Measuring the Socio‐Economic Legacies of Mega‐events: Concepts,Propositions and Indicators

Legacies have become a key rationale underpinning the bidding process for hosting mega‐events. These long‐term effects are deemed to hold benefits and costs, and measurement is important. However, there is limited theory or empirical evidence on legacy impacts. In this article, the literature on legacies of mega‐events is reviewed and event tourism isolated to develop an interdisciplinary conceptual model to measure tourism legacies, and develop propositions on measurement issues. This paper develops a framework of key indicators, propositions and measures to evaluate socio‐economic legacies, which will support event organizers and decision makers to formulate policies for improving event legacies. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geotourism and geoparks as novel strategies for socio‐economic development in rural areas

Geoparks, as an innovation for the protection of natural and geological heritages, play an important role in the development of geotourism. While developing geotourism, the establishment of geoparks can generate new job opportunities, new economic activities and additional sources of income, especially in rural regions. It encourages the production of local products and local handicrafts involved in geotourism and geoproducts. This paper discusses the role played by geoparks in improving the economy of local populations. To this end, 25 geopark strategies were analysed (20 in Europe and 3 in Asia [Malaysia, Japan and Iran], 1 in Australia and 1 in South America [Brazil]). Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The self‐presentation and self‐development of serious wildlife tourists

The notion of self‐concept and choice of tourism products has yet to be applied to wildlife tourism. The question of how consumers perceive themselves is considered fundamental to understanding purchase and consumption behaviours. This ethnographic study is based upon ‘serious’ wildlife tourism participants, for whom studying fauna and flora is the primary motivation for travel. The findings demonstrate how the ‘culture’ of ‘serious’ wildlife tourism is made up of individuals who differentiate themselves from other tourists in terms of dress, behaviour, development of skills, equipment and intellectual capital, illustrated by their desire to scope, identify and photograph wildlife. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Business travellers' perception of service quality: a prefatory study of two European city centre hotels

The business traveller contributes significantly to the turnover of the hotel industry and, with the globalisation of business, this sector shows signs of increasing growth. Service quality has now become one of the main factors used to gain competitive advantage, thus the industry must focus more specifically on the needs and expectations of its business customers. The aim of this paper is to focus on the business travel market and more specifically on the comparison of two hotels in two European cities, Brussels and Manchester. This area of research has not been attempted before and will provide an interesting comparison with findings in USA. A literature review identified the relevant attributes used to measure service quality, which were utilised to design a questionnaire, distributed to customers in a five star hotel in Manchester and in Brussels. The primary data obtained were then compared with the findings of other researchers. The analysis indicated that Brussels scored the majority of the attributes more highly (many significantly) than did Manchester. This may be influenced by the international profile of the Brussels respondents who tended to travel on business more frequently than the Manchester sample. The comparisons with the USA surveys found some inconsistencies that might be attributed to societal differences.Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Marketing performance measurement in hotels,travel agencies and tour operators: a study of current practices

As successful tourism firms invest heavily in marketing to defend or improve their competitive position, they increasingly need to measure their marketing performance. Previous studies related to tourism have largely focused on financial and operational performance, but the marketing perspective has been largely overlooked. Drawing on an in-depth investigation involving 12 hotel chains, 8 travel agencies and 8 tour operators, this study provides an overview of the state-of-the-art marketing performance measurements among some of the leading tourism firms in Italy. Several issues and unanswered questions are also identified.     

The Incorporation of Consumer Experience into the Branding Process: An Investigation of Name‐Brand Hotels

Given the growing number of hotel brands, improving consumer experience has become an increasingly important area of interest to industry practitioners. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between hotel guests' brand experience, knowledge and loyalty to name‐brand hotels. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling with the incorporation of a second‐order factor analysis were employed to achieve the research goals. The findings indicate that brand experience was represented as a holistic concept with sensory, affective, behavioral and intellectual aspects. While brand experience influences brand loyalty, its impact is partially mediated by brand knowledge. This is a pioneer study that combines consumer experience with branding in the hospitality industry and offers practical suggestions to facilitate hotel managers in their development of effective branding strategies. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Marketing information systems in tourism and hospitality small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises: a study of Internet use for market intelligence

This study investigates the nature of marketing information systems (MkIS) within small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) and focuses on the importance of external information and market intelligence. The sources of market intelligence are investigated with particular emphasis on understanding the usefulness of the Internet for external information gathering. The empirical research to support the study uses survey methods to investigate marketing information systems, market intelligence and Internet use within hospitality and tourism SMEs in the Yorkshire and Humber region. The findings indicate that SMEs in this sector make use of informal marketing information systems which mainly concentrate on internal and immediate operating environment data. Important wider market intelligence is underutilised owing mainly to the resource constraints of these smaller businesses. The Internet has not yet been recognised as an important source for market intelligence despite having the benefits of providing much of the necessary data more quickly and at a lower cost than many other sources. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The performance of the Slovenian hotel industry: evaluation post‐privatisation

This study analyses the technical efficiency of Slovenian hotels using the data envelopment analysis method. Multiple inputs and outputs are included in the analysis, ranging over the period 2005–2007. The results reveal an increase in efficiency over the period analysed. The results also confirm that factors such as the hotel's year in business, star rating and size are positively related to efficiency variations between hotels. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tourism Development: The Challenges of Achieving Sustainable Livelihoods in Bhutan's Remote Reaches

Merak–Sakteng is a remote area of Bhutan, which is targeted for development of tourism owing to the unique culture and way of life of the semi‐nomadic local ‘Brokpa’ people, whose livelihoods depend on herding yaks and sheep. These livestock enter forests where local residents and government see their grazing as threatening their crops and causing environmental degradation. The semi‐nomadic life centred on livestock, which has long been essential to Brokpa culture and economy, thus comes under threat. The opening of Merak–Sakteng to tourism is intended to address this conflict by lessening the Brokpas' economic dependence on livestock. This paper reports on research into the potential of tourism to transform this ethnic minority's economic way of life through the introduction of tourism into the local livelihood mix. Sustainable livelihoods issues are investigated through a consideration of both economic and socio‐cultural aspects of the local way of life, based on observation, and the findings of a survey of local people, semi‐structured interviews with village leaders and government officials concerning development of the area. The survey found that despite land‐use conflicts and limited grazing land, Brokpas still aspired to spend money gained from tourism on purchasing more yaks, which may escalate land‐use conflicts and threaten environmental sustainability. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mega‐events and host‐region impacts: determining the true worth of the 1999 Rugby World Cup

An increasing interest in the impact of sporting mega‐events on host regions has sparked discussion on the most appropriate approaches in determining both benefits and costs. The paper defines the nature of the impact on Wales of the 1999 Rugby World Cup (RWC99), both economic and social, and qualitatively assesses the extent and nature of the impact of RWC99 in a number of areas. It concludes that there were considerable benefits for the region, although many areas of potential benefit were not maximised. This was due in large part to the structure of the bidding process and organisational inadequacies, which in turn led to relatively low spectator spend and mixed press coverage. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Product placement and tourism‐oriented environments: an exploratory introduction

This paper examines the ‘physical’ placement of products within tourism‐oriented environments. Product placement is usually associated with the incorporation of branded products into media vehicles. However, a type of placement also occurs within ‘non‐store’ spaces used by tourists. Product placement within these spaces may increase awareness about certain products and, ultimately, induce purchases. Tourism‐oriented environments may enhance the attractiveness of placed products because they enable consumers to interact with and appraise these products before they purchase them. A number of examples are provided, which demonstrate that marketers seek to create encounters between tourists and products. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling roles of task‐technology fit and self‐efficacy in hotel employees' usage behaviours of hotel information systems

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between hotel information system (HIS) users' personal perceptions and beliefs of the given system and their daily routine usage intention via the technology acceptance model (TAM), considering the two external variables (motivational variables) of the model — ‘task‐technology fit’ (extrinsic motivation; system feature) and ‘self‐efficacy’ (intrinsic motivation; personal feature). Data were collected from hotel employees of 13 upscale hotels in Jeju, South Korea, and path analysis was utilised to test structural model and hypotheses. The results provided empirical support for an extended TAM, and verified its robustness in predicting hotel employees' intention to use a HIS. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tourism and electricity consumption in 9 European countries: a decomposition analysis approach

ABSTRACT

Tourism is a major economic activity constituting one of the main sectors in economic terms. European countries traditionally play a significant role in the overall international tourism flow. However, while tourism has a noticeable positive impact on economic development, it also contributes to environmental degradation by increasing energy consumption and therefore emissions. This paper analyses the relationships between Hotel and Restaurant electricity consumption and tourism growth in 9 European countries during 2004–2012, for which there is a sufficient amount of data available. A decomposition analysis based on log-mean Divisia index method (LMDI I) is conducted to examine electricity consumption on this sector and their components. Five decomposition factors are considered: energy intensity (EI), physical capital intensity (KI), physical and human capital relationship (KL), human capital intensity (LI) and the tourism factor (T). Results show the evolution of energy consumption related to this sector, identifying the driving forces that have influenced it.     

Co‐operatives in southern Spain: their development in the rural tourism sector in Andalucía

This paper examines the characteristics of a number of recently established rural tourism co‐operatives in Andalucía, southern Spain against the background of the theory of co‐operatives as economic organisations. The origins and composition of the co‐operatives are examined, their local impact, their policies on employment and remuneration, and their internal management characteristics. Few of the businesses in the sample appear to possess the characteristics of the ‘ideal type’ of co‐operative identified in the literature. Although small‐scale, beneficial impacts may be identified within their localities, these appear to be no different to those associated with any small business organisation in the rural tourism sector. Furthermore, it is concluded that their prospects for developing genuine alternative forms of employment structures are not strong, partly owing to the circumstances of their foundation and partly because of the very nature of rural tourism itself, where extreme seasonality imposes a very specific labour regime. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cultural tourism behaviour and preferences among the live‐performing arts audience: an application of the univorous–omnivorous framework

This study uses the omnivorous–univorous theoretical framework of the arts marketing studies to identify relationships between the live‐performing arts and cultural tourism behaviours and preferences. Patrons of a major performing arts centre were segmented in three groups — sporadic, univores and omnivores — and examined regarding their cultural tourism behaviours and preferences. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences among groups in terms of demographic characteristics, art and culture consumption and cultural tourism behaviour and preferences. Study results add to the body of knowledge of tourism, suggesting that the culture omnivorous consumption behaviour reported in art marketing studies is also relevant to cultural tourism. Results suggest the existence of omnivorous cultural tourists seeking a wide variety of cultural products and experiences. The identification of a group of individuals with little interest and consumption of culture, including cultural travel destinations, also emerges from this study. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A study of the non‐economic determinants in tourism demand

Traditionally, many studies have attempted to use economic demand models. This paper stresses on the influence of non‐economic factors on tourism demand. Some researchers have suggested that tourists from different origins have various cultural and nationalistic backgrounds, and they may interpret visual imagery and experiences differently. Aligning with this suggestion, we have investigated different underlying factors of tourism demand from four continents (Asia, the Americas, Europe and Oceania). Statistical data are collected from international organisations and 135 countries were covered. Our results showed that there are differences and similarities among the factors in determining the tourism demand. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

e‐Participation Model for Sustainable Cultural Tourism Management: a Bottom‐Up Approach

The paper presents a ‘bottom‐up approach’ for cultural tourism management, based on the development of an e‐participation website for an Italian city, where the stakeholders are placed at the centre of the decisional process. The analysis provides an indication on how to personalize and differentiate the cultural tourism offer according to the stakeholders’ perspectives and to specific territorial characteristics. Innovative techniques of stakeholders’ engagement are offered by information and communication technologies tools that can play a vital role in today's cultural destinations. However, the study shows that the Web is yet to be utilized as an effective tool in stakeholders’ participation processes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determinants of information systems outsourcing in hotels from the resource‐based view: an empirical study

The objective of this study is to determine the factors affecting outsourcing of information system/information technology (IS/IT) activities in hotels from the resource‐based view of the firm. The factors considered are the conditions that the systems area resources must meet for that area to have a competitive value. The reasons, which are both strategic and tactical, are discussed. The former are mainly related to quality, improvement of service and concentration on core activities, whereas the latter are tactical or cost‐related reasons justifying the selection of the outsourcing strategy for this activity. The results indicate the factors determining IS/IT activity outsourcing are related to the creation of valuable resources and to market transaction costs, and the IS/IT area performance does not influence the decision to outsource. It is also shown that the reasons justifying outsourcing are strategic; related to the core competencies and quality of service and not to cost reduction. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tourism and Long‐run Economic Growth in Aruba

This study examines the long‐run relationship between tourism development and economic growth in a small island destination. Determining whether the nature of the relationship is unidirectional or bidirectional provides insightful information as to policies to be implemented. This information is crucial in a resource‐poor environment, such as a small island destination. The study employs an econometric methodology consisting of unit root testing, co‐integration analysis, vector error correction modeling and Granger causality testing. Results confirm the reciprocal hypothesis. The policy implication is that resource allocation supporting both the tourism and tourism‐related industries could benefit both tourism development and economic growth. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tourism in Trinidad and Tobago: carving a niche in a petroleum‐based economy

Trinidad and Tobago lies within one of the world's most tourism‐intensive regions, the Caribbean. Yet, unlike its neighbours, it has not relied heavily on income from travel and tourism since its economy is dominated by the energy sector. The energy sector is the mainstay of the economy contributing approximately 34.1% to the country's GDP, 85.5% to merchandise exports and 37.1% to Government revenues in 2004 (Ministry of Energy, 2006). The Government, in its aim for developed nation status by 2020, recognizes that the energy sector is unable to provide the sustainable jobs needed to achieve this. Thus, the Government's policy strategy, Vision 2020, identifies tourism as one of five (5) sectors that should be developed to contribute to the country's economic development. The tourism industry currently represents 13.8% of total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Trinidad and Tobago and is expected to increase its share by nearly three percentage points to 16.5% by 2015. It accounts for 16.7% of total employment, and this is forecasted to rise to 19.2% (WTTC, 2005). Several challenges are evident, that continue to limit the industry's full potential for growth in the country. It is against this background that this paper seeks to identify and analyse the strategies that can be adopted to maximize the contribution of the hospitality and tourism industry to economic development in Trinidad and Tobago. The three main strategies proposed are a greater focus on local entrepreneurship; the re‐orientation of the role of the local financial mechanisms in tourism development and; the development of competitive tourism investment incentives for potential investors in the hospitality and tourism industry. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.