet behaviour, addressing liability and safety concerns, and handling the increased maintenance demands associated with pet-friendly facilities. Successful strategies observed among well-performing establishments include clear and consistently enforced pet policies, designated pet-friendly areas, enhanced cleaning protocols, trained staff capable of addressing pet-related issues, and effective communication with guests before and during their stay. The study emphasises the need for standardised guidelines, transparent policy communication, and improved operational frameworks to create a balanced environment that accommodates both pet-owning guests and non-pet travelers. The insights generated offer practical recommendations for resorts seeking to strengthen their pet-friendly services and enhance overall guest experiences. Future studies are encouraged to explore the economic contributions of pet-friendly tourism, the integration of technology in pet-service management, and the long-term effects of pet-inclusive policies on guest loyalty within the evolving hospitality sector.

The Role of 4E Marketing Model - Experience, Everywhere, Evangelism, and Exchange - in Determining Café Experience Among Generation Z Tourists

Siwasak Pansukkum — 2026-04-01

This research explores the impact of the 4E marketing model- Experience, Everywhere, Evangelism, and Exchange - on Generation Z tourists' decisions to visit cafés in Bangkok. This study seeks to understand how the 4E factors influence their decision-making process in the context of café visits, providing valuable insights for businesses seeking to engage this influential group. A sample of 400 Generation Z tourists, aged 18-27, who had previously visited cafés in Bangkok, participated in the study. The research exploited a structured questionnaire to gather data on how these four factors affect their choices. The findings indicate that the "Experience" factor, particularly the appeal of Instagram-worthy settings and high-quality service, had the most significant influence on Generation Z's café selection. "Everywhere," which highlights the importance of both convenient physical locations and a robust online presence, also played a key role in their decision-making. "Evangelism," fueled by peer recommendations and social media reviews, further shaped their café preferences. Additionally, the "Exchange" factor, related to value-for-money, was crucial, as Generation Z showed a clear preference for loyalty programs and exclusive offers. The study concludes that café operators aiming to attract Generation Z should prioritize creating unique and memorable experiences, improving digital accessibility, leveraging social proof, and offering clear value for money. These insights provide practical strategies for businesses seeking to engage and retain Generation Z tourists in a competitive café market.

Travelling of Generation Z – Theoretical Shift In Tourism and the Need For Strategic Adaptation

Roman Švec — 2026-04-01

The aim of this review paper is to critically analyze and compare traditional and emerging theoretical approaches to the travel behavior of Generation Z as the most recent tourist segment. The analysis will focus on five key domains: motivation, accommodation, marketing communication, values (sustainability), and technological integration. The comparative framework highlights the gap between the product-oriented model (e.g., standardized hotels, mass advertising) and the demand for experiential, ethical, and digitally seamless offerings. The synthesis of findings will result in a proposal for transforming CR from a 'product seller' to an 'experience curator'. This new role requires the implementation of a model based on the experience economy and connectivity (eWOM), which effectively targets the search for authenticity and social validation among young travelers (D'Acunto et al. (2025). The study identifies key directions for future research and recommendations for practice to address this dominant and formative group of travelers.

Leveraging European Health Data Space (EHDS) for Safer and Smarter European Travel

Jyri Rajamäki — 2026-04-01

Health tourism is rapidly expanding, driven by the demand for high-quality medical and wellness services across borders. This growth introduces complex challenges related to data security, interoperability, and trust. The European Health Data Space (EHDS) aims to create a unified framework for secure health data exchange within the EU, offering significant potential to enhance safe and smart health tourism. This study develops a theoretical foundation through a multi-case approach (three cases) to examine how EHDS can be leveraged in this context. Data were collected through document analysis, semi-structured interviews, and participant observation. Qualitative content analysis and triangulation were used to ensure reliability. The findings highlight that technical interoperability alone is insufficient; robust cybersecurity and continuous professional education are essential for building trust and resilience. Furthermore, innovation clusters emerge as key enablers, fostering collaboration between healthcare providers, technology firms, and educational institutions. The study concludes by identifying research gaps and proposing future directions, including empirical evaluation of EHDS implementation, IoMT security and the impact of competence development initiatives. By integrating technology, policy and education, Europe can establish a secure and patient-centric digital health ecosystem that supports sustainable growth in health tourism.

Exploring the Secondary Use of Health Data for Tourism and Travel Safety

Jyri Rajamäki — 2026-04-01

This exploratory case study examines the opportunities and challenges associated with the secondary use of health data in the context of health tourism and travel safety, with a particular focus on the European Health Data Space (EHDS) initiative. Using the ManagiDiTH master’s programme as a case-based analytical framework, the study investigates the competencies, technological prerequisites and ecosystem structures required to enable responsible secondary data use in health tourism. Rather than evaluating outcomes, the study maps opportunities, challenges, and mechanisms through which interoperable health data could enhance personalization, safety, and cross-border care continuity. The findings demonstrate that competent professionals, interoperable technologies, and robust ecosystem structures are essential for realizing the benefits of secondary health data use in tourism and travel safety. The study advances multidisciplinary digital health education by highlighting the competencies required at the intersection of health, technology and tourism, and it provides insights for future research and practice in health tourism.

Comparing Four Generations of Rural Tourism Developers in Finland

Rositsa Röntynen — 2026-04-01

Intergenerational differences have received growing scholarly attention in recent years, particularly in relation to work practices, communication styles, and values across professional and social contexts. This study explores the characteristics of rural tourism developers in Finland across four generations – Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers. Developers play a vital role in shaping rural destinations, and supporting their wellbeing directly contributes to the sustainability and regeneration of entire tourism ecosystems. Ensuring that developers are equipped, motivated, and supported aligns with the principles of regenerative tourism. The research is based on a questionnaire distributed nationally as part of the Rural Finland Tourism Hub project, co-funded by the European Fund for Agricultural and Rural Development. Due to the unequal distribution of respondents among the four generational groups, results were analysed qualitatively by a narrative approach. This provides valuable insights into generational tendencies while avoiding overgeneralization. The comparison focuses on four key aspects: (1) competence needs, reflecting the skills and knowledge rural developers consider essential for their work; (2) preferred communication and information channels, highlighting differences in how generations access, share, and process tourism-related knowledge; (3) cooperation patterns, describing how various age groups engage with partners and institutions in the context of rural tourism development; and (4) employment characteristics, illustrating differences in working conditions and orientation. The insights of this study hold relevance for tourism managers, educators, governing bodies, and financiers who seek to design support measures, training programmes, and funding instruments that are tailored to the needs of diverse developer profiles. Moreover, the study addresses a notable gap in tourism literature by providing a nuanced understanding of rural tourism developers’ characteristics from a generational perspective.

Understanding Internship Value from Key Stakeholders’ Perspectives in Tourism Entrepreneurship

Anne Roosipõld — 2026-04-01

Internships play a key role in tourism and hospitality education, bridging academic learning and practical
experience. They serve as spaces where academic and professional domains intersect, enabling students to navigate multiple
roles and perspectives. In Estonia, many students already work in the sector and complete internships at their current
workplace. While this provides valuable experiential learning, it also creates challenges for universities in supervision and
coordination. This study explores the value created through such internships, drawing on value proposition theory and a
modified version of Osterwalder’s Business Model Canvas, alongside concepts of boundary crossing and role clarity. Using a
qualitative phenomenological approach, data were collected through focus groups and interviews with students, university
coordinators, and workplace supervisors. Findings show that although internships benefit all stakeholders, students often
face role conflicts as employees, interns, and learners, blurring the educational purpose. Workplace supervisors’ roles are
often unclear, and universities focus mainly on administrative tasks rather than meaningful collaboration with industry
partners. The study emphasizes clearer role definitions, stronger university–employer cooperation, and reflective practices
to enhance learning and organizational development.

Sustainability in Tourism and Hospitality Degrees: A Systematic Review

Susana Silva — 2026-04-01

Sustainability has been of greater concern in all industry sectors, specifically in hospitality and tourism, which highlight the need for skills in sustainability in the sector. Therefore, higher education institutions must consider this concern of industry and incorporate this topic in hospitality and tourism curriculums. This paper makes a systematic literature review on sustainability topics included in hospitality and tourism curriculum of higher education courses. It was analysed 48 papers indexed on Web of Science database that discussed the presence and/or requirement for sustainability topics in higher education curriculums. This study shows that the first study on this topic only started in 2015 and emphasizes that only in the last two years it has been of greater concern by researchers, but still needing to be more carefully addressed by higher education institutions to effectively include sustainability topics in hospitality and tourism curriculums. Moreover, more research is needed to push higher education curriculums in hospitality and tourism to fully address the topic of sustainability and well prepare the future professionals of the sector.

The Art of Preservation: Bridging Historical Narratives and Modern Visual Expression in Omani Heritage Sites

Amal Ezzat Soliman — 2026-04-01

Based on an ongoing research project, this abstract combines modern representation with reconstructed history. With the use of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and high-definition screens, Oman's stunning natural beauty and rich historical legacy might be transformed into engaging, accessible, and instructive experiences. (Alrihani, N., 2022)
The objective is to preserve history while making it more appealing to audiences both locally and globally. Optical technology may be both an effective narrative tool and a preservation support by minimizing direct interaction with fragile monuments and landscapes. Visitors may interact with historically significant periods and experience these stories in real life through digital reconstructions, such as ancient cities, traditional handicrafts, and maritime trade. Through the provision of engaging, technologically enhanced experiences, this approach fosters the expansion of eco-friendly travel. More tourists will be attracted as a result, and new job opportunities in the areas of innovation and historical preservation will arise. Using contemporary visual technology in a cultural context encourages more community involvement, information transfer across generations, and keeps heritage interesting for a younger generation. (Sullivan, A.M., 2015) Through the integration of creative, artistic, and technological approaches with historical narratives, the initiative establishes Oman as a potential leader in the Gulf region's cultural tourism innovation. Heritage professionals, government officials, and innovative innovators looking to incorporate advanced technology interpretation methods while preserving history will be interested in them.

Smart and Sustainable Tourism in the Azores - The Integration of Technological Practices: A Study of a Hotel Unit in the Region

Micaela Cordeiro — 2026-04-01

Tourism growth in the Azores has generated significant economic benefits but also challenges related to sustainability and the risk of overtourism. This qualitative study analyzes how the adoption of emerging technologies can contribute to creating a smart and sustainable tourism ecosystem in the region, reconciling innovation with environmental preservation and sociocultural valorization. The research was based on semi-structured interviews with professionals from the Azorean tourism and business sector, complemented by a case study of a local hotel unit. The results show the growing implementation of technological practices such as consumption sensors, automation, digital platforms, and sustainable resource management solutions, but also reveal structural obstacles, such as resistance to change, infrastructural limitations, and digital skills deficits. It is concluded that the Azores have the potential to position themselves as a smart tourism destination, provided that coordination between public and private entities is strengthened, investment in training is increased, and integration between digital strategies and sustainability practices aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is enhanced. The study contributes to advancing knowledge about smart tourism in island contexts, proposing replicable frameworks for digital sustainability and strategic communication. Limitations include the lack of long-term data and the absence of tourists' direct perspectives, highlighting avenues for future research.

Understanding Audience Engagement with Japan Travel Itinerary Videos Across Social Media Platforms

Shah Syed Arif Hussain — 2026-04-01

Social media plays a central role in shaping destination image and tourist behavior. Beyond providing information
and entertainment, it influences how viewers explore places, plan trips, and share their experiences after visiting destinations.
While some prior studies have examined the role of social media in shaping tourists’ choices, most have focused on individual
social media platforms. Very few studies have compared how engagement differs across social media platforms such as
YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. This study addresses this gap by analyzing engagement on one popular 14 days Japan travel
itinerary video from each platform, specifically YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. After cleaning, filtering, removing non-English
comments and quality checks, the final dataset used for analysis consisted of 525 YouTube comments, 804 TikTok comments,
and 451 Instagram comments. Sentiment analysis was done using RoBERTa and emotional tone was identified using the
DistilRoBERTa-based J-Hartmann emotion model. Hugging Face’s facebook/bart-large-mnli zero-shot model was used to
assign comments to manually defined candidate labels, and final topic grouping was completed through manual mapping.
Results show that YouTube generated predominantly positive sentiment and strong joy-based emotions, with viewers asking
detailed trip-planning and itinerary-related questions and expressing intentions to visit Japan and follow the itinerary. In
contrast, TikTok and Instagram showed largely neutral sentiment, dominated by emojis, tagging friends and family, and
shorter emotional responses. Zero-shot topic analysis further confirmed this difference, showing that YouTube comments
centered on information-seeking, trip planning, and past travel reflections, while TikTok and Instagram were more focused
on short reactions, visual appreciation, destination praise, and social sharing. The findings show that YouTube platform
supports detailed trip planning and engagement, while TikTok and Instagram encourage quick, emotion-based reactions.
These insights can help influencers, destination management organizations (DMOs), and relevant policy makers design
content that both guides travel decisions and inspires interest in destinations.

Positioning Space Tourism within Astrotourism: Pathways for Commercialization and Market Development

Sekar Dwi Tirtasari — 2026-04-01

Astrotourism is increasingly recognized as a niche form of tourism that integrates science, culture, and experience through human engagement with the universe. Within this broader category, space tourism represents one of its most prominent strands, shaped by technological progress and the growing demand for knowledge-driven encounters. While interest in both astrotourism and space tourism has expanded, the commercialization of these activities remains underexplored, particularly regarding how markets, business models, and visitor experiences evolve in tandem. To address this gap, this study examines how Business Model Innovation (BMI) has been conceptualized and applied within the context of terrestrial astrotourism, and what implications it holds for the sustainable commercialization of space tourism. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted following the PRISMA approach, focusing on 12 scholarly publications indexed in Scopus. Each article was analyzed through thematic synthesis to identify its central focus, treatment of business model components, and orientation toward commercialization. The analysis was guided by a framework distinguishing five forms of business model innovation: value proposition, marketing, process, revenue model and organizational innovation. The findings reveal that commercialization in astrotourism is primarily driven by innovations in value proposition, market expansion, and organizational collaboration. These developments indicate a transition from conventional sightseeing toward immersive, educational, and community-embedded experiences that generate emotional, cultural, and environmental value for visitors. While process and revenue innovations appear less developed and often implicit, emerging practices such as emotional experience staging, technology-assisted interpretation, and coordinated dark-sky management reflect increasing maturity in how astrotourism products are designed and delivered. More broadly, astrotourism functions as a testing ground for new forms of destination governance and experience-based value creation that may inform future models of responsible space-related tourism. Its emphasis on sustainability, inclusiveness, and local participation offers insights for constructing resilient and ethically grounded tourism frameworks. Further research should examine digital mediation, financial sustainability, and impact assessment to clarify how astrotourism can contribute to sustainable pathways within the evolving space economy.

Determinants of Digital Engagement in Cultural Tourism: A Logistic Regression Analysis of Social Media Likes

Despoina Tsavdaridou — 2026-04-01

Digital media are central to the visibility and attractiveness of cultural institutions that operate at the intersection of heritage, leisure and tourism. Increasingly, cultural organizations rely on social platforms not only to communicate with local communities but also to engage international visitors and strengthen their role within the tourism economy. Social media uses “Likes” to provide a measurable signal of audience interaction and approval and have therefore become a valuable indicator of digital engagement. This study investigates the determinants of audience engagement by analyzing 1,349 social-media posts from ten Greek cultural organizations. A unique dataset was systematically coded across several dimensions, including organizational identity, sustainability orientation (economic, social, environmental), thematic focus (collaboration, education, inclusion, transparency), content structure (text, image, video, multimodal) and language of communication (Greek, English, bilingual). Engagement was measured through Likes, employed as the dependent variable. To examine engagement patterns, Likes were dichotomized into high versus low engagement using the sample median as the threshold. Logistic regression analysis estimated the probability that a post achieved high engagement conditional on its characteristics. Results confirm that sustainability orientation significantly influences engagement levels, with posts addressing social sustainability showing the highest mean engagement. Logistic regression further reveals that education and inclusion themes negatively predict high engagement, whereas transparency emerges as a positive predictor. Interaction effects demonstrate that engagement outcomes depend on synergies between sustainability themes and interactive design. Specifically, combining calls-to-action with embedded links increases engagement for environmental posts but reduces it for economic ones. Simultaneously, links without explicit calls-to-action benefit economic sustainability communication. The interaction model substantially improves explanatory power, relative to the main-effects model, indicating that digital engagement is context dependent rather than additive. The findings offer quantitative evidence on how cultural organizations’ communication strategies shape online audience behavior. From a managerial perspective, the results highlight the need for differentiated communication strategies that align sustainability narratives with suitable interactive elements. Investing in transparency messaging and designing content strategically across sustainability dimensions can enhance both visibility and impact within the cultural tourism ecosystem.

Rapid 3D Digitization of Cultural Heritage Objects for Tourism Applications Using iPad LiDAR

Fatih Varol — 2026-04-01

The tourism industry increasingly relies on digital technologies to enrich visitor experiences, preserve cultural heritage, and strengthen destination marketing. Traditional promotional methods are often insufficient, while augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and digital twin applications are emerging as transformative tools. For these technologies to succeed, rapid, portable, and low-cost three-dimensional (3D) data acquisition methods are essential. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) has long been recognized for its precision in generating dense point clouds; however, conventional terrestrial systems are expensive, bulky, and require expert operation. The iPad’s built-in LiDAR sensor offers a practical alternative with portability, affordability, and ease of use, enabling fast and on-site digitization of cultural heritage assets. In this study, five representative objects were documented during a city tour using iPad LiDAR and processed through Reconstructor® for point cloud filtering and mesh generation. The resulting 3D models included: (1) a human statue (~0.8 × 0.8 × 1.6 m), (2) a violinist statue (~0.9 × 0.7 × 1.7 m), (3) a seated group around a table (~1.8 × 1.6 × 1.6 m), (4) an ancient stone pedestal (~1.2 × 1.0 × 0.8 m), and (5) an elderly couple on a bench (~1.8 × 0.8 × 1.5 m). Scanning sessions lasted 3–6 minutes, with processing times between 7–15 minutes. Point clouds contained between 480,000 and 1.25 million points, while meshes ranged from 85,000 to 210,000 faces. To quantitatively evaluate geometric quality, three core analyses were performed in CloudCompare (v2.12): (i) Roughness Analysis to measure local surface irregularities, (ii) Normal Deviation Analysis to assess orientation stability, and (iii) Point-to-Mesh (C2M) Distance Analysis to determine geometric accuracy and consistency. Across all models, mean roughness values ranged from 4.1–7.4 mm, normal deviations from 7°–27°, and C2M median accuracy from 4.8–7.9 mm, demonstrating that post-processing effectively compensates for raw LiDAR noise and alignment drift. These results confirm that iPad LiDAR can generate complete and metrically coherent 3D reconstructions in under 15 minutes per object, balancing practicality and geometric fidelity. The workflow offers a reproducible and accessible solution for rapid cultural heritage digitization, supporting immersive tourism experiences and the broader digital transformation of heritage preservation, interpretation, and public engagement.

Blended Intensive Programmes in Tourism Education: Experiences on the go

Sandra Vasconcelos — 2026-04-01

This paper describes two blended intensive programmes (BIPs) involving wine, both as a tourism and a cultural heritage asset. Having taken place in Portugal, these programmes brought together students from Romania, Germany, Poland, and Spain and included a wide range of activities, whose main goal was to encourage participants to develop innovative concepts related to wine culture and wine tourism development. Focussing on the design, implementation, monitoring and outputs of the programmes, the authors take on reflective approach, which can be framed within the scope of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), highlighting strategies that can potentially improve students’ learning experience in tourism and wine education. Considering the programmes addressed two complementary thematic strands, specifically, the perceptions and engagement of younger cohorts, particularly Generation Z and Generation Alpha, towards wine culture and how it might be reinterpreted, as well as tourism experience design, the paper reviews existing literature, providing examples which support the adoption of international immersive experiences. Moreover, it describes goals, learning outcomes, key outputs and learning tasks, putting forwards the tools and methods used with and by the students, including digital tools, such as Padlet, as well as multisensory observation diaries, offering insights into their potential, particularly when it comes to promoting experiential learning in a multi- and intercultural setting.

Visa Policies: The Belt and Road Initiative and Status-Seeking

Haozhen Xu — 2026-04-01

How do visa policies function as infrastructural mechanisms within the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework?
This question investigates how mobility policies facilitate controlled labour flows and urban development to reconfigure
global power centres. While China leverages visa policies to gain status and redirect economic activity, it remains subject to
Western mobility regimes. Cases such as Sino-Serbian relations illustrate how Western-imposed mobility domination persist
even as China ascends in global influence, and China is seeking strategic destination replacement to shift power away from
the West. The Chinese government strategically facilitates visa liberalization agreements to promote cultural exchange,
economic interdependence, and geopolitical alignment with participating countries. This paper argues that visa policies can
be used as an important infrastructural tool to reshape global orders in the BRI to increase China’s international
status. China’s pursuit of favourable visa policies within BRI states is a deliberate status-seeking strategy. By situating visa
policies within the broader discourse on migration infrastructure and global mobility divides, this study contributes to
understanding how states employ non-material infrastructural tools to advance strategic objectives. Through an
interdisciplinary lens that incorporates political science, migration studies, and international relations, this research
underscores the significance of visa diplomacy in shaping the evolving global landscape under the BRI. This paper is structured
as follows. Existing scholarship on migration infrastructure, global mobility divides, and China’s visa diplomacy within the BRI
framework is examined, and it identifies visa policies as a key yet overlooked aspect of international status-seeking. I seek to
tackle this issue using the socio-psychology framework of Social Identity Theory with modifications: Firstly, China seeks
favourable visa policies to increase its citizens’ comparative status within its sphere of influence to project state social
mobility and social creativity. Secondly, the concept of destination replacement is introduced with the case study of Serbia,
where BRI is a strategic instrument for China to enhance its reputation by countering the influence of Western states. The
paper concludes with a brief discussion on the motivation of BRI participants to engage with both unilateral and bilateral
Chinese visa diplomacies and calls for more future research on visa diplomacy and global order-building within specific
frameworks of regional geopolitics.

Unfolding the Process of Transformative Experience through Tea-Culture Tourism: A Qualitative Study in Wuyishan, China

Xueying Zhang — 2026-04-01

Transformative tourism has received increasing scholarly attention as a form of travel that produces lasting changes in travelers’ values and lifestyles. While previous studies have mainly examined transformation in contexts such as religious, volunteer, and nature-based tourism, little empirical research has focused on complex experience structures in which multiple practices are integrated and meaningfully reinterpreted by travelers themselves. This study investigates how travelers undergo transformative experiences through tea-culture tourism in Wuyishan, Fujian Province, China. Focusing on the intersection of cultural rituals, immersion in natural landscapes, and interactions with local residents, it explores how travelers reconstruct their meaning systems through these multidimensional engagements. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four travelers who reported transformative experiences. Their narratives were analyzed using the steps for coding and theorization method. The findings suggest that the transformative process can be structured into three stages: (1) entry through extraordinary landscapes, (2) awareness of an ideal self, and (3) rediscovery of everyday life. Rather than occurring by chance, these experiences emerge through active meaning-making by travelers who are psychologically prepared for transformation. Additionally, the perception and reinterpretation of “relational authenticity,” facilitated by emotional interactions with others through cultural practices, played a crucial role. By highlighting how transformation is shaped through layered cultural and relational dimensions, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the structure of transformative tourism experiences. Theoretically, it extends existing frameworks by introducing the concept of the “prepared self” and by positioning relational authenticity as a co-created resource, thereby enriching debates on authenticity and transformation in tourism. Practically, the study provides insights for destination managers and cultural practitioners seeking to design tourism experiences that foster self-reflection, intercultural connection, and sustainable relationships between travelers and host communities. Future research could further examine cross-cultural cases and employ longitudinal or mixed-method designs to capture the dynamic and reciprocal nature of transformative processes.

Exploring the Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and Revisit Intention in Swiss Budget Hotel using the LODGSERV Model

Rechille Awit — 2026-04-01

This study examined the relationship of customer satisfaction with revisit intention in the context of Swiss budget hotels, using the LODGSERV model. A descriptive-correlational design was employed, gathering cross-sectional data from 378 travelers through a structured 5-point Likert scale survey. The study focused on five service quality dimensions- Tangibility, Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, and Empathy- and their correlation with overall revisit intention. Spearman’s Rank correlation revealed that Assurance had the strongest positive relationship with revisit intention, followed by Responsiveness, Reliability, and Tangibility, all of which were statistically significant. In contrast, Empathy did not show a significant correlation. These findings suggest that competence, professionalism, and responsive service play a more influential role in encouraging guest loyalty than personalized attention in the budget hotel segment. The study provides practical recommendations for hotel managers to enhance service delivery, particularly in terms of staff assurance and responsiveness, to improve customer retention. By offering insights into which service dimensions matter most to budget-conscious travelers, the research contributes to strategic service design and guest experience improvement in the hospitality industry.

Resource Efficiency and Emission Reduction in Hotels: The Role of Supply Chains – A Systematic Literature Review

Sahar Attari — 2026-04-01

This study conducts a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to examine resource efficiency and emission reduction in the hotel sector, with a particular focus on the neglected role of supply chain–related emission linkages. Drawing on 41 peer-reviewed publications from 2005 to 2024 indexed in Scopus, the review integrates the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol framework with Stakeholder Theory to analyse how hotel–stakeholder interactions shape emission management across Scopes 1, 2, and 3. Despite growing attention to hotel sustainability, findings reveal that the existing body of research remains heavily concentrated on operational emissions mainly energy, water, and waste while indirect, supply chain–based (Scope 3) emissions are conceptually underdeveloped and methodologically fragmented. The review identifies three dominant thematic clusters: (1) Measurement and Monitoring, which highlights the absence of standardized methodologies and fragmented reporting across emission scopes; (2) Sustainability Practices and Strategies, which documents managerial and operational initiatives such as energy conservation, water efficiency, and waste minimisation, yet finds limited integration with supply chain collaboration; and (3) Barriers and Governance Challenges, which point to financial, informational, and institutional constraints that hinder systematic emission management. Collectively, these patterns underscore a persistent imbalance between hotels’ internal sustainability actions and their external supply chain relationships, limiting progress toward holistic carbon accountability. Building on these insights, this paper develops a theory-informed conceptual framework linking stakeholder pressures—regulatory, normative, and voluntary to hotels’ operational and supply chain practices that collectively determine environmental performance outcomes. The model positions hotels as intermediaries between external and internal actors who shape the adoption, measurement, and governance of emission practices. By embedding Stakeholder Theory within the GHG Protocol’s three-scope architecture, the framework advances an integrated understanding of how accountability and resource interdependence operate across hotel value chains. This review contributes to sustainability and hospitality management scholarship in three key ways: first, by offering the first Stakeholder Theory–informed synthesis of hotel emission management across Scopes 1–3; second, by conceptualising multi-stakeholder pathways for improving resource efficiency and emission governance; and third, by proposing a research agenda that emphasises supply chain collaboration, digital monitoring tools, and cross-country policy benchmarking. The study concludes that achieving net-zero targets in hospitality requires the extension of emission measurement beyond hotel premises to encompass suppliers, logistics, and post-consumption processes transforming sustainability from a property-level initiative into a value-chain-wide governance system.

Street Art and Sustainable Tourism: A Case Study of Bogotá, Colombia

Silvia Lopez Rozo — 2026-04-01

Street art presents an alternative to traditional tourist attractions, contributing to urban regeneration and economic diversification in marginalized areas. However, as with any form of tourism, without proper planning, it can negatively affect the quality of life of local communities. Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, is currently recognized as one of the leading street art destinations in Latin America, attracting significant interest from international visitors. This study explores the sustainability of street art tourism in Bogotá’s historic center, based on the perspectives of key tourism stakeholders, addressing a gap in academic literature on this emerging cultural tourism practice. Fieldwork was conducted using a mixed-methods approach that combined qualitative and quantitative techniques. In-depth interviews were held with members of the local community, street artists, tourism entrepreneurs, and representatives from the local public administration of culture and tourism. Additionally, the study included tourist surveys, participant observation during street art tours, and mapping exercises. Findings indicate that visitors perceive Bogotá’s street art as an authentic and distinctive experience that deepens their understanding of local culture, values, and history. Interviewees from the host community generally express a positive view of street art tourism, as it is associated with supporting local businesses and enhancing perceptions of safety in the area. Notably, the street art tours that appear to deliver the most significant socioeconomic benefits to residents are those organized through community-based tourism initiatives, supported by public institutions. The study results suggest that street art tourism in Bogotá might have significant potential to enhance the city’s image, attract cultural visitors, and diversify traditional tourist offerings through authentic experiences. Coordinated efforts by public administrations could help realize this potential, including promoting street art, expanding tours beyond the historic center, and improving infrastructure and mobility to support tourism in new urban areas. Furthermore, the sustainability of street art tourism depends on collaboration among public institutions, private tourism actors, local communities, and street artists, which might help mitigate potential negative impacts on the local community.

The Customer Perspectives of KwaZulu-Natal Tourism Brand Image and Brand Loyalty

Pamela Sinenhlanhla Mhlongo — 2026-04-01

Sub-Saharan Africa's tourism destinations have become increasingly similar, and competition among them has become quite intense. As such, destinations with strong brands may perform better and hold more value than those with unbranded offerings. This research aims to measure the tourists’ perceptions of the brand image associated with KwaZulu-Natal attractions in South Africa, and to determine their level of loyalty. A questionnaire survey of 411 respondents revealed that the majority of travellers are attached to the KwaZulu-Natal destination and are more likely to return. As a result, KwaZulu-Natal tourist destination marketers should capitalise on the destination's brand features to further strengthen its status as a cultural and natural destination in South Africa and around the world. Further recommendations for enhancing this destination brand and its communication are presented in this paper.

Testing the Feasibility of Tourism Resilience Indicators: Evidence from Slovakia

Branislav Očkaik — 2026-04-01

International organisations such as the OECD have issued extensive indicator frameworks to guide the measurement of tourism resilience, yet these remain largely untested in practice and are typically conceived at the national level. Resilience, however, must be cultivated and contested at regional scales, where the effects of shocks and the capacity to respond are most tangible. To adapt indicators to local contexts and to identify both strengths and weaknesses, it is imperative to establish data structures and institutional capacities that can govern tourism development towards resilience. This study responds to that call by empirically assessing the feasibility of resilience indicators in the Slovak tourism ecosystem, emphasising the need for greater granularity in measurement and testing how far international recommendations can be operationalised at the regional scale. A survey of diverse stakeholders, including the Ministry of Tourism, regional and local destination management organisations, and university experts, evaluated forty-two resilience indicators across four criteria: relevance, data availability, interpretability, and feasibility. The analysis identified both robust and impractical measures and examined whether feasibility was determined by indicator category or by the characteristics of local data infrastructures. Contrary to prevailing assumptions, feasibility did not align neatly with thematic categories. Governance and economic indicators were not consistently more feasible than ecological or social ones; rather, feasibility varied sharply at the level of individual indicators. Seasonality, accommodation capacity, visitor numbers, and disaster preparedness were widely seen as both relevant and operational, while carbon emissions, inclusiveness, and insolvency rates were judged impractical. This demonstrates that feasibility is shaped less by abstract dimensions than by the availability and quality of regional data. The study provides the first systematic feasibility test of resilience indicators in a Central European tourism context. It shows that global recommendations cannot be transplanted wholesale but require adaptation to local capacities and infrastructures. Conceptually, it reframes feasibility as indicator-specific rather than category-bound. Practically, it offers a diagnostic framework for destinations to prioritise what can be measured now and what requires future development.

Mapping the Impact of Technology on Tourist Experiences: A Bibliometric and Systematic Review

Luciana Maria Popa (Anghel) — 2026-04-01

The study aims to investigate how emerging technologies are transforming the modern tourism experience, through a systematic literature review combined with a bibliometric analysis of 137 scientific articles published between 2015 and 2025 in the Web of Science database. The results reveal a consistent rise in scholarly interest in the digitalisation of tourism, particularly during the period of the pandemic, when technological solutions became crucial for the industry's resilience. The study reveals a clear dominance of positive perceptions of the impact of technology on the tourism experience, while marginal critical perspectives signal potential risks. Keyword analysis reveals high connectivity within the network, suggesting a well-established theme with multiple interconnections between technology, tourism, experience, and user behaviour. Internationally, research is highly collaborative and globalised, dominated by contributions from Western Europe, Asia and North America, with limited participation from Africa and South America. Over the last decade, research has been dominated by technologies such as virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), artificial intelligence (AI), mobile applications and online platforms, while studies dedicated to the Metaverse and blockchain technologies are limited. From the perspective of the co-authors' network, there is a tendency for the network to present a fragmented structure, consisting of several closely related groups (clusters) that collaborate frequently. This shows thematic specialisation and collaboration in small groups, led by leaders in specialized literature who facilitate interdisciplinarity and the exchange of ideas. Overall, the study provides a comprehensive synthesis of the technological transformation of tourism, emphasising the need for the ethical, sustainable, and human-centred integration of digital innovations so that technology enriches, rather than substitutes, the authentic tourist experience.

Destination Play: A Phigital Model for Sustainable Tourism Development in Peripheral Areas

Antonio Raia — 2026-04-01

Peripheral metropolitan areas across Europe face a structural contradiction: while celebrated destinations suffer from unsustainable overtourism, adjacent territories rich in stratified cultural heritage remain marginalized from mainstream tourism circuits. This fracture is compounded by administrative fragmentation that impoverishes endogenous development capacity. "Destination Play" is a research initiative that addresses this complexity by proposing an innovative and sustainable model for economic and social valorisation of cultural assets in peripheral areas. The core innovation rests on a generative paradigm that transforms tourists from passive consumers into co-creators of territorial meaning. The proposal weaves together four methodological axes that converge in a phygital Hub platform. A sophisticated profiling system leveraging generative artificial intelligence personalizes tourism experiences, adapting dynamically to visitor preferences and behavioural patterns. Simultaneously, contextualized gamification metamorphoses cultural sites and practices into ludic worlds that stimulate deep engagement among both tourists and residents alike. Equally decisive is the adoption of participatory design, wherein local communities, public administrations, and economic operators co-craft tourism offerings through structured collaborative processes. A digital assistant powered by conversational artificial intelligence—operating multilingually and multimodally—ensures accessibility and inclusion, framing each visit as a co-authored narrative. Impact measurement employs a hybrid BES/RETS framework that interlaces indicators of equitable and sustainable well-being with resident empowerment scales, capturing not merely economic metrics but also territorial identity regeneration and social cohesion. The research mobilizes qualitative and quantitative methodologies spanning artificial intelligence research, participatory design workshops, co-creation laboratories, and longitudinal community well-being assessments. The expected outcomes include industrialization roadmaps, replicable territorial impact evaluation methodologies, scalable open-source architectures, and co-created narrative datasets. The ultimate ambition is a platform prototype demonstrating how peripheral metropolitan regions can achieve equitable development through participatory, sustainable cultural tourism ecosystems.

Tourist Loyalty and AI Personalization: A Trust-Based Study

Bendjedid Rachad Sanoussi — 2026-04-01

This study explores how AI-driven personalization influences customer satisfaction and tourist loyalty in the tourism sector. It focuses on the role of trust in shaping these outcomes. The research was conducted in Marrakech, Morocco, with 282 visitors who used AI-powered tourism services, such as chatbots, personalized recommendations, or virtual guides. To analyse the relationships among the variables, the study extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). It adds two key factors: perceived personalization and trust in AI. Structural equation modelling was used to test the connections between perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, satisfaction, trust, and loyalty intention. The results show that ease of use has a clear effect on both usefulness and satisfaction. Tourists who found the AI tools easy to use were more likely to feel satisfied and to see value in the service. AI-based personalization also had a strong effect on satisfaction. Satisfied tourists were more likely to express loyalty. Trust in AI was another important factor. It directly influenced loyalty, even more than satisfaction in some cases. However, the study did not find a significant moderating effect of trust between satisfaction and loyalty. Also, perceived usefulness did not lead directly to satisfaction. This suggests that functional performance alone is not enough. What matters more is how the AI makes the tourist feel, and whether the experience feels personal and intuitive. This study adds to the literature by focusing on an emerging tourism market. It offers a local perspective from the Global South, where AI is gaining ground but remains unevenly adopted. The results can guide tourism businesses and decision-makers who want to use AI in ways that are effective, trustworthy, and centred on the tourist experience.

Luxury Tourism: Perception of Pet-Friendliness in European Hospitality

Laura Cruz — 2026-04-01

Pet ownership is expanding across Europe, yet destination-level conditions that enable dog-inclusive luxury tourism remain uneven and weakly coordinated across mobility, public-space access, and hospitality services. This study examines how European dog travellers evaluate destination infrastructures and regulatory conditions alongside five-star hotel practices, and identifies factors associated with satisfaction and loyalty intentions. An online questionnaire (seven-point Likert-type measures) was administered to European dog travellers via Google Forms and 457 valid responses (from 841 initial) met eligibility criteria, including recent overnight travel with a dog and a five-star hotel stay in Europe within the last five years. Analyses were descriptive and exploratory, using descriptive statistics and Spearman correlations. Results indicate strong perceived availability of dog-accepting accommodation (M = 5.32) and emergency veterinary services (M = 5.22), but greater heterogeneity where access rules are contested, such as attraction entry restrictions (e.g., monuments; M = 4.10) and everyday commercial settings (e.g., supermarket waiting areas; M = 4.11). Mobility remains only partially enabling: public transport for dogs is rated slightly above the midpoint (M = 4.63) and is positively associated with perceived accommodation acceptance (ρ = 0.107, p = 0.023); beach access is frequently reported as limited and locally variable. Within luxury hotels, general professionalism is rated highly, yet pet-specific service depth is weaker, particularly regarding clarity of circulation policies in common areas (M = 4.75). A substantial share of respondents report foregoing activities due to dog-care constraints (M = 4.12; 43.33% agreement). The study proposes a destination framework with four interdependent pillars, health and well-being, economy and tourism, environment and education, implemented through strategic coordinated regulation, clear mobility information, designated spaces, partnerships, signage and public-space planning to strengthen satisfaction, loyalty and competitive differentiation.

Events and Hospitality: Strategic Insights From Hotel Managers in Portugal

Filipe Segurado Severino — 2026-04-01

Events have emerged as critical levers for destination competitiveness, seasonality mitigation, and hospitality performance. However, the impact of events on hotel operations remains underexplored, particularly from the perspective of hotel management. This exploratory study examines how hotel directors perceive, measure, and adapt to the influence of events across different Portuguese destinations. A focus group was conducted with hotel directors operating in various regions of Portugal, representing both independent and chain-affiliated units. Through a content analysis approach, six thematic dimensions were identified: 1) limitations in capturing guest motivations and event-related revenue; 2) disparities in data sharing and benchmarking practices; 3) regional and typological variability in event impact; 4) internal organizational responses to event operations; 5) structural challenges in stakeholder coordination and communication; and 6) prospective trends in event-driven hospitality strategy. Findings reveal considerable heterogeneity in how hotels integrate events into strategic planning, especially concerning pricing, forecasting, and operational readiness. While internal events are more easily tracked, external events often generate unaccounted residual revenues. The results also underscore persistent difficulties in institutional coordination, particularly with municipalities, and a general reluctance among hotel administrators to share performance data due to competitive concerns. Nevertheless, the focus group highlighted that academically framed collaborations may facilitate more open dialogue and data sharing. The study offers preliminary yet valuable insights into the operational, strategic, and governance challenges faced by hotels in leveraging events as tools for value creation, brand positioning, and sustainability-oriented planning. By shedding light on the interface between event dynamics and hospitality management, this research contributes to academic debate and practice in tourism destination development.

Cybersecurity-Enhanced Futures Thinking for Business Model Innovation in VUCA Environments

Miia-Maija Vakkuri — 2026-04-01

In an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) business environment, organizations must adopt forward-looking strategies to remain resilient and competitive. This study builds upon the Futures Thinking and Business Model Innovation framework proposed by Vähänikkilä and Vakkuri (2025), integrating cybersecurity as a critical dimension of strategic foresight and organizational adaptability. While Futures Thinking enables companies to envision plausible and preferred futures, cybersecurity provides the structural integrity and trust necessary to realize those visions in digitalized ecosystems. Using qualitative methods, including interviews and co-creational workshops in the hospitality sector, the original research identified key barriers to Futures Thinking: lack of understanding and limited resources. This extended study has been conducted by using the insights from the original study. We propose that cybersecurity awareness and preparedness can act as both a catalyst and a safeguard in business model innovation. Cybersecurity considerations, such as data protection, digital trust, and resilience against emerging threats, are mapped onto the five-stage innovation process: environmental scanning, vision formulation, knowledge alignment, innovation implementation, and feedback iteration. Examples from hospitality extended by e-commerce, and logistics illustrate how cybersecurity influences decision-making, customer trust, and operational continuity. The integration of cybersecurity into Futures Thinking tools (e.g., wild cards, foresight canvases) enhances scenario planning and supports dynamic capabilities such as sensing, seizing, and transforming. This early state research and proposed model contributes a novel perspective to the academic discourse by linking cybersecurity with strategic foresight, emphasizing its role not only in risk mitigation but also in enabling innovation. The proposed model encourages tourism organizations to treat cybersecurity as a strategic enabler rather than a technical constraint, fostering future-proof business models that are both visionary and resilient. Validation of the model will take place in autumn 2026.

Simulated Astronaut, Real Dilemmas: The Uncanny Ethics of Space Analogue Tourism

Melvin Marsh — 2026-04-01

The burgeoning industry of space analogue tourism, which simulates aspects of space travel on Earth, presents a new set of ethical considerations. While this sector holds the promise of democratizing access to astronaut-like experiences and inspiring a new generation of explorers, its expansion, like other forms of extreme tourism, introduces questions concerning environmental impact, social equity, and psychological and potentially medical welfare. This paper analyzes these dimensions, arguing that the industry's development must be guided by a robust and comprehensive ethical framework to ensure responsible growth which includes the potential for environmental degradation. Analogue sites are often located in fragile ecosystems, such as deserts or Arctic tundra, that mimic off-world environments. Without stringent regulations and a commitment to sustainability, this sector could inadvertently harm the very natural wonders it seeks to emulate. Furthermore, the issue of social equity is paramount. The high cost of space analogue tourism may start to create a "pay-to-play" model that excludes all but the most affluent. This exacerbates existing inequalities, commodifying an experience that, in its original context, is a collaborative effort for the benefit of all humanity. The ethical framework must address this by exploring accessible pathways for a more diverse range of participants, such as through subsidized programs. Finally, there is a critical ethical obligation to participant welfare. Simulating isolation, confinement, and high-stress scenarios without proper oversight can pose serious psychological risks. Operators must implement rigorous psychological screening and provide continuous, accessible mental health support throughout the mission. A failure to provide a comprehensive duty of care would be an ethical dereliction, placing participants at unnecessary risk for the sake of a commercial venture. By proactively addressing these challenges, the space analogue tourism industry can evolve responsibly, aligning its commercial goals with ethical conduct and the long-term well-being of both humanity and the planet.