Due to information overload and the homogenization of tourism experiences, destinations need to stand out from competitors by engaging tourists early on from the pre-trip stage. Pre-consumption experiences created by marketing messages are especially important for the tourism industry due to the intangibility and high perceived risk of experiential products. The persuasive power of storytelling has increasingly been recognized by tourism practitioners as storytelling can be used to communicate with tourists the values and attractiveness of the destination while creating a sense of exploration and emotional connections. However, few efforts have been made to understand the persuasion process and outcomes of storytelling in tourism research. Tourism practitioners generally have difficulty understanding and measuring the impact of storytelling. Moreover, studies are inconsistent concerning the comparative effectiveness of storytelling and fact-based messages. This study, therefore, aims to examine the comparative effectiveness of storytelling and fact-based messages in marketing different types of tourism experiences, the effect of message format on tourists' transportation, emotions, attitudes toward the destination, and behavioral intentions as well as the mediating effect of transportation on the persuasion process. To address the study purpose, a conceptual framework was proposed to demonstrate the relationships among message format, transportation, and related outcomes (i.e., emotions, attitudes toward the destination, and behavioral intentions). A web-based between-subjects experimental design was conducted, and data were collected through MTurk online panel. Anderson & Gerbing's two-step approach was used to assess the proposed model and hypotheses. The study results suggest that message format significantly influences the level of transportation experienced by the message recipients, with storytelling messages generating significantly higher levels of transportation than fact-based messages. Transportation significantly influences emotions, attitudes toward the destination, and behavioral intentions (i.e., the intention to collect information about the destination, the intention to recommend the destination, and the visit intention). More importantly, the study showed that transportation is a key mediator of the relationships between message format and persuasion outcomes. This study contributes to the current body of narrative persuasion research by extending the research context to destination marketing and the experience industry in general. The study findings forward the knowledge on the impacts of message format on tourists' narrative transportation, emotions, attitudes, and behavioral intentions as well as the effect of transportation on the persuasion process. While providing important theoretical implications, this study responds to the recent rise of stories in tourism practice and offers valuable practical implications for tourism practitioners in designing effective marketing communication messages.

Loyalty programs are ubiquitous in the hotel industry, and many consumers are members of multiple loyalty programs. However, in the hospitality and tourism field, the research that examines multi-brand loyalty is scant. Therefore, this dissertation examines the multi-brand loyalty of hotel loyalty program members by examining how consumers divide their spending across multiple programs. This study used a multi-phase approach. First, a content analysis was conducted to evaluate current practices of loyalty programs. Second, a quantitative research method was adopted. Empirical data was collected from 330 respondents. The conceptual relationships among perceived value, experience satisfaction, loyalty, and share of wallet were analyzed through structural equation modeling. A loyalty matrix using attitudinal and behavioral measures was created, and each dimension was evaluated. This study found a significant impact of perceived value and satisfaction on attitudinal loyalty and share of wallet. Additionally, when mapped on a loyalty-continuum matrix, the majority of respondents exhibit high attitudinal loyalty but were split equally between low and high behavioral loyalty. The present study provides important implications. Theoretically, the content analysis found that most loyalty programs provide little differentiation from each other. Similarly, the results from the survey showed that consumers perceive the value of their loyalty programs to be similar. This current study found support for the applicability of the loyalty matrix on hotel loyalty program members with multiple memberships. It also extends the typology by introducing share of wallet to represent actual behavioral loyalty. Practically, this study offers suggestions on how loyalty programs can provide differentiation in the market. The study suggests opportunities on how managers can improve marketing strategies by segmenting customers in a more multi-dimensional way to increase loyalty and share of wallet.

While theme park parades have developed with technology and guest demands, there is an opportunity to continue innovating the medium with additional guest interactivity. This thesis tracks experiential comparatives that provide iterative components to be utilized for a new theme park parade concept; parade "show stops" that allow for guests to approach the parade floats up-close, participatory entertainment offerings with live actor-driven branching narratives, roleplay and gameplay-driven interactive experiences, and theme park parades that follow a direct linear narrative. What follows is a theme park parade design concept, accompanied by a production and operational plan, that combines the existing spectacle of these productions with: guest-driven storytelling alongside parade performers; guest agency through active design decision making; and technology-driven interactives that drive guest repeatability. The intent of this thesis is to provide a template for realized designs to be implemented in theme parks, including application of intellectual property, an effervescent element in the success of modern-day theme park parades.

Previous literature echoes the notion that destination marketing organizations (DMOs) play a critical role in ensuring a desired tourism development scenario. To date, the performance measurement of destination marketing organizations is paralleled to financial indicators or operations, ignoring the presence and quality of relationships among DMOs and tourism stakeholders. Based on the premise of social capital theory, it is argued that social capital and the inter-organizational relationships between DMOs and tourism stakeholders can influence the success of tourism efforts in a destination, which in return is a contributing factor to the DMOs success as an organization. Furthermore, broader literature indicates that inter-organizational relationships moderate the influence of social capital in the success of the organizations. Yet, there is no empirical evidence on how these factors influence the success of U. S. DMOs. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the role of social capital and inter-organizational relationships and their impact on the DMO and its success. A quantitative approach was employed for this study. The targeted population was DMO stakeholders in the United States. A web-based survey was designed and administered, adapting established scales from prior literature. Social capital was measured by its cognitive, relational, and structural dimensions, while inter-organizational relationships were measured by their trust, power symmetry, and commitment dimensions. A previously validated measurement instrument of success was also utilized as stakeholder satisfaction for measuring DMOs' success. Data were cleaned with SPSS v 24.0 and analyzed with Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results of the study indicate that both cognitive social capital and relational social capital have a positive impact on the success of the DMO. Additionally, the study indicates that the structural aspect of social capital was found not to influence the success of the DMO. The study results also showed that inter-organizational relationships did not moderate the relationship between social capital and DMO success. However, two of the components of IOR indicated a positive impact on DMO success. The results of the study offer practitioners and academicians valuable insights into the indicators that influence the mechanism of DMOs success. Furthermore, the study contributes to the advancement of tourism literature by broadening the understanding of the success of destination marketing organizations. Lastly, the study shed light on the prominence of stakeholder-oriented marketing approaches for DMOs, highlighting the synergy created by these relationships.

This study focuses on the consumers' brand equity of the tourism development Giga project in Saudi Arabia, specifically the Qiddiya project's perspective. Tourism in Saudi Arabia one of the pillars of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, to contribute to diversifying the base of the national economy, attract investments, increase sources of income, and provide job opportunities for citizens, as the sector is witnessing rapid growth thanks to plans to promote the tourism sector. The Vision 2030 is a social and economic strategic long-term program by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to diversify the nation's economy and stimulate numerous changes in its social and economic sectors. This study measures the Qiddiya project's brand equity (Authenticity, Association, Awareness, Image, and loyalty) between males and females in Saudi Arabia to understand Qiddiya brand equity and ways to develop the tourism sector. This study has been chosen because Saudi citizens are experiencing the Qiddiya project in Riyadh and tourism development in the country. The sampling target for this study included only Saudi citizens who have traveled abroad in the past three years for leisure and 18 years or older. The findings of this study focus on providing a view of Qiddiya's brand equity and determining if there are significant differences between males and females. These results showed significant differences between males and females regarding brand awareness, perceived quality, perceived value, and brand loyalty (Intention to Visit and Recommend). However, no significant differences were found regarding brand authenticity, brand association, and brand image. This significant contribution of this study is the advancement of the theoretical and practical viewpoints of brand equity for a Giga Tourism Project in Saudi Arabia. Especially since previous tourism in Saudi Arabia mainly examines either the impacts of tourism development or religious tourism. This study also contributes to the body of knowledge by considering the residents' perception of a new experiential product for domestic visitors that engage with Qiddiya. The study also provides recommendations to tourism stakeholders to manage brand equity between males and females given their differences in perceptions. In addition, this study provides useful information for destination managers to better understand citizens' perceptions of new domestic tourism experiences in Saudi Arabia and their intention to consume.

Gamification has been used extensively to examine consumers' behavioral intentions. The existing empirical studies discussing the effectiveness of gamification and hotel guests' behavioral intentions are still in scarcity. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of achievements on hotel guests' energy-saving behavioral intentions and revisiting intentions. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) was used to understand hotel guests' decision-making process and test the impact of achievements on three TPB indicators (attitudes towards a behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control). This study further examined the effects of three TPB indicators on consumers' intentions to use gamification, intentions to save energy, and intentions to revisit a hotel. A total of 437 questionnaires were collected for data analysis through an online self-administrative survey on Amazon M-Turk. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was used to determine the achievements' measurements. A series of regression analyses were employed to test the impacts of achievements on behavioral intentions. The results of the EFA identified two key dimensions of achievements (i.e., achievement motivation and achievement difficulty). The results of a series of regression analyses indicated that achievements had a significant and positive impact on attitudes towards using achievement-based energy-saving gamification (ABESG) and subjective norms. However, achievements had a significant but partially positive impact on perceived behavioral control. Three TPB indicators had a significant and positive impact on intentions to use ABESG. Intentions to use ABESG had a significant and positive impact on energy-saving intentions and revisiting intentions. The findings of this study verified the effectiveness of achievements on intentions to use gamification, intentions to save energy, and intentions to revisit a hotel. The theoretical implications of this study are its contribution to two core areas. The first core area is the empirical study of achievements on behavioral intentions. The second core area is the extension of TPB under the gamification studies to hotel guests' intentions to save energy and intentions to revisit a hotel. The managerial implications of this study indicate the importance of achievements' design to motivate consumers' energy-saving behavioral intentions, leading to sustainability and marketing strategies in hotel sectors.

The concept of brands and the process of branding have been in use for centuries (Nancarrow & Nancarrow, 2007). Branding has enabled producers to differentiate their products more easily from one another. In addition to product differentiation, brands also communicate a firm's values through a variety of names, slogans, symbols, and designs. Through a process of communication, brands can facilitate a relationship-building process that can mimic human-to-human interactions. In the current market, it is an ongoing challenge for firms to stay current with consumer trends. Keeping up with what is considered cool can often determine a firm's success. Traditionally coolness has been considered a human attribute. However, in recent years, it has also been associated with inanimate objects and brands (Belk, 2006). Firms that strive to be perceived as cool have been shown to be more noticeable and are viewed more positively. Although coolness is ubiquitous in marketing and branding practices, it is still unclear how it is positioned amongst other branding constructs. Due to its similarities, scholars have often placed brand coolness alongside brand personality, yet there is a need to confirm its relationship with brand personality (Warren et al., 2019). In addition, considering brand personality's important role in understanding brand identity (Kapferer, 2012), the relationship between brand coolness and brand identity needs to be explored, as brand identity is known to influence purchase intentions (You & Hon, 2021). Lastly, this dissertation aims to examine the practical applications of brand coolness and its impact on wine consumer attitudes and behaviors. To address these issues, this dissertation conducted three studies. The first and second studies applied survey research design and generated a self-administered online questionnaire that was hosted on Qualtrics.com and MTurk. Anderson & Gerbing's two-step approach to SEM was applied and the data were analyzed to investigate brand coolness, brand personality, brand identity, and purchase intentions. The third study applied a between-subjects quasi-experimental design and examined the impacts of wine brand characteristics on perceived brand coolness, purchase intentions, and willingness to pay more. The results suggest that brand coolness is a separate construct from brand identity, that brand coolness plays an important role in the understanding of brand identity and its relationship with purchase intentions, and that brand characteristics, such as celebrity association, can have a positive impact on perceptions of brand coolness, intentions to purchase, and consumers' willingness to pay more for cool products. This dissertation provides important theoretical and managerial implications by establishing and confirming the relationship between brand coolness and brand personality, proposing brand coolness as a central component of brand identity, and providing practical applications for wine brands that utilize brand coolness to influence consumer attitudes and behavior.

This thesis investigated factors affecting travelers' intention to adopt a new type of travel-focused mobile application named travel-tracking mobile applications (TTMA). In general, TTMAs enable travelers to act as travel-posters (i.e., those who use the application to record and post/share their travel routes and travel-related information and experiences), and/or travel-takers (i.e., those who use the application to access, read, and follow the travel routes and other travel-related information and experiences posted/shared by travel-posters). By adopting an extended version of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) framework (Venkatesh et al., 2012), the first part of the study examined factors influencing travel-takers' intention to use the information provided on TTMAs. Based on the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) (Deci & Ryan 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2000) and an extended version of the UTAUT2 framework (Venkatesh et al., 2012), the second part of the study investigated factors affecting travel-posters' intention to post/share their travel-related information on TTMAs. To examine the proposed relationships, this study adopted a two-step approach recommended by Anderson and Gerbing (1988). The first step included a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess the measurement model. The second step of the data analysis employed a structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the study hypotheses. Data collected from 305 mobile app users who traveled for leisure purposes at least once in the last two years demonstrated that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, hedonic motivations, and trust positively; and system privacy, negatively influenced users' intension to use TTMA as travel-takers. In addition, the study results revealed that effort expectancy, hedonic motivation, social benefits, self-image had a positive impact; and location privacy concerns had a negative impact on users' intention to use TTMA as travel-posters. The findings of the current study contribute to the general body of knowledge in the context of technology acceptance in general, and TTMA acceptance in the travel and tourism industries in particular. The study results also provide significant practical implications for hospitality, tourism-related technology companies, and travel entrepreneurs.

Drive tourism has proven to be a popular sub-sector of the tourism industry, given its ability to offer tourists a substantial amount of flexibility and sense of freedom in determining what destinations to explore. Few studies have examined the future of the drive tourism with consideration to changing technologies and growing awareness to the impact of carbon emissions and Green House Gasses. Research has recently begun to examine the ecological consequences of park transportation systems. Some of these problems can be seen within the United States National Park System (NPS), as various park units are experiencing problems related to infrastructure and preservation of sites. As transportation plays an integral role within the NPS, the impacts of drive tourism must be considered. The study is founded on the premise that electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging stations will reduce GHG emissions, thereby increasing sustainability, supporting sustainable tourism and sustainable drive tourism within the NPS. In an effort to promote sustainable transportation efforts throughout the NPS this study investigates the facilitators that enable an EV infrastructure in some parks and inhibitors for other parks that have yet to develop an EV infrastructure. A qualitative methodology was adopted for this study. Data were analyzed using NVivo with findings being presented in case study format. The study, which offers a conceptual model and offers new definitions for electric vehicles and electric vehicle infrastructure within nature based tourism context, finds key facilitators to include: collaborative efforts through public/private partnerships, strong leadership within the NPS, and availability of funding; major inhibitors being: geography of park unit, lack cultural openness within NPS park unit, and regulatory policies. Current research has given little attention to the future sustainability of drive tourism, allowing this study to add to the academic body of knowledge. Additionally, the suggestions offered in the study are relevantly timed to what is happening within the industry.

Every enchanted Fall season, a segment of the public flocks to a multitude of haunted Halloween attractions across the U.S., to experience fear as a form of amusement and entertainment. Psychologists continue to research the physiological and cognitive behaviors that are associated with fear and the "fight or flight" responses that are triggered when individuals are engaged in a heighten sense of danger. However, as guests traverse through these haunted attraction experiences, it's commonplace for guests to enter into these typical modes of "fight or flight" behaviors very quickly. Once this response kicks in, the guests' instinct is to scramble through each haunt scene as quickly as possible, in order to return to safety, thus rushing through and fleeing the experience. The most standard blueprint for these types of themed attractions, are typically in the form of a maze-like walkthrough floorplan. These designs and layouts, however, have become excessively routine and exceptionally predictable to guests, thus setting up a preconceived expectation of the experience to come. This enables guests to preemptively know how or what to expect and are likely able to predict typical scares in the attraction. This study will work to examine and explore a haunted attraction design that incorporates themed haunted attraction experiences in a series of singular rooms, as compared to the traditional walkthrough haunted maze layouts. This proposed design concept will also work to incorporate various ways of guest engagement, increased attraction intensity, and deeper depths of immersion by combining advancing methods of Promenade Theatre & Breaking the Fourth Wall with guests.