Manuel Alector Ribeiro

Tourism interventions, as tools for social change and preservation of natural and cultural assets are inherently complex. This study presents an improved method for the evaluation of complex tourism interventions. We argue that participatory methods can promote a culture of evaluation that supports partners throughout evidencing project impacts, eliminating negative attitudes to evaluation resulting from fear of being judged on performance. We demonstrate that Theory of Change (ToC) is an effective tool that allows organisations to actively co-create and own an evaluation strategy to ensure the delivery of project outcomes. We show how ToC can be applied as a useful process and impact evaluation tool. This paper represents a novel methodological application of ToC based on participatory approaches to evaluation to disseminate knowledge and to improve decision-making in the field of tourism interventions and tourism policy making.

Marine and coastal tourism represents the most significant economic activity within the Blue Economy, particularly in terms of trade volume, contribution to global GDP, and employment generation. This sector assumes an even more critical role in the economies of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), many of which are highly dependent on tourism as a primary engine of growth. Ironically, while SIDS contribute minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions, they are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Sea level rise, coastal erosion, algal blooms, and increasingly frequent extreme weather events pose substantial risks to their tourism industries—threatening jobs, household incomes, and public revenues. In this context, fostering a climate-resilient tourism sector is essential for safeguarding livelihoods and ensuring sustainable development in SIDS. A key stakeholder in this effort is the community of private investors operating along the tourism value chain. Their decisions—regarding where and what to invest in, how to design and construct tourism infrastructure, and how to operate it—have profound implications for climate adaptation and resilience. Therefore, understanding how tourism investors perceive climate risks and how these perceptions influence their investment decision-making is crucial for designing effective public policies that promote resilience. This chapter presents the findings of a study conducted in Cabo Verde, a tourism-dependent SIDS located in West Africa. The study aimed to assess the level and characteristics of climate change awareness among investors in the country’s marine and coastal tourism sector and to identify the factors influencing this awareness. Employing a sequential mixed-methods research design—combining a structured survey with in-depth interviews with key informants—the research reveals that while general awareness of climate change is relatively high (particularly among larger, more experienced, and non-Cape Verdean investors), this awareness has not yet translated into the systematic incorporation of climate risk considerations into investment decisions. These findings offer important insights for policymakers seeking to steer tourism investment toward greater climate resilience in SIDS and across Africa. The study also highlights the need for further research to understand how investor awareness and engagement with climate risks evolve, what behavioral and contextual factors drive such engagement, and what role information dissemination and institutional communication can play in this process.

The purpose of this paper is to test the effect of residents' attitudes concerning tourism development on support for future tourism development, and ultimately whether such a relationship explains a sense of solidarity with tourists. To do this, a theoretical model was developed and tested based on the social exchange theory and affect theory of exchange. Residents of Antalya, Turkey (N = 660) comprised the sample from which data were collected. Structural equation modelling results demonstrated that residents' attitudes explained 69% of the variance in support for future tourism development, and in turn, this support explained between 25% and 80% of the variance in factors comprising residents' emotional solidarity with tourists. Findings provide support for the complementary use of the two theories. To round out the paper, implications, limitations and future research are offered.

The mark of most evolving fields growing out of parent disciplines is a continued advancement in theoretical application. Such advancements serve as the "lifeblood" of efforts that continue to "push the envelope" and ensure we contribute the most substantive research possible. Moving into the fifth decade of research concerning the social impacts of tourism, we find ourselves at a pivotal juncture. Arguably, the question to ponder is not, "do we need to advance theoretically our field forward" but rather, "how do we do it?" An introspective examination of our past and present will help us to chart a path forward.

More than ever before, travellers seek experiences which are memorable and will bring them closer to the essence of the territory they are visiting. Existing literature has explored the concepts of co-creation, emotional solidarity, subjective well-being and the impacts of travel on peoples' quality of life, this study however intertwines these concepts into one conceptual framework and integrates them with the niche market of enogastronomy experiences. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) this study represents a novel approach to gain insight into the lifeworld of individual tourists. The study takes place in the South of Italy where enogastronomy lies at the heart of culture and local traditions. The findings of this phenomenological study showed that the element of conviviality enhanced by sharing food and wine preparation activities in proximity with the locals had a positive effect on the subjective well-being of both residents and tourists, who described the experience as 'personal and authentic'.

This work provides a perspective into how visitors on-site memorable religious experience and their religious faith influence positive emotional and overall satisfaction with events and their behavioral loyalty. To test the model, a survey was used to collect data from visitors who attended this event during the 2018 Paryaya festival in Udupi Sri Krishna Temple held in Udupi, India. Structural equation modeling was used to test the model based on a sample of 744 festival attendees. Results indicated that religious faith predicts overall satisfaction, positive emotion, and loyalty. Positive emotion positively influences overall satisfaction but failed to predict loyalty behavior. The effect of overall satisfaction on loyalty was significant. This study sheds light on the process whereby the visitor's loyalty to religious events places is shaped by overall satisfaction and positive emotions experienced on-site, as well as memorable religious experience and religious faith. Implications for both theory and practice exist.

This work examines a modified theory of planned behaviour (TPB) model that includes sense of urgency along with the initial TPB antecedents as potential predictors of individuals' intentions to engage in last chance tourism (LCT). Based on a sample of 551 potential LCT travellers, structural equation modelling was undertaken to examine five hypotheses (each focusing on direct effects). All hypotheses were supported, with subjective norms, positive and negative attitudes about LCT, perceived behavioural control, and sense of urgency explaining 70% of the variance in individuals' intentions to engage in LCT. Sense of urgency was found to be the strongest predictor in the model, explaining the dependent variable. Theoretical and practical implications along with limitations and future research are provided at the close of the paper.

This work examines the role that motivations, perceived value, and satisfaction serve in explaining festival loyalty. As such, mediation effects of perceived value and satisfaction are considered, along with the moderating role of gender on all model relationships. Based on a sample of 400 festival attendees, structural equation modelling was undertaken to examine seven hypotheses (six examining direct effects; one examining indirect effects). PROCESS was utilized to consider the moderating role of gender. Each of the seven hypotheses was significant, with the three model antecedents (i.e., motivation, perceived value, and satisfaction) explaining 65% of the variance in festival loyalty and perceived value and satisfaction serving as significant mediators. Gender was found to only moderate the relationship between satisfaction and festival loyalty, as the effect was higher for women. Theoretical and practical implications along with limitations and future research are provided at the close of the paper.

The concept of experience has received widespread attention from the perspective of diverse
academic fields, given the multidisciplinary nature of the construct (Godovykh & Tasci,
2020). The experiential approach to tourism stems from the experience economy perspective
(Oh, Fiore, & Jeoung, 2007; Pine & Gilmore, 1999), emphasising the value of the customer
experience as a higher level of offerings (Morgan, Lugosi, & Ritchie, 2010; Scott, Laws, &
Boksberger, 2009). In his seminal work on experiential marketing, Schmitt (1999) anticipated
experiences becoming a dominant area in marketing. Since then, experience design following
a managerial perspective has increasingly become a salient topic for academics and professionals.