Introduction

Submission checklist

You can use this list to carry out a final check of your submission before you send it to the journal for review.
Please check the relevant section in this Guide for Authors for more details.

Ensure that the following items are present:

One author has been designated as the corresponding author with contact details:
• E-mail address

• Full postal address

Dr. Sotiris Papantonopoulos

Department of Production and Management Engineering

Xanthi School of Engineering
Vassilissis Sophias 12
Xanthi 67100
Greece

All necessary files have been uploaded:

Manuscript:
• Include keywords
• All figures (include relevant captions)
• All tables (including titles, description, footnotes)
• Ensure all figure and table citations in the text match the files provided
• Indicate clearly if color should be used for any figures in print
Graphical Abstracts / Highlights files (where applicable)

Supplemental files (where applicable)

Further considerations
• Manuscript has been 'spell checked' and 'grammar checked'
• All references mentioned in the Reference List are cited in the text, and vice versa
• Permission has been obtained for use of copyrighted material from other sources (including the Internet)
• A competing interests statement is provided, even if the authors have no competing interests to declare
• Journal policies detailed in this guide have been reviewed

• Referee suggestions and contact details provided, based on journal requirements

• Full postal address

Dr. Sotiris Papantonopoulos

Department of Production and Management Engineering
Xanthi School of Engineering
Vassilissis Sophias 12
Xanthi 67100
Greece

• Indicate clearly if color should be used for any figures in print

Color should be used for figures: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, A.1, and B.1

1
• A competing interests statement is provided, even if the authors have no competing interests to declare
OK

Glossary

Highlights

Cover Letter

2
Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-
profit sectors.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Single author.

Declaration of competing interest

None.

Data availability

Data will be made available on request.

Sotiris Papantonopoulos is an Assistant Professor of Product Design with the Department of Production and
Management Engineering of Democritus University of Thrace, in Xanthi, Greece. He holds a PhD in Industrial
Engineering (with a specialization in human factors & ergonomics) from Purdue University, West Lafayette,
Indiana. He has held academic positions at The George Washington University in Washington, DC and the
Tokyo Institute of Technology in Tokyo, Japan. His main research interests are in design theory and
methodology, interaction design, Kansei Engineering, and design in the classroom.

3
An Analytical Comparison of Tours and Activities Detail Pages
of Olive oil Producers and Online Travel Agencies
Promoting Olive oil Tourism in Greece

Sotiris Papantonopoulos
Assistant Professor of Product Design

Department of Production and Management Engineering

Xanthi School of Engineering
Vassilissis Sophias 12
Xanthi 67100
Greece
W: +30.25410-79324
M: +30.6974-697932
Email: spapant@pme.duth.gr

4
 An Analytical Comparison of Tours and Activities Detail Pages
of Olive oil Producers and Online Travel Agencies
Promoting Olive oil Tourism in Greece
Abstract

The study examines and compares the presentation of olive oil-related tours and activities (TA) offered in Greece
on the TA detail pages of the websites of Greek olive oil producers (OOPs) and Online Travel Agencies (OTAs)
for the purpose of learning from current best practice and identifying limitations, possibilities, and areas for
improvement and. A comprehensive benchmarking scale was developed consisting of textual, visual,
textual/visual, and audiovisual content elements used to convey the TA offer, design elements used to organize
or emphasize the content, and the reservation process employed. This was achieved by a systematic approach
that involved decomposing the morphology of OOP-TA and OTA-TA detail page designs as well as extracting,
classifying, and prioritizing the elements. The results suggest that OTA-TA detail pages significantly outperform
OOP-TA pages in the completeness of textual, textual/visual content and in the design/organization of content,
while OOP-TA detail pages outperformed OTA-TA detail pages only in audiovisual content, albeit with no
significant statistical difference. Cluster analysis was used to determine similar overall design patterns within the
sample set of the Greek OOP-TA pages. Three main clusters of OOP-TA detail pages were identified, differing in
their approach to TA promotion, provided reservation type, and price transparency, resulting in different pre-xxx
visitor experiences on the page. The study concludes with useful recommendations for improving the design of
the olive oil-related TA presentation towards a more sophisticated online promotion, awareness, and value of
oleotourism.

Keywords:
Tours and activities detail page
Service detail page
Olive oil tourism
Oleotourism
Experiences
Experience tourism
Online marketing

5
1. Introduction

The tours and activities (TA) sector is considered very attractive and promising within the tourism industry,
with an expected annual growth rate of 9% in the next years (Picard, 2023). "Things to do in a destination" and
"places to go that aren't too busy" rank 4th and 8th, respectively, among factors influencing travel decisions for
2021 (World Travel and Tourism Council, 2021). The organization of tours and activities has changed to meet the
new demands of global customers, challenging traditional concepts, and redefining what it means to experience
"local distinctiveness."
Olive oil tourism (alias, oleotourism) provides authentic and dynamic experiences that involve visiting olive
groves and mills, exploring the history, culture, and centuries-old traditions of olive oil production, as well as
tasting varieties of olive oil and other local products, and creating a connection with the region and its people.
Demand is increasing, driven by tourist interest in experimental tourism (Ruiz Guerra, Molina, & Quesada, 2018).
Greece has a potential in this regard as it is one of the leading global olive oil producers ( TrendEconomy, 2022).
The prospect for the development of tourism activities in Greece related to olive oil and other local products (e.g.,
mastika, ouzo, leather, carved wood, and pottery) was highlighted in early 90s by Nikolaidis et al. (1993) and
Nijkamp, & Verdonkschot (1995). The most interested in oleotourism and the most likely to purchase olive oil
while visiting Greece are 50- to 60-year-old tourists from northern Europe, especially from Scandinavian
countries (Sabbatini et al., 2016).
According to the recent bibliometric survey by Pato (2024), the main research topics on oleotourism include
theoretical background and olive oil tourism issues, tourist demographic and psychological traits, embeddedness,
rurality, organizational characteristics, and resident perceptions.
Studies in oleotourism include a comparison analysis between enotourists and oleotourists in Spain (Barreal
Pernas, & Jannes, 2021), a cross-country comparison between Spain, Italy, and Croatia on the development of
oleotourism (D'Auria, Marano-Marcolini, Čehić, & Tregua, 2020), a comparison of four European olive-growing
regions employing different strategies to adapt to the changes brought by globalization ( Rodríguez-Cohard et al.,
2020), and a study of olive oil tourism in the Euro-Mediterranean area ( Hernández-Mogollón, Di-Clemente,
Campón-Cerro, & Folgado-Fernández, 2021).
Although several authors have identified the need for strengthening the online promotion, distribution, and
image of oleotourism to reinforce this niche in the tourist market (Tregua, D’Auria, & Marano-Marcolini, 2018;
Ruiz et al., 2018; Murgado-Armenteros, Parrilla-González, & Medina-Viruel, 2021), prior research on oleotourism
lacks understanding of how olive oil producers promote and sell their TA offers online. On the other side,
research in tourism analyzing the effect of website design on online service purchasing by tourists is extensive,
but it mainly focuses on the websites of professional, large tourism organizations, overlooking small business
websites of non-professional (amateur) providers, such as olive oil producers (OOPs).
OOPs are the primary oleoexperience providers, the foundation of oleotourism, who work hard and take full
responsibility for providing enjoyable and memorable experiences. Those who have pursued tourism as an
additional source of income have configured single or multiple tour and activity (TA) offers marketed through
various intermediary platforms or their own websites, or both, or other channels. OOPs offering D2C (direct-to-
customer) promotion and sale of olive oil-related TAs have websites with two functionalities: one for selling their
olive oil products through "product detail pages" and another for selling their TAs through their "TA detail pages."

1.1. Description of the tours and activities detail page

A tours and activities (TA) detail page is a service detail page with a distinct URL that provides potential
tourists with detailed information about a specific offer through textual, visual, textual/visual, audio, and
audiovisual content, organized by the use of different design elements. It is designed to promote the TA offer,
evoke desire, assist visitors in making an informed decision, and encourage them to act (e.g., to book, to call, or
to send an inquiry). This service detail page is referred to by various names, such as activity page,
booking/activity page, experience page, itinerary page, tour or activity page, tour/activity page, etc. It is the
equivalent of the better known "product detail page", but for promoting and selling a service. Here, the name of
the tours and activities (TA) detail page was adopted.
The design of a service/TA detail page is challenging because it needs to respond to multiple requirements
related to content, functionality, usability, customization, information architecture, aesthetics, emotional appeal,
and performance (e.g., loading time, mobile friendliness, accessibility). The applied design elements (DEs) and
content elements (used to convey information about a product) in a "product detail page" on e-commerce
platforms significantly influence the customer's emotional perception of the product presentation
(Papantonopoulos, & Karasavova, 2021). In a tourism context, the TA detail page holds great significance
because it serves as a primary source of information for potential visitors, influencing their decision to explore a
particular offer. Despite that, there is a lack of focused research on this subject, probably because TA detail
pages, particularly those of small businesses, are very diverse design-wise, making their comparison and
assessment challenging.
Recent findings indicate that people tend to look up "what to visit" upon reaching their destinations more
frequently than they search for transportation and dining options (Huertas, & Miguel, 2022). A tourist at the
destination has already gone through the entire vacation-planning cycle and is unlikely to invest much time in
further TA searches and content reading before deciding. According to the concept of "consumer information
search" (Stigler, 1961), customers conduct implicit "cost-benefit analyses" during the selection of service/product
options and they want to gather as much relevant information as possible in as little time as possible, even if it

6
means compromising quality (Griffiths, & Brophy, 2005; Gursoy, & Chi, 2009). Therefore, a carefully designed TA
presentation is essential to helping them quickly choose the right for them TA.
A well-designed product/service detail page aims to enhance visitor engagement with the page content by
providing a smooth and quick experience while reducing negative emotional impacts like doubt, frustration, and
uncertainty (Papantonopoulos, & Karasavova, 2022). On the contrary, information-packed detail pages decrease
participants' task performance in finding specific information. Harley (2018) suggests that supporting informed
decision-making on e-commerce websites requires presenting well-curated, uncluttered information and clearly
communicating the visual hierarchy of elements and content.
Online travel agencies (OTAs) are web-based intermediary platforms that sell tourism services on behalf of
other companies through a big number of TA detail pages where consumers can explore extensive information
and make immediate bookings. OTA-TA detail pages are professionally designed for effective marketing to draw
in more customers (Tsvetkov, 2023). There is an extensive list of medium- and small-size OTAs that specialize in
tours and activities. According to Picard (2023), Greece is among the countries offering the highest number of
tours and activities.
Even though OOPs can capitalize on the well-known benefits of selling their TA offers through intermediary
platforms, they should not overlook promoting their offers on their websites as well. There are convincing
arguments supporting D2C sales to increase profits. According to survey data, 78% of travelers prefer booking a
service directly so they can request additional amenities, secure a better price, and take advantage of loyalty
programs (Phocuswright, 2017). Using D2C sales enables OOPs to introduce new or experimental TA options,
discounts, flexible re-scheduling, subscription arrangements, customized TA options based on customer input,
and better access to customer data.
The latest Greek government development law, entitled "Development Law: Greece Powerful Growth",
offers, inter alia, subsidies for business initiatives in "digital and technological business transformations", "tourism
investments", and "alternative forms of tourism" (Paravantes, 2022) that can be used by OOPs to implement their
initiatives and position themselves for long-term success.

1.2. Objectives of the study

The study aimed to:

(a) Create a benchmarking scale for the assessment of the promotion of TA detail pages using content and
design elements extracted from TA detail pages.
(b) Assess and compare how olive oil-related TA offers in Greece are currently being presented on the TA detail
pages of the websites of Greek OOPs and OTAs and draw recommendations for improvement; and
(c) Classify the OOP-TA detail pages comprising a sample set according to their content elements, design
elements, and provided reservation type.

2. Methodology

2.1. Methodological steps

An analytical comparison between OOP-TA and OTA-TA promotions was conducted by integrating data
from three main dimensions: content elements, design elements (organization of content), and the reservation
process employed.
A content element refers to any element in textual, visual, textual/visual, or audiovisual form used to convey
the TA offer on the TA detail page. Four levels of categorization were used to refine the classification of content
elements.
A design element refers to any means used to organize or emphasize the content according to its order of
importance. Here priority was given, for example, to the alignment of images, layouts (e.g., location of image
gallery on the page top or bottom), the organization of textual content (heading, bullet points), and the scale
(emphasized price). Three levels of categorization were used to refine the classification of the design elements.
The "Reservation type" which the provider prefers customers to follow to secure a spot for a specific date
and time was classified as a process in a separate dimension. Such organization of the benchmarking scale
assists in determining whether significant differences between the two kinds of pages exist uniquely in their
content while their designs remain similar, or the other way round, or if both the content and its organization are
notably distinct/not distinct.

7
 The study follows the methodological steps presented in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1. Methodological steps

2.2. Sample collection of TA detail pages

Samples of OOP-TA detail pages were collected using a purposive sampling technique with a keyword
search. To narrow down the retrieved results to the webpages of interest, a Google Advanced search was
conducted according to the guidelines provided by Refine Google searches (Google Search Help, 2023) using
Greece as the designated location. In addition to the keywords "olive oil producer", "olive oil manufacturer", and
"olive farm", the keywords "visit", "tours", "activities", "experiences", "tasting", "reservations", "book", "tourism",
and "oleotourism" in the URL or in the title were also used. A sample set of OTA-TA detail pages was obtained by
conducting a Google search using the same keywords.
A distinction was made between TA-listing pages and TA-detail pages according to a two-layer information
model (Hong, Thong, & Tam, 2004) used for the presentation of products/services. Visitors typically select an
option from a TA listing page (Fig. 2, left); upon selecting their desired option, they are directed to the TA detail
page (Fig. 2, right), which presents detailed information about the specific option. Although this type of
information organization has been commonly adopted in Greek OOP websites to present their olive oil products,
it is not always applied to their TA-offer presentations. Given that offers are displayed in a variety of ways, the
following descriptions explain the criteria for the inclusion or exclusion of page samples:
 A TA detail page Type 1 accessed from a TA listing page and presenting a single TA offer was included
(Fig. 2, Right). When multiple options were available, the one for olive oil tasting was selected.
 A TA detail page Type 2 accessed from the main website menu and presenting a detailed TA offer with a
small section for TA options was included (Fig. 3, left).
 A TA detail page Type 3 accessed from the main website menu and presenting a single TA offer was
included (Fig. 3, right)
 TA service pages with designs that could not be definitely classified into any of the three previous types
were excluded.
40 and 40

8
Fig. 2. Screenshots of a section of a TA listing page of OOP website (left) and a TA detail page Type 1 (right)
accessed by clicking of the second option (olive oil tasting) from the listing page.
Yellow boxes: content elements, green boxes: design elements, blue box: reservation type.

Fig. 3. Screenshots of a TA detail page Type 2 (left) and a TA detail page Type 3 (right).
Yellow boxes: content elements, green boxes: design elements, blue box: reservation type.

9
 TA detail pages were analyzed in their translated English-language version and desktop view mode. An
evaluation matrix was first created for the set of OTA-TA detail pages. If new elements appeared next in the
evaluation matrix for the set of OOP-TA pages, they were added back to the first set and OTA-TA detail pages
were re-examined. All elements were presented as dichotomous variables. Webpage samples were collected in
July 2023 and saved as a full-page screenshot, an HTML file, and a PDF file.

first collection, then analysis

2.3. Definition, categorization, and measuring of elements

Content and design elements whose definition could not be inferred by their names were defined as follows:
A TA title was categorized as "Descriptive" if it contained the location, the name of the farm, or an adjective
reflecting the offer type (e.g., private, semi-private); otherwise, it was classified as "Generic."
The length of the TA offer's textual description was measured by its word count with the web-based
language analysis tool "Text Inspector" by Weblingua Ltd. It was classified as "Limited" (up to 150 words),
"Summary" (151-250 words), or "Detailed" (more than 251 words).
In the TA description, directly addressing consumers creates a sense of personalization and positively
impacts their response to marketing communications (Zahay, & Roberts, 2018). The type of personal pronoun
used in a TA description was determined by the number counts of "you" and "we", while the pronoun " it" (the TA)
by the absence of the previous two. Here, only the pronoun "you" is presented.
The reservation type was classified as "Non-immediate" if it provided a more personalized experience but did
not include a payment and required customers to wait for confirmation; and "Immediate" if it offered real-time
availability check, payment, and immediate confirmation. All benchmarking elements, including those belonging
to the reservation type, were used for the cluster analysis of OOP-TA detail pages. Statistical analyses were
performed with Minitab, LLC 2021. The type of the image gallery was classified based on the descriptions in
Table 1. The final benchmarking scale included 32 content elements, 17 design elements, and 2 reservation
types (Fig. 4).

Table 1
Image gallery layouts used for the classification.

Infinite scrolling: A slideshow that restarts

when finished

Free scrolling: Freely flick and scroll

images without alignment

Slider with group of images: Group of

images as individual slides

Autoplay: Automatically advance to the

next image with a specific speed

Grid: Group of images, aligned as a grid

and displayed at once

10
 Fig. 4. The structure of the benchmarking scale.

3. Results

3.1. Comparison of content

A graphical comparison of content elements between OTA-TA and OOP-TA detail pages is shown in Fig. 5.
"Price", "Duration", "Included in the price", and "Starting time" appeared at a very high rate on OTA-TA pages, in
the range of 80-95% (Fig. 5). No content elements with such very high rates were identified in OOP-TA pages.
The most common content elements on OOP-TA pages were "Price", "Duration", and "Images of engaged
people", with a maximum rate of 50%.

11
 A more thorough quantitative examination of all assessed content elements using a Two-sample T-test is
shown in Table 2.

Fig. 5. Comparison of the rates of occurrence of content elements in OOP-TA and OTA-TA detail pages.
T-CE: textual content elements, V-CE: visual content elements,
TV-CE: textual/visual content elements, and AV-CE: audiovisual content elements.

Textual content. A significant difference was found in 11 textual content elements (Table 2). The most used
OOP-TA page titles were "Generic", such as "Olive oil Tasting", "Tour and Tasting", "Olive oil Tour", or "Olive oil
Tour and Tasting". In contrast, most of the titles of the OTA-TA pages were highly descriptive and useful,
containing, e.g., the location, the type of the tour, or the space, or indicating that the experience will be conducted
by an olive oil sommelier or will include lunch. OTA-TA offers were mainly explained by "Detailed" TA
descriptions and used the pronoun "you", clearly emphasizing what the tourist will do and experience. Most OOP-
TA descriptions included a pronoun different than "you", such as "we" or "it" (the experience). Nearly all OTA-TA
detail pages (except for 2 out of 40) specified the tour price and what it included, and 30% of them were
transparent about the "Price for children" before initiating the booking. By comparison, only half of OOP-TA detail
pages disclosed the price of their offers. Six content elements in "Additional information" were used to assess the
provision of supplementary information about the offered experiences (Table 2). A significant difference was
found in all of them except "Max. # of participants" (Table 2). Only one OOP-TA detail page (out of 40) displayed
a "Cancellation policy." Although "guided" was the most used adjective in TA textual descriptions and titles, the
host/guide was introduced in OTA-TA and OOP-TA pages at a similarly low rate. Only a few from both types of
pages were relatively more transparent by mentioning their names and their role in the activities (Table 2).
Visual content. Visual content on OTA-TA and OOP-TA pages was created only with images from the
providers. OTA-TAs predominantly used 10 to 20 images, while, on OOP-TAs, the experience was visualized
with 1 to 3 images (Fig. 5). The importance of "Images of engaged people" was acknowledged in both types of
pages.
Textual/visual content. A significant difference between OTA-TA and OOP-TA detail pages was found in all
textual/visual content elements (Table 2). Only 5% of OOP-TA pages were taking advantage of the application of
infographics for presenting TA characteristics in a simple and easy-to-understand way. By contrast, half of OTA-
TA pages used infographics, which combined illustrations and text in a single format to present specific
characteristics of the offer. The most frequently used infographics were communicating duration, language, food
pairing, private groups, maximum/minimum group size, and instant booking. User-generated "Rating
stars/Number of customer reviews" had a very low rate of occurrence in OOP-TA pages, primarily featured as
Google reviews on an integrated Google map while they were very common in OTA-TA pages (Fig. 5).
Audiovisual content. Audiovisual content was rarely found in either type of pages with even fewer videos
explicitly video-marketing the TA offers (Fig. 5). It was the only element in which OOP-TA outperformed OTA-TA
pages, albeit insignificantly (Table 2). Some long OOP-TA videos (9 min) presented the company or brand and

12
featured just a few images related to the offered experience in the middle or at the end, thereby making it very
difficult for someone to view it.

Table 2
Two sample T-test results for statistical differences in the content elements between OOP-TA and OTA-TA detail
pages.

1st-level 2d-level 3rd-level

OTA OOP OTA OOP T-value DF p-value
elem. elements elements

% % n n
TA title Descriptive 77.5 37.5 31 15 3.91 76 0.000*
TA textual Detailed 65.0 37.5 26 15 2.53 77 0.014*
description
Summary 25.0 32.5 10 13 -0.73 77 0.465*
Limited 10.0 30.0 4 12 -2.28 67 0.026*
Used personal pronoun "you" 70.0 40.0 28 16 2.79 77 0.007*
Price Availability 95.0 50.0 38 20 5.15 53 0.000*
Textual CEs

Price for child 30.0 22.5 12 9 0.76 77 0.452*

Included in the price 92.5 40.0 37 16 4.46 77 0.000*
Additional info Duration 95.0 50.0 38 20 5.15 53 0.000*
Starting time 80.0 35.0 32 14 4.51 75 0.000*
Min. # of participants 47.5 22.5 19 9 2.40 75 0.019*
Max. # of participants 30.0 12.5 12 5 1.93 70 0.057*
Access for people with reduced mobility 25.0 5.0 10 2 2.58 57 0.013*
Cancelation policy 60.0 2.5 24 1 6.98 46 0.000*
Host/guide textual presentation 12.5 10.0 5 4 0.35 77 0.728*
Number of 1 to 3 10.0 42.5 4 17 -3.51 64 0.001*
images in
4 to 9 40.0 45.0 16 18 -0.45 77 0.656*
Image Gallery
Visual CEs

(IG) 10 to 20 45.0 10.0 18 4 3.76 64 0.000*

More than 20 5.0 2.5 2 1 0.58 70 0.563*
Content-related Image of engaged people 67.5 50.0 27 20 1.60 77 0.115*
aspects of IG
Image of hosts/guide(s) 27.5 27.5 11 11 0.00 78 1.000*
Geographical map Availability 55.0 25.0 22 10 2.84 76 0.060*
Infographic icons 50.0 5.0 20 2 5.15 53 0.000*
Textual/
visual
CEs

Rating stars/# of customer reviews 55.0 7.5 22 3 5.27 59 0.000*

Cross bookings/Recommendations 77.5 15.0 31 6 7.10 76 0.000*
Available video On page (enhancing the content) 10.0 20.0 4 8 -1.25 72 0.216*
Audiovisual

Video duration Less than 1 min (concise message) 2.5 10.0 1 4 -1.38 58 0.171*
CEs

From 1-9 mins (comprehensive content) 7.5 10.0 3 4 -0.39 76 0.697*

Video relevance Explicitly about TA offer 5.0 15.0 2 6 -1.49 64 0.140*
to TA offer
Story about company/brand/production/TA 5.0 5.0 2 2 0.00 78 1.000*

13
3.2. Comparison of the organization of the content
Eighteen design elements were used as benchmarks to assess differences in the organization of content
between OTA-TA and OOP-TA detail pages (Fig. 6). The use of "Headings", "Bullet points", and "Emphasized
price" for organizing and highlighting the textual content on OOP-TA pages was significantly lower compared to
OTA-TA detail pages (Fig. 6).
A more thorough quantitative examination of all assessed design elements using a Two-sample T-test is
shown in Table 3.

Fig. 6. Comparison of the rates of occurrence of design elements in OOP-TA and OTA-TA detail pages.
T-DE: textual design elements, V-DE: visual design elements,
TV-DE: textual/visual design elements, and AV-DE: audiovisual design elements

Textual content structure. Significant differences were found in the use of "Headings", "Bullet points", and
"Emphasized price" (Table 3).
Visual content structure. Significant differences were found in the "Organization of images" in an "Image
gallery (IG)", in the use of "Infinite scrolling IG" ("IG Type"), and in the "Location of IG" on the "Page top" (Table
3). Only half (57.5%) of the OOP-TA pages had available IGs, mostly of a grid type and showing all images at
once (Appendix B: Fig. B1 (left and right), Fig. B2 (middle)). The need for a visual hierarchy, i.e., an arrangement
of DEs on the page so that the eye could be guided to follow a path from the most important to least important
DE (Harley, 2018) was found not to be taken into consideration in the design of 32.5% of OOP-TA pages which
atypically located their IG at the bottom of the page (Fig. 2 (left), Appendix B: Fig. 1, left and right, Fig. 2, middle).
In these cases, if the visitor did not scroll down to the end of the page, they may not be able to see it. By contrast,
OTA-TA pages featured IGs located at the top of the page as one of the first DEs to be seen, creating a good first
impression (Appendix A). All OTA-TA pages displayed the images in galleries (Table 6, Appendix B, Fig. 1)
predominantly of an autoplay type (Fig. 6).
Textual/visual content structure. Significant differences were found between the two types of pages in all
DEs, except for the "Location of the rating stars/# of customer reviews" on the "Page bottom" (Table 3). Although
significantly less than for OTA-TAs, "Reservation/Inquiry/Contact Forms/Booking boxes" were implemented in
40% of OOP-TAs, allowing customers to instantly initiate reservations or contact the provider.
Audiovisual content structure. No significant differences between the two types of page were found (Table
3). However, despite being quite rare, videos on OTA-pages (Table 2) were clearly relevant to the TA offer and
prominently displayed (e.g., first in the IG). In comparison, only 2 of the 8 available videos on OOP-pages (Table
2) were prominently positioned on the page (Table 3). Furthermore, 35% of OOP-TA pages included the
YouTube logo in the footer/header, allowing users to visit the OOP’s video channel and search through the listed
videos for the TA-related video.

14
Table 3
Two sample T-test results for statistical differences in the design elements (organization of content) between
OOP and OTA-TA detail pages.

1st-level 2d-level 3rd-level

OTA OOP OTA OOP T-value DF p-value
elem. elements elements

% % n n
Structure Headings 77.5 37.5 31 15 3.91 76 0.000*
Textual
DEs

Bullet points 70.0 40.0 28 16 2.79 77 0.007*

Display of price Emphasized price 72.5 25.0 29 10 4.77 77 0.000*
Organization of Image gallery (IG) 92.5 57.5 37 23 4.42 59 0.000*
images

IG type Infinite scrolling 22.5 5.0 9 2 2.32 58 0.024*

Visual DEs

Free scrolling 20.0 7.5 8 3 1.63 67 0.108*

Slider with group of images 7.5 2.5 3 1 1.02 63 0.312*
Autoplay 32.5 17.5 13 7 1.55 74 0.125*
Grid 10.0 25.0 4 10 -0.55 77 0.582*
Location of IG Page top 80.0 25.0 32 10 5.14 76 0.000*
Page bottom 12.5 32.5 5 13 -1.17 74 0.245*
On page form Reservation/Inquiry/Contact/Booking 65.0 40.0 26 16 2.28 77 0.025*
box

Location of rating Page bottom 12.5 5.0 5 2 1.18 67 0.241*

visual DEs

stars/
Textual/

# of customer
reviews Page top and bottom 30.0 5.0 12 2 3.08 55 0.003*

Location of Page top 42.5 5.0 17 2 4.33 53 0.000*

infographics

Location of video On-page, prominent 10.0 5.0 4 2 0.84 71 0.403*

Audio
visual
DEs

about TA offer 27.5 35.0 11 14 -0.72 77 0.476*

In YouTube channel (accessed via
YouTube logo in Header/Footer}

3.3. Statistical analysis

An ANOVA test with Tukey Post-Hoc showed that OTA-TA detail pages outperformed OOP-TA detail pages
significantly in the completeness of the textual and textual/visual content and insignificantly in the visual content.
OOP-TA pages outperformed OTA-TA pages only in the audiovisual content (albeit with no significant statistical
difference) (Table 4). Overall, a significant statistical difference was found in both the completeness of content
and the organization of the content where OTA-TA detail pages outperformed OOP-TA detail pages (Table 5).

Table 4
Tukey simultaneous tests for differences of means for different content types of OTA-TA and OOP-TA detail
pages.

Difference Difference SE of Adjusted

Content type 95% CI T-Value
of Levels of Means Difference P-Value
Textual OOP - OTA -25.83 8.82 (-43.90, -07.77) -2.93 0.007*
Visual OOP - OTA -6.80 11.00 (-30.80, -17.30) -0.61 0.550*
Textual/visual OOP - OTA -51.67 8.98 (-76.59, -26.75) -5.76 0.005*
Audiovisual OOP - OTA 6.00 2.85 (0-0.57, -12.57) 2.10 0.068*

Individual confidence level = 95.00%

15
Table 5
Tukey simultaneous tests for differences of means for content completeness and organization of content for
OTA-TA and OOP-TA detail pages.

Difference Difference SE of Adjusted

Dimension 95% CI T-Value
of Levels of Means Difference P-Value
Completeness of content OOP - OTA -18.82 6.26 (-31.19, 0-6.15) -3.98 0.004*
Content organization OOP - OTA -18.53 8.19 (-35.21, 0-1.85) -2.26 0.031*

Individual confidence level = 95.00%

3.4. Comparison of the reservation process employed

OOPs provided customers with a variety of reservation channels/modes. To outline the results, the data here
are summarized into the two main types: immediate and non-immediate reservations. A two sample T-test of the
data for featured immediate/non-immediate reservations on OOP-TA and OTA-TA detail pages indicated a
significant difference between the two types of pages (T-value of 7.26 and p-value < 0.001). Almost all OTA-TA
detail pages offered instant reservation (90%). Contrary to this, the OOP-TA pages provided predominantly non-
immediate reservations (72.5%).

3.5. Cluster analysis of OOP-TA detail pages

Cluster analysis was used to determine a similar overall design within the sample set of 40 OOP-TA pages.
Tree clusters were identified (Fig. 7). Cluster 1 and Cluster 2 had the smallest distance, and Cluster 1 and
Cluster 3 had the biggest distance between their centroids, at 2.572 and 2.940, respectively. Inter-cluster
differences suggest that OOPs use various approaches to promote their TA offers resulting in different visitor
experiences on the page. A detailed description of the characteristics of the clusters is provided in Table 6.

Fig. 7. Dendrogram of the 40 OOP-TA page designs.

16
Table 6
Descriptions of the characteristics of the 3 clusters formed by the sample set of 40 OOP-TA pages. Content and
design elements with low and very low rate of occurrence ( < 40%) were excluded from the graphical
presentations. Representative samples illustrating the TA detail page design from each cluster are shown in
Appendix B.

Cluster 1 (27.5%)
Transactional with adequate textual content
Provide:
• Immediate reservation (64%)
• Price (100%)
Approach to TA promotion:
Commercially-, textually-, and visually-
oriented with sufficient and well-organized
content

Visitor experience: Visitors will be engaged with well-organized, informative, and relevant content. Those with
good travel knowledge, familiarity with bookings, and a pre-planned itinerary will effortlessly and quickly obtain a
ticket to complete the page visit.

Cluster 2 (57.5%)
Non-transactional and common type, with
basic, mostly visual content
Provide/not provide:
• Non-immediate reservation (91%)
• No price (83%)
Approach to TA promotion:
Visually-oriented, atypical/non-prominent
placement of the IG on the page bottom and
limited TA textual description
Visitor experience: Visitors will form a good visual impression of the offer but only if they scroll down to the page
bottom to find the IG. Social cues—pictures of engaged visitors having a real-time enjoyable experience—
reassure them of the TA quality. However, the lack of TA pricing and other TA characteristics, besides "Duration",
as well as a limited TA description may lead to hesitation. Visitors will need to make an extra effort to
communicate with the provider for pre-visit arrangements.

Cluster 3 (15%)
Mixed type with various reservation types,
available prices, and basic content
Provide:
• Price (83%)
• Non-immediate (66%), immediate (17%),
and customer choice (17%) of
reservations
Approach to TA promotion:
Textually-oriented

Visitor experience: Visitors will be engaged with informative TA textual descriptions. They can easily find prices
for adults and children, although the very limited number of images will be non-captivating.

4. Discussion

As a result of the analytical comparison of OTA-TA with OOP-TA detail pages, it was found that OTA-TA
detail pages significantly outperform OOP-TA pages in both the completeness of content and its organization.
The following key recommendations for improving the content and the organization of the content of OOP-TAs
are offered.

4.1 Key recommendations for improving the content and its organization for OOP-TA detail pages

4.1.1. Enhancing the textual description of the offer

17
 Currently, OOP-TA offers are primarily described with limited text or lengthy text paragraphs (Appendix B,
right). When the TA description lacks detailed explanation, as in many OOP-TA pages, it resembles an
"Overview" section. Consequently, it may appeal more to the impatient tourist who quickly scans the text for
confirmation of information while leaving the "good planner" dissatisfied due to the inability to learn the details.
Written after a lived experience, computer-generated, or including a compilation of top reviews, the TA
description can highlight the benefits for the visitor and explain why the offer should be considered over others.
Concise text (Appendix B, Fig. B1, left) organized in bullets, starting with an action verb (e.g., learn, enjoy,
discover), clearly conveys what the visitors will experience. In a short reading time, they can quickly judge if this
TA is what they are looking for. The TA description can also be improved using the pronoun "you." Such a
personalized approach allows readers to envision themselves in the described text, triggering their curiosity and
sense of excitement. This language technique creates a sense of hospitality and often acts to place readers in
the position of the beneficiaries of the specific action (Zahay, & Roberts, 2018).

4.1.2. Increasing the effectiveness of the visualization of the TA offer

Relocating the image gallery from the bottom to the top of the page can increase the effectiveness of the TA
visualization of the TA offer. Carefully selecting a reasonable number of relevant images that are visually
descriptive, straightforward, accurate, and well sequenced is important too. By doing so, OOPs can best
emphasize the uniqueness of their offering by showing exactly where tourists will go and what they will do and
see. Dining atmospherics strongly influence customers' emotional responses and value perceptions, which in turn
have an impact on their future intentions (Gardini, 2007).

4.1.3. Displaying the price

Half of OOP-TA offers were presented without a price. When the price was available, it was often displayed
in a non-emphasized way, making it difficult to find. Stressing essential information such as price will facilitate
tourist decisions. Online pricing display is a strategic business choice, and further research in this line can offer
insights into why OOPs are keeping pricing obscure.

4.1.4. Extending supplemental information

The list of possible additional information about the offer can be very extensive. It may include information
about "permitted pets", "operation in all weather conditions", "accessible for strollers", "available vegetarian
option", and so on. Thoughtfully presented down to the smallest detail, supplemental information clearly
demonstrates empathy with the interested tourist, answering many possible questions. For example, some
people intentionally look to meet and mix with other tourists, while others prefer to live the experience in a quieter
space. "Max # of participants" will inform visitors about the capacity of the farm.

4.1.5. Increasing the effectiveness of the TA offer title

Generic TA titles, such as "Tour and olive oil testing", were prevalent among OOP-TA offers. They are less
effective, forcing interested tourists to conduct additional searches. Descriptive titles such as "Unveiling the
Secrets of Olive Oil: A Guided Tour and Tasting in Crete" are considerably distinct and helpful. Adding
information such as the location, the type of the tour (e.g., semi-private), adjectives such as "authentic",
"sommelier", "family-friendly", "grand", "special", and "guided" will highlight the uniqueness of the offer, add
specificity, and reassure visitors that they are looking at the right offer. The TA title also needs to be SEO
optimized to enhance its search engine ranking (Das, 2021).

4.1.6. Applying infographics

Combining infographics with detailed textual descriptions enables various tourists to easily access
information in their preferred mode: the impatient tourist will quickly scan the information while the excellent
planner will learn details about the offer. When used effectively, replacing text with infographics makes the page
feel more organized and clearer, significantly improving its usability.

4.1.7. Designing the TA detail page by considering the availability of different paths a customer may access the
page
Visitors can access the TA detail page through various paths, but once there, they need a comprehensive
understanding of the offer to decide whether it is suitable for them. This mandates first to concentrate all relevant
content about the offer on the page so that users are not forced to leave the page in search of missing
information. When looking for "olive oil tours near me" on Google Maps, visitors will be directed to the OOP’s
"Home page", where they can choose the TA detail page from the main navigation menu. On one side, this path
to the page will require formulating an accurate and universally understandable page name in the main menu that
guides visitors effectively and communicates the content of the page.
On the other side, as mentioned previously, many tourists typically look for "what to visit" upon reaching their
destination. Given the increasing use of mobile devices for local searches, enhancing Google Maps marketing
and optimizing listings on Google Maps can boost online visibility for OOPs and draw in local and international
tourists from nearby areas. Within this context, Google Maps marketing can be a highly suitable strategy for small
businesses (McCormick, 2023) such as OOPs.
The predominant type for OOP-TA reservations was non-immediate, confirming earlier findings on
technology avoidance among family-run tourism businesses a decade ago (Vlachvei, Notta, Diotallevi, &
Marchini, 2014). Past research has thoroughly examined the reasons for avoiding computer reservation systems,

18
which mainly include technical challenges, resource constraints, procedural complexity in rescheduling, payment
cancellations, and associated risk (Radicic, & Petković, 2023). Possibly this may also be attributed to the number
of oleotourists being still manually manageable by OOPs.
Positively, OOP-TA page designs were more memorable and diverse (Appendix B) than OTA-TA pages
(Appendix A) in terms of font style, color, theme, and aesthetic appeal, complying with the design diversity and
localization of the entire website presenting the olive oil-producing company and its products.

4.2. Key recommendations for both OOP-TA and OTA-TA detail pages

4.2.1. Implementing a relevant, short TA-related video

Short videos, clips, or animations explicitly about the offers were rarely found on either type of page,
suggesting that the digital nature of the TA page was not exploited to the fullest. Their presence on the page can
significantly influence brand identification and loyalty through emotional experiences (Li, & Zhang, 2023). The
appearance of different personalities in the videos can also change the sensation of a destination (e.g., the smile
of a local represents the destination's hospitality, whereas the smile of a tourist communicates delight) (Zuo et al.,
2023). Videos/clips can also be frequently updated and shared on short-video platforms, social media and
YouTube resulting in links to the page.

4.2.2. Introducing the host/guide(s)

Introducing the host/guide(s) can attract meticulous and all-planning tourists who value a person-to-person
connection. A brief self-portrait of a local olive oil producer escorting visitors as a tour guide and a presentation of
the producer's lifelong passion for olive oil production and belief about why tourists should visit can have a
significant impact on perceived credibility and authenticity.

4.2.3. Implementing a geographical map, customer reviews, and a recommendation agent

Most OOP websites feature a geographical map on the "contacts" page, but not always on the TA detail
page. This experience-relevant CE provides information on nearby attractions along the oleoexperience location
and Google customer reviews to complement the TA offer details. It can also enhance the page’s user-
friendliness and maintain the visitor's interest in the content.
The integration of a recommendation agent that is currently featured on a few OOP-TA pages might suggest
optional TA offers and further more the promotion of their olive oil products as well.

4.3. Classification of OOP-TA pages

Concerning the third objective, "to identify similarities in the design among the Greek OOP-TA detail pages",
the biggest cluster was determined to be the "Non-transactional and common type, with basic, mostly visual
content " OOP-TA detail pages. Only 27.5% were "Transactional with adequate textual content".

4.4. Classification of OOP-TA pages

The design of the TA detail page evolves through the advancement of the DEs themselves or by including
newer supplementary content, highly empathetic with the visitor for entertainment, fun, and engagement. Rarely
currently available new content elements with a high potential to develop into important ones were not quantified
but only classified as "Microtrends." They include a virtual tour, a fitness calculator, interactive maps, scales
indicating the type and the sensation level potential tourists will feel, a summary of all reviews, a start discussion,
and reviews from around the web for this company.

5. Limitations, conclusions, and implications

5.1. Limitations and future research

A benchmarking scale with xx benchmarks focusing on TA offer content completeness, content organization,
and reservation type was developed through a series of methodological steps including morphological
decomposition of OOP-TA and OTA-TA detail page designs and the extraction, classification, and prioritization of
elements. Elements identifying important qualities of the TA detail page such as loading time, accessibility, and
SEO friendliness for the mobile and desktop versions of the TA page can be included in the evaluation scale and
easily assessed using automated tools. Furthermore, an examination of elements related to aesthetics, emotional
appeal, navigation efficiency, page usability, and content semantic analysis may further our understanding of the
overall design of the TA detail page. Moreover, examining the design process, from creating the TA offer(s) to
their online promotion, may disclose areas for improvement through the application of various interaction design
and service design methods. Longitudinal studies may identify the TA-detail-page design's advancement over
time.

5.2. Theoretical implications

The study provides insights on online TA promotion in the Tour and Activity sector, the last to enter the
online environment. First, it emphasizes the importance of a well-designed TA detail page and the opportunity to
be used as a key tool for marketing and sales. Second, it addresses a significant gap in the existing research on

19
the assessment of the design of TA detail pages in the tourism industry. Third, it suggests the use of a "by
design" approach for achieving good online marketing which applies achievement-oriented, well-planned,
intentionally-included or excluded content and organizational means to present the TA-relevant information to
different tourist personas and shifts the display of the offers toward a more sophisticated and visible promotion.
Fourth, it establishes the need for improving OOP-TA detail pages for D2C sales to make their offers more
inviting to potential tourists, elevate the visibility and reputation of the provider, improve the user experience on
the page, and emphasize and accurately communicate what is unique about the offer. Fifth, it draws attention to
the necessity for OOPs offering oleotourism to understand that their websites have features associated with two
distinct promotions and sales: one, their olive oil products through "product detail pages", and second, their olive
oil TAs through "TA detail pages." Six, it suggests linking the TA detail pages of OOPs to all channels (e.g., social
media, YouTube, Google Maps) to increase their online visibility.

5.3. Conclusions and practical implications

Designing the online promotion of the TA offer for value creation is to consider what types of information are
needed and how to be presented in the best possible way to trigger a change in the consumers' minds for better
sales. Based on the findings, it can be recognized that many of the displayed TA offers by OOPs are probably
difficult to reach the end-tourist, not because they are not good offers, but because the current marketing
approach leaves much to be desired to arouse motives for participation.
In general, the study has practical implications for those involved in the creation and promotion of any type of
TA offer, from the single tour guide to OTAs to companies specialized in the development of websites with TA
detail pages. In particular though, the findings are relevant for any provider of olive oil-related tours and activities,
either when developing, redesigning, or updating their own TA page or when uploading/submitting content about
their TA offer(s) on global, local, or international OTA platforms.

References
Barreal Pernas, J., & Jannes, G. (2021). Comparison of international tourist profiles in the Spanish wine and olive
oil PDOs. In N. Boukas, & D. Stylidis (Eds.), Tourism marketing in Western Europe (pp. 82-107). Wallingford,
UK: CABI
Bezerra, R., & Correia, A. I. (2019). O potencial do azeite para experiências de turismo criativo na região norte
de Portugal. Revista Portuguesa de Estudos Regionais, 51, 55-72. https://doi.org/10.59072/rper.vi51.512
D’Auria, A., Marano-Marcolini, C., Čehić, A., & Tregua, M. (2020). Oleotourism: A comparison of three
mediterranean countries. Sustainability, 12(21), 8995. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12218995
Das, S. (2021). Search engine optimization and marketing: A recipe for success in digital marketing. Boca Raton,
FL: Chapman and Hall/Oxon, UK: CRC
Gardini, M. A. (2007). A study on the online sales efficiency of upscale and luxury hotels in Germany, Switzerland
and Austria. In J.S. Chen (Ed.), Advances in Hospitality and Leisure, 3 (pp. 173-192). Leeds, UK: Emerald
Group Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1745-3542(06)03010-4
Griffiths, J. R., & Brophy, P. (2005). Student searching behavior and the web: use of academic resources and
Google. Library Trends, 53(4), 539-554.
Gursoy, D., and Chi, C. G. (2008). Travelers' information search behavior. In H. Oh (Ed.), Handbook of
Hospitality Marketing Management (pp. 266-295). Oxford, UK: Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-
045080-3.50013-5
Hernández-Mogollón, J. M., Di-Clemente, E., Campón-Cerro, A. M., & Folgado-Fernández, J. A. (2021). Olive oil
tourism in the Euro-Mediterranean Area. International Journal of Euro-Mediterranean Studies, 14(1).
Hong, W., Thong, J. Y. L., & Tam, K. Y. (2004). Designing product listing pages on e-commerce websites: An
examination of presentation mode and information format. International Journal of Human-Computer
Studies, 61(4), 481-503. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2004.01.006
Huertas, A., & Orden-Mejía, M. (2022). Do tourists seek the same information at destinations? Analysis of digital
tourist information searches according to different types of tourists. European Journal of Tourism Research,
32, 3211-3211. https://doi.org/10.54055/ejtr.v32i.2492
Li, Z., & Zhang, J. (2023). How to improve destination brand identification and loyalty using short-form videos?
The role of emotional experience and self-congruity. Journal of Destination Marketing, & Management, 30,
100825. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2023.100825
Murgado-Armenteros, E. M., Parrilla-González, J. A., & Medina-Viruel, M. J. (2021). What does the olive oil
tourist value at the destination? A criterion for olive oil tourism segmentation. International Journal of
Gastronomy and Food Science, 25, 100378. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2021.100378
Nijkamp, P., & Verdonkschot, S. (1995). Sustainable tourism development: A case study of Lesbos. In H.
Coccossis, & P. Nijkamp (Eds.), Sustainable tourism development (pp. 127–158). Aldershot: Avebury
Nikolaidis, A. (1993). Production and marketing of Cretan olive oil and wine. In J. van der Ploeg (Ed.),
Strengthening endogenous development patterns in European agriculture (pp. 233-243). Chania, Greece:
CIHEAM (Options Méditerranéennes : Série A. Séminaires Méditerranéens; n. 23)

20
Papantonopoulos, S., & Karasavova, M. (2022). Assessment of customer emotional states while interacting with
digital touchpoints of e-commerce product pages: A Kansei Engineering approach. In L. Marco-Almagro, P.
Lévy, H. Yanagisawa, & A. M. Lokman (Eds.), 9th Kansei Engineering and Emotion Research Conference
(pp. 131-142). https://doi.org/10.5821/conference-9788419184849.12
Papantonopoulos, S., & M. Karasavova (2021). A Kansei Engineering evaluation of the emotional appeal of
product information on e-commerce product pages. In: CHI Greece 2021: 1st International Conference of
the ACM Greek SIGCHI Chapter, November 25–27, 2021, Online (Athens, Greece), 26, pp. 1–8.
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). https://doi.org/10.1145/3489410.3489436
Pato, M. L. (2024). A decade of olive oil tourism: A bibliometric survey. Sustainability, 16(4), 1665.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su16041665
Radicic, D., & Petković, S. (2023). Impact of digitalization on technological innovations in small and medium-
sized enterprises (SMEs). Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 191, 122474.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122474
Rodríguez-Cohard, J. C., Sánchez-Martínez, J. D., & Garrido-Almonacid, A. (2020). Strategic responses of the
European olive-growing territories to the challenge of globalization. European Planning Studies, 28(11),
2261-2283. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2020.1716691
Ruiz Guerra, I., Molina, V., & Quesada, J. M. (2018). Multidimensional research about oleotourism attraction from
the demand point of view. Journal of Tourism Analysis: Revista de Análisis Turístico, 25(2), 114-128.
https://doi.org/10.1108/JTA-06-2018-0017
Sabbatini, V., Manthoulis, G., Baourakis, G., Drakos, P., Angelakis, G., & Zopounidis, C. (2016). Tourists'
behavioural analysis on olive oil consumption: Empirical results. International Journal of Tourism Policy, 6(2),
136-146. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJTP.2016.077968
Stigler, G. J. (1961). The economics of information. Journal of Political Economy, 69(3), 213-225.
Tregua, M., D’Auria, A., & Marano-Marcolini, C. (2018). Oleotourism: local actors for local tourism development.
Sustainability, 10(5), 1492. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10051492
Vlachvei, A., Notta, O., Diotallevi, F., & Marchini, A. (2014). Web marketing strategies in agro food SMEs:
Evidence from Greek and Italian wine SMEs. In Z. Andreopoulou, V. Samathrakis, S. Louca, & M.
Vlachopoulou (Eds.), E-Innovation for sustainable development of rural resources during global economic
crisis (pp. 199-220). Hershey, Pennsylvania: IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-4550-9.ch015
Zahay, D. L., & Roberts, M. L. (2018). Internet marketing: Integrating online and offline strategies in a digital
environment. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill/Irwin.
Zuo, B., Tsai, C.-H. K., Su, C.-H. J., Jantes, N., Chen, M.-H., & Liu, J. (2023). Formation of a tourist destination
image: Co-occurrence analysis of destination promotion videos. Journal of Destination Marketing &
Management, 27, 100763. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2023.100763

Web references
Google Search Help (2023). Refine Google searches. Retrieved. from.
https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/2466433. (Accessed 03 January 2023).
Paravantes, M. (2022). Greece's new development law paves way for tourism growth. Greek Travel Pages.
Retrieved. from. https://news.gtp.gr/2022/02/08/greeces-new-development-law-paves-way-for-tourism-growth/.
(Accessed 16 March 2024).
Harley, A. (2018). UX guidelines for ecommerce homepages, category pages, and product listing pages. Nielsen
Norman Group. Retrieved. from. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ecommerce-homepages-listing-pages/.
(Accessed 12 December 2023).
International Olive Council (2022). The world of olive oil. Retrieved. from.
https://www.internationaloliveoil.org/the-world-of-olive-oil/. (Accessed 3 January 2023).
Lodge, D. (2022). Ideal strategies for SEO content and the creation of SEO texts. SeoBuddy.
Retrieved. from. https://greatcontent.com/seo-content-writing-author/. (Accessed 03 January 2023).
Mathison, R. (2022). Advantages & disadvantages of online travel agencies (OTAs). Rezgo. Retrieved. from.
https://www.rezgo.com/blog/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-online-travel-agencies-otas/. (Accessed 12
December 2023).
McCormick, K. (2024). The 10 best ways to rank higher on Google Maps. WordStream. Retrieved. from.
https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2020/07/02/how-to-rank-higher-on-google-maps. (Accessed 16 March
2024).
McWhirt, J. (2020). What is an online travel agency and how do they work? Origin. Retrieved. from.
https://exploreorigin.com/blog/what-is-an-online-travel-agency-and-how-do-they-work/. (Accessed 13
December 2023).

21
Phocuswright (2017). Tours & activities come of age: global travel activities marketplace 2014-2020. Retrieved.
from. https://www.phocuswright.com/Travel-Research/Destination-Activities-Marketing/Tours-amp-Activities-
Come-of-Age-Global-Travel-Activities-Marketplace-2014-2020. (Accessed 03 January 2023).
Picard, G. (2023). Tours and travel activities report 2019. TourScanner. Retrieved. from.
https://tourscanner.com/blog/tours-and-travel-activities-report-2019/. (Accessed 11 December 2023).
TrendEconomy (2022). Olive oil. Imports and exports. Retrieved. from.
https://trendeconomy.com/data/commodity_h2/1509. (Accessed 11 December 2023).
Tsvetkov, T. (2024). The top online travel agencies for selling tours and activities. Regiondo. Retrieved. from.
https://pro.regiondo.com/blog/top-online-travel-agencies/ - the_ota_industry_landscape/. (Accessed 16
March 2024).
World Travel and Tourism Council (2021). Trending in travel: Emerging consumer trends in travel & tourism in
2021 and beyond. https://www.hotrec.eu/media/static/files/import/wp_post_42597/Trending_In_Travel-
Emerging_Consumer_Trends-231121.pdf. (Accessed 16 March 2024).

22
Appendix A

Fig. A.1. TA detail pages of offers provided by OTAs illustrating more consistent design including from the page
top to the bottom: organized images in a gallery, booking box, emphasized price, TA description, additional
information, Google Maps, customer ratings/reviews, headings, and cross booking/recommendations.

Appendix B

Fig. B.1. TA detail pages of offers provided by OOPs. Left: illustrating Cluster 1-TA detail page design that apply
concise text format and grid image gallery at the page bottom, and "Book now" button for immediate reservation.
Middle – illustrating Cluster-2-TA detail page with visually oriented design, and atypical/non-prominent placement
of the IG at page bottom. Right - illustrating Cluster 3-TA detail page design with textually oriented design using a
visual cue.

23