Test of the validity of the Beaman,Kim, and Smith supply factors

A new measure of supply, termed a “supply factor,” was derived from participation data by three researchers and reported on in an earlier issue of this journal. One weakness in their presentation was their failure to test the proposition that the “supply factor” correlates closely with a traditional inventory of supply. To test for this correlation, this study replicates their method for golf and golf courses. A significant correlation (r² = 0.74) betwen golf courses and the golf supply factor was found.     

Application of the Rasch Model to Customer Satisfaction in the Destination of Marbella

Abstract

The object of this study was to gauge the satisfaction of tourists holidaying in Marbella (Spain) as regards a group of items related to the town's main characteristics, including street safety and cleanliness, natural surroundings, services, hotel, restaurant and café prices, night clubs, facilities for practising sports and water sports, and for playing golf, as well as to the climate and natural surroundings. Furthermore, the results obtained from the study also indicated to what degree the state and local authorities and tourist-related businesses have been successful in taking steps to change those items with which tourists are unsatisfied. Finally, this study also aims to discover the profiles of the most satisfied tourists, which allow one to segment the market and implement the most effective marketing strategies in each specific segment. In this work, the author has seen fit to apply the Rasch Model, as it is a very novel and useful instrument for measuring the latent variable.     

Saving golf courses from business troubles

Utilizing a discrete choice experiment, this study attempts to provide improved knowledge regarding how golf tourists arrive at complex trade-offs between different golfing constraints and resort to diverse negotiation strategies to attenuate the effect of those constraining factors. With a study sample of Korean golf tourists, we find that respondents place distinctive weights on several golf course attributes representing various types of golfing constraints to attain the greatest enjoyment. Among a range of barriers to golf trip participation, golf tourists place the highest importance on structural constraints associated with limited personal time resources and inadequate access to golf courses. The study results substantiate golf tourists’ heterogeneous preferences for negotiation strategies, which are dependent upon their levels of golf specialization. Multiple management suggestions are developed to help golf course professionals adapt to the gradually challenging business environment.     

Market Segmentation of Golf Event Spectators Using Leisure Benefits

The proliferation of golf events has provided increased opportunities to watch professional golf tournaments. The purpose of this study is to examine a variety of leisure benefits sought by Korean golf event spectators and provide useful marketing strategies to fulfill their needs. Within the contexts of leisure benefits, different individuals tend to assign different meanings to the same leisure experience. In this sense, golf event spectators are likely to pursue heterogeneous leisure benefits from their engagement. This study identified four distinct spectator groups (i.e., escape seekers, exercise seekers, interest seekers, and excitement seekers) and uncovered significant differences among these segments. Results provided empirical support that event-based sport tourism marketers need to implement diverse strategies to increase and reinforce their customer base.     

The mediating effect of place attachment on the relationship between golf tourism destination image and revisit intention

Focusing on golf tourism in Hainan Province, this study examined the relationship between place attachment, golf tourism destination image, and revisit intention of golf tourists. Data were obtained using questionnaires distributed to golf tourists in Hainan Province, China in 2016. Survey data from 218 tourists indicated that destination image was positively related to place attachment. Moreover, place attachment mediated the relationship between destination image and revisit intention. Implications of these findings for golf tourism marketing strategies as well as future research directions are discussed.     

Special Events Marketing

Abstract

Building a community's tourist industry requires the stimulation of a steady inflow of visitors, and visitors' purchase of local goods and services. Staging special events is one means to attracting tourists and earning tourism revenue. This paper analyzed the case of a county fair in western Colorado from a marketing perspective.     

Determinants of convention attendees’ willingness to pay for additional programs

Abstract

Prior to developing addition programs in a convention a convention organizer wants to identify attendees’ willingness to participate in the program. One of the most important factors which lead to their participation is price. Therefore, this study aimed to explore factors which can determine convention participants’ willingness to pay for additional programs. According to the results of binary logistic regression analysis, attendees who wanted to expand their knowledge and socialization showed a willingness to pay for extra programs for post-conference local tours. Based on investigating the significance level (p?<?.001) women showed a higher intention to pay for the extra programs than men did. Those who had their own company had a higher intention to pay for the 1:1 private golf lesson with a former LPGA star than did those who were working for a private company or others. Results of this study help development of additional programs in a convention.     

Golf tourists in South Africa: A demand-side study of a niche market in sports tourism

The targeting of tourism market segments is considered to increase repeat visitations to tourism destinations because it allows destination marketers to accurately determine the needs and expectations of targeted tourists, develop more effective marketing strategies, which in turn, assists with ensuring that the targeted tourists segments support and return to the destination. Consequently, the aim of the study was to determine the profile of golf tourists attending an international golf event in South Africa by shedding some light on their key trip-related and general golf tourism behaviour patterns. To date, most research undertaken has focused on product-driven research concerned with golf course facilities and the marketing thereof and little emphasis on demand-side research concerning the golf tourist. Personal interviews were conducted using a structured questionnaire involving 314 golf tourists selected through a systematic random sampling technique. The paper investigates the level of development of golf tourism, analyses the golf tourism market and highlights critical factors for its success, in South Africa.     

Modelling E-Marketing Strategies: Internet Presence and Exploitation of Greek Hotels

Abstract

Despite the wide use of the Internet in the tourism industry and the exponential growth of e-commerce, little is still known on how the new medium is transforming marketing practices and concepts. The purpose of this empirical study is to fill in this gap. Specifically, the study first analyses Internet's capabilities as well as the Virtual Marketspace and the marketing transformations that the Internet is creating. After reviewing models and strategies for Internet marketing, an e-marketing mix is proposed that exploits Internet capabilities. The latter is used in order to investigate and provide suggestions on the development of Internet strategies of hotels in Greece.     

Motivating Golf Employees in Southwest Florida

Golf course communities are established to serve the needs of their members. However, the number of golfers in the United States has decreased from 30.6 million in 2005 to 25.7 million in 2011. This poses a real threat to the golf industry. Since employees deliver this service to members, human resource management and employee job satisfaction and motivation becomes paramount. The purpose of this study was to ascertain job satisfaction at golf facilities in Southwest Florida and to determine possible areas for improving job satisfaction in order to enhance organizational outcomes and golfer retention. While the research demonstrated overall job satisfaction was high, job interest among the lower skilled employees was low. A series of job enrichment strategies were recommended to improve job satisfaction among lower skilled employees.     

The Competitiveness of International Meeting Destinations in Asia

Abstract

This study was designed to discuss marketing strategies for meeting destinations in Asia, especially for Seoul. To achieve this purpose, an e-mail survey was conducted with meeting planners and buying centers to investigate their perspectives on the site selection attributes and the performance of the five meeting cities in Asia-Bangkok, Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo. As the result of this study, there was a little difference of perspectives on the site selection attributes and destinations' performance between meeting planners and buying centers. These results could be used to develop competitive marketing strategies for each destination.     

Choosing Virtual – Rather than Real – Leisure Activities: An Examination of the Decision–making Process in Screen-Golf Participants

The objective of this study is to apply Ajzen's theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explicate the intention-formation process in the playing of screen golf. The study investigated how players' favorable/unfavorable attitudes toward screen golf, the social pressures they perceive related to screen golf, and their senses of capability and resources to play screen golf interact to build up or undercut the intention to play this virtual version of the sport. An Internet-based survey and field survey were conducted. Overall, the findings indicated that the fit of the proposed model was satisfactory, and that the proposed model involving the original variables in the TPB and past behavior effectively explained golfers' intention formation. In addition, golfers' concerns about the environment were found to be a moderator in forming their intention. This study illuminated the psychological and social factors that may influence recreation consumers to choose a “virtual”, rather than “real”, leisure activity.     

The link between hunting goals and strategy and harvest outcome

Abstract

This article explores relationships among hunting goals, hunting strategies, and harvest success and attempts to assess if and how the relationships between harvest and nonharvest goals and harvest outcomes change in the presence of selected intervening hunting strategy variables. Log‐linear analysis examines the relationship among harvest outcome, hunting goals, and hunting strategies. Hunting strategies were found helpful in explaining the patterns of harvest outcome, suggesting that how a person hunts may be as important as why they hunt. Hunting strategy is seen as a viable concept for use in future investigations.     

The Role of Moral Philosophies,Operational Criteria and Operational Strategies in Determining Equitable Allocation of Resources for Leisure Services in the United States

Abstract

This paper revises an earlier taxonomy of equity models that was published in this journal in 1988. This revised taxonomy consists of three elements. First, it extends the original taxonomy by proposing a set of moral philosophies, positioning them as antecedents of the operational strategies that determine equity outcomes. Six are identified: Rawlsian, egalitarianism, benefit principle, utilitarianism, libertarianism and paternal professionalism. It is suggested that communitarianism offers a philosophical basis for reconciling some of the antithetical perspectives embedded in these six moral philosophies. A second element in the taxonomy suggests the operational criterion flowing from each of the moral philosophies when it is adapted as the basis for policy decisions regarding the allocation of resources to leisure services. The third element identifies 14 operational strategies that determine equity outcomes. Their linkage to operational criteria and moral philosophies is shown. Potential equity consequences and implications of the operational strategies are illustrated and compared by use of a scenario relating the allocation of resources to park land acquisition.     

Environmental Tactics Used by Hotel Companies in Mexico

Summary

The impact which environmental law and management has had in the hospitality industry is substantial. Hotels have begun conservation and recycling programs as a means of reducing energy cost and solid waste. A significant number of environmentally related regulatory and consumer pressures are being imposed upon the hospitality industry. The purpose of this study is to begin to explore the environmental programs that hotel corporations in Mexico are adopting. Eight managers at eight hotel corporations in Mexico were included in the study. The corporation hotels located in Mexico started to implement environmental strategies in 1995, and the most common reason was because of the legal pressures they faced. Efficient use of lighting and eliminating use of diesel in the boiler were the most frequently sited strategies. Seven hotel managers benefitted from the application of these strategies, while one indicated he did not benefit. The hotel managers feel social, legal, and political pressure in Mexico to implement environmental strategies but consider consumer pressure unimportant. They believe these strategies are not very important when facing competitors, and only one manager mentioned that in the future the competitive threat will be important in developing environmental consciousness.     

Tourism Crisis Management and Organizational Learning

SUMMARY

To date limited attention has been provided on the review stage of the crisis management framework, despite the importance of organizational learning for developing effective tourism crisis strategies. Using the concepts of double loop learning (Argyris and Schon, 1996), doubting (Blackman and Henderson, 2004) and Preskill and Torres (1999) core processes of evaluative enquiry, the paper discusses the possible application of critical evaluative inquiry and managed reflection by DMOs. The paper recommends that DMOs question their existing knowledge, assumptions and beliefs through reflection and dialogue with stakeholders and collect and analyse information, not just related to confirming the success of crisis strategies, but to assesses the likely impact of alternatives. Challenging existing mental models and capturing this emergent knowledge should enable DMOs to develop even better tourism crisis communication strategies in the future.     

Marketing Strategies for Last-Minute Travel and Tourism

Abstract

Travel and tourism arranged at the “last minute” has become a growing trend among consumers today. Responding to this trend, more and more travel/tourism firms are offering services catering to consumers seeking last-minute travel and tourism opportunities. Yet, clearly, not all last-minute travellers are alike. Variability in last-minute consumer characteristics such as motivations, lifestyles, and benefits sought suggests opportunities for astute marketers and revenue managers to collaborate in further segmenting the last-minute market and developing more effective marketing and revenue management strategies to potentially increase the firms' revenues, profitability, and customer satisfaction. Toward this end, this article evaluates and discusses marketing strategies, marketing mix elements, and segmentation approaches that may be most appropriate for more effective marketing and revenue management in the last-minute travel and tourism market.     

Age Diversity in Hospitality—Making a Case for the Mature Employee

Abstract

The changing demographics of the American population have forced businesses to reevaluate historical recruiting, hiring, and training practices. Mature adults are a viable option in staffing businesses. This is especially apparent in the manufacturing and service industries. The aging of America in concert with a shrinking birthrate has made seniors an attractive pool of potential job applicants. To be successful in the employment of mature adults it is necessary to understand the impact of this group on the American demographic profile. Selected strategies for training mature adults to transition back into the labor market are highlighted.     

Strategy Communication in Family-Owned Restaurants: Ad Hoc and Ad-Lib

ABSTRACT

Most New Zealand restaurants are small family-owned businesses, which could be expected to communicate their purpose, business strategy, and goals to their employees. However, this expectation may be at odds with the informal mode of a family operation. This exploratory study therefore examines the communication of strategies in family-owned restaurants to determine the likely impact of family ownership on strategy communication. Interview data from family business owners and employees indicate that communication was largely ad hoc, relating to tactics more than strategies, and that many owners lacked the skills needed to operate a profitable and successful business. The weak understanding of strategic business skills identified may explain the high rate of failures identified in the New Zealand restaurant industry.