Enhancing Memorable Experiences, Tourist Satisfaction, and Revisit Intention through Smart Tourism Technologies

An investigation of how perceived smart tourism technologies affect tourists' well-being in marine tourism

Tourism industry is the first of the five happiness industries, playing a crucial role in enhancing people's well-being and happiness. Its high-quality development cannot be achieved without the use of emerging technologies, and today people have greatly improved the quality and happiness of tourism through smartphones, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and other technologies. Building smart marine tourism also requires widespread use of smart tourism technology. The study aims to examine the implications of perceived smart tourism technologies for tourist well-being in marine tourism, as well as the mediating role memorable tourism experiences play. We collected 445 valid questionnaires through a combination of offline and online methods and developed a theoretical model based on the results. The SPSS 26 statistical software package and Amos were applied in data analysis. There is a significant positive impact of perceived smart tourism technology on both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being of tourists in marine tourism, which is partially mediated by memorable tourism experiences. This paper provides certain suggestions and insights into the construction of smart marine tourism, so that managers can pay more attention to the experience and well-being of tourists and build a humanized, diversified, intelligent and innovative marine tourism. For smart tourism technology suppliers, it can provide them with new ideas for technological improvement, so that they can provide better services and attract more tourists in a market-oriented environment.

On the post-pandemic travel boom: How capacity building and smart tourism technologies in rural areas can help - evidence from Iran

While there have been numerous studies investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism, few research projects have examined the impact of the outbreak on using smart tourism technologies (STT), especially in developing countries. This study adopted thematic analysis, with data collected using in-person interviews. The participants for the study were selected using the snow-balling technique. We explored the process of developing smart technologies during the pandemic and its impact on smart rural tourism technology development upon travel restart. The subject was investigated by focusing on five selected villages in central Iran which have tourism dependent economies. Overall, the results indicated that the pandemic partially changed the government's resistance towards the fast development of smart technologies. Thus, the role of smart technologies in curbing the virus spread was officially recognized. This change of policy led to the implementation of Capacity Building (CB) programs to improve digital literacy and minimize the digital gap that exists between urban and rural areas in Iran. Implementing CB programs during the pandemic directly and indirectly contributed to the digitalization of rural tourism. Implementing such programs enhanced tourism stakeholders' individual and institutional capacity to gain access to and creatively use STT in rural area. The results of this study improve our understanding and knowledge of the impact of crises on the degree of acceptability and use of STT in traditional rural societies.

Greening tourism with environmental wellness: importance of environmental engagement, green tourist intentions, and tourist' environmental stimulus

The appearance of COVID-19 has highlighted the critical nature of well-being and health in the modern world that affected the tourism industry at large. Thus, the research aims to estimate the nexus between green tourism inspiration and tourists' environmental wellness, environmental engagement, and green revisit intentions in China. The study obtained data from Chinese tourists and applied the fuzzy estimation technique. The study estimated the findings using fuzzy HFLTS, fuzzy AHP, and fuzzy MABAC techniques. The study results show green tourism inspiration, environmental engagement, and green revisit intentions, while fuzzy AHP revealed that tourism engagement has the highest fuzzy-weighted score in developing the revisit intentions of Chinese tourists. Moreover, the fuzzy MABAC score indicated that green tourism inspiration and environmental wellness matter most in reshaping tourists' revisit intentions. The study results are found to be robust in determining the relationship. Hence, research findings and recommendations for future study will help companies and society at large while elevating the Chinese tourism industry's reputation, impact, and worth in the eyes of the public.

Loyalty in the time of COVID-19: A review of the literature in tourism destination settings

Tourism destinations constitute a conglomerate of attractions, service providers, and retailers that make up the overall offerings and experiences that attract visitors. However, given the severe consequences that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the tourism industry, it is crucial to appraise consumer loyalty towards destinations in the context of the coronavirus disruptions. An increasing number of academic works examining the factors that influence destination loyalty have been carried out since the pandemic breakout, but no evaluation of their cumulative results and findings has been offered in the literature. Therefore, this research conducts a review of studies that have empirically investigated the drivers of destination loyalty during the pandemic in diverse geographical settings. By analyzing 24 journal articles selected from the Web of Science (WoS) database, this work adds to the literature by providing an assessment of the state-of-the-art body of knowledge about the explanation and prediction of loyalty for tourism destinations in the context of COVID-19.

Rural Residents’ Intention to Participate in Pro-Poor Tourism in Southern Xinjiang: A Theory of Planned Behavior Perspective

It is well recognized that the sustainability of pro-poor tourism (PPT) lies in the continuous support and participation of the poor themselves. Previous studies have attempted to explore the effectiveness and patterns of pro-poor tourism, yet few have empirically explored the determinants of the poor’s intention to participate in PPT. Drawing on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study investigates the impacts of the attitude of rural residents towards PPT, the perception of support for PPT, and the participation behavioral control of PPT on their intention to participate in PPT in Southern Xinjiang, China. One thousand and twelve valid questionnaires were collected via a household survey in six National Pilot Villages of PPT in Southern Xinjiang. According to the results, the locals’ attitude towards PPT and their participation behavioral control of PPT both positively affected their intention to participate in PPT. However, there was no significant correlation between the perception of support for PPT and their participation intention. This study highlights the importance of endogenous impetuses for residents of remote poverty-stricken areas with harsh environmental conditions, such as Southern Xinjiang, to participate in state-aided projects.