Tourist use of public transport at destinations – a review

Understanding tourists' use of public transport (PT) at the destination is important for sustainable mobility, destination satisfaction, PT management and destination management. This paper provides an overview of research in PT and tourism since 2000. The review identifies main topics and issues including how PT is used for tourism purposes in different contexts. It also recommends policies and strategies for a modal shift to PT in tourism, and identifies potential areas for future research. The review indicates that there are differences in the level of PT use by visitors between rural and urban destinations. PT is often not favoured by visitors in remote areas, although the situation is more promising in urban destinations. However, the overall potential of PT as an alternative mode for travelling is unclear, given tourist motivations and behaviours, and provision of visitor-oriented PT services including the need for appropriate communication and social marketing strategies.     

Representing protected areas: a critical discourse analysis of tourism destination building in a Greek travel magazine

The present paper examines the way protected areas are constructed as tourism destinations by the information sources (i.e. a Greek travel magazine) that are consumed by potential visitors to such areas. Specifically, it explores what form of tourism is proposed for virtual visitors, whether it is ecotourism (i.e. both tourism and environmentalism) or simply a nature‐based one (i.e. exclusively tourism). Examining the way a Greek travel magazine builds protected areas as tourism destinations, and consequently what expectations are created for readers and potential visitors to such areas, the focus of the present paper is on whether the media contribute to the failure on the part of visitors to protected areas, who are the majority of the people engaging in ecotourism activities, to incorporate environmentalist besides tourism pursuits in their travel experiences. The analysis suggests that the travel magazine cultivates the view that other protected areas (with a tradition in mass tourism) are suitable for nature‐based tourism, others (with great ecological interest) for environmentalism, but few for ecotourism. This means that visitors to protected areas will probably have a difficulty in combining tourism with environmentalist pursuits, rather than in developing environmentalist concerns in general. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A method for reducing information asymmetry in destination–airline relationships

We propose a measure of business risk in air travel demand at the route level that can reduce information asymmetry during route development negotiations between tourism destinations and airlines. Aviation-exposed risk (AER) conveys information about the level of uncertainty with regard to air travel demand from an airline’s perspective. Using AER, tourism destinations and air service development teams can evaluate their risks from the perspective of the airline and its network. From there, an assessment can be made as to the value of air services in certain circumstances, including whether a direct underwrite or risk share between airlines and destinations is viable and necessary. By applying a portfolio analysis to an airline’s network, we find evidence that AER does indeed mimic the actual capacity distribution of the network. This provides support for AER as a useful risk measure to be used in practice.     

Differences in the economic performance of hotel-based and residential tourist destinations measured by their retail activity. Evidence from Spain

This paper compares the economic performance of holiday and residential tourism destinations in Spain, as measured by the level of retail activity, from a quantitative perspective. Differences between destinations are explored. A positive association between the economic development of destinations and their retail index was expected. However, no significant differences were found between residential/second-home tourism and holiday/leisure tourism destinations. The results obtained contradict the conventional assumptions that holiday destinations perform better economically than residential ones due to a higher level of tourist spending of people accommodated in hotels.     

Hospitality entrepreneurs managing quality of life and business growth

The hospitality industry is dominated by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).They are often led by entrepreneurs who face the challenge of simultaneously managing business decisions and their own wellbeing. The competitiveness of tourism destinations often depends on these entrepreneurs and therefore understanding their motivations and work patterns is critical. Research on individual wellbeing increasingly builds on the concept of quality of life (QoL). Hospitality and tourism literature so far predominantly focused on investigating QoL for tourists and residents, rather than for entrepreneurs’ QoL, even though being key stakeholders in the hospitality industry. Therefore, this study explores the factors influencing hospitality entrepreneurs’ quality of life (“HE-QoL”) and how these relate to business growth. Results of a 380 hospitality entrepreneurs’ survey identify six distinct factors of HE-QoL. Two groups of HE-QoL are identified with significant differences in fitness level activity, entrepreneurial competencies and business growth. Findings lead to recommendations to reduce stress to improve HE-QoL, and to develop entrepreneurial competencies, which help to cope with entrepreneurial challenges. Tourism destinations and politics can support hospitality entrepreneurs in these actions by creating conditions that foster social exchange in regional communities and trust in political and economic stability.     

Supply chain in tourism destinations: the case of Levi Resort in Finnish Lapland

Tourism destinations in Finnish Lapland provide a suitable base for supply chain management (SCM). Often, the investments in these destinations are directed to wilderness areas without significant initial infrastructure. Thus, the surroundings provide better possibilities to build and direct the experiences of tourists in contrast to city tourism where the surroundings are not especially designed for tourism. In this paper we apply an SCM framework to the Levi Fell resort in northern Finland. By identifying some special characteristics of tourism destinations and region‐based tourism production, we further develop the traditional SCM framework in the context of tourism. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Challenges faced by world tourism cities – London’s perspective

World tourism cities perform multiple functions and exhibit various characteristics that influence tourism development within their boundaries. They are the main gateway for tourists visiting a country and their success has a direct impact on the visitor economy of that destination. London, the focus of this research, has been one of the world’s top tourism cities for many years, and a key gateway for domestic and international visitors. But despite the important role tourism plays in the economy of the city, there is limited research on the development of this activity in the capital. Using London as an exploratory case study, this paper contributes to better understanding the challenges faced by policy makers when planning and managing tourism in world cities. The adopted research method offers the advantage of gathering insightful information using multiple data collection techniques. Examining this new evidence contributes to expanding the knowledge on the particularities of tourism development in one of the top world cities, which could help policy makers in their efforts to better prepare for potential challenges faced by these complex but important destinations.     

Fair trade in tourism

Tourism as an industry is increasing rapidly in developing countries. Due to historical inequality in global trading relationships on the basis of ‘core–periphery’ dependency, globalisation and liberalised free trade, mainstream mass tourism reinforces the social and economic disadvantages of southern destinations. The ‘Fair Trade Movement’ has sought to redress unequal trading by promoting fair trade in commodities with small producers in the South, enabling them to take control over the production and marketing process and challenging the power of transnational corporations. This paper examines the feasibility of fair trade in tourism. It explores the obstacles and opportunities that might lead to establishing a definition of fair trade in tourism, incorporating criteria that would be workable and practical for both partners in the South and North. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessing the impact of co-branding of island destination and tourism activities on tourists’ reactions

The aim of this study is to examine the status and images of certain islands based on specific tourism activities. A total of 385 valid samples were obtained from tourists at the islands' main transportation facilities. The results are as follows: (1) different island destinations are promoted differently, which significantly affects the perceptions of tourists. (2) Tourists' familiarity with various tourism activities and the rate of participation in these activities vary significantly between the islands; in addition, tourists display greater familiarity with beach/water activities and participate in these activities in higher proportions. (3) Greater consistency in the matching of island destinations with tourism activities helps produce a co-branding effect, which positively affects tourists' perception of these destinations. From a co-branding perspective, this study demonstrates that the empirical market positioning of island destinations must be consistent with the tourism activities that are possible to produce an optimal experience for the tourists. This comparison of different islands explains why the development of island tourism on such locations should involve the provision of information on rankings and tourism activities.     

Air transport and tourism—Perspectives and challenges for destinations,airlines and governments

Air transport and tourism are interlinked. Tourism is a driving factor for and, in some cases, a stimulator of change in air transport; most notably the development of new business models such as charter airlines. On the other hand, air transport opened new destinations and tourism forms such as long-haul excursions. Here these interlinks are analyzed in a system model. For the strategic development of destinations, a clear airline policy and air access strategy seems to be necessary. For airlines an assessment and understanding of the business models of destinations is essential. By shaping the external regulative environment of air traffic, government may influence air traffic as well as tourism.     

Image Difference Between Culture and Nature Destination Visitors in Tropical Africa: Case Study of Nigeria

The study evaluates images of tourism destinations in diverse cultures and nature destinations in Nigeria amongst 880 domestic and foreign tourists surveyed by systematic random sampling. Colour photographs and structure questionnaires were employed to evaluate the destination preferences and images considered very important to various tourist groups, and comparison was also undertaken through chi-square test. The results revealed nature destinations, especially ecotourism/wildlife and landform areas, as desired most by tourists. Natural attraction, landform features, facilities/ amenities and historic/archeological features represented most important images underlying destination perception and selection. Safety/security and prompt services/ personal quality were least appreciated destination features. Significant differences emerged between domestic and foreign tourists and tourist groups in various destinations, in types of destinations preferred and in environmental images held of tourism destinations. Implications of the study for destination planning, management and marketing are highlighted.     

A Tool For Measurement of Innovation Newness and Adoption in Tourism Firms

The paper focuses on the newness characteristic of realized innovations and their adoption in tourism firms. For that purpose it investigates three research problems: (i) measurement of newness level and adoption of tourism innovations; (ii) definition of tourism innovations taxonomy (needed for the measurement); and (iii) statistical analysis of innovations’ adoption in tourism destinations (result of the measurement). The main aim of the research was to develop and validate the tool used for such measurements. The tool should help researchers and managers in tracking and benchmarking how innovative tourism firms are. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multilevel modelling of commercial vehicle inter-arrival duration using GPS data

This study uses truck GPS data to study inter-arrival duration, defined as the time between arrivals at a destination of two successive vehicles operated by the same carrier. Destinations were separated into market segments: (1) frequently-visited destinations, (2) regularly-scheduled destinations, and (3) unscheduled destinations, based on visit frequency and regularity. Inter-arrival duration was modelled using multilevel ordered probit and multilevel multinomial logit models. Market segmentation improved modelling results, and multilevel models performed better than single level models. Results showed a wide variation in shipping behavior of commercial establishments and that many firms do not follow consistent shipping schedules.     

Using cellular data to analyze the tourists' trajectories for tourism destination attributes: A case study in Hualien,Taiwan

This study adopts social network analysis (SNA) to identity the spatial role of nodes in a tourism region. The trajectory of multi-destination tourists will provide great information for tourism management, but tracking tourists' movements is a big challenge. Thanks to the popularity of mobile communication devices (mobile phones) nowadays, these can passively or actively provide information on owners' movement. This study uses call detail records (CDR), which are mobile phone positioning data, to construct a trajectory network of tourists in Hualien, Taiwan. Three types of centralities, as well as brokerage analysis and role analysis, are used to measure the relations in a complicated network. Degree centrality (DC) reveals popular nodes that have good relationships with others directly. Reach closeness centrality (RCC) shows indirect relationships with others. Betweenness centrality (BC) indicates the most important mediator nodes that help others to connect. BC and brokerage analysis are used to classify destinations into five brokers: the coordinator, consultant, gatekeeper, representative, and liaison. We also identify social positions of each destination by role analysis. This study identifies a total of 78 nodes (origins and destinations) and their functions in the tourism network. We find some nodes have more than one mission, while some only have one. The functions of nodes can be different on weekdays and weekends. We distinguish the tourism region into different size of districts. The results of this study can help managers consolidate strategies for tourism marketing.     

From the traditional understanding of tourism destination to the smart tourism destination

The paper reviews the evolution of key tourism destination concepts, with the aim to emphasize the extent of changes that occurred in understanding the term ‘destination’ over the past decades. A special emphasis is placed on the concept of smart tourism destinations, since this is a recent concept that strongly relies on the systemic concept, and represents a completely different understanding of a destination, as opposed to the traditional concept. The digital revolution has led to the emergence of concept of smart destinations in which knowledge and information are accessible to all stakeholders, facilitating them to carry out continuous innovation of their activities, as much as possible. Without using digital technologies enabling adequate public–private–consumer collaboration, it is almost impossible nowadays to achieve successful market valorization of destinations’ geographical attributes.     

A critical review of climate change risk for ski tourism

Ski tourism is a multi-billion dollar international market attracting between 300 and 350 million annual skier visits. With its strong reliance on specific climatic conditions, the ski industry is regarded as the tourism market most directly and immediately affected by climate change. A critical review of the 119 publications that have examined the climate change risk of ski tourism in 27 countries is provided. This growing and increasingly diverse literature has projected decreased reliability of slopes dependent on natural snow, increased snowmaking requirements, shortened and more variable ski seasons, a contraction in the number of operating ski areas, altered competitiveness among and within regional ski markets, and attendant implications for ski tourism employment and values of vacation property real estate values. The extent and timing of these consequences depend on the rate of climate change and the types of adaptive responses by skiers as well as ski tourism destinations and their competitors. The need to understanding differential climate risk grows as investors and financial regulators increasingly require climate risk disclosure at the destination and company scale. Key knowledge gaps to better assist ski tourism destinations to adapt to future climate risk are identified.     

Aviation’s inclusion in international climate policy regimes: Implications for the Caribbean tourism industry

Nations with tourism dependant economies are becoming increasingly concerned about the inclusion of aviation in greenhouse gas mitigation policy for international bunker fuels and more recently adaptation policy proposals. The central concern is that such policies will increase the cost of traveling by air, therefore reducing visitor arrivals to long-haul, tourism-dependent destinations, often small island developing states. This study used a tourism arrivals model to examine the implications of currently proposed climate policies for the world’s most tourism dependant region – the Caribbean. Results indicate that under current proposals for both mitigation and adaptation focused climate policy, reductions in tourist arrivals from the major markets of Europe and North America would be negligible versus business as usual growth projections Only under the most stringent mitigation policy scenario. Which may portend a post-2020 policy regime, is a significant decrease in tourist arrivals predicted. Of the climate policies assessed, the adaptation policy had the potential to provide greater economic benefits to the Caribbean region.     

An examination of the role of domestic destinations in satisfying holiday demands

The role of domestic destinations in satisfying demand for holidays has received less attention than research which outlines the challenges associated with long haul travel, particularly within the United Kingdom context. This paper examines the role of domestic holidays in satisfying demand in relation to international holidays, in the context of providing a better understanding of the environmental impacts of tourism. This is achieved through analysis of a household survey and a series of interviews with family groups of holiday-makers. The data was collected in the East Midlands region of the United Kingdom. Most respondents prefer domestic holidays in attractive coastal and rural destinations; they often take place in the summer and for shorter periods than overseas trips. Yet once at the destination there is commonality between tourism practices in domestic and international destinations. Socio-cultural aspects, life stage and financial considerations prove much more influential than environmental concerns in influencing choice. In response, the main policy recommendation would be to raise the relative cost of travelling abroad. The primary research recommendation would be to deepen the understanding of how substitution between destinations can occur.