Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks, Dec 28, 2016
Originality/value This chapter conceptually outlines the technology-empowered tourism marketing a... more Originality/value This chapter conceptually outlines the technology-empowered tourism marketing approach and the role of marketers and various other players in tourism experience co-creation. The case studies provide practical implications for ICT-based tourism marketing.
Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, Jun 25, 2020
Purpose-This paper aims to bridge micro-entrepreneurship, sharing economy and community-based tou... more Purpose-This paper aims to bridge micro-entrepreneurship, sharing economy and community-based tourism (CBT) literature by analyzing the specific ways in which technological platforms mitigate risks and create opportunities that benefit local communities. Design/methodology/approach-Six online platforms (two local and four international) used by tourism micro-entrepreneurs in Thailand were systematically analyzed to compare and contrast nuances in their business models, as well as their features to highlight benefits to CBT. Thematic analysis was used in the data analysis. Findings-Three different types of business models based on tourism offers, membership policy and contributions to the destination community were identified. The variety of tourism offers includes tailor-made tours and private tour guides, local food experiences, skilled workshops and other local/community-based activities. Importantly, Thai platforms work closely with the Thai Government to promote tourism microentrepreneurship. Originality/value-This paper adds to tourism micro-entrepreneurship, sharing economy and CBT literature by dissecting the business models of online platforms and their roles as mediators of CBT, discussing the platforms' contributions to the achievement of sustainable development goals.
The digital divide has been mostly studied with respect to access issues. This paper argues that ... more The digital divide has been mostly studied with respect to access issues. This paper argues that differences in use have to be considered as well. It specifically looks at digital inequality issues with respect to rural versus urban Internet users in the context of online travel planning. A study of US online travelers was used as the data source and urban and rural respondents were identified based on whether they resided in a metropolitan statistical area or not. The analysis of the data indicates interesting digital inequalities with respect to Internet use as well as benefits derived. Implications for tourism marketers are discussed.
Applications to support online comparison shopping are expected to become increasingly available ... more Applications to support online comparison shopping are expected to become increasingly available to consumers. However, not all consumers equally engage in online comparison shopping and, thus, would not necessarily benefit from such tools. The study proposes that the perceived usefulness of comparison shopping tools depends on consumers‟ comparison shopping proneness, which in turn is influenced by consumers‟ online decision-making styles. An online survey using a consumer research panel was conducted to test the hypotheses in the context of travel comparison shopping tools. The results suggest that some consumer decision-making style dimensions influence comparison shopping proneness while others have no influence. Perceived usefulness of comparison shopping tools is influenced by comparison shopping proneness as well as directly by some of the online decision-making style dimensions. Implications for online marketing and directions for future research are provided
In light of ever greater financial and philosophical attacks on tourism higher education across t... more In light of ever greater financial and philosophical attacks on tourism higher education across the world, it is critical to contemplate the role of tourism education at university level and its place in modern societies. This need for reflection is given urgency by increasingly neoliberal education policies, market-driven universities, and ‘consumers’ with distinctive demands that are able to choose from a growing variety of educational ‘products’. Often relegated to an area of specialization within business studies, tourism is increasingly under pressure to demonstrate its value, which is commonly interpreted as producing graduates with industry-ready skills and good immediate job prospects. This focus has led to tourism higher education that seeks to cater to industry needs and is fundamentally vocational. In doing so it is at the mercy of an industry that still largely subscribes to the dream of the self-made leader/entrepreneur, who emerges in a senior managerial position at th...
Themed routes are powerful regional development and marketing tools that attract tourists around ... more Themed routes are powerful regional development and marketing tools that attract tourists around the world. India has committed to developing multiple themed routes through the Swadesh Darshan Scheme. Applying a conceptual framework of themed route marketing developed on the basis of collaboration in destination marketing and branding literature, this paper examines secondary data on themed routes in India and finds that multiple shortcomings exist. Specifically, the findings suggest unclear and potentially conflicting roles of DMOs, uncoordinated partner efforts, lack of co-marketing and missed co-branding opportunities, all of which lead to diluted branding of themed routes. The paper concludes by proposing five guidelines for marketing themed routes in India.
This study examines the role played by submission devices (mobile vs. desktop) in online travel r... more This study examines the role played by submission devices (mobile vs. desktop) in online travel reviewing behaviour. We analyse over 1.2 million online reviews from Booking.com and detect the presence and distinctive features of online reviews submitted by mobile devices. Our findings indicate that 1) the share of online reviews submitted by mobile increased at a very high rate over time (higher than the growth rate of those submitted by desktop); 2) there is a systematic and statistically significant difference between the features and distributions of online reviews submitted through mobile devices vs. online reviews submitted through desktops. We raise awareness of the role played by submission devices in online travel behaviour research and present implications for future research.
This methodological paper discusses the implications of differing approaches for tracking tourist... more This methodological paper discusses the implications of differing approaches for tracking tourists' movement through destinations and then describes an innovative new method that utilises smartphone-based Global Positioning Systems (GPS) technology and a mobile app to track tourists through regional destinations and attractions over an extended period. The method was developed by the Tasmanian Sensing Tourist Travel project team and is among the largest tracking studies ever conducted in tourism, both spatially and temporally and in terms of sample size. It tracked the movement of 472 tourists in real time via an app with three integrated surveys and GPS tracking. The research team was faced with multiple challenges given the ambitious nature of the project, including: app design, securing tracking hardware, forging partnerships with providers, participant recruitment, and the ethical and legal dimensions of both the tracking and the provision of mobile data as an incentive to participate. This paper discusses the lessons from the project and a holistic study design model to support continuous methodological progress in this growing research area.
Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks, Dec 28, 2016
Originality/value This chapter conceptually outlines the technology-empowered tourism marketing a... more Originality/value This chapter conceptually outlines the technology-empowered tourism marketing approach and the role of marketers and various other players in tourism experience co-creation. The case studies provide practical implications for ICT-based tourism marketing.
Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, Jun 25, 2020
Purpose-This paper aims to bridge micro-entrepreneurship, sharing economy and community-based tou... more Purpose-This paper aims to bridge micro-entrepreneurship, sharing economy and community-based tourism (CBT) literature by analyzing the specific ways in which technological platforms mitigate risks and create opportunities that benefit local communities. Design/methodology/approach-Six online platforms (two local and four international) used by tourism micro-entrepreneurs in Thailand were systematically analyzed to compare and contrast nuances in their business models, as well as their features to highlight benefits to CBT. Thematic analysis was used in the data analysis. Findings-Three different types of business models based on tourism offers, membership policy and contributions to the destination community were identified. The variety of tourism offers includes tailor-made tours and private tour guides, local food experiences, skilled workshops and other local/community-based activities. Importantly, Thai platforms work closely with the Thai Government to promote tourism microentrepreneurship. Originality/value-This paper adds to tourism micro-entrepreneurship, sharing economy and CBT literature by dissecting the business models of online platforms and their roles as mediators of CBT, discussing the platforms' contributions to the achievement of sustainable development goals.
The digital divide has been mostly studied with respect to access issues. This paper argues that ... more The digital divide has been mostly studied with respect to access issues. This paper argues that differences in use have to be considered as well. It specifically looks at digital inequality issues with respect to rural versus urban Internet users in the context of online travel planning. A study of US online travelers was used as the data source and urban and rural respondents were identified based on whether they resided in a metropolitan statistical area or not. The analysis of the data indicates interesting digital inequalities with respect to Internet use as well as benefits derived. Implications for tourism marketers are discussed.
Applications to support online comparison shopping are expected to become increasingly available ... more Applications to support online comparison shopping are expected to become increasingly available to consumers. However, not all consumers equally engage in online comparison shopping and, thus, would not necessarily benefit from such tools. The study proposes that the perceived usefulness of comparison shopping tools depends on consumers‟ comparison shopping proneness, which in turn is influenced by consumers‟ online decision-making styles. An online survey using a consumer research panel was conducted to test the hypotheses in the context of travel comparison shopping tools. The results suggest that some consumer decision-making style dimensions influence comparison shopping proneness while others have no influence. Perceived usefulness of comparison shopping tools is influenced by comparison shopping proneness as well as directly by some of the online decision-making style dimensions. Implications for online marketing and directions for future research are provided
In light of ever greater financial and philosophical attacks on tourism higher education across t... more In light of ever greater financial and philosophical attacks on tourism higher education across the world, it is critical to contemplate the role of tourism education at university level and its place in modern societies. This need for reflection is given urgency by increasingly neoliberal education policies, market-driven universities, and ‘consumers’ with distinctive demands that are able to choose from a growing variety of educational ‘products’. Often relegated to an area of specialization within business studies, tourism is increasingly under pressure to demonstrate its value, which is commonly interpreted as producing graduates with industry-ready skills and good immediate job prospects. This focus has led to tourism higher education that seeks to cater to industry needs and is fundamentally vocational. In doing so it is at the mercy of an industry that still largely subscribes to the dream of the self-made leader/entrepreneur, who emerges in a senior managerial position at th...
Themed routes are powerful regional development and marketing tools that attract tourists around ... more Themed routes are powerful regional development and marketing tools that attract tourists around the world. India has committed to developing multiple themed routes through the Swadesh Darshan Scheme. Applying a conceptual framework of themed route marketing developed on the basis of collaboration in destination marketing and branding literature, this paper examines secondary data on themed routes in India and finds that multiple shortcomings exist. Specifically, the findings suggest unclear and potentially conflicting roles of DMOs, uncoordinated partner efforts, lack of co-marketing and missed co-branding opportunities, all of which lead to diluted branding of themed routes. The paper concludes by proposing five guidelines for marketing themed routes in India.
This study examines the role played by submission devices (mobile vs. desktop) in online travel r... more This study examines the role played by submission devices (mobile vs. desktop) in online travel reviewing behaviour. We analyse over 1.2 million online reviews from Booking.com and detect the presence and distinctive features of online reviews submitted by mobile devices. Our findings indicate that 1) the share of online reviews submitted by mobile increased at a very high rate over time (higher than the growth rate of those submitted by desktop); 2) there is a systematic and statistically significant difference between the features and distributions of online reviews submitted through mobile devices vs. online reviews submitted through desktops. We raise awareness of the role played by submission devices in online travel behaviour research and present implications for future research.
This methodological paper discusses the implications of differing approaches for tracking tourist... more This methodological paper discusses the implications of differing approaches for tracking tourists' movement through destinations and then describes an innovative new method that utilises smartphone-based Global Positioning Systems (GPS) technology and a mobile app to track tourists through regional destinations and attractions over an extended period. The method was developed by the Tasmanian Sensing Tourist Travel project team and is among the largest tracking studies ever conducted in tourism, both spatially and temporally and in terms of sample size. It tracked the movement of 472 tourists in real time via an app with three integrated surveys and GPS tracking. The research team was faced with multiple challenges given the ambitious nature of the project, including: app design, securing tracking hardware, forging partnerships with providers, participant recruitment, and the ethical and legal dimensions of both the tracking and the provision of mobile data as an incentive to participate. This paper discusses the lessons from the project and a holistic study design model to support continuous methodological progress in this growing research area.
This book chapter defines influencer marketing and related concepts, discusses influencer marketi... more This book chapter defines influencer marketing and related concepts, discusses influencer marketing practices and discusses the application and role of influencer marketing in travel and tourism.
The growth in Asia Pacific tourism is being fuelled by China and India. This paper highlights the... more The growth in Asia Pacific tourism is being fuelled by China and India. This paper highlights the key similarities and differences between the two markets and identifies research gaps in current understandings of these markets. It is evident from the presented secondary research that where more academic research follows the Chinese tourist behavior, Indian online travel purchase behavior is highlighted. The study proposes a framework of future research for both markets.
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Papers by Ulrike Gretzel