Can peer-to-peer accommodations act as lodging a stepping-stone for mega-events?

As cities bid for large-scale conventions, they are frequently thwarted by not having sufficient lodging capacity. At the same time, adding new hotels can have negative long-term effects on the city's lodging industry. Drawing on choice theory, this study postulates that one viable solution may be peer-to-peer accommodations, especially during the recovery stage of the post-COVID-19 environment. In this work, researchers conducted a two-part survey of 1212 participants. Results indicate that there were both business and leisure participants whose first choice was a P2P accommodation (20% business: 35% leisure). Between hotel and P2P accommodation travelers, though, there was a significant difference. For those who indicated that a peer-to-peer accommodation was their first choice, location, number of reviews, and star rating were ranked as the most important aspects of an accommodation. The relative importance of the variables differed by type of accommodation (e.g., shared room, etc.).     

The evolution of ‘Airbnb-tourism’: Demand-side dynamics around international use of peer-to-peer accommodation in Australia

This paper investigates the evolution of Airbnb and other peer-to-peer accommodation use by international visitors in Australia over 12 quarters, from 2015 to 2017. It applies a dynamic logistic regression to investigate how user characteristics associated with peer-to-peer accommodations evolve over time. This study contributes to understanding the development of consumption patterns around the Airbnb phenomenon. It is also the first paper to investigate the consumer dynamism in the peer-to-peer accommodation sector beyond Airbnb. Findings indicate that Airbnb consumption has evolved, showing patterns of convergence and ‘normalisation’, supported by a growing Asian participation and increasing regional stays. This dynamism is not shared by other platforms, which suggests peer-to-peer accommodation is becoming a single-platform story rather than a thriving broader accommodation-category.This article also launches the Annals of Tourism Research Curated Collection on Peer-to-peer accommodation networks, a special selection of research in this field.     

“Give and take”: how notions of sharing and context determine free peer-to-peer accommodation decisions

ABSTRACT

Building on social exchange theory and value co-creation, the present paper investigates how obligations and expectations of reciprocity as well as value-in-social-context shape preferences for or against free accommodation sharing. Applying a grounded theory approach, we propose a novel theoretical framework linking the notions of mutual giving and taking as asset or burden to the contextual characteristics of travelers’ accommodation decisions. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of consumers’ perceptions of and decisions in favor of true sharing accommodation options. Based on our framework, we derive propositions to stimulate further research and provide implications for actors in the paid accommodation market.     

Perceptions of service attributes in a religious theme site: an importance–satisfaction analysis

A growing number of commercial corporations have chosen to open visitor centers or company museums. This trend has not bypassed the religious not-for-profit sector. This study uses past literature, input from management, and importance–performance analysis (IPA) to investigate the visitor experience for a religious theme site in Orlando, Florida. A total of 176 visitor surveys collected in two phases were used to conduct the IPA for the 18 attributes identified. The data analysis revealed three attributes for management concentration, including spiritual activities, something for everyone, and inspirational experience. The remaining attributes were placed into areas of low priority, areas indicating a good job, and areas indicating possible overkill. The results of IPA considered along with the current challenges of management can provide useful insight into the decision-making of management. For the research stream related to the unique context of contrived themed religious visitor sites, this research provides additional support for the behavior of the traveler by identifying and measuring attributes of importance and the associated satisfaction with those attributes. By combining these results with future work, additional support for the testing of sound models of mixed visitor behavior applied to religious theme sites can be offered.     

The Power of Leisure: “I Was an Anorexic; I'm Now a Healthy Triathlete”

This autoethnographic account describes the ambiguities of the author's ongoing struggle with anorexia nervosa and how leisure was integral to her quasi-recovery from the illness. By showing the emotional and mental struggles of the illness, this paper offers an alternative to the traditional scientific studies of the illness that buries people's voices beneath layers of analysis. The purpose of the paper is to extend and deepen an understanding of both anorexia and the power that leisure can have in stimulating an individual's recovery from anorexia nervosa. The paper also offers an alternative to the traditional thought that exercise plays a negative role in eating disorders.     

An examination of restaurant employees’ work-life outlook: The influence of support systems during COVID-19

The main objective of this research paper is to examine the influence of perceived support (i.e., organizational support and social support) on life satisfaction (i.e., current and anticipated life satisfaction), which is hypothesized to increase restaurant employees’ loyalty organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and decrease their intentions to leave the restaurant industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the moderating effects of employees’ resilience and employment status are also examined. Analyzing the responses of 609 restaurant employees using structural equation modeling (SEM), findings revealed that all direct effects were supported, except for the effect of anticipated life satisfaction on intention to leave the restaurant industry. Lastly, the moderating role of resilience in the relationships between current life satisfaction and restaurant employees’ loyalty OCB and intentions to leave the industry was confirmed. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in detail.     

The (In)Visibility of Grandparents in Family Leisure Research: A Call for Expanded Conceptualizations of “Family”

ABSTRACT

The continued focus on the individual as a unit of analysis, along with the privileging of the nuclear family over the past two decades of family leisure scholarship, has rendered grandparents virtually invisible in family leisure scholarship. In this commentary, I examine the position of grandparents in leisure research and suggest that the implicit acceptance of the status quo has been detrimental to the state of family leisure research. Drawing on literature from both leisure studies and family relations, I assert a more nuanced understanding of the complexities of diverse family forms is vital to the progression of family leisure scholarship.     

The legacy of European Capitals of Culture to the “smartness” of cities: The case of Guimarães 2012

The objective of the paper is to examine the extent to which the legacy of European Capitals of Culture (ECOC) increases the “smartness” of cities. A qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews and desk research was used to assess the impact on the smart city's dimensions hypothesized by Giffinger et al. (2007 Giffinger, R., Fertner, C., Kramar, H., Kalasek, R., Pichler-Milanovic, N., &; Meijers, E. (2007). Smart cities—Ranking of European medium-sized cities (Report). Vienna University of Technology Retrieved November 25, 2015, from http://www.smart-cities.eu/download/smart_cities_final_report.pdf [Google Scholar]). The research revealed that this kind of mega-event reinforces the smartness of the city in which it is hosted in terms of attributes such as living, economy, people and environment. No significant legacy is observed with respect to the mobility dimension.     

Language facilitation for outbound Chinese tourists: importance–performance and gap analyses of New Zealand hotels

ABSTRACT

Language barriers can negatively affect Chinese outbound tourists’ overseas travel experiences, highlighting the significance of language facilitation during overseas traveling. With survey data of 256 Chinese guests in two New Zealand upscale hotels, this study performed importance–performance and gap analyses on 19 language facilitation attributes. Results revealed that when resources are limited, priority should be given to improving Chinese language facilitation in room safety and security, in-room entertainment, and tourism information. Furthermore, this study reveals that the relationship between tourists’ perceived language barrier and hotel-stay satisfaction varies across socio-demographic characteristic, English language proficiency, and preferences for accommodation standards.     

“The Night They Took Over”: Misogyny in a Country-Western Gay Bar

Abstract

Informed by feminism and theories of masculinity and space, this ethnography explores how gay men negotiate hegemonic masculinity in response to Lesbian Night, a regular Thursday night occurrence when women outnumber men at a country-western gay bar. Findings are examined to reveal the misogynistic assumptions inherent in gay men's reaction to Lesbian Night. Gay men's attempt to define the bar as a gay male space highlights their allegiance to a normative dialectic that pits men against women, and shows their unwillingness to forgo the authority and power inherent in their position as men. These findings highlight the complexities that lie at the intersection of gender and sexuality, and illustrate leisure spaces as complex and dynamic locations that foster inequity as well as community.     

Residents’ perspectives of a newly developed ecotourism project: an assessment of effectiveness through the lens of an importance–performance analysis

Understanding the perceived importance and performance of various components of ecotourism to residents living in the area it is undertaken is crucial to the overall success of an ecotourism development project. This study examines residents’ perceptions of the importance and performance of ecotourism components (i.e. environmental conservation, economic wellbeing, promotion of local arts and culture, local participation, and fair share of resources), including overall ecotourism development, at the Gaurishankar Conservation Area (GCA) – a recently implemented ecotourism development project in Nepal. This study also examines the effect of socio-demographic, economic, and psychological factors on a perceived gap between the importance and the performance of ecotourism components. Findings suggest that the ecotourism development project at the GCA should concentrate on improving the economic wellbeing of residents, and on overall ecotourism development. Findings also suggest that residents’ inclusion in benefit-sharing mechanisms was associated with a reduced perceived gap between the importance and performance of ecotourism components. A comparison among different geographical segments of residents indicated that the perceived gap between importance and performance varies across different locations.     

Managers’ psychological diversity climate and fairness: The utility and importance of diversity management in the hospitality industry

ABSTRACT

Despite corporate investments in diversity management programs, there is a dearth in the literature that examines managers' attitudes toward diversity management practices. This is a glaring gap in the literature because the success of diversity management programs is highly depend on managers. A survey was distributed to hotel managers from properties in the southern United States. The results showed that psychological diversity climate predicted the perceived utility and importance of diversity management, and these relationships were mediated by the fairness of diversity management. These results suggest that psychological diversity climate has an impact on attitudes toward diversity management practices.     

Exploring the comparative importance of online hotel reviews’ heuristic attributes in review helpfulness: a conjoint analysis approach

Online travel reviews have become increasingly important as a result of the intangible and heterogeneous characteristics of the tourism industry as well as the recent diffusion of social media. This exploratory case study intends to examine the comparative importance of the six heuristic attributes (reviewer location, reviewer level, reviewer helpful vote, review rating, review length, and review photo) with respect to review helpfulness in the online hotel review context. Moreover, the salience of the individual levels within each review attribute and the importance of the attributes in positive and negative review-rating groups are compared. In total, 1,158 reviews of a hotel on TripAdvisor were collected and analyzed through conjoint analyses. This study found that the review rating and reviewer helpful vote attributes are the two most important factors. Finally, three major propositions are suggested based on findings of the study, and several theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

The revitalization of a heritage travel route: Canada’s Cabot Trail

ABSTRACT

Scenic travel routes have been developed to provide opportunities for tourism and recreation and to promote economic development especially in rural areas. However, maintaining an iconic attraction requires a collaborative destination management effort to keep it viable. The Cabot Trail, Nova Scotia, Canada is used in this paper as a case study for a scenic heritage route revitalization process. The Tourism Area Life Cycle model stages are used to illustrate the tourism development and decline on the Cabot Trail. This paper is a detailed documentation and analysis of the impact of a not-for-profit volunteer organization’s efforts to revitalize the Cabot Trail, through collaboration with local businesses, community groups and various levels of government and funding agencies. It draws upon the drive tourism, heritage trails and tourism revitalization literature. It fills a gap in the knowledge on heritage trails by illustrating a revitalization process that could be repeated in other areas experiencing similar issues.     

The role of visa exemption in Chinese tourists’ decision-making: a model of goal-directed behavior

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of visa exemption in tourist decision-making using the extended model of goal-directed behavior (EMGB). Surveys were administered to Chinese tourists interested in traveling to South Korea. The structural equation model indicates that the inclusion of the expectation of tourist visa exemption enhanced Chinese tourists’ behavioral intention. Specifically, positive and negative anticipated emotions, perceived behavioral control, and the notion of a subjective norm were important antecedents of travel intention. Desire was the only significant factor affecting Chinese tourists’ travel intention. This study enhances our understanding of Chinese tourists’ intention to travel to South Korea.     

Sex: The Power of the Powerless? The Use of Sex as a Spousal Influence Strategy in Vacation Purchase Decisions

This study is the first to test empirically the common notion regarding sexual manipulation as a spousal influence strategy during couples' vacation purchasing decisions. The study examined whether the use of sex as a spousal influence strategy is more prevalent among individuals who have less marital power than their spouses. Marital power is treated as two-dimensional: the first dimension is objective and composed of actual economic resources; the second is subjective and composed of feelings. A sample of 192 married or cohabiting men evaluated their own and their partner's use of sex as a means of exerting influence during a vacation decision process. Female subjects with low levels of subjective marital power and male subjects with low levels of objective marital power used sex as a spousal influence strategy at a higher frequency. The study found that during a vacation decision process, the use of sex as a spousal influence strategy is impacted by the marital power balance between the spouses. Second, economic power is not the dominant factor that affects the use of this influence strategy; rather, it is interpersonal power that is influential. The findings imply that sex may be used as a power strategy by the powerless.     

The role of individual entrepreneurs in the development of competitiveness for a rural tourism destination – A case study

The aim of this case study is to increase our understanding of the role of entrepreneurs in enhancing the competitiveness of a rural tourism destination. A literature review of the research on destination competitiveness with a focus on the roles of different stakeholders is first presented, followed by a narrative about rural tourism development, the competitiveness of rural destinations and the role of entrepreneurs in establishing successful destinations. The data consists of six case studies and nine semi-structured interviews among tourism entrepreneurs and managers at a rural tourism destination in Finland. The findings challenge the prevailing DMO dominated approach to destination competitiveness development, and call for the acknowledgment of collaboration between small tourism enterprises in the enhancement of rural destinations. Municipalities have a crucial role as facilitators of the entrepreneurial environment, but without innovative, committed, and risk-taking entrepreneurs no destination will flourish.     

“(S)he’s so hearty”: Gender cues,stereotypes, and expectations of warmth in peer-to-peer accommodation services

The hospitality industry is witnessing continuous growth in the number of female travellers and female hosts available to accommodate travellers in their properties using peer-to-peer (P2P) service platforms. Cues that convey information about the host’s gender are therefore acquiring notable relevance. Tourism research, however, has not yet devoted attention to this phenomenon. To fill this gap, the present paper investigates whether and how gender cues conveyed on P2P accommodation platforms affect users’ expectations and booking intentions. Across three experimental studies, the paper demonstrates that such cues affect users’ expectations in a P2P accommodation context, but not in a hotel accommodation context. In particular, regardless of the hosts’ race, female cues, compared to male cues, appear more able to create expectations of warmth and this effect is evident for users who have a strong gender stereotyping tendency. Importantly, enhanced expectations of warmth exert a positive influence on users’ reservation intentions.