ABSTRACT This study reassesses how tourists perceive culinary authenticity using manual content analysis of over 330,000 TripAdvisor online reviews from 651 restaurants across all Greek islands. Drawing on 14 hypotheses from prior literature, it examines both micro-level restaurant features and macro-level destination characteristics. Results reveal that symbolic cues, such as naming, menu focus, and local interaction, shape authenticity perceptions more than economic or structural factors. The findings challenge traditional assumptions and offer new theoretical and practical insights for gastronomic tourism and authenticity research.

ABSTRACT This study examines whether tourism personality traits differ with age. The study applied Plog’s model on a cross-sectional survey of residents of Queensland, Australia. Five age groups were compared. The study revealed significant differences in tourism personality traits across age cohorts, typified by a hardening of traits as people age. This hardening suggests that traits and values differ due to gains and losses over time. The study further concluded that observed changes in tourist behaviour are closely associated with differences in tourism personality traits.

ABSTRACT An examination of demographics is crucial for understanding sustainable tourist behaviour and its boundaries. This study measures the impact of demographics on tourists’ environmental perceptions and vacation behaviours. This study utilizes a quantitative approach, and uses data gathered from 440 international tourists visiting Turkey. In accordance with the research model, t-test and one-way analysis of variance were performed. Key findings signify a considerable difference in the perception scores regarding environment-related issues based on the participants’ gender, age, monthly income and marital status. Furthermore, tourists’ green product purchasing behaviour scores show a statistically significant difference based on their age. However, a statistically significant difference was not determined in the environmentally sustainable vacation behaviour scores based upon the demographics of the tourists.

ABSTRACT Visual content plays a crucial role in digital marketing, yet researchers have not fully understood which specific attributes make it effective. In this study, we examine the impact of image complexity on user liking on TripAdvisor. Based on deep learning techniques and Visual Attention Theory, we assess image complexity and other visual characteristics to explore how they influence user interactions. Our findings revealed that images with fewer embedded objects, are more effective at capturing user attention and likes. Moreover, we examined how colourfulness, the presence of faces, and image descriptions moderate the relationship between image complexity and user likes. These results provide valuable insights for hoteliers and digital marketers seeking to enhance their visual content strategies to boost user likes.

ABSTRACT In most studies, flight attendants (FA) are more often discussed from the lens of their occupation and not as tourists. This research note identifies the tourism activities of flight attendants during their stopovers based on online representation. A total of 2141 Instagram photos of flight attendants’ travels posted from 2014 to 2019 were gathered and analysed based on Vu et al. ‘s Categories of Activities. The results showed that flight attendants mainly engage in outdoor and recreational activities, travel and transport, and arts and entertainment. This preliminary investigation offers valuable insights into tourism’s demand and supply sides when looking at online photo sharing among flight attendants as a conspicuous consumption.

ABSTRACT Following the self-determination theory (SDT), the current research intends to explore the relationships between tourists’ subjective well-being (SWB), destination loyalty (DL), behavioural intentions (BIs) and basic psychological needs (BPNs). The theory, which has received increasing attention in the literature, is used to explain tourists’ motivations, destination decisions and BIs. In this context, a questionnaire was administered to cultural tourists visiting the historical sites of Istanbul. The questionnaire application resulted in 503 usable questionnaires. A total of 503 usable questionnaires were obtained as a result of the survey. According to the data analysis findings, fulfilment of the BPNs of tourists visiting the historical sites of Istanbul affects both SWB and DL. In addition, SWB and DL affect revisit and recommendation intentions (BIs).

To date, limited studies have examined the review characteristics of UGC in the restaurant industry. Using structural equation modeling, we examined 4,080 reviews regarding the top-ranked Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) from TripAdvisor and Google. Overall, review comments were mainly rated high, had difficulty detecting emotion, had low reliability, and were short. Also, results show that only affect and review length affected ratings among the review characteristics. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed in the paper.

This short profile piece has been compiled for Professor Keith Hollinshead after his sad passing in September 2022. Keith, who worked as a scholar for over 40 years, made a notable impact within the applied field of Tourism Studies and as a Professor of Public Culture. Not only were his academic contributions celebrated and distinguished, but his incredibly generous and warm-hearted character touched upon the lives of many, through his nurturing of young academics and collaborations with more seasoned scholars. The commentary which is to follow will give readers an insight into Keith’s background, those authors which influenced his own academic pathfinding and a short overview of the contributions he made to the applied field of Tourism Studies and Public Culture. This piece will end with a short verse by the great Sufi mystic and poet, Mevlana Rumi, entitled ‘Proud Scholar’, which captures Keith’s passion for knowing people and gaining knowledge.

ABSTRACT This study explores the awareness, perceived usefulness, and potential future roles of altmetrics among journal editors in the tourism and hospitality field. Altmetrics measure online engagement and research mentions, providing impact measures beyond citation-based metrics. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining altmetrics data analysis with qualitative interviews of editors from the top 25 tourism and hospitality journals. The findings reveal a range of awareness and perceived usefulness among editors. The study suggests altmetrics could increasingly assess the broader societal impact of research, though editors need more publisher support to leverage these metrics effectively. By offering insights into the application of altmetrics in tourism and hospitality literature, the study contributes to the understanding of alternative metrics in evaluating research impact.