Staying Afloat in the Tropics

SUMMARY

This study examines the extent to which the top ten Caribbean destinations market their tourism product using their national tourism organization Websites. A comparison of the national tourism organization Websites of the Caribbean Tourism Organization member countries will be conducted to determine the differences in technical aspects, user friendliness, site attractiveness, and marketing effectiveness using the modified Balanced Scorecard (BSC) for Website evaluation. The modified BSC results were next used to develop and test a model of Caribbean NTO Website visitor retention. Third-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the model. The model showed that the four aspects which comprise the modified BSC are important in the development of Caribbean NTO Websites.     

Exit Planning of Lifestyle and Profit-Oriented Entrepreneurs in Bed and Breakfasts

ABSTRACT

With approximately 17,000 bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) currently in operation in the United States and the majority owned and managed by an entrepreneur, the entrepreneurial process becomes a focus of this sector of the lodging industry. This research examined the engagement in the entrepreneurial process, specifically exit planning among B&B owner/operators according to their entrepreneurial type (lifestyle or profit oriented). In addition, research questions evaluated motivational factors of job satisfaction, work–life balance, and family involvement related to exit planning. This study used a cross-sectional design comprised of B&B owner/operators, innkeepers, and entrepreneurs with geographic representation of the United States. This study concluded that B&B entrepreneurs are aware of and engaged in exit planning and the majority of B&B entrepreneurs are lifestyle entrepreneurs.     

Usage Behavior Causal Model Construction for B&B-Owned Websites—from the B&B Owner/Operator Perspective

Previous studies on B&B (Bed and Breakfast) website usage behavior focused mainly on clients. It has been seldom researched to apply the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to verify the owner/operator usage behavior on B&B websites. This study aims to validate the causal relationship among beliefs, usage attitude, and behavior intention in website usage of B&B owners/operators. The results revealed that the TAM was recognized and the perceived ease of usage of B&B websites plays the most important role on the behavioral intention of B&B owners/operators. An easy and effective B&B website may allow an owner/operator to improve a B&B’s operational performance. Age has a significantly negative influence on perceived ease of use for B&B websites and educational attainment has a positive impact on perceived ease of use for B&B websites. Finally, conclusions and implications were discussed. This study can be used as a theoretical foundation and reference for further exploring related issues.     

The green B&B promotion strategies for tourist loyalty: surveying the restart of Chinese national holiday travel after COVID-19

This paper attempts to empirically analyze green/healthy B&B promotion strategies for tourism recovery after the first wave of COVID-19. The survey will be meaningful in the real world of B&B tourism recovery, and it was conducted during the first Chinese national holiday without travel restrictions. China was the first country to resume travel after COVID-19. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used for testing. The relationships observed among the green/healthy physical environment, well-being perception (WBP), tourist satisfaction (TS), and tourist loyalty (TL) provide a better understanding of how to support sustainable tourism recovery. Green/healthy B&B promotion strategies that focus on a green/healthy physical environment after the health crisis can also be employed in other countries and regions experiencing the same situation.     

Rural tourism: Marketing strategies for the bed and breakfast industry in Taiwan

Market segmentation based on consumer motivation has proven to be one of the most valuable marketing tools for business promotion. The current study segments the bed and breakfast (B&B) market to better understand the different characteristics and demands of visitors to B&Bs in Taiwan. Our findings can assist B&B operators to determine resource allocation in developing marketing strategies.This study methodology utilized a questionnaire survey. Four clustered segments were identified based on five motivational factors. Based on our findings, most B&B visitors were repeat customers from nuclear families. They were well-educated with low to mid-range median family incomes. Though websites and travel guidebooks were expected to be the dominant sources of information on B&Bs for such visitors, word-of-mouth was found to be the most effective advertising channel for B&B accommodation choices.     

The relationship between CRM, RM, and business performance: A study of the hotel industry in Taiwan

This study aims to investigate the implementation of customer relationship management (CRM) and its effect on relationship marketing (RM) and business performance, through an analysis of the hotel industry in Taiwan. A survey on hotels, including general and tourist hotels, and bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) was conducted, and a total of 560 questionnaires were returned. The results showed that implementing CRM has a significant and positive influence on the RM effect, positively affecting business performance for both hotels and B&Bs. However, a comparison of the influential paths of relationship models between hotels and B&Bs showed that, for hotels, the Internet service and customer support functions of the CRM strategy are the main sources of influence on the RM effect and business performance, whereas for B&Bs, the marketing support function of the CRM strategy alone influences the RM effect and business performance. To achieve higher performance, the different types of hotel enterprises should understand their main advantage before implementing key CRM strategies.     

The Impact of Bed and Breakfast Atmosphere,Customer Experience,and Customer Value on Customer Voluntary Performance: A Survey in Taiwan

This study aimed to explore the relationship between bed and breakfast (B&B) atmosphere, customer experience, customer value, and customer voluntary performance. A survey targeted at B&B lodgers in Taiwan was launched and a theoretical hypothesis model was examined using confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis, and structural equation modeling. The research results showed that the B&B atmosphere had a positive influence on customer experience and customer value. Furthermore, customer experience was positively correlated with customer value and customer voluntary performance. Finally, some strategic suggestions on the operation and management of B&B enterprises were provided in this paper.     

A Study on the Moderating Role of Alternative Attractiveness in the Relationship Between Relational Benefits and Customer Loyalty

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate the moderating role of alternative attractiveness in the association between relational benefits (confidence benefits, social benefits, special treatments) and customer loyalty in hotel restaurants in South Korea. Data were collected from 250 hotel restaurant customers.

The data was analyzed using moderated regression analysis and subgroup analysis. The research findings are as follows: First, confidence benefits and special treatments positively affect customer loyalty. Second, alternative attractiveness has a homologizer moderating effect on the relationship between relational benefits and customer loyalty except for confidence benefits. At the end of the paper, theoretical contributions, managerial implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.     

Regional differences in Taiwan's B&B industry: An alternative meta-frontier analysis

Taiwan's bed and breakfast (B&B) industry has grown rapidly during the last decade, which has helped boost the local economy. In this study, we employed the directional distance function with a quasi-fixed input to evaluate the meta-frontier efficiency of 18 counties and cities with B&B businesses in Taiwan. The empirical results demonstrate that the lowest meta-frontier technical efficiency occurred in 2018 because the central and eastern areas in Taiwan were affected by natural and anthropogenic disasters. In addition, we found that the meta-frontier efficiency of the northern region was greater than that of other regions. The meta-frontier inefficiency of the northern and central regions mainly came from their group technical inefficiency, whereas that of the B&B industry was caused by the technology gap. Moreover, the application of the Boston Consulting Group matrix demonstrated that the most efficient B&Bs were mainly located in the northern and central regions.     

Website Evaluation in Tourism and Hospitality

SUMMARY

Millions of dollars have been invested in Website development, often without much thought of how to evaluate the effectiveness of sites. This paper reports on the past, present, and likely future of one of the recommended approaches for evaluating tourism and hospitality Websites, the modified Balanced Scorecard approach. It traces the use of the approach from its beginning in 1999 to the present time. A thorough review of other approaches to Website evaluation is also provided. The article suggests that Website evaluation approaches can be classified into four groups based upon why and when the evaluation is done (formative vs. summative evaluation) and whether efficiency or effectiveness is being measured. It concludes with a call to action for industry leaders, academics, and consultants to develop a unified procedure for Website evaluation in tourism and hospitality.     

Social servicescape and Asian students: An analysis of spring break island bed and breakfast experiences in Taiwan

This research explored factors influencing lodging experiences and examined the relationship among B&B (bed and breakfast) experiences, satisfaction, and revisit intentions for properties on the small island of Liuqiu in Taiwan, based on the social servicescape concept and was mainly from the perspective of a younger generation of Asian Millennials. On-site surveys were conducted with visitors who had stayed at Liuqiu's B&Bs. The findings showed that B&B experiences consisted of two dimensions: physical environment and personal interactions. Satisfaction was largely affected by personal interactions; and revisit intentions were mainly influenced by satisfaction. The physical environment had little effect on satisfaction and revisit intentions. Implications and managerial suggestions for Liuqiu's B&B businesses are provided.     

Bed and Breakfast operators’ work and personal life balance: A cross-cultural comparison

Bed and Breakfasts (B&B) represent a unique sector in the tourism industry. This study expands on previous hospitality work and life balance studies by investigating the cultural influences on B&B operators’ work and personal lives. The results indicated that Taiwanese B&B operators, who are in the collective culture, perceive less difficulty in their balancing work and personal lives, and they receive more family and social support compared to their American counterparts, who are within an individualistic culture. Both groups experienced equally satisfactory levels of successful balance. The implications and limitations of this study are discussed, and future studies are proposed.     

When family rooms become guest lounges: Work–family balance of B&B innkeepers

Work–life balance is one of the major challenges faced by bed-and-breakfast (B&B) innkeepers due to the lack of spatial boundaries between home and workplace in a typical B&B establishment. Grounded in the work–family border theory, the present research develops a conceptual framework to understand the impact of work–life border characteristics and entrepreneurial motivation on the work–life balance of B&B innkeepers. The findings of an online survey among 369 innkeepers in the United States suggest that border tangibility is positively related to work–life balance and the relationship between the two is fully mediated by work–life integration. In contrast, border strength is negatively related to work–life balance and this relationship is direct and not mediated by work–life integration. Innkeepers can enjoy a higher level of work–life balance by maintaining a tangible work–life border to reduce the level of integration of work and personal life domains. The study also shows that entrepreneurial motivation moderates the relationship between work–life integration and work–life balance such that lifestyle-oriented B&B innkeepers enjoy higher levels of work–life balance than business-oriented B&B innkeepers.     

Developing,Operating, and Maintaining a Travel Agency Website

SUMMARY

Travel agencies have increasingly utilized agency Websites on the Internet to enhance their marketing efforts. This exploratory study aims to provide an analysis of the Internet use by travel agencies in the United States. A survey conducted with 102 travel agency professionals collected primary data to examine the perceived value and contribution of a Website to the agency business, purposes for developing and operating a Website, and benefits and challenges faced in operating a travel agency Website. The results of this study not only identified various issues in developing, operating, and maintaining a travel agency Website but also made various suggestions to address those issues. Implications are discussed as to how travel agencies could better understand e-consumer behavior and effectively market their product offerings online.     

An Investigation of the Factors Affecting Innovation Performance in Chain and Independent Hotels

SUMMARY

The failure rate of new service projects is high, because the knowledge about how innovations should be developed is limited. In the last decade, several studies have investigated the success factors associated with service innovations (e.g., Atuahene-Gima, 1996; de Brentani, 2001; Storey and Easingwood, 1998). However, no research in new service development (NSD) has addressed the question of whether chain affiliated and independently operated service firms have different approaches for developing successful innovations. The majority of past new service development (NSD) success studies have concentrated on the financial service sector, which is generally represented by large corporate organizations. The findings of this study indicate that the factors which impact on the performance of NSD depend on the organizational relationship of hotels-chain affiliation or independent operation. The study's results suggest that market attractiveness, process management, market responsiveness and empowerment predict NSD success within chain affiliated hotels. While empowerment and market attractiveness are also related to NSD success in independent hotels, this is also linked to effective marketing communication, employee commitment, behaviour based evaluation, training of employees and marketing synergy.     

An in-depth exploration of residents’ perceived impacts of transient vacation rentals

ABSTRACT

The recent explosion of transient vacation rental (TVR) accommodations has been aided by websites like AirBnB, Vacation Rentals By Owner (VRBO), and HomeAway and this segment continues to grow in popularity. Many communities have enacted bans on TVRs with little empirical data to support decisions. This study explores TVR-related impacts as perceived by residents, and why those particular impacts are perceived. A series of 12 semi-structured, in-depth interviews of key resident stakeholders on Oahu, Hawai’i, United States (US) were conducted. Thematic analysis revealed residents perceived both positive and negative impacts in the economic, environmental, and sociocultural realms. Extended quotes from interviewees reveal the connection of perceived impacts to the presence of TVRs in residential zoned areas and the lack of a proprietor to manage the property and tourists like a traditional bed and breakfast (B&B). Findings provide a baseline for future research examining the unique impacts of this area of rapid tourism growth. Marketing implications are discussed.     

Exploring the Relationships Between Tourist Perceptions and the Service Quality of B&Bs

This study adopted the means-end chain (MEC) approach and incorporated the Kano method to explore the different preferences for facilities/services preferred by different consumption groups to design effective product strategies for bed and breakfasts (B&Bs). The analytical results show that: (a) different segments have various preferences for B&B facilities and services, (b) the nonstudent respondents especially prefer the “attractive-quality” attribute; and (c) tourists pursue the achievement of a “sense of belonging” and “security.” This study can not only contribute to the development of marketing theory, but also help the owners of B&Bs to formulate marketing strategies to enhance their competitive advantages.     

Positioning a tourism destination to gain a competitive edge

Positioning is a form of market communication that plays a vital role in enhancing the attractiveness of a tourism destination. This article describes the different parts of the positioning process and applies it to the case of positioning a U.S. destination to Japanese visitors.     

Exploring Content and Design Factors Associated with Convention and Visitors Bureau Web Site Development

Abstract

Convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) have become important organizations within the tourism industry. The International Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus (IACVB) reported that it represents approximately 500 destination management organizations in 30 countries (IACVB, 2003). As one of the most important components of the tourism industry in the United States, the Convention and Visitors Bureau performs various activities to facilitate destination marketing and development, with the aim of enticing leisure and convention customers to their particular city or region. Meanwhile, meeting planners are using technology to enhance their ability to produce and execute meetings that demonstrate a high return on investment. Consequently, CVBs' websites have enormous potential in selling a destination and facilitating the meeting/convention planning process. This paper explores the content and design factors associated with convention and visitors bureau web site development. It also demonstrates how planners utilize the Internet and CVB websites.     

Maximizing the Success of Balanced Scorecard Implementation in the Hospitality Industry

Abstract

The balanced scorecard (BSC) is increasingly being adopted by firms in the corporate sector, with some studies estimating that more than 40% of the Fortune 100 companies will implement the BSC by 2001. Analogous to the instrument panel of a plane, the BSC provides management with a holistic view of what is happening inside and outside the organization. A well-designed BSC can help management to translate the organization's mission into goals, actions and performance measures, align individual and organizational goals, and measure/guide progress towards goal attainment. However, the BSC is not without its share of pitfalls and problems. This article discusses how hospitality establishments also can reap the benefits from implementing the BSC while avoiding its pitfalls. We provide an overview of the nature of the BSC, and review two case studies from the hospitality industry. Findings from discussions with hotel general managers also are reported. These managers strongly support the potential usefulness of the BSC in their industry. Then we draw on examples and experiences of organizations that have implemented the BSC to provide a comprehensive discussion of the pitfalls to avoid in BSC development and implementation.