Volume 11, Issue 2, 2025
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Pınar Çelik, Akdeniz University, Türkiye, Nisa Ekşili, Akdeniz University, Türkiye & Andreas Papatheodorou, University of the Aegean, Greece
Published online: 1 December 2025, JTHSM, 11(2), pp.3-15.
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Abstract
Purpose: This systematic literature review explores the relationship between employee well-being and job satisfaction within the tourism industry. The study aims to identify current knowledge, theoretical frameworks, research methodologies, and trends, while highlighting gaps and suggesting areas for future research within the service marketing triangle context.
Methods: The researchers employed a systematic literature review and content analysis, examining 39 peer-reviewed articles sourced from the Web of Science database. Studies were evaluated based on their relevance to employee well-being and job satisfaction, categorizing them according to the service marketing triangle into employee-business, employee-customer, and business-customer interactions. Analysis techniques included bibliometric mapping using VOSviewer and manual content analysis with Microsoft Excel.
Results: Findings indicate a notable growth in studies post-2018, predominantly focusing on internal organizational factors affecting employee well-being. Leadership styles, workplace culture, and organizational support emerged as critical variables. Conversely, research addressing external factors, such as employee-customer interactions and corporate social responsibility initiatives, remains limited.
Implications: This review underscores the strategic importance of employee well-being for enhancing customer satisfaction and organizational performance. It recommends broadening research to include external service interactions and customer-facing roles, advocating holistic approaches to employee well-being in policy development and industry practice.
Keywords: employee well-being, job satisfaction, tourism industry, service marketing triangle, organizational behavior, emotional labor, systematic literature review
JEL Classification: L83, M31, Z32
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Çelik, P., Ekşili, N., & Papatheodorou, A. (2025). Employee well-being and job satisfaction in tourism: Insights from a systematic review and content analysis. Journal of Tourism, Heritage & Services Marketing, 11(2), 3–15. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15982700
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Evangelos Christou, International Hellenic University, Greece, Anestis Fotiadis, Zayed University, United Arab Emirates & Antonios Giannopoulos, International Hellenic University, Greece
Published online: 1 December 2025, JTHSM, 11(2), pp.16-41.
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Abstract
Purpose: This conceptual study examines how Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) reshapes value co creation, destination governance, and responsible innovation in tourism. It seeks to reposition GenAI from a backstage tool to a tourism actor and to present the Synthetic Experience System, a triadic framework connecting Tourist, GenAI, and Place/Community through data, content, and emotion layers.
Methods: The paper follows an integrative theory building approach. It abductively synthesises tourism literature, information systems, marketing, psychology and ethics to surface recurring constructs, situates them within the service dominant logic and the actor–network theory, and iteratively refines a model through comparison of GenAI applications focusing on responsible research and innovation.
Results: Analysis reveals three continuous co creation loops that circulate agency among actors and four boundary conditions—authenticity, bias, sustainability, privacy—that determine system viability. The Synthetic Experience System clarifies where value emerges, identifies points of potential value co destruction, and yields fifteen research propositions spanning tourist cognition, firm capabilities, destination policy, and planetary carbon limits.
Implications: The framework provides a roadmap for destination management organisations, platform designers, and regulators to audit algorithms, design participatory prompts, and adopt carbon aware deployment. By naming actors, layers, and boundaries, the study offers a shared vocabulary that can anchor empirical investigations and stimulate cross disciplinary citations in tourism, information systems, and sustainability research.
Keywords: generative artificial intelligence, synthetic tourism, experience co-creation, service-dominant logic, actor–network theory, algorithmic governance, responsible research, responsible innovation
JEL Classification: L83, O33, L86, M31
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Christou, E., Fotiadis, A., & Giannopoulos, A. (2025). Generative AI as a tourism actor: Reconceptualising experience co-creation, destination governance and responsible innovation in the synthetic experience economy. Journal of Tourism, Heritage & Services Marketing, 11(2), 16-41. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16562068
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Ja Young (Jacey) Choe, City University of Macau, China, Jong-Hyeong Kim, Arizona State University, USA & Seongseop (Sam) Kim, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
Published online: 1 December 2025, JTHSM, 11(2), pp.42-53.
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Abstract
Purpose: This study aims to develop and validate a multidimensional scale that identifies the attributes influencing dining experiences at nutraceutical restaurants, specifically those based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It addresses gaps in hospitality literature by clearly defining nutraceutical restaurants and providing a comprehensive measurement tool.
Methods: The research employed a rigorous multi-step scale development process, including literature review, qualitative interviews, expert reviews, and empirical validation. Data were collected from 993 Chinese diners who had recently patronized TCM restaurants, using a stratified random sampling approach. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, conducted with SPSS and Smart PLS software, ensured the scale’s reliability and validity.
Results: The study identified five key dimensions of TCM restaurant attributes: interior design/furniture/tableware, food quality, food recommendation, service quality, and atmosphere. Statistical analyses demonstrated strong internal consistency, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and nomological validity. Importantly, food attributes showed the highest influence on customers’ revisit intentions mediated through place attachment.
Implications: This validated scale provides restaurant managers and researchers with an actionable framework to enhance customer loyalty and dining satisfaction. Future research could extend this scale’s application across diverse cultural contexts and different types of health-oriented dining establishments.
Keywords: nutraceutical restaurants, traditional Chinese Medicine, restaurant attributes, scale development, dining experiences, place attachment, customer revisit intention
JEL Classification: L83, M31, Z32
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Choe, J.Y., Kim, J-H., & Kim, S. (2025). Unlocking the Secrets of Nutraceutical Dining: Scale Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine Restaurant. Journal of Tourism, Heritage & Services Marketing, 11(2), http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17284842
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The Maluku archipelagic landscape: Exploring and evaluating the outstanding universal value towards World Heritage nomination
Solahuddin Nasution, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia, Muhamad Iko Kersapati, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Indonesia, Stelios Lekakis, Newcastle University, United Kingdom, Christina Leigh Geros, Royal College of Art, United Kingdom, Aswandi Aswandi, National Research and Innovation Agency, Indonesia, Muhammad Farid, Universitas Banda Naira, Indonesia, Putri Nur Sarah, Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia, Hamdani Rais, Khairun University, Indonesia, Zulfa Nadia, Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia, Firman Faturohman, Jakarta Maritime Museum, Indonesia, Mohamad Avicenna, Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Syarif Hidayatullah, Indonesia, Mohamad Atqa, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, Indonesia, Bimasyah Sihite, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, Indonesia & Taqyuddin Taqyuddin, Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia
Published online: 1 December 2025, JTHSM, 11(2), pp.54-71.
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Abstract
Purpose: This study investigates the outstanding universal value (OUV) of the Maluku Islands, which are on the Tentative List for UNESCO World Heritage sites. It examines the ecological and cultural dimensions through spice heritage, traditional practices, and historical significance, addressing gaps in existing literature that often separate natural and cultural heritage, or prioritise tourism narratives over local knowledge and heritage governance.
Methods: Using a qualitative, interdisciplinary approach, the study integrates geospatial analysis, historical archives, and ethnographic data from field surveys in Maluku and North Maluku. Sources include cartographic records, environmental datasets, and interviews with farmers, elders, and cultural practitioners.
Results: Maluku’s spice landscape, rooted in endemic clove and nutmeg cultivation, ritual agroforestry, and oral traditions, demonstrates authenticity and integrity under UNESCO’s mixed heritage criteria. The study offers original insights by foregrounding vernacular knowledge and lived heritage within global heritage discourse.
Implications: The findings support Maluku’s World Heritage nomination by recommending improvements to narrative coherence, inclusivity, and representational balance. It proposes a heritage governance model based on sustainable development and community-led tourism, positioning Maluku as an exemplary island cultural landscape for integrated conservation and revitalisation.
Keywords: heritage landscape, Maluku Kie Raha, spice islands, Indonesian Archipelago, World Heritage
JEL Classification: Z32, L83, Q26
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Nasution, S., Kersapati, M. I., Lekakis, S., Geros, C. L., Aswandi, A., Farid, M., Nur Sarah, P., Rais, H., Nadia, Z., Faturohman, F., Avicenna, M., Atqa, M., Sihite, B., & Taqyuddin, T. (2025). The Maluku archipelagic landscape: Exploring and evaluating the outstanding universal value towards World Heritage nomination. Journal of Tourism, Heritage & Services Marketing, 11(2), 54–71. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17609613
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Tourism, territory and transition: Heritage spatialization in Uzbekistan
Young-Jin Ahn, Chonnam National University, Republic of Korea, Ilhomjon Nazirjonov, Chonnam National University, Republic of Korea & Zuhriddin Juraev, Chonnam National University, Republic of Korea
Published online: 1 December 2025, JTHSM, 11(2), pp.72-83.
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Abstract
Purpose: This study examines the transformation of Uzbekistan’s tourism geography between 2010 and 2024, emphasizing the shift from rapid spatial expansion to strategic consolidation around heritage cities such as Samarkand, Bukhara, and Tashkent. It investigates how tourism functions as a spatial instrument of governance, identity construction, and economic diversification in a post-Soviet context.
Methods: Using longitudinal visitor data, economic indicators, and spatial mapping generated through R and Python, the study analyzes evolving tourist flows, destination hierarchies, and the spatial concentration of tourism investments across Uzbekistan’s regions.
Results: Findings show that while the number of officially recognized destinations plateaued after 2016, tourist arrivals and receipts continued to increase, marking a transition from territorial expansion to qualitative consolidation. Tourism has evolved into a form of spatial storytelling that reinforces the visibility of core heritage centers while reproducing symbolic and infrastructural inequalities across the periphery.
Implications: Beyond Uzbekistan, the findings offer insights for emerging tourism economies aiming to balance heritage valorization with regional inclusion, providing adaptable guidance for equitable destination planning aligned with SDGs 8, 9, and 11. By extending core–periphery theory to a post-socialist tourism context, the study reframes tourism as a territorial governance project that links cultural heritage, spatial inequality, and statecraft. It demonstrates that spatial inequality is not merely an economic outcome but a deliberate product of narrative and institutional governance.
Keywords: tourism geography, heritage marketing, Uzbekistan, spatial governance, destination development, core–periphery dynamics
JEL Classification: L83, Z3, Z32
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Ahn, Y.-J., Nazirjonov, I., & Juraev, Z. (2025). Tourism, territory and transition: Heritage spatialization in Uzbekistan. Journal of Tourism, Heritage & Services Marketing, 11(2), 72–83. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17610990
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Tourism and economy: When growth starts to slow down
Alexandros Karagiannidis, University of Macedonia, Greece, Dionysios Paliouras, University of Macedonia, Greece, Tasos Stylianou, University of Macedonia, Greece & Eleni Mavragani, University of Macedonia, Greece
Published online: 1 December 2025, JTHSM, 11(2), pp.84-89.
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Abstract
Purpose: This study investigates whether tourism’s involvement to economic growth shows diminishing returns past a certain threshold and seeks to identify the point at which this transition occurs. Specifically, it examines whether the part of tourism in the economy eventually leads to reduced incremental gains for overall growth.
Methods: A balanced panel threshold regression model is applied to data from 30 OECD countries spanning from 2008 to 2020. The analysis aims to clarify the association among tourism’s economic share and aggregate economic growth.
Results: The findings indicate that tourism significantly stimulates economic growth up to a defined threshold, after which the marginal benefits decline. This threshold is estimated at approximately 4.68. Below this value, a one-unit increase in tourism’s share of the economy is connected with an average rise in economic growth of 3.5 percentage points. Beyond this threshold, the corresponding effect decreases to approximately 2.74 percentage points per additional unit.
Implications: The results suggest that excessive reliance on tourism does not guarantee sustained economic growth. Expanding tourism beyond a certain level may generate negative externalities such as congestion, environmental degradation, and social costs that can offset economic gains. Accordingly, for stable and sustainable development, countries should pursue a balanced growth strategy that integrates tourism with other sectors.
Keywords: tourism’s share, economic growth, panel threshold specification, tourism economics
JEL Classification: Z32, L83, C33
Overtourism and gender equality: Empirical evidence from the EU27 member states
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Karagiannidis, A., Paliouras, D., Stylianou, T., & Mavragani, E. (2025). Tourism and economy: When growth starts to slow down. Journal of Tourism, Heritage & Services Marketing, 11(2), 84–89. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18657334
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