Shanghai Institute of Tourism

Technology is critical for facilitating the experience value cocreation process in tourism. Online platforms in particular enable consumers to develop realistic expectations and to cocreate their experiences. Limited empirical research has been done to investigate the experience value cocreation process, especially in tourism. This study fills this gap by proposing a cognition–emotion–behavior model. A scenario experiment approach is used to investigate the experience value cocreation process on destination online platforms in the pretravel stage. Structural equation modeling analysis shows that online platform experience significantly affects the destination emotional experience. This, in turn, has significant effects on the five dimensions of destination engagement intention. The mediating effect of destination emotional experience on the relationship between online platform experience and destination engagement intention is supported. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the experience value cocreation process and theoretical and managerial implications are proposed.

This study uses cognitive appraisal theory (CAT) to explain why some visitors may be delighted and others satisfied having had similar experiences, as well as the respective effects of these two outcomes on revisit intentions. A survey (n = 645) of visitors to a theme parks showed that tourists’ different evaluations of their experience on certain appraisal dimensions proposed by CAT, such as the degree of goal realization, goal relevance, and novelty, led to either delight or satisfaction. Tourists’ level of loyalty intentions also varied systematically with their particular emotional response. These findings provide practitioners with an understanding of how to design favorable experiences for their customers.

Urban tourism is booming and, as a result, crowding is now recognized as a social constraint in many tourist cities. When related to sustainability, tourism crowding must be considered. However, the way tourists experience crowding is still a neglected topic in urban tourism research. In this study, we proposed a new approach to exploit tourism crowding from crowdsourcing geospatial data which goes beyond the scale, timeliness, and cost of traditional on-site questionnaire surveys. The new approach is based on analysis of 446,273 ‘check-in’ geotagged data from Weibo in Shanghai. The data provided a hotspot distribution of popular urban tourist attractions and a range of factors related to tourism crowding. These data provided deep insights into the relationship between crowdedness and popularity of tourist attractions. This empirical work can be extended to urban tourism crowding management environments for sustainable development of tourist attractions.

Taking Chengdu as an example, based on the destination image theory and employing the content analysis methodology, this paper conducts data mining on the online comment texts of TikTok short food videos, and analyzes the impact of short food videos on the destination image (cognitive image, affective image and conative image). The results show that: (1) in terms of cognitive image, short food videos have increased potential tourists’ attention to the destination image, especially their attention to the flavor characteristics of food in the destination and the local social environment; (2) in terms of affective image, the comments of short food videos are mainly neutral and positive, and the contents about the flavor characteristics of food and the local social environment are more likely to affect the affective image of the destination; and (3) in terms of conative image, the appearance description of food in short food videos brings about an obvious effect of intention, and it also creates the demand to travel together and obtain information. This paper is inspiring for city managers and tourism marketers to use TikTok short videos to establish and disseminate food-based city brands and destination images.

This paper outlines the operation of a Smart Distribution Network (SDN) that couples a Virtual Power Plant and Electric Springs (CVEs). In fact, CVEs participate simultaneously in energy and reactive service markets. The prime aim of the proposed scheme is to maximize the predicted profits of CVEs in the mentioned markets. The constraints in the problem formulation are the AC optimal power flow equations, flexibility limits in the network, and the operating model of CVEs. Further, the design is in a nonlinear formulation, which is followed by a linear approximation model to access a unique optimal response. Stochastic optimization is used to account for uncertainties in energy price, load, renewable power, and energy consumption of mobile storage devices. In addition, the results from implementing the design on the IEEE 69-bus SDN confirm the potential of CVEs to enhance the network’s operation and access significant profits for power sources, storage devices, and responsive load. Finally, the design achieved 100% flexibility for the SDN through proper management of CVEs, resulting in an improvement of operating indices between 15-97% compared to power flow studies. Moreover, the CVEs profit in the modeling of uncertainties reduces approximately 19.6% compared to the deterministic model of the proposed scheme under complete flexibility conditions.

Cultural heritage tourism (CHT) has become an important part of the tourism industry. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the sustainability of CHT destinations for tourism development. The majority of existing studies have examined the destination sustainability of ecotourism with the considerations of three stakeholder groups, namely, resource administration, tourist, and local community. However, the impact of tourism enterprises on destination sustainability has been constantly ignored in CHT-related studies. To fill these gaps, this study aims at developing an indicator system for comprehensively assessing the sustainability of CHT destinations. Specifically, this study identified an evaluation indicator system based on the Delphi technique and applied it to the context of Pingyao Ancient City in China. Results demonstrated that scores obtained by all four stakeholder groups ranged between 3.0 and 4.0 and the overall sustainability score was only 63.94, indicating that Pingyao was in the “somewhat sustainable” state according to the criteria (0−25, unsustainable; 25−50, somewhat unsustainable; 50−75, somewhat sustainable; 75−100, sustainable) specified in previous studies. A more balanced outcome should be achieved where each stakeholder’s interests are fully considered, but not at the expense of the others. The findings are of great significance for heritage tourism literature and sustainable destination management.

This research presents two studies covering two interconnected and sequential research questions in the context of a developing country (China): (1) What psychological responses do different types of environmental experiences elicit in visitors and (2) how are the psychological responses and following behavioral responses elicited by natural experiences? The research posits that the feelings of well-being and pro-environmental behavior (PEB) are elicited through the mechanism of perceived restorativeness. Study 1 (a scenario experiment) suggests that national parks produce higher subjective vitality but similar perceived restorative outcomes compared to city parks. Study 2 (a survey) presents a theoretical model examining the relationships among perceived restorativeness, general subjective well-being (SWB), trip-specific SWB, and PEB in a peri-urban national forest park context. The results indicate that perceived restorativeness is an important factor influencing visitors’ well-being and PEB, though the association between SWB and PEB was nonsignificant. Our studies provide cross-cultural confirmation of the restorative effects of the natural environment. They also provide evidence that nature-based tourism could be a valid nature-based solution for improving the health and well-being of both humans and the earth, through the role of perceived restorativeness of nature.

Purpose Tourism destination marketers use videos that incorporate storytelling and visual and audio components to evoke emotional arousal and memorability. This study aims to examine the increase in participants’ level of arousal and the degree of memorability after watching two different videos. Design/methodology/approach A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 45 participants who watched two destination promotional videos. One video used storytelling whereas the other used scenic images and music. The level of arousal was measured using both tonic and phasic electrodermal activity levels. The memorability of each video was measured after seven days by testing the recall accuracy. Findings Scenic imagery and music videos were associated with higher-than-average arousal levels, while storytelling videos generated larger-amplitude arousal peaks and a greater number of arousal-evoking events. After a week, the respondents recalled more events from the storytelling video than from the scenery and musical advertisements. This finding reveals that the treatment, storytelling and sensory stimuli in advertising moderate the impact of arousal peaks and memorability. Originality/value These results indicate that nonnarrative videos using only sceneries and music evoked a higher average level of arousal. However, memorability was associated with higher peak levels of arousal only in narrative storytelling. This is the first tourism study to report the effects of large arousal peaks on improved memorability in advertising.

Multivariate analysis techniques are always evolving in social sciences. We compared a new alternative approach called fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) with the conventional regression-based approach called partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) by testing the models to predict the national park tourists’ car use and car less-use intentions. PLS-SEM results were conditionally supported by fsQCA for car use intention, namely, pro-driving norm and neutralization techniques have significant positive effects on tourists’ car use intention. For car less-use intention, fsQCA provided more nuanced information to predict high and low car less-use intention. Considering their respective advantages and limitations, these two approaches could be used complementarily in pro-environmental behavior research.

Abstract The studies of volunteerism in sporting events have investigated various motivations, organizational attributes, and their effect on satisfaction and behavioral intention, while by far, there is no research conducted on the scale development of volunteers’ motivation and satisfaction in World Expo. By empirically testing the revised version of Bang and Chelladurai (Paper presented at the Conference of the North American Society for Sport Management, 2003) VMS-ISE developed by Bang and Ross, this study tried to identify the motivational factors of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo volunteers and the inter-relationship between volunteers motivation, experience, and satisfaction. The result shows that the prime motivations for the World Expo volunteers are those items focusing on doing something good for the organization and society, such as “Expression of Values”, “Career Orientation,” and “Love of Expo”. Practical implications and future research directions of event volunteerism management are also discussed.

This study proposes a model on the relationship between cultural ecosystem service (CES) and visitors’ subjective well-being (SWB). The model consists of the four constructs of CES, SWB, place attachment, and event attachment, which are developed from literature of multiple disciplines. The model is tested with primary data collected in a China’s national park and its 10th Flower Expo. The results indicate that perceived value of CES has strong direct effect on visitors’ SWB, as well as a serial mediating effect through place attachment and event attachment. Perceived value of CES is an important antecedent of place attachment, event attachment, and visitors’ SWB. When controlling the effect of CES, event attachment exhibits a significant effect on visitors’ SWB, but the effect of place attachment is insignificant. In addition to the proposed model, the study’s findings provide fresh empirical evidence to further understand each of the four constructs and their interrelationship.

As virtual tourism and service automation grow, immersive technologies, including virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), are widely being used in tourism to attain the aspirational tourism experience. To identify the effectiveness of AR and VR applications in the tourism experience, several technological features have been proposed. However, these features are fragmented and inherently confusing in terms of conceptualizations, internal relationships, and effects on the travel experience. Thus, this qualitative and quantitative review clarifies the similarities and differences among high-frequency technological features retrieved from 118 (with 68 being used for meta-analysis) critical articles. Using presence as an anchor, a qualitative review constructs a web of convergent conceptual models (involving presence, immersion, interaction, vividness, and realms of experience economy), while a quantitative (i.e. meta-analytic) review tests their effect sizes. The findings reveal the overall impact of AR and VR technological features on tourism effectiveness, and provide insights for future research into the profound effects of AR and VR technological features on travellers' experiences.

Optimism bias in the environmental field and its effects on environmental behaviors have not been well investigated to date. This study examines if temporal and spatial biases exist when tourists assess the environment’s current and projected quality of (1) their residential places, (2) their travel destinations, and (3) a country overall. Thereafter, we examined the effects of assessment bias and consideration of future consequences on tourists’ environmental behaviors (including behaviors in destinations and general behaviors). In a sample of Chinese domestic tourists, temporal optimism was dominant in their assessment of the future environmental quality for all three spatial areas, above. Spatial optimism was found when comparing residential places and destinations to the whole country, but spatial pessimism was found when comparing residential places to destinations. Assessment bias was not associated with the environmentally responsible behavior (ERB) of tourists. However, the consideration of future consequences and absolute environmental quality assessment did have a significant influence on their ERB. Furthermore, the general ERB of tourists had a significant effect on their site-specific destination ERB.

Abstract ChatGPT has gained increased attention as an artificial intelligence (AI)‐based tool in the field of tourism and hospitality education in recent years. This study investigates the impact of perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and authenticity on student attitude and intention to use ChatGPT by incorporating the concept of authenticity into the technology acceptance model (TAM) theoretical framework in tourism and hospitality education. This study found that authenticity had the strongest indirect effect on student intention to use ChatGPT compared with perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. This study broadens the applicability of TAM theory in ChatGPT and provides practical insights into its application.

Land resources are foundational for human survival and development. In contrast, land use/land cover (LULC) dynamics drive considerable changes in ecosystem services. Recently, China witnessed a new stage of rapid urbanization. Therefore, investigating the relationships between ecosystem services value (ESV) and LULC in these areas is highly relevant. Based on the data of land use and socioeconomic development in Shanghai from 2000 to 2020, we adopted a land use/land cover dynamics analysis method and established the ESV per unit area at the city scale, discussed the impact of LULC on ESV spatially and quantitatively, and tested the research process based on the sensitivity analysis of the ESV coefficient. The results show that from 2000 to 2020, the LULC pattern in Shanghai rapidly changed. In particular, the area of cultivated land has shrunk by 123.96 thousand hm2, while the construction land has expanded by 141.26 thousand hm2, which has led to a decline in ESV of the entire city (especially regarding hydrological adjustment and biodiversity). Nevertheless, although the area of trench and lakes only occupies 1.67–3.16% of the total area of land, its ecological value accounts for an astonishing 23.80–50.70% of the total ESV. At the district level, the primary decline in eco-system services value was noted in the Chongming District in the north and Pudong New Area in the east of Shanghai. However, due to the overall planning of the city and the advantages of its resource endowment, Qingpu District and its surrounding areas in western Shanghai have witnessed improvements in terms of the values of hydrological adjustment, water supply, and environmental purification. This study presents a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of issues regarding ESV in rapidly urbanized areas, thereby providing an important reference for decision-makers regarding the rational layout of cities, sustainable use of land, and management of natural ecosystems.

Purpose How does the regional institutional environment of China’s transitional economy influence the relationship between a firm’s R&D investment intensity and innovation performance? Based on the resource-based view and institution-based view, an empirical study was executed to identify the moderating effects of institutional environment variables from the Marketization Index of China’s Provinces: National Economic Research Institute (NERI) Report on the relationship between a firm’s R&D investment intensity and innovation performance. This paper aims to study how effectively improve the impact of R&D investment intensity on innovation performance under the influence of the institutional environment. Design/methodology/approach Against the background of China’s transitional economy, the authors present empirical evidence from panel data covering 374 Chinese A-share listed high-tech manufacturing firms on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchange to examine the relationship between R&D investment intensity and innovation performance. Findings Empirical results illustrate the following: The R&D investment intensity and innovation performance displayed an inverse U-shaped relationship, and R&D investment intensity had a lagged effect on R&D output according to the uncertainty and industrialization period of R&D activities. The level of financial market development can intensify the effects of R&D investment intensity on innovation performance. The degree of government intervention weakens the effect of R&D investment intensity on innovation performance. Originality/value Based on the background of China’s institutional environment during the transition period, combined with previous research and the Marketization Index of China’s Provinces: NERI Report, selecting financial market development, government intervention level and legalization level as moderating variables to study how effectively improve the impact of R&D investment intensity on innovation performance under the influence of the institutional environment. Due to the different ownership of firms during the transition period, the appropriate impact of the institutional environment on the relationship between R&D investment intensity and innovation performance will vary. Moreover, the level of legalization would impact on innovation insignificantly.

In the context of the rapid development of the internet and the increasing severity of the aging problem, and in order to promote aged health and help construct a healthy society. We use micro survey data from the 2016 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) to investigate the impact of the internet on the cognitive health of middle-aged and elderly people (those aged 40 and above). The robust results suggest that the internet plays a significant positive role in the cognitive health of middle-aged and elderly people in terms of internet use and internet involvement. This effect does not change significantly with differences in gender, household registration, location, or household composition, but there are heterogeneity effects due to differences in education. Further analysis indicates that the satisfaction of emotional attachment with children is the internal mechanism of the internet's influence on the cognitive health of people in this age group. Our paper both help scholars and the public to better understand the impact of the internet on the cognitive health of middle-aged and elderly people and clarifies different methods of defining the internet.

Tourists from different cultural backgrounds have different perceptions of the image of a tourist destination. This paper aims to investigate tourist destination image (TDI) from a national cultural perspective and to see whether there exists the influence of culture on a visitor segment’s destination image as well as their travel behavior and satisfaction. Barcelona as the destination and the Chinese market are utilized to present an empirical discussion of the study. Based on the results of the qualitative method previously conducted by the authors, a questionnaire was designed in this paper. The SPSS 22 program was used for data management and analysis. This study first demonstrates that TDI perceived by the Chinese visitors is influenced by their pro-social cultural background and, second, that the visitors greatly value prestige and social networking during the visitation. This study further discusses the reasons why the visitors greatly value prestige and social networking and how “facework” influences their travel behavior based on the concept of culture value orientation. Overall, this study contributes to the existing knowledge on the formation of perception of TDI by analyzing the influence of the tourist cultural background on their TDI.

Research assessing on-road emission flow patterns from motor vehicles is essential in monitoring urban air quality, since it helps to mitigate atmospheric pollution levels. To reveal the influence of vehicle induced turbulence (VIT) caused by both front- and rear-vehicles on traffic exhaust and verify the applicability of the simplified line source emission model, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) numerical simulation was used to investigate the micro-scale vehicle pollutant flow patterns. The simulation results were examined through sensitivity analysis and compared with the field measured carbon monoxide (CO) concentration. Conclusions indicate that the vehicle induced turbulence caused by the airflow blocking effect of both front- and rear-vehicles impedes the diffusion of front-vehicle traffic exhaust, compared with that of the rear vehicle. The front-vehicle isosurface with the CO mass fraction of 0.0012 extended to 6.0 m behind the vehicle, while that of the rear-vehicle extends as far as 12.7 m. But for the entire motorcade, VIT is beneficial to the diffusion of pollutants in car-following situations. Meanwhile, within the range of 9 m behind the rear of the lagging vehicle lies a vehicle induced turbulence zone. Furthermore, the influence of vehicle induced turbulence on traffic exhaust flow pattern is obvious within a range of 1 m on both sides of the vehicle body, where the concentration gradient of on-road emission is larger and contains severe mechanical turbulence. As a result, in the large concentration gradient area of the pollutant flow field, which accounts for 99.85% of the total concentration gradient, using the line source models to represent the on-road emission might introduce considerable errors due to neglecting the influence of vehicle induced turbulence. Findings of this study may shed lights on predicting emission concentrations in multiple locations by selecting appropriate on-road emission source models.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce a theoretical framework, the holistic mental model process, with major contextual factors (cultural, situation, cognitive and affective contexts) to help better understand tourists’ perception and evaluation of intercultural tourists–tour guide service encounters. Design/methodology/approach – Summary tables of an extensive literature review of previous empirical studies relating to intercultural service encounters, service encounter and service quality to help derive the holistic mental model process framework are included. Findings – Gaps from the previous literature were identified along with in-depth explanations as to how a holistic mental model process can be applied to tourists evaluating intercultural tourist–tour guide service encounters and the service quality of their overall travel experience. Research limitations/implications – The current conceptual framework of the holistic mental model process targets specifically on the intercultural tourists–tour guide service encounters. More in-depth empirical studies can be conducted focusing on specific variables of the intercultural tourist–tour guide service encounters and on the factor differences between specific cultures. Practical implications – This research has practical implications for travel agencies and tourism companies. Travel agencies and tour companies can apply the holistic mental model process framework to examine and analyze the influential variables between tourists and tour guide (i.e. cultural differences, etiquette, norms and behaviors), thus design better tour guide training programs accordingly. Social implications – Service encounter is a social activity that is influenced by the social environment. To achieve the best service quality, all parties, including tourists, tour guide, tour companies, host community, must understand cultural differences; work together in coordination and cooperation. Originality/value – This is the first study that provides an in-depth holistic mental model process by integrating major contextual factors to examine tourists’ evaluation of intercultural service encounters between themselves and tour guides.