E. Tan

mLearning as a softer visitor management approach for sustainable tourism

With increased visitation to protected natural areas over the last four decades, there is a need for implementation of effective visitor management strategies at these sites to mitigate visitor impacts. This study explores the application of mobile learning (mLearning) in environmental interpretation and visitor education within the context of conservation and sustainable tourism. Specifically, it proposes a conceptual framework for mLearning as a visitor management tool for sustainable tourism. Current developments and innovations in mobile broadband networks, smartphone technology, and mobile software applications present opportunities for the utilization of such mobile-driven applications in interpretive programs to encourage free-choice learning and mindful visitor experiences. If effectively implemented, such interpretive programs and mLearning applications can affect visitor perceptions, attitudes, and future intentions toward conservation and environmental protection.

Ethnic Reunions in Tourism: The Route to Roots

Today’s tourists are seeking connectedness, intimacies and meaning in their tourism lived experiences and desire the need to feel rather than merely gaze. Ethnic reunions refer to tourists’ affinity for travel to the cultural regions where their ancestors originated from. This exploratory study is a thematic investigation into the phenomenon of ethnic reunions within the context of homecoming for Asian migrants. Specifically, it explores the pre-, during and post-travel phases of second- and third-generation Asians seeking ethnic identities and cultural affinities during travels back to their ancestral lands in Asia. A deeper understanding of the link between tourists’ genealogical makeup, destination experiences sought and travel decision-making can be valuable in future research to understand tourists’ travel motivations for tourism planning and marketing within this unexplored tourist segment.