Test of the validity of the Beaman,Kim, and Smith supply factors

A new measure of supply, termed a “supply factor,” was derived from participation data by three researchers and reported on in an earlier issue of this journal. One weakness in their presentation was their failure to test the proposition that the “supply factor” correlates closely with a traditional inventory of supply. To test for this correlation, this study replicates their method for golf and golf courses. A significant correlation (r² = 0.74) betwen golf courses and the golf supply factor was found.     

A Lifestyle Segmentation Analysis of the Backpacker Market in Scotland

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the research outlined in this article is to provide a travel lifestyle segmentation analysis of one particular tourist group, commonly known as 'backpackers', who reside in Scottish Youth Hostel Association hostels. This research was undertaken due to the lack of understanding and knowledge of this market in the United Kingdom, specifically their needs, wants and motivations. Five cluster groups were uncovered in total: Typical Backpackers, Discoverers, Outdoors, Family Ties, and Routine Travellers. The aim of this article is to provide a wider understanding beyond the demographics of the backpacker and thus provide useful marketing and promotional advice for suppliers to the backpacker market. It also aims to contrast the Scottish backpacker market with findings in Australia, to determine whether cluster groups uncovered are similar in both countries.     

Internationalising higher tourism education: the case of curriculum design in the Central Baltic Area

ABSTRACT

The aim of this article is to increase understanding of the process of curriculum design when incorporating an international dimension into a curriculum in higher tourism education. The process of the internationalisation of the curriculum design is investigated against a theoretical basis and described from a practical perspective by presenting a case from the Central Baltic Area. In this case, the purpose of the internationalisation of the curriculum is to provide an aligned skillset and knowledge necessary to support the development of the Central Baltic Area as a common tourism destination. First, a relevant and mutual skillset was identified by reviewing the existing curricula (N = 17) and national tourism strategies and plans (N = 3) as well as by interviewing representatives of tourism organisations (N = 103). Then, the identified skills and knowledge were translated into a joint curriculum and teaching processes.     

Recruiting the Best

Abstract

This study investigates which workplace opportunities or offerings most influence hospitality studentss' likelihood of choosing and recommending a particular hospitality company. Data collected from hospitality management indicates that, consistent with previous research, Career Development and a Positive Work Environment continue to be important factors in influencing studentss' choice of employment. New for this study is the Quality of Life issue, a significant factor for this generation of hospitality management students. The study findings provide further recommendations for hospitality recruiters to attract and retain entry-level managers.     

Identifying the Dimensions of the Experience Construct

SUMMARY

This article proposes a holistic, three phase model structured to incorporate the major components of the Experience construct. While speculation about what constitutes an experience abound, the complex relationship among value, service quality, satisfaction, and experience is in its infancy. Before this relationship can be fully examined, dimensions of these four critical components need to be incorporated into a unified, holistic model that includes the three primary constructs of Service Quality, Value, and Satisfaction. This article focuses on the first challenge by developing a model and offering some propositions to encourage future research about the experience construct in hospitality.     

When birds flock together: an identification of the destination social servicescape

ABSTRACT

While servicescapes have been studied in a variety of travel and tourism domains, the phenomenon has been largely ignored at the destination level. This is especially true when it comes to considerations of the social servicescape, which is reflective of the extent to which the mere presence of other destination visitors can influence affective responses to the destination experience. Accordingly, the purpose of this research is to propose and empirically test a model of the destination social servicescape that explores perceived psychographic similarity within the social servicescape and the effects of this construct on affective evaluations and behavior.     

Is digital technology the magic bullet for performing work at home? Lessons learned for post COVID-19 recovery in hospitality management

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has suddenly brought about a number of disruptions to when and where work is undertaken for hospitality employees. The rapid spread of COVID-19 forced many hospitality managers to use digital technologies to perform work from home, termed digital work connectivity. Yet little is known about how hospitality employees cope with it. The purpose of this study is to investigate an important yet underspecified issue as to how digital work connectivity can be detrimental for employees’ work behavior.Design/methodology/approachWe test our hypotheses using multi-wave and multi-source data collected from 467 middle managerial-level hospitality employees in China.FindingsThe findings show that digital work connectivity can lead to self-control depletion, which in turn is associated with disengagement from work. Further, the findings show that relational energy is an important resource that can buffer the detrimental effects of digital work connectivity on hospitality employees.Practical implicationsThe association of digital work connectivity with employee withdrawal behavior highlights the urgent need for hospitality enterprises to have clear guidelines that regulate technology use at home for work purposes.Social implicationsOur research shows that the absence of clear guidelines in relation to the use of digital technology for work at home risks producing unintended consequences for both hospitality employees and their enterprises.Originality/valueOur research draws from recent advances in resource allocation theories of self-control and adopts a more nuanced approach to uncover a counterintuitive reality that while people use digital technology to remain connected with work, doing so can actually contribute to their withdrawal behavior.     

Remembrance Trails of the Great War on the Western Front: routes of heritage and memory

ABSTRACT

The First World War Centenary (2014–2018) is stimulating much interest in the memory of this conflict and is already encouraging increased tourism to the old Western Front region of France and Belgium. One of the strategies adopted by regional tourism authorities is the creation of ‘Remembrance Trails’ – self-guided circuits designed for car, motorbike or bicycle. Using a case study approach, this paper will examine these trails from a perceptual angle to demonstrate how, despite the lack of empirical evidence in our understanding of them, Remembrance Trails have a key role to play in the emerging war-tourism resources of the region. Using the model of Timothy and Boyd (2015), the routes are interpreted as either organically or purposively planned and in linking ‘sites of memory’ able to provide an effective way of engaging with the landscape and narrative of war. The paper argues that the routes have an important role to play in the transmission of memory and as ‘linear memorials’ can be viewed as emerging pilgrimage routes with the potential to concentrate experience in a dynamic way.     

Recapturing a Sense of Neighbourhood Since Lost: Nostalgia and the Formation of First String,a Community Team Inc.

Abstract

This qualitative study is an exploratory case analysis of First String, a Community Team Inc., a unique grassroots association founded by a small group of African Americans in Champaign, Illinois. The founders established the neighbourhood baseball league to foster a greater sense of community in neighbourhood youth. In an effort to address the lack of research on the formation of grassroots associations, the purpose of the study was to understand how and why First String was formed, and what this experience contributes to leisure studies and theory. The findings revealed the significance of nostalgia as a driving force behind the effort.     

Study on the Degree of Importance of Convention Service Factors

ABSTRACT

As customers come to understand that service is one of the most important industry products, identifying customer needs and providing what they want will be essential to a successful approach in service-related industries. In consideration of the increased importance of service in the convention industry, this article identifies convention service factors and provides statistical analysis based on data from the actual industry. The results of this research will enhance an understanding of the factors used by customers to evaluate the quality of convention service and help planners improve their performance in the planning of conventions.     

Tourism Education and the Internet

Abstract

Using the Internet in the teaching and learning environment assists tourism students in achieving two criteria increasingly being expected by employers. These are an understanding of the applications of the Internet to the industry, and a set of operational Internet skills.

In this paper the benefits and challenges of integrating the Internet into the teaching and learning environment are discussed. In addition, the results of a small-scale survey of tourism academics are reported.     

Benchmarking the Benchmarks

Abstract

Concepts and processes of benchmarking are briefly discussed. Studies in this special issue are reviewed, and the future collaborations in the hospitality and tourism sector are suggested to perform better by benchmarking the best practices.     

Empowering the traveler: an examination of the impact of user-generated content on travel planning

ABSTRACT

In order to understand the role of user-generated content (UGC) in travel planning, this study integrates Psychological Empowerment with the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), to develop a model of UGC-enabled empowerment and its impact on intention to use UGC when making travel plans. Survey data from 268 backpacker tourists revealed that perceived empowerment and perceived usefulness are significant drivers of attitude and intention to use UGC for travel planning. The findings provide the travel industry with a better understanding of how travelers’ perceptions of and use of UGC is empowering them to take greater control of the travel planning process.     

The Development of an Instrument to Address the Negative Perception of Hospitality Jobs

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to introduce a new construct that would assist in understanding employee attitudes and behaviors in hospitality sector jobs. The research introduces job-esteem and justifies it as a unique construct worthy of further study. Job-esteem is defined as the level of respect and dignity an individual believes is associated with his/her job. An instrument was developed to assist in measuring the level of job-esteem found in hospitality employees. The instrument was then administered to 75 employees of a large hotel chain in Hawaii. Tests show the instrument meets reliability standards.     

Exploring the Use of Activity Based Costing in the Restaurant Industry

Abstract

Traditional cost accounting systems have been replaced in recent years in the manufacturing sector by Activity Based Costing (ABC) systems. In spite of this trend in manufacturing, ABC systems have made few inroads in the services and hospitality sector, particularly in the restaurant industry. In this study, restaurant controllers in the United States were surveyed to identify their knowledge about, and use of, ABC systems. The results show that the use of ABC in the restaurant industry is almost non-existent for a variety of reasons. However, restaurants may be an ideal setting for the application of ABC tools due to the inherent characteristics of the industry.     

Quality and Pricing in the Hotel Industry

Abstract

Quality is a price determinant in most products. However, establishment of a quality evaluation for the consumer is not an easy proposition. In the hospitality industry, fortunately, room quality evaluation and price information are readily available for consumers from published consumer guides. The Mobil Travel Guide is one of the more popular sources of hotel information available to consumers. The Mobil Travel Guide awards “stars” based on the level of quality their investigators deem appropriate. To investigate the relationship between quality and price in the hospitality industry, this study analyzes hotel managements' pricing behavior before and after a quality rating change by the Mobil Travel Guide. Data is gleaned from the Guide in several provinces and states in Canada and the United States from the relatively stable economic growth period of 1991 through 1999. The results reveal that hotel organizations raised prices before gaining a “star” and lowered prices before losing a “star.” The study concludes with a discussion of the implications of this pricing pattern.     

Public Financing of Headquarter Hotels in the United States

Abstract

The past decade has seen a dramatic shift toward public sector financing of large hotels in the United States. This dialectic analysis examines trends in public participation in hotel development and examines why governments are investing in these projects. It looks at the different types of public participation and considers the market implications of these subsidies on private sector hotel development. The case is made that there is a need for accountability and more thorough review of these public investments. The paper proposes various ways that this can be achieved and discusses barriers to such reforms.     

Multidimensional Scaling Analysis in the Determination of Hotel Quality Dimensions–Patagonia,Argentina

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to identify and select quality dimensions for high category hotels in Neuquén and Bariloche, Patagonia, Argentina.

The research starts with a battery of 28-quality indicators that was obtained from in-depth interviews with hotel managers, and guest surveys carried out in both locations.

Through a structured interview by filling cards, the research team finds out the dimensionality that groups the hotel service quality items. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis are used to explore the items grouping pattern and to define resulting quality dimensions. An empirical content validated scale for the construct “perceived service quality in hotels” is attained. Its three dimensions are “Physical support and hotel general services quality,” “Room quality” and “Employee service quality.”     

Using New Orleans as a Predictor of the Future of the Convention Industry

Abstract

Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions (MICE) are a significant part of the U.S. hospitality industry. Thus, predicting the future of this sub-segment is important to many practitioners, academics, and policy makers. However, no one has undertaken a comprehensive assessment of MICE on a longitudinal basis. The research that follows uses one of the top MICE destinations in the U.S. as a surrogate for the MICE industry. Historical data is analyzed to trace the progress of MICE in terms of the number of events, attendance, room nights, and market mix. Then, a new model is utilized to predict what lies ahead for MICE. The results suggest that the future is bright but that the market mix may change.     

Implications of “New Economy” Traits for the Tourism Industry

SUMMARY

The tourism industry is a knowledge-based industry. The recent developments in information processing and knowledge production and transfer have implications for the processes and relations in the tourism industry. The main aspects are the change of the structure of transaction costs, the increasing importance of networks and the impact of the conditions of knowledge transfer on the inter-industrial relations. The concept of cognitive maps is used to explain the processes of information transfer. The overall result of the different aspects of the knowledge orientation of the tourism industry is the importance of trust as the core instrument in this industry.