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As a distinctive form of communist heritage tourism, the ideology and government-led form of red tourism warrants an in-depth examination of how tourists consume and perceive it. This study aims to reveal tourists’ perception of red tourism through the lens of destination image.

This study collected 9,819 user-generated photographs within four types of red tourism destinations (RTDs) and used a computer visual and semiotic analysis approach to conduct photograph-based cognitive and affective attributes extraction. Network analysis further visualized the co-relations between cognitive images and affective images. ANOVA analysis compared the differences of the four types of destination images.

Ten dimensions of cognitive image and eight categories of affective image of red tourism were identified. It found that monuments, statues, memorial symbols were the distinctive cognitive features, and admiration was the most dominant emotion. Heterogeneity of destination images was identified among the four types of RTDs.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the study is one of the first to explore tourists’ consumption of red tourism through the lens of destination image, which reveals the inconsistencies between the officially projected images and tourists’ perceived images of red tourism. Using Plutchik’s model, it validates a series of positive and negative emotions contributing to the affective images of red tourism, which expands the findings of emotions within the extant red tourism research. Through combined applications of computer visual and semiotic analysis, ANOVA, network analysis and model visualization, the study provides an important methodological triangulation for photograph-based destination image studies.

红色旅游作为共产主义旅游的独特形式, 游客如何感知这种国家意识形态植入与政府主导型旅游值得深入研究。本研究旨在从目的地意象视角揭示游客红色旅游感知。

本研究收集四种类型的红色旅游地9819张用户生成照片, 利用计算机视觉-情感析法对照片进行认知和情感元素提取。复杂网络分析揭示了认知意象与情感意象之间的关联。方差分析比较了四种红色旅游地意象的差异。

本研究确定了红色旅游认知意象的十个维度和情感意象的八个类别。研究发现, 纪念碑、雕像、纪念符号是其独特的认知意象元素, 钦佩是其最主要的情感，四种类型红色旅游地意象存在差异性。

本文是同类研究中首次从目的地意象视角探索游客对红色旅游地感知, 揭示了红色旅游官方投射意象与游客感知意象之间的差异。利用Plutchik情感之轮模型, 验证了一系列积极和消极情绪构成红色旅游地情感意象, 拓展了红色旅游的情感发现。综合运用计算机视觉-情感分析、方差分析、网络分析和模型可视化等方法, 为基于照片的旅游目的地意象研究提供了一个重要方法。

Como forma distintiva del turismo del patrimonio comunista, la ideología y la forma gubernamental del turismo rojo justifican un examen en profundidad de cómo lo consumen y perciben los turistas. Este estudio pretende revelar la percepción que tienen los turistas del turismo rojo desde la perspectiva de la imagen del destino.

Este estudio recopiló 9.819 fotografías generadas por los usuarios dentro de cuatro tipos de destinos de turismo rojo, y utilizó un enfoque de análisis visual y semiótico por ordenador para llevar a cabo la extracción de atributos cognitivos y afectivos basados en fotografías. El análisis de redes visualizó además las correlaciones entre las imágenes cognitivas y las imágenes afectivas. El análisis ANOVA comparó las diferencias de los cuatro tipos de imágenes de destino.

Se identificaron diez dimensiones de imagen cognitiva y ocho categorías de imagen afectiva del turismo rojo. Se descubrió que los monumentos, las estatuas y los símbolos conmemorativos eran los rasgos cognitivos distintivos, y la admiración la emoción más dominante. Se identificó una heterogeneidad de imágenes de destino entre los cuatro tipos de destinos de turismo rojo.

El estudio es uno de los primeros en explorar el consumo de turismo rojo por parte de los turistas a través de la lente de la imagen del destino, lo que revela las incoherencias entre las imágenes proyectadas oficialmente y las imágenes percibidas por los turistas del turismo rojo. Utilizando el modelo de Plutchik, valida una serie de emociones positivas y negativas que contribuyen a las imágenes afectivas del turismo rojo, lo que amplía los hallazgos sobre las emociones dentro de la investigación existente sobre el turismo rojo. Mediante aplicaciones combinadas de análisis visual y semiótico por ordenador, ANOVA, análisis de redes y visualización de modelos, el estudio proporciona una importante triangulación metodológica para los estudios de la imagen del destino basados en fotografías.

This paper aims to explore the accommodation experience of customers in the budget hotel sector – a less explored but rapidly expanding sector in the hospitality industry. This study investigates the effects of such experience on customer behavior.

The study adopts a quantitative approach and draws on a comprehensive data set (N = 414) by using a quota sampling approach. The context of the study is the Chinese market, where budget hotels and the number of mass tourists (inbound and outbound) have increased tremendously.

This study identifies a behavioral pattern that differs from trends reported in prior studies. The finding shows that the relationship between customer experience and behavioral intentions is mediated by customer satisfaction, which similarly mediates the relationship between perceived value and behavioral intentions.

The results provide significant implications for hoteliers in the budget hotel industry by calling for a differentiated marketing approach for this segment of customers. Furthermore, the study provides insights into the accommodation behavior of Chinese mass tourists. These findings can serve as reference for international budget hotel practitioners, especially those involved in hotels that target the increasing number of travelers from China.

The budget hotel sector is the first accommodation choice for many Chinese mass tourists. This study is the first to conduct a systematic exploration of the behavioral patterns of customers toward budget hotels in this context. Moreover, this study adopts a holistic approach by adopting an experiential view in measuring the overall experience of customers in budget hotels.

This study aims to understand how retailscape of pop-up stores could influence young Chinese tourists’ emotional response and their subsequent shopping intention in the context of luxury retailing.

A quantitative approach was chosen. Building on the theoretical framework of the stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) theory, a pop-up store retailscape behavior model was developed to explore the effect of retailscape on young Chinese tourists’ emotional response and patronage intention in a luxury retail setting. In total, 226 structured questionnaires were collected onsite.

The multiple regression analysis reveals that a luxury pop-up store’s retailscape has a positive influence on young Chinese tourists’ emotional response, but it only has a partial influence on their patronage intention. In addition, the result suggests that young Chinese tourists’ emotional response positively influences their patronage intention in luxury pop-up stores.

The study reveals how retailscape influences behavior among the younger generation, and the results provide important references for the luxury retailers in future design and management of pop-up stores so as to attract and retain the interest of the younger generation.

This study puts retailscape effect under scrutiny in the context of luxury pop-up stores which attract young Chinese tourists, who are regarded as one of the major patrons supporting exclusive retail brands in the world. The stimuli element in the S–O–R model is, thus, reexamined in the context of luxury pop-up stores.

This paper aims to explore factors affecting young consumers’ purchasing of new smart products under the influence of social media.

Twenty semi-structured, face-to-face, in-depth interviews were conducted with young consumers who used new media, and five extended interviews were conducted with popular smartwatch retailers in Macau.

The findings reveal that they tend to garner product information from multiple channels of communication. Social media exert the greatest influence. Reliable information, strong branding and interactions with vendors are also influential, although new product pre-announcements may be boring and difficult to understand.

This study presents new insights into diffusion of innovation theory and provides retailers launching smart products with a better understanding of their target young customers’ purchasing behavior.

This paper aims to understand Chinese tourists’ changing shopping experience in Macao. In scrutinizing reviews posted in the pre-COVID and during COVID eras, the study has identified changing patterns in Chinese tourists’ shopping experiences, including increased leisure components while shopping, decreased luxury pursuits and an improved overall leisure and shopping experience because of decreased prices in accommodation and a less crowded retail and leisure environment. An emergent opportunity to provide “retail-tainment” experience is discussed.

This study aims to examine talent management (TM) in the hospitality industry in Macao during COVID-19. It deploys a contingency theory perspective (Luthans and Stewart, 1977) to illuminate the heightened uncertainties and challenges talent managers faced during the pandemic and the urgent adaptations to TM practices they embraced in response.

Adopting a phenomenological approach, this study analyzed data collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with a representative sample of 20 hotel managers in Macao.

Managers reported four major categories of COVID-19-induced challenges and a corresponding set of contingent TM practices. The four contingent TM practices were found to contribute to the shaping of the next new normal in TM in hospitality and included the following: Contingent TM planning; contingent TM deployment and replacement; talent training and development under contingent arrangements; and changed “talent” attitude and practices in recruitment and retention.

The findings are limited to the geographical and industry context of the study. This study should be refined with larger samples.

This study provides a useful framework for guiding professionals on how to manage talent during turmoil periods. It also contributes toward understanding the shifting meaning of talent and TM in hospitality.

This study demonstrates the applicability of contingency theory in managing hospitality talent during turbulent times, which extends TM knowledge and enriches the contingency theory. The findings also facilitate our understanding on how contingent TM practices create processes that lead in setting the new normal.

This study aims to investigate Generation Z’s perception of and experience with restaurant service robots.

Established on the servicescape theoretical framework and following Zaltman Metaphoric Elicitation Technique, 34 in-depth interviews were conducted with Generation Z consumers.

The results showed that Generation Z consumers had a generally positive attitude toward the usage of service robots in restaurants. Research participants also indicated aspects that can be improved: the service robot’s appearance design and functionality, and the human service facilitating the robotic service process.

This paper provides a holistic understanding of the Generation Z’s mind maps about robot service restaurants presenting practical suggestions for restaurants.

This research offers an in-depth understanding of how the young consumption power perceives and expects the innovative service robots employed in restaurants. The research findings provide industry practitioners with timely guidelines to improve the usage of robotic services in restaurants to satisfy the emerging consumer group of Generation Z.

The current research contributes to the servicescape literature by extending this long-standing theory to the emerging robotic service contexts for updating discoveries. Particularly, the study focuses on the young consumers of Generation Z, shedding lights on the generational cohort research.

本研究调查了 Z 世代对餐厅服务机器人的看法和体验。

建立在服务场景理论框架之上, 并遵循 Zaltman 隐喻启发技术, 对 Z 世代消费者进行了 34 次深入访谈。

结果表明, Z 世代消费者对在餐厅使用服务机器人持普遍积极态度。 研究参与者还指出了可以改进的方面：服务机器人的外观设计和功能, 以及促进机器人服务过程的人工服务。

这项研究深入了解了年轻的消费力量如何看待和期望在餐厅使用的创新服务机器人。 研究结果为行业从业者提供了及时的指导方针, 以改善机器人服务在餐厅的使用, 以满足 Z 世代的新兴消费群体。

当前的研究通过将这一长期存在的理论扩展到新兴的机器人服务环境以更新发现, 从而为服务景观文献做出贡献。 特别是, 该研究侧重于 Z 世代的年轻消费者, 阐明了世代队列研究。

Budget hotels are becoming an emerging industry for convenience and affordability, where consumer sentiments are of paramount importance. Tourism has become increasingly dependent on social media and online platforms to gather travel-related information, purchase travel products, food, lodging, etc., and share views and experiences. The user-generated data helps companies make informed decisions through predictive and behavioural analytics.

Design/Methodology/Approach: This study uses text mining, deep learning, and machine learning techniques for data collection and sentiment analysis based on 117,151 online reviews of the customers posted on the TripAdvisor website from May 2004 to May 2019 from 197 hotels of five prominent budget hotel groups spread across India using Feedforward Neural Network along with Keras package and Softmax activation function.

Findings: The word-of-mouth turns into electronic word-of-mouth through social networking sites, with easy access to information that enables customers to pick a budget hotel. We identified 20 widely used words that most customers use in their reviews, which can help managers optimise operational efficiency by boosting consumer acceptability, satisfaction, positive experiences, and overcoming negative consumer perceptions.

Practical Implications: The analysis of the review patterns is based on real-time data, which is helpful to understand the customer’s requirements, particularly for budget hotels.

Originality/Value: We analysed TripAdvisor reviews posted over the last 16 years, excluding the Corona period due to industry crises. The findings reverberate in consonance with the performance improvement theory, which states feed-forward a neural network enhances organisational, process, and individual-level performance in the hospitality industry based on customer reviews.

This study presents a bibliometric analysis of hospitality and tourism literature related to the COVID-19 pandemic, categorizing the pandemic into five phases: inception, growth, maturity, endemic and new normal.

Using the Web of Science database, 2,485 publications from Q1 and Q2 journals of the SCImago Journal and Country Rank, published from January 2020 to July 2024, were analyzed. Advanced bibliometric techniques, including co-word analysis and structural topic modeling, were employed to trace research trends and theoretical frameworks.

The study identifies key publications, authors and affiliations. It also highlights evolving research themes across different pandemic phases. The analysis reveals a dynamic shift from immediate impacts to recovery, resilience and sustainability. The study also discusses the diverse theoretical approaches used to understand pandemic-related behaviors, emphasizing the importance of health and risk theories.

Findings point to ways in which businesses may adapt and diversify their business models to be more resilient to future health-related crises. The findings further emphasize the importance of promoting sustainable and responsible tourism practices, as well as supporting employee well-being.

The findings offer valuable insights for future research and practical implications for the hospitality and tourism sectors in preparing for potential future pandemics by reviewing the entire progress of the pandemic.