Conceptual and theoretical implications of tourism between partitioned states

Recent history regarding the partition or separation of single states is not new. The ramifications caused by these divisions are numerous. All too often, the problems associated with crossing the “new” border, visiting family and friends separated by the newly imposed border, or trying to establish or re‐establish business ties with past acquaintances are overlooked. Once a country is partitioned, there are several levels or stages which the newly partitioned states go through in a “maturing'’ process to build new identities and levels of trust. At the macro level, there are social, economic, and political differences which must be resolved before open dialogues can occur. Often, by allowing family members, in the two or more partitioned states, to visit each other, the governments begin a long process of reconciliation. The fact that travel and tourism is one of the fundamental aspects of this process is significant.     

CHANNEL DESIGN FOR EFFECTIVE TOURISM DISTRIBUTION STRATEGIES

The issue of channel design has been virtually ignored in the tourism distribution literature. This article seeks to contribute to filling this gap by developing a practical step‐by‐step process to preparing an effective tourism distribution strategy. It is based on a review of the channel design literature and consideration of the strategic implications of a body of applied sector‐specific research on tourism distribution in New Zealand. The way in which this process was developed is outlined before the seven‐step channel design process itself is presented. Conclusions are then drawn and suggestions for future research are offered.     

Changing tourism patterns,capital accumulation,and urban water consumption in Mallorca,Spain: a sustainability fix?

This paper presents interdisciplinary research based on in-depth, comparative analysis of water consumption and land use patterns over a range of urban-tourist forms in Mallorca. The changing tourism patterns towards residential and quality tourism are studied, on the basis that capital investment for capital accumulation and increasing gains are its main drivers. Social awareness about overcrowding and resource limitations has moved the regulatory planning framework toward allowing further urban sprawl, based on the alibi of quality tourism. The rhetoric of this framework represents a first sustainability fix, a fix that hides the higher water demand and climate change issues. The socio-metabolic dimension of this process is analyzed in relation to how it has resulted in an uneven socio-spatial urban landscape of water consumption. This urban-tourist landscape is vulnerable to changes in climate, because it is sustained by an excessive use of water. Water supply is a serious constraint which has been resolved through its commodification and supply privatization, which are considered as a second sustainability fix. This tourism development process worsens rather than solves the metabolic rift, resulting in the second contradiction of capital accumulation between the imperative of continual growth and finite natural resources.     

interpreting slavery Tourism

This inquiry explores the manner in which tourists endow a former slave plantation with meaning by promoting or demoting its cultural authority. Drawing on the encoding/decoding model, this study utilizes interviews to examine the ways in which tourists decode the plantation by acquiescing or negating the preferred cultural text through the adoption of dominant, negotiated or oppositional readings. The findings indicate that as active recipients of the preferred reading tourists interpreted/decoded the plantation in dichotomous polarized ways based on the meaning structures and knowledge frameworks of the interpretive communities within which they are situated. In essence, the decoding process, much like the encoding process is viewed as constituting an array of dominant ideologies.     

The development of a conceptual model of greening in the business events tourism sector

This paper examines the process of corporate greening, and proposes a general conceptual model of the process, which may be relevant in a number of different corporate sectors. The model includes drivers of greening and barriers to greening and also the organisational context in which greening decisions are taken. In addition, this paper considers the role of media coverage in influencing pro-environmental behaviour amongst organisations. The paper then tests the model in one particular tourism context – that of business events – in order to ascertain the specific nature of the corporate greening process in that context. The paper concludes that the general model may be applied to a number of industry sectors, and the model specific to business events tourism may be used to underpin future research in this area.     

A conceptual model of consumer evaluation of recreation service quality

The paper develops a model which is intended to explain the process by which a consumer evaluates recreation service quality. Much of the difficulty in measuring the quality of recreation services can be attributed to their intangibility, heterogeneity, and the inseparability of their production and consumption functions. Dimensions of recreation services are operationalized in the article, and the criteria used by consumers for evaluating recreation service quality are discussed. Recreation service quality is defined as the outcome of a comparison between expectations of a service and what is perceived to be received. Since much of the reported work in the area of service quality has been undertaken in a commercial context, key differences in the public and commercial sectors which may impact consumers' expectations of recreation services are discussed and integrated into the model.     

Land expropriation in tourism development: Residents' attitudinal change and its influencing mechanism

The development of tourism projects is often predicated on land expropriation. It is therefore important to understand residents' attitudes towards land expropriation and how changes in those attitudes can benefit both the land expropriation process and tourism development. Taking Wudaoliang in Sandaogou village in Hebei province as a case study, this study focuses on residents' attitudinal change by taking a longitudinal approach involving non-participant observation and 180 interviews. Critical event analysis was conducted, and a framework for modelling attitudinal change was adopted. The results show that the attitudes of rural residents towards tourism development were not static but underwent a dynamic process of change across three phases. These results suggest that residents should deepen their involvement in the land expropriation process and that information transparency can reduce social conflict, which will facilitate the sustainable development of rural tourism. The theoretical and practical contributions of this study are also discussed.     

Identifying value conflicts between stakeholders in corporate travel management by applying the soft value management model: A survey in South Africa

Four stakeholders are involved in corporate travel: management, travellers, travel suppliers and travel management companies. A successful corporate travel management process is dependent on cohesion of values between these stakeholders and pursuit of common goals. Value conflicts can influence the effective management of the process. The purpose of the study was to propose a model which recognises value conflicts, the interdependence of stakeholders and incorporates common goals. The so-called ‘Soft Value Management Model’ was selected and conceptualised in the context of corporate travel management. This study defined and surveyed each stakeholder group in terms of their values and objectives on travel management information; travel policy and compliance; travel management company partnerships; and travel expenditure processing. Quantitative and qualitative techniques were used. The results show that value conflicts exist between stakeholders. The model provides a theoretical foundation against which an effective travel management process can potentially be measured.     

Restaurants and wine by-the-glass consumption: Motivational process model of risk perception,involvement and information-related behaviour

This study examines how wine by-the-glass (WBG) consumption by diners in USA restaurants is affected by their risk perception, product involvement, information seeking and dissemination-related behaviours and, how these constructs interact in this situation. We model their motivational process by developing a structural equation model (SEM) to examine these effects using a sample of 532 diners representing all restaurant categories in the USA. In the process we develop and validate a 17-item scale to measure the risk perception specific to WBG consumption. This empirical study supports all hypotheses tested in the motivational process model, which explicates the processes by which consumer WBG risk perception and product involvement are caused and influence one another, as well as the subsequent information processing behaviour-related responses of restaurant diners.     

The potential contribution of environmental impact assessment (EIA) to responsible tourism: The case of the Kruger National Park

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) and responsible tourism both aspire to contribute to sustainable development. EIA is the process of identifying, assessing and managing the potential impacts of new developments and is legally mandated in most countries of the world. Tourism developments are subject to EIA under South African legislation, which requires consideration of the full range of sustainable development objectives. This paper highlights the parallels found in the discourses of EIA and responsible tourism, identified through a focused literature review, and develops a framework comprising five characteristics that EIA should embody to maximize its contribution to responsible tourism. It tests the framework by evaluating three EIAs conducted in the Kruger National Park since 2011, when South African National Parks (SANParks) formally committed to responsible tourism. The evaluation process confirmed the utility of the framework and highlighted areas in which responsible tourism principles could be more explicitly reflected in SANParks EIAs.     

Event pitching: The role of design and creativity

The purpose of the research is to contribute towards a better understanding of the role of design and creativity in the pitch phase of an event bid. The paper does not seek to re-document the formal proposal process of preparing and bidding for an event but instead will look at an element within event bidding, the pitch to the client. Winning an event pitch is a crucial part of the events industry and is undertaken by most event management companies (EMC) or agencies. It is highly competitive. The material is based on qualitative research with key individuals working in the events industry and presents selective reflections upon the pitch process, the rationale and criteria for pitching and the extent to which they use creative thinking to win. Design and creativity are essential components that help make events memorable experiences, but as the paper demonstrates they also have a significant role in securing the event contract in the first place. In some cases elaborate and extreme design tactics are used to make a successful pitch.     

TRAVELS INTO NATURE AND SOCIETY WITH ROD AND LINE

From its origins in Victorian Britain, freshwater game-angling for trout and salmon, mostly by fly-fishing, has spread to become a significant international tourism form. However, as the sport has travelled its traditional codes and values are challenged by the varied geographies, natures and cultures it meets. This paper examines the dynamics and tensions this sporting culture experiences as it attempts to exploit the opportunities of expansion that tourism affords while protecting game-angling’s sporting traditions from the ‘otherness’ that international tourism brings. Central cultural actors in this process are game-angling magazines who promote the sport’s commodification and global expansion but who also have vested interests in maintaining game-angling’s culture and heritage. To analyse how these magazines manage the potential contradictions between maintenance of the sport’s integrity and promoting its expansion through tourism a discourse analysis of three editions of three of the most important UK game-angling and field sports magazines is undertaken. This work is further triangulated by a content analysis of six editions of one of these magazines, Trout & Salmon magazine, which is the preeminent game-angling periodical in the UK. The case is made that angling tourism is having potentially major impacts on the sporting traditions of game-angling which are as yet unresolved and are in process, but to which these magazines, as important cultural brokers, are responding with some discursive vigour, albeit in very nuanced and subtle ways. Finally, avenues of future angling-related research are suggested that have the potential to make a significant contribution to the tourism and leisure literatures.     

Research Possibilities in Private Club Management

Abstract

This research project proposes a process that studies the service quality trade-offs that restaurant managers worldwide are willing to make in order to maximize their customers' satisfaction level. The project uses traditional conjoint techniques to determine which service attributes managers are willing to trade so that customer satisfaction is maximized.     

Towards Understanding User Perceptions of a Tourist-based Environmental Monitoring System: An Exploratory Case Study

This paper examines user perceptions of a tourist-based environmental monitoring system which supports park visitor engagement with the environmental monitoring of specific sites within two National and one Regional Park in Victoria, Australia. The system allows park visitors (tourists) to actively participate in the care and management of the park by voluntarily contributing to web-based photographic records. The primary objective of this exploratory case study research is to identify who the tourist users are, their perceptions of the system, their motivation for using it, and the benefits that they perceive are derived from using the system. The study found that respondents indicated a strong concern for the environment and appreciated the simplicity of the system and the on-going connection it provides to the park-management process. Importantly, respondents found the system to be a valuable source of engagement with the environmental monitoring and management process.     

Dimensions and Effects of Consumers' Travel–Transportation Involvement: The Case of the Mini Three Links

Since its implementation in 2001, the Mini Three Links (MTL) has become the most important transportation means for Taiwanese travelling to China. The MTL is connected to recreation/travel in Kinmen: service providers often include short local trips as part of the transit process. This study focuses on the concept of travel–transportation involvement in the MTL, exploring its effects on consumers’ travel–transportation dependence, identity, loyalty, price sensitivity, and product purchase intention. Travel–transportation involvement is divided into behavioural involvement and social–psychological involvement, which in turn considers attraction, self-expression, and centrality to lifestyle. Survey respondents are passengers using the MTL service at Kinmen Shangyi Airport and Shuitou Port. Structural equation modelling is used to analyse the 380 valid questionnaires; results show that different involvement dimensions have unique effects. Behavioural involvement positively affects price sensitivity. Attraction positively affects travel–transportation dependence, which further improves travel–transportation identity. Attraction also has indirect negative effects on loyalty and price sensitivity, which are mediated by its impact on travel–transportation dependence and identity. Further, centrality to lifestyle negatively affects product purchase intention during the travel process. Self-expression has a direct positive effect on travel–transportation dependence and loyalty, but a direct negative effect on price sensitivity. Finally, self-expression has indirect negative effects on loyalty and price sensitivity; the mediation process is identical to that for attraction. This study is valuable in terms of distinguishing between various effects among previously overlooked dimensions of travel–transportation involvement; it also provides practical implications for related travel–transportation-service practitioners and tourism development within Kinmen.     

Facilitating public participation in tourism planning on American Indian reservations: A case study involving the Nominal Group Technique

Tourism is frequently cited as a tool by which American Indians can strengthen the economies of their reservations. However, successful tourism development on such reservations requires effective tourism planning, and effective tourism planning requires public participation in the planning process. The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) has proved to be a useful group process in the tourism field but its application to tourism planning on American Indian reservations has been unexplored. This article helps to fill this knowledge gap by reporting on an NGT workshop conducted on the Lake Traverse Reservation of the Sisseton–Wahpeton Oyate (people, nation) in North and South Dakota, USA. Rich information on tourism development possibilities for three lakefront properties was obtained. Possible success factors are discussed and suggestions for conducting similar future workshops on American Indian reservations are advanced.     

The problem of eliciting management knowledge: A case of research into hospitality management knowledge

The paper describes in conceptual and theoretical terms one approach to the difficult problem of eliciting from managers what knowledge they apply to situations and activities they are involved in. A small qualitative study is described which uses a technique that works backwards from behaviour towards knowledge. The aim of the study is to describe how accumulated knowledge is transmitted from education or experience to the moment it is actually used in the context of the hospitality industry. The analysis was interpretative and found that knowledge structures mirrored vocational educational structures and that subjects recall prior knowledge through a categorisation process. A key finding was a set of modes of transmission, which include prototypical examples, pivotal and role model examples and scenarios, which have been built from accumulated experience. The research demonstrated both the usefulness and the difficulty of designing and implementing a reliable knowledge elicitation procedure but suggests that the backwards-facing approach can be fruitful.     

Creating and Sustaining Fun Work Environments in Hospitality and Service Organizations

ABSTRACT

Managers of hospitality and service organizations have long believed that it is critical for their employees to have fun at work. They recognize the important relationships between their employees having fun and their customers having a pleasant experience. While everyone accepts this notion, there is little empirical support for either a definition of what managers can do to promote a fun work environment or even what makes a fun work environment fun. Further, while many positive outcomes for both the individual and the organization are claimed to be associated with fun work environments, there is even less empirical data to support this belief.

This primary purpose of the paper is to identify and define the actions and activities that managers can do or support to create and sustain the feeling employees have that their firm is a fun place to work or have a “fun work environment.” The paper reports results of a large e-mail survey of human resource managers designed to identify what cues managers send to create a fun work environment, the degree to which these cues actually are associated with a work environment that is fun, and the positive individual and organizational outcomes that are claimed to be associated with working in such an environment. The study offers definitions and measurements of the cueing process, a fun work environment, and outcomes of the process.

We found a strong relationship between the antecedent cues and the degree to which the work environment was perceived as fun. The relationships between a fun work environment and various outcomes were not as strong or comprehensive. While the results of this research are positive and extend our knowledge of cues, culture and especially “fun work environments,” more needs to be done in validating the measures and extending the research.     

Influences on Tourism Development Decision Making: Coastal Local Government Areas in Eastern Australia

With sustainable development and specifically sustainable tourism, decision making is perhaps the area where the impact on the future of communities is most crucial. Understanding better the decision-making process, provides possibly the most important potential tool in the sustainable management of tourism development. This paper examines the influence factors on tourism decision making and sheds some light on how important various influences are in the tourism development decision process. A typology of community decision-making influence factors was examined through research on local government councillors in Australian coastal regions. Three major categories of this typology were identified in the literature and further explored in this study: inter-personal, intra-personal and circumstantial influence. Results from this study show that a number of influence factors which relate to sustainable tourism are considered by councillors to have a more profound effect on their decision making than only the components of social influence theory which has been discussed in much of the literature. Utilising this typology of community decision-making influence factors may form the foundation for further studies of decision making. The results suggest that influence factors on decision makers need to be both understood and taken into consideration for sustainable tourism approaches to be effectively implemented.