Online hotel booking is a common practice among potential travelers. When booking a hotel room, potential travelers make their decisions by analyzing limited information, such as number of rooms sold at a specific price, availability of rooms, and consumer ratings. Considering the importance of information clues that facilitate potential travelers’ decision-making, this study attempted to identify main effects and interaction effects of diverse information clues, such as scarcity, popularity, and consumer ratings, when booking a hotel room. Utilizing a 2_Scarcity × 2_Popularity × 2_Ratings factorial design, popularity and consumer ratings had main effects on the booking intention. In addition, the interaction effect of scarcity and popularity was identified. More implications are discussed in the main body of this paper.

Current trends in the tourism industry indicate that most potential travelers purchase tourism products from online travel agents that provide price promotions. Even though the range of price promotions often varies, the tourism literature does not address potential travelers’ perceptions after purchasing products at various discount rates. This study examined the relationships among different discount rates, temporal distance, and counterfactual thinking—a mental undoing of existing outcomes. Results showed that the relationship between discount rate and counterfactual thinking had a U-shaped curve. Furthermore, the shape differed by temporal distance. The optimal discount rate for minimizing counterfactual thinking was 29.62% when the reservation was made 15 days prior to departure but rose to 33.33% when the reservation was made three months prior to departure. This study suggested that counterfactual thinking mediates the relationship between discount rate and perceived regret.

Travelers encounter sold-out situations when purchasing a vacation package during peak season. However, the influence of sold-out information has drawn little attention in tourism research. This study aims to understand the influences of sold-out products on travelers’ purchase intentions and final choices. To fulfill the research objective, 526 samples were collected by the online marketing firm in the United States. Results suggested that presenting information about sold-out products increases purchase intention toward a target product similar to the sold-out product, regardless of prior experience with a destination. Further discussions are provided in the main body of paper.

This study investigates the impact of tourism development on the well-being of impoverished residents in the urban area of La Candelaria, Bogotá, and the rural area of La Macarena, Meta. The participants were recruited using Colombia’s SISBÉN classification system by approaching individuals in public spaces such as bakeries, markets, and restaurants. After confirming their residency, only those classified in categories A (extreme poverty), B (moderate poverty), or C (vulnerable population) were included in the study. Data collection took place in May 2017, resulting in 307 surveys from the participants across both locations. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), the findings reveal that economic benefits are the most influential factor, significantly enhancing happiness and life satisfaction. While cultural and environmental benefits are acknowledged, they are less directly linked to personal well-being. The study highlights tourism’s complex role in promoting economic growth and shaping the social, cultural, and environmental aspects of community life. However, it also identifies potential risks, such as environmental degradation and social disruption, particularly in different spatial contexts. The research underscores the need for tourism development to provide tangible, personal benefits that align with residents’ economic and emotional priorities, ensuring sustainable and equitable outcomes, especially considering the spatial disparities between urban and rural areas that influence tourism’s effectiveness in improving well-being and alleviating poverty.