Journal of Tourism Management Research

Factors influencing tourists' intention to revisit Hanoi City, Vietnam

2025-08-05T22:58:28-05:00

This study aims to identify and evaluate the factors influencing tourists' intention to return to Hanoi and to propose management implications for local authorities and tourism businesses. These findings will help develop appropriate policies and strategies to enhance tourism quality and contribute to Hanoi's economic development. The destination is considered a brand that helps build and maintain the image of a unique place, enhance competitive position, and attract tourists to travel. Vietnam has a lot of tourism potential with rich and diverse landscapes, along with historical and cultural relics. However, during the past time, the number of tourists returning to Hanoi is still limited, not commensurate with the potential and strengths of Hanoi. Therefore, the author studies "Factors influencing tourists' intention to revisit Hanoi City, Vietnam." The research is based on a sample of 269 tourists who have experienced products and services at tourist destinations in Hanoi, meeting the study's requirements. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 23.0 software, employing Cronbach's Alpha reliability testing, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and linear regression. The results identify six key factors influencing tourists' intention to revisit Hanoi: (1) Natural environment; (2) Destination image; (3) Local cuisine; (4) Reasonable pricing of products and services; (5) Infrastructure; and (6) Safety and security. Based on these findings, the study offers management implications to assist tourism stakeholders in fostering sustainable tourism development in Hanoi.

Are all rural areas suitable for tourism? Developing a rural tourism suitability evaluation indicator model

2025-12-20T23:18:30-06:00

Over the past three decades, rural tourism has evolved rapidly into a key strategy for promoting sustainable development in rural areas and has become a significant focus of tourism research. It contributes not only to rural revitalization and economic diversification but also to the preservation of natural and cultural resources. However, the existing evaluation systems for assessing rural tourism suitability remain fragmented and insufficient, often lacking scientific rigor, comprehensiveness, and practical applicability. To address this gap, this study develops a suitability evaluation model comprising five criteria and twenty-eight indicators, integrating both qualitative and quantitative dimensions. Based on case studies of three rural tourist destinations in China at different stages of development, this study identifies environmental and infrastructure factors as the most influential determinants of rural tourism suitability. The findings reveal considerable variations in how destinations at different stages present and manage their suitability attributes, indicating the need for context-specific planning and development strategies. This paper enhances the theoretical understanding of rural tourism suitability assessment and proposes a systematic, scalable framework to inform future studies. By clarifying the key indicators and evaluation mechanisms, this study provides practical guidance for stakeholders across the public, private, and voluntary sectors engaged in rural tourism development and policymaking.

Mapping the literature on thermal tourism: A bibliometric and content analysis

2025-12-21T00:20:48-06:00

This study explores and maps the existing literature on thermal tourism to provide comprehensive insights and inform future research directions. The research design is based on a bibliometric analysis of 48 documents published between 2013 and 2023 and indexed in the Web of Science database. Data were processed and visualized using Microsoft Excel and Bibliometrix, followed by a content analysis of 42 English-language articles to capture thematic developments in the field. The findings indicate that, despite a temporary decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, publications on thermal tourism have shown strong growth and recovery, with an annual growth rate of 46.65%. The most significant contributions originated from Portugal, China, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, and Japan, with research disseminated across 37 journals. Four central themes were identified: (1) tourist behaviors and satisfaction, (2) demand and motivations, (3) quality and resource management, and (4) strategic and sustainable development. Among these, tourist behaviors and satisfaction emerged as the most prominent research area, representing 38.10% of the analyzed literature. This paper addresses a gap in the literature by mapping the knowledge landscape in the relatively underexplored field of thermal tourism, highlighting its growth potential and proposing a future research agenda. The practical implications suggest that recognizing these trends and themes can help policymakers, industry stakeholders, and academics develop strategies to enhance sustainable practices and expand opportunities in thermal tourism.

Motivational drivers of repeat tourism to South Korea: The role of Hallyu

2025-12-21T00:46:05-06:00

Hallyu and revisit intentions have been highlighted as important research topics in the competitive market of tourism destinations. Despite extensive research on repeat visitors, it remains unclear why people undertake repeat visits and what characteristics define repeat visitors. Using the Stimulus-Organism-Response model, this research aims to identify the Hallyu-relevant factors that influence non-Korean revisit intention to South Korea. A mixed-methods design was employed, collecting 222 data points, with 88% deemed usable. An open-ended question was analyzed through thematic analysis to explore tourists' impressions after their visits. The qualitative results indicated that K-cuisine, K-drama scenery, K-pop music, and K-drama celebrities leave a strong impression on international tourists. The regression model explained 63% of the variance, demonstrating the significant influence of Hallyu on revisit intention. The standardized beta coefficients showed that K-beauty products (Beta = .314, t = 4.267, p < .001) and K-cuisine (Beta = .251, t = 3.372, p < .001) were the most influential predictors. From the perspective of non-Korean visitors, K-cuisine and K-beauty products are key factors driving their desire to revisit South Korea. This cultural immersion through Hallyu promotes sustainable tourism, supports local economies, encourages cross-cultural exchange, and redefines destination loyalty. It shifts the focus from traditional tourism to fostering repeat visits and deeper cultural connections, thereby enhancing the overall tourism experience and long-term destination appeal.

Does good governance promote tourism sector? A panel data coefficient analysis

2025-12-21T06:16:26-06:00

This study examines the impact of good governance on the tourism sector in the top 10 countries that attract the most tourists worldwide. Good governance encompasses the rule of law, government effectiveness, political stability, transparency, accountability, and corruption control. The study has transformed these elements into a comprehensive index called the Corporate Governance Index (CGI). Panel data methods are conducted, and the Beck and Katz and Driscoll and Kraay estimator techniques are employed in the analysis. According to the findings, a 1-unit increase in the CGI leads to a 17% increase in tourism expenditure and a 7% increase in the number of incoming tourists. These findings show that countries with strong and transparent institutions are more attractive to international tourists. A stable political environment, low corruption perception, and effective public services positively influence tourists' travel decisions. Additionally, good governance ensures economic stability and internal security, strengthens the country's global image, and yields positive results in the tourism sector. This study combines governance indicators, which were previously addressed separately in the literature, into a single composite index, namely CGI, and empirically reveals the impact of cross-country governance differences on tourism performance through a comparative analysis using panel data techniques. Furthermore, the estimation methods used in the analysis increase the reliability of the results. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of good governance reforms for the sustainable growth of the tourism sector and provides policymakers with concrete recommendations for improving governance quality.

Hybrid tourism and territorial development: The case of voluntourism and alternative tourism in Saudi Arabia

2025-12-21T07:17:32-06:00

This study investigates the role of hybrid tourism, which combines voluntourism and alternative tourism, in fostering territorial development in Saudi Arabia within the framework of Vision 2030. By integrating social participation and sustainable tourism principles, hybrid tourism is examined as a multidimensional tool for economic diversification and community empowerment. Using panel data from Saudi provinces and municipalities spanning 2014 to 2025, the analysis evaluates the impact of hybrid tourism intensity (HTI) on key development indicators, including local tourism employment, entrepreneurship, and social economy dynamics. A robust econometric strategy is employed, incorporating Fixed Effects (FE) to account for unobserved heterogeneity, a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) approach to capture the effects of tourism policy reforms, and Instrumental Variables (IV) estimation to mitigate endogeneity concerns. Additional robustness checks, such as alternative HTI specifications, placebo tests, and clustered standard errors, reinforce the reliability of the findings. Results demonstrate that regions exhibiting higher HTI achieve notable improvements in employment (18–24%), entrepreneurship (15–20%), and social economy development (around 22%), particularly in areas characterized by strong infrastructure, education, and institutional support. The study contributes to existing literature by conceptualizing hybrid tourism as a strategic lever for inclusive and sustainable territorial development in the Gulf region. It also provides actionable insights for policymakers aiming to balance economic growth with social inclusion and environmental sustainability.

Touristic destination selection in accommodation business investment decision: Entropy-TOPSIS integrated approach

2025-12-21T11:53:40-06:00

Choosing the right location is crucial for the success of a business. Selecting an inappropriate site for accommodation investments can adversely impact the business and potentially lead to failure. Therefore, it is essential to determine the most suitable location through an objective and systematic approach. This research proposes a methodology that combines entropy-based weighting and TOPSIS multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods to support the tourism destination selection process in investment decisions. The study analyzed 19 tourism destinations in Turkey that hosted 100,000 or more foreign tourists, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's 2024 Border Statistics Annual Bulletin. The evaluation criteria included distance to the nearest airport (in kilometers), population, Herfindahl Index Contribution Level, hotel occupancy rate, number of tourists (demand), and seasonality. Criterion weights were calculated using the entropy method, and destination rankings were established using the TOPSIS method. The reliability of the findings was validated through Spearman's Rank Correlation analysis. Additionally, the robustness of the results was confirmed via Monte Carlo sensitivity analysis. The analysis revealed that Istanbul and Antalya are the most attractive destinations for accommodation investments. Conversely, cities with smaller populations and limited tourism activities, such as Ardahan, Iğdır, and Hakkari, ranked lower. The methodology employed in this study is expected to aid investors and policymakers in evaluating tourism destinations effectively.