Promoting Relationship Marketing of Tour Leaders’ Blog: The Role of Charisma

Abstract

Whether blogs possess relationship marketing outcomes is a subject that has not been analyzed empirically. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between blog function characteristics and relationship marketing outcomes as well as to clarify the role of tour leaders’ charisma. Online survey data from 415 customers indicate that blog function characteristics have a positive effect on relationship marketing outcomes. Tour leaders’ charisma also has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between blog function characteristics and relationship marketing outcomes. Implications of these findings as well as future research are subsequently discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An asymmetrical approach to understanding configurations of customer loyalty in the airline industry

“…Relationship quality has been considered as a set of intangible values in the exchange between a customer and a seller or a provider (e.g., Levitt, 1986;Crosby et al, 1990). Although there is no consensus on which dimensions make up relationship quality, three constructs have been regarded as the core dimensions: satisfaction, trust and commitment (e.g., De Wulf et al, 2001;Athanasopoulou, 2009;Tsaur et al, 2014). These dimensions are important in explaining customer loyalty (e.g., Akamavi et al, 2015;Garbarino and Johnson, 1999;Loureiro and Miranda, 2008).…”

Brand Attachment, Tour Leader Attachment, and Behavioral Intentions of Tourists

“…Because of the growth in travel knowledge and experience, many consumers choose GPT products according to the brand of the travel agency, resulting in strong attachment to a specific travel brand. A travel agency builds a relationship with their customers by using the popularity or charisma of a tour leader (Tsaur, Wu, Yen, & Wu, 2014), thereby escorting their customers around the world. Thus, tourists' emotional attachment to a specific travel brand or tour leader is an increasingly common phenomenon.…”

Tour Leading in South America: Job Inputs and Outcomes

“…Yet, TLs’ work environment exposes them to unique stressors (e.g., natural disasters, long working hours without supervision) that make this job a very challenging one. Although the literature stressed the importance of TLs for the tourism industry (Tsaur et al 2014; Wang et al 2010), little was known about the extent to which the job environment of tour leading affected TLs’ well-being and job satisfaction. This study took a step forward by measuring the effect of job rewards and stressors in TLs’ well-being and job satisfaction using a multidisciplinary approach framed within the facet analysis model (Beehr and Newman 1978).…”

“…In principle, TLs’ duties circumscribe to ensuring tourists’ safety and satisfaction and facilitating tourists’ interaction with host communities and their natural and cultural resources (Luoh and Tsaur 2013; Wong and Wang 2009). Yet, their job is far more complex because it demands performing a wide array of roles, such as psychologist, entertainer, organizer, problem solver, translator, environmental and cultural interpreter, advertising endorser, and mediator (Bowie and Chang 2005; Carnicelli-Filho 2013; Cohen 1985; Curtin 2010; Lin, Wang, and Chen 2008; Mancini 1990; Tsaur et al 2014; Weiler and Davis 1993).…”

“…At the individual level, there is growing concern across the tourism industry about physical, mental, and social well-being of employees because of working long hours under stressful conditions (Janta et al 2011; Kara et al 2013). It is especially important to assess stress levels among TLs because their job performance is an important influencer of tourist satisfaction (Cheng et al 2016; Curtin 2010; Mossberg 1995; Tsaur and Lin 2014; Tsaur et al 2014; Wong and Wang 2009).…”