Research Activities

The Center for Sustainable Tourism supports both applied and academic research that furthers responsible economic, environmental and socio-cultural development and management of tourism. A primary goal of the Center is to link the expertise and interests of faculty with the information needs of both the tourism industry and destination communities. This is done in order to further East Carolina University’s academic and research standing and to ensure acceptable tourism development at the local level.

Research supported by the Center follows major initiatives in tourism impacts, second home development, climate, renewable energy, assessment of “green” practices as well as creating a better general understanding of sustainable actions and their benefits. Tourism’s footprint is large, contributing to both positive and negative outcomes; it is also an industry which at times is fragile, impacted in many ways by its surroundings. This document identifies some of the research activities that the Center has been, or is, engaged in. The reader is encouraged to suggest other areas of research interests and needs.

The following research activities are currently in progress in partnership with the Center for Sustainable Tourism.

Articles

2012

• Factors Predicting Homeowners' Attitudes towards Tourism: A Case of a Coastal Resort Community. (2012). Hao, H., Long, P. and Kleckley, J. Journal of Travel Research.         
• Modeling Tourist and Community Decision-making. (2012). Kask, S., Kline, C., & Lamoureux, K. Annals of Tourism Research.      

2011

• Rural Tourism and Second Home Development: The Case of Colorado. (2011). Long, P., Ireland, M., Alderman, D. and Hao, H. Handbook of Tourism and Quality of Life Research. Springer Publishers & International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies.         
• Tour Guides as Creators of Empathy: The Role of Affective Inequality in Marginalizing the Enslaved at Plantation House Museums. (2011). Modlin, E. A. Jr., Alderman, D., and Gentry, G.W. Tourist Studies.         
• Southern Hospitality and the Politics of African American Belonging: An Analysis of Photographs in North Carolina Tourism Brochures. (2011). Alderman, D. and E. A. Modlin, Jr. Journal of Cultural Geography.      
• The Andy Griffith Show: Mayberry as Working Class Utopia and Dystopia. (2011). Alderman, D., Moreau, T., and Benjamin, S. Book Chapter in Blue Collar Pop Culture, Praeger (edited by M. Keith Booker).
• Climate, weather, and tourism: Issues and opportunities. (2011). Curtis, S., Long, P., & Arrigo, J. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, March, pp 361-363.
• Home Away From Home: A Research Agenda For Examining the Resort Community Second Home Industry in Colorado (2011). Long, P., Perdue, R. and Venturoni, L. Handbook of Tourism Research.Rutledge Press (Taylor and Francis Group).

2010

• An Appraisal of Stock Car Racing's Economic and Geographic Development in North America: NASCAR as Flexible Accumulation. (2010). Edwards, M., Alderman, D., & Estes, S. International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 8(1/2): 160-179.
• Beyond ecotourism: The environmentally responsible tourist in the general travel experience. (2010). Dolnicar, S., & Long, P. Tourism Analysis, 14(4), 503–514.
• Entrepreneurial Climate and Rural Tourism Development: A Review of the Literature. (2010).Kline, C. S. & Milburn, L. Annals of Leisure Research, 13 (1&2), 320-348.
• Red Dust and Dynamometers: Charlotte as Memory and Knowledge Community in NASCAR. (2010).Mitchelson, R. & Alderman, D. Book chapter in Charlotte, NC: The Global Evolution of a New South City, (pp. 50-86). Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press.  
• Residents' perceptions of casino impacts: A comparative study. (2010). Lee, C.-K., Kang, S. K., Long, P., & Reisinger, Y. Tourism Management, 31(2), 189–201.
• Tourists' Climate Perceptions: A Survey of Preferences and Sensitivities in North Carolina's Outer Banks. (2010). Covington, R., Arrigo, J., Curtis, S., Long, P., & Alderman, D. The North Carolina Geographer, Vol. 17, pp. 38-53.
• The Beginning of the End. (2010).Milburn, L., Mully, S., & Kline, C. Journal of Extension,48(6).
• Tourism Analysis. (2010). Dolnicar, S. and Long, P. Beyond Ecotourism: The Environmentally Responsible Tourist in the General Travel Experience, Vol. 14 pp. 503-513.  
• The Economic Impact of Rural Festivals and Special Events: Assessing the Spatial Distribution of Expenditures (1990; 2010). Long, P. and Perdue, P. Journal of Travel Research, 28 (4): 10-14. Reprint in Event Tourism: Critical Concepts in Tourism by Stephen Page and Joanne Connell. 

2009

• Descriptive study of sustainability education in the hospitality curriculum. (2009). Deale, C., Nichols, J., & Jacques, P. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 21(4), 34–42.

2008

• Symbolic excavation and the artifact politics of remembering slavery in the American South: Observations from Walterboro, South Carolina. (2008). Alderman, D., & Campbell, R. Southeastern Geographer, 48(3), 338–355.
• The (in)visibility of African Americans in North Carolina travel brochures: On the importance of socially responsible tourism marketing. (2008). Alderman, D., & Modlin, A., Jr. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 25(3–4).
• Environmental-friendly tourists: What do we really know about them? (2008). Dolnicar, S., Crouch, G., & Long, P. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 16(2), 197–210.
• Resident perception of the impact of limited-stakes community-based casino gaming in mature gaming communities. (2008). Kang, S., Lee, C., Yoon, Y., & Long, P. Tourism Management, 29, 681–694.
• Resident support for gambling as a tourism development strategy. (2008). Perdue, R., Long, P., & Kang, Y. S. Reprint in Managing Tourism Destinations (ISBN. 978 1 84376 991).
• Climate and tourism on the Colorado Plateau. (2008, May). Alvord, C., Long, P., Pulwarty, R., & Udall, B. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, May 2008, pp. 673–675.
• Strategies in sustainable tourism: Issues and challenges facing resort and gateway communities in the western United States and Canada. (2008). Long, P. Report prepared for Canadian Studies Research Grant.
• Resident perception of the impact of limited stakes community-based casino gaming in mature gaming communities. (2008). Kang, S., Lee, C., Yoon, Y. and Long, P. Tourism Management, Vol. 29(4), pp. 681-694.  
• Environmentally Friendly Tourists: What do we really know about them? (2008). Dolnicar, S., Crouch, G. and Long, P. Journal of Sustainable Tourism. Vol. 16(2), pp. 197-210.  
• Climate and Tourism on the Colorado Plateau. (2008). Alvord, C., Long, P., Pulwarty, R. and Udall, B. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society,Vol. 89, Issue 5,  pp. 673–675.

Research Abstracts Submitted/Presented

• Identifying the environmental wine tourist and their purchase intention. Barber, N., Taylor, D. C., & Deale, C. (under review). Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing.
• What makes a community a tourism-impacted place? A spatial and economic approach. (2009, April). Hao, H., Long, P., & Kleckley, J. American Association of Geographers Annual Conference. Las Vegas, NV.
• Impact of second homes in a tourism dominated resort county. (2009). Lysenko, T., Vogelsong, H., Kleckley, J., Hao, H., & Long, P. 2009 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. Bolden Landing, NY.
• Climate change and tourism policy for the future. (2009). Edgell, D. L., Sr., Smith, G., Swanson, J., & Ford, S. Oral research paper presentation abstract, Travel and Tourism Research Association.
• Sustainability and sustenance—Or how can hospitality and tourism educators become involved in sustainability? (2009, February 27). Deale, C. First Inaugural Food Educators Learning Community Summit. Charleston, SC: Trident Technical College, Charleston, SC.
• Students' attitudes toward sustainable tourism: An application of the SUS-TAS scale. (2009). Deale, C., & Roseman, M. Presentation and publication in Frontiers in Southeast CHRIE Hospitality and Tourism Research, 13(1) 6–10.
• Tourist climate perceptions: Developing a climate–tourism index for North Carolina's Outer Banks. (2008). Covington, R., Arrigo, J., & Curtis, S. SE American Association of Geographers. Charleston, SC.
• A case study of collaboration on a community engagement project: A festival focusing on sustainable tourism in southern Appalachia. (2008). Deale, C. Research Proceedings of the Southeast Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education, 12(2) 13–17.
• Hospitality and tourism students' attitudes toward sustainable tourism. (2008). Deale, C, & Roseman, M. Presentation and publication in Frontiers in Southeast CHRIE Hospitality and Tourism Research, 12(1) 1–6.
• Students' attitudes towards sustainable tourism before and after participation in an authentic learning project. (2008). Deale, C. Presentation and publication in Frontiers in Southeast CHRIE Hospitality and Tourism Research, 12(1) 6–10.
• Sustainable hospitality & tourism with a focus on food. (2008, July 30). Deale, C., & Roseman, M. Workshop presented at the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE) conference. Atlanta, GA.

Case Studies

• A Sustainability Case Study of Jackson County, North Carolina (2010).  Deale, Cynthia, Kristine Miller, Shardae Brown, Emily Elders and Carrie Blaskowski."
• Chimney Rock State Park, North Carolina, sustainability overview(2009). Deale, C., Walker, E., & Mary Ann Jaeger, park manager.Renewable Energy in Tourism Initiative: Best Practices in the Accommodations Sector
• Renewable Energy in Tourism Initiative: Best Practices in the Airlines Sector
• Renewable Energy in Tourism Initiative: Best Practices in the Cruise Lines Sector
• Renewable Energy in Tourism Initiative: Best Practices in the Public Lands Sector
• Renewable Energy in Tourism Initiative: Best Practices in the Ski Resort Sector
• Renewable Energy in Tourism Initiative: Best Practices in the Tour Operators Sector

Occasional Papers

• Sustainable development and sustainable tourism: Business, the community and the environment. Bernard Lane, Editor, Journal of Sustainable Tourism; and Principle, Red Kite Environment.

Research Reports

• Climate, weather and tourism literature review. (2009). Salahuddin, A., Arnold, S., & Jessop, S.
• Climate, weather and tourism: Bridging science and practice. (2009). Curtis, S., Arrigo, J., Long, P., & Covington, R.
• Policy alternatives for affordable housing in Dare County. (2009). Paul, M.
• Review of literature on renewable energy research and practices within the tourism industry. (2009). Coonin, B., Jochim, K., & Long, P.
• PirateFest 2008: Evaluation report. (2008). Vogelsong, H., Roggen, L, & a team of recreation and leisure studies students.
• Distribution of tourism businesses: North Carolina Northeast Commission. (2009). Hao, H., Kleckley, J., & Long, P.
• Distribution of tourism businesses: North Carolina's eastern region. (2009). Hao, H., Kleckley, J., & Long, P.
• Distribution of tourism businesses: North Carolina's coastal counties. (2009). Hao, H., Kleckley, J., & Long, P.
• Inventory of agency, organization and government entities in North Carolina recreation and tourism. Angelova, M., & Wilburn, C. [NC Small Business and Technical Development Center].

Conference Proceedings

2011

• Social Capital as Catalyst for Critical Action: An Appreciative Inquiry Approach. IV International Critical Tourism Studies Conference. Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. (Kline, C. & Brown-Bochicchio, C.).
• Factors Predicting Property Owners Support for Future Tourism—A Spatial Approach. Travel and Tourism Research Association Conference. London, Ontario, Canada. (Hao, H. & Long, P.).
• Why Do I Forget to Recycle While on Vacation? Travel and Tourism Research Association Conference. London, Ontario, Canada. (Oliver, J. & Benjamin, S.).
• Attitudinal Determinants of Recycling Behavior: At Home and on Vacation. Academy of Marketing Science. Conference. Miami, Florida. (Oliver, J. & Benjamin, S.).
• Experience of Farm Families Engaged in Agritourism. National Extension Tourism Conference. London, Ontario, Canada. (Ainley, S., Phelan, C., & Kline, C.).         
• Exploring Liability on NC Agritourism Farms. National Extension Tourism Conference. Charleston, South Carolina. (Arnold, S. & Kline, C.).         
• Exploring the Nature and Value of the SAVE Market. National Extension Tourism Conference. Charleston, South Carolina. (Becker, C. & Kline, C.).         
• Charting the Ripple-Effects of Impacts of HandMade's Small Towns program. National Extension Tourism Conference. Charleston, South Carolina. (Kline, C. & Brown-Bochicchio, C.).         
• Social Networks in Tourism. National Extension Tourism Conference. Charleston, South Carolina. (Tsao, J., Schneider, P., & Kline, C.).      
• Development of Visitor Identity through Study Abroad Experiences. National Extension Tourism Conference. Charleston, South Carolina (Johnson, L. & Kline, C. & Boone, K.).  
• The Sustainable Food Systems of North Carolina. National Extension Tourism Conference. Charleston, South Carolina. (Ziegler, G., Becker, C., Tsao, J., & Kline, C.).        
• Education for Sustainability. Karlsruhe, Germany. International Greening of Education Event, (Fridgen, J.)         
• Wind Energy and Sustainable Tourism. North Carolina American Planning Association Annual Meeting. East Carolina University campus. (Long, P. & Zeigler, G.).         
• Analyzing Resident Place Satisfaction in a Tourist Destination through Auto-Photography: The Case of Southern Shores, North Carolina. National Extension Tourism Conference. Charleston, South Carolina. (Hueber, A. & Alderman, D.).      
• Images of Race and Gender in State Travel Guides from North and South Carolina: The Importance of Socially Responsible Tourism Marketing in the post-Civil Rights South (poster). National Extension Tourism Conference. Charleston, South Carolina. (Antahades, M., Alderman, D., & Brammer, Z.).         
• Lost in Mayberry: The Impact of the Andy Griffith Show on Sense of Place in Mount Airy, North Carolina (poster). National Extension Tourism Conference. Charleston, South Carolina. (Benjamin, S. & Alderman, D.). 

2010       

• Student Learning through Research at Tourism Events. 2010 National Outreach Scholarship Conference. Raleigh, North Carolina. (Wilborn, L. & Kline, C.).         
• Crying for the Master: Space, Historical Empathy, and the Marginalization of the Enslaved by Plantation Tour Guides. Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers. Birmingham, Alabama. (Modlin, E.A. Jr. & Alderman, D.).         
• Tour Guides as Creators of Empathy: The Role of Emotive Inequality in Marginalizing the Enslaved at Southern Plantation House Museums. Annual Meeting of the National Council on Public History. Pensacola, Florida. (Modlin, E.A. Jr. & Alderman, D.).         
• Southern Hospitality and the Politics of African American Belonging: An Analysis of Photographs in North Carolina Travel Brochures. Race, Ethnicity & Place V Conference. Binghamton, New York. (Alderman, D.).       
• Nature Based Tourism GIS Asset Mapping: Finding a Path for Eco-Tourism. National Extension Tourism Conference. Charleston, South Carolina. (Naar, A, Hao, H, Mercer, C).
• Tourism and Place Based Economic Development: a Strategy for Job Creation, Cultural Enhancement, and Environmental Protection. Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference. Portland, Oregon. (Naar, A).

2008

• Climate, weather and tourism workshop summary report. (2008, December). Covington, Eulie, & Evans. Program planning team: Long, Curtis, & Covington.
• Great Smoky Mountain Sustainable Tourism Summit, conference summary. (2008, April). Knoxville, TN.
• Climate change and tourism: The case for the coastline of the Outer Banks, North Carolina. (2008, July 2). Edgell, D. L., Sr., & McCormick, C. Jointly presented before the Coastal Society’s 21st Biennial Conference. Redondo Beach, Los Angeles, CA.

Grants Submitted

2010

• Employers' and Managers' Perception of Drilled Oil Risks for Coastal North Carolina's Tourism-Impacted Businesses and Organizations. (2010). Hao, Knollenberg, Smith, Kain, Powers, Wilson and Long. North Carolina Sea Grant. $4,930.(Funded).
• Exploratory Research on the SAVE Tourism Market in Coastal and Maritime North Carolina. (2010). Kline, C. & Landry, C. Coastal-Maritime Council Interdisciplinary Seed-Grant. $10,000. (Funded).
• Graduate Research Assistant Funding. Supplemental grant received for graduate student support. $25,000. (Funded). 

2009

• Tourism impacts and second home development in coastal counties: A sustainable approach. (2009). Long, P., Hao. H., & Kleckley, J. Pre-proposal, North Carolina Sea Grant. $70,000. (Funded).
• North Carolina paddle trails: A tourism resource. (2009). Schneider, P., Vogelsong, H., & Long, P. Pre-proposal, North Carolina Sea Grant. $70,000. (Funded).
• Qualitative study of wine tourism and consumers' concerns regarding wine region environmental sustainability. (2009). Barber, N., Taylor, D. C., & Deale, C. Harrah Hospitality Research Center Grant Award Program. $51,000. (Not Funded).
• Development and integration of a sustainability curriculum in undergraduate hospitality education. (2009). Roseman, M., & Deale, C. Higher Education Challenge Grant, USDA. $146,000. (Not Funded).
• Renewable Energy in Tourism Initiative. (2009). Long, P., Morris, J. T., & Kleckley, J. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration, University Center Economic Development Program Competition. $600,000.

Work in Progress

 2011

• Linking Sense of Place with a Sense of Care among Property Owners in an Amenity-Rich Mountain County in North Carolina. Hao, H., Alderman, D. & Long, P. (in preparation).     
• Measuring Property Owners' Perceptions of Sustainable Tourism in a Coastal Resort Community. Hao. H. & Long, P. (in preparation).         
• Measuring Property Owners' Perceptions on Sustainable Tourism in a Coastal Resort Community. Hao. H. & Long, P. (in revision).        
• Socially Responsible Marketing and the Visibility of African Americans in State Travel Guide Photographs: A Look at the American South. Alderman, D. & Antahades, M. (in preparation).        
• Making Mount Airy into Mayberry: Media, Tourism, and Place Identity.  Alderman, D. & Benjamin, S. (in preparation).         
• Attitudes of Resident and Second Home Property Owners to Climate Change Considerations and Their Effects on Future Property Values in Coastal Counties. Long, P., Hao, H. and Curtis, S. Abstract submitted to 19th International Congress of Biometeorology.        
• Graffiti Heritage: Civil War Memory in Virginia. Moreau, Terri and Derek H. Alderman. Book chapter for Geography and Memory: Explorations in Identity, Place, and Becoming, edited by Owain Jones and Joanne Garde-Hansen, to be published by Palgrave (under review).         
• Re-examining the Montgomery Bus Boycott: Toward a Empathetic Pedagogy of the Civil Rights Movement. Alderman, D., Kingsbury, P., & Dwyer, O. Professional Geographer. (under review).         
• Southern Plantation Museums as Emotional, Urban Frontiers. Modlin, E. A. Jr. & Alderman, D. Book chapter for Plantation Modernity, edited Jeremy Wells and Amy Clukey, to be published by University of Georgia Press (in preparation).        
• Factors affecting tourism entrepreneurship in the North Carolina Mountains. Kline, C., Swanson, J. & Milburn, L.A. Journal of Rural Tourism Challenges and Trends. (under review).        
• Paddler perspectives on paddle trail funding strategies. Kline, C., Cardenas, D., Duffy, L. & Swanson, J. Submitted to the Journal of Sustainable Tourism in August, 2010; resubmitted in March 2011 (under review).        
• Development of visitor identity through exploring the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and the concept of African Diaspora in Ghana. Boone, K., Kline, C., Johnson, L., Milburn, L.A., & Rieder, K. Submitted to Tourism Analysis for special issue focusing on Diaspora, Heritage and Tourism in December, 2011 (under review).
• Attitudes towards women-owned tourism businesses in Ayampe, Ecuador. Beedle, J., Kline, C., Cardenas, D. & Byrd, E. Annals of Tourism Research (in preparation).

2010

• Tourism Impacts and Second Home Development in Coastal Communities: A Sustainable Approach.  Long, P.,  Hao, H., Knollenberg, W. Landry, C. (Economics) and Crawford, T. (Geography).
• Employers' and Managers' Perception of Drilled Oil Risks for Coastal North Carolina's Tourism-Impacted Businesses and Organizations. (In partnership with the Departments of Sociology and English).  Hao, H., Knollenberg, W., Smith, C., Wilson, K., Kain, D., Powers, R. and Long, P.
• Reducing Liability: An Assessment of Agritourism Practices. (In partnership with the NC Agromedicine Institute).  Kline, C., Tutor, R., Arnold, S. and Long, P.
• Toolbox for crisis communications: Checklists and best practices. Long, P., Hao, H., & Kain, D. With the Dexter Koehl Group, LLC. For the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
• North Carolina Woodland Indian tribes: Documentation and comparative analysis of tribal 'sense of place.' Sweet, R., & Carawan, L.
• Impacts of climate on recreation and tourism businesses. Curtis, S., Arrigo, J., Long, P., & Jessop, S.
• Strategic planning for destination marketing/management organizations: Sustainability as a core competency. Obenour, B.
• Climate indices for tourism: Assessing the climate conditions and trends for North Carolina tourism and their relationship to economic activity. Arrigo, J. & Curtis, S.
• Placement of wind turbines and recreation preferences in coastal areas. Landry, C., & Allen, T.
• Climate, weather and tourism--Issues and opportunities: Framing a research agenda. Curtis, S., Arrigo, J., Covington, R., & Long, P. (Atmospheric Sciences, Geography, and Center for Sustainable Tourism).
• Wind turbines and recreation demand. Landry, C. (Economics).
• Assessing sustainable practices in the North Carolina tourism industry. Naar, A., Lancaster, M., Hao, H., & Long, P. (Center for Sustainable Tourism; Center for Survey Research; and Office of Engagement, Innovation, and Economic Development).
• Assessment of degree of interest in certification of green practices within the North Carolina tourism industry. Naar, A., Lancaster, M., Hao, H., & Long, P. (Center for Sustainable Tourism; Center for Survey Research; and Office Engagement, Innovation, and Economic Development).
• Quantification of sustainability: A look at carbon footprint assessment. Willson, S. (Biology), Hao, H., & Long, P. (Center for Sustainable Tourism).
• Quantification of economic impact of "hub and spoke" tour program in NC Northeast Commission. Kleckley, J. (Bureau of Business Research), Hao, H., & Long, P. (Center for Sustainable Tourism).
• Attitudes and preferences toward "green" practices within North Carolina's hospitality industry. Weber, M. (Hospitality Management), Chandler, J. (Hospitality Management), & Oliver, J. (Business).
• Tourist climate perceptions: Developing a climate-tourism index for North Carolina's Outer Banks. Curtis, S. (Atmospheric Science/Geography), Arrigo, J. (Atmospheric Science/Geography), and Covington, R. (Graduate Student/Geography).
• Effects of format and wording of questionnaire instruments on response rate and response quality in community tourism research. Wright, B. (Business).
• Impacts of tourism on resident assessment of community life. Long, P. (Center for Sustainable Tourism), Kleckley, J. (Bureau of Business Research), Hao, H. (Center for Sustainable Tourism), Wright, B. (Business), Vogelsong, H. (Recreation and Leisure Studies), Baucom, K. (Geography), and Lysenko, T. (Recreation and Leisure Studies).
• What makes a community a tourism-impacted place? A spatial and economic perspective. Hao, H., & Long, P. (Center for Sustainable Tourism).
• Developing community-sponsored agro-business for economic growth in eastern North Carolina. Chandler, J. (Hospitality Management), Kempf, R. (Physics), & Messina, J. (Graduate Student/Geography).