Connecting African urban areas: airline networks and intra-Sub-Saharan trade

Despite efforts to enhance the efficiency of the African air transportation sector through such actions the Yamoussoukro Decision, African represents less than 2% of the world’s air passenger kilometers. This is despite the fact that air transportation can act as a means of transporting traded goods directly (including the individuals that are the “product” of tourism) and provide complementary services of labor mobility for those engaged in the production of more bulky goods that are shipped by land and maritime modes. We examine the network of intra-Sub-Saharan African airline connections to highlight the differential access enjoyed by the region’s largest cities. Second, we develop a quantitative framework linking the availability of air connections to the main international trade flows in sub-Sahara Africa. Our findings suggest that, although there is a positive link between air transportation and economic development in Africa, the multilateral efforts at reducing institutional impediments to more open aviation markets have not produced significant results.     

The spatial impact of EU Pan-European transport axes: City clusters formation in the Balkan area and developmental perspectives

This article explores the spatial and development implications of the Pan-European Transport Axes in the Balkans. For that purpose, the potential Development Poles and Axes are determined, on the basis of size, the location of cities, their interconnection and their role as hubs of the Pan-European axes. This is achieved by means of the formation and implementation of a methodology based on the use of special statistical applications. According to data analysis, three geographical units arise: Central Core, Peripheral Zone, Perimetric Zones. In the analysis that follows, Advantages, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats are examined in each case and suggestions are made as regards the policies required.     

既有铁路站房改扩建形成综合交通枢纽的设计对策

随着城市人口增长,高铁的引入,很多城市需对原有铁路站场及站房进行改扩建设计以形成规模更大、功能更完备的综合交通枢纽,并带动铁路站房所在城市片区的发展。对既有铁路旅客站房改扩建设计进行分析,指出设计需深入分析既有站房改扩建面临的诸多制约因素,据此制定针对性设计对策,确定系统、安全、经济的差异化整体实施方案,以形成高效的综合交通枢纽。     

对铁路站车群体性事件处置战术的研究

由于铁路在国民经济发展中所处的特殊位置，它往往成为群体性事件的聚焦点，闹事群体采取冲击铁路、拦车断道、聚众上访等方式，向路地党政有关部门乃至中央施压的群体性事件呈逐年上升趋势。研究探索有铁路公安特色的铁路站车群体性事件处置新战术、新方法、新预案，运用处置战术，对于预防和处置铁路站车群体性事件、打造平安铁路站车具有十分重要的现实意义。     

Fair trade in tourism

Tourism as an industry is increasing rapidly in developing countries. Due to historical inequality in global trading relationships on the basis of ‘core–periphery’ dependency, globalisation and liberalised free trade, mainstream mass tourism reinforces the social and economic disadvantages of southern destinations. The ‘Fair Trade Movement’ has sought to redress unequal trading by promoting fair trade in commodities with small producers in the South, enabling them to take control over the production and marketing process and challenging the power of transnational corporations. This paper examines the feasibility of fair trade in tourism. It explores the obstacles and opportunities that might lead to establishing a definition of fair trade in tourism, incorporating criteria that would be workable and practical for both partners in the South and North. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Iran on the news – exploring videos’ effects on potential tourists

ABSTRACT

While previous tourism studies on the visual have tended to focus on the analysis of photos, only recently videos have received more attention by tourism scholars. Within the emerging tourism literature on videos, little has been written on the videos produced and shared by online news and documentary networks and their persuasive effects on potential tourists’ perceptions about a destination. By focusing on Iran, this work investigates whether videos produced and shared by online news and documentary networks influence viewers’ perceptions about the country and their willingness to travel to the country. This study employs semi-structured, in-depth interviews to explore the meanings and interpretations attached to two videos about Iran, which were produced and shared by an Iranian online news and documentary network. A total of 15 participants, including a film producer and 14 respondents as audience were interviewed. Overall, the findings of this study highlight that the videos’ interpretations by the participants were multiple and often diverged from the producer’s intentions. Moreover, although the videos were perceived as tools produced to attract tourists, they were not regarded as sufficiently persuasive to totally change previously formed images about Iran and create a strong desire to visit the country.     

Where to park? A behavioural comparison of bus Park and Ride and city centre car park usage in Bath,UK

Integrating car parking facilities with public transport in Park and Ride (P&R) facilities has the potential to shorten car trips, contributing to more sustainable mobility. There is an ongoing debate about the actual effects of P&R on the transport system at the subregional level. A key issue is the relative attractiveness of city centre car parks (CCCP), P&R and public transport. The paper presents the findings of a comparative empirical case-study based on a field survey of CCCP and P&R users conducted in the city of Bath, UK. Spatial and statistical analyses are applied. Radial distance to parking, availability of P&R sites in the direction of travel, gender, age, income and party-size are found to be important factors in a binary logistic regression model, explaining the revealed-preference of parking type. Stated analysis of foregone parking alternatives suggests more use of public transport and walking/cycling would likely occur without first-best parking alternatives. The policy implications and possible planning alternatives to P&R at the urban fringes for achieving greater sustainability goals are also discussed.