Coping with second home tourism: responses and strategies of private and public service providers in western Sweden

Second homes have increasingly gained academic attention, not least within tourism research. Nevertheless, most studies have addressed the topic from the perspective of the second home owners, highlighting issues such as motivation for second home ownership, use patterns, geographical location, and meanings of second homes. Even the impacts of second homes have mainly been addressed as the accumulated outcome of their owners’ decisions. Hence, second homes have mainly been conceptualized as personal/family projects. Relatively little research has been done on the ways local communities cope with second home tourism. This is the departure point for this paper, with the purpose of analysing coping strategies among public and private stakeholders regarding second home tourism. It is argued that communities have various ways of coping, ranging from resistance to resource utilization. The proposed conceptual framework is empirically applied to the case of the Swedish West Coast. In an interview survey of public and private service providers, different strategies are identified. The results of the survey indicate that second home owners are increasingly seized on as a resource that can be utilized for business development. Ultimately, institutional preconditions imply that second homes remain a challenge for local municipalities.     

A Local Perspective on Cross‐Border Tourism. Russian Second Home Ownership in Eastern Finland

Russian purchase of second home properties in Finland has been the subject of heated national and local debate in the Finnish media. This study examines the attitudes of permanent and second home residents to Russian second homeowners in Savonlinna, Eastern Finland (N = 494). Three separate attitude groups were identified in relation to the effect of Russian second home owners in property prices; the Russians as an economic opportunity; and, the Russians as a threat. Negative attitudes were common, and it is possible that the relations between the Russian second homeowners and local residents will become more contested over time. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Destination Attractiveness Drivers among Urban Hostel Tourists: An Analysis of Frustrators and Delighters

This study is based on data from 679 tourists staying at hostel accommodation facilities in Zagreb, a propulsive city‐break destination in Central Europe. Besides providing insight into the socio‐demographic and behavioural characteristics of hostel tourists, this study uncovers determinant destination attributes influencing their perceptions of destination attractiveness. In particular, impact asymmetry analysis identified potential sources of delight and frustration among hostel tourists. Since the hostel tourist segment, as such, is almost completely unconsidered in contemporary tourism research, partly covered only by a few studies on youth travellers and backpackers, the results of this case study are valuable to both practitioners and researchers related to the hostelling industry and city destination marketing organizations. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Attractiveness of Wellness Destinations: An Importance–Performance–Satisfaction Approach

The attractiveness of tourism destinations is a topic of great interest to researchers and professionals wishing to understand the ability of destinations to attract and satisfy tourists. However, there is a lack of consensus on the attributes that could explain the attractiveness of destinations, attributes that can also vary according to the tourist product under analysis. An importance–performance–satisfaction approach is adopted, to identify the attributes that are important for tourists travelling to enjoy wellness vacations, assess the performance of Gran Canaria in those attributes and analyze the possible association between the performance of Gran Canaria and tourist satisfaction. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nature as a commercial setting: the case of nature-based tourism providers in Sweden

This study analyses variations in the operational setting in the context of nature-based tourism (NBT) and draws much needed attention to the supply side of this sector by segmenting the NBT service providers based on their setting preferences. This paper focuses on the setting of NBT as an important alternative avenue for understanding the operational context of NBT supply. This approach is subsequently empirically explored through a national survey among the NBT service providers in Sweden. The data analysis demonstrates that the companies can be rather clearly clustered based on the variations in the perceived importance and impact of NBT setting components. This study therefore helps in understanding the role of a commercial setting in explaining NBT supply, which has a potential to not only contribute to developing the research of this sector further but also help in avoiding possible conflicts with other natural resource users and improve its overall management.     

Potential Economic Contribution of Regional Tourism Development in China: A Comparative Analysis

The tourism industry in China has increased dramatically in recent years. Tourism development has been somewhat asymmetric with east coast provinces developing faster than others. This research compares and contrasts the potential economic contribution of tourism across China's provinces. Because of larger multiplier effects, the more economically developed provincial economies will experience greater economic benefits as a result of further increases in tourism. However, several inland provinces are also poised to benefit from increased tourism. Increases in visitor arrivals in these provinces have the potential to benefit both the tourism sectors and those sectors that demand and supply services to these industries. This is an attractive source of economic development in lesser developed provinces. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Contribution of Tourists and Visitors to Road Traffic Accidents: A Preliminary Analysis of Trends and Issues for Central Scotland

This paper reviews the literature on road traffic accidents and their role in the mobility of tourists within discernible regions of activity. The paper builds upon knowledge developed in the tourism, transportation and safety science areas of research to illustrate the significance of these issues in relation to tourist well-being, and argues that multidisciplinary perspectives informed by different cognate areas of research combined with interactive research with public sector agencies such as the police, can make major contributions to the formulation of policy and actions to improve tourist and visitor safety. Using a police derived data source permits analysis and discussion of the key issues facing leisure-related (in which tourism is subsumed) and non-leisure-related traffic in one region of Scotland. Through a regional analysis of the available data sources it is possible to identify areas of action for agencies.     

A Social Network Analysis of Overseas Tourist Movement Patterns in Beijing: the Impact of the Olympic Games

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games had a great impact on the tourism industry in Beijing, especially on tourism flows and movements. This study used content analysis and social network analysis methods to examine 500 online trip diaries and analyze overseas tourist movement patterns in Beijing during the Olympics. The result revealed that overseas tourists were most interested in famous traditional attractions, and their movements were focused in the central city area of Beijing. The study identified the diversity of tourist attractions and the expansion of main visiting areas as the two main changes during the Olympics. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Sky and Sustainable Tourism Development: A Case Study of a Dark Sky Reserve Implementation in Alqueva

This paper shows the development of a tourism product in a destination that uses the night sky as its main source of attraction. Using this innovative product has helped to create a distinctive image, which is likely to attract a more diverse range of visitors and has assisted in improving economic, social and environmental sustainability. First, we present an overview about sustainable tourism and the sky as a tourism resource followed by a case study, in Portugal, that illustrates the potential of Dark Sky activities for tourism development in rural regions. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stakeholder Network Integrated Analysis: The Specific Case of Rural Tourism in the Portuguese Peneda‐Gerês National Park

This study addresses the structure, nature and composition of stakeholder networks related to rural tourism in a Portuguese National Park (Peneda‐Gerês National Park). In particular, it examines their interactions along the following dimensions: marketing information (marketing exchanges such as flyers, tourism information and information on specific events), administrative resources (logistic and technical support), human resources (allocation of human resources), training (training of local stakeholders in the area of promotion) and financial resources (financial support). In terms of methodology, it uses both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The analysis of the type and nature of interactions among different stakeholders within a specific rural tourism destination is the main focus of this study. Among these, the marketing information network shows both a high number of connections and high centrality indices, which may indicate that there is a significant share of information about common projects, products and services among stakeholders. In contrast, the training network evidenced the opposite behavior pattern. The study also contributes to a better understanding of how different local stakeholders are positioned in a complex structure of interactions that are critical in providing useful directions to maximize potential opportunities that may contribute to promote rural tourism and local development efficiently. Several limitations and implications are offered in the final section. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The moderating effect of nationality on crowding perception,its antecedents,and coping behaviours: A study of an urban heritage site in Taiwan

Due to the significant increase in international tourism arrivals, academic attention that addresses the heterogeneity among nationals with respect to the congestion impact at attraction sites is called for. This study evaluates the moderating effect of nationality on crowding perception, its antecedents, and coping behaviours in order to identify the sensitivity of user groups towards crowding issues. A Taiwanese urban historical site was selected as a case study to assess the differences among domestic Taiwanese, mainland Chinese, and foreign visitors in response to an increase in use pressure. Results supported the moderating effect of nationality on all crowding relationships, and indicated that Taiwanese and foreign visitors were more crowd intolerant and had a higher tendency to engage in coping behaviours than those from mainland China. Good crowding perception, social norms for acceptable behaviours, travel format, and bilateral sociopolitical relationships are suggested as explanations for user differences.     

The effects of perceived crowding,emotional dissonance,and emotional exhaustion on critical job outcomes: A study of ground staff in the airline industry

Using Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and Stressor–Strain–Outcome (SSO) model as the theoretical underpinnings, this study proposes and tests a research model that examines emotional exhaustion as a mediator of the impact of emotional dissonance on service recovery performance, turnover intentions, and absenteeism. The model also investigates the mediating role of emotional dissonance in the relationship between perceived crowding and emotional exhaustion. Data obtained from ground staff in the low cost airline industry in Turkey were used to gauge these relationships. The results from structural equation modeling suggest that passenger crowding as perceived by ground staff results in emotional dissonance that in turn heightens emotional exhaustion. The results further suggest that emotional exhaustion fully mediates the effect of emotional dissonance on turnover intentions and absenteeism. Interestingly, the results suggest that the impact of emotional dissonance on service recovery performance, mediated by emotional exhaustion, is positive. Theoretical and management implications based on the aforesaid findings are discussed in the paper.