On Measuring Tourism Productivity

This paper presents a productivity measure for the tourism industry. It demonstrates the value of the Luenberger productivity indicator, which is based on the directional distance function, for analyzing productivity between two periods. This indicator can be decomposed into two components: efficiency change and technological change. In order to illustrate this, productivity in the French tourism sector between 2000 and 2003 is analyzed. The study focuses on tourism receipts by looking at the number of bed-nights in hotels and campsites based on tourist nationality.     

规模扩张还是技术进步:中国饭店业全要素生产率的测度与评价——基于非参数的曼奎斯特(Malmquist)生产率指数研究

20世纪90年代以来,我国的饭店业得到迅速成长。但是我国饭店业的发展到底是简单的规模扩张还是技术进步(全要素生产率)的提升受到质疑。本文基于非参数曼奎斯特(Malmquist)指数方法将全要素生产率变动分解为技术进步和技术效率变化两个部分,运用该方法测算了中国饭店业1997年以来整体生产率的变动趋势,并进一步探讨了各省份饭店业全要素生产率的增长特征。结果显示:中国的饭店业不是简单的规模扩张,也不是简单的技术进步,其全要素生产率增长率主要来源于技术进步,但技术进步的贡献有限,仍属于粗放式增长;北京等17个省份的饭店业全要素生产率正向增长,其要么来源于技术进步,要么来源于技术进步和技术效率两者的共同作用。     

Total Factor Productivity Assessment of Tourism Industry: Evidence from China

This paper adopts the Malmquist Index and panel data model to measure and test the spatial–temporal evolutionary characteristics and the factors that affect total factor productivity of China's tourism industry from 2001 to 2009. The results show the following: there is a trend of growth in the total factor productivity of China's tourism industry, and technological progress is the dominant factor that affects total factor productivity changes, which indicates that the growth pattern of China's tourism industry has changed from a pattern driven by input factors to a pattern driven by technology; the spatial pattern of the total factor productivity of China's tourism industry has changed from a spatial pattern dominated by provinces with a low productivity to a spatial pattern dominated by provinces with a high productivity; the total factor productivity of China's tourism industry is mainly affected by the levels of economic and service industry development.     

Innovation and productivity in tourism small and medium enterprises: A longitudinal study

This paper examines the factors influencing innovation and the relationship between innovation and productivity among Australian tourism small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Unlike most past studies relying on cross-sectional data, this study employs longitudinal innovation data of 400 tourism SMEs over five years. A two-stage random-effects probit model is used to account for unobserved firm heterogeneity. The results show that innovation inputs, firm characteristics, and external environment significantly affect innovation in general with competition and demand uncertainty being the distinct drivers of marketing innovation. The study reveals a significant and positive effect of technological and marketing innovation on tourism SMEs' productivity. Findings inform policy discussions to improve the current low levels of productivity in the tourism industry.     

中国旅游全要素生产率差异与收敛实证研究

本文利用非参数DEA—Malmquist指数方法测算了2001～2009年中国省际旅游全要素生产率,并进行生产率指数分解,对中国旅游全要素生产率时序变化和区域差异进行了分析,之后又利用经济增长收敛理论对中国旅游全要素生产率进行了盯和口收敛性检验。实证研究结果表明,中国旅游全要素生产率年均增长12．7％,其中,技术进步创新率为6．7％,技术效率增长5．6％,技术进步是中国旅游全要素生产率增长的主要源泉;中国旅游全要素生产率存在显著的时空差异性;中国旅游全要素生产率并不存在显著矿收敛和条件18收敛,但存在显著绝对卢收敛,说明中国各地区旅游全要素生产率差距正在逐步缩小,最终收敛于相同的稳态均衡水平,然而由于中国旅游业发展尚未达到成熟阶段,所以现阶段中国旅游全要素生产率增长尚未找到自身合适的条件收敛路径。     

They arrive with new information. Tourism flows and production efficiency in the European regions

Firms productivity is crucially influenced by knowledge spillovers generated either by other firms located nearby or by direct contacts with consumers or by foreign demand in the case of traded products. In this paper we propose a new channel of efficiency-enhancing knowledge diffusion, which can be exploited by local firms to extract relevant information on consumer preferences: direct contacts with tourism flows. Tourists have the peculiar feature of being external consumers, who directly arrive to the destination region and this represents a remarkable advantage for the local enterprises, as the latter can exploit the new information and increase the overall efficiency level of the local economy. More specifically, we examine, within a spatial estimation framework, tourism flows as determinants of regional total factor productivity, controlling also for other intangible factors (such as human, social and technological capital) and for the degree of accessibility. We apply the analysis to a sample of 199 European regions belonging to the EU15 member countries, plus Switzerland and Norway. The empirical results show that tourism flows enhance regional efficiency and that a positive role is also played by intangible assets, infrastructures and spatial spillovers.     

Demand fluctuations,labour flexibility and productivity

There is a dearth of studies analysing the relationship between demand variations, productivity and flexible working in the face of variable demand challenges confronting the tourism industry. This investigation seeks to inform important firm and industry specific labour management strategies for improving productivity. Using data for 43 medium sized hotels owned by two chains in the UK, this paper analyses productivity in relation to external (demand variations) and internal (labour management) conditions over an 8 year period from 2005 to 2013. The paper’s findings show that demand variation is the principal determinant of productivity. Numerical, functional and zero-contract hour flexible labour management also contributes to labour productivity. Significant differences in findings between establishments and departments indicate the importance of disaggregated analyses.     

The impact of quality management on productivity in the hospitality sector

This paper attempts to determine the relationship between quality and productivity in the hospitality sector. Although both variables are crucial to the competitive and value creation processes in hotels, few empirical studies have explicitly analyzed the relationship between them. Thus, we estimated a production function for a hotel sample that shows how a set of determinants influences labour productivity. Among these determinants we included different quality variables, defined from the point of view of total quality. The estimation results show a direct and significant effect of quality on labour productivity. This suggests that the implementation of total quality management (TQM) systems, or the adoption of the TQM principles, have a positive impact on hotel labour productivity.     

Assessing the vulnerability of beach tourism and non-beach tourism to climate change: a case study from Jamaica

The Jamaican tourism industry is very climate sensitive, and, like most Caribbean islands, Jamaica's main tourism product is coastal, centered on “sun, sea and sand”. The island is susceptible to many risks posed by climate change, including sea level rise and extreme events, with resultant impacts such as beach erosion, flooding, saline intrusion into aquifers and general coastal degradation. This paper evaluates the relative vulnerability of beach versus non-beach tourism in Jamaica, using 43 pre-determined literature-linked indicators. These comprise bio-geophysical, social, technological, economical, technological and institutional factors. Four case areas are assessed using multi-criteria decision analysis to derive vulnerability scores for each area. The study finds that non-beach tourism operations should not be automatically perceived as less vulnerable than beach-based operations. Sustainable adaptation options are complex and numerous, and overall beach tourism businesses have better insurance, emergency savings, disaster plans and backup power facilities, among others. They also have the advantage of being in business longer than the inland resorts, a firmer business structure and an extensive marketing budget. In the long term, better adaptation and planning by inland businesses could change this balance.     

A macroeconomic perspective on Airbnb’s global presence

The rise of the P2P economy has been fueled by a range of social, economic and technological factors, but limited research has been focused on the P2P economy from a macroeconomic perspective. Therefore this study tried to identify the macroeconomic factors affecting Airbnb’s global presence. In order to explain the number of rentals available in different capitals, we considered several macroeconomic factors, such as countries’ degree of technological development, economic size, the relative size of the tourism and travel industries, tourist arrivals, nominal exchange rate, the average level of economic development (or well-being), and their productivity level. This study found that the total number of listings is positively correlated with the development index, the contribution of trade and tourism to GDP, the nominal exchange rate and negatively with GDP per employed person. Airbnb is more popular in countries where the population is technologically savvy. Another significant variable is represented by the relative size of the tourism and trade industries in the country. Implications of research findings and directions for future research are suggested.     

Classifying technological innovation attributes for hotels: an application of the Kano model

ABSTRACT

Technological facilities and services have become attractive features in hotel selection. However, limited research has been conducted on how technological innovation attributes are perceived by hotel tourists. This paper aims to highlight and categorize the technological innovation attributes of hotels based on the Kano model. Empirical testing shows four technological innovation factors: Internet and app usage, smartphone usage as a room key and for payment, E-housekeeping, and the use of electronic self-service systems. Findings provide practical implications for hotel operators planning to introduce technologies into their hotels.     

Tourism productivity: Evidence from the United Kingdom

This paper examines the ways in which productivity in tourism businesses can be increased by studying the roles of changes in physical capital, human capital, innovation, and the competitive environment. Comprehensive results are obtained by using questionnaire-based interviews, business survey data analysis, and computable general equilibrium modeling. The results demonstrate the positive contribution that each of the productivity drivers can make to improving efficiency and welfare, notably increases in human capital and innovation. They also indicate that a combined strategy incorporating all of the drivers is more effective than independently formulated policies. Government organizations can collaborate to assist productivity increases, with specifically tailored measures for small businesses.     

FDI spillovers in the Chinese hotel industry: The role of geographic regions,star-rating classifications,ownership types,and foreign capital origins

Although productivity spillovers have long been recognized to be a major benefit of foreign direct investment (FDI), such spillovers have not yet been systematically studied in the context of the hotel industry. This paper investigates hotel-related FDI spillover effects as well as moderating factors (geographic region, star rating classification, ownership type and foreign capital origin) in China. Evidence from province-level panel data reveals the existence and significance of intra-industry spillovers from foreign to domestic hotels in China, although the nature and magnitude vary based on different moderating factors. Domestic hotels in eastern and western China and those with alliance and limited liability ownership structures benefit significantly from productivity spillovers. Foreign-invested three-star hotels transfer a significant amount of positive productivity, whereas domestic three- and five-star hotels benefit the most from productivity spillovers. Moreover, foreign-invested hotels from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan (HMT) and non-HMT countries generate positive spillovers of similar magnitudes.     

Willingness to pay for flying carbon neutral in Australia: an exploratory study of offsetter profiles

Although voluntary carbon offsets have played a key role in the response to addressing climate change in the aviation sector, little is known about consumer preferences for such offsets and their offsetting behaviour in Australia. This paper developed and applied a choice modelling study to measure the economic values of aviation carbon mitigation and to identify major factors influencing air travellers’ voluntary climate action. Results show that respondents have a mean willingness to pay (WTP) of AU$21.38 per tonne of CO₂ reduced in the form of voluntary carbon offsets per person. Female travellers might have a higher economic value of carbon mitigation than male counterparts while climate sceptics who are less likely to be carbon offsetters might in fact hold a higher WTP value than non-sceptical travellers. The findings suggest that in terms of WTP the best profile of offset projects might be renewable energy projects in developing countries, of which resulting carbon credits can reduce company legal liabilities. Positive support was found for mitigation measures by airlines, with technological efficiencies more strongly supported than operational practices and biofuels. This paper challenges previous understandings of environmentally motivated behaviour, and notes that behaviour profiles are still evolving.     

Revenue functions for hotels within clusters

In this note, we propose a flexible revenue function that considers the characteristics of hotels that operate within competitive clusters. We show that without a need to estimate a demand function one can estimate elasticities of demand, conjectural variations, revenue efficiency, technical change, efficiency change, productivity growth, as well the Lerner index. We use a Bayesian approach to fit the model on a sample of US hotels.     

Spatial spillovers of agglomeration economies and productivity in the tourism industry: The case of the UK

This research investigates the direct and (indirect) spatial spillover effects of agglomeration economies on the productivity of the tourism industry. With increasing concerns about the persistence of low (labour) productivity in tourism across many developed economies, there is an urgent need to address this productivity challenge. Using major under-exploited UK microeconomic panel data, spatial econometric modelling is employed to estimate the effects of agglomeration economies on productivity. Findings reveal the significant effects of agglomeration economies on productivity within a specific region, but also significant spatial spillover effects across neighbouring regions, suggesting the possibility of productivity convergences. Competitive and complementary effects of agglomeration economies on productivity are identified.     

Technology and Tertiary Tourism Students

Abstract

This paper presents a students' perspective about the use of technology in tourism education. Expectations and the reality of university study in our technological age are discussed, and recommendations made.     

Productivity growth and income in the tourism sector: Role of tourism demand and human capital investment

This paper proposes a model for the demand for tourism in the context of a developing country. The parameters of the model are a tourist sector characterised by monopolistic competition, where human capital is the main factor of production and hotels have market power. Additionally land use is marked by demand from both agricultural and tourism sectors. From the household side, a simplified OLG approach is developed to consider consumption, human activity and the number of children. A dynamic framework is therefore identified to investigate the long-run consequences of increasing labor productivity and lowering the fertility rate. If the supply-side policy leads to economic growth, the tourism led growth hypothesis is theoretically confirmed. It is concluded that an increase in labor productivity generates positive growth effects only if the demand for tourism is elastic, otherwise negative results arise.     

A report on the Paris Climate Change Agreement and its implications for tourism: why we will always have Paris

Sustained international diplomatic efforts culminated in the signing of the Paris Climate Agreement by 196 countries in December 2015. This paper provides an overview of the key provisions of the agreement that are most relevant to the tourism sector: much strengthened and world-wide participation in greenhouse gas emission reduction ambitions, an enduring framework for increased ambitions over time, improved transparency in emissions reporting and a greater emphasis on climate risk management through adaptation. The declared carbon emission reduction ambitions of the tourism sector and international aviation are found to be broadly compatible with those of the Paris Agreement, however, claims of reduced emission intensity in the tourism sector since 2005 and a roadmap by which emission reduction ambitions for 2020 and 2035 might realistically be achieved both remain equivocal. The need for international tourism leadership to improve sectoral scale emission monitoring capacity to meet the increasing requirements for transparency, convene an assessment of risks from climate change and climate policy, foster greater collaboration on destination climate resilience and accelerate technological, policy and social innovation to put tourism firmly on a pathway to the low-carbon economy are all emphasized, as is the need for dialogue between tourism and tourism researchers.     

Building the sociomateriality of food service

Global megatrends such as urbanization, climate change and resource scarcity, shift in political and economic power, demographic change, and increasingly disruptive technological breakthroughs are transforming the conventional socio-technical system of food service. This study identifies and discusses key changes already impacting the service concept of food service, with particular focus on service interaction, its structure, and setting. Adopting a LEGO® Serious Play® approach, this study brings together diverse stakeholders to construct and discuss the current state of and future vision for the sector. Findings illustrate how the relative importance of social (i.e., customers, employees) and material (i.e., technology) actors in food service production and delivery is shifting, and will continue to shift, in the coming decades. The study proposes a framework of the new-formed sociomateriality of food service, discusses its theoretical and managerial implications, and finally puts forward a rich agenda for future research.