Search Results (107)

This study explores how Generation Z imagines sustainable tourism and how these imaginaries reflect values and norms associated with responsible tourism consumption. Data were collected from 59 university students in Türkiye who created written utopian narratives and AI-assisted visuals depicting their visions of sustainable destinations. Using thematic and visual content analysis, the findings reveal three dominant axes: (i) nature-integrated living practices, (ii) environmentally and community-oriented sustainability, and (iii) futuristic utopian visions. The results demonstrate that Generation Z imagines tourism not merely consumption but as a lifestyle embedded in ecological harmony, collective participation, and cultural continuity. Their dual orientation combining nostalgic “return to nature” imaginaries with techno-utopian futures illustrates how young people reconcile local identity with technological innovation. By bridging the frameworks of tourism imaginaries and responsible tourism consumption, the study introduces an “imagination–consumption bridge,” conceptualizing imaginaries as cognitive and normative mediators that translate values into practices. Methodologically, the integration of AI-assisted visualization offers an innovative approach to capturing mental models and prototyping sustainable futures. Practically, the emphasis on equity, accessibility, and participatory governance provides insights for designing more inclusive and ethically grounded tourism policies. The study thus contributes theoretically, methodologically, and practically to advancing sustainable tourism research. Full article

Traditional food products (TFPs) hold a significant place in the cultural and gastronomic identity of Vojvodina, and consumer interest in these products is continuously growing, positioning them among the most relevant research topics in the fields of hospitality and consumer behavior. The aim of this study was to examine how consumers’ socio-demographic characteristics influence their attitudes and perception of the quality and attributes of TFPs on hospitality and tourism market. The research was conducted on a sample of 507 adult respondents from the territory of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, nonparametric tests (Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis) and ordinal logistic regression. The results indicate that age, gender, education level and place of residence significantly affect attitudes toward the quality, price, availability, and advantages of TFPs compared to industrial or imported products. Respondents from rural areas, those with lower education levels and lower incomes, show a greater tendency to consume traditional products. The main barriers to consumption were identified as high prices and insufficient information. The regression results showed that gender and place of residence were significant predictors of consumers’ tendency to choose dishes prepared with TFPs in hospitality establishments. The study highlights the need for tailored marketing and educational strategies to improve the accessibility, diversity, and visibility of TFPs on the market, with particular attention to their integration into the hospitality sector. However, the study is limited to the region of Vojvodina and relies on self-reported data, which may introduce response bias. Future research could explore comparative analyses across different regions or include qualitative insights into consumer motivations. Full article

Museums play a significant role in a destination’s cultural and tourist offer, influencing the overall tourist experience. Based on survey conducted among visitors to the Museum of Apoxyomenos of the town of Mali Lošinj and the Cres Museum of the City of Cres, located on the islands of Cres and Lošinj in Croatia, the views of visitors on the museum experience, its role in shaping the overall tourist experience and its connection with the level of consumption, satisfaction with the destination and intention of re-visiting were analysed. The findings of this research suggest that satisfaction with the museum experience can significantly contribute to a positive perception of the destination, encouraging recommendations and increasing the intention to revisit. The results confirm that satisfaction with museum experience strongly contributes to the positive assessment of the destination, encourages recommendations, and increases the intention to return. Although only a weak positive correlation has been established between total visitor consumption and consumption within museums, museums are recognised as important revenue generators and economic factors in the destination. Socio-demographic factors had no significant impact on satisfaction, indicating the universality of the museum’s offer. The findings of this research point to the importance of museum content, promotion, and integration of museums into tourism strategies as potential key elements in the development of tourist destinations. Based on the results obtained, the importance of museum contents, promotion, and integration of museums in tourist strategies is confirmed as key elements of the development of destinations. This research contributes to understanding museums as active participants in the cultural and economic development of tourist destinations. Full article

Gastronomic tourism is a strategic tool for territorial development, as it promotes cultural heritage, supports local economies and encourages environmentally responsible consumption. This study attempts to analyse the evolution of key gastronomic products through digital marketing tools, reflecting on the need to know this real data in order to carry out sustainable territorial and tourism planning. To do so, it uses a methodology based on the analysis of data obtained through Google Trends, taking as a reference a set of terms related to seafood, traditional meats and wines with designation of origin. The study examines the seasonal patterns and geographical distribution of interest in these terms, evaluating their impact both inside and outside Galicia as a replicable methodological case. The results show significant differences between categories. In addition, there is a generalised decrease in the search for gastronomic terms, which may indicate a reduction in the relative weight of this element as a factor in the creation of the image of the territories. In conclusion, the article demonstrates the capacity of this methodology to propose more sustainable tourism, territorial and economic planning strategies based on the transformation of qualitative imaginaries into quantitative data and trends. Full article

This exploratory study investigates how youths aged 18–25 perceive and prioritize elements of the Integrated Digital Storytelling for Social Media (IDSM) framework in cultural heritage tourism contexts, addressing critical gaps between theoretical frameworks and contemporary social media engagement requirements. Through purposive sampling at cultural heritage tourism sites in Bangkok, Thailand, questionnaires were distributed to 100 participants to examine their preferences for cultural tourism video content and validate framework elements. Cultural authenticity emerged as the paramount consideration among participants, while traditional storytelling elements demonstrated sustained relevance when adapted for social media contexts. Youth participants preferred authentic mobile phone recordings over professional production, with optimal video durations and caption-dependent storytelling for mobile consumption. TikTok emerged as the primary motivational platform despite moderate usage frequency patterns. This exploratory study contributes preliminary empirical assessment of an integrated framework specifically designed for social media applications in cultural heritage tourism contexts. The findings provide evidence-based guidelines to help practitioners develop platform-optimized content strategies that effectively engage youth audiences while maintaining cultural authenticity. Full article

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance is increasingly recognized as a pivotal metric for assessing corporate sustainability. Hence, this study investigates the effect of the Cultural and Tourism Consumption Promotion (CTCP) policy on corporate ESG performance. By treating the designation of demonstration cities as a quasi-exogenous policy event, a difference-in-differences (DID) methodology is adopted for a sample of Chinese A-share-listed culture and tourism companies from 2011 to 2024. The results indicate that the CTCP policy substantially improves culture and tourism firms’ ESG outcomes. Analysis of the underlying mechanisms identified three primary transmission channels: contributing to corporate revenue growth, encouraging green innovation, and alleviating financing constraints. Heterogeneity analysis revealed that the improvement effect of the policy on ESG performance is more significant in state-owned firms, those with sound governance structures, and labor-intensive culture and tourism firms. In addition, the policy may trigger strategic ESG disclosures, particularly among small-scale firms, leading to a greater divergence between their ESG reporting and their actual performance. Our findings illuminate the micro-level governance impacts of special policies for cultural and tourism consumption, providing a theoretical basis and empirical reference for improving culture and tourism industry policies and guiding firms’ sustainable development. Full article

Regenerative tourism, as an emerging form of tourism, poses both opportunities and challenges for cities and urban managers. Existing research has largely examined its impact on travel intentions from a unidimensional perspective, lacking a comprehensive analytical framework. This study adopts regenerative composite cultural spaces as the research context and constructs a sequential mediation model incorporating green and cultural consumption values, city image, and attitudes toward participation in regenerative tourism, analyzed using SmartPLS 4. The findings reveal that city image significantly influences value perceptions, with perceived value mediating this relationship. Furthermore, green and cultural consumption values play critical roles in shaping travel intentions, confirming differentiated transmission mechanisms across multiple pathways. Overall, the study demonstrates that tourists’ cognition, values, and attitudes jointly determine their decisions in regenerative tourism, offering theoretical insights and practical implications for its sustainable development. Full article

The islands of the Cyclades (located in the South Aegean Sea in Greece) are one of the most famous summer destinations worldwide. Every year, millions of Greek and foreign travelers visit the Cyclades to enjoy the islands’ dazzling light and beautiful crystal blue waters. The substantial increase in tourist arrivals has presented significant challenges to the islands, notably regarding sustainable infrastructure and consumer practices. Limited resources, especially water and energy, coupled with waste management issues, pose considerable pressure on the environment and local communities. This research paper investigates the facilities that promote the Cyclades islands (such as Mykonos, Santorini, and Paros) as an ecologically viable destination, analyzing the problems that arise during the adoption of sustainability. Data were retrieved from academic databases and publicly accessible sources, covering initiatives implemented between 2019 and 2025. The comparative analysis reveals distinct sustainability approaches: Santorini employs regulatory, infrastructure-heavy solutions, including cruise visitor caps (8000/day) and desalination capacity expansion; Mykonos relies predominantly on private sector initiatives despite experiencing a 5.8% decline in international arrivals; Paros demonstrates community-driven approaches, leading plastic reduction efforts through the “Clean Blue Paros” initiative. Key challenges persist across all islands, including water consumption doubling since 2020, waste increases of 350% during peak season, and tensions between economic growth and cultural preservation. The findings indicate no single blueprint for sustainable tourism development, emphasizing the need for destination-specific strategies combining policy intervention, technological innovation, and community engagement. Full article

The shift toward experience-oriented travel has positioned food as a central driver for attracting visitors to sustainable destinations, directly supporting United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)11 (resilient cities) and SDG 12 (responsible consumption). While prior research has predominantly emphasised marketing outcomes, the role of bodily experiences in shaping gastronomic tourism has received less attention. This study explores how sensory elements (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch) and non-sensory elements (including cultural meaning and service quality) jointly influence food-related travel experiences. Twenty-five self-identified food travellers were interviewed in a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) City of Gastronomy, and their narratives were analysed using a three-stage grounded theory approach in NVivo 12. The resulting model identifies four interrelated dimensions: (1) embodied experience, grounded in culinary memories and shared cultural narratives; (2) sensory stimulation arising from food and its surroundings; (3) situated embodiment, shaped by location, timing, and social interaction; and (4) environmental perception, encompassing food presentation, facility quality, cleanliness, and pricing fairness. These dimensions interact to enhance overall experience quality. By integrating an embodied perspective with a sustainability focus, this study advances tourism experience research and offers practical guidance for designing multisensory dining environments, fostering environmentally responsible visitor behaviour, and ensuring a balanced relationship between price and perceived value. Full article

In the era of digital intelligence, digital media landscapes increasingly influence cultural tourism consumption. Consumerism capitalizes on tourists’ superficial aesthetic commonalities, constructing a homogenized media imagination that leads to collective convergence in travel decisions, which obscures aspects of local culture, poses safety risks, and results in fleeting local tourism booms. In this study, semistructured interviews were conducted with 36 tourists, and NVivo12.0 was used for three-level node coding in a qualitative analysis to explore the digital media attributions of conformist travel behavior. The findings indicate that digital media landscapes exert a “digital persuasion” effect by reconstructing self-experience models, directing the individual gaze, and projecting idealized self-images. These mechanisms drive tourists to follow digital traffic trends and engage in imitative behaviors, ultimately shaping the phenomenon of “group roaming”, grounded in the psychological effect of herd behavior. Full article

This study investigates how young Chinese consumers across generational lines engage with wine, addressing three key research questions: What motivates their wine purchases? What sensory preferences do they exhibit? And through which channels do they prefer to buy wine? Based on a qualitative design combining focus groups and semi-structured interviews, the study identifies significant generational differences between millennials and post-millennials. Millennials treat wine as a social tool for networking and status, while post-millennials view wine as a medium of personal identity shaped by digital culture. Similarly, millennials prefer a balance of traditional and digital retail, whereas post-millennials favour online platforms. Experiential consumption follows the same pattern, from formal tourism to virtual tastings. By linking these findings to institutional and cultural theories of consumer behaviour, the study contributes to a nuanced understanding of wine consumption in an emerging market. It provides practical implications for wine marketers aiming to localize their strategies for younger Chinese segments. Full article

Social marketing modifies individual behavior to achieve specific outcomes, mitigating environmental pressures. While proven effective in influencing consumer behavior, empirical studies on its impact on the tourism sector remain limited. This study examines how various social marketing channels influence tourists’ consumption decisions and contributes to achieving SDGs 11 and 12 by reviewing the existing methods of disseminating social marketing content. A conceptual model grounded in theory was developed and empirically tested. In particular, it focuses on the establishment of direct and indirect multi-route effects between social marketing and consumer behavior and introduces different influencing factors. Given the scarcity of research on collective culture, quantitative methods were employed, with data collected through questionnaires in mainland China. Results indicate that social marketing media significantly influence tourist behavior, with three mediators—subjective norms, personal values, and communication channels—playing varying roles across media types (events, public relations, and traditional media). Subjective norms, values, and communication channels act as mediators. This study bridges social marketing, tourist behavior, and SDG attainment, offering novel insights and practical implications for tourism practitioners. Full article

This study investigates the impact of cultural openness on intertemporal consumption behavior in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, using panel data from 14 countries spanning 2010 to 2022. Unlike prior research that primarily focused on lifestyle shifts or product preferences, this study explores how cultural globalization influences the trade-off between present consumption and future savings, as captured by the consumption-to-savings ratio (LCESR). Cultural openness is operationalized using the Cultural Globalization General Index (LCGGI), and its effect is analyzed alongside key control variables including Internet penetration, real GDP per capita, inflation, and tourism. To address endogeneity and unobserved heterogeneity, this study employs the system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimator, supported by robustness check models. The findings reveal a significant positive relationship between cultural openness and LCESR in both the short and long run, indicating that increased exposure to global cultural flows enhances consumption tendencies in the region. Internet penetration and inflation negatively affect saving behavior, while GDP per capita shows a positive effect. Tourist arrivals exhibit limited influence. This study also highlights the importance of historical consumption behavior, as the lagged dependent variable strongly predicts the current LCESR. Robustness checks confirm the consistency of the results across all models. These insights suggest that cultural openness, digital infrastructure, and macroeconomic stability are pivotal in shaping consumption/saving patterns. The results carry important implications for financial education, digital consumption governance, and cultural policy strategies in the MENA region and similar emerging markets undergoing rapid cultural integration. Full article

Templestay programs in South Korea represent a unique convergence of Buddhist ritual, cultural immersion, and wellness tourism. While often treated as niche cultural experiences, their broader significance within sustainable wellness tourism remains underexplored. This study examines participant reflections from the Beomeosa Templestay program through thematic analysis of over 600 reviews sourced from TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and handwritten guestbooks. Using a triangulated framework combining Grounded Theory, Symbolic Interactionism, and the Wellness Tourism Model, the research identifies four recurring experiential themes: spiritual development, emotional healing, cultural immersion, and conscious consumption. Findings reveal cross-cultural variations: non-Korean participants emphasized spiritual exploration and cultural learning, while Korean participants prioritized emotional renewal and reconnection with heritage. Yet, across all groups, participants reported transformative outcomes, including heightened clarity, inner calm, and enhanced self-awareness. These results suggest that Templestays serve as accessible, culturally grounded wellness retreats that align with rising global demand for intentional, mindful travel. This study contributes to sustainable tourism scholarship by framing Templestays as low-impact, spiritually resonant alternatives to commercialized wellness retreats. Practical recommendations are offered to expand participation while maintaining program authenticity and safeguarding the spiritual and cultural integrity of monastic hosts in an increasingly globalized wellness landscape. Full article

Against the backdrop of sustainable development and from a macro perspective, this paper focuses on the cultural and tourism industry, measures its sustainable development efficiency, analyzes influencing factors, and systematically explores improvement paths. Based on the theoretical perspective of sustainable development, this study has constructed an evaluation index system for measuring the sustainable development level of the cultural and tourism industry across four dimensions, as follows: cultural and tourism economic construction, cultural and tourism basic resources, social basic support, and ecological environment quality. The range entropy value was adopted to measure the sustainable development level of the cultural and tourism industry in 31 provinces of China from 2006 to 2023. The results show that the sustainable development level of China’s cultural and tourism industry is generally low, but shows an increasing trend. In terms of the annual growth rate of regional scores, the trend is as follows: North China (7.05%) > Central South (6.00%) > East China (5.97%) > Southwest (5.03%) > Northwest (4.56%) > Northeast (2.94%). This indicates considerable room for improvement in the future. Furthermore, this study used kernel density estimation to analyze the distribution dynamics and evolution trends of the sustainable development level of the cultural and tourism industry and its scores at all levels, revealing differences in development levels among provinces and regions. Finally, this study has innovatively adopted the fsQCA method to explore improvement paths for the sustainable development level of the cultural and tourism industry, and identified three implementation paths: “openness–human resources–consumption–environment-driven”, “human resources–consumption–environment-driven”, and “openness–environment-driven”. By constructing a multi-condition combination model, this study breaks through the limitations of traditional single-factor analysis and reveals multiple concurrent causal relationships in complex situations. This approach showcases the differentiated development models of each province under the interacting effects of multi-dimensional factors, and provides policymakers with a basis for precise policy implementation “tailored to local conditions and multi-dimensional collaboration”. Full article