Journal of Applied Sciences in Travel and Hospitality

Tourism marketing: Channel, factor, and strategy for foreign market share in Badung Regency

Nyoman Ariana — 2025-03-27

Badung Regency, a prominent tourism hub in Bali, Indonesia, attracts a diverse range of international tourists. Effective marketing strategies are essential to enhance its competitiveness and address challenges such as traffic congestion and the need for improved digital marketing. This research aims to identify marketing channels and factors, determine key priorities in tourism marketing development, and formulate marketing strategies for international tourist markets in Badung Regency. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, including a literature review, direct and online observation, document analysis, Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and surveys. Data analysis used Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) and Analytical. Hierarchy Process (AHP) methods, supported by SPSS and Expert Choice software. The study identified eight key marketing factors, i.e., tourism products, pricing, tourism image, digital marketing, tourism services, Networking, competitors, and branding, encompassing 48 indicators. Based on IPA, variables are categorized into four quadrants, with 14 indicators in the top priority quadrant. AHP analysis identified ten top marketing strategies, including improving traffic conditions, enhancing online content marketing, strengthening social media marketing, and standardizing tourist services. These strategies are crucial for addressing issues and enhancing international tourism marketing in Badung. The findings highlight the significance of tailoring. Marketing strategies to improve Badung's competitiveness in the global tourism market. The strategic focus on digital marketing, service quality, and brand management can significantly boost tourist satisfaction and loyalty. This research provides a comprehensive framework for developing effective marketing strategies to enhance Badung's appeal as a premier international tourist destination.

Integrating gastronomic potential in tourism destinations: A case study of the Likupang special economic zone, North Minahasa, Indonesia

Ayu Nurwitasari — 2025-03-27

This research aims to analyze the integration stages of gastronomic tourism in the Likupang Special Economic Zone. Several potential culinary icons have been identified and can be developed as gastronomic tourism attractions for the SEZ Likupang. The research method used is qualitative. The data collection techniques used include field observations, in-depth interviews, and literature studies to obtain a complete picture of the efforts to integrate gastronomic tourism in the development of the SEZ Likupang destination. In-depth interviews were conducted during observations with 7 key informants across SEZ Likupang stakeholders, namely the government, entrepreneurs, and culinary practitioners. This research aims to identify key factors influencing gastronomic tourism integration in the Likupang SEZ and measure its feasibility through stakeholder perspectives and policy alignment. Specifically, it evaluates the level of current integration efforts and identifies the economic and cultural impact of gastronomic tourism on the local community. The purpose of this research is to analyze the conditions and identify the potential so that it can provide strategic recommendations for the central and regional governments to initiate the integration stages of gastronomic tourism using the methodological framework developed by the UNWTO. The results of this study indicate that the SEZ Likupang is still in the early stages of destination development and has not made systematic efforts to integrate its gastronomic tourism potential. In addition, there are also 14 culinary icons and 10 recommendations for the integration strategy stages of gastronomic tourism that can be developed and implemented in the development of the SEZ Likupang.

Exploring local friendliness, perceived discrimination, and brand love’s mediation on tourist behavior in Tangkahan, North Sumatra

Erina Alimin — 2025-03-27

This study explores the impact of local hospitality and perceived discrimination on tourist behavior, with brand love as a mediating variable, in the context of Tangkahan tourist attractions in North Sumatra. We collected data from a survey of 237 tourists visiting Tangkahan and analyzed it using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The analysis shows that local friendliness positively and significantly affects brand love. In contrast, perceived discrimination has no significant effect on brand love. In addition, local friendliness also has a positive and significant effect on tourist behavior, while perceived discrimination has no significant impact on tourist behavior. Furthermore, brand love has a positive and significant influence on tourist behavior. Brand love indirectly mediates the relationship between local friendliness and tourist behavior. However, brand love does not significantly mediate the relationship between perceived discrimination and tourist behavior. The practical implications of this study suggest the need for a more holistic strategy to improve the tourism experience, including addressing discrimination and strengthening the positive elements that influence brand love.

Customer behaviour in restaurant establishments in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic

Anisah Deen — 2025-03-27

The tourism and hospitality industry was adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurants were affected greatly as businesses shut down because of the lockdown restrictions and limited movement within the country. There were distinct customer behavioural differences when visiting and dining in restaurants. These establishments were expected to execute the recommended safety protocols. Due to the lack of South African studies of this nature, this paper explores the shifts in customer behaviour when customers paid visits to various restaurant establishments in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Using the convenience sampling technique, the study achieved a valid sample size of 156 respondents by visiting ten restaurants. A quantitative research method was applied for an existing questionnaire that included Likert scale questions as well as open ended questions. The data was analysed using an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) as well as a dimension reduction technique. Findings indicate that customers’ behaviour has radically changed when dining out as a direct result of COVID-19. Quantitative analysis illustrates three factors: delivery service option, hospitality establishment hygiene and cleanliness and safety measures are viewed as the distinctive behaviours that customers were gravitating toward as lockdown restrictions eased. Open-ended responses were analysed using content analysis whereby three themes emerged, namely: feelings of being unsafe; fear of contracting the virus and willingness to return to restaurants. Aspects such as cleanliness, physical environment and availability of delivery services are significant when it comes to customers’ willingness to dine in hospitality establishments during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Travel motivations, preferences, and characteristics of women solo travelers in Bali

Putu Diah Sastri Pitanatri — 2025-03-27

This study explores solo women travelers in Bali, focusing on their travel motivations, preferences, and characteristics. The research aims to fill the gap in understanding how solo travel contributes to understanding women's travel in these popular destinations. The study focuses on Big Data analysis. Textual content from TripAdvisor reviews by solo woman travelers is analyzed using the BART Large Zero Shot model. This model classifies text according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Plog's psychographics model, identifying primary travel motivations and distinguishing between allocentric and psychocentric traveler types. The findings reveal that 36.39% of travelers are motivated by self-actualization, seeking personal growth and transformative experiences. Additionally, 83.79% of solo woman travelers prefer allocentric travel experiences, indicating a strong desire for adventure and cultural immersion. These results highlight the empowerment journey of solo woman travelers as they travel to new destinations independently. This research provides valuable insights into the empowerment of solo woman travelers, emphasizing the role of travel in fostering personal development and independence. By examining the specific motivations and preferences of these travelers, the study enriches the discourse on gender roles within modern tourism and offers a nuanced understanding of solo travel.

How do aesthetics drive customer retention in Bali cafes?

Efin Shu — 2025-03-27

In today’s competitive food service industry, aesthetics are key to customer retention. The food service landscape is changing as customers want to fulfill more than just their hunger and thirst. Customers now care more about the looks of the place and food to satisfy their hedonistic desire. This research aims to determine the influence of aesthetic attributes on customer retention through customer satisfaction in café businesses in Bali. This research uses the quantitative method, with the data analyzed using the SmartPLS 4 statistical software. Data is collected with Google Forms using a convenience sampling technique. The results show that food aesthetics showed a significant path coefficient of 0.035 with p<0.05 on customer satisfaction. Labor aesthetics showed a significant path coefficient of 0.000 with p<0.05 on customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction showed a significant path coefficient of 0.000 with p<0.05 on customer retention. Food and labor aesthetics significantly affected customer retention through customer satisfaction with a path coefficient of 0.046<0.05 for food aesthetics and 0.000<0.05 for labor aesthetics. However, the physical environment aesthetics do not significantly influence customer satisfaction with a path coefficient of 0.376>0.05 and do not significantly influence customer retention through customer satisfaction with a path coefficient of 0.374>0.05. Therefore, the management of the café in Bali should not rely solely on the physical environment aesthetics, instead, they should maintain the food and labor aesthetic. They should also enhance customer satisfaction through the three aesthetic attributes as it will lead to customer retention.

Utilizing social network analysis for the advancement of rural tourism

Alfian Huda — 2025-03-27

Implementing Community-Based Tourism (CBT) can create employment opportunities and enhance regional competitiveness. Economic, social, and environmental conflicts sometimes follow the success of CBT. Social networks can drive the success of CBT, reduce conflict, and promote tourism sustainability. This study aims to analyze social networks to strengthen rural tourism. The research was carried out in the Carocok Tourism destination, a leading Pesisir Selatan Regency tourism destination—data collection through observation and FGD with five experts. Primary data were collected from 39 business units that were selected purposively. The variables observed were tourism asset ownership, asset control, capacity, and benefits. The data was analyzed using the Social network analysis (SNA) approach with Nvivo 12 plus and Gephi 0.9.5 software. The study's findings show that the social network pattern in the Carocok mirrors a triple helix model. This model involves three key stakeholders: the government, the community, and the private sector. Tourism management resembles community-based tourism as it emphasizes the community as the primary stakeholder, with the community owning 89.27% of tourism assets, a more significant share than the government and private ownership. While the community broadly owns these assets, there is still room for more robust control and improvement in the capacity of tourism labor. Conflicts were found in rural tourism activities, such as developing tourism infrastructure that impacted the ecological damage of coastal areas, privatization of public spaces, inconsistencies in tourism product tariffs, illegal levies, and misunderstandings of governance between the government and local communities. Some of the problems are related to the lack of control and capacity owned by the community in the tourism sector. The government and the private sector play significant roles in enhancing capacity building and fostering entrepreneurship. Developing tourism will require media and academic collaboration to improve tourism in the future.

Planning strategic management for theme park tourism: Evidence from Indonesia

Herry Rachmat Widjaja — 2025-03-27

Limited studies discuss parks and tourism. The factors that influence the sustainability of a park have yet to be the concern of academics. Planning based on strategic management is a critical step in managing a park that has experienced a decline in management quality. This study aims to 1) identify the actual condition of park as a tourist attraction; 2) describe the factors supporting and inhibiting the management of park as a tourist attraction from the perspective of residents; 3) evaluate Maccini Park as a tourist attraction for visitors: 4) propose the planning and management of a park as a tourist attraction. This study employed a mixed-methods approach through interviews, observations, and surveys in January 2023. The research utilised primary data from the public and visitors to the park and secondary data through internet data review. The study results show that Maccini Sombala Park became the public’s and visitors’ primary choice for tourism when it opened in 2003. Covid-19 has had an impact on the unsustainable management of the park. Free entry of visitors and the public and low public awareness in maintaining tourist parks inhibit the park’s management. As a result, there are damaged and stolen facilities and irresponsible visits. The park can support urban tourism development due to factors such as strategic location, tourism support facilities, government efforts in managing the park and positive information on the internet media. This research advances the knowledge of strategic planning in park management from the perspective of theme park tourism. Practically, implementing a planning mechanism may overcome the issue of unsustainable management.