Tourism Destinations
Do Lifestyle Choices Influence the Tourist Destination Selection?: Tourist Destination Selections Shaped from Lifestyle Aspirations
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Eric Zvaniga
Prior research has investigated the potential effect of a tourist lifestyle on the destination choice. This paper will outline the objective of the proposed study, why it is important to the industry, and discuss some of the measurements criteria considered. The study identifies presumed causes or influences for a tourist attachment to a destination. The method proposed will use a three location case investigation, utilizing using survey data and global secondary date, to investigate participants across some North American wine regions which also have world class scenic attractions. This study proposal looks to extend the current body of knowledge that identifies influences of tourist destinations choice driven by their lifestyle aspirations. The study looks to create new value propositions for Country Tourism Organizations (CTO's) to manage market messaging, creating sustainable tourism growth. Investigating the potential or likelihood of a tourist reason for visiting a region, should allow CTO’s to address predictability of success when marketing efforts could positively or negatively impact sustainable growth in tourism. Overall research objectives for the study consist of measurement relationships between the identified regions, tourist choices from lifestyle aspirations, and types of attractions available. Variables, controlled by age and gender, while also identified other factors including country of origin, a length of stay, seasonality information, and re-occurrence potential.
Beyond Cognitive Dissonance: Sustainability and Kindness in the Travel Experience
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Adrian Guachalla
Contemporary research on the environmental impacts of tourism tends to focus on the carbon footprint of air travel and waste management issues stemmed from tourism development. However, little attention has been geared towards the environmental implications of the mass consumption of the types of food that account for profoundly significant impacts on the planet. The United Nations (2006) identified animal agriculture as a critically noteworthy sector originating vast quantities of CO2 that contribute to climate change. This poses a substantial challenge as food consumption is widely regarded as a pivotal element of a tourist’s perception and experience of local cultures and meat, dairy and other animal-derived products are often central ingredients that grant local cuisines with distinctive staples of authenticity. From the ethical perspective, the animal welfare debate also contributes to the complexity of this subject area given the different aspects and approaches involved in using animals to feed a growing human population. In terms of nutrition, both the American and British Dietetic Associations (2017) concluded that diets free from animal products can be adequate to address the nutritional needs of humans and can be used in the treatment or prevention of a range of health conditions. Given this framework (environment/ethics/health), this exploratory paper discusses the challenges of conducting research applied to understanding a tourist’s willingness to shift towards plant based diets and the impact that this change may pose on their perception and experience of the destinations they visit.
Forecasting German and British Tourist Arrivals on the Canary Islands
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Elisa Jorge González, Enrique González-Dávila, Raquel Martín Rivero, Domingo Jesús Lorenzo Díaz
The volume of visitations in the Canary Islands has made the tourism business the most important determinant for their economic development, playing a fundamental role in the generation of employment and income. Since 2011, tourist arrivals in the Canary Islands have been increasing, reaching a contribution of 34.3% in the islands' productive system in 2016, with an average annual growth of 7.0% in the Tourist Gross Domestic Product (IMPACTUR 2016). Knowing the tourism demand depending on the origin countries would enable the structuration of service and cultural and leisure activities that the tourism market would offer with higher quality. Canary Islands inbound tourism market is diverse, with arrivals from United Kingdom (27%) and Germany (19%) dominating the market representing a 46% of the total arrivals and a 62% of the international arrivals. The aim of this paper is to provide a model for predicting Germany and British passenger arrivals to the Canary Islands one year ahead. Structural models will be used in this case through the univariate and multivariate state-space method incorporating seasonality and exogenous variables.
