Web-sights of websites: capturing the essence of cross-cultural competence and diversity awareness in Greek tourism portals

Websites today represent portals to our daily activities, places where individuals may find answers to everyday questions and problems. Nowadays we consult websites over every aspect of our lives, including pastime and vacation options. When it comes to tourist websites, the cultural dimension has become increasingly important (Xu et al., 2023). The destination culture – language, food and drink, areas of natural beauty, music, sightseeing and so on – is considered a strongly motivational factor for tourist travel, with the cultural features and pages of tourist websites increasingly popular and culture a key objective of visitor intentions (Xu et al., 2023).

The present study aims to shed light on the study of cultural features of Greek tourist websites, as the principal communication channels in the administration of Greek tourism by both public and professional organizations. Greece has been selected for the study for a number of reasons, including the country's rich cultural history, its global popularity as a destination, the regional cultural features as should be embedded in the website design and the longstanding connections between the Greek authorities and the country's tourism sector. Greece attracts millions of visitors every year and a steady stream throughout the year. The wide range of governmental and administrative authorities running tourist websites allows authors to study the phenomenon of tourism in Greece at its fullest.

Current literature suggests that cultural design features be embedded in tourist websites, rather than follow a strategic managerial plan. Greek tourist websites have yet to draw from a behavioral-psychological perspective that can enhance the overall design of the website to include cultural features. The cultural dimensions of such websites have not yet been modeled nor put in a modeling context that would allow researchers and managers to compare and thereby construct the models that best fit their case.

In seeking to address these needs, we ask the following research questions: How should tourist websites embed cultural features, considering models of intercultural communication? How do the cultural pages of tourist websites enhance and enrich the user experience in behavioral and psychological terms? And finally, how can the cultural dimension of such websites be remodeled, drawing on an evaluative checklist? The current study addresses the cultural features that Greek tourist websites present to their visitors. Through a content analysis method, the research examines the cultural features deemed important for building website loyalty and online reputation for website visitors. The paper presents a website checklist tool supporting the tourist businesses' endeavors to exhibit cultural features on their websites. This paper is structured as follows: literature review examines tourist websites and the work done on their cultural features and then presents the method, discussion, findings, conclusions and further research.

The type of cultural and/or tourist experience determines which features should be included on a website. Manfreda, Presbury, Richardson, and Melissen (2022) examine the luxury accommodation experience through the lens of meta-ethnographic synthesis in an effort to identify the appropriate website features for tourist websites. Fu, Liu, Li, Wang, and Li (2022) study travel in recreational vehicles using grounded theory methodology. They investigate pre-travel motivations, activities undertaken during travel and post-travel behaviors. Key pre-travel factors included culture, environmental stimuli and travel motivation. Push factors were family togetherness, family relationships and children's experiential learning. “Pull” factors were household division, family activities at destination, socialization, acculturation, enrichment, changes in beliefs and values, personality changes, family adaptability and family cohesion. The above-mentioned dimensions constitute a holistic framework for the experiential process underlying the final outbound family experience. Their study demonstrates the importance of website features for families when deciding destinations for their vacations. In addition, it upholds key variables such as culture and tourist experience as key elements of a successful online presence for tourism websites. Brockie et al. (2022) discuss definitions of culture and safety. A website's cultural safety, the practice of treating people's cultural identities with respect, is crucial for visitors to consider any given cultural attraction to be safe. The study found that website visitors, in their avoidance of hazards, sought out “community-driven,” “national” and “local” website features. The “community” feature involved the choice of website destination where the local community is distanced; the “national” involved a country being welcoming and the “local” an appreciation of local perspectives, experiences, histories and sovereign jurisdiction. Culturally safe tourism is vital to website visitors and researchers. In their study, Jawabreh, Jahmani, Maaiah, and Basel (2022) conclude that tourist website visitors should be able to find information that is familiar to them both linguistically and culturally. A well-designed website is the most useful marketing tool for hotels, for instance. The cultural aspects enrich and enhance knowledge of the destination. Consequently, in deciding which website features should be included, one should weigh up their impact on perceptions and attitudes.

Shimul (2022) conclude that widespread global cultural differences necessitate credibility and trust in tourist websites. Their paper affirms that differing cultural backgrounds can lead to preferences for different website features, including those addressing visitor genders. The work also compares website presentation to the reality of the destination.

The study of websites' cultural features is central to the understanding of visitor behaviors and choices. The range of website features on offer should ensure the prevention of crises or unexpected incidents that can alter or negatively impact the overall visitor experience. In their paper, Xie, Zhang, Huang, Chen, and Morrison (2022) explain the ways in which online media frame crisis situations, affecting travel intentions. This study concludes that online media set a framework for how future crises in the tourism industry (such as the 2023 flooding in Greece) can be forestalled. Key variables to be examined are nature, causes, processes and results. These four strands exert a dynamic effect on travel intentions. The results of the study align with previous studies in the field, namely that destination culture (such as religion) determines the way crises are viewed, through website visitors obtaining information in online reviews.

The study by Xie et al. (2022) draws from literature guidelines on the role, importance and value of tourist websites' cultural elements as defined by Hofstede and further uses them for the study of multicultural online and offline phenomena. The theoretical underpinnings of this research rest on Hofstede's key cultural dimensions. The proposed model has two main sets of structural components: one based on the cultural models of G. Hofstede, E. Hall and R. Lewis and, secondly, on Morrison's modified balanced scorecard approach for standardizing website evaluation of the hospitality industry. Hofstede discussed national cultures and how they affect value systems. He conceptualized a model built on six dichotomous cultural dimensions: high versus low power distance (PDI), individuality versus collectivism, uncertainty acceptance versus avoidance, masculinity versus femininity, long-term versus short-term orientation and indulgence versus restraint, the last dimension added in 2010. Each of these indicators represents a set of fundamental features, is measured along a dipole system and is assigned numeric values on a scale from 0 to 100. They can be applied to the social spaces provided by new media to examine how indicator content resonates with user value systems. Contemporary literature recognizes websites as social spaces with peculiarities; it complements the principal theory of Hofstede as applied to more current social spaces such as websites.

We deemed an approach of content analysis as most appropriate in examining the communication strategy and promotional environment of the Greek tourist product via the medium of websites and in the mapping of the product's specific characteristics. Analysis of the website content can inform a customer service approach. Indeed, content analysis as the principal research approach in the inquiry into (tourist) website design is discussed in depth in the global literature. Meneses, Ocupa-Cabrera, Calvo-Gastañaduy, Suyo, and Fernández-Bedoya (2025) approach online reviews through content analysis. An increasing number of studies have been conducted using this method, as has the combined approach of content analysis and netography. One can also point to the increasing number of online communities and the growing number of wine tours evaluated before bookings and visits take place. Hoffmann and Boulianne (2025) consider websites as rich sources of information. Their study was conducted in five different countries using a quantitative methodology, asking respondents to perform their own content analysis through civic and political volunteering on social media. Content analysis is also a key approach looking at various (social) media texts; the most appropriate research method was found to be content analysis.

Content analysis has been chosen as a method for the following reasons: the majority of website studies employ content analysis as the primary method; in some cases, the method is supported by other methodologies. Content analysis offers the researcher the opportunity to use existing analytical tools and further adopt new tools given the interpretivist method. Interpretivism allows the researcher to employ themselves in the research. Topics and/or areas for content analysis research of website features are wide-ranging, allowing analytical approaches through various lenses. The content analysis method was also elicited in order to obtain a more focused research endeavor, guaranteeing validity and reliability of the results and the evaluation tool presented. It maintains that the content analysis is typically useful in researching theoretically or technically distinctive cases where there is a conscious emphasis on contextual conditions. Penney, David, and Witt (2011) claim that the content analysis method helped their research identify and focus on the websites to include for analysis. The constructs stemmed from the study of various cases, and the different methods helped to tackle a range of issues and research questions. Content analysis methodology addresses issues that other methods cannot easily tackle. Barros, Matos, Sarmento, and Pedro Rino Vieira (2024) take the same line regarding the use of content analysis in research that seeks to identify elements of tourist websites. One of the big advantages of this method is that it allows for a broader, richer understanding of the managerial practices for the subject in question.

Using the above-mentioned methodology, our research proposes a new tool for the audit and measurement of website features to help identify strengths and weaknesses in their design and consequently the level of appeal for the intended stakeholders, namely potential travelers, regular visitors and tourism professionals. In this context, several parameters are developed, observed and measured as qualitative indicators of website performance. If the proposed diagnostic tool is established as a blueprint and proves to be effective, it can be further refined, enhanced and eventually adopted by more countries and different industries. Three categories of website – promotional, professional and regional cover – the country's tourism industry. Each of these three fields has its own distinct audience, overlapping in certain areas; promotional campaigns cater to potential travelers, professional sites relate to travel and hospitality organizations and regional sites can address both, as well as locals with interests in the specific geographical areas. A potential visitor from Asia might well consult the local Aegean promotional campaign site and the South or North Aegean regional sites for more information. Besides their professional interests, hospitality managers should have a clear idea of what their clients seek and should expect to find in promotional or regional campaigns. Table 1 summarizes the choice criteria visitors use for visiting websites.

Websites were clustered according to the following criteria elicited from visitor searches that are presented below.

1. Greek state websites of all Greek regions;

2. Funds received for website building and overall regional development;

3. Number of physical and online visitors over the previous five years;

4. Design of the website's cultural elements included as a primary requirement;

5. Cultural and historical role of the sites in the region and

6. Proximity of cultural items and cultural background of the website features on the websites with Hofstede's theoretical background (see Appendix).

Taking into consideration the above-mentioned website clustering criteria, the research identified important website clusters all around Greece. Here, we discuss the regional and district campaigns cluster run by governmental organizations and the cluster of professional associations and institutes with nationwide managerial jurisdiction in tourism. Table 2 presents the website tourist campaigns we studied.

The association and institutional websites studied are presented below, aiming to give the reader a clearer picture of these organizations.

Table 3 presents the websites of tourism associations and/or institutes that are used not just by professionals but also business travelers. Therefore, they should also incorporate basic cultural features that will facilitate the user.

Table 4 provides the geographical background of each campaign presented in Table 2.

The research team worked on 35 websites, applying the Website Quality Checklist (WQC), which uses a number of feature detectors as signifiers of cultural characteristics drawn from the Hall, Lewis and Hofstede models. In total, 12 categories are identified and described in the codebook as follows: access and technical merit, navigation, attractiveness, content efficiency, usability in services, enhanced user experience, openness and utility value, language option, legitimization and citizenship, structure, design and layout and integrated tourism services (ITS). The ITS category was added to examine the presence of tourism-related services within regional websites managed by local authorities. Three websites, one from each category, were randomly selected and tested for intercoder reliability.

Three trained coders used the WQC to evaluate the websites in question. Their training took place in the same room, with the criteria being fully deployed and explained to the coders. The website evaluation tallied with the evaluation uniformity criteria. The coders were involved voluntarily and committed themselves to the evaluation process through to the end of the research project. They were instructed that they could return at any time once the training had been completed. One of the authors also engaged from scratch in the coding activity.

The gathered data were entered into spreadsheets for synthesis and detection of emerging themes and patterns. The mean percentage of coders' observations was computed per measurement unit within each feature category. This approach highlights areas meriting further empirical analysis by creating an initial space for nuances, assumptions and meaning associations that are inherently objective.

In relation to the clusters of Greek websites central to the study, the authors employed content analysis to assess the websites, using the aforementioned criteria. The authors agreed on the following criteria as key components of the research approach: construct validity, internal validity, external validity and reliability.

The method that best suited our case was content analysis of the websites, which would allow the authors to present an evaluation model for Greek tourist websites. Content analysis allowed the authors to examine website features (Penney et al., 2011) and proceed with the instrument creation.

We examined websites' ease of reach via web browsers, search engine compatibility, accessibility, usability and inclusion of age, background and (dis)ability groups as defined by the World Health Organization standards and internationalization and inclusion criteria that removed impediments to diverse audiences. The navigation domain is about ease of system use, allowing movement around the website and the appearance of signs and hyperlinks. Attractiveness naturally involves visual and aesthetic features that make a website appealing and pleasant to use. Content efficiency refers to reliability, relevance and quality of information; frequency of updates and validation of sources. In the domain of usable services, we checked if content could be customized to meet personal needs and preferences, if there was a log-in function and profile settings, contact information and a mobile and/or tablet application. In the enhanced user experience, we could see whether interactive tools were used to accommodate user needs and facilitate communication with the tourist organization. Openness and utility value are associated with shared content options and social media accounts. The WQC tool was applied to the 35 websites over a two-month period, after appropriate training and review of the supplementary instructions and codebook. The codebook creation drew on the contemporary work of Aguinis, Ramani, and Alabduljader (2023), and Simsek, Fox, and Heavey (2023), and the following development plan was drawn up and enacted:

1. Identify specific features to be coded for each website. Engage an inductive and iterative process to identify the specific features to be coded for each website;

2. Develop firstly developed cycle codes combined by descriptive and magnitude coding, following literature review best practice;

3. Develop descriptive coding in which coders develop the essence of distinct sections of qualitative data due to the variety of sources used;

4. Follow up with literature on coding research practices;

5. Create a full worksheet;

6. Identify common themes;

7. Check reliability of the codes, dependent on codes overlapping;

8. Tabulation to identify the presence or absence of a practice item;

9. Check for key words such as culture, cultural item, culture guidance and cultural interplays;

10. Pair the codes and analyze topics, key themes and areas (see Appendix 1).

After the coding was completed and the key variables identified, the authors developed two theoretical models, stemming from the study of literature and websites. The first conceptual model looks at the design variables, fostering e-loyalty for specific tourist destination websites, while the second examines the long-term effects of e-loyalty, incorporating the sustained impact of repeated website selection and loyalty to the tourist destination itself. The first model examines the navigation design, encompassing the tourist website structure, overall layout (navigation patterns, user experience, etc.) and visual elements (images, graphics, etc.). Figure 1 illustrates the conceptualization of e-loyalty.

By information design we mean the format or overall presentation of information. In other words, informational elements included on the website show how widely the specific information is disseminated and what cultural information is disseminated. The information design may be visual, oral, pictorial, textual and so on. In meeting the website visitors' expectations, the successful model builds trust and user satisfaction. These connections must be strong to establish e-loyalty, which we define as the user's return to the website for travel information or to revisit past experiences, whether recent or distant. This study is the first to discuss the accessibility of cultural information on Greek and Balkan tourist websites. The study of the phenomenon relies on the presence of websites' cultural features and cultivation of website loyalty. The study of culture on a website is an important factor in the website visitor's journey.

The study's second model explores the long-term effects of e-loyalty, with key variables being the website's reputation and the travel destination profile. Figure 2 illustrates the online reputation of the tourist destination.

The cultural elements of a tourist website have to be presented and communicated to the user. Interactivity is an important function of this online communication between website and user, strongly enhancing the online reputation of tourism destinations. The conceptual models presented in this study are interrelated, as websites of tourist destinations may or may not be in different stages of e-loyalty and online reputation. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, e-loyalty and online reputation grew as Gen Z began to adopt the e-vacation mode, as highlighted in the global literature. E-loyalty and online reputation offer guidance to website users as to the requested online experience. Analysis of the websites studied led the authors to the findings presented in the next section. It is important to note that analysis of the findings took into consideration current literature as well as the paper's research objectives.

Hofstede's theory is used today in various contexts and by various disciplines that interact with culture and have culture as an important moderating variable. Several current studies discuss those cultural website features relating to tourist destinations, discussed in terms of key variables and/or managerial practices (Loureiro, 2015; Mele, Kerkhof & Cantoni, 2021). This paper focuses further on trustworthiness of information, security of information and consumer protection in website use (Preko & Gyepi-Garbrah, 2023).

Drawing on global literature and the selection or presentation of various website features, we first chose to examine the future of the online experience. The inclusivity levels of the websites analyzed align with global standards for diverse international visitor audiences. A website's multilingual orientation significantly enhances its accessibility. There are websites targeting specific demographics, allowing the visitor to experience the Greek tourist product. The content is open, navigation is smooth and it is user friendly. Nevertheless, the global scope of the websites studied lacked clarity, and their core content depended on creating positive associations with the destination.

The website navigation was found to be fairly smooth, with campaigns aiming to create a more open, secure and user-friendly experience than professional sites. Clarity and core content visibility should be more important to tourism professionals seeking information through their companies, yet this aspect is only loosely evident. Anchor text and signs are frequently used for clarity. Site maps – a common feature linked to security and uncertainty avoidance – receive moderate ratings. The websites employ this feature primarily to keep content structured and offer a useful overview to tourist visitors or tourism professionals.

Campaigns need attractive sites to foster awareness and positive attitudes. Visual elements are integral to their success, as they offer visitors a unique taste of the promoted region. Symmetry and color harmony create long-lasting impressions that resonate with high-context cultures and their appreciation of subtle, nonverbal cues.

Updates in campaign websites are made on a yearly, seasonal or monthly basis. Promotion of tourism year-round, however, would require more frequent updates and a customization appropriate to the tourism product, local events and visitors' demographics in the specific area. The websites are updated mainly in the news and press release section, whereas standard content such as articles, blogs and editorial pieces are updated every two weeks. Surprisingly, the validity of sources is rated low, indicating that the measurement tool may not properly attribute sources or, more troubling, could have a problematic connection with the institutions responsible for hosting and disseminating vital information. This could represent a major risk to their corporate reputation and credibility.

Personalization and user profile settings are not the norm, and mobile applications are only beginning to be integrated. Enhanced user experiences scored even lower, with a simple contact form as practically the only interaction tool. This feature can partly be attributed to the informative purpose of both categories of websites and also to additional resources and management costs involved in interactive sites.

Campaigns have an understandably equal spread of bilingual (typically Greek and English) and multilingual options, but the narrow-sighted, restrictive unilingual scenario is still prevalent, shutting the door to international users who then need to track the information elsewhere or abandon plans to visit the specific area.

Structure brings together the visual elements corresponding to users' indicator of power distance (PD), the degree to which they accept hierarchy and inequality in social constructs, the support and security of menus and sidebars, the authority conveyed by headers and/or footers and the eye-catching orientation of outlines as gateways to other related websites. Links generally reflect the level of transparency of a website and are built in ways that conform to the site mission and user needs. On campaign websites, links promote an exploratory, process-oriented approach, which is the tendency in high-context cultures.

Vertical structure and drop-down menus are associated with depth and score higher in this category, indicating the importance of hierarchy and authority that appeal to more traditional, high-context cultures. Parallel navigation in the same browser window adopts the flat, minimalistic, low-context outlook that is widely adopted by linear-active Western cultures. Collectivism is reflected in group images overwhelmingly used in campaign websites, whereas single-person imagery is nonexistent. This variable emphasizes the importance of groups rather than individuals and appeals to cultures with family and societal values.

Regional websites are evaluated separately within specific parameters associated with tourism content. In total, 2 of the 13 regions studied do not provide dedicated space for visitors, tourism services and promotion of the area. There is a loose connection with other tourism websites and about one-third of regional websites do not consider tourism and hospitality-related content to be a priority. Finally, tourism-related tabs are not sufficiently extrovert, missing links to the region and other tourist organizations. The use of cultural models in web design could also be an a priori limitation. Because they have not been sufficiently tested in information technology environments, their full potential may not be obvious. Furthermore, correlations between cultural markers and web features may be weaker than assumed because of faulty associations or arbitrary assumptions. Consistent and systematic advancement of research in this area will help establish its relevance and resolve ambiguities.

This study examines how cultural features on tourism destination websites contribute to building a destination's reputation and fostering user loyalty in the context of website feature evaluation. Firstly, the coders' evaluation results showed that three key dimensions build e-loyalty (navigation design, visual design and information design) for tourist websites with cultural features. Navigation created the visual and information design. Tourist websites possess various features intended to attract online or offline visitors. This includes valuable tourist information such as route maps, sightseeing, restaurants, etc. and updated information on local or regional events. The information takes various forms such as information sharing, reviews and more; motives for investigating a website for informative or decision-making purposes. We found that there was positive influence and importance of all website tourist features, yet the cultural features come first, as culture was to be found in all walks of life. Displaying visual and written information in a way that acknowledges the cultural sensitivities of users engages with their values and thus boosts attraction. Unsurprisingly, trust and satisfaction in a website lead to loyal visitors and/or viewers. Key factors arising from e-loyalty include tourist reputation, online communication and the travel destination.

This study has demonstrated that individuals have strong levels of attachment to a website due to the cultural features a website may embed. The findings align with previous studies showing that a website's cultural features positively influence users, fostering engagement and connection (Barreda, Nusair, Wang, Okumus, & Bilgihan, 2020; Vu, Song, Li, & Law, 2023).

Finally, this study has shown that websites with cultural features influence destination visitors online and offline. Previous studies have shown that this occurs most often when the cultural features are predominant. From a theoretical perspective, a website's cultural features serve more purpose than other features.

Having identified a gap in the literature concerning the assessment of websites with cultural features for e-travel or real-time travel tools, few studies have explored cultural features as essential components of tourist destination websites. While previous research on tourist website features has acknowledged cultural features, existing frameworks often overlook their crucial role, treating them as present but not giving them due significance. For research purposes, we applied business and communication theories in an online communication context. In addition, we developed theoretical models based on the quality index proposed by the researchers. The study also contributes to the literature by applying existing concepts from other business areas such as marketing (loyalty) to a website. This shows the importance of providing well-designed useful cultural content, as well as a value-added approach. These factors help boost the website visitor base, enhancing the visitor's search for useful, productive ends.

We propose guidelines that tourist websites might wish to consider when they are designed or redesigned for tourist purposes. Although many websites have switched to a multi-topic format, it is not clear what role the different features may play for a destination promotion reliant on cultural content. This study has shown that, following quality checks applied to the websites in question, visitors find cultural features to be superior. It has further argued that website guidance on organic features ought to strategically promote the cultural aspects of the tourism website as integral to the destination itself. Strategically, managers in the design of lead websites and/or content creators ought to place culture among their list of top priorities. This study used a qualitative evaluation tool for the website features to be evaluated for tourist purposes. We examined the growth of e-loyalty and online reputation as notable successful characteristics of tourist websites and assist managers in determining which cultural elements to include in their business websites. It further facilitates the redesign of other website features to harmonize with cultural features.

The cultural orientation of the websites studied was found to vary depending on content efficiency, usability, openness, structure, design and layout. In each category examined, some features appeared more consistently than others. Campaign sites displayed higher internationalization, being available in several languages. However, cultural customization is not evident; uniformity and consolidation are the norm rather than the exception. There were signs of deficient maintenance, and operation is not always consistent. For example, the tourism and development page in the Attica region “athensattica.gr/el” was not functional at the time of research.

We could also distinguish between two types of culturalism: the site's own culture based on the manifestation of organizational and corporate values, and the cultural congruence of users rooted in their personal, professional and national cultures. These two indices somehow need to be synchronized to reach maximum effect in the intended communication.

We contended that in the design of a website's cultural elements, the “one-size-fits-all” approach may be appropriate for developers and researchers but does not work for different groups of users handling content within their own cultural frame. In Greek campaigns, there was minimal adaptation of user interfaces to cultural preferences, a decisive factor of success often bypassed because of time-consuming and costly procedures.

Websites of regions where tourism revenues are not a significant portion of the local gross domestic product (GDP) do not include a dedicated section for tourism promotion on their website. The West Greece and Peloponnese regions simply present the section under their organizational chart and invoke the official state announcement based on relevant legislation. Surprisingly, the Ionian Islands region comes fifth in flight arrivals and third in arrivals at border ports, fifth in hospitality service activities and second in contribution of tourism to local GDP and does not have a standalone campaign to promote its renowned tourist product. By decision of local authorities, the region views its integration into the business plan of Marketing Greece – a strategic platform for managing the “Greece” brand and visitor experience across all regions – as an effective promotional strategy.

Websites nowadays have become important tools for travelers in deciding which different approaches to adopt for global travel, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, when the phenomenon of online tourism reached a high point. Tourist websites offer different forms of face-to-face experiences to their visitors, striving to replicate the real experience as closely as possible. Culture plays a primary role for the delivery of the tourist product, both offline and online. Cultural features on the websites attract more visitors, are considered key factors in the choice of destination and enhance the overall visitor experience. A website's cultural content also enhances the online reputation of a destination and its online communications in whatever form they may be. This study of websites is supported by the examination of various parameters, some of which align with global literature, while others are new discoveries made through this research. Novel or new parameters for the study of website features as identified in this research are content efficiency (cultural features), enhanced user experience and integrated tourist services.

This study contributes to the literature by conceptualizing how cultural elements may influence website features when integrated into a site's design or layout. It examines cultural factors based on Hofstede's theory, specifically PD and social groups, within an online context. Furthermore, the paper seeks to offer a methodological framework and outline key steps for conducting an interdisciplinary analysis of website features, culture and design.

The results of this study were limited in several respects. We contend that at least two coders should independently analyze the content in a content analysis to ensure the reliability of the coding scheme. Moreover, only one specific subgroup of tourist websites was researched: those administered or sponsored by national authorities. The results would most likely have been different if private organizations had been included in the sample. The purpose of the study, however, dictated that a specific genre of websites be put under the microscope, with an objective of public sector efficiency.

A further limitation was the diversified nature of the study base, loosely bound by the common thread of tourist services. The three subgroups (campaigns, professional associations and regional websites) have very different missions and audiences, which only partly overlap. Placing this diverse population under one roof is a bold move, yet necessary in order to trace those features that define whether these spaces address their tourism-oriented visitors effectively. This limitation extends to the instrument applied, as it encompasses common sets of features relevant across all websites.

For the reasons stated above, the scope of study set the limit at a total of 35 sites. Even then, there were too few websites meeting the inclusion criteria. It would be interesting to conduct a similar study of the private sector or the national tourism agencies of other countries; indeed, an exhaustive study of every tourism-related web page in any given major tourist destination country or region. The next logical step is a collaborative, cross-cultural study involving researchers from various countries.

Our study aims to inspire wider research in the field, expanding to more nations and European regions. Future studies might uncover other factors influencing visitors, in addition to those successful cultural features. Exploring other cultural theories and the role of artificial intelligence is a crucial future research avenue. We believe analyzing tourist website features using semantic and semiotic perspectives will help bridge existing literature gaps.

The authors thank the Deree-RC for the financial support to proofread the final version of this manuscript.

The supplementary material for this article can be found online.