PurposeThis study aims to examines the cross-cultural perceptions and satisfaction of international tourists visiting Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, focusing on how cultural backgrounds influence destination image and tourist experiences.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative, interpretivist approach was adopted, with semi-structured interviews conducted with 20 international tourists between November 2021 and March 2022. A non-probability purposive sampling was used to select participants who had previously visited key attractions in Abu Dhabi. Thematic analysis was applied to extract key insights.FindingsThe findings underscore the pivotal role of Schwartz’s universal values and cultural beliefs in shaping tourist perceptions and satisfaction. Distinct differences emerged among cultural groups: Asian tourists demonstrated a greater awareness of Abu Dhabi’s attributes, while Western tourists often held preconceived notions influenced by comparisons with Dubai. Tourists reported overall satisfaction with Abu Dhabi’s cultural and environmental offerings, but also highlighted gaps in marketing and infrastructure that could enhance destination appeal.Originality/valueThis study contributes novel insights to the relatively underexplored domain of cross-cultural tourism in the Middle East. By exploring the dynamic interplay between cultural values and tourist perceptions, it offers actionable recommendations to enhance Abu Dhabi’s position as a global tourism hub, bridging gaps between academic literature and industry practices.

Purpose Craft breweries have a growing role in the beer tourism niche as a place-based attraction but also in daily life as a community space. Research has examined how such breweries can appeal to both tourist and local markets through neolocalism in the form of place branding and local embeddedness. This paper aims to consider the extent to which breweries communicate neolocal themes in visual social media marketing through Instagram images. Design/methodology/approach This research examines 3,299 Instagram images posted on the official accounts of 13 Houston, Texas (USA) microbreweries and taproom breweries over the course of 2022. Content-semiotic analysis identifies key themes in these images and explores the extent to which breweries signify neolocal themes through these images. Findings Manifest image content generally appeals to interests in consuming beer and communicates logistical information about if, and when, to visit the brewery. Elements in Instagram images have the potential to convey meanings about neolocalism in the craft beer product, branding, local embeddedness and place-based experiences but such strategies have not been extensively developed or used. Originality/value Although both academic and industry sources recognize the importance of social media and visual content in connecting with potential consumers, to the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first to examine the extent to which breweries employ neolocal strategies through social media marketing.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of tourists’ objective and subjective knowledge on their decision to use environmental best practices in tourism. This study targets the alignment between objective and subjective knowledge to identify under-confidence and over-confidence in climate knowledge and their impact on tourism decision-making.Design/methodology/approachA survey of early climate adopters (n = 752) from a US-based travel network and European-based carbon capture provider assessed tourists’ climate change knowledge, attitudes, previous travel behavior and future intentions to engage in environmentally conscious best practices in travel. Using structural equation modeling, a model was developed to explore the impact of objective and subjective knowledge calibration on climate attitudes, past pro-environmental behaviors during travel and future intentions to include best climate practices in travel decisions.FindingsThe results of this study revealed that overconfidence diminished tourists’ climate-related attitudes. Attitudes were positively linked to past actions and future intentions for climate-friendly travel planning. Overconfidence undermined knowledge translation into action by diminishing climate attitudes. The findings of this study suggested that cognitive biases might be significant in shaping climate-conscious tourism behaviors.Originality/valueWhile objective and subjective knowledge have been extensively examined in the consumer behavior literature, more attention should be paid to these concepts in the tourism literature. This research addresses this gap in the literature and suggests that objective and subjective knowledge should be addressed separately in future research.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of emotional perceived value on hotel guests’ satisfaction, affective commitment and loyalty. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 348 respondents living in the United Arab Emirates, and hypotheses were tested using AMOS 28 and structural equation modeling. Findings This study’s unique contribution lies in its revelation that emotional perceived value directly impacts guests’ satisfaction, affective commitment and loyalty. Furthermore, it uncovers that emotional-perceived value indirectly influences loyalty through satisfaction and affective commitment. Practical implications This research underscores the importance of hotel managers prioritizing guests’ emotional perceived value in their offerings. Managers can significantly enhance guests’ satisfaction, affective commitment and loyalty by highlighting self-gratification, aesthetics, prestige, transaction and hedonics. Originality/value This study brings a fresh perspective to understanding customer perceived value (CPV). It argues that the mere emphasis on the functional aspect of CPV would likely fall short of fully comprehending specific outcomes of their experience (e.g. satisfaction-dissatisfaction, loyalty, etc.). Assessing the emotional aspect of CPV, known as emotional customer perceived value (ECPV), adds further explanations and sheds light on the understanding of the CPV concept and its impacts on consumers’ experience. Furthermore, this study emphasizes that emotional perceived value is better comprehended as a multidimensional rather than a unidimensional construct. It adds that the concept of customer value as a multidimensional concept is context-specific (i.e. dimensions vary from one service sector to another), providing a unique and valuable perspective for the luxury hotel industry.

PurposeThis study aims to empirically investigate solo travel behavior, comparing decision-making, destination choice, motivations, perceived experiences and constraints between the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic eras.Design/methodology/approachUsing a mixed-methods approach, the study combines quantitative and qualitative data to enhance reliability and flexibility. An online survey attracted 250 respondents, providing demographic data and pandemic-related insights, complemented by eight in-depth interviews. Qualitative content analysis was used to extract key findings on motivations, constraints and destination choices.FindingsThe findings reveal that, pre-pandemic, independence and flexibility were key motivators for solo travel, with safety and budget as significant constraints. During the pandemic, half of the respondents continued solo travel, mainly within Europe, facing constraints related to destination choice and health concerns. Post-pandemic, solo travel interest resurged, emphasizing unchanged motivations but reduced concerns over companionship and planning. The study identifies a “traveling for revenge” trend post-pandemic, showcasing a desire to overcome constraints imposed during the pandemic.Originality/valueThe study contributes original insights into the nuanced changes in solo travel behavior due to the COVID-19 pandemic, offering a deeper understanding of solo travelers' evolving mindsets. It is one of the few studies to examine the pandemic's impact on solo traveling, providing short-term shifts in motivations and constraints with implications for the travel industry.

PurposeThis study aims to investigate how feelings for a country influence visitation to conflict-ridden destinations. It also examines the moderating effect of communications – news about terror or pictures of the place’s attractions – and whether the pictures counteract the damaging news.Design/methodology/approachThis study examines the influence that feelings for a country have on visitation intentions, via the destination’s perceived risk and overall image. Furthermore, an experimental design is used to test the moderating influence of two communications stimuli. The sample consists of 309 individuals from the USA who were randomly exposed to various stimuli.FindingsThe findings confirm that feelings for the country shape risk perceptions, overall destination image and visitation intentions. Communications moderate the influence of these emotions. In addition, pictures of the destination’s attractions mitigate the adverse effect of negative news.Research limitations/implicationsThe investigation focuses on Turkey, a popular tourist destination, despite being subject to biases due to its geopolitical situation and ongoing armed conflict. The findings suggest that conflict-ridden destination managers should understand and use emotions, distinguishing between country and destination, while emphasizing the place’s attractions with visual communications to counter negative country reports.Originality/valueThis research contributes a comprehensive model that explains the impact that feelings for a country have on visitation decisions, highlighting the mediating role of risk perceptions and destination image. Furthermore, the study underlines the moderating role of communications, both positive and negative, that shape the effect of the emotions on the studied variables.

PurposeThis study aims to analyze the war museum experience by analyzing the comments and feedback provided by visitors on Google and TripAdvisor. This analysis intends to uncover the various aspects of war museum experiences.Design/methodology/approachA total of 201 comments, in which visitors explicitly articulated their experiences at the museum, were subjected to analysis. The comments were examined using a netnography analysis. Four dimensions; object experience, cognitive experience, introspective experience and social experience were used to group the analyzed remarks.FindingsThe findings indicate that the majority of the participants' museum experiences at the Canakkale Gallipoli Epic Promotion Center were introspective experiences, that the visitors felt extremely strong emotions as a result of the technological systems used in the museum and that they perceived the museum as being in a combat zone. Additionally, it was noted that the appearance of the artifacts in the museums really impressed the tourists and that the museum had provided them with thorough information about the war.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of this study are the number of visitors to the museum and the number of reviews written on Google and TripAdvisor about the visit experience. Especially since the majority of the reviews on Google do not include comments and only consist of ratings, the number of comments on the museum experience is limited.Originality/valueWhile there exists a range of studies examining the experiences of tourists at historical places, there is a scarcity of research that specifically focuses on analyzing the impacts of these experiences from the visitors' standpoint. Given the absence of any existing study examining the experiences of war museum visitors using the netnographic approach within this particular context, this research is believed to possess originality and is anticipated to address the existing gap in the relevant literature. Furthermore, this work holds significant theoretical and practical ramifications for curators and scholars. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, since this research is the first to comprehensively analyze the experiences of war museum visitors using the netnographic approach and no similar studies have been found in existing literature, the findings of this study are considered original.

PurposeThis study aims to examine a comprehensive model for the concurrent effects of tourists’ sustainability concerns, social norms, frugality and awareness of the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) on sustainable travel behavior (STB), with sustainability in this case extending beyond the environmental to include economic and socio-cultural aspects as well.Design/methodology/approachThe model is tested using a structural equation modeling technique based on data collected from 200 US respondents who traveled internationally in the past year.FindingsResults reveal that all aforementioned variables, namely, sustainability concerns, social norms, frugality and SDG awareness, when considered together each positively influenced STB. However, SDG awareness did not accentuate tourists’ sustainability concerns associated with travel and tourism, as initially hypothesized.Originality/valueUnlike previous studies that have mainly focused on the pro-environmental aspects of sustainability and failed to consider the aforementioned variables concurrently, the results from this study advance our understanding of the determinants of STB (more generally) while accounting specifically for the expected role of the UN SDG agenda.

PurposeTravel decreased dramatically during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, only to return rapidly to prepandemic levels once the degree of fear toward the virus began to diminish among potential travelers. This USA-based 16-month repeated-measure cross-sectional survey study aims to explore the degree to which fear of COVID affected people’s decisions to stay home rather than to travel during the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe research used survey data. An extensive data set, composed of over 9,500 respondents, collected through Mechanical Turk over a 16-month time period, was used to compare respondent fear of the pandemic both with their attitudes toward future travel and with Smith Travel Research data reflecting actual pandemic travel patterns.FindingsThe results demonstrate how fear of COVID was closely and negatively linked to both travel intentions and travel behavior.Research limitations/implicationsData were collected from US respondents only.Practical implicationsThe findings significantly extend earlier studies and provide guidance for those studying travel consumer behavior regarding trends that should be monitored in the case of a future pandemic or other fear-inducing crisis. For hospitality and tourism managers and marketers, understanding fear as a leading indicator of future travel behavior can result in more timely promotional efforts and staffing and training decisions.Social implicationsMeasuring and understanding consumer fear levels as this relates to travel decisions can help in the future to adjust the message that is sent to the public, perhaps reducing the amount of travel taken during periods when this is unwise and or unsafe.Originality/valueThis paper extends previous work that had been based upon cross-sectional reviews, providing a broader and more valuable study of an important and timely consumer behavior travel topic.

PurposeSport events’ contribution to the destinations’ local economy implies in-depth knowledge of the economic benefits generated by non-resident spectators (NRS). Thus, this study aims to answer: What is the profile and shaping factors of the consumption patterns of the several types of NRS in international surf tourism events?Design/methodology/approachA total of 263 questionnaires applied to the NRS of an international surf event were collected and analysed. The identification of the NRS profile and the predictive factors of their total expenditure were performed through the correlation of factors and multiple linear regression, respectively.FindingsMostly, the event attracted generation Y NRS, with a high level of education and regular sport practice. The results showed differences among the NRS: the “casuals” included more women than men; the “extensioners” integrated the NRS whose surfing practice is higher; the “event visitors”/”time switchers” mostly integrated the domestic tourism flows; the “casuals” and “extensioners” spent the most at the destination, and those whose intention to recommend/revisit the destination, respectively, was higher; and the shaping factor that most influenced the increase in NRS expenditure was the overnight stay, added by older age, higher education level and foreign origin.Originality/valueRegardless of the initial motivation that led to the trip to the destination, the results verified that the event’s attributes are capable of contributing to the recommendation/visitation of the destination. Consequently, the study of economic benefits (tangible and intangible) provided by sport events in destinations should be guided by an integrative analysis of NRS.