Kenneth F. Hyde

Contemporary Information Search Strategies of Destination-Naïve International Vacationers

Abstract An information search strategy refers to the combination of information sources utilized by a tourist when planning travel. This study describes the common information search strategies utilized by a group of destination-naïve international vacation tourists. Five hundred twenty-eight first-time vacation visitors to New Zealand were interviewed within their first 24 hours of arrival in the country and metric measures taken of their use of six information sources in the planning of their vacations. Six common search strategies are identified, together with their demographic and behavioral correlates—a low search strategy, four moderate search strategies—“guidebook brochure agent,” “guidebook friends,” “friends,” “net guidebook”—and a high search strategy, “friends net.”

New perspectives on dark tourism

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce the papers in this Special Issue of IJCTHR on dark tourism. These papers take either a demand‐side, supply‐side, or integrated demand‐and‐supply side perspective to understanding dark tourism. Collectively, the papers explore tourist experiences at dark sites, the management of dark sites, ethical issues in profit making, and the involvement of indigenous peoples in site management.Design/methodology/approach – This editorial draws lessons from the papers presented in the Special Issue.Findings – Just as we contemplate our mortality in different ways in our daily lives, so we contemplate death in different ways in tourism praxis. The papers presented here stretch the boundaries of the current definition of dark tourism. We move beyond a discussion of classifications of dark tourism to recognise dark tourism as both an individual experience and a complex socio‐cultural phenomenon.Originality/value – The move from a purely descriptive to an experiential an...

New perspectives on vacation decision making

Purpose – This paper introduces the seven empirical studies on vacation decision making in this special issue of IJCTHR. The paper compares the findings of these seven studies to traditional models of vacation decision making, and highlights a number of new perspectives for research into vacation decision making.Findings – Five themes appear in these contemporary studies of vacation decision making: the multifaceted nature of the vacation; joint decision making by members of the household; impact of the type of vacation trip on the decision making process; the role of the internet in vacation decision making; and the role of socio‐psychological variables in vacation decision making.Research limitations/implications – The paper provides recommendations for future research in vacation decision making, in light of contemporary changes in the travel and tourism industry.Originality/value – The value of this paper lies in its review of traditional approaches to researching vacation decision making, and advice ...

Coopetition and knowledge transfer dynamics: New Zealand's regional tourism organizations and the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

To ensure the success of Rugby World Cup (RWC) 2011 in New Zealand, regional tourism organizations (RTOs) were expected to collaborate with each other as part of developing a nationwide approach to the event, while simultaneously competing for visitor nights and spending. Simultaneous cooperation and competition is referred to as coopetition. Relatively little is known about the impact of coopetition on knowledge transfer dynamics. The study analyzes how coopetition among the RTOs affected knowledge transfer dynamics between RTOs in the RWC 2011 context. The study utilized an exploratory, qualitative case study approach. Twenty-five semistructured interviews with CEOs and senior managers from RTOs were conducted both preevent and postevent. A formal survey and a documentation review triangulated the findings. The results indicate that a continuum of competition and collaboration (i.e., coopetition) was present in the RTO network for RWC 2011, which restricted the flow of potentially useful knowledge and information. The set up of RWC 2011—especially the regional bidding process to host teams and matches—played an essential role and impeded interregional collaboration and knowledge transfer while simultaneously facilitating competition among the RTOs. The study concludes that coopetition can hinder the sharing and transfer of knowledge in a destination marketing and mega-events context. The study thus addresses the call for research in this field and enhances understanding of how to better leverage mega-events in the future.

Who is talking, who is listening? Service recovery through online customer-to-customer interactions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is investigate customer interactions in an online environment following a service failure, and explores the role of customer-to-customer (C2C) interactions in service recovery. Design/methodology/approach – The purpose of this paper is to examine C2C interactions between airline travellers by analysing their detailed conversations posted on an independent complaint forum. The authors adopt thematic analysis to scrutinise online dialogue that narrates stories about service failures and how they are resolved with the help of other customers. Findings – The analysis reveals that other customers act as helpers, educators, listeners, and ironists in an online environment following a service failure. The authors identify information sharing, emotional release, social support, knowledge exchange and learning, and leadership in the online community as forms of C2C service recovery. Research limitations/implications – This study focuses on C2C service recovery in an online envir...

Unearthing the geotourism experience: Geotourist perspectives at Mount Pinatubo, Philippines:

This study aims to explore the geotourism experience by undertaking a qualitative inquiry of the narratives of geotourists to Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. This study proposes that the geotourism experience is created onsite through the tourists’ visual, performative and social aspects of gazing and produced in the tourists’ minds through their perception, imagination and self-reflection. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 12 purposefully selected geotourists. Thematic analysis procedures reveal 11 experiential themes that illustrate varying perspectives on the geotourism experience, categorised into three dimensions: ‘natural’, ‘recreational’ and ‘socio-cultural’. The findings indicate that apart from the expected leisure, hedonic and adventurous experiences, deeper outcomes such as a sense of awe, personal reflections and spiritual outcomes are apparent in the geotourism experience, as a result of individuals’ negotiations with Mount Pinatubo’s natural landscape and touristic environment. More meaningful and transformative experiences are also discovered from geotourists’ engagement with the landform’s cultural landscape, particularly from their social interaction with the indigenous people who live at Mount Pinatubo. These outcomes suggest the gaining of a holistic view of the Earth and its inhabitants through geotourism. This article thus provides some understanding of the experiential aspects of geotourism.

The Influence of Decision Task on the Magnitude of Decoy and Compromise Effects in a Travel Decision

This research assesses the effects of choice alternatives on the travel destination decisions of travelers. The decoy effect involves the addition of a new inferior alternative into a choice set, thereby increasing the choice of an existing option. Meanwhile, the compromise effect involves the addition of a new alternative into a choice set that increases selection of an existing option with nonextreme attributes, and decreases selection of options with extreme attributes. In this study, a series of scenario-based experiments is performed to determine if the decoy and compromise effects influence travel destination decisions. Results show that the decoy effect is stronger in a choice (vs. rejection) task, whereas the compromise effect is stronger in a rejection (vs. choice) task when deciding travel destinations.

Creating the luxury accommodation experience: case studies from New Zealand

The purpose of this paper is to explore how the luxury accommodation experience is created by investigating the perceptions of the three main participant groups – managers, employees and guests – using case studies from New Zealand.,An interpretivist case-study methodology was used. Eighty-one participants were interviewed (27 managers, 27 employees and 27 guests) from six luxury properties. Thematic analysis was conducted to inform the results.,The key themes identified in creating the luxury accommodation experience are: setting the stage; the ethos of the property; performances of the actors; and co-creation between the participants. Using the themes identified, a conceptual model of the creation of the luxury accommodation experience has been formulated.,The conceptual model can be used to assist managers to deliver a more positive and memorable experience of their properties. Strategies to enhance the luxury accommodation experience include: training; standards of procedure; staff incentives; and the use of effective communication tools.,This study identified the three alternative perspectives of managers, employees and guests regarding how the luxury accommodation experience is created. The luxury accommodation sector contributes to the economies of a number of nations and therefore it is important to highlight how it can be maintained and improved.

Analysing Push and Pull Motives for Volcano Tourism at Mount Pinatubo, Philippines

This paper investigates the motivations of visitors undertaking a volcano tour at Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. The study identifies push and pull motives for visiting a non-erupting active volcano; tests the influence of age, gender and prior experience of volcanic tourism on visitors; and examines differences in motivations for domestic versus international visitors. A total of 174 survey responses were collected and analysed. The results reveal four push motives, namely escape and relaxation, novelty-seeking, volcano knowledge-seeking and socialisation, and two pull motives, namely disaster and cultural heritage-induced and volcanic and geological attribute-driven. Novelty-seeking was found as the strongest motive for visiting volcanic sites. Domestic visitors display higher escape and relaxation and socialisation motives compared to international visitors. The findings provide implications for developing and marketing volcano-based geotourism and for diversifying the Philippines’ tourism products. This study makes a valuable contribution to the under-researched understanding of geotourism at volcanic sites.

Assessing the Grounded Theory of Packing for Air Travel Using a Video-Ethnographic Case Study

Packing for travel is an intriguing aspect of tourist behavior. Until recently, no research has sought to explain what the modern traveler packs for air journeys or why these items are packed. Perhaps for some observers these questions appear mundane, and the answers appear obvious, yet these issues attract a great volume on commentary on websites, blogs, in travel books, in magazines, and conversations between travelers. From these sources, Hyde and Olesen (2011) developed a grounded theory of packing for air travel. The purpose of this article is to test the grounded theory of packing for air travel using video-ethnographic case study data. The findings are that the grounded theory for air travel is able to explain what possessions are packed and the motives for these items being packed. The emphasis that any individual places on the possessions they pack and the role these possessions play during a journey will differ by traveler. This adds to extant literature on packing for travel.