ASEAN Journal on Hospitality and Tourism

Digital Mediation and Community Narratives in Heritage Tourism: Reframing Authenticity in Melaka, Malaysia

Muhammad Arif Fitri Bin Azizan — 2025-08-31

This study examines how digital media and grassroots community participation mediate the experience of authenticity in Melaka, Malaysia, a UNESCO World Heritage city. Drawing on qualitative interviews with twenty participants, we apply the Cultural Authenticity-Spectrum Model (CASM) to interpret findings. CASM conceptualizes authenticity as a continuum rather than a binary, allowing analysis of experiences ranging from staged tourist pseudo-events to spontaneous local encounters. Tourists in Melaka reported mixed responses: many were influenced by curated social media imagery and enjoyed colorful spectacles, while others sought deeper connections through unscripted interactions with residents. Local stakeholders described balancing digital promotions and event staging with efforts to maintain cultural integrity, including community-led tours and consultative heritage branding. Key themes include the tension between spectacle and substance, the impact of social media versus on-site “analog” intimacy, and community empowerment versus marginalization. The study connects these insights with theories of staged and existential authenticity, showing how digital technology can both enhance and dilute perceived authenticity, and how community narratives can reclaim heritage meaning. Recommendations include co-creating tourism experiences with local communities, using digital storytelling to educate rather than simply entertain, and implementing policies that support authenticity alongside innovation. This research extends authenticity theory through the CASM framework and offers practical guidance for sustainable heritage tourism management in Southeast Asia.

Preferences of Indonesian Netizen Towards Tourism: Does Demographics Matter?

Herlan Suherlan — 2025-08-31

This study aims to describe the preferences and relationships between preference attributes and demographic profiles of Indonesian netizens. This research uses a survey approach by distributing questionnaires through various online channels. The questionnaire was collected through various filters and screening questions, and a final sample of 1008 questionnaires were completed. The result indicated that Indonesian netizens prefer to avoid the risk in their tourism activities. This research shows that demographics affect the preferences and the influence of demographic factors on the sub-attributes of travel preferences varies widely. The demographic variable that most dominantly affects the sub-attributes of travel preferences is the gender variable, followed by the variable of origin, meanwhile, age and income variables were relatively less dominant in influencing the tourism preference sub-attributes.

Unveiling the Dynamics: An Inclusive Study on How Social Media is Impacting Purchase Intentions in the Ever-Evolving Travel World

Safdar Khan — 2025-08-31

This research explores the notable changes brought about by“social media on consumers' buying intentions in the travel sector. To achieve this, we utilized Davis's Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) from 1989, while introducing two additional factors: Trust and Tourists' Motivation, alongside Electronic Word-of-Mouth (E-WOM). The study employed a convenience sampling method and gathered data through an online survey instrument. Participants included Indian customers, and the collected data was analyzed using PLS 4.0 software. Results indicate that integrating TAM with elements of tourist motivation, trust, and E-WOM provides a robust framework for understanding how social media is shaping purchase intentions in the dynamic travel industry. The study highlights the necessity for further investigation into this topic, which will enhance our comprehension of the various factors influencing how social media impacts purchasing intentions in the continually evolving travel landscape. It is important to note that the research is focused solely on the Indian market. This research stands out by specifically examining the role of social media in influencing purchase intentions within the travel sector. Although social media has been extensively studied in other areas like fashion and hospitality, this study contributes a new perspective on its empathetic effects.

Retrospective Overview of Medical Tourism and Related Research: A Bibliometric Analysis

Prashant Kumar Yadav — 2025-08-31

The study presents a comprehensive knowledge mapping and bibliometric analysis of medical tourism research to understand global trends and directions. The exponential growth in medical tourism is driven by factors such as cost savings, access to specialised treatments, and reduced waiting times. The bibliometric analysis of research trends was conducted using CiteSpace 6.3. R1 and VOSviewer 1.6.20 software. The extracted dataset from the Scopus database includes 630 articles. The analysis highlighted significant international collaborations, with the United States, India, and Malaysia as prominent contributors. The publications initially rose in 2021, due to increased research funding and academic interest sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by a decline, indicating a stabilisation or shift in research priorities. The theoretical implications of this research paper include highlighting the global collaboration and contributions of different countries to medical tourism research, understanding the impact of global events like the COVID-19 pandemic on research trends, and identifying emerging themes and patterns that can guide future studies and policy-making in the field. The findings have substantial practical implications for policymakers, healthcare providers, and researchers.

Decoding the Dining Atmosphere: Ambient Conditions and Customer Satisfaction in Restaurant Servicescapes

Nilanjan Ray — 2025-08-31

This study investigates the effects of ambient conditions, one of the essential dimensions of the Servicescape Model, on restaurant customer satisfaction. Ambient conditions like lighting, music, scent, and temperature are extremely influential in shaping customer feelings and perceptions. Based on Bitner's Servicescape and the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model, the study collected data from 230 survey participants in Indian urban restaurants. Using descriptive statistics, correlation matrices, and multiple regression analysis, the research determines scent and lighting to be strong predictors of satisfaction, then music. Temperature, although applicable, failed to show a statistically significant effect. Results of the findings provide practical implications for optimizing service environments in the hospitality industry.

Community Participation in Sustainable Cultural Heritage Tourism in The Braga Tourism Village

Delfta Tunjung Baswarani — 2025-08-31

This study aims to examine community participation in the development of sustainable cultural heritage tourism in Braga Tourism Village, Bandung City. Initiated by the Bandung City Office of Culture and Tourism (DISBUDPAR) through a top-down approach as part of a tourism village activation program, the implementation of this initiative has raised concerns regarding the limited involvement of local residents. A descriptive qualitative approach was employed, with data collected through document analysis, field observations, and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders including street vendors, tourism awareness groups, village officials, and representatives of the local tourism office. Data were analyzed using Miles and Huberman’s interactive model through data reduction, display, and conclusion drawing. The findings reveal that while the initial planning was government-driven, local communities have gradually taken the lead in sustaining tourism activities by initiating creative and community-based programs. Public facilities and government-provided training have supported tourism development, yet the optimization of these resources remains limited due to insufficient community capacity. Moreover, the preservation of cultural heritage particularly Braga’s historic buildings and urban identity has been maintained through a combination of formal regulations and civic engagement. The study concludes that the success of sustainable tourism in urban heritage settings such as Braga depends on effective collaboration between government and communities, with local residents playing a central role in preserving cultural values while deriving socio-economic benefits.

Holiday Economics: Perspectives and Experiences from Hospitality Professionals

Joy Sheelah Baraero Era — 2025-08-31

This research examined the perspectives and experiences of hospitality professionals on the resurgence of the Philippine Holiday Economics Law, first enacted in 2007, discontinued in 2010 under the Aquino administration, and revived in 2022 during the Marcos administration. The policy strategically shifts holidays to create long weekends and boost domestic tourism as part of its recovery program following the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on grounded theory and lived experience theoretical perspectives, this study employed a qualitative research design through semi-structured interviews with 15 hospitality professionals working in six restaurants, five cafes, and four hotels in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Philippines. The results revealed that the concept of holiday economics is ambiguous to the participants, yet they have experienced its impact on operations and the workforce. This pioneering study provides actionable insights for stakeholders, facilitating more effective policy implementation. It contributes to understanding how a specific law or tourism-related policy on holiday adjustments is perceived and how it impacts the operations and workforce of hospitality professionals in a particular setting, which could serve as the foundation for similar studies in diverse contexts.