Destination Restaurants' Practices and the Production of Locality: The Case of Michelin Restaurants in China.

Dining plays a pivotal role in the travel experience, with numerous studies identifying the significant impacts of restaurant attributes on tourists' destination experiences and their sense of place. The identified attributes include the origin of food produce, menu design, the physical and social servicescape, and restaurant reputation, all of which have the potential to enhance customers' sense of place. Therefore, based on theories of the production of locality, this study explores how destination restaurants "put place on the plate" and identifies how destination restaurants promote place. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the representatives of seventeen Michelin (one star, two stars, three stars, and Bib Gourmand)-awarded restaurants across Mainland China. The results reveal three primary strategies employed by destination restaurants in promoting place: forging partnerships with the local community to produce, present, and reproduce localities; leveraging local knowledge embedded in the local produce, recipes, cooking techniques, and local culture; and practicing translocality to introduce a regional cuisine to diverse and cosmopolitan consumers. This research provides a comprehensive understanding of the way in which notions of locality and place are used by destination restaurants and the way in which this may promote not only restaurants but also regional culinary cultures and destination attractiveness.

On the post-pandemic travel boom: How capacity building and smart tourism technologies in rural areas can help - evidence from Iran.

While there have been numerous studies investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism, few research projects have examined the impact of the outbreak on using smart tourism technologies (STT), especially in developing countries. This study adopted thematic analysis, with data collected using in-person interviews. The participants for the study were selected using the snow-balling technique. We explored the process of developing smart technologies during the pandemic and its impact on smart rural tourism technology development upon travel restart. The subject was investigated by focusing on five selected villages in central Iran which have tourism dependent economies. Overall, the results indicated that the pandemic partially changed the government's resistance towards the fast development of smart technologies. Thus, the role of smart technologies in curbing the virus spread was officially recognized. This change of policy led to the implementation of Capacity Building (CB) programs to improve digital literacy and minimize the digital gap that exists between urban and rural areas in Iran. Implementing CB programs during the pandemic directly and indirectly contributed to the digitalization of rural tourism. Implementing such programs enhanced tourism stakeholders' individual and institutional capacity to gain access to and creatively use STT in rural area. The results of this study improve our understanding and knowledge of the impact of crises on the degree of acceptability and use of STT in traditional rural societies.

Application of EMGB to Study Impacts of Public Green Space on Active Transport Behavior: Evidence from South Korea.

Public green spaces (e.g., parks, green trails, greenways) and motivations to engage in active transport are essential for encouraging walking and cycling. However, how these key factors influence walker and cyclist behavior is potentially being increasingly influenced by the use of smart apps, as they become more ubiquitous in everyday practices. To fill this research gap, this work creates and tests a theoretically integrated study framework grounded in an extended model of goal-directed behavior, including public green space and motivation with perceived usefulness of smart apps. In order to accomplish the purpose of this study, we conducted an online survey of Korean walkers (n = 325) and cyclists (n = 326) between 10 and 25 July 2021 and applied partial least squares, structural equation, and multi-group analysis to validate the research model. Results revealed that active transport users' awareness of public green space positively influences attitude toward (γ = 0.163), as well as behavioral intention of (γ = 0.159), walking and cycling. Additionally, motivation (extrinsic and intrinsic) greatly influences attitude (γ = 0.539) and behavioral intention (γ = 0.535). Subjective norms (γ = 0.137) and positive (γ = 0.466) and negative anticipated emotions (γ = 0.225) have a significant impact on the desire that leads to behavioral intention. High and low perceived smart app usefulness also significantly moderates between public green space and attitude (t-value = 25.705), public green space and behavioral intention (t-value = 25.726), motivation and attitude (t-value = -25.561), and motivation and behavioral intention (t-value = -15.812). Consequently, the findings are useful to academics and practitioners by providing new knowledge and insights.

Is walking or riding your bike when a tourist different? Applying VAB theory to better understand active transport behavior.

Active transport (walking and biking) has significant environmental, health, and social benefits. Despite the importance of active transport, theoretically framed research has not sufficiently considered what makes consumers walk or bike based on activity types, particularly in an Asian context. This is an important topic as it helps provides a basis for better targeted marketing and promotion to encourage greater public engagement with active transport. To fill this knowledge gap, this work applied the value-attitude-behavior (VAB) theory to understand walkers and bikers' behaviors in comparing tourism, leisure, and work activity. Results indicate that value on attitude has the greatest influence, followed by personal, and then social norm. Behavior for active transport is significantly influenced by personal norm, followed by attitude and social norm. Interestingly, from the three types of activities, the tourism group has the strongest relationship of value and attitude and the highest prediction for attitude and behavior.

Does International Travel Frequency Affect COVID-19 Biosecurity Behavior in the United States?

High-quality biosecurity practices are critical to restarting international tourism. Effective market segmentation improves the communication and efficacy of health advice. Travel frequency is an important basis for health-related consumer segmentation, as it is closely related to risk of greater exposure to infectious diseases. Theoretically grounded studies of tourist biosecurity behavior and travel frequency have largely been neglected, although insights into practices and attitudes are especially relevant for coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19 (coronavirus disease of 2019) health responses. Therefore, this research constructed and tested a conceptual model applying Value-Attitude-Behavior theory to US travelers to see whether the frequency of international travel affected tourist COVID-19 related biosecurity behavior. US respondents were drawn from a panel using a quota sampling technique according to the age and gender of American outbound tourists. An online survey was administered in September 2020. The responses (n = 395) of those who traveled internationally within five years were analyzed utilizing partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with multi-group analysis. Travel frequency significantly affects biosecurity behavior. High travel frequency (≥8 trips) has the strongest effect of value on biosecurity attitudes, personal norms, social norms, and biosecurity social norms, leading to biosecurity behaviors. Biosecurity behaviors pertaining to medium travel frequency (4-7 trips) are significantly influenced by personal norms. At low travel frequency (1-3 trips) levels, biosecurity behaviors are stimulated by biosecurity attitudes and social norms, showing the highest predictive power among the three groups. This work provides insights into international travel consumer biosecurity practices and behavior. From a market segmentation perspective, the levels of international travel frequency have various influences on biosecurity values, attitudes, personal norms, social norms, and behaviors. The biosecurity behaviors of low-frequency travelers are found to be the most significant of the three groups, suggesting that individuals who travel less frequently are more likely to practice responsible COVID-19 biosecurity behavior.

Do value-attitude-behavior and personality affect sustainability crowdfunding initiatives?

Crowdfunding is an innovative financial measure that is increasingly important in supporting sustainability initiatives. However, little research-based theory has been devoted to crowdfunding in light of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To bridge this gap, this study utilizes theories of value-attitude-behavior (VAB) model and personality to investigate Korean consumer crowdfunding behavior for sustainability initiatives in relation to the United Nations 17 SDGs. Seven hypotheses related to value, attitude, personal norm, and social norm on sustainability, and participation in sustainability crowdfunding are offered, with personality as a moderator. The findings revealed that value has substantial impacts on attitude, personal norm, and social norm. Attitude, personal norm, and social norm on source are found to have positive impacts on participation. Conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism have partial moderating effects on the VAB model. These results offer theoretical and empirical contributions to sustainability crowdfunding in light of the SDGs.

Weather and climate in the assessment of tourism-related walkability.

Walking is an important outdoor recreational and tourism activity, both in natural surroundings and in urban settings. Walkability is the extent to which the built environment promotes walking, and addresses issues such as comfort, connectivity, safety and aesthetic values. The paper explores a relatively overlooked domain of recreation- and tourism-related walkability: the extent to which weather and climatic conditions are incorporated into assessments of walkability and their influence on walking behaviour. Following a discussion of the assessment of walkability, the results of a scoping review of weather- and climate-related variables in walkability articles published up to June 2018 are presented. The review indicates there is little research on walkability from a tourist perspective, although there is substantial interest in walking for leisure and recreation. Four major themes were identified. The descriptive theme focuses on the general importance of weather and climate to walkability; the passive analyses the weather and climate conditions as barriers to, or as promoters of, walking; proactive studies refer to adapting to and managing weather, such as provision of shade or snow-clearing. The proactive perspective gains less attention than the passive analysis. Finally, statistical controlling was only employed by a minority of studies that adjusted their results to the impacts of weather conditions. The work concludes that the sub-field has been poorly served with respect to concept and variable definition and consistency of use mean that present knowledge is of limited scientific value. Strategies for future research are suggested.

Understanding Indigenous Exploitation Through Performance Based Research Funding Reviews in Colonial States.

Countries with significant indigenous populations, such as Australia, New Zealand and the Nordic countries, are providing increased support for improvements in the number of indigenous academics represented in higher education and engaged in research. Such developments have occurred at the same time as the implementation of performance-based research funding systems. However, despite the significance of such systems for academic careers and knowledge diffusion there has been relatively little consideration of the way within which they meet the needs of indigenous academics and knowledges. Drawing primarily on the New Zealand context, this perspective paper questions the positioning of Maori researchers and Maori research epistemologies (Kaupapa Maori) within the Performance Based Research Fund and the contemporary neoliberal higher education system. It is argued that the present system, rather than being genuinely inclusive, serves to reinforce the othering of Maori episteme and therefore perpetuates the hegemony of Western and colonial epistemologies and research structures. As such, there is a need to raise fundamental questions about the present ecologies of knowledge that performance based research systems create not only in the New Zealand higher education research context but also within other countries that seek to advance indigenous research.