Travel and tour operators (TTOs) have become increasingly and positively engaged in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) due to increased consumer awareness and responsible business practices. However, CSR engagement has not fully permeated the travel and tourism industry in Nepal as it is still considered ambiguous. There is a need to identify baseline knowledge, and to institute programs and policies for CSR engagement. This study formulated a conceptual model to empirically test the relationship between perceptions of CSR (comparative, benefits and favorability) and its association with the importance, participation and future engagement intentions among TTOs in Nepal. Data were collected via a questionnaire among TTO (n = 138) that were registered with the National Association of Tour and Travel Agents. Based on the results, CSR was deemed to be important due to customers’ favorability toward organizations that implemented related activities. This relationship influenced CSR participation and subsequently led to future intentions to engage. Overall, it was apparent that the TTOs which were essentially small and medium enterprises were focused on CSR implementation largely due to customers’ pressure and/or demand. This study provides knowledge to devise appropriate strategies to drive CSR implementation in the tourism industry via TTO in Nepal.

Angkor Wat in Cambodia is one of the most significant archaeological sites in the world inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also consistently rated as the top Global Landmark by travelers in TripAdvisor. This study employed big data analytics to examine visitor experience via sentiment and topic analysis, given the popularity and volume of visitors annually. The process involved an examination of 32,394 online reviews about Angkor Wat posted between January 2015 and October 2019 on Tripadvisor’s website. The analysis was conducted for reviews with one, two, and three-star ratings, and those with four and five star ratings separately. Results showed highly skewed positive ratings, while similar positive sentiments dominated the reviews. Topic analysis disclosed that sunset and sunrise experience, attraction structure, guided tours, and temple experience were topics attributed mostly to positive sentiments. Conversely, crowding, persistent selling, clothing style, and expenses were illustrated as negative topics. Such insights are useful for managers at Angkor Wat to develop various marketing and management interventions to effectively manage the site and to optimize visitor experiences.

This research examined multidimensional relationships of service quality and motivation with satisfaction and loyalty intentions among visitors at Gaurishankar Conservation Area (GCA) in Nepal. Data were collected via a questionnaire survey with international tourists, and analysis was conducted using partial least square structural equation modeling. Satisfaction was significantly and positively related to both intention to revisit and intention to recommend, thus suggesting the key role of satisfaction on tourists’ loyalty. While the relationships of perceived service environment quality with satisfaction and revisit intention were not significant; perceived service environment quality had a positive and significant association with the intention to recommend. Similarly, motivation to experience nature and perceived service delivery quality were positively and significantly related to both intention to recommend and intention to revisit directly or indirectly via satisfaction. Overall, results suggest that GCA management could improve visitor satisfaction and loyalty by further improving the quality of service environment and quality of service delivery, and by attracting tourists who are motivated to experience nature. Findings also suggest the importance of considering multidimensionality and complex interrelationships of factors related to visitors’ expectations and behaviors in planning destination marketing and service offering.

Emotions shape tourists' perceptions, experiences, and attachment to a destination, impacting loyalty. However, limited research has delved into the intricate relationships among these constructs. Based on the M-R Framework (Mehrabian & Russell, 1974), the current study proposed and tested a destination loyalty model that examined tourists' emotional experiences and place identity. This study specifically aimed to explore the influences of love, joy, and positive surprise (as emotions experienced by tourists) on place identity and destination loyalty. Data obtained from 164 international tourists were utilized to examine the conceptual model by employing structural equation modeling. The study outcomes showed that joy and love significantly affected place identity and destination loyalty, and place identity significantly influenced destination loyalty. The study findings deliver important theoretical contributions for researchers by explaining the complex relationships among tourists’ emotional experiences of, their sense of place identity, and loyalty toward a destination. From a practical perspective, the study's results entail various implications for destination policymakers and marketers. For example, exploring how tourists respond to their emotional experiences would assist destination marketers in the development of effective marketing strategies (e.g., segmentation and positioning) to foster loyalty among visitors.