Yingsha Zhang

This study investigates how the same experiential attributes play different roles in shaping visitor experience evaluations and emotional responses across six theme park types. Based on 1660 questionnaires, a theme park experience scale was developed for cross-type comparison. The findings show that the psychological characteristics of experience dimensions vary across park types in their functional roles and cognitive–affective nature. Drawing on the Kano model and the ABC model of attitudes, experience dimensions are classified by their functional roles and cognitive–affective nature. Integrating the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) framework and Cognitive Appraisal Theory, this study proposes a context-dependent SOR framework, demonstrating how identical experiential attributes generate different psychological characteristics and emotional responses across environmental contexts.

This study provides novel insights into immersive tourism experiences by analyzing the game-like qualities of tours. It introduces and measures new concepts of Tour Game-Likeness and a corresponding index to quantify the extent to which a tour resembles an ideal game. It identifies nine game-like components in tours and explores how the degree of game-likeness influences immersive tourism experience, while also examining the moderating effects of past travel experience and arousal need, drawing on gamification and arousal theories. These relationships were compared among three types of tours with three distinct gamification modes. Results reveal that these relationships vary across different tour types, highlighting that Tour Game-Likeness, visitors’ arousal needs, and a tour’s gamification mode collectively influence visitors’ immersive tourism experience. Tours can be gamified by incorporating game-like components, and, depending on visitors’ arousal needs, tour designers can employ either active or passive gamification strategies to enhance visitors’ immersive tourism experiences.

The majority of Indigenous health models do not directly acknowledge that health is a contested political space. Providing a Foucauldian analysis, this article suggests a function of biopower is to naturalise discourses such as the poor Māori health statistic to appear based on factual evidence and thus are apolitical. Employing Foucault’s triad of power—sovereign, disciplinary and biopower—to understand the genealogy of Māori health, this article proffers mana motuhake (Māori political self-governance) as an appropriate health analytic because it, first, identifies Indigenous health as political and, second, because it recognises the disempowering role that colonialism has played in relation to Māori biopolitical self-governance. Hence, we suggest Māori health will be enhanced by mana motuhake and that research underpinned by Indigenous agency and self-governance resists biopower. The article references two Ageing Well National Science Challenge–funded research projects because they innovatively fundamentalise mana motuhake and politics to Indigenous health.

This study proposes two new concepts/indices—tourism demand energy and tourism attractiveness energy—to measure origin-side tourism demand and destination attractiveness. Tourism demand energy and tourism attractiveness energy are estimated based on tourist visitation, travel distance, and visitor flow network relationships. A reverse gravity model was developed, and a particle swarm optimization design was adopted and revised for estimation. This study has a theme park context and uses data collected from 47,360 TripAdvisor reviews for 170 US theme parks. We determined theme park demand energy for each of 52 tourist source regions, and theme park attractiveness energy for each of the 170 theme parks. These two new concepts extend and improve measures of origin-side tourism demand and destination attractiveness. They also underscore the importance of travel distance in measuring origin-side tourism demand and destination attractiveness, offering a new perspective on the driving forces of tourism.

Background: The Aotearoa New Zealand population is ageing accompanied by health and social challenges including significant inequities that exist between Māori and non-Māori around poor ageing and health. Although historically kaumātua (elder Māori) faced a dominant society that failed to realise their full potential as they age, Māori culture has remained steadfast in upholding elders as cultural/community anchors. Yet, many of today’s kaumātua have experienced ‘cultural dissonance’ as the result of a hegemonic dominant culture subjugating an Indigenous culture, leading to generations of Indigenous peoples compelled or forced to dissociate with their culture. The present research project, Kaumātua Mana Motuhake Pōī (KMMP) comprises two interrelated projects that foreground dimensions of wellbeing within a holistic Te Ao Māori (Māori epistemology) view of wellbeing. Project 1 involves a tuakana-teina/peer educator model approach focused on increasing service access and utilisation to support kaumātua with the greatest health and social needs. Project 2 focuses on physical activity and cultural knowledge exchange (including te reo Māori--Māori language) through intergenerational models of learning.Methods: Both projects have a consistent research design and common set of methods that coalesce around the emphasis on kaupapa kaumatua; research projects led by kaumātua and kaumātua providers that advance better life outcomes for kaumātua and their communities. The research design for each project is a mixed-methods, pre-test and two post-test, staggered design with 2–3 providers receiving the approach first and then 2–3 receiving it on a delayed basis. A pre-test (baseline) of all participants will be completed. The approach will then be implemented with the first providers. There will then be a follow-up data collection for all participants (post-test 1). The second providers will then implement the approach, which will be followed by a final data collection for all participants (post-test 2).Discussion: Two specific outcomes are anticipated from this research; firstly, it is hoped that the research methodology provides a framework for how government agencies, researchers and relevant sector stakeholders can work with Māori communities. Secondly, the two individual projects will each produce a tangible approach that, it is anticipated, will be cost effective in enhancing kaumātua hauora and mana motuhake.Trial registration: Australia New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry (ACTRN12620000316909).Registered6 March 2020.

This study explores the impacts of Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions on international tourist flows. A panel data gravity model was used to analyse bilateral tourist flows between 81 origin countries and 32 destination countries from 1995 to 2008. This model highlights cultural factors using the push and pull framework and explains their influence vis-a-vis self-image congruity theory, arousal theory, and cultural theory of risk. Results indicate that when controlling for the effects of distance, population, and GDP per capita, international tourists tend to flow out of countries with lower Power Distance, higher Individualism, lower Masculinity, higher Long-Term Orientation, and higher Indulgence. Countries with higher Individualism, lower Uncertainty Avoidance, and higher Indulgence tend to attract more international tourists. In the push and pull model, tourist source countries’ cultural values, such as low Power Distance, Individualism, Femininity, and Indulgence can be considered push factors in international travel, while destination countries’ cultural values of Individualism, Uncertainty Acceptance, and Indulgence act as pull factors. Self-image congruity theory is supported in the cultural dimension of Uncertainty Avoidance Index. Recommendations for destination marketing are made based on the findings.