Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management (JHTM)’s Post

🌍 Ethnic Tourism: A Lens into Cultural Diversity and Global Understanding📚 In the academic and professional discourse on tourism, ethnic tourism has emerged as a powerful tool for fostering intercultural dialogue and promoting the preservation of cultural heritage. For scholars and practitioners in tourism, anthropology, and cultural studies, this form of tourism offers valuable insights into how tourism intersects with ethnicity, identity, and culture. However, the balance between cultural appreciation and cultural exploitation is delicate. As researchers, educators, and professionals, we must emphasize the importance of ethical engagement in ethnic tourism. Here are some key considerations: 1. Cultural Sensitivity: Encourage travelers to approach ethnic communities with respect and a willingness to learn, rather than consume experiences passively. 2. Community-Centered Benefits: Highlight the significance of ensuring that local communities benefit economically and socially from tourism, with a focus on equitable partnerships. 3. Preservation vs. Commodification: Explore how tourism can contribute to the preservation of cultural practices without commodifying or distorting their meaning for the sake of commercialization. 4. Research & Policy Development: Academics and professionals can contribute to the creation of sustainable tourism policies that protect cultural heritage while promoting responsible tourism practices. Ethnic tourism has the potential to be a force for cultural preservation, educational exchange, and socioeconomic development, but only if approached thoughtfully and with a commitment to ethical principles. As tourism scholars and professionals, let’s continue to explore and promote frameworks that ensure cultural respect, sustainability, and community empowerment. 🌐 #EthnicTourism #CulturalHeritage #AcademicResearch #TourismStudies #SustainableTourism #ResponsibleTravel #CulturalDiversity #Anthropology #CulturalPreservation

#Cultural #Comodification: Insights from a Visiting Professor of Cultural Tourism Anthropology Greatness University Impacts of Cultural Commodification Cultural commodification significantly influences the hospitality and tourism sectors, molding how traditional cultures are presented and marketed to tourists. By exploring its themes, examples, and theoretical constructs, you gain a comprehensive understanding of this phenomenon. #Cultural_commodification - #Key_takeaways Cultural Commodification: The process where cultural symbols, traditions, and artefacts are marketed and sold as commodities for a wider audience. Cultural Commodification in Hospitality and Tourism: Involves the transformation of cultural elements into goods and services for tourists, influencing how cultures are represented and consumed. Commodification of Culture in Tourism: Cultural practices are packaged and sold, which can provide economic benefits but also lead to a loss of cultural authenticity and identity. Impacts of Cultural Commodification: Includes economic growth, cultural distortion, exploitation, and the risk of eroding genuine cultural practices. Cultural Commodification Themes: Key themes include performance, where rituals are adapted for tourists, and authenticity, where experiences may be staged. Cultural Commodification Examples: Traditional crafts and festivals are often commercialized, potentially altering traditional practices to fit tourist expectations.

✔️New research titled "Evaluating canal heritage tourists’ satisfaction: An asymmetric impact-performance analysis of the Grand Canal in Beijing, China" has been published in #JHTM! • 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Jiasheng Cui (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Shuying Zhang (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Ling'en Wang (Chinese Academy of Sciences) • 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁: This study identifies the constructs of destination attributes perceived by tourists through principal component analysis. Guided by the three-factor theory, the asymmetric effect of various attributes on satisfaction along the Grand Canal is compared via dummy variable regression and penalty-reward contrast analysis, and the influencing mechanism is explored through in-depth interview analysis. The findings indicate that heritage value, cultural display, supporting facility, commercial service, social impact, and overall ambience are the main attributes of canal heritage destination. By integrating tourists’ psychological expectations with actual satisfactions, the existence of impact-asymmetry is shown in the cases of Old City Section and Tongzhou Section. The findings offer both theoretical construction and policy recommendations for canal tourism marketing by capturing demand-oriented attitudes. • 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲: https://lnkd.in/gp8jefDX #Destinationattributes #Canalheritagetourism #Touristssatisfaction #Threefactortheory

Our latest publication by Jiangmin Li, Jiahui Zhang, Xinwei Li, Qingqing Wu, Qingqing Zhao, Hao Fang & Shengliang Deng used an eye-tracking experiment, a retrospective oral report, and a questionnaire survey to collect tourists’ objective eye movement data and subjective preference for intangible cultural heritage.  Results indicated a significant difference in tourists’ visual attention and preference for different categories of ICH. Tourists put most visual attention and preference on ICH folk customs and ICH skills. Moreover, character, culture, and life elements are main focus. Findings from the research provide insight into ICH tourism development. Brock University 武汉工程大学 中国地质大学（武汉） Full paper: https://lnkd.in/djRjefrJ

To harness the #tourism potential of its extensive #heritage, #India has introduced various policies and schemes. In this #brilliant and #MustRead paper, Yookta Ahuja and Dhaval Desai argue that adopting #digital archiving can boost global engagement and accessibility, thereby utilising heritage as a potent instrument of soft #diplomacy.

WAITOC is pleased to have engaged the Centre for Tourism Research at Edith Cowan University, led by Professor Sam Huang, to undertake the research component of our ‘Ancient Cultures Meet’ project, supported by the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations (NFACR) 澳中基金会 . “This industry-university collaborative research project is a key foundational part of our broader Ancient Cultures Meet project, and is intended to provide the sector with fact-based practical recommendations on how Australian Aboriginal tourism can be more successful in the China market”, said Mr Robert Taylor, CEO of WAITOC. Professor Sam Huang said “ECU is delighted to partner with WAITOC on this project, and are excited to be working with industry on such important research”. Project managed by China expert Mr James Clarke (柯雅各), the report findings are expected to be released in 2025.

In the social media era, online self-presentation of a trip (i.e. posting photographs, videos, and texts) has become a routinized and ritualistic practice among tourists. Some people selectively present desirable information and filtered pictures, while others present truthful information (both positive and negative experience) and unedited pictures. What causes one to engage in positive vs. honest self-presentation? How does state narcissism (unlike trait narcissism, state narcissism can be activated) come into play? How does self-presentation behavior change tourist satisfaction, especially if they had bad experiences? How’s the dynamics change when one receives high (vs. low) number of ‘likes’ for their post? We conducted a five-experiment study and had some really interesting findings that provide food for thought for both tourism academy and practice. This study is newly published in Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research (5-year IF: 4.4). #research #tourism #socialmedia #wechat

So for all the MiniMes (joke name for my mentees in Africa Youth Union and Worled Youth Forum)... I did not forget! This is my example of how Diversity improves Sustainable Tourism through small businesses. While I was in Bavaria, I took a short drive 20mins out to a small village called Lindenmuhle; it is a cute Bavarian picturesque village at the base of a trekking and skiing area. It consist of a very small centre and only 4 major restaurants; traditional Bavaria, a cafe/bakery, an Italian Restaurant and a very curious Vietnamese place that also served sushi which intrigued me. So I went to try to food because there were ample restaurants in Bayreuth for all kinds of cuisine but the unusal diversity caught my eye .... It was delicious. The family made the broth for the noodles inhouse, the sushi combined very good German Ingredients and excellent executive by the chef. It was amazing and we had to wait for a table because there were such a great mix of local villagers, other european day trippers and an Asian-Australian like me. Something about that contrast really facinated me and made me think, “If we do as some UNESCO Chair in Economics of Culture and Heritage projects do and OVER CONTROL cultural curations, we miss out on the genuine diversity of flavours and human cultural exchanges that are typical of ALL Trade routes marking prosperity like the Silk Roads, Spice Trades and even modern trans-national Economics. The market is simply a response to our human thirst for diversity and novelty. I found attempts to create Chinese Porcelain patterns by local artesans within the Opera House that are UNESCO protected for its singular representation of Rococco Baroque German aristocratic lives and history! Just as I saw Swiss Cuckold clocks in the Last Emperor's collection of clocks in the Forbidden city! When we try to over curate and control natural TCH and ICH manifestations of Diversity, we are working against our natural curiosity towards diversity and somehow making the world LESS Rich in the process. For all of you working with your country's Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage, please consider this important aspects of what small authentic and diverse businesses can add culturally for all your national places? Lets not repeat the over regulation of 80 & 90s UNESCO policy of turning all sites into Mausoleums and Parks thus undermining the genuine "living culture" that spontaneously gather around sites like the Boudhananth Stupa in Nepal, Morroco's many labyrinthine Medinas, outside India's Taj Mahal etc etc... There is a balance of Safeguarding and allowing "living cultures" to manifest spontaneously!" 😎💚💚😇

So for all the MiniMes (joke name for my mentees in Africa Youth Union and Worled Youth Forum)... I did not forget! This is my example of how Diversity improves Sustainable Tourism through small businesses. While I was in Bavaria, I took a short drive 20mins out to a small village called Lindenmuhle; it is a cute Bavarian picturesque village at the base of a trekking and skiing area. It consist of a very small centre and only 4 major restaurants; traditional Bavaria, a cafe/bakery, an Italian Restaurant and a very curious Vietnamese place that also served sushi which intrigued me. So I went to try to food because there were ample restaurants in Bayreuth for all kinds of cuisine but the unusal diversity caught my eye .... It was delicious. The family made the broth for the noodles inhouse, the sushi combined very good German Ingredients and excellent executive by the chef. It was amazing and we had to wait for a table because there were such a great mix of local villagers, other european day trippers and an Asian-Australian like me. Something about that contrast really facinated me and made me think, “If we do as some UNESCO Chair in Economics of Culture and Heritage projects do and OVER CONTROL cultural curations, we miss out on the genuine diversity of flavours and human cultural exchanges that are typical of ALL Trade routes marking prosperity like the Silk Roads, Spice Trades and even modern trans-national Economics. The market is simply a response to our human thirst for diversity and novelty. I found attempts to create Chinese Porcelain patterns by local artesans within the Opera House that are UNESCO protected for its singular representation of Rococco Baroque German aristocratic lives and history! Just as I saw Swiss Cuckold clocks in the Last Emperor's collection of clocks in the Forbidden city! When we try to over curate and control natural TCH and ICH manifestations of Diversity, we are working against our natural curiosity towards diversity and somehow making the world LESS Rich in the process. For all of you working with your country's Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage, please consider this important aspects of what small authentic and diverse businesses can add culturally for all your national places? Lets not repeat the over regulation of 80 & 90s UNESCO policy of turning all sites into Mausoleums and Parks thus undermining the genuine "living culture" that spontaneously gather around sites like the Boudhananth Stupa in Nepal, Morroco's many labyrinthine Medinas, outside India's Taj Mahal etc etc... There is a balance of Safeguarding and allowing "living cultures" to manifest spontaneously!" 😎💚💚😇