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The rapid development of immersive technologies, including Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR), presents novel opportunities to enhance tourist experiences and promote sustainable village tourism. This study is particularly significant as Generation Z, as digitally savvy travellers, plays a strategic role in shaping sustainable tourism practices, especially within rural destinations. The research aims to examine the influence of Generation Z’s awareness of immersive technologies on their positive attitudes toward village tourism, visit intentions, and perceptions of the role of immersive technologies in supporting sustainable tourism principles. A quantitative approach was employed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Data were collected through structured questionnaires from 150 Generation Z respondents across various regions who have previously interacted with immersive technologies and plan to visit village tourism destinations. The findings indicate that awareness of immersive technologies significantly enhances positive attitudes toward village tourism, which in turn influences visit intentions and perceptions of immersive technologies’ role in fostering community-oriented sustainable tourism. These results underscore that integrating immersive technologies not only enriches tourist experiences but also supports cultural preservation, local economic empowerment, and sustainable tourism practices. Practically, the findings provide guidance for village tourism managers, policymakers, and stakeholders in designing effective digital strategies to develop community-based sustainable tourism initiatives.

In the wake of the pandemic, countries worldwide have strived to revive their tourism sectors, with Thailand’s industry playing a crucial economic role. Grounded in Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), this study examines key psychological determinants of domestic travel intentions, including threat severity, response efficacy, and psychological resilience. Data from 509 Thai participants were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results reveal that heightened threat perceptions significantly weaken travel intentions, while confidence in protective measures enhances willingness to travel. Psychological resilience mitigates perceived threats and strengthens the effect of response efficacy on travel intention. Surprisingly, anxiety did not significantly impact travel intentions. This study offers a holistic perspective on travelers' cognitive and emotional responses to health crises. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders to strengthen public resilience, foster trust in safety measures, and support sustainable recovery in the tourism sector.

MSMEs are widely regarded as important building blocks for economic prosperity and broader social well-being for both developed and developing nations. However, MSMEs face several challenges that impede their ability to fully provide the much-needed boost to the socio-economic development of countries. Tourism MSMEs are often significantly impacted by crises that include economic downturns, natural disasters, and public health emergencies that destroy infrastructure and affect human movement, notably the outbreak of pandemics and epidemics. The Covid-19 pandemic altered every business operation across the globe. This was mainly because the pandemic was new and no reference case for the Covid-19 crisis existed in living memory. As such the survival of all businesses was at high risk, particularly, the tourism MSMEs in South Africa. The industry’s operations were severely affected by the restrictions imposed by the government of South Africa especially in the year 2020 and 2021. Despite operating their businesses in a crisis, the tourism MSMEs entrepreneurs exhibited resilience as they navigated the pandemic, through being agile, adaptive, and exploring new opportunities of operating and utilising government support. It is in this regard that gaining a deeper understanding of the resilience strategies that were employed by the tourism MSMEs during and strategies being employed during post Covid-19 pandemic crisis is of paramount significance. The study adopted qualitative interpretivist approach through document analysis.  Collected data was analysed using the ATLAS.ti.software. The study concludes that even though the Covid-19 had some devastating effects on the MSMEs tourism entrepreneurs, that are still being felt now, it forced the entrepreneurs to adapt and be innovative. It is in this regard that the study concludes that the identified strategies are very vital for the survival of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The study also concludes that the tourism MSMEs entrepreneurs became more resilient to the pandemic as it progressed hence, they implemented the identified strategies revealed by the study findings.

The tourism industry is a substantial contributor to the South African economy. The main aim of this study is to analyse the tourism industry’s performance during the Covid-19 pandemic, with specific reference to tourism accommodation income, and to shed light on the recovery prospects of the tourism industry and the overall South African economy. The study followed a descriptive research design and quantitative method using secondary data obtained from Statistics South Africa. The data covers a span of over 16 years, from January 2007 to May 2023. Results indicated that the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism industry was marked by a drastic drop in total income at the height of the pandemic, which coincided with similar performance of the overall economy. The tourism industry as well as the overall economy showed a V-shape recovery with a negative trendline suggesting their recovery potential and the need for sustained efforts by industry players and policymakers for full recovery in the medium term. Among the strategies for full recovery are diverse offerings by tourist accommodation providers, intensified digital marketing campaigns and providing exceptional service experiences.

Vietnam's tourism industry has been one of the economy's key growth drivers for years. This study examines the relationship between international tourist arrivals, bilateral trade, and income in Vietnam by applying a cointegration model with the panel data of Vietnam and its major global tourism markets. The results show that export and per capita income significantly influence Vietnam's international tourist arrivals from 2008 to 2019. The study also uses causality techniques to test for the direction of causality and found a two-way causal effect from exports and income to international tourist arrivals. These findings suggest that future economic policy should focus more on tourism and trade-related to sustain the growth of the tourism industry and generate more foreign exchange earnings for Vietnam.

Batu is the most popular destination in East Java and even in Indonesia. Batu continues to develop its tourism potential by developing tourist villages in the Batu area. Tourism villages have become something new in village development by attracting the flow of tourists to rural areas This study will analyze how the quality of service at Brakseng Tourism in Batu, East Java, Indonesia. In knowing the perceptions of consumers (visitors) of Brakseng tourism, researchers used SERQUAL analysis. Based on the calculation of the customer satisfaction index, the visitors to Brakseng have a high level of satisfaction. Safety is a dimension that needs to get the most attention because it is in quadrant A. Attributes in quadrant A are considered important attributes and are a priority and affect user satisfaction. The management is obliged to allocate its resources to improve the performance of the attributes that fall into this quadrant.

This study examines the effect of authenticity, social media, and destination image on revisit intention. This study uses explanatory research with a quantitative approach. The population in this study were domestic tourists or foreign tourists who had visited tourist destinations in Gianyar at least once. The sampling technique used in the study was purposive sampling. The sample in the study was 250 respondents. Data collection was used through surveys, documentation, and Likert scales to test instruments. The data were analyzed using structural equation model partial least square (SEM-PLS) modeling. The results of this study indicate that authenticity and social media can increase revisit intention. In addition, authenticity and social media can also improve destination image. The destination can also increase revisit intention. Overall destination image) has the most significant influence on destination selection. Destination image can mediate between authenticity and social media on revisit intention. The better the authenticity and utilization of social media in Gianyar tourist destinations, the better the destination image will increase revisit intention.  The results of this study suggest that the management of Gianyar tourism can maintain the authenticity of Gianyar tourist destinations and increase the use of social media to attract tourists to revisit Gianyar tourism.

The principal aim of this article, among other crucial determinants, is to elucidate that folklore systemically can be utilised for the sustainable development of tourism in South Africa and in the global sphere. The sociological perspective, through argumentation, is deployed to debate and demonstrate how and why folklore should be gauged and appreciated as an instrument of promoting South Africa’s socioeconomic and development plan. Through the discussions and findings, it becomes evident, therein, that folklore has not been accorded the opportunity to partake in tourism in most African countries, and in particular, South Africa. Given that, it becomes part of the article’s sociological debates to conclusively demonstrate, by appointing three folklore types, how folklore can address the problematised phenomenon. The concluding remarks challenge folklore and tourism scholars to collaboratively open and continue the discourse to serve the country's just and legitimate course. The significance of the article rests on the veracity that folklore and tourism have not been scholarly positioned as complementing or corroborating components in South Africa and elsewhere in the global sphere.

Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) are the key players in the township tourism sector, which contributes substantially to the growth of the economy in South Africa. Township tourism SMMEs are critical to uplifting the rural and township economies. However, they remain marginalized and continue to struggle to be sustainable. The following paper explains how much township tourism SMMEs use to stay sustainable. The paper aims to identify SMMEs involved in township tourism. The paper also aims to establish factors influencing the sustainability of township tourism SMMEs. In addition, the paper also aims to determine the competitive strategy for the sustainability of township tourism SMMEs. The study adopted a positivist research paradigm through a quantitative approach and a survey research design. As a result of having no reliable available sampling frame, a non-probability sampling strategy was adopted, and relevant data was generated through questionnaires. The data was gathered from 61 owners or managers of township tourism SMMEs, in uMlazi, Durban. This paper’s findings revealed that the most influential factors affecting the sustainability of township tourism SMMEs were a lack of funding, strong business competition, and poor business location. The study's findings revealed that only a few entrepreneurs applied a competitive strategy to their businesses. From the data analyzed, relevant recommendations and conclusions were also drawn

This research explores the effectiveness of destination awareness, destination image, perceived quality, and brand engagement on visit intention among TikTok users toward destinations in Yogyakarta. The sample in this research is TikTok users who have seen tourism video content in Yogyakarta. Data was obtained through an online survey constructed with Google Forms which 225 respondents filled out. The data used in this study were analyzed using the PLS-SEM method by SPSS and SmartPLS. According to the research findings, destination awareness and destination image positively impact the perceived quality of TikTok users. Furthermore, perceived quality positively affects the intention to visit and brand engagement for TikTok users. These findings provide implications and empirical studies related to encouraging marketing potential on social media TikTok for visiting the tourism industry in Yogyakarta.

Tour operators have ensured the success of the Kenyan tourism sector, poised to contribute to achieving key government economic policies like the Tourism Agenda 2018-2022, the National Tourism Blueprint 2030, and the Big-Four Agenda. However, due to the volatility of the tourism industry, stiff competition, rigid tourism policies, and pandemics, tour operators’ performance has recorded a 2% steady decline since 2011. Therefore, this paper explores the upscaling of performance using a differentiation strategy among tour operator companies in Nairobi City County. The study followed a descriptive design approach, with the balanced scorecard and Porter’s generic strategies forming the theoretical basis. Fifteen (15) company owners and 210 managers participated in the study. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and interviews. Stratified simple random sampling was used to sample respondents from the companies while purposive sampling was used to select company owners. Data collected were analyzed in SPSS (Ver.26) using descriptive statistics to infer variable characteristics. Inferential statistics; Pearson correlation, ANOVA, and simple linear regression were used to detect the strength of the relationship and test the hypothesis. Correlation analysis revealed a strong positive relationship between differentiation strategy and organizational performance (r=0.77, P=0.000), leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. Regression analysis revealed an adjusted R2(0.602) indicating that differentiation strategy explains 60.2% of organizational performance’s variation (b=0.594, P=.000). The study recommends that tour operator companies should develop innovative packages based on place and price and significantly invest in R&D to enhance a strong brand for optimal performance. This study provides policymakers with an avenue to scrutinize levels of organizational performance using a strategic management approach.

This study seeks to measure the effectiveness of traditional media in promoting tourism in this digital age in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This study employed a descriptive research design and a questionnaire was used to collect the data. The findings revealed that traditional and online media are more or less equally competitive in promoting tourism. Traditional media is still effective in promoting tourism in this digital age, especially in the domestic market. The study concluded and recommended that tourism marketers and authorities must come to terms with coexistence with traditional media and online media. There is no need to rely on one media to do it all. Where traditional media is lacking, online media must be there to make up for the difference and enhance the tourist experience.

Sustainable tourism has emerged as a growing tourism facet in recent years, gaining acceptance among tourism developers and stakeholders; as a tourism development model that is economically viable, socially acceptable, and environmentally friendly. Nonetheless, tourism development faces numerous challenges, including displacement of people, cultural commercialization, organic dilapidation, and economic dependency resulting from social-economic development. As a result, many countries have begun to embrace long-term sustainable tourism development goals, an essential component of achieving Vision 2030. Therefore, this paper propagates the discussions surrounding corroboration approaches, tourism infrastructure, stakeholders' role, and government policies' influence on sustainable tourism development. To support its thesis, the paper develops a conceptual framework to guide tourism practitioners and other stakeholders in understanding and dissecting sustainable tourism models and knowledge. The findings emphasize stakeholders’ collaboration framework, the need for adequate and supportive tourism infrastructure, and the foundational basis of public-private initiatives to enhance tourism growth.

The aim of this study is to determine smart governance, smart tourism, smart mobility, and smart sustainability are used by stakeholders in Lake Toba tourism objects to prepare smart tourism destinations (STD) for the effects of covid-19. This research is in line with the strategic plan of the Medan State University research which focuses on the development of tourism areas in North Sumatra. This study uses a Research and Development type with a basic-based research approach through needs analysis, model confirmation, and evaluation. Tourists that visited Lake Toba attractions in April 2022 were given questionnaires, and data were analyzed using pls-sem. The study shows that smart governance influences smart travel, smart tourism, and smart sustainability. On the other hand, smart mobility does not have a positive effect on smart sustainability, smart tourism has a positive and significant effect on smart sustainability. Overall, further research are needed to use other variables.

In the context of cittaslow (slow city), this research attempts to examine the effects of memorable tourism experience (MTE) on tourist satisfaction and revisiting intention. The research used a structured questionnaire and collected 605 valid responses from tourists that visited Sanyi Cittaslow. Analyses of the measurement model and structural model by AMOS 22.0 were used to find the associations between each MTE dimension and satisfaction, and revisit intention. Test results revealed that all MTE dimensions are predictors of tourist satisfaction, among which knowledge and involvement are the strongest predictors; satisfaction is the strongest predictor for revisiting and is the mediator for the associations of most MTE dimensions and revisiting. Since the cittaslow movement was closely related to sustainable tourism, research finding from this research provide a good reference with evidence for the promotion of cittaslow through MTE creation.

The tourism sector is currently developing rapidly, thereby aiding in the significant boost of Indonesia's economy. Tourist villages are among the natural tourism product portfolios provided to tourists, which the government adequately develops to become a new and attractive alternative tourist destination. For the short term, this research examines the loyalty of tourist village destinations as a perspective destination quality, satisfaction, and intentions of practice in Kerinci Regency, Jambi Province. In the long term, it is expected to increase tourist village destinations' loyalty in Jambi Province. This research was carried out in three selected villages, namely Lempur, Pendung Talang Genting, and Jernih Jaya, Kerinci Regency, Jambi Province. The findings and discussion concluded that tourist satisfaction influences tourist destination loyalty and behavioral intention. Meanwhile, the perceptions of the quality of tourism destinations influence tourists' loyalty and urge to return to the village. Tourism satisfaction also affects the loyalty of tourist village destinations. However, its perception in terms of quality can influence tourist loyalty.

Abstract Today, tourism is becoming more and more the main sector of the economy by generating financial income and creating opportunities for new jobs. However, as one of the sectors where the economic growth of the country is expected to be concentrated in the future, tourism has still not found itself in genuine sectoral development. One of the many problems that Kosovo's tourism economy faces today is the identification of a genuine tourism product development strategy, as well as the use of marketing strategies, which will orient towards the sustainable development of tourism. In times of market economy, unfavorable fiscal policies in Kosovo often become an obstacle to the development of tour operators, even when they have the capacity and potential for development. Kosovo's tourism economy, in particular, and the economic sector in general are dominated by small and medium economic operators, while large economic operators are still in the process of privatization, therefore it is required to find a favorable sector strategy which in long-term period will ensure the sustainability of tour operators, offering a diversified tourism product.

The support of tourism stakeholders is essential for the development, successful operation, and long-term sustainability of tourism. The aim of this paper was to establish how stakeholder involvement influence tourism sector performance the purpose of getting a deeper understanding of what different stakeholders perceive on their involvement and the benefits that they have gotten or brought to the sector. The theory guiding this paper was an integrated model of destination competitiveness. A descriptive research design was used for the study. The target population consisted of employees of hotels, officials of tour firms and officers in the ministry of tourism in the County Government of West Pokot. Systematic stratified sampling was used and a total of 41 respondents selected. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from the respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. From the R2 was 0.444 meaning that Stakeholder participation predicted 44.4% of tourism performance in West Pokot County and therefore the Counter government should always consider the stakeholders in matters to do with tourism so as to improve its performance.

The study aims to examine the influence destination image have on tourist visiting intention in the village of Lumpur located at Gunung Raya sub-district, Kerinci Regency, Jambi Province, Indonesia. Similarly, it is also to examine how much the market attractiveness impacts the destination image of rural tourism. Additionally, it set out to also assess the extent to which the support of market attractiveness influences tourist visiting intention through the destination image of the village.  This study used a survey method with descriptive and quantitative analysis, and the analytical tool employed is Smart PLS version 3.0 tools. One hundred forty respondents, comprising of both local and foreign tourists, were understudied for the analysis and observations made. The findings showed that market attractiveness has a direct effect on the interests of visitors. Similarly, market attractiveness was established to have a direct impact on tourist’s image. Meanwhile, the destination image also has a direct and significant influence on tourist visiting intention. In conclusion, it was ascertained that the destination image has a substantial effect on the tourist visiting intention, although it has a smaller coefficient of direct influence.

Safranbolu is typical ottoman city with classical wooden houses, buildings and streets. With these characteristics Safranbolu located in world heritage list of UNESCO. Tourism is one of the most important activities in Safranbolu economy. Safranbolu is competing with its rivals to attract more visitors and earn more income from tourism. Though Safranbolu hosts many visitors, we can’t say that it seizes the opportunity to use its potential. Most probably, if Safranbolu uses all of its potential city can host more visitors and earn more from tourism. Our aim is to reveal strong and weak sides of Safranbolu city, opportunities and threads in this competition. By this way, Safranbolu can activate its potential and get more profit from tourism. To this aim, we conducted a survey to owner and administrators of Safranbolu touristic enterprises and analyses the results. We revealed interesting results about Safranbolu Tourism sector.