Dogan Gursoy

Resident attitudes: A Structural Modeling Approach

Abstract The objective of this research is to model host community support for tourism development based on the factors found to influence reactions towards it. Using the literature, a tourism support model with hypotheses involving several paths was proposed. Data were collected from five counties surrounding a Virginia (USA) recreation area, and the model and hypothesized paths were tested. The LISREL-8 structural equation analysis package was utilized with maximum likelihood method of estimation in combination with the two-stage process. The findings revealed that the host community support is affected by the level of concern, ecocentric values, utilization of resource base, perceived costs and benefits of the tourism development.

Perceived impacts of festivals and special events by organizers: an extension and validation.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to measure the festival and special event organizers’ perceptions of the impacts of festivals and special events on local communities. An instrument with 17 items was proposed based on the literature and the suggestions of experts in the area. The proposed instrument was empirically tested using the data collected from professional festival and special event organizers by employing a confirmatory factor analysis. Results indicated that the organizers’ perceptions of the socio-economic impacts of festivals and special events have four dimensions: community cohesiveness; economic benefits; social incentives; and social costs. Results suggested that the proposed instrument had acceptable validity and reliability scores.

Locals' Attitudes toward Mass and Alternative Tourism: The Case of Sunshine Coast, Australia

This study examines local residents’ attitudes toward two different types of tourism development, mass tourism and alternative tourism, using data collected from residents of Sunshine Coast, Australia. The study findings reveal that host community support is affected directly and/or indirectly by the level of community concern, community attachment, ecocentric values, use of the tourism resource base, state of the local economy, and the perceived impacts of tourism development. Findings suggested that even though some of the factors influence attitudes toward both mass and alternative tourism, attitudes toward each form of development is likely to be formed based on the perceptions of different factors.

International leisure tourists’ involvement profile

Abstract The involvement construct has received a great deal of attention in recent years. However, the majority of research on this topic has focused on internal tourists, recreational activities participants, or associated services and products. Using survey data collected from European leisure tourists at an international destination, this study examined the underlying dimensions of their involvement. Scale unidimensionality is first revealed by an exploratory factor analysis and validated by a confirmatory factor analysis. The data suggested that this is a three dimensional construct: pleasure/interest, risk probability, and risk importance. Construct validity, including discriminant, convergent and nomological validity, and reliability are also satisfactorily established.

Use of Structural Equation Modeling in Tourism Research: Past, Present, and Future

This study reviewed use of covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) in 209 articles published in nine tourism journals between 2000 and 2011. Time-series analysis suggested that the number of SEM publications is explained by linear and quadratic time effects. Results indicated that although SEM practices have improved in some areas, tourism researchers do not always engage in the recommended best practices. Problematic areas were related to testing of alternative a priori models, reporting of multivariate normality, estimating effect size, and assessing reliability and validity. Some of the recommended fit indices were also underutilized. The review also found few differences in SEM practices between top-tier journals and other publications in the tourism field. On the basis of these results, suggestions to improve use of SEM in tourism studies are discussed in the light of recent developments in this technique.

Travelers’ Prior Knowledge and its Impact on their Information Search Behavior:

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of prior knowledge on travelers’information search behavior. This study examined prior knowledge as having two dimensions: familiarity and expertise. The influence of familiarity and expertise on information search was examined utilizing a structural equation modeling approach. The results of this study provide support for multidimensional prior knowledge. The results also indicate that expertise is a function of familiarity and both familiarity and expertise affect travelers’information search behavior. However, the magnitude and direction of the effects of travelers’familiarity on their information search behavior are different from the effects of their expertise. Findings suggest that although the effect of familiarity on internal search is positive and on external search is negative, the effect of expertise on internal search is negative and on external search is positive.

An Industry-Driven Model of Hospitality Curriculum for Programs Housed in Accredited Colleges of Business

The purposes of this study were to measure the perceptions of industry professionals regarding the importance of course subject areas in hospitality management curriculum for a program housed in an accredited college of business and economics, to identify any gaps between the industry needs and the current curriculum of the program, and to propose a model for hospitality curricula. A questionnaire, using a 5-point Likert scale, was sent out to 2339 hospitality industry professionals, with 328 (14.02%) respondents. Of the 40 course subject matter variables measured, ethics was ranked the most important—followed by leadership, preparation for industry employment, internships/industry experience, hospitality management and organization, and operations analysis. A proposed model for curriculum for hospitality programs housed in accredited colleges of business is presented.

Developments in Hospitality Marketing and Management: Social Network Analysis and Research Themes

Academic journals, with their rigorous peer-review process, play a central role in the scientification of knowledge. However, researchers and scholars often fail to appreciate and understand the black box of such agents of knowledge production. Using content analysis of articles published in the two most recent volumes of Journal of Hospitality Marketing and Management, this article attempts to shed some lights on the nature of knowledge in hospitality studies. The results indicated that research is highly concentrated in the developed world, while the voices of developing nations are marginalized. This pattern provides some indication of underlying power dimensions in the production of hospitality knowledge. A social network analysis of contributors indicated that hospitality research is largely the product of collaborative efforts among members of the scientific community. Collaboration among researchers from the same country was the most common form of networking. In terms of research areas, the behaviors of travelers and consumers of hospitality and tourism services were well-studied among scholars.

Theoretical examination of destination loyalty formation.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the most critical antecedents of destination loyalty formation (DLF) and to develop a series of propositions for the relationships among the antecedents of loyalty formation and their direct and indirect impacts on loyalty formation. Design/methodology/approach – This conceptual paper provides a comprehensive review of the previous studies that examined destination loyalty and posits a framework of tourist DLF titled Destination Loyalty Formation. Findings – In the proposed conceptual model, the sequential relationships among the antecedents of tourist destination loyalty postulate that previous experiences are the most influential driver that could manipulate tourist destination loyalty. Place attachment and involvement constitute the second most influential factors of DLF. In addition to the above two variables, destination image is proposed to have direct and indirect effects on perception of service quality and satisfaction. Meanwhile, service quality...

Segmenting Dissatisfied Restaurant Customers Based on Their Complaining Response Styles

ABSTRACT This study attempts to segment dissatisfied restaurant customers based on their complaining response styles and to identify socio-demographic variables that discriminate those segments. Findings suggest the presence of two customer clusters with distinct response styles; namely “talkers” and “voicers.” The results indicate that all restaurant customers respond to a dissatisfactory dining experience. Most of them utilize multiple responses to dissatisfaction. Of the demographic variables examined, only dining out frequency and marital status were found to be potent variables.