Proceedings of the International Conference on Hospitality and Tourism Management

MEASURES TO REVITALIZE INDUSTRIAL TOURISM IN THE NAGOYA AND CHUKYO AREAS OF JAPAN USING STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING

Ikuhiro Nasuno — 2023-01-16

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of tourists dropped dramatically in most tourist destinations. Industrial tourism can be regarded as a powerful form of community-based tourism in a post-COVID-19 world. This study proposes measures to revitalize industrial tourism in Japan through a case study Nagoya and Chukyo. It analyzes questionnaire survey results from users of industrial tourism facilities using structural equation modeling. Four hundred users of six industrial tourism facilities were surveyed. First, an exploratory factor analysis on the results of the questionnaire surveys was conducted. Then, three factors—"Smooth facility tour", "Dynamism and novelty of the exhibition", and "Purchase of products and services encountered"—were extracted and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The following results were obtained; the latent variables "Smooth facility tour (pass coefficient of standardized solution: 0.600)" and
"Purchase of products and services encountered (0.237)" had a positive effect on the observation variable "Satisfaction with the facility". Furthermore, "Dynamism and novelty of the exhibition (-0.332)" had a negative effect on "Satisfaction with the facility". Therefore, the results suggest that new attractions should be added for users who seek dynamic and novel industrial exhibitions in Nagoya and Chukyo. Specific examples include more immersive exhibitions, provision of experience-based programs, and proposals for model courses that include other facilities.

REDIFINE THE CHALLENGES OF HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM EDUCATION FOR A SEISMIC SHIFT

Lathisha Ramanayaka — 2023-01-16

While hospitality and Tourism education is relatively new to the country, it is being recognized as vital for the growth of the industry. Thus, drawing on quantative data gathered from Advanced Level Accommodation Operations students (Batch no.237) at Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM), this research paper sheds light on their perceptions of significant challenges facing contemporary Hospitality and Tourism education. These include: engaging contemporary students particularly through new technologies; resource pressures and the distinctiveness of hospitality management education; ongoing tensions between hospitality's intellectual development and its practice focus; and new course structures, delivery modes and partnerships. The study also investigates their views on how those are likely to expand in the future. The purpose of this research was to redefine these challenges and find innovation keys to mitigate those challenges for revamping Hospitality and Tourism education. Self-designed 04 questionnaires and 02 interviews were utilized to collect data from all the 25 Accommodation Operations students. The students’ responses were carefully analyzed and evaluated to find the reasons for the challenges. The main reasons were the less exposure to the Hospitality and Tourism industry and new technology, lack of leadership skills, internationalization, innovative teaching methodologies and simulation activities. Hence field trips, experiential learning, personality and leadership development workshops, trainings for online learning and introduced overseas programmes in the pursuit of internationalization as strategies for diversity in Hospitality and Tourism education which yielded favourable results. According to the results of this research it is highly recommended that the curriculum might be improved by creating modules of related courses, applying a cross-disciplinary approach to studies, using corresponding teaching-learning methods and creating a supportive learning environment, initiating autonomous learning for the students and motivating them for studies for a seismic shift.

PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISM UNDERLYING THE MANNERS OF CHINESE TOURISTS AT ENTERTAINMENT EVENTS

Yuichi Enosawa — 2023-01-16

Chinese tourists are increasing in number around the world. However, despite their positive economic impact, they negatively affect the residents and business operators at their destinations in terms of poor manners according to the e-WOM (word of mouth) Japanese travel web site and interviews conducted in Thailand. Although measures have been taken, these have been limited to the separation of Chinese tourists and compulsory rules concerning manners, and there has been no study involving adequate communication with the tourists themselves. Therefore, it was attempted to understand the Chinese psychological mechanism for service companies to be able to communicate effectively with
Chinese tourists. Through a questionnaire-based experiment to investigate adult Chinese prosocial behavior at entertainment events, the empirical validity of a developmentalpsychology-based hypothesis concerning the effect of attachment style was tested. As a result, it was found that the positiveness of the view of others has a positive effect on
considering the perspectives of others, on an empathic interest in others, and on an expectation of others having a good reputation. However, only the empathic interest in others and the expectation of others having a good reputation positively affects prosocial behavior. Consequently, the mechanism of prosocial behavior of adult Chinese consumers
was identified, which will enable business operators to build a more effective communication strategy with such consumers.

HOW DO TRAVEL APPS AFFECT STUDENT’S VISIT EXPERIENCE AND PLACE ATTACHMENT IN LOCAL TRAVEL? THE MODERATING ROLE OF UNIVERSITY IMAGE

Xinzi Lin — 2023-01-16

The lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated local travel activities, and college students have become the main tourists in this kind of tourism. As newcomers to the home city of the university, students may show more curiosity about exploring and learning the new living environment. College students may cultivate a strong attachment to their university when they have learnt in depth about their new living home. Lockdown at home has aroused students’ desire and need to travel, and offered these potential tourists sufficient time to plan their trip via mobile travel apps. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between college student’s using behavior of travel apps and the place attachment in the home city to their university. Present, tourists have become to enjoy planning and designing their trip by themselves, and travel apps are expected to offer more fun when offering information. Perceived enjoyment was thus adopted as an external variable, and the image of university was adopted as a moderating factor in the extended TAM model. Regarding that Macau is a famous destination with historical heritage and owns several international universities, a survey was conducted with a valid sample of 153 college students studying in Macau. Results showed that perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment mediate the relationship between ease of use and visit experience. Student’s visit experience has a significant effect on place attachment of the city where their universities are located. And image of university moderated the relationship between visit experience and place attachment. This study contributed to discovering the psychological influence of mobile technology on the new generation of college students. Practical implications and limitations are discussed accordingly.

EEFFECTIVENESS OF OPERATIONAL MANUALS ON EDUCATION FOR YOUNG WORKERS IN JAPANESE-STYLE HOTELS

Keiko Nobukawa — 2023-01-16

Japanese-style hotels (ryokans) play an important role in the tourism sector in Japan. Among overseas people planning to visit Japan, 73% wanted to stay in a ryokan before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, ryokans do not have well-organized training programs for young workers to satisfy the diverse needs of guests. This study examined the educational effectiveness of operational manuals for development of hospitality to satisfy these needs. Questionnaire and interview surveys were conducted at ryokans to examine the educational effectiveness of the manuals, using Kolb's experiential learning model. The questionnaire items were related to the educational effects of the manuals. The target area was a regional city in Ishikawa Prefecture, where the Shinkansen bullet train opened in 2015. An analysis of the survey data on young employee development and the potential value of work manuals for ryokans led to two conclusions. First, partial manuals including an appropriate amount of explicit knowledge were effective in supporting two steps in Kolb’s theory: reflective observation and abstract conceptualization. Second, four elements of updating of manuals: customer needs, opinions of person in charge, opinions of outsiders and regular updates, influenced a presentation of an appropriate quality of explicit knowledge, which can promote abstract conceptualization and support acquisition of tacit knowledge. The study showed the usefulness of utilizing partial manuals in the early stages of training of employees in ryokans. This implies that the representation of explicit knowledge enhances the effectiveness of training. In particular, the partial manuals can facilitate two steps in Kolb’s theory (reflective observation and abstract conceptualization) in the ryokan industry.

STAYCATION: A MYSTERIOUS POWER TO RESTORE STUDY ENGAGEMENT

Jiayu Wu — 2023-01-16

The COVID-19 pandemic still imprisons people’s travel in China, which leads to the mental health crisis, especially for students of generation Z. Simultaneously, the staycation which is one of the relatively safe ways of traveling under the epidemic prevention and control have been promoted by the government and received attention. The purpose of this research is to investigate how to make students restore from staycation travel products and promote their study engagement, which is a background of insufficient research in education. Based on the research design of the survey, valid data were collected with an online questionnaire survey among 415 college students studying in Macau and were
analyzed. Study findings supported the hypothesized relationships and revealed that a positive relationship between staycation involvement and study engagement of students. In addition, the relationship between staycation involvement and study engagement is mediated by restoration, psychological capital and intrinsic motivation. For university educators, these insights are beneficial in developing innovative instructional approaches to solve issues with students’ mental health. As a consequence, this research spans the social science discilines of psychology, tourism and education. The study’s theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

THE EFFECT OF DESTINATION TRUST ON TOURISTS’ TRAVEL INTENTION AFTER THE COVID-19

Kuo Yang — 2023-01-16

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, destinations are facing the crisis of losing benefits, tourists and reputations, and the negative evaluations of destination performances. Trust is an important variable which has been used in crisis management and destination development. Moreover, destination trust can be used as an effective tool to increase tourists’ travel intention and revitalize tourism after the COVID-19. However, limited studies have examined the role of destination trust in tourists’ travel decision after the pandemic. The purpose of this study was to explore antecedents of destination trust from cognitive perspective and to examine the role of destination trust in tourists’ travel behaviors after the COVID-19 pandemic. Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire from Mainland Chinese tourists who plan to travel to Macau after the pandemic in May and June 2022. The results showed that destination trust was influenced by destination image, destination reputation and knowledge of government performance. Destination image and reputation were important antecedents of travel intention. Destination reputation had the strongest impact on destination trust and travel intention. This study extends the existing literature and provides a new conceptual framework to examine travel intention by emphasizing the effect of destination trust. From practical implications, this study provides suggestions to destinations to deal with crisis caused by the pandemic, and to facilitate the recovery of tourism industry. Destination managers should provide satisfying performances, and rebuild strong destination images and reputation to increase tourists’ trust of destination and travel intention after the COVID-19.