Tangible or intangible satisfiers? Comparative study of visitor satisfaction in a nature-based tourism destination in the pre- and during-COVID pandemic

IF 3.6 3区管理学 Q1 HOSPITALITY, LEISURE, SPORT & TOURISM

Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism-Research Planning and Management Pub Date : 2024-05-24 DOI:10.1016/j.jort.2024.100777

Petr Štumpf, Tereza Kubalová

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Nature-based destinations started to become objects of travel for various visitor segments during the COVID-19 pandemic. The changing environment and the travel conditions influence overall visitor satisfaction and its determinants. This study identifies the role of tangible and intangible factors in forming overall visitor satisfaction with a stay in a nature-based tourism destination and their changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A Generalized Linear Model with a logit link function was used to identify the significant satisfiers and to determine the factors that play a critical role in visitor satisfaction in the during-COVID era compared to the pre-COVID period. The results show that intangible satisfiers play a more significant role than tangible ones in the COVID time. Surprisingly, natural features are insignificant in explaining overall satisfaction at a nature-based destination in the during-COVID in comparison with the pre-COVID period. In contrast, active sports options have become a significant satisfier in the COVID era. This comparison results contribute to the current theory, and the findings indicate the practical implications for Destination Management Organisations regarding sustainable tourism development.

Management implications

•
Destination Management Organisations (DMO) in nature-based destinations should become more conscious of changing visitor structures concerning destination satisfaction.
•
DMOs could focus more on promoting activities such as active sports options and tourism infrastructure than natural features regarding current visitor preferences; however, sustainability should be a fundamental goal of competitive tourism destinations.
•
There is a need to carefully deal with the expanding tourism infrastructure development and prevent uncontrolled growth of commercial activities and attractions that would act against the interests of residents and endanger the value of the natural environment.
•
DMOs should educate the changing visitors about the importance of responsible tourism.
•
DMOs should focus on environmental-friendly activities which do not negatively impact nature in terms of using land and natural areas for commercial activities and construction.
•
DMOs should make efforts to attract their environmental sensitive pre-COVID visitors and target new segments searching for health and sustainability, such as the Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) segment and the Free Independent Travellers (FIT).

查看原文本刊更多论文

有形还是无形的满意度？一个以自然为基础的旅游目的地在 COVID 流行前和流行期间游客满意度的比较研究

在 COVID-19 大流行期间，以自然为主题的旅游目的地开始成为不同游客群体的旅游对象。不断变化的环境和旅游条件影响着游客的总体满意度及其决定因素。本研究确定了有形和无形因素在形成游客对自然旅游目的地总体满意度中的作用，以及这些因素因 COVID-19 大流行而发生的变化。研究采用了具有 logit 连接功能的广义线性模型来识别重要的满意因素，并确定与 COVID 前相比，在 COVID 期间对游客满意度起关键作用的因素。结果表明，在 COVID 时代，无形的满意因素比有形的满意因素发挥着更重要的作用。令人惊讶的是，与前 COVID 时期相比，自然特征在解释 COVID 时期以自然为基础的旅游目的地的总体满意度方面微不足道。与此相反，在 COVID 时代，积极的体育运动选项成为了一个重要的满意因素。这一比较结果有助于当前理论的发展，研究结果表明了目的地管理组织在旅游业可持续发展方面的实际意义。管理意义--以自然为基础的目的地管理组织（DMO）应更多地关注游客结构的变化与目的地满意度的关系。-有必要谨慎对待不断扩大的旅游基础设施开发，防止商业活动和景点的无节制增长，以免损害居民的利益，危及自然环境的价值。-目的地管理组织应把重点放在环保活动上，在利用土地和自然区域进行商业活动和建设时，不对自然产生负面影响。-目的地管理组织应努力吸引对环境敏感的前 "COVID "游客，并瞄准寻求健康和可持续性的新客群，如 "健康和可持续性生活方式 "客群和 "自由行 "客群。

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来源期刊

Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism-Research Planning and Management HOSPITALITY, LEISURE, SPORT & TOURISM-

CiteScore

6.70

自引率

5.30%

发文量

期刊介绍： Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism offers a dedicated outlet for research relevant to social sciences and natural resources. The journal publishes peer reviewed original research on all aspects of outdoor recreation planning and management, covering the entire spectrum of settings from wilderness to urban outdoor recreation opportunities. It also focuses on new products and findings in nature based tourism and park management. JORT is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary journal, articles may focus on any aspect of theory, method, or concept of outdoor recreation research, planning or management, and interdisciplinary work is especially welcome, and may be of a theoretical and/or a case study nature. Depending on the topic of investigation, articles may be positioned within one academic discipline, or draw from several disciplines in an integrative manner, with overarching relevance to social sciences and natural resources. JORT is international in scope and attracts scholars from all reaches of the world to facilitate the exchange of ideas. As such, the journal enhances understanding of scientific knowledge, empirical results, and practitioners'' needs. Therefore in JORT each article is accompanied by an executive summary, written by the editors or authors, highlighting the planning and management relevant aspects of the article.