Rural tourism development in Lithuania (2003–2010) — A quantitative analysis

The objectives of the Rural Development Programme for Lithuania for the period 2007 to 2013 are to: (a) preserve natural and cultural heritage objects, (b) support complementary activity in the rural areas, and (c) generate rural tourism as an economic sector. The aim of this study is to identify current trends specific to the Lithuanian rural tourism sector and propose potential means of development. This study focuses on an inter-county assessment of rural tourism flows within Lithuania by the means of an index decomposition analysis. Consequently, an analysis was undertaken covering factors including the number of the rural tourism farmsteads, spatial distribution of those farmsteads, and capacity, an amended Defert Index, and duration of stay effects. The analysis suggests that the Lithuanian rural tourism sector was negatively affected by the 2008 recession. Indeed, the impacts exhibited relatively high elasticity of demand for rural tourism. Hence, there is a need for the further development of appropriate marketing and information dissemination strategies aimed at both middle and lower income consumers.     

Recovery,risk and resilience: Post-disaster tourism experiences in Kaikōura,New Zealand

Tourists are essential to a destination's social and economic recovery following disaster, reducing future risk and enhancing resilience. Drawing on the results of visitor surveys in Kaikōura, New Zealand, we analyse visitors' experiences and their consideration of natural hazard risk and response abilities in relation to a damaging earthquake in the region in 2016. Despite widespread national media and significant disruption, findings suggest the disaster had very little impact on visitors' perceptions and experiences and did not translate into greater preparedness. Instead, tourists reported only limited knowledge about what to do or where to go in the event of a natural hazard event. Results suggest tourists' resilience – and Kaikōura's resilience as a whole – would be enhanced by improving knowledge sharing and awareness building. Furthermore, by considering tourists as part of a linked social-ecological system, targeted interventions to improve understanding of natural hazards can support long-term recovery trajectories and minimize future losses.     

Chinese rural tourism development: Transition in the case of Qiyunshan,Anhui. – 2008–2015

The paper examines the political and social realities of China pertaining to its pro-poor rural tourism policies. It provides a discussion of those policies by drawing on an analysis of changes in the village of Qiyunshan, which is being developed as a tourist destination by the Huangshan authorities. It contextualises the wider policies of current rural reforms under the Xi and Li regime within the specificities of the experiences of this village based upon two sets of observations, (a) one based on several visits over a period of years and (b) a more structured period of participant observations by the first author since 2011. It points to the increased role of state owned enterprises under the Xi regime while highlighting specific differences between different actors in the process of transition toward becoming a major tourist destination.     

Drivers of change in regional tourism governance: a case analysis of the influence of the New South Wales Government,Australia, 2007–2013

The study of governance and policy-making for tourism is an important area of academic scholarship. This paper reviews recent theoretical concepts and approaches to governance, policy-making, and sustainable and regional tourism. Practical application of these concepts is demonstrated through a case study analysis that traces and assesses the main policy and strategic initiatives of the New South Wales Government (Australia) directed at influencing change in regional tourism governance from 2007 to 2013. The analysis compares these main drivers influencing change at a regional scale to relevant themes, concepts and interpretations derived from literature on tourism governance. In particular, it uses Hall's (2011 Hall, C.M. (2011). A typology of governance and its implications for tourism policy analysis. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 19(4–5), 437–457.[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) typology of tourism governance as a framework to explore conceptualisations of the governance structures evident in the case. The paper demonstrates the complexity of the regional tourism governance space, including the ebb and flow of various policy initiatives that have been driven by the political agendas of consecutive governments and their election commitments, as well as a pro-growth mode of governance that does not emphasise sustainable tourism. Moreover, the case suggests the opportunity to use destination management planning as a framework to drive sustainable tourism outcomes.     

Mixed methods in sustainable tourism research: an analysis of prevalence,designs and application in JOST (2005–2014)

This article analyses the use of mixed methods in papers published in the Journal of Sustainable Tourism over the 10 years, 2005–2014. First, a content analysis of the articles shows that mixed methods are used primarily for expansion and development of results, and less often for triangulation or complementarity. Sequential designs are slightly more popular than simultaneous designs, with qualitative research preceding the quantitative element. In the majority of cases, both the quantitative and qualitative methods have equivalent importance, yet where one is dominant, this is usually the quantitative part. Second, we contextualise the content analysis by exemplifying the use of mixed methods in selected papers, using commentary from authors who have recently published mixed methods papers. We reflect on the reasons for, strengths and weaknesses of using mixed methods, and we argue that mixed methods provide sustainable tourism academics with more opportunities for pragmatic transformative research for societal change, and increasing research reliability in relation to social desirability bias, stakeholder comparisons and transdisciplinarity. The paper notes the need for greater understanding of mixed methods by researchers, its special value and growing importance in sustainable tourism research, and its challenges and strengths for authors and editors.     

International hotel chains and environmental protection: an analysis of Hilton's we care! programme (Europe, 2006–2008)

Using the case study method, this paper evaluates and analyses Hilton's we care! programme for improving the environmental performance of the 70 Hilton Worldwide hotels in operation in Continental Europe in 2006–2008. It explores the practical dimension of “greening” hotel operations in the context of corporate social responsibility (CSR), and demonstrates the close links between CSR and human resource management (HRM) in hotels. It deepens the understanding of corporate environmentalism and seeks to disseminate best practice among hospitality managers. The programme's distinctive and innovative character as well as its weaknesses and strengths are highlighted. Barriers to behavioural change in hotel operation are discussed. The programme involved over 16,000 employees, created hotel-specific action teams linking all employee levels and reduced energy use per square metre by 15%, water use and CO₂ emissions per guest night by 8% each over three years. Avoided utility costs totalled US$16 million, of which US$9.6 million can be attributed to changes in human behaviour. The paper makes a case for a holistic approach that combines the introduction of IT-based measurement and performance-assessing tools with genuine employee empowerment and green awareness raising. The study concludes with future managerial policy recommendations that simultaneously bear upon corporate environmentalism and HRM.     

Perceptions of service attributes in a religious theme site: an importance–satisfaction analysis

A growing number of commercial corporations have chosen to open visitor centers or company museums. This trend has not bypassed the religious not-for-profit sector. This study uses past literature, input from management, and importance–performance analysis (IPA) to investigate the visitor experience for a religious theme site in Orlando, Florida. A total of 176 visitor surveys collected in two phases were used to conduct the IPA for the 18 attributes identified. The data analysis revealed three attributes for management concentration, including spiritual activities, something for everyone, and inspirational experience. The remaining attributes were placed into areas of low priority, areas indicating a good job, and areas indicating possible overkill. The results of IPA considered along with the current challenges of management can provide useful insight into the decision-making of management. For the research stream related to the unique context of contrived themed religious visitor sites, this research provides additional support for the behavior of the traveler by identifying and measuring attributes of importance and the associated satisfaction with those attributes. By combining these results with future work, additional support for the testing of sound models of mixed visitor behavior applied to religious theme sites can be offered.     

‘It’s a Harsh Fact of Life with the RMA’: neo-liberalism and the realities of community sports facility development by the private sector in New Zealand

Despite the importance of facilities as primary sites for delivery of leisure and sport services, there has been a scarcity of academic literature on the provision of community sports facilities and the processes through which they are developed. In particular, this paper provides empirical analysis of leisure facility provision with a focus on practice and experience of policy and planning actors. By employing a case study approach and semi-structured interviews, the study identified a sharp contrast between the discourse of neo-liberalism and the realities of a highly regulated environment for the private sector under a national legislation of New Zealand, namely the Resource Management Act 1991. While both public and private actors recognised benefits of the resource consent process in mitigating the negative environmental impacts and facilitating public input, the findings also revealed its potential impediments to both private and philanthropic developments and their potential resultant benefits to communities and social citizenship due to its costly, restrictive and undifferentiated nature. Consequently, the paper suggests that future research needs to examine empirical evidence of how social citizenship and citizen engagement are enhanced by both public and private sectors through planning and development of community sports facilities and services.     

Carrying capacity analysis and destination development: a case study of Gangotri tourists/pilgrims’ circuit in the Himalaya

The Himalaya has numerous natural, cultural, aesthetic, and adventurer tourists/pilgrims’ destinations, which are the major source of income and employment to the local people and revenue generation to the government. Meanwhile, tourism carrying capacity of these destinations is poor and thus tourism development could not take shape. This article examines carrying capacity and destination development of the Gangotri tourists/pilgrims’ circuit, which is also known as Gangotri eco-sensitive zone. We conducted this study using both qualitative and quantitative approaches, in which we collected data on tourists/pilgrims flow, accommodation, transportation, and infrastructural facilities. Primary data were collected through interview of 160 persons of 8 tourists/pilgrims centres who are involved in tourism activities. Further, we employed a participatory observation method after an extensive visit of Gangotri tourisms/pilgrims circuit in January 2017. Secondary data were collected from the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board, Dehradun. We used correlation and rank method and analysed infrastructural facilities, carrying capacity dimensions, proposed destination development model for the circuit, and observed that a sustainable tourism development may enhance economic activities such as income generation and employment augmentation as the whole circuit obtains natural, cultural, and aesthetic importance.     

Sustaining culture and seeking a Just Destination: governments,power and tension – a life-cycle approach to analysing tourism development in an ethnic-inhabited scenic area in Xinjiang,China

Set against the background of China's changing economy and its rapid rise as a major tourism provider, this paper examines the development of tourism, and tourism policies, in Kanas (Xinjiang), an ethnic inhabited scenic area in north-western China which has seen visitor numbers rise from c. 800 to c. 1 million annually from 1990 to 2013. It uses the first four stages of Butler's Tourism Area Life Cycle model (TALC) as a framework, analysing governments’ role in policy-making and implementation, and the tensions and conflicts at each TALC stage. It finds that the TALC is a useful analytical framework in China, despite its command economy, and governments’ multiple roles in tourism development. The position of cultural heritage and the characteristics of the Tuva and Kazakh ethnic minority peoples in tourism in Kanas are critically examined, as is China's concept of social harmony and progress. Social harmony is compared – and contrasted – with the emerging concept of the Just Destination in destination planning and management. The minorities are found to be weak in knowledge, capital and bargaining power, but the relationships involved are complex and still evolving. The paper is one of a JOST series on China's new tourism management policies.     

“This is a holy place of Ama Jomo”: buen vivir,indigenous voices and ecotourism development in a protected area of Bhutan

Common definitions of ecotourism address the need to benefit the well-being of local people; in reality, ecotourism is often supported or dominated by external agents. Local ideological, social and cultural values may be overlooked, thereby disenfranchising local and indigenous stakeholders. This paper examines indigenous perceptions of ecotourism and well-being, and how they relate to ecotourism practices in three Brokpa communities of the first protected area in Bhutan to become a special tourism destination. A range of methods (e.g. semi-structured interviews, participatory mapping) was used and data analysis was couched in the context of buen vivir (living well), an indigenous concept of well-being. Findings indicate that: (1) perceptions of ecotourism vary between community members and contrast with the official park definition; (2) well-being is conceived in diverse ways but corresponds to key features of buen vivir; (3) indigenous worldviews are pervasive, and shape social values and spiritual beliefs in connection to nature; and (4) indigenous cosmologies and traditional values may be strengthened through their integration into modern policies and institutions. This research contributes more non-Western voices to the literature, a concept and mode of analysis for well-being that embraces an indigenous ontology, and empirical insights on indigenous communities in protected areas.     

Exploring the discrepancies in perceived destination images from residents’ and tourists’ perspectives: a revised importance–performance analysis approach

A comprehensive and balanced understanding of both local residents’ and tourists’ perceived destination image (DI) is a pivotal step for successful tourism development. Using the revised importance–performance analysis approach, this study assesses the differences between residents’ and tourists’ perceived implicit importance and performance of DI attributes in the Liyu Lake Scenic Area in Hualien, Taiwan. A mixed methods approach was adopted. First, 30 pertinent image attributes were identified by interviewing local residents and tourists. These image attributes were subsequently used in a questionnaire survey. Results indicate that residents’ and tourists’ opinions were divided on environmental issues and purposes of visit. The most significant finding is that both the residents and tourists regarded the majority of the attributes as “possible overkill,” suggesting that destination management organization should reconsider the direction for future development and try to realize the “real needs” of the residents and tourists based on their motivations.     

Place attachment,host–tourist interactions,and residents’ attitudes towards tourism development: the case of Boa Vista Island in Cape Verde

A clear understanding of residents’ attitudes towards tourism development and its determinants is a crucial pillar for designing tourism development strategies to promote sustainable development. The literature on the influence of host–tourist interactions and place attachment on residents’ attitudes towards tourism development in developing countries is still scarce. To extend knowledge in this field, this study aims at developing and testing a structural model to examine direct and indirect causal effects of place attachment, host–tourist interaction, and perceived positive and negative tourism impacts on the residents’ attitudes towards tourism development in an island tourism destination – Boa Vista Island in Cape Verde. Results suggest that the residents’ attitudes are positively affected by place attachment, host–tourist interaction, and perceived positive impacts; and negatively affected by perceived negative impacts. Host–tourist interaction emerges as the strongest (direct and indirect) determinant of the residents’ attitudes towards tourism development. Moreover, although both positive and negative perceptions of tourism impacts have significant impacts on the residents’ attitudes, the influence of the former is stronger than that of the latter. The paper ends with relevant theoretical and practical implications to promote positive residents’ attitudes towards tourism development in Boa Vista.     

Changes in latitude,changes in attitude: analysis of the effects of reverse culture shock – a study of students returning from youth expeditions

Despite the long history of youth expeditions and a growing number of participants and claims of being concerned with ‘youth development’, expeditions have received little attention by leisure and/or educational researchers in the UK. Recent literature specifically examining expeditions in the UK demonstrates an increasing interest in this phenomenon that sits on the juncture of education and leisure. There has been some critique regarding lack of clarity of recreational or educational aims and ethical issues. Literature from travel and tourism, management learning and international education all indicate that culture shock and reverse culture shock (RCS) are experienced in a range of contexts. These two literatures are summarised and inform the present research. This research focused on gaining an initial understanding of young people’s experiences of returning home after an expedition. Data were gathered six months after a six-week expedition (n?=?19) to south-west Greenland to undertake science and journeys on the ice cap. Using a qualitative approach to analyse these data the following themes were identified as affecting the participants’ expedition reverse culture shock (ERCS): Sense of Isolation, Extending the Lessons of the Group and Using the Group as a Compass for the Future. Connections are made to literature on RCS and some suggestions made for facilitating ERCS. Other implications are considered.