This study is particularly interested in investigating how young tourists perceive and trust Instagram travel influencers and examine what aspects of the Instagram travel influencers' posts can successfully spark the intention of their followers to visit a destination promoted/recommended. This study employed a quantitative approach using a crosssectional study employing a non-probability sampling technique. A total of 366 young tourists responded to the questionnaire. This study computed SEM-PLS analysis using SmartPLS3 to test the model fit of the data and to explain the attributes that influence the intention to visit travel destinations among young tourists. Young tourists' are primarily influenced by the visual appeal, credible content and perceived popularity and engagement from Instagram travel influencers. Instagram travel influencers impact not only the decisionmaking and motivating travelers, but also on the tourism industry's marketers or business owners in terms of increased travel marketing potential. Destination marketers using Instagram influencers can utilize the findings of this study to strategize the attributes that lead the tourists to have the travel intention. Also, this study makes recommendations for Instagram travel influencers to incorporate important elements in their posts and stories to be more beneficial for their young followers.
Technology adoption in classrooms has impacted the way educational practitioners conduct assessments. Online quizzes are preferred compared to paper-pencil based tests. However, very few information that explains the contribution of online assessment towards holistic attainment of students in English. The present study aimed at examining the effects of online assessments on students’ performance. This research employed a quasi-experimental study to evaluate the role of interactive online assessments toward students’ performance in English. Eighty-six undergraduate students in TESL participated in this study; 53 were randomly assigned to the online group while 33 were assigned to the control group. The research computed t-tests to compare the performance of both groups on five different assessments. The results revealed that the online assessment group performed better on four assessments tested—listening and reading skills. The control group performed significantly higher on the assessment that involved presentation (evaluated speaking skill). These findings indicate that online assessments enhance students’ mastery of listening, reading, and writing skill but rather not so much influence on verbal skills. This research implies that educational practitioners should not entirely rely on interactive online platforms. To incorporate the blended-learning approach, classroom activities must consist of a combination of online and offline strategies.
Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to test if and how interactive thematic maps can encourage the formation of tourists' perceptual maps of attractions in a destination. Design/methodology/approach -Data were derived from 365 online trip planners generated by users of the Amish Country web site from 1 August 2007 to 31 July 2008. Given the nature of the data set, network analysis techniques were used to analyze the data. Findings -Network analysis findings demonstrate that the things to do (TTD) included in the interactive Heritage Trail map were more frequently bundled together in the saved trip plans than TTDs included in other sections of the web site. Further analysis suggests that some additional non-Heritage TTDs could be included in the Heritage Trail map due to their perceptual proximity. Practical implications -The findings provide evidence that interactive maps on web sites can play an important role in tourists' planning behavior, which has significant implications for online tourism marketing. The findings also provide insights as to how online behavioral data can be used to derive marketing intelligence. Originality/value -This study contributes to the theoretical development of the role of interactive maps in travel planning and also illustrates the usefulness of network analysis for investigating tourism-related issues.
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