Now showing 1 - 10 of 31
  • Publication
    The SOMOAR operationalization: a holistic concept to travel decision modelling
    (Emerald Publishing Limited, 2018-12-15) ;
    Luo, Jieqing
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    Most state-of-the-art approaches for the analysis of the process of travel decision-making follow Woodworth’s neo-behaviouristic S–R (stimulus–response) or S–O–R (stimulus–organism–response) model. However, within this model, scholars primarily focus on the S–R relationship, investigating specific decisions by describing or explaining an outcome as the result of an input of several stimuli. There is a lack of investigation into the “O” dimension of the S–O–R model. This paper aims to contribute towards closing of this gap by conceptually and holistically expanding existing models with new perspectives and components.
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  • Publication
    The 2016 St. Gallen Consensus on Advances in Destination Management
    This article communicates the main insights of the third Biennial Forum on Advances in Destination Management (ADM), held in Vail, Colorado (USA). The substance of scholars’ and practitioners’ discussions can be divided into five topical domains: (1) relevance of experiences to the destination concept, (2) destination strategy and resilience, (3) the future of DMOs, (4) tourism taxation and regulation, and (5) big data and visitor management. For each domain, a goal-centered research agenda is offered, built on conference participants’ collective sense-making efforts during the three-day conference, followed by a dedicated consensus session.
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    Scopus© Citations 23
  • Publication
    “How Come You Are Here?” Considering the Context in Research on Travel Decisions
    (Sage, 2017-12-27) ; ;
    Luo, Jieqing
    Travel decision research still struggles to explain a large portion of the variance in travel choices. We argue that advances in this domain must originate from a shift in the kinds of questions we ask travelers to understand what triggers their decisions. The proposed shift from “Why did you . . . ?” to “How come . . . ?” changes the emphasis from retrospective sense giving to a contextual understanding of travel choice, focusing in particular on the constellations that produce actual travel behavior. This shift opens research avenues of a new theoretical and methodological nature and has fundamental implications for consumer research as well as destination marketing practices.
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    Scopus© Citations 6
  • Publication
    2014 St. Gallen Consensus on destination management
    This paper summarizes the main insights of the second Biennial Forum on Advances in Destination Management (ADM), held in St. Gallen (Switzerland). Issues in five domains preoccupied the discourse of scholars and practitioners alike: (1) the definition of ‘destination', (2) the purpose and legitimacy of destination management organizations (DMO), (3) governance and leadership in destination networks, (4) destination branding, and (5) sustainability. For each domain, this consensus offers a purposeful research agenda grounded in the ADM?s community of destination management and marketing researchers. This paper builds on conference participants? collective sense-making efforts expressed over the course of the conference and in a dedicated consensus session.
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    Scopus© Citations 47
  • Publication
    Size matters! - Increasing DMO effectiveness and extending tourist destination boundaries
    (Institute fo Tourism, 2009-11-30) ; ;
    In traditional community type of destinations, destination management organizations (DMOs) provide local services for visitors and fulfill destination marketing functions. On the demand side, they focus their activities on image and reputation building, product bundling and sales and distribution management. On the supply side they are involved in various functions like information services, coordination among the tourist SME's, infrastructure operation or support as well as destination planning functions. Traditionally these local DMOs, often to be found in mature tourist destinations, are organized as more or less public administrations and authorities or as public-private-partnerships, mostly covering the territory and being responsible for services in one or more municipalities. As traditional community type of destinations have to compete with company type of destinations like resorts, theme parks or even cruise boats, the respective DMOs have to transform themselves into modern, market oriented service centers. The current challenges require a critical budget and product-oriented regions, with a rather centralized marketing and management. Therefore, the reach and boundaries of destination areas must be evaluated and in many cases redefined. With the aim of deepening the understanding of destinations economics and delivering a structure for analyzing and organizing destination functions, this paper analyses the criteria for defining the boundaries of destinations and consequently budgets for the respective DMOs by looking at the case of the Swiss canton of Grisons. The conceptual paper is based on a single case study and demonstrates the link between type of destination and its life cycle position with its DMOs tasks, activities and budgets.
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  • Publication
    DMOs bridging structural holes in destination networks : A perspective based on actor's networks
    One of the main functions of Destination Management Organizations (DMO) in community-type of tourist destinations is to coordinate the supply network and therefore to serve as bridg-ing organization in a fragmented and complex system of organizations, institutions and stake-holder groups. Traditional research on the roles of DMOs, including the coordinating func-tion, builds on descriptive case studies and on the discussion of the cases at organizational/ destination level. We propose to change the perspective by analyzing the actor's level with the help of structural hole analysis of local elite networks. Thus, instead of describing the organi-zational role of coordination, we effectively measure the bridging value of the actors affiliated to the DMO in the network of the destination. The results of six selected destinations show that among the top four/ five bridging individuals in networks of between 13 to 42 actors, there are always not only the DMO directors but also at least one board member of the DMO. The paper concludes with further research in DMO board composition and evolution.
  • Publication
    Explaining Decisions for Change in Tourist Destinations : The Garbage Can Model in Action
    The paper provides insights about perceived problems, available solutions and participants in the researched tourist destinations at the time the choice was taken to establish destination structures. The garbage can model is a useful tool to analyze change in destinations. It explains why and how decisions in complex environments are established, why seemingly rational choices are not taken or taken too late, and it allows including stakeholders and particularly public inter-vention in public-private partnership structures.
  • Publication
    Customer Value of Second Home Ownership: Insights from a Mature Market (Switzerland)
    (Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy, 2007-12-03)
    Weinert, Robert
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    This paper discusses the customer value of second home ownership. Because non-rented second homes are an increasing problem in many Swiss alpine destinations (under-utilisation of costly communal infrastructure, visual impairment, loss of potential income from visitors) an investigation into the drivers and barriers of renting out second homes is needed. This study presents the results from approximately 50 in-depth interviews using the means-end approach in a hierarchical value map. The results reveals that the prime reason for renting out second homes is economic, and the reasons people do not rent out are psychological. Therefore, measures to increase the willingness to rent include economic incentives, but also reducing psychological barriers.
  • Publication
    Do Location Based Services in Tourism Really get Assessed? - A Critical Analysis of Adopted Evaluation Methods and Techniques in Research Projects
    Abstract Mobile technology becomes an increasingly important issue for tourists as well as tour operators. A proof for the importance of location based services and mobile applications in tourism are a recognisable number of studies which were conducted during the past years and funded by the European Union. Interestingly enough, there was no breakthrough of location based mobile applications in tourism from a user perspective up to date. This paper raises the question if evaluation procedures and methods of location based mobile devices fit the user perspective in tourism. An analysis of past projects is used to find the gaps in evaluation methods and results in learning for future projects of this kind.
  • Publication
    How do leisure travel decisions come about? - A study report
    (IMP-HSG, 2023-12-28) ;
    IMP-HSG
    The study addresses the context and the situations that lead to trip decisions. With the help of the question "How come...?", 256 respondents were able to report on decisions regarding a total of 512 multi-day and 256 day trips. Clearly identifiable instances indicate that travel decisions can be ex-plained. The results refute numerous theories and concepts and point to the specificity of travel as a phenomenon on its own. Travel decisions cannot be predicted but can nevertheless be easily de-scribed on the basis of instances. In addition to providing practical insights, the study also provides important information on a new methodology for researching the context and the situation in decision making.