The nexus of global tourism, disasters and sustainability have always been triggered by numerous crises, e.g., political unrest, wars, and pandemics. However, there is still fragmented research on destination crisis marketing, and its impact on willingness to travel remains largely unknown. To address this critical research gap, the present study used an experimental research design by framing destination crisis marketing campaigns (2 × 2 frames including DCM implemented versus DCM not implemented) and electronic word of mouth (2 × 2 frames including positive e-Wom versus negative e-Wom) to examine their impact on destination trust and global expat’s willingness to travel. Based on the experimental settings of global expats (N = 232; representing over 10 nationalities) with four framing groups (Group 1 to Group 4, configured in frames as ± DCM and ± e-Wom), the new evidence suggests that global expats who are provoked by positive crisis marketing campaigns and positive e-Wom (Group 4) have higher levels of destination trust than those who are exposed to either negative crisis marketing scenario and/or negative e-Wom (i.e., Group 1 to Group 3). The findings also revealed that global expat’s willingness to travel is significantly influenced by destination crisis marketing campaigns and e-Wom. Interestingly, for all framing groups (Group 1 to Group 4), the effects of destination crisis marketing and e-WOM on expat’s willingness to travel, was significantly mediated by destination trust. Utilizing prominent theories (i.e., signal theory, image repair theory and trust transfer theory), the study implications highlighted that crisis marketing and positive e-Wom could serve as the cornerstones for destinations to stay relevant, regenerate sustainable practices, as well as create new opportunities out of a crisis.

This study seeks to explain how political participation is influenced by cultural values manifested in political advertising. In this regard, this study proposes a model that encompasses the concepts of Schwartz’ basic human values in which self-transcendence and conservation interact with three political values manifested in advertisements, namely law and order, civil liberties and patriotism, to determine political participation. Analyses were performed on a random sample of 834 Pakistanis collected through a survey. Structural equation modelling (SEM) techniques were employed, and analysis of moment structures (AMOS) was used to determine political participation. The findings of this study revealed that self-transcendence and conservation, albeit varied intensity, interact with political values manifested in advertisements. The findings also provide theoretical and managerial implications, which are discussed in greater detail in this article.

The evolving tourism industry and increasing number of travelers are not only raising environmental concerns about tourism sites, but also posing challenges for local communities. In this scenario, the notion and agenda for sustainable tourism are widely criticized due to their limited scope and emphasis on creating a balance between economic and adverse environmental and communal benefits. In response, the call for a necessary paradigm transformation has become intense. Consequently, a new approach—regenerative tourism—has been developed to create awareness about pro-environmental behavior to satisfy the primary needs of the community. Regenerative tourism supports the quality of life of local people. Therefore, there is a great need to promote eco-literacy through innovative and better audience experience-laden communication strategies, such as immersive journalism and metaverse-based promotional content. However, little is known about how these future technologies interplay with psychological and social mechanisms to enhance regenerative tourism intention. Drawing an analogy from pro-environmental theory and media richness theory, this research intends to identify whether virtual, augmented reality merger (i.e., immersive journalism), and metaverse-based environmental delineations may contribute to educating tourists and lead to regenerative tourism intention. This research was carried out using a cross-sectional online survey that collected data from 776 digital media users from Pakistan who plan to visit a destination or have done so previously. The results from the data, based on structural equation modeling, suggested that immersive journalism and metaverse-based regenerative tourism promotion are communication strategies that effectively enhance eco-literacy and lead to pro-environmental behavior. However, dispositional empathy has critical moderating implications; the greater the extent of the empathy concerns that individuals uphold, the stronger the eco-literacy and pro-environmental behavior. Finally, regenerative tourism intention can be predicted by these antecedents effectively. Therefore, these pioneer results confirmed that innovative technology-driven media content can augment awareness of regenerative tourism activities and transform travelers’ intention to adopt regenerative practices during destination visits. This research suggests strategic guidelines for organizations and governments to implement practical, innovative, and communicative tools that support adopting regenerative practices among prospective travelers.

Online education has been in practice before COVID-19. However, COVID-19 pandemic has popularized online education. This study aims to explore the application of Process Virtualization Theory (PVT) in an e-learning process to gain new insights into the education context. Data was collected through an online survey from 362 university students in Pakistan. Results of the structural equational modeling indicate that eradication of digital divide can improve students’ engagement in virtual learning environments and thus entrench e-learning as a viable mode of education. Thus, this study has unfolded the understudied factor of digital divide in a developing country setting. To this end, the study underscored the threatening potential of digital divide to e-learning. Furthermore, the study has validated the notion of PVT theory that when a virtual process or a system reduces the need for sensory requirements, there are more chances of adoption. For educational institutions, the findings recommend incorporating offline learner-material and interaction capability (e.g., feedback) in their e-learning management system to promote students’ adoption of e-learning.