Sevil Sönmez

Influence of Terrorism Risk on Foreign Tourism Decisions

This study explored relationships between selected factors and several key stages of the international vacation tourism decision-making process. A theoretical framework of vacation decisions involving terrorism risk served as the foundation for the analysis. Eight independent variables were examined, including international travel experience, risk perception level, international travel attitude, age, gender, education, income and presence of children in household. Dependent variables were three key stages of the decision-making process, including the general decision to travel internationally versus domestically, the extent of information search and concern for safety in evaluating destination alternatives. A mail survey of international tourists achieved a 48% response rate. Non-response bias was tested with telephone interviews. Data were analyzed using multiple and simple regression. International attitude, risk perception level and income were found to directly influence international vacation destination choice. Touristic experience and education were indirect influences.

Tourism, Terrorism and Political Instability

Concepts of terrorism, political turmoil, and war appear unrelated to tourism. Closer examination of their points of convergence and impacts on tourism reveals otherwise. This paper examines literature focusing on the relationships between these phenomena. Research themes which emerge from available studies include impacts of terrorism and political instability on tourist demand, motives of terrorists in targeting tourists, using tourism as a political tool, the effects of political violence on destination image, crisis management, and recovery marketing efforts. The intent of this article is to synthesize research on these relationships, to present a comprehensive index of relevant publications, and to suggest topics for future research.

Residents' attitudes toward tourism development

In recent years, tourism has been playing a more significant role in the economies of several African countries, including Ghana. The purpose of the paper is to examine attitudes of residents of two of its towns toward tourism development. Factor analysis of scaled items measuring their attitudes resulted in seven tourism-related factors: social interaction with tourists, beneficial cultural influences, welfare impacts, negative interference in daily life, economic costs, sexual permissiveness, and perception of crowding. Results indicate residents’ expectations from tourism development were not met and also individuals working in related businesses have negative attitudes toward the industry.

Tourism in Crisis: Managing the Effects of Terrorism

While tourists are free to avoid destinations associated with risk, the consequences of disastrous events on tourist destinations are inescapable and can be profound. Terrorism that targets tourism can be viewed as a disaster for a destination and ensuing events can create a serious tourism crisis. This article argues that tourist destinations—especially those vulnerable to politically motivated violence—should incorporate crisis management planning into their overall sustainable development and marketing/management strategies to protect and rebuild their image of safety/attractiveness, to reassure potential visitors of the safety of the area, to reestablish the area’s functionality/attractiveness, and to aid local travel and tourism industry members in their economic recovery. Recommendations include having a crisis management plan in place, establishing a tourism crisis management task force, developing a crisis management guidebook, and partnering with law enforcement officials.

A Distorted Destination Image? The Case of Turkey

Despite its Mediterranean location, Turkey has been unable to consistently achieve its tourism goals, as evidenced by fluctuating numbers in tourism earnings and a small share of the international tourism market. This discrepancy might be attributed to Turkey’s image in the minds of world travelers. The main purpose of this study was to examine the role of destination image and traveler perceptions along with other behavioral variables in destination choice decisions of potential travelers. A self-administered survey was used to collect data from 552 respondents (58.6% response rate). The findings indicate that perceptions of Turkey’s overall appeal, its safe and hospitable environment, general mood and vacation atmosphere, travel experience, relaxing effect, local attractions and hospitality, authenticity of experience, social and personal communication channels, comfort/safety, and tourist facilitation are significant predictors of the likelihood of travel to Turkey. Some destination marketing strategies are suggested.

Understanding Residents’ Support for Tourism Development in the Central Region of Ghana

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to assess the determinants of support for tourism development in two adjacent communities, Cape Coast and Elmina, in the Central Region of Ghana, which stand to benefit the most from tourism development projects; and (2) to create and test a model for its explanatory power of residents’ support for tourism. Personal interviews of 465 respondents were conducted in both communities. Factor analysis was used to obtain measures for dependent and independent variables. Two dependent variables—support for the hospitality industry and support for the infrastructure and tourism attraction development—were influenced by a multitude of social-psychological factors such as perceptions toward tourists and tourism’s impacts, respondents’ employment status, membership in community organizations, and awareness of tourism development projects in the community. Theoretical and practical contributions of the factors are discussed within the framework of social exchange theory.

The Impact of Gender and Religion on College Students’ Spring Break Behavior

The authors investigated the influence of gender and religion on health-risk behavior potentials and destination-related expectations of college students on spring break vacation using a random sample of 534 students from two U.S. universities. Results indicated that gender and religion had a significant impact on students’ potential to engage in health-risk behaviors during spring break as well as their choice of spring break destinations and their expectations for hospitality service quality and characteristics of the destinations. Important social marketing and public policy implications for the tourism and hospitality industry are discussed.

Redefining Ecotourism: The Need for a Supply-Side View

This article reviews the existing literature on ecotourism definitions and provides a supply-side view of ecotourism based on the findings of a nationwide survey of 282 U.S.-based ecotour operators. A content analysis of ecotourism definitions revealed that ecotourism is a new form of nonconsumptive, educational, and romantic tourism to relatively undisturbed and undervisited areas of immense natural beauty, and cultural and historical importance for the purposes of understanding and appreciating the natural and sociocultural history of the host destination. The current view of ecotourism by the sample of tour operators reflects and confirms definitions of ecotourism found in existing literature. If the definitions provided by this sample of ecotour operators are to be considered representative of their business vision or mission statement, it is plausible to expect their business objectives and operational behavior to be congruent with their description of ecotourism. Whether or not their actual behavior will reflect their visions remains to be determined.

STI/HIV Risks for Mexican Migrant Laborers: Exploratory Ethnographies

The influx of Latino laborers into the U.S. and the confluence of migration-driven factors in an environment ripe for risk-taking have the potential to exacerbate already rising STI/HIV rates among migrants and their social networks at both the home and receiving regions. This paper focuses on Mexican migrant laborers who are among the most marginalized and exploited Latinos in the U.S. This study used ethnographic methods to delineate the sociocultural and spatial contexts and social organization of migrant farmwork, and examined how intertwined individual and environmental factors render migrant farmworkers vulnerable to STI/HIV risks. Findings indicate the presence of a number of factors in the study population of Mexican migrant workers (N = 23)—such as poverty, limited education, physical/social/cultural isolation, long work hours, constant mobility, hazardous work conditions, limited access to health care, low rates of condom use, multipartnering, and use of sexworkers—which increase their risks for STI/HIV transmission. To be successful, prevention efforts need to focus not only on condom education and HIV awareness and testing, but also on reducing migrants’ social isolation and understanding their social networks.

Gender Images in State Tourism Brochures: An Overlooked Area in Socially Responsible Tourism Marketing

The purpose of this article is to examine photographs (pictorial displays) presented in state tourism promotional materials for gender depictions within Goffman’s framework. Specifically, the study investigated latent (i.e., facial expressions, gestures) and manifested (i.e., roles, activities) characteristics delineating relationships between men and women and the roles and meanings associated with these depictions. The results suggest that women are depicted in “traditional stereotypical” poses (i.e., subordinate, submissive, dependent) disproportionately more often than men. These findings suggest that tourism advertisers and destination promoters need to be aware of both the subtle and more blatant visual cues that depict the relationship between men and women in tourism advertisements.