Anna K. Zarkada, Muhammad Kashif and Zainab
This paper aims to examine the structure and content of religious tourism destination image through the reviews of visitors to Makkah and Medina, two of the world’s most popular…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the structure and content of religious tourism destination image through the reviews of visitors to Makkah and Medina, two of the world’s most popular Muslim pilgrimage sites.
Design/methodology/approach
This is an exploratory netnographic study of the 913 reviews posted on TripAdvisor from 2018 to 2022. The structure (dimensions and attributes) and content (variables) comprising the construct of religious tourism destination image emerge through manual thematic analysis and confirmed through content analysis.
Findings
Religious tourism destination image is a three-dimensional – cognitive, affective and conative – construct comprising both religion-specific, generally sacred and secular variables in a single, indivisible crystallization of experience.
Practical implications
Destination marketing organizations and marketers of tourism enterprises should regularly analyze visitor reviews posted on social media and carefully manage all variables of the religious tourism destination image, specifically stressing the religious aspect.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic analysis of the structure and content of religious tourism destination image based on detailed consumer evaluations and unprompted storytelling.
Details
Keywords
- Religious tourism destination image (RTDI)
- User-generated content (UGC)
- Netnography
- Religious tourism (RT)
- Muslim tourists
- TripAdvisor reviews
- Cognitive
- Affective and conative tourism experience attributes
- Tourism marketing
- Tourism experience
- Qualitative study
- Destination marketing organizations (DMOs)
- The Muslim consumer
David Cashman, Wesley O’Brien and Fiona Chambers
This study aims to capture children’s interpretation of holistic well-being within Irish primary schools and add to the development of a comprehensive systems-informed positive…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to capture children’s interpretation of holistic well-being within Irish primary schools and add to the development of a comprehensive systems-informed positive education model.
Design/methodology/approach
This study utilized visual participatory research methods, including PhotoVoice and one-on-one interviews, to assess children’s (n = 16) well-being, guided by Von Unger’s comprehensive seven-step framework. Data analysis was anchored within grounded theory, beginning with data collection, initial coding, focused coding and culminating in identifying themes and subthemes. Data were interpreted using the mosaic approach by integrating visual and verbal data.
Findings
This analysis uncovered three primary themes that affect student well-being: relationships, space and physical environment and learning and curriculum, each with detailed subthemes. For instance, student–teacher relationships, peer relationships, safety, learning spaces, the creative curriculum including arts and music and the experiential richness of outdoor learning are crucial to students' educational growth and well-being. These aspects are seen as interconnected, shaping a holistic educational experience beyond academic learning to encompass students’ comprehensive well-being. The students' narratives demonstrated that learning is not merely an academic exercise but a vital component of their well-being.
Originality/value
This study significantly departs from traditional educational research by advocating for a dynamic, action-oriented understanding of “well-being.” It challenges the static, possessive interpretations of well-being and introduces the concept of well-being as a fluid and ever-evolving process. This reconceptualization positions well-being as a complex construct, influenced by an intricate web of relationships, spanning human and non-human interactions, organizational and environmental structures, personal desires, behavioral practices and broader societal and cultural frameworks.
Details
Keywords
Jong-Hyeong Kim, Seongseop (Sam) Kim and Lin Wang
In the context of increasing concerns about health, nutraceutical restaurants that provide health benefits have emerged in the marketplace. However, customer experiences at these…
Abstract
Purpose
In the context of increasing concerns about health, nutraceutical restaurants that provide health benefits have emerged in the marketplace. However, customer experiences at these restaurants are poorly understood. This study focused on sensory experiences and examined the underlying mechanism by which they contribute to memorable dining experiences. Grounded in cognitive appraisal theory, this study developed a memorable dining experience model that links sensory stimuli, meaningfulness, novelty, emotions, and behavioral intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 880 Chinese customers who dined at traditional Chinese medicine restaurants and were analyzed via partial least squares structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results revealed that sensory stimuli contributed to memorable dining experiences through meaningfulness, novelty, and emotions. Furthermore, memorable dining experiences increased behavioral intentions to spread positive word-of-mouth and revisit intentions. Additionally, customers’ gender moderated the effects of sensory stimuli on meaningfulness and novelty.
Practical implications
The findings of this study can be used to identify important sensory stimuli and their roles in delivering memorable dining experiences in traditional Chinese medicine restaurants. Therefore, this study’s findings contribute to an improved understanding of how to efficiently manage sensory stimuli to stimulate memorable experiences for restaurant patrons.
Originality/value
This study tests the influence of sensory stimuli on the memorable dining experiences of customers in China.