What is food tourism

Although the number of empirical applications of partial least–squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) in tourism has increased in the last two years, Assaker, Huang, and Hallak have conducted the only assessment on the use of PLS-SEM in four studies and with a limited number of criteria. Thus, this study aims to critically analyze how the PLS-SEM method has been applied in 44 articles published in 11 leading tourism journals from 2000 to 2014 in terms of four key criteria: (1) themes explored and main motivations for using PLS-SEM; (2) characteristics of proposed models; (3) how the models were evaluated; and (4) the use of more advanced analyses within the method. The findings revealed that although applications in tourism have improved in recent years, problematic aspects in the application of PLS-SEM in tourism research still exist. The article provides suggestions on how to improve the use of PLS-SEM in future tourism applications.

Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling in Tourism Research A Review of Past Research and Recommendations for Future Applications

Symbolic and sociocultural interpretation of tea tourism in India

The aim of this paper is to understand the antecedents of place attachment and the causal relationship between place attachment and destination loyalty after controlling for a set of factors including perceived destination attractiveness, activity involvement, tourist satisfaction and motivation among urban tourists. Using tourist survey data collected in Hangzhou, China, a historical city, we estimate two structural equation models—one for Western tourists and one for domestic tourists. The results suggest that although place attachment is a significant antecedent of destination loyalty, its impact is smaller than that of tourist satisfaction. Moreover, activity involvement, satisfaction, perceived attractiveness, and motivation are statistically significant in shaping tourists' place attachment. Differences in the model estimates for the Western and domestic subsamples can be attributed to cultural differences.

Antecedents and consequences of place attachment: A comparison of Chinese and Western urban tourists in Hangzhou, China

Canal boat tourism: Application of complexity theory

A model incorporating Chinese tourists' heterogeneous preferences of local cuisine, perceptions of local cuisine attractiveness, and destination attractiveness was investigated using the survey data collected from two cities in China and partial least-squares structural equation modeling. Local cuisine attractiveness significantly contributes to tourists' perceptions of destination attractiveness. Among the three dimensions that profile tourists' heterogeneous preferences of local cuisine, tourists' involvement and knowledge of local cuisine have significant correlations with their perceptions of local cuisine and the destination, while past experience of local cuisine does not have influence. The findings have implications for developing and promoting local cuisine-related tourism products to Chinese tourists.

Jingjing Guan

Papers

The Contribution of Local Cuisine to Destination Attractiveness: An Analysis Involving Chinese Tourists' Heterogeneous Preferences