Master of Science / Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics / Jeannie Sneed / Hostels play a significant role in the lodging industry throughout the world and even in some locations in the United States (U.S.). However, in many places in the U.S. hostels have yet to be introduced. They have the potential to offer budget lodging accommodation, but hotels and motels remain the most popular forms of lodging. This study investigated the perceptions of Kansas State University (KSU) students about hostels and their intent to use hostels. A focus group was used to gain insight into students’ perceptions of hostels and aided in the development of a written survey. An online survey was used to gather information from KSU students. It was sent to a randomly selected sample of 5,000 KSU students. There was a response rate of 8% (n=401). Respondents knew about hostels and were willing to stay in them. A factor analysis was conducted on 31 characteristics of hostels that might be important to hostel users and it was determined that these items could be reduced to three factors: Safety and Amenities ([alpha]=.92); Location and Socializing([alpha]=.91); and Accommodations ([alpha]=.60). Safety and Amenities had the highest mean scores for individual items in the factor while Accommodations had the lowest. Multiple linear regression was used to determine if the three factors would predict KSU students’ intent to stay in a hostel. The regression model was significant (p[less than or equal to].000) and all three factors were significant. The model had an R Square of .31. A t-test was used to determine if males and females differed in intent to stay in a hostel, Safety and Amenities, Location and Socializing, and Accommodation. Females had higher mean scores for Safety and Amenities and Location and Socializing than did males. This study showed that college students would stay in a hostel. Hostel owners/operators and hostel organizations can use this information to better market their hostel and it will help them to determine which amenities they will need to have to meet customer demands. Research should be conducted with a larger and more geographically diverse sample to determine if the results can be generalized beyond KSU students. Research with actual hostel users will help to determine characteristics they think are important and to compare results with this study.

Master of Science / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / LaBarbara J. Wigfall / Community Capital Framework often provides a foundation for analyzing community development in cities and neighborhoods (Flora & Flora, 2008). However, the relationship between cultural heritage tourism and individual community capitals has been little studied in southern, Arizona. Therefore the primary objective of this study is to determine the most influential capitals at a renowned cultural heritage site in Arizona, Saguaro National Park. For this case study an assessment system will be established to assess the most influential capitals. Robert Stake’s The Art of Case Study Research was used as the research model to examine the relationships between cultural heritage tourism and the individual community capitals at Saguaro National Park. Results from this case study indicated that natural and cultural capitals appear to be the most influential because much of the monument’s development and community outreach revolve around the protection of the site’s Saguaros and their importance as a cultural heritage resource to the indigenous people of the Sonoran desert.

Master of Science / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional Community Planning / Stephanie A. Rolley / As bicycle tourists seek interesting experiences along low traffic roads, rural communities are poised to embrace bicycle tourism as a community development strategy. Asset based community development provides a methodology for communities to utilize assets that already exist within their communities to meet the needs of these tourists. The community capitals framework then provides a platform for analyzing and discussing the existing assets, as well as helping hone in on ways communities can develop further. The Sunken Lands region of Northeast Arkansas is one such rural region seeking to embrace bicycle tourism. Two case studies of communities that have capitalized on their existing assets to accommodate bicyclists were completed to explore potential for using the community capitals framework to guide pursuit of bicycle tourism. A snowball approach to interviewing community members in Collinwood, Tennessee and Farmington, Missouri was used to discover the details of bicycle accommodations, the processes of pursuing bicycle tourism, the people and groups involved, the types of assets used, and any challenges faced in implementation. Additionally, existing literature was used to substantiate each case and provide a more robust community picture. Emerging from the case studies were commonalities that aligned with the community capitals framework and Emery and Flora’s (2006) theory that community change is driven by social capital. The result is a tool that aligns community assets with the needs of bicycle tourists with the community capitals framework.

Master of Public Health / Department of Kinesiology / Andrew T. Kaczynski / Background: With the dramatic increase in childhood obesity rates over the last three decades, parks can offer an accessible and affordable population-level solution to the important issue of youth physical inactivity. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the association of park proximity and park features with nearby youth achieving recommended levels of physical activity. Methods: This community-based study was conducted in Kansas City, Missouri. Valid physical activity data were obtained for 191 youth via a parent proxy survey with an overall response rate of 27.4%. Geographic information systems (GIS) were used to create three measures of park proximity within 1 mile of children’s homes. Detailed park characteristic information for all parks within 1 mile of the youth (n=146 parks) was obtained via observational audits. Binary logistic regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between each park proximity and park characteristic variable and the likelihood of youth meeting physical activity recommendations, while controlling individual and neighborhood level covariates. Results: All youth and female youth who had a park within one-half mile of home were more likely to achieve physical activity recommendations than those with no parks nearby. Likewise, all youth and male youth with three or more parks within 1 mile were significantly more likely to achieve physical activity recommendations than those with only 1 park. Further, youth that had a park with a playground within one-half mile or a baseball field within 1 mile of their home were more likely to achieve physical activity recommendations. Finally, having a park with particular amenities within 1 mile from home (transit stops, traffic signals, picnic tables, grills, trash cans, shade, and roads through the park) was also associated with greater odds of achieving physical activity recommendations. Conclusions: Parks are valuable community resources that can play an important role in the battle against rising rates of obesity and chronic disease in youth across the country. Better understanding the ways in which these settings are associated with physical activity among children can inform future research and environmental and policy changes that can promote the health and well-being of generations to come.

Doctor of Philosophy / Hospitality Management and Dietetics / Rebecca A. Gould / Chihyung Ok / The Internet has been one of the primary channels for acquiring information during pre-purchase and actual purchase stages characterized by easy entry and low supplier power. Internet travel businesses find it harder to retain customers, and customer defection to better alternatives is inevitable. Travel website developers and/or managers face problems that make it necessary to understand and identify what makes their customers continue to use websites without switching. To date, much attention has gone to identifying what affects website users’ behavioral intentions. Limited research, however, has been published on the experiential value of using travel websites and what influences travelers to switch to other travel websites, a context that requires more information. The purpose of this study was to explore and test travelers’ loyalty empirically, along with determinants like the value of travel websites and website switching drivers. In particular, Study 1 proposed a theoretical model identifying the effects of a website’s experiential value on satisfaction, and, in turn, attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty. Study 2 aimed to examine website switching factors (i.e., switching costs, attractiveness of alternatives, and perceived network externality) on the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty. Along with the purpose and objectives of the study, 14 hypotheses were proposed based on the literature review. Data were collected from 384 travel website users in the United States who are 18 years or older and have used travel websites within the last three months. The proposed relationships were examined using structural equation modeling and hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Results showed that customer return on investment, service excellence, and aesthetics were directly associated with satisfaction; satisfaction was directly related to attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty; attitudinal loyalty showed a positive influence on behavioral loyalty; and attitudinal loyalty partially mediated the relationship of satisfaction with behavioral loyalty. Further, the results of this study revealed that switching costs, attractiveness of alternatives, and perceived network externality were significantly and positively associated with loyalty, but their interaction effects with satisfaction on loyalty were not significant. The findings should add to the understanding of travelers’ value perception of travel websites and website switching behaviors. In addition to its contribution to the literature, online travel and tourism businesses or organizations benefit from suggestions of practical applications for retaining customers.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Architecture / Huston Gibson / National monument to national park re-designation can be identified as a controversial issue that poses an array of implications for surrounding communities. These perceived implications have the ability to create or change policies, regulations, economic development, marketing, quality of life and other direct or indirect impacts to communities. In 2010, Grand Junction, Colorado proposed re-designation of the Colorado National Monument to a national park. The community expressed split views on the issue expressing concerns on issues such as the preservation, traffic, regulated uses, restrictions, government imposition, property values, infrastructure, costs, economic prosperity and other impacts that might occur from re-designation. A multiple case study was conducted in order to determine if there were any significant impacts to other communities that had gone through similar re-designation efforts. The Community Capital Framework was used in determining the assets investigated for the years of 2000 and 2010. The findings of this study suggest that there are no substantial apparent impacts within the locations of past re-designation. Grand Junction had somewhat parallel findings to the other sites, even without the presence of re-designation. Suggesting, the re-designation efforts should be focused less on the community impacts and more on the short-term vs long-term park/monument effects.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Geography / Bimal K. Paul / Medical tourism comprises a phenomenon where over five million patients a year are traveling across international borders to obtain various forms of health care. Most of these patients travel from developed countries to developing countries, seeking highly invasive medical treatments to less invasive and recreational medical procedures. By the year 2012, the medical tourism industry generated over $100 billion with over 50 countries making it a priority in trade for their country. With active government promotions, India has become one of the leading destinations for medical tourism. The objective of this research was to answer the questions: 1) how do the attitudes and behaviors of patients towards the concept of medical tourism influence their decision to become a medical tourist; 2) why do medical tourists seek treatment in India; and 3) what are the issues and challenges they face before coming to India as well as while in India. Interviews of thirty-four foreign patients were conducted in six sites spread across the South-Indian cities of Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Chennai which revealed useful information in addressing the research objectives. The three most important reasons that these medical tourists chose India for their treatments were: 1) the high quality of the doctors and medical facilities in India, 2) the affordable cost of treatments, and 3) the availability of specific treatments that might not have been available in their home countries. Patients also researched the topic thoroughly before they came to India. Knowledge was gained primarily from the Internet, print media, television shows and friends. Overall, the patients had very positive attitudes towards medical tourism. Most of them felt that they could get treatment because of their positive opinion on medical tourism, their ability to get treatment if they desired, and support from their families and loved ones.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Katie Kingery-Page / Experiences in natural environments are perceived as a human necessity. Additionally, prior studies show that nature access has emotional, cognitive, and psychological benefits for children. Nature is defined as a space comprised mostly of vegetation that allows an individual to escape common surroundings. Access is defined as the ability to interact with high-quality nature by walking or biking in close proximity to one’s place of residence. This geospatial analysis employs Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology and site analysis to assess whether or not socioeconomic factors, and their relationship to housing choice, affect a child’s access to nature. The study includes measures of socioeconomic status and how these factors influence a child’s access to nature within parks and school facilities. The results show that including qualitative factors enhances the traditional model of measuring “distance as access.” There was no inequality in access found in the study area when qualitative factors are included. The project implication is that communities can focus public resources and planning efforts in areas lacking access to nature for children. This leads to geographically less segregated neighborhoods and improved equity in nature access across a community.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Mary Catherine (Katie) Kingery-Page / In the United States, minorities are less physically active and in turn at higher risk for heart disease, diabetes and obesity. The purpose of my study is to examine the factors that influence physical activity in neighborhood parks and to answer: What aspects of park design and programming discourage physical activity participation in African American women? My goal is to identify barriers to physical activity and make recommendations for improving design and programming of a neighborhood park. The results of my research are relevant to the planning profession because planners can use public policy to combat inequality in the built environment. Many studies have related recreation access to socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, age, and gender. While African American women are not the only disadvantaged population when it comes to access to recreation, they do have a higher risk for obesity. In trying to answer why African American women have higher rates of obesity, some studies have found that while willingness to participate in physical activity does not differ in white and black women, duration of physical activity does. My research employs a mixed methods approach to understand the barriers to physical activity experienced by African American women, in context of a neighborhood park. This study uses a physical assessment of James Mulligan Park and the surrounding neighborhood within Alexandria, Virginia. Following the physical assessment I piloted a survey to gather information on the barriers to physical activity. The pilot guided a final survey of seventeen participating African American women in the neighborhood. I hypothesized that the perception of park safety will have an effect on the rate of physical activity in African American women. This hypothesis points to a general barrier for all women. Based on literature review, I also expected to find barriers unique to African American women. The study concluded that African American women in this neighborhood share some barriers with all women and they also expressed some barriers unique to African American women. I found that personal barriers like “exercise tires me” was the most common, rather than perceptions of safety. In addition, I found culturally specific barriers, such as “exercising is not my cultural activity” and “I avoid exercise to protect my hairstyle.” Based on my analysis of the setting and surveys I make several recommendations for the park and neighborhood.