Wei-Rong Lin

Selection criteria of an overseas travel intermediary for group package tours: application of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process.

This research applied a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to explore the criteria required for the selection of an overseas travel intermediary (OTI) for group package tours (GPTs). Selecting an OTI is a complex decision for host travel agencies, especially the choice of evaluation criteria for GPTs. Therefore, this study adopts an AHP method and further integrates a fuzzy set theory into the assessment of the selection criteria. This work collected 20 selection criteria from literature reviews, focus group, and the Delphi technique. Criteria were categorized into four dimensions, namely service capabilities, payment conditions and cost, reputation, and interactive relationships. Twenty-two general managers from different travel agencies were asked to weigh up and rank the overall criteria by applying a fuzzy AHP. The results could provide travel agencies with objective and suitable criteria for the selection of OTIs for GPTs.

Toward a Structural Model of Challenge Experience in Adventure Recreation

Abstract Perceiving challenge is an important aspect of adventure recreation. Yet few studies have considered the potential outcome of challenge perception among participants in adventure recreation. This study seeks to address this by establishing a comprehensive model of challenge perception in adventure recreation that additionally models the relationship between challenge and its outcome. A self-administered questionnaire is designed to collect empirical data from recreationists who engaged in scuba diving, high-altitude mountaineering, or white-water rafting in Taiwan. Using a structural equation modeling approach, the findings indicate that perception of challenge among recreationists has a positive impact on flow experience and, by extension, on satisfaction, and psychological well-being.

Conceptualization and Measurement of the Recreationist-Environment Fit

Abstract This article extends the person-environment fit concept from institutional to recreational settings. Specifically, we conceptualized and developed the recreationist-environment (R-E) Fit Scale (REFS). Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were employed. Based on Attention Restoration Theory and Affordance Theory, the R-E fit is conceptualized as the compatibility between recreationists and recreation environments that is present when at least one entity provides what the other needs and/or recreationists and environment managers share similar values. The 19-item REFS was developed and validated to quantify the fit between recreationists and their environment. Six factors were identified: natural resources, interpersonal opportunities, environmental functions, facilities, activity knowledge/skills, and operation/management. The results show that both the six- factor model and the three-factor (i.e., needs-supplies fit, requirements-abilities fit, and supplementary fit) higher order model are acceptable models to measure R-E fit. Implications of these findings for application and areas for future research are also provided.