Journal of Vacation Marketing

Theme parks aim to create the atmosphere of another world and it is essentially the theme which becomes the main part of a theme park experience. Thematic tourism had become increasingly popular where travel is motivated by an interest in a particular subject or area rather than by the more traditional motivations such as idyllic scenery and climate. The drawing power of theming is evident in the fact that it has, in recent years, become a catalyst for the growth of new destinations based mainly on thematic leisure.

This study attempts to identify and describe a distinct and representative set of theme types and attributes in a theme park and examines the relationship between visitors’ motivation for visiting theme parks and theme preferences. Weak to moderately strong relationships were found between motivation for theme park visits by visitors and their demographics and lifestyle patterns. Given the fact the theme park industry is still relatively young in Asia, the findings of this study reinforce the need for Asian theme parks to focus strategically on satisfying lower-level needs, such as stimulation, by developing and marketing an adventure theme comparable with Western theme parks.

Previous studies have analysed the impact tourism has had on the economic, physical and socio-cultural environment of small islands and highlighted the need for a ‘sustainable’ approach to the management of tourism in these areas. However, there has been minimal analysis of sustainability issues on small islands from a marketing perspective. This paper attempts to readdress this balance by providing an analysis, from a sustainable marketing perspective, of Bermuda’s cruise market and its total tourism product. A number of potential strategies are suggested to ensure that Bermuda has sustained growth in the future.

The intention of the paper is to analyse Bermuda in the context of the cruise holiday market. The discussion will initially analyse the significance of tourism to Bermuda and evaluate its present situation in terms of tourist arrivals. The paper will then go on to address a number of sustainable marketing issues and apply these to Bermuda’s present market postion. The nature of the global cruise market and the developments that are occurring within this sector will then be analysed and finally a number of possible marketing strategies for sustainable growth with in Bermuda will be suggested.

In light of the increasingly competitive day visit market and concern about the keeping of wild animals in captivity for human amusement, traditional UK zoos must balance carefully the demands of the paying visitor with those of maintaining credibility as conservation and education-oriented organisations. Utilising the model of the product life cycle this paper analyses the current position of UK zoos in the visitor attraction market. Issues surrounding their future success are explored and, following a national survey of visitors (n = 241) and latent visitors (n = 304), the core strengths and weaknesses of their unique offering are examined. Views on zoos offer hope. Visitor numbers are likely to be steady, but at a lower level, and while some zoos may falter, there is scope for success and continued existence.

The image, or perception, of destinations is a significant influence on the decision-making process of tourists. To identify whether the images of apparently similar destinations might differ, this paper explores the perceptions of tourists visiting two winter sun destinations: the Algarve in Portugal and Cyprus. The paper examines the primary (the motivations for the visit), the cognitive (attribute-based beliefs describing the destination) and the affective (the emotional reaction) images of each of the destinations. The results presented, based on surveys of visitors to each of the destinations, demonstrate that while the two destinations may have similar brochure images, appealing to similar markets, the images, and in particular the experiential images, held by visitors are probably different: a difference which is important for those responsible for ‘selling’ the destinations.

Mid-market hotel groups have come under close scrutiny in recent months. Among journalists, analysts and industry leaders alike, those of a bearish nature have forecase the demise of the traditional UK three-star hotel industry and, along with it, the doomed prospects of the mid-market hotel group operators. This descent into oblivion is expected in the next recession, whenever that is, according to these pundits. Their reasoning is that a number of mid-market (three-star) hotel chains, such as Regal, Jarvis and MacDonald, acquired a number of so-called ‘obsolete’ hotels from the larger quoted hotel chains during the 1990s. These hotels were written off for their poor performance in the last recession, and it is held that they will therefore necessarily underperform again in the next recession. Repetition of such views has become increasingly common, almost a mantra — ‘four-star and budget good, three-star bad’. The authors believe that this view is ill considered and should be challenged. This report makes that challenge.

The strategic use of technology in marketing is one of the most significant challenges facing the hospitality industry. This paper reports on findings of a survey of global executives and addresses strategy, organisation, sales and marketing, customer information and operations as they relate to technology and its future role in the industry. It then focuses on the management of customer relationships using technology.

Visitor Information Centres (VICs) in Queensland play an important role in the rourism equation, particularly from a regional perspective, although their influence on the flow and distribution of visitors tos and within queensland and their impact on subsequent travel and expenditure in the region have been unclear. This study was therefore undertaken to provide an exploratory insight into these influences from a Queensland perspective, and to provide a consumer-based perspective on Queensland’s VIC Accreditation Program.

Broadly speaking, the study found that the VICs surveyed do generate a modest, net increase in visitor nights and expenditure in their regions. Their influence in the trip-planning process prior to leaving for the trip appears to be minimal; however, once in the region VICs play an important and influential role in assisting visitors to decide what to see and do. Visitors were highly satisfied with the products and service provided by the VICs used in the study.