EDITORIAL

Abstract

This study examines the use of environmental forecasting during the strategic planning process in private city clubs. Key internal and external environmental factors were identified that impact city clubs and the club industry. Strategic planning practices and influencing factors were studied in four city clubs, in North Carolina and South Carolina, utilizing the qualitative research method of structured personal interviews, and the survey method of quantitative research. Numerous factors influenced the strategic planning process of three clubs, including consultants, employees, board members, trade associations and trade reports. One club, which did not conduct strategic planning, is struggling to survive. Environmental issues influencing these clubs were: technological, social, and economic. Each club's business was significantly affected by the business climate of the city in which it resides.     

上海都市旅游规划的时空审视及其战略取向

时间和空间是物质存在的方式,也是旅游活动存在的方式.脱离了时间的空间,或者脱离了空间的时间,在实际上都是不可能存在的.针对上海城市对空间的重视程度高于对时间的关注之倾向,本文立足于二元一体的时空坐标,从辩证思维视角,对上海都市旅游作属性定位,提出了上海都市旅游的战略选择取向应当立足于"通过空间展示时间"的观点,进而在时空坐标战略钟的选择中,提出上海城市建设以及都市旅游发展战略选择的合理取向的某些构想.     

Forecasting in Short-Term Planning and Management for a Casino Buffet Restaurant

SUMMARY

Demand fluctuation accounts for an important consideration in a restaurant's daily operational decisions. Good short-term planning and management require accurate forecasts of daily demand. The objective of this study is three-fold: (1) to apply, evaluate, and compare different methods of forecasting customer counts for an on-premises buffet restaurant of a local casino in Las Vegas, (2) to describe and propose a combined forecasting approach for this casino buffet restaurant, and (3) to explore the concept of revenue and capacity management for this buffet restaurant. Eight forecasting models were tested and evaluated by two common error measures. The results suggest that a double moving average model was the most accurate model with the smallest MAPE and RMSPE. Extensive discussions on forecasting and planning/management in buffet operations are provided along with recommended future research.     

Environmental scanning, industry structure and strategy making: concepts and research in the hospitality industry

This paper presents a model for strategic analysis in the restaurant industry. A review of the evolution of environmental scanning and the concept of industry structure is offered. These concepts as well as the results of research into the environmental scanning behavior of hospitality firms are synthesized into a proposed model for corporate environmental scanning activities.     

Strategic planning and business performance in the quoted UK hotel sector: results of an exploratory study

The purpose of this study was to conduct an exploratory investigation of the relationship between strategic planning and business performance. A multidimensional model of 11 variables was formulated after a review of the strategic planning-performance literature. Data were obtained from 63 hotel units representing eight quoted hotel companies, and various planning-performance relationships were examined. The results indicated that the key planning characteristics of throughness, sophistication, participation, and formality were positive, and in most cases significantly related, to seven indicators of business performance.     

Environmental Scanning Practices of Travel Agent Companies in Singapore

The success of tourism firms relies heavily on their ability to adapt to the changing external environments. Environmental scanning, as the acquisition and use of information about external events and trends, has received greater attention in the tourism management literature. This study investigated the environmental scanning initiatives of travel agent companies in Singapore through a questionnaire survey. In total, 42 completed forms were returned from 319 invited firms. The findings discovered a positive relationship between the scanning frequency and the perceived strategic uncertainty of task environment. It was also found that human information sources were used most frequently for collecting environmental information due to their highest reliability, while electronic sources were under-utilized probably due to lack of computer-based information system and awareness toward the importance of online information.     

Strategic Issues in the Australian Tourism Industry: A 10-year Analysis of National Strategies and Plans

Predicting future events, trends and issues that may affect the tourism industry is not an exact science. Already the 21st century has seen a number of significant, radical and unexpected events, including September 11, SARS and, more recently, the worldwide economic downturn and natural disasters, such as earthquakes and cyclonic activity. Within this increasingly volatile global landscape, more than ever there is a need for the tourism industry to embrace a disciplined, structured and continuous approach to identifying and monitoring future trends and issues to inform policymaking and strategic planning. Yet in Australia it has been claimed that a preoccupation with marketing and short-term tactical planning, at the expense of long-term, strategic thinking, has led to limited planning perspectives for tourism. To explore these claims, this paper reports on a content analysis of 28 Australian national-level tourism strategic planning documents across a 10-year period (2000–2009 inclusive).     

旅行社与汽车俱乐部经营自驾车旅游的比较研究

在国内自驾车旅游快速发展的今天,旅行社和汽车俱乐部作为该领域中两大类主要经营实体,在组织自驾车旅游时,凭借着各自的优势正在发挥着越来越大的作用.但是,由于它们所属行业特点等原因,二者在许多方面尚存在问题.本文从不同角度,将旅行社与汽车俱乐部所经营的自驾车旅游进行了比较研究,因此对相关企业、行业乃至政府相关部门的决策都是十分有意义的.     

Country Versus Destination Image in a Developing Country

In contrast to the country of origin studies in international marketing, the tourism literature fails to differentiate between the image of the country and that of the destination as a tourism product. The distinction is important for developing countries suffering from negative country perceptions, as opposed to more positive views regarding the tourism destination. Therefore, this research examines the difference between country and destination image in the context of Turkey, and proposes a scale to measure them. The study also provides evidence of this difference and suggests ways in which the destination's image may contribute to improve the country's general perceptions.     

Strategic Management of External Change in NSW Registered Clubs

ABSTRACT

This research examines how clubs strategically manage change resulting from alterations in their external environment. Specifically, this paper aims to investigate the marketing implications of recent legislative change arising from restrictions imposed on advertising and promotion of club gaming in one Australian state, the most populous state of New South Wales (NSW). Managers of three northern NSW clubs situated adjacent to the southern Queensland (QLD) border were interviewed to obtain primary data for this investigation. Results show that legislation restricting gaming advertising, promotion and external signage has caused difficulties in marketing these three clubs whose core product is gaming machines. Short-term results of revised marketing strategies indicate that club member numbers are steady but spending is unpredictable. Visitors are harder to attract, particularly new visitors.     

Similarities and Differences of the Effect of Country Images on Tourist and Study Destinations

ABSTRACT

The present study attempts to determine whether students hold similar or different country images when they are “buying” study abroad programs and tourism destinations. This article also tries to investigate similarities and differences in the brand personality perceptions of countries when they are considered as tourism and as study abroad destinations through the application of the brand personality characteristics model developed by Aaker (1997 Aaker, J. L. 1997. Dimensions of brand personality. Journal of Marketing Research, 34(3): 347–356. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). A convenience sample of 360 students was split into two groups based on the motivation for visiting a specific country, whether for tourism or to participate in a study abroad program. The t test was used to calculate the significance of differences in country images between the two groups—those considering study abroad programs and those considering tourism destinations. The study concludes that the knowledge developed within the tourism context regarding images of countries may be applied to the context of study abroad programs.     

旅游度假地规划特点及现有规划设计规程的适用性研究

本文通过对旅游度假地规划特点和现有规划设计规程适用性的研究,论述了旅游度假地规划设计规程研究的紧迫性和重要性,同时提出了旅游度假地规划设计规程的研究框架.     

Understanding Other Customer Perceptions in the Private Country Club Industry

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of other customer perceptions (OCP) in the private country club industry. Based on the existing theoretical background, it was hypothesized that three dimensions of OCP – similarity, physical appearance, and suitable behavior – characterize notions of private country club prestige and influence private country club loyalty. In addition, it was proposed that there are significant differences in OCP based on personal characteristics such as socio-demographic and golf-related profiles. Data were collected from 294 amateur golfers in the USA; results indicated that all three dimensions of OCP influenced private country club prestige, which in turn positively affected private country club loyalty. Lastly, there were significant differences in OCP according to personal characteristics. Key theoretical/managerial implications are presented and discussed.     

武陵源风景名胜区环境问题的现状、成因及对策

世界自然遗产武陵源风景名胜区以其独特的石英砂岩峰林和完好的森林植被享誉海内外。然而,由于在早期的旅游资源开发与建设过程中缺乏科学规划与严格管理,致使产生丁局部区域的较为突出的环境问题,这主要表现在水环境污染、森林植被破坏、违法乱占乱建等几个方面。因此,必须按照“保护第一、开发第二”的原则,加强对旅游资源的管理与保护,合理地开发与利用旅游资源,以保证武陵源旅游业的可持续发展。     

Forecasting US Air Travelers to Europe,Caribbean and Asia

Travel and tourism are among the most important economic contributors to most, if not all, countries. According to the World Tourism Organization (WTO), the number of international arrivals showed remarkable growth, from 25 million international arrivals in 1950 to 699 million in 2000. This indicates an average annual growth rate of 7%. In the same period, tourism receipts recorded an average annual growth rate of 11%. In 2002, international tourism generated worldwide receipts of US$474 billion, corresponding to US$1.3 billion a day or US$675 per tourist arrival. In view of the important role that international tourism plays in the global economy, this research applied four time-series forecasting techniques to project the trend of US air travelers, a major source market, to Europe, Caribbean and Asia, the three leading outbound markets (second to Canada and Mexico) from the US in the period 2003–2005. Experimental outcomes reveal declining trends. This paper discusses the underlying factors for such trends. Lastly, this paper ends with a detailed discussion on policy implications.     

Forecasting leisure and tourism - scenario projections for 2000–2010

This article considers likely future trends in leisure time and tourism. The economic climate over the next 20 years is usually predicted to produce an increase in tourism. However, there are clearly discernible limits to the growth of tourist demand in the industrialized countries, due to changing economic conditions, modified consumer behaviour and new technologies. Increasing leisure time will be allocated to other uses besides tourism. The composition of the tourist population will alter, with increasing proportions of, eg senior citizens. There will be greater emphasis on individual/self-determined holidays, and on educational and recreational pursuits. Increasing environmental awareness will effect planning policies and tourist demand. An interdisciplinary, long-term approach to tourism planning is recommended.     

新时期中国旅游规划创新

随着中国旅游业的迅猛发展,对旅游规划进行系统、全面、深入的探讨和创新已迫在眉睫.旅游规划创新应包括理论创新、内容创新、技术创新、人才创新和组织创新等5个方面.作者认为,基于学科交融、古今贯通和中西互鉴的大融合是旅游规划创新的必然方向,旅游规划应该发展成为系统集成规划、协调性规划、动态规划和开放式规划.     

对概念性旅游规划的认识

随着旅游业竞争态势的全面展开,旅游规划工作的不断深入,旅游规划的现实需求也相应出现了新的变化特点。为了适应这些变化,旅游规划界对传统的规划思想和经典的研究方法不断重新认识,并引入新的规划设计理念。概念性旅游规划就是近年来出现的新生事物,它的出现必将对丰富旅游规划学科内容、推动旅游规划研究的发展起到积极的作用,非常值得关注。本文通过综合分析相关的研究文献,对概念性旅游规划的概念、性质、特点、应用等提出了系统的分析和阐述。     

Environmental management decision-making in certified hotels

This paper analyses environmental decision-making against two axes, motivations and decision-making processes, to understand the reasons for pro-environmental behaviour by the managements of Spanish Eco-management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)-certified hotels. Mixed methods were used to study perceptions of EMAS and reasons for being certified, with current and lapsed EMAS-certified firms triangulated against expert interviews and documentary evidence. Four groups of hotels were differentiated: Strategic hotels (22%) (with high levels of integrated environmental management), Followers (48%), Greenwashers (11%) and Laggers (19%) (with low levels of integrated environmental management). Most hotels were found to be internally driven in their purpose and ad hoc in their decision-making, with limited understanding of externally driven benefits and motivation for more systematic management systems. This questions the success of EMAS as both a continuous improvement management and as a market-based regulation tool for hotels. Few hotels overall related high environmental standards to the possibilities of gaining market advantage: most wished to avoid legal challenges. The paper also illustrates the ways in which hotels opportunistically switch certification systems to get what they see as a better deal.     

An Empirical Study of Corporate Entrepreneurship in Hospitality Companies

This study tests the model of the relationship between corporate entrepreneurship and strategic management, developed for the manufacturing industry by Barringer and Bluedorn (1999 Barringer, B. R. and Bluedorn, A. C. 1999. The relationship between corporate entrepreneurship and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 20: 421–444. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), in the hospitality industry. The findings show some similar and different results from the research of Barringer and Bluedorn (1999 Barringer, B. R. and Bluedorn, A. C. 1999. The relationship between corporate entrepreneurship and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 20: 421–444. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Like manufacturing companies, hospitality companies perceive that corporate entrepreneurship is influenced by four strategic planning practices: environmental scanning intensity, planning flexibility, planning horizon, and locus of planning. Hospitality companies, however, consider that financial controls, not strategic controls, positively influence corporate entrepreneurship intensity. These findings have practical applications for hospitality corporations that are attempting to become more entrepreneurial, and will also help researchers to better understand the relationship of corporate entrepreneurship and strategic planning.