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 Economist (2017) estimated that the last five decades witnessed a substantial increase in the number of crises occurring around the world each year. This increase makes effective crisis communication strategies critical for destination management and marketing, which is hinged on a sound understanding of how audience members interpret the meaning of and respond to media content in the news. Destination risk perception has been well documented in tourism literature; however, there is little research regarding the contingent effects of media. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation is to identify how the media influences the direct and indirect relationships between destination risk perception, information-seeking and avoiding behaviors, and destination loyalty (the likelihood to recommend and likelihood to visit) with the conditional effect of optimism bias. This dissertation employed a 2 x 3 between-subjects factorial posttest-only quasi-experimental design with a randomized online sample, with six distinct conditions and a control group. A conceptual framework was developed to help explain the effect of the modeled relationships. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings showed that destination risk perception had a negative effect on destination loyalty, and information avoiding was found to partially mediate the effect of destination risk perception on destination loyalty. Also, the contingency effects of the risk type and crisis communication media effects each played a role in explaining the outcomes of destination risk perception. The present study offers important theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically, the current research adds to the limited knowledge of media effects on a tourist's destination risk perception and subsequent tourist behaviors, while also filling the gap for crisis communication media effects of news framing theory. Practically, DMOs must understand how tourists interpret and react to media; therefore, best practices and solutions to implement an adequate crisis communication plan are suggested.

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.

Focusing on positive service encounters, this study examined the relationships among employee behaviors, customers' positive emotions, and subsequent customer behaviors. A comprehensive framework of positive service encounters and ten hypotheses were developed based on an in-depth literature review and an application of the theory of cognitive appraisal and the theory of positive emotions. The dissertation employed a survey design with measurements from previous research and collected data with Amazon Mechanical Turk. The target sample (N=299) was individuals that had a positive interaction with an employee at hotels over the last six months. The Structural Equation Modeling results suggested that employees' mutual understanding affects customer gratitude and employees' unsolicited behaviors and competence influence customer delight. Subsequently, customer gratitude has a positive relationship with customers' repurchase intentions and word-of-mouth. In addition, customer delight has a positive relationship with customer' repurchase intentions and positive word-of-mouth. However, the results of the study did not support that customer delight can be triggered by employees' authenticity and customer gratitude can be evoked by employees' customized service. In addition, the relationship between customer gratitude and customers' providing feedback was not established. This study provides valuable implications for the industry regarding generating favorable customer behaviors in positive service encounters. This research also offers a theoretical explanation of systematic relationships among five dimensions of employee behaviors, two customers' discrete emotions, and three customer behavioral intentions in positive service encounters.