Entrepreneurship education in hospitality and tourism: insights from entrepreneurs

The perceptions of entrepreneurs in businesses related to hospitality and tourism in a rural community were explored through interviews to better understand their backgrounds, experiences, and insights into education for future entrepreneurs. The data were analyzed for themes and the findings provided ideas for entrepreneurship education in hospitality and tourism and indicated that further attention could be given toward helping students to develop creativity and critical thinking skills, engage in deeper self-discovery experiences, and understand tourism more fully to help prepare them for entrepreneurial roles.     

Planning for ecotourism in the protected area of Manesht and Ghelarang,Ilam Province,Iran

ABSTRACT

This paper reports a study of the Manesht- and Ghelarang-protected area in Iran. The study sought to identify ways in which sustainable tourism policies could be generated that aid the natural and human environments. From surveys and questionnaires completed by tourists, residents, and officials, an initial set of 10 areas of weakness, 9 strengths, and 6 opportunities were identified. Using these classifications combined with mapping techniques that included maps of topography and flora, a subsequent Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution analysis identified potential future policies that require infrastructure development and reinforced pro-environmental policies to address the problems currently being experienced.     

The interface between hospitality and tourism entrepreneurship,integration and well-being: A study of refugee entrepreneurs

Previous hospitality and tourism entrepreneurship research has emphasized the economic and financial outcomes of entrepreneurship whilst paying less attention to social outcomes. Specifically, minimal academic attention, both in mainstream entrepreneurship research and hospitality and tourism scholarship, has been paid to entrepreneurship as a means to facilitate the integration of refugees and enhance their well-being. To address this gap, this study aims to showcase how entrepreneurial activities in the hospitality and tourism industry contribute to the integration and subjective well-being of entrepreneurs. Drawing on data collected through 38 semi-structured interviews with Syrian refugee entrepreneurs in Turkey and the UK, the findings reveal that several factors influence the contribution of entrepreneurial activities to the integration of entrepreneurs and their families within the host society. Entrepreneurial activities also appear to have positive spillover effects on subjective well-being. This paper offers new insights into the social outcomes of hospitality and tourism entrepreneurship by conceptualizing and empirically supporting the relationship between hospitality entrepreneurship, integration and well-being.     

A geography of ecotourism in Cambodia: regions,patterns, and potentials

Tourism visits to Cambodia have expanded rapidly, with over 5 million visitors arriving in the country by 2016. Angkor Wat remains the primary tourist attraction, but increasing numbers of tourists also visit ecotourism destinations. This study draws on Weaver’s [(2002). Asian ecotourism: Patterns and themes. Tourism Geographies, 4(2), 153–172] spatial and structural analysis of ecotourism in Asia as an organizing framework to develop a geography of ecotourism in Cambodia. In a comprehensive review of academic publications, reports, online ecotourism clearinghouses, and project websites, 30 Cambodian ecotourism sites were identified based on 5 ecotourism criteria. A content analysis of ecotourism project websites was then conducted to group together ecotourism sites with common characteristics in particular geographic regions. Each site was plotted on a Google Terrain map, and local and regional terrain, land cover, transport, and other physical features were analyzed, supplemented by detailed geographical data from Google Panorama, Earth, and Satellite map functions. Three relatively distinct ecotourism regions were identified: the (a) mangrove and rainforest region, (b) highland trekking region, and (c) wetlands and waterways region. For each region, tourism gateways and ecotourism development challenges and potentials are elaborated. The paper concludes with a discussion of study findings and their implications for ecotourism development in Cambodia.     

Tourism,tourist learning and sustainability: an exploratory discussion of complexities,problems and opportunities

Learning is often a central element of tourism. Tourists can learn actively, i.e. with a specific purpose, as well as passively through the comparison of values, norms and customs. It has been argued that travel supports active learning that has positive outcomes for sustainability, for instance, in the context of conservation. Yet, the complexity of active and passive learning processes and their outcomes for environmental sustainability and sustainable lifestyles remain insufficiently understood. Against this background, the paper discusses selected learning outcomes for transportation (air travel), accommodation (hotels) and activities (theme park visits). Findings suggest that “desirable” learning (defined as pro-sustainable development learning) in tourism may be very limited, while in particular, passive learning processes which redefine social norms frequently have outcomes that are largely detrimental to sustainable lifestyles. They include forms of moral licensing, the diffusion of responsibilities as well as the attenuation of the negative consequences of travel. Given the economic, social and cultural importance of tourism vís-a-vís its global implications for environmental sustainability, learning outcomes in tourism deserve to be studied in greater detail, while strategies need to be devised to enhance sustainable learning effects.     

Local discourses and international initiatives: sociocultural sustainability of tourism in Oulanka National Park,Finland

National parks have become important tourist attractions and tools for regional development. New international initiatives, such as PAN (Protected Area Network) Parks in Europe, now promote sustainable tourism in protected areas. This paper examines the sociocultural sustainability of tourism perceived by local stakeholders of Oulanka National Park in northeastern Finland. The central question concerns the role of PAN Parks certification in community and tourism development. Four discourses were identified, based on 40 semi-structured interviews exploring different views on sociocultural development pertaining to tourism in the national park: (1) integrating nature-based tourism and conservation, (2) defending the rights of local people, (3) stressing the economic utilization of nature and (4) accepting tourism development and the national park. Although local stakeholders mostly have a positive perception of tourism in the park, it cannot be concluded whether the park facilitates development in a sustainable manner or not. Key problems identified are lack of participation opportunities and contradictions with traditional subsistence economies. The various positions of stakeholders in these discourses tend to influence their views on sustainability. Findings imply the necessity to monitor the distribution of benefits and burdens of park development holistically to multiple stakeholders.     

The sanitization of colonial history: authenticity,heritage interpretation and the case of Macau's tour guides

Macau was founded by the Portuguese in the mid-sixteenth century. The centuries of colonial rule that preceded its recent return to China gave it a distinctive character unique in China. The tangible and intangible imprint of the colonial history of Macau is central to its attractiveness as a cultural tourism destination. A literature review reveals worldwide examples of the manipulation of history for both political and tourism purposes. This research uses in-depth thematic interviews with 14 local tour guides to show how Macau's colonial heritage is presented and interpreted to tourist groups by the local tour guides, as regards both what they are shown and what they are told. It is found that the guides adjust their interpretation to the geographical origin of the tourists in a significant way; in particular, they tend to almost totally eschew any reference to its colonial history when addressing a Chinese audience, in contrast to the interpretation presented to non-Chinese visitors. The use of Hall's three-fold interpretative message framework (dominant – hegemonic/negotiated/oppositional) is discussed, as is Langer's concept of mindless and mindful tourists. Some consequences for the sustainability of heritage tourism in Macau are also explored.     

Assessing the sustainability of agritourism in the US: a comparison between agritourism and other farm entrepreneurial ventures

Diversifying on-farm enterprise portfolios, especially through agritourism, is claimed to increase farm revenues and help alleviate the economic problems of family farms. Thus, the adoption of agritourism in the US has steadily increased during recent years. Agritourism is also suggested to produce environmental and sociocultural benefits. To quantify these benefits, this study assessed the sustainability of agritourism farms, compared with other farm entrepreneurial ventures, using the “sustainable development” and “farm enterprise diversification” frameworks. Data from 873 US farms with a diversified entrepreneurial portfolio revealed that agritourism farms approach sustainability to a greater extent than their counterparts, producing multiple environmental, sociocultural and economic benefits for their farms, households and even society. Results suggest that agritourism, compared with other farm entrepreneurial ventures, is more successful in increasing farm profits, creating jobs and conserving the natural and cultural heritage. For example, 52.4% of agritourism farms have been within the same family for at least two generations and 73.3% are willing to pass the farm on to their children, proportions that are significantly higher than other entrepreneurial farms. Study results also show, however, that while many agritourism farms practice integrated pest management, they need to be more engaged in other environmentally friendly and conservation practices.     

Perceptions of surfing tourism operators regarding sustainable tourism development in the Mentawai Islands,Indonesia

Surfing tourism has the potential to provide significant economic income and employment opportunities. However, the development of surfing tourism in the Mentawai Islands, Indonesia, has raised important questions regarding its impacts and sustainability. Economic leakages, increased pressure on the environment and resources, and adverse effects on local communities have been shown as the major barriers to sustainable development. This article provides insights into how surfing tourism operators perceive the development and impacts of the Mentawai Islands surfing tourism industry. This research project uses an interpretive qualitative approach and follows a case study methodology utilising semi-structured interviews with resort and charter boat surfing tourism operators. The study also investigated possible future directions for creating a more sustainable surfing tourism industry in the Mentawai Islands. Findings from the research showed that charter boat operators and resort operators had differing views as to how surfing tourism had developed: resort operators believed it to be sustainable, while charter boat operators felt it was unsustainable. A key finding of this study was that operators felt that surfing tourism had dramatically altered the traditional Mentawai village of Katiet and was producing adverse socio-cultural impacts on the local community. It is recommended that future research explore the issue of the impacts of surfing tourism development on other remote locations in Indonesia and other surfing tourism destinations around the globe.     

For-profit environmental voluntourism in Costa Rica: teen volunteer,host community,and environmental outcomes

With its growth in popularity, voluntourism (volunteer tourism) has seen greater attention from the research community. This case study research investigates the tripartite outcomes of a for-profit environmental voluntourism program in Costa Rica, focusing on teen participants, host community, and the environment. Authors conducted field research and gathered data from online surveys, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and participant observation with 108 respondents, including teen voluntourists, parents, and community influentials. Findings indicated community stakeholders perceived projects to be meaningful, with visible social and environmental benefits. In the short term, teens showed an increased concern for social and environmental problems, as well as a heightened awareness of environmental issues. Self-reported increases in time spent volunteering after students completed the program was less prevalent; however, 19% of teens stayed committed to volunteerism and civic engagement through completion of more than one voluntourism service tour. We documented longer term positive outcomes in relation to pro-environmental behavior change and attempts at intergenerational learning. Unexpected outcomes were documented in relation to bolstering of longer term academic and life/career paths after completing a service trip. We highlight best-practices for planning projects through individuals with longstanding community connections and an ability to facilitate outcome oriented, meaningful service projects.     

迈向可持续目标的中国生态旅游发展研究

生态旅游是自然保护地体系建设、国土空间保护利用、美丽中国等重点生态文明工程建设的重要载体。本文对生态旅游发展研究进行了深入分析,探讨了迈向可持续发展目标下中国生态旅游发展研究需要关注的重点领域。研究认为：生态旅游对于联合国可持续发展目标（Sustainable Development Goals, SDG）实现具有多维促进作用,大众生态旅游在现代化管理制度、技术规范和生态文明的中国话语体系中具有较强的适用性。当代中国生态旅游发展具有与以往国外后工业化时期生态旅游完全不同的时代特点,外部环境和关联要素正在不断促使生态旅游发展寻求新的发展路径。自然生态、地域功能、承载能力和经济发展共同勾画出当代中国生态旅游的发展图景,未来研究需要建立以资源环境容量为底线、以生态游憩机会图谱和时空匹配为规律、以空间治理和现代化管控为提升、以强约束低损耗的政策和技术标准为配套的四位一体发展体系,从而为中国实现生态环境严格保护和经济社会可持续发展多元目标提供支撑。     

Heritage tourism and livelihood sustainability of a resettled rural community: Mount Sanqingshan World Heritage Site,China

Tourism and related development can lead to the displacement and resettlement of communities, disrupting local livelihood systems, socio-political processes and organizations. However, limited attention has been paid to community resettlement in the tourism context. Taking Yinhuwan village at Mount Sanqingshan World Heritage Site in China as an example, this study examines the results of tourism and resettlement on the livelihoods of this rural community and the extent to which tourism-related livelihood strategies contribute to community livelihood sustainability. A sustainable livelihood framework is adopted to guide the analysis. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with management officials, community leaders and village residents through three field investigations in 2013. It was found that traditional livelihood methods have been largely replaced by tourism, which has become the primary livelihood strategy for the resettled community. Despite current economic benefits, high dependency on tourism-related opportunities as the single livelihood option may diminish the sustainability of local livelihoods. The current resettlement plan highlights short-term economic impacts on the affected community, overlooking their socio-cultural concerns and long-term livelihood sustainability. Possible measures are discussed to diversify livelihood options and mitigate potential challenges for the affected community so as to ensure their long-term benefits and increase future options.     

Ecotourism-related products and activities, and the economic sustainability of small and medium island chalets

Environment-related products and activities in the tourism industry are popular among visitors to Malaysia. Such is the case off the coast of East Peninsular Malaysia, where several coral islands offer various ecotourism activities. The present study examines the products and activities offered in the four islands and related issues on the economic sustainability of small and medium island chalets (SMICs). Through the multi-method approach, results show that island hopping and combination tours are the most popular products. Meanwhile, snorkeling, round-island trips, and diving are the most highlighted activities. These ecotourism-related activities are mainly due to the attractiveness of the environment, which has drawn large numbers of tourists to the chalets on these islands. SMICs established their businesses in the late 1990s on the back of growing confidence in the tourism industry in the 1980s. Visitors include almost equal numbers of both local and international tourists. SMICs’ product and activity development are highly correlated with environmental attractions, thus positively contributing to the economic sustainability of SMICs. The present study proposes that the most appropriate business model for SMICs would be that of a small local business community operating in the island. This model would help maintain the sustainability of the island-tourism sector.     

生态旅游中拟人化解说对游客环境教育效果的影响——基于网络情景实验的分析

生态旅游情境下,解说是实现环境教育的重要媒介。解说的拟人化设计使解说内容以更具亲和力的方式展现出来,可给游客带来更好的环境教育效果。基于此,本研究采用网络问卷的情景实验法,以解说方式是否拟人化、游客认知风格差异的双因素完全随机实验设计,探究解说方式的拟人化对游客环境教育效果的影响机制。结果表明：（1）解说方式在视觉与听觉上的拟人化,对于游客的环境教育效果均有显著影响;（2）游客认知风格在拟人化解说与游客环境教育效果中的调节作用,在视觉层面上得到了显著表现,听觉层面则无显著差异。本文探究了解说方式拟人化与游客认知风格的交互作用对游客环境教育效果的影响,补充了环境教育研究中仅关注解说内容而忽视其展示方式的不足,同时考虑了不同特征游客的多样化、个性化的解说需求,为完善生态旅游解说设计、提升旅游的环境教育效果提供了参考。     

琴瑟和鸣抑或相互掣肘?旅游业中家庭配偶的就业与创业--基于CGSS 2010--2015数据的实证研究

家庭是社会的基本单位,家庭中配偶的经济行为如何相互影响一直为西方经济社会学所关注。我国文化背景不同于西方,家庭经济行为也存在不同。本文利用中国综合社会调查(Chinese General Social Survey,CGSS)2010年至2015年的数据,以旅游业为例实证分析了我国家庭中配偶的不同就业形式对彼此创业的影响。本文以就业状态、类型、就业企业的所有制性质以及是否为全职就业对配偶就业进行了区分,结果发现,夫妻中一方在体制内就业会降低配偶生存型创业和机会型创业的概率;而在我国港澳台地区企业、外资企业和私营/民营企业的就业经历会提高配偶生存型创业的概率,但对机会型创业没有影响。在进一步将就业状态、创业划分为受雇就业、非正规就业、生存型创业和机会型创业后,结果发现,夫妻中一方的生存型创业会降低配偶机会型创业的概率,提高生存型创业的概率;而受雇就业和非正规就业会同时降低两种创业的概率。     

Fueling ecological neglect in a manufactured tourist city: planning,disaster mapping,and environmental art in Cancun,Mexico

Abstract

This article explores how tourism urban governance fuels patterns of ecological neglect. It turns a critical eye on Cancun, a leading Caribbean beach tourist destination and battered epicenter of anthropogenic climate change. First, the article contextualizes Cancun’s design and construction as a state development project and manufactured tourist city. It describes the city’s socio-spatial segregation and highlights the role of hurricanes in processes of beach enclosure. Second, it explores a series of risk maps elaborated as responses to international demands on coastal disaster mitigation and beach erosion. I show how local authorities, academics, and the Mexican state are bound to disregard risk maps to further enclose the Caribbean beach and keep the city productive for tourism. Finally, I look at the adoption of anthropogenic narratives on climate change as tourist attractions in Cancun’s Underwater Museum of Art, a unique coalition between conservation, art and tour-operators in the city. I show that turning sea level rise and ocean acidification into tourist spectacles through copyrighted art, this attraction depoliticizes tourism’s responsibility in patterns of environmental degradation. The article serves to reflect on the tacit paradoxes that plague efforts to imagine alternative environmental politics and sustainable tourism urbanisms outside neoliberal trends.     

The impact of economic,social and environmental factors on trip satisfaction and the likelihood of visitors returning

Tourism is vital to the economy of many regions; however visitor numbers in some are stagnating. Using a novel approach, this case study of the Great Barrier Reef explores and quantifies risks to visitor numbers, utilising tourist survey data supplemented by objective data from secondary sources. Economic, social and environmental factors affecting trip satisfaction are identified, which itself is found to affect the likelihood of a tourist returning; the impact of changes on trip satisfaction and on repeat visits is then estimated. Linkages between tourism and other industries are clearly demonstrated; increased construction work, decreased water clarity and decreased perceptions of tourist safety are all estimated to significantly reduce likelihood of repeat visits and hence impact tourist revenues, placing the financial viability of the industry at risk. Future development within the region should be evaluated holistically, rather than industries such as tourism, construction, agriculture etc. each being developed in isolation.     

Tourism and environmental subjectivities in the Anthropocene: observations from Niru Village,Southwest China

ABSTRACT

The increasingly popular notion of Anthropocene urges us to reflect and review the role of the human, the Anthropos, as part of the planet earth. In this context, tourism has been singled out as a global industry that is driven by neoliberal economic principles and is inevitably intertwined in the production of the Anthropocene. At the same time, tourism has been adopted also as part of environmental governance and management, aiming for a more sustainable economy. Based on the idea that ecotourism contributes to the discourse of “nature” (and Anthropocene) disruptively as well as productively in unsettling the normative ideas of “nature” and “culture”, in this article I attempt to understand more specifically how ecotourism may enable individuals' subject formation in relation to the broader environmental discourse. Drawn on fieldwork in Niru Village, Shangri-La, Southwest China, I employ a political ecology approach and examine the ways individuals relate themselves to “nature”, through a process of negotiation and exchange with others engaged in ecotourism activities. The tourism encounters in Niru Village, therefore are also embodied encounters of different environmental subjectivities.     

Establishing academic leadership praxis in sustainable tourism: lessons from the past and bridges to the future

Abstract

This paper examines the potential contribution of academics working in the sustainable tourism arena from a relational, practice-based leadership perspective. It argues that these leadership perspectives require a shift in thinking from narrowly defined, instrumental measures of academic impact imposed by performance management and the somewhat heroic ideals of leadership. Instead it outlines how everyday practice that directly influences collaborative agency among multiple tourism stakeholders is able to provide a more useful direction. To illustrate this perspective, it engages in retrospective reflection, drawing on a number of pioneers in tourism scholarship. It specifically examines their praxis of dialogue, stewardship, and critical reflexivity and the ways in which these may serve to inspire future sustainable tourism education and scholarship.     

政府角色定位对旅游治理的影响——以广西阳朔遇龙河景区为例

政府角色如何定位对旅游地能否实现可持续发展具有重要影响。文章以阳朔遇龙河景区为例,探讨其旅游地发展历程中政府角色定位的演变,解读不同阶段治理失灵的原因。研究发现:在旅游探查期,社区自主发展,政府基本缺位;在旅游参与期,政府以“规划者”角色介入,并主导运营管理,治理角色不中立,导致治理权威受损;在旅游大发展前期,政府治理目标部分错位加上在资源欠缺、政策准备不充分的情况下急于强制干预,最终导致治理失灵;在旅游大发展期,政府的治理能力和治理资源跟不上旅游规模的扩张,缺乏长效监管机制,难以实现有效治理。