Taiwan's international tourism: a time series analysis with calendar effects and joint outlier adjustments

In this paper, we examine monthly tourist arrivals from Japan, Hong Kong and the USA between January 1971 and December 2008. Our purpose is to find events or variables that affect Taiwan's international tourism. We find that the Chinese New Year has a positive effect on tourist arrivals from Hong Kong, but negative effects for other countries. Through outlier detection, we obtain a better understanding of the effects of non‐recurring events that have impacted Taiwan's international tourism. Using transfer function model with automatic outlier detection and adjustment, we find that the exchange rate influences tourist arrivals from Japan and Hong Kong. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluating participation in community-based tourism: a local perspective in Laos

This study aims to understand how local community members viewed and evaluated the success of a community-based tourism (CBT) project implemented in Laos. The study identified three distinctive groups according to levels of participation and responsibilities adopted, namely active participation, passive participation, and non-participation. The findings suggest that there are mixed perceptions and evaluations of equal participation among community members. The active participation group was mainly comprised of community leaders, exhibited high levels of participation, including in the decision-making process, and thus positively evaluated their participation and the success of the CBT project in their village. However, the great majority of community members were in the passive participation and non-participation groups, seldom participated in the project, and were sceptical of future CBT projects, as the current project appeared to be based on unequal participation from the very beginning.     

Island cruise tourism development: a resident's perspective in the context of Italy

Most studies that examine tourism impacts and community attitudes have been carried out from the perspective of the tourism sector as a whole, with very few papers focusing on specific types of tourism and/or analysing tourists' preferences for specific types of tourism segment. This paper discusses some pertinent issues in relation to cruise tourism development and community attitudes in a port of call cruise destination located in the island of Sicily (Southern Italy). Specifically, this study was carried out using a quota random sample of 1500 responses, which is representative of the population of Messina at 1% level. Findings show that residents express an overall positive attitude towards cruise tourism development even if it is not the most preferred when compared to other types of tourism (cultural tourism, sport tourism, and sun and sea tourism). Further, they highlight that significant differences based on socio-economic and demographic characteristics (age, gender, reliance on cruise-related employment, level of education, geographical proximity to tourist areas and port, length of residency and frequency of interaction with tourists) exist in residents' perceptions and attitudes towards cruise tourism development. Implications for policy-makers are discussed and suggestions for further research are given.     

Tourism and internet adoption: a developing world perspective

This paper provides a new perspective of the realities faced by small tourism enterprises in the developing world. Given the well‐recognised value of the Internet in tourism, we sought to identify how entrepreneurs mitigate Internet adoption obstacles such as the inadequate and unreliable telecommunications infrastructure, the cost of the technology, and a lack of knowledge and skills that characterise developing nations. A qualitative study was performed on small tourism enterprises in rural and metropolitan areas of Malaysia and Ecuador. We found that entrepreneurs established ways to overcome obstacles, with some applying quite innovative solutions. This paper helps to understand the role of entrepreneurs in innovation adoption and improve knowledge of Internet appropriation among small tourism enterprises in developing nations. A number of transferable lessons are identified. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Looking into the overlooked: incoming tour operators and early tourism development in Gabon

For a few years, Gabon has demonstrated increasing signs of its willingness to develop tourism. This has led a growing number of individuals and/or companies to seek opportunities and invest in the inbound tourism sector. Yet Gabon still presents high barriers to tourism development, resulting in major constraints upon tourism firms. This paper focuses on the particular example of incoming tour operators (ITOs); ITOs play a role in tourism distribution but have received little attention in the literature. This study seeks to better understand their profiles as well as their marketing and channel behaviours in the Gabonese fledgling tourism industry. Based on semi-structured interviews held in 2011–2012 with 11 ITOs in Gabon, the study outcomes show that ITO marketing and channel behaviours were rational and growth-oriented and were influenced by company profiles, demand requirements and the position of power of ITOs in the distribution channel. The accessibility, comfort and reliability of products/suppliers stood out as key factors in the upstream or downstream channel behaviours of ITOs (selection of suppliers vs. selection of customers). Most respondents considered vertical integration as an appropriate strategy to improve the supply channel.     

Gaps in tourism education and workforce needs: attracting and educating the right people

The intense development of the tourism industry requires a skilled and qualified workforce. It is important to attract the right candidates to the tourism education, and subsequently provide relevant education to prepare students for the industry after graduation. While work placements may be useful and important to some extent, they are not the ideal solution. Hence, alternative approaches such as simulations and flipped classrooms may be applied. To provide realistic expectations, a closer collaboration between industry operators and education providers is needed. Education providers should assume a more proactive role by inviting tourism operators and integrated them in the tourism education programmes as guest lecturers.     

Exploring the dynamic linkages between tourism growth and environmental pollution: new evidence from the Mediterranean countries

ABSTRACT

The present study explores the impact of tourism on environmental pollution using a comprehensive set of air pollutants, namely CO₂, CO, NO_x, SO₂, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀, in a multivariate framework under the context of the Mediterranean countries. The panel cointegration tests indicate that there is a long-run equilibrium relationship between environmental pollution, energy consumption, economic development and tourism growth. The tourism-induced EKC hypothesis is validated for four out of six air pollution indicators in the Southern Mediterranean countries, whereas in the Northern Mediterranean region we fail to document any evidence supporting the hypothesis. In addition, tourism growth has a differential impact on different air pollution indicators across regions. The major findings from the panel Granger causality tests show that bidirectional causality exists between four air pollutants (CO₂, NO_x, SO_2, and PM_2.5) and tourism and unidirectional causality runs from CO and PM₁₀ to tourism growth in the Northern Mediterranean. In contrast, there is a feedback relationship between environmental pollution (CO and NO_x) and tourism growth and one-way causality running from environmental pollution (CO₂, SO_2, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀) to tourism development in the Southern Mediterranean.     

The time has come: a systematic literature review of mixed methods research in tourism

The existing literature mapping the state of mixed methods research in tourism does not provide in-depth information concerning the number and type of mixed methods studies published in tourism, or the paradigmatic beliefs informing the mix of quantitative and qualitative studies in the same project. By conducting a systematic review of articles published between 2005 and 2016 in tourism journals, this work seeks to answer four main research questions: (1) how have different tourism scholars employed mixed methods in their studies?; (2) what approaches have been utilised in mixed methods studies?; (3) how are paradigm(s) conceptualised in mixed method designs?; and (4) how is reflexivity operationalised in mixed method designs? Overall, the findings show that the majority of mixed methods tourism studies have not declared their epistemological, ontological and axiological stances. Also, the studies tended to privilege sequential mixes over concurrent approaches, and reflexivity was rarely contemplated.     

The spatial and temporal variation in passenger service rate and its impact on train dwell time: A time-series clustering approach using dynamic time warping

This study aims to improve the understanding of the underlying mechanism of passenger boarding and alighting processes, as well as its potential influence on train dwell time and train operation. Empirical data collected from one of busiest metro stations in Seoul, Korea, demonstrates the spatial and temporal variation in the passenger service rate, as a result of interference between boarding, alighting, and standing passengers. This study postulates that the level of interference can be associated with the train car occupancy and the proximity of train door to entry points, as waiting passengers tend to cluster near the platform entries. A unique temporal service rate curve is derived from each door location. We introduce Dynamic Time Warping for similarity assessment and clustering. It revealed four groups of train doors showing distinct shapes of curve from each platform. The first cluster includes the train doors located closest to the platform entry points where the initial service rate is drastically impeded by severe inference among passengers. The level of interference gradually diminishes as the door is located farther away from the entry points, but the overall service rate decreases as well. A passenger service time model is derived to include the cluster variable. To test its significance, the prediction capability of the model is presented with and without the cluster variable. The results of this study may be used to guide waiting passengers along the platform to minimize interference and to avoid serious disruption during passenger service time.     

Innovative techniques in tourism research: an exploration of visual methods and academic filmmaking

While visual methods have long been utilised as legitimate research techniques in the social sciences, within mainstream tourism research these techniques are rarely employed. This paper thus seeks to question current research practices in tourism by focusing on academic filmmaking as an innovative visual method which can be used to approach tourism research in a new way and to create tourism knowledge which is widely accessible. Two case studies explicate these points: an ethnographic documentary about tourism impacts in Crete, and a doctoral project which explored the construction and consumption of images of Greekness by visitors to the Athenian Acropolis. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Planning for urban tourism: a critique of borough development plans and tourism policy in London

The paper presents a critique of tourism policy in London in the context of local environmental plans and central government policy for tourism and hotel development. Rationales for local authority tourism policies are assessed in relation to city‐level planning imperatives and local land‐use plan formulation. A comparative analysis of borough development plans and the treatment of tourism is based on a survey of London's 33 unitary authorities. The paper presents a World City case study of urban tourism from the position of the environmental planning process and in the light of the highly concentrated distribution of hotel provision and tourist activity in London. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Collaboration and cooperation in a tourism destination: a network science approach

The extent of collaboration and cooperation is an important determinant for the development of a tourism destination. These features are usually assessed through qualitative investigations. This letter proposes a quantitative approach based on the evaluation of the modularity characteristics of the network of the destination stakeholders. The results of a sample analysis are reported.     

Anti-shopping tourism: a new concept in the field of consumption

In this article, based on qualitative research in Hungary, we propose a new phrase for the field of tourist consumption. Our notion ‘anti-shopping tourism’ refers to the resistant attitude towards consumption and spending money during shopping-related tours. The research discussed in the paper analyses participants’ motivations, attitudes and behaviour on one-day coach trips that include various programmes, for example, sightseeing, lunch, spa visits and even a range of gifts, for a very low price, in exchange for participation in a professional sales show during the trip. Our main goal is to explain and, from an economic and anthropological point of view, conceptualise this form of tourist attitude, and to show how this unique way of travel may be situated in a certain historical setting in Hungary, more than two decades after the collapse of the socialist regime. In order to understand how the participating individuals negotiated this unique form of travel that exists in a grey zone of the institutionalised travel industry, notions such as debt, sacrifice, resistance, gift, seduction and informal contract are discussed and connected to the phenomenon.     

Islamic tourism and managing tourism development in Islamic societies: the cases of Iran and Saudi Arabia

This paper is concerned with the effects of state religion on tourism development in Muslim countries with particular reference to Iran and Saudi Arabia. Aspects of the relationship between Islam and tourism are investigated overall and issues of tourism policies, management and marketing and community involvement within the context of the two cases are discussed. The distinctive circumstances prevailing in Iran and Saudi Arabia are suggested, but more general insights are also presented into the interactions between and management of tourism and Islam. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Empowering the new traveller: storytelling as a co-creative behaviour in tourism

The work proposes a theoretical and empirical model that investigates how storytelling is a powerful co-creative behaviour in tourism. The contribution takes a step forward from the classical theories on co-creation and develops the case where consumers act almost independently from traditional brands. The empirical study adopts an interpretive approach to analyse online travel reviews. Data are interpreted through Yi and Gong's model on consumer value co-creation behaviour [(2013). Customer value co-creation behavior: Scale development and validation. Journal of Business Research, 66, 127], the Phase dynamics theory of travel epiphany behaviour [Woodside, A. G., & Megehee, C. M. (2010). Advancing consumer behaviour theory in tourism via visual narrative art. International Journal of Tourism Research, 12(5), 418–431], and the Archetype theory [Woodside, A. G., Sood, S., & Miller, K. E. (2008). When consumers and brands talk: Storytelling theory and research. Psychology & Marketing, 25(2), 97–145]. The study indicates that storytelling behaviours in value co-creation activate a ‘customer delight' response, which is an affect-based construct.     

Restructuring in tourism: the accommodation sector in a major British coastal resort

This paper examines the restructuring of tourist accommodation in a major British coastal resort through a case study of Torbay, Devon. The extent and nature of restructuring is established through an examination of business failures, conversions to alternative uses and investment in new facilities. The motivations and influences on the decision‐making underpinning the restructuring process are related to competitive and defensive strategies adopted by the owners and managers of accommodation businesses. A small core of businesses have apparently made no discernible response to the pressures of restructuring, and it is argued that the existence of such inertia represents a significant issue for studies of the longer term development and realignment of resort economies. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Role of the Tourism Industry in Transforming a Rentier to a Long-Term Viable Economy: The Case of Bahrain

During the past four decades, the tourism industry has emerged as one of the leading industries worldwide. In the Arab countries, however, despite its huge potential, the tourism industry is still in its infancy phase. With the exception of only a few countries, until recently most of the Arab countries almost ignored the economic potential of tourism. Since the 1990s, their traditional attitude of neglect toward the tourism industry has undergone a transformation, a fact that was not lost by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Thus, since the mid-1990s, all of the GCC countries, without exception, have been trying to promote their tourism sector, which soon became a prominent economic sector. The paper concentrates on one tourism development case – that of Bahrain – the least ‘rentier’ within the GCC oil-economies. The main research question addressed by this paper is to what extent Bahrain has introduced a cohesive and economically viable tourism industry that contributes to a more sustainable economy of this country. This exploratory paper examines Bahrain's motivation to promote tourism; its tourism comparative advantage; the major difficulties facing Bahrain's further tourism expansion; and the overall role of the tourism industry in the Bahraini economy.     

Managing complexity and change in tourism: the case of a historic city†

Europe's historic cities face many challenges, including those associated with growing pressure from tourist interest. This paper reviews the general issues for historic cities with significant tourist activity, and then examines the background, purposes and future direction of the English city of Canterbury's visitor management initiative. An open, soft systems model is used to clarify the differing significance of the initiative for selected stakeholder groups with interests in the city, its society, economy, environment and ecology. The significance of the Canterbury City Centre Initiative for other European walled and historic cities is considered briefly in the context of wider town centre management initiatives, and the linkages to wider city planning processes that it exemplifies. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Understanding tourists' itineraries in emerging rural tourism regions: the application of paper-based itinerary mapping methodology to a wine tourism region in Michigan

In recent years, many rural areas have turned to tourism as a way of reviving their communities. One challenge to such efforts is that community leaders in these areas often have limited experience with tourism and consequently lack the knowledge and resources to best facilitate sustainable tourism initiatives. Moreover, an influx of tourists to an area puts new demands on infrastructure. Information about tourists' itineraries can help communities to address new challenges that result from tourism, however using emerging technologies such as GPS and Internet-based map surveys can be expensive and require expertise many rural tourism planners do not have. Paper-based itinerary mapping methodology can be a cost effective way of providing local officials, tourism planners, and businesses with important information to inform decisions about how to invest limited resources. This study applies paper-based itinerary mapping to an emerging wine tourism area in a rural county in the US state of Michigan. Because it involves tourists travelling from place to place within a region, wine tourism is particularly well-suited for itinerary mapping. Results provide specific recommendations to local officials, tourism planners, and businesses. Moreover, the study offers an example to researchers interested in conducting studies that use paper-based itinerary mapping methodology.