Journal of Tourism Management Research

Gastronomy tourism as a tool for sustainable destination marketing

Damla Karadayi — 2026-01-15

The concept of sustainability is increasingly gaining importance today, and it has led to the popularity of sustainable tourism and sustainable gastronomy concepts in destination marketing. The aim of the research is to determine the role of gastronomy tourism in destination marketing in Northern Cyprus. The research is important in terms of taking the views of travel agencies on the role of gastronomy tourism in destination marketing in Northern Cyprus. The research was conducted with the case analysis method, which is one of the qualitative research methods. In the data collection process, a semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher was used. Travel agencies, which have an important role in destination marketing, constitute the study group of this research. Within the scope of the research, 28 travel agencies were interviewed. According to the results of the research, it was determined that gastronomy tourism in Northern Cyprus is not effectively emphasized in destination marketing, and accordingly, tourists coming to the island do not experience the gastronomy richness of the island. Therefore, the study emphasizes that local gastronomy can serve as a strategic tool contributing to economic development, destination branding, and sustainable tourism growth. In this context, the findings of the study both provide strategic suggestions for the promotion of gastronomy tourism at the local level and contribute to the literature to fill the gaps in this field.

The mediating role of mental endurance in the impact of leisure participation on life satisfaction

Fatma BASAR — 2026-01-28

Participation in leisure activities is a multidimensional process shaped by individuals’ positive attitudes, their belief in the meaningfulness of such activities, and their sustained involvement. Mental endurance refers to the ability to cope with challenges arising from the stressful and competitive nature of daily life and is generally stronger among individuals who are extroverted, social, self-confident, and experience low anxiety. Life satisfaction represents a general sense of well-being and contentment based on personal values and expectations. This study investigates how participation in leisure activities affects life satisfaction and examines the mediating role of mental endurance in this relationship. Focusing on skiing as a leisure activity, the research analyzes how participation influences emotional and cognitive well-being through mental endurance. Data were collected from 300 individuals participating in skiing at Palandöken Ski Resort using a convenience sampling method and were analyzed through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings revealed that mental endurance mediates the relationship between leisure participation and life satisfaction. To evaluate the model’s explanatory power, R² values were examined. The R² for the life satisfaction construct was 0.389, indicating that the model explains 38.9% of the variance, representing a moderate level of explanatory strength. The mental endurance construct showed an R² value of 0.577, indicating a high explanatory level (57%). Overall, the results suggest that strengthening individuals’ mental endurance enhances life satisfaction and positively contributes to psychological well-being and the ability to manage life challenges.

Niche tourism experiences: Exploring county-level tourism consumption in China

Ziyong He — 2026-02-18

The purpose of this study is to explore tourists’ experiences in niche county-level destinations and to develop a conceptual framework linking destination attributes to tourist needs. Three Chinese county-level destinations Anji, Tonglu, and Dujiangyan were selected as case sites. A mixed qualitative approach was employed, integrating semi-structured interviews with netnographic data collected from social media platforms, including Rednote and Sina Weibo. Specifically, 118 social-media posts and 17 interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis and triangulated across data sources. The findings reveal how destination’s intrinsic and extrinsic attributes interact with tourists’ intrinsic and extrinsic needs. Elements of destination attributes include natural environment, local food, cultural heritage, county pace of lifestyles, and elements of tourist needs such as relaxation, emotion, escape, and social activities. It generates seven distinct experience types: sightseeing experience, adventure experience, eating-food experience, emotional experience, culture and heritage experience, social interactive experience, and media-ritual experience. Theoretically, this study advances experience theory by integrating motivational perspectives with place-based attributes, thereby deepening the understanding of niche tourism in county-level destinations. Practically, the framework connecting destination attributes with tourist needs, along with the typology of niche county-level experiences, provides international insights for advancing niche tourism development. It also provides destination managers with tools to segment visitors, guide product innovation, and design branding and social-media strategies.

Unraveling the impact of perceived policy opacity and volatility on tour guides' return intentions: An extended TPB analysis in post-pandemic Suzhou

Chen Hang — 2026-02-18

The severe shortage of foreign tour guides currently impedes the full recovery of inbound tourism in Suzhou. This study aims to explore the underlying mechanisms by which insecurity, caused by high Policy Opacity and Risk Volatility (PROP-V), influences guide return intentions. Utilizing a multi-language questionnaire based on semi-structured interviews, this research employed a Stratified Quota Sampling method considering pre-pandemic service experience, professional qualifications, and return intentions. A total of 552 tour guides working in Suzhou participated in the survey. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) validated an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model incorporating PROP-V. The findings reveal that PROP-V experienced the largest negative influence on Subjective Norms (SN) (β = -0.552). This erosion of social normative pressure subsequently led to diminished attitudes and perceived behavioral control, resulting in a significant decrease in return intentions. Practically, these results provide a theoretical justification for the extended TPB model in crisis contexts. The study suggests that, for China's post-COVID-19 inbound tourism workforce restoration, policymakers must prioritize transparency to rebuild the "social contract" and professional confidence, rather than relying solely on economic incentives.

Assessing digital marketing communication quality among tourist information offices: Evidence from Poland

Wojciech Fedyk — 2026-02-20

The article addresses the issue of assessing the quality of digital marketing communication of destinations conducted by 326 certified Tourist Information Offices (TIO) in Poland. The objective of the study was to conduct a multidimensional analysis of the relationship between website quality and social media activity, and the level of digital marketing communication, using secondary analysis and customized indicators: the Digital Maturity Score (DMS), the Social Media Activity (SMA), the Attractiveness of Digital Communication Channels (ADC), and the Integrated Digital Presence Indicator (IDP). These indicators have been identified as key factors in enabling a final typology of TIOs based on the Level of Digital Maturity of Websites (LW) and the Level of Activity in social media (LS) in the destination marketing communication process. The formal TIO certification category (C-TIO) exerts an influence on all indicators of digital marketing communication. The significance of these relationships only attained the recommended minimum effect size (RMPE) in the case of SMA and IDP (ϱ=0.23, p<0.001). For DMS (ϱ=0.15, p=0.005) and ADC (ϱ=0.12, p=0.037), these relationships were extremely weak and below the RMPE threshold (RMPE <0.20). The article makes a significant contribution to research on the digital transformation of tourist information organizations and destination e-marketing by proposing indicators and highlighting practical implications. The proposed indicators allow for the identification of the effectiveness and efficiency of internet marketing practiced by TIO and can be used to evaluate the integrated communication process of other institutions managing tourist destinations.