Toward New Options
Asynchronous - Online Only
Vaccination Tourism: Impacts and Benefits View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Pamela L. Perez
Vaccination tourism does not provoke the usual images of enjoying resort style tourism where the primary function is to relax amidst, and with the benefit of, the three S's - Sea, Sun, and Sand, provided so generously, at the right space and at the right place by Mother Nature. However, though this particular form of of Vaccination Tourism does not take place in these typically conjured or standard environment, it falls directly within the boundaries of its scientific definition, which involve two parameters. These parameters are time and space. In applying them to this most important global industry, the journey in the temporal sense must be no less than 24 hours or no more than a year. Spatially it may cover both national as well as international areas. Defined as such, and given its current content, this subject matter merits its exploration as a new form of tourism and travel.
Model for Building Tourism Organization Resilience Post Pandemia : The Case of Festival of Crosses in Peru
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Maria E Sanchez Zambrano, Maria Elena Esparza
Thinking about tourism models after the pandemic is an imperative task for this sector. Tourism of large numbers of tourists in crowded places is no longer possible, so a great opportunity arises for small and medium-sized organizations to manage responsible and sustainable tourism is becoming more and more real. The new models of tourism management should prioritize the social organizational capacities of these agents as a priority as these are the most relevant to achieve sustainable tourism that incorporates not only the generation of income, but mainly health care and care for the environment. Additionally, they emerge as important assets in the management of knowledge and cultural assets that they possess for the attraction of responsible tourists. Thus, the research we propose seeks to present a tourism model that is sustainable over time, showing it in the case of the festival of crosses in Peru.
Construction of National Identity and Local Tourism amid COVID-19 : Focusing on Chinese Middle-Class Red Tourism
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Abigail Qian Zhou
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has not only affected people's physical and mental well-being, but also disrupted global industries, especially the tourism sector. Under the impact of the pandemic, the travel industry was forced to shift its focus from international to the domestic market. In order to control the spread of the virus and address the complex and severe global situation, the Chinese government strengthened the construction of its national identity. In the field of tourism, it has actively promoted red tourism. In this context, the middle class, which enjoyed traveling abroad before the pandemic, has now become the main target of red tourism. Through semi-structured interviews, supplemented and verified by online materials such as travel notes, this study specifically investigates the influence of red tourism on the national identity of China's middle class. The results show that red tourism has an impact on China's middle class in three dimensions—historical, party, and national identity—which are interlinked to each other. Historical identity is the basis of national identity, and the strengthening of political party identity will also lead to the reinforcement of national identity. Red tourism not only strengthens the national identity of the Chinese middle class, but also changes their perceptions regarding their own government and the West. Although tourism and identity issues have become important topics, limited studies have examined the changes in this relationship owing to the pandemic. This study attempts to fill this gap through empirical investigation.
Featured Virtual Study Abroad in the Post-Pandemic World: Supplement to Traditional Study Abroad Programs View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Anjana Mishra
The Pandemic has brought about seismic changes to the world as we knew it. Every aspect of life has experienced some change. While there is much for concern there are also opportunities in this new normal. This paper explores leveraging some of those opportunities in higher education. Study abroad, which was once par for the course for many students during their college experience, was discontinued in institutions during 2020-21. Students who were studying abroad had to return home in March 2020. Some institutions of higher learning, adapted to the changed environment and introduced Virtual Study Abroad and sought proposals from faculty for revised course that would incorporate elements to qualify for Virtual Study Abroad. Florida International University, Miami, Fl was one of those universities. I adapted my course International Relations of South Asia to be a Virtual Study Abroad course and introduced students to South Asia in South Florida through this course. Drawing on that experience, this paper will explore the potential of Virtual Study Abroad to supplement the traditional Study Abroad Programs in the post pandemic world and cater to working students, those on a limited budget or unable to travel for any reason, making education more equitable. It will also delve into the potential for introducing remote areas of the world, which traditionally do not have infrastructure to provide a study abroad program, to become a part of the Virtual Study Abroad program.
Museum Product-based City Branding via Digital Media: A Case Study of Manchester View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Seo Young Kim
This research addresses what constitutes the essential features of museum products in Manchester’s branding via the new media. The aim of the study is to identify core ideas of presenting the city’s cultural vibrancy, based on the strategic museum presentation. The theoretical significance of this research is applying the concept of museum-based visibility for a city to shape a contextual framework within the scope of the topic. The disciplinary framework of the research involves brand strategy, tourism marketing, museum promotion, and visual design from an interdisciplinary approach. The research work aims to contribute to the fields of digital tourism marketing and city brand development at a city level. The study was underpinned by qualitative research, and text and visual analysis were focused to build meaning-making. Data were collected from the official tourism website of Manchester, including a category of ‘Museums and Galleries’. The key findings of the research show that Manchester attempts to develop its distinctive museum portfolio by representing the city’s innovative identity, including sports, science, industrial heritage, and contemporary arts. A limitation of the research is the lack of providing sufficient knowledge from expert interviews in the city marketing and tourism industry. In conclusion, the phenomenon of culture-driven city branding through utilizing creative contents of museums applies to Manchester, and it can be an indication for other previous industrial cities for their brand vision.
