scholarly journals The competitiveness of the Uruguayan rural tourism sector and its potential to attract German tourists

Author(s):  
Federico Topolansky Barbe ◽  
Magdalena Gonzalez Triay ◽  
Cornelia Häufele

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the competitiveness of the Uruguayan rural tourism sector against its main competitors from Argentina and Brazil, as perceived by Uruguayan stakeholders on the supply side. The paper will also evaluate the potential of Uruguay as a rural tourism destination in attracting German tourists. Design/methodology/approach – Two different questionnaires were administered, one to Uruguayan rural tourism stakeholders and another one to potential German tourists in Germany. Findings – The findings indicate that the main strengths of Uruguayan rural tourism offer, compared to Argentina and Brazil, are the hospitality and friendliness of local people, the natural and cultural attractions and the country’s security and safety. Main weaknesses identified were the poor management of several destination components that are key to create a successful tourism destination and poor management of the “demand conditions” component of Dwyer and Kim’s (2003) integrated model. Originality/value – There is very limited research done on the competitiveness of Uruguay as a rural tourist destination in attracting foreign tourists (Mackinnon et al., 2009). The objective of this study is to partially fill this gap by assessing how competitive Uruguayan rural tourism is and evaluating whether Uruguay represents an attractive market for German tourists looking for agro tourism and farm holiday destinations. The German market was chosen because it is one of the top tourist-generating countries and one of the biggest spenders in international tourism (The World Tourism organization, 2010). Moreover, most tourists – from outside South America – selecting Uruguay as a tourist destination come from Germany, USA and Australia (Peralta, 2012).

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marijana Cristina Smarandache (Păsătoiu) ◽  

The strategic role of tourism sector and its considerable contribution to economic development, employment, social and environmental sustainability is acknowledged by all decision-making bodies, from world wide tourism associations (World Tourism Organization – WTO) to national, regional and local communities. The current article analyses the direct contribution of European structural funds on the development of tourism infrastructure in South West Oltenia, one of the development regions of Romania, over the past 15 years. The data used for the research covers the pre-accession funds allocation (SAPARD Programme), the investments in tourism infrastructure from 2007–2013 financial programming framework as well as the current 2014–2020 programming framework – selected projects. The main conclusion that emerges form the research is that European structural funds had greatly contributed to the development of rural tourism infrastructure both in terms of quantity as well as in quality.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 452-457
Author(s):  
Adolfo Mesquita Nunes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the governmental perspective on the effects of the economic crisis on Portugal as a touristic destination. Design/methodology/approach – The main political decisions related to tourism were analysed and related to the sector’s present performance. Findings – Portugal’s public and private entities were able to use the crisis as an opportunity to increase the quality and competitiveness of the tourism sector and, as result, grow more than its main competitors. Originality/value – This paper concludes that there are still some challenges that the tourism sector faces, like the decline of the internal market and the level of prices, but overall, the sector has been showing signs of resilience that shall allow it to overcome its main issues.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 698-704
Author(s):  
Pedro Machado

Purpose This paper aims to consider the state of the art of the tourism sector in Portugal, identifying the main problems and some challenges and solutions for the future. Design/methodology/approach The main political decisions related to tourism were analyzed and related to the sector´s future performance. Findings Portugal has been elected the best leading destination of the world, but it is important to outline the strategies needed to retain the quality of life of Portuguese residents and to keep and improve the experience of the tourist. This could be achieved by promoting “Portugal as a whole” (“Portugal por Inteiro”), applying policies of cohesion – policies that promote the development of the entire country, from the interior to the coastline, from the north to the south and the islands. Originality/value This paper presents the perspective of the Center of Portugal Tourism Entity (Turismo Centro de Portugal) and how this tourist destination contributes to the national strategies outlined for the coming years.


2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Micaela Pinho ◽  
Jorge Marques

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the potentialities and weaknesses of the city of Porto (Portugal) in the business tourism segment in order to ensure and develop a destination’s business tourism strategy position. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through the participation of 28 experts living/working in Porto in a three-round Delphi exercise. Experts should identify the main straights, weaknesses and opportunities of the city for the business tourism development. Findings The main results show that the city’s potential to become landmark destination in the business tourism sector far outweighs its limitations. With measures aimed to improve the functionality of the business tourism segment and marketing strategies to increase external promotion, Porto meets the conditions to become an excellent business tourism destination. Originality/value Many studies have been conducted from the perspective of leisure tourism; few have been conducted from the perspective of the business tourism and none have been conducted from the perspective of the business tourism in the city of Porto. This research fills a gap in the literature relating to the practice of meeting industry. It represents the first attempt to elicit stakeholders opinions about important issues related to the development of business tourism in the city. The results of the study provide a more informed and systematic basis on which to develop the business tourism segment in Porto.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 323-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Reza Bahadori ◽  
Neda Torabi Farsani ◽  
Zahed Shafiei

Purpose Spiritual tourism is a niche tourism studied under cultural tourism. Religious events play an important role in attracting spiritual tourists. This paper aims to highlight the introduction of Yazd city (Iran) as a new spiritual tourism destination with emphasis on Shiite religious events and rituals. This research has the following three major purposes to assess the motivation of international tourists for participating in spiritual tours, examine the attitude of tourists towards spiritual tourism activities and investigate the effect on international tourists’ perceptions and views of spiritual tours organized in the Muharram and Ashura events. Design/methodology/approach This study was conducted in Yazd, Iran. Data for this study were collected through a questionnaire which was distributed in organized spiritual tours during the Muharram and Ashura events. A quantitative method was used and the data were analyzed using SPSS tools. Findings On the basis of the results of this study, it can be concluded that international tourists are interested in spiritual tourism activities and attractions in Yazd city, and spiritual tours can be a strategy against Islamophobia. Originality/value This research paper investigated the attitude of tourists to spiritual tourism activities and the effect on international tourists’ perceptions and views of spiritual tours organized in the Muharram and Ashura as the most important events in Shiite culture.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Devin Cahya Triansya ◽  
Beta Budisetyorini

 AbstractThe continuous rapidly growth of tourism sector with the tight competition in the field of tourismmakes not all tourist destinations in the world always experience an increase in the number of tourist visits each year. Banjarmasin City, dubbed the “Kota Seribu Sungai” or "City of Thousand Rivers" and is known as the Thousand Rivers tourist destination has experiencedfluctuate number of tourist arrivals and tend to decline. The fluctuate number of tourist arrivalssourced from tourist visiting decisions can be influenced by various factors, including tourism destination productsand image. This study aims to see the effects of tourism destination products consisting of physical products, people, packages, and programsalsothe image of tourism destinations consisting of cognitive image and affective image on tourists visiting decision to the city of Thousand River Banjarmasin. The data obtained were taken by questionnaire to 123 tourists by accidental sampling. The results of the research were analyzed using multiple linear regression with two equations, namely (I) The influence of tourism destination products on tourist visiting decision and (II) The impact of tourism destination image on tourist visiting decision. The resultsfound the positive influence of tourism destination products to thetourist visiting decision of 54.5% and the image of tourism destination on the tourist visiting decision of 53.4% and the rest of 45.5% and 46.6% influenced by other factors not examined. The results of the analysis also showed the effect of tourism destination products variable partially consisting of physical products, packages, and programs have an effect on the decision of tourists while people have no influence. As for the variable image of tourism destinations in partial consisting of cognitive image and affective image affect the decision of tourists visiting to Kota Seribu Sungai Banjarmasin. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-80
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Kozińska

The purpose of the article is to explore and describe the resources made available by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) during the COVID-19 pandemic and discuss their role in fostering knowledge and promoting awareness in society. The resources are examined using a conceptual model of website evaluation proposed by Li and Wang (2010), which has been adapted to be applicable to the organizational context of UNWTO. The findings show that the UNWTO website resources can be divided into two categories: resources related to the COVID-19 pandemic, e.g. information about existing special groups, and resources connected with the core mission of the UNWTO, e.g. important events from before the pandemic or the organization’s main goals. There are new interactive tools, developed specifically in relation to the pandemic, with relevant data for those involved or interested in the tourism sector. The resources are freely available, easily accessible, abundant, varied and highly informative. The UNWTO website is a gateway to knowledge, providing information about, reasons for and effects of relevant actions of the organization, e.g. raising awareness of the importance of both the pandemic problem but also tourism itself, securing considerable funding for the tourism sector by making world leaders aware of the facts and the importance of tourism, or promoting safe travel measures and encouraging actions aimed at accelerating the recovery of the tourism sector.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugues Seraphin

Purpose The purpose of this viewpoint paper is to discuss whether dark tourism can be developed around the sites of recent terrorist attacks in France. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a literature review of key terms: dark tourism; tourism; and terrorism. Findings The paper observes that dark tourism is not popular in France, and dark tourism activities are unlikely to develop anywhere nearer the places where the recent terrorist attacks happened. France remains rather conservative in some aspects related to death. Practical implications Recent events in France might challenge the leadership of the destination. The disturbing commonalities between tourism and terrorism make it difficult to figure out suitable recovery strategies that would contribute to enhancing the image of the destination without jeopardising the life of civilians. Originality/value This paper presents France as a politically unstable tourist destination. In general, this scenario is normally associated with less-developed countries or non-established tourist destinations.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
I Nengah Aristana ◽  
I Wayan Edi Arsawan ◽  
Ni Wayan Rustiarini

Purpose This research aims to test employee loyalty in the hotel industry, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study examines the relationship between leader support in building job satisfaction, trust and employee loyalty. Also, this research aims to test and explain the role of satisfaction and trust as mediator variables. Design/methodology/approach This research used a quantitative design by distributing questionnaires to 206 employees of the 97 hotels in Bali, Indonesia, particularly during pandemic Covid-19. The research data were then analyzed by using WarpPLS software. Findings The results revealed that leader support did not have a significant effect on loyalty. Satisfaction and trust act as double mediators in leaders’ support and loyalty relationships. Research limitations/implications Employees need leaders’ support to remain loyal to their organization in a slowdown situation due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its various challenges. Originality/value Research on the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on various sectors has been comprehensive. However, the research that invests in employee loyalty in the hospitality industry is still rare. This study analyzes the loyalty of hotel employees, particularly when the tourism sector is experiencing a slowdown. This study also examines the role of trust and satisfaction as mediating relationships between leaders’ support and loyalty, which have not been widely analyzed in previous studies.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shasha Wang ◽  
Arnold Japutra ◽  
Sebastián Molinillo

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test the influence of branded premiums or branded free gifts (e.g. a free of charge suitcase of a well-recognised brand) on tourism destination promotion. Specifically, the impact of brand name and price value of a branded premium on promoting a tourism destination was examined. Design/methodology/approach This research uses two experiment-based studies, applying a between-group experimental design. Findings The results revealed that appreciation leads to intention to visit the promoted destination when the branded promotion is offered. When a destination promotional offer contains a branded premium, consumers respond more favourably to the brand name of the premium than the price value of the premium. This finding applies to consumers’ responses to both the destination and the premium. Research limitations/implications This research adds to the body of knowledge on tourism destination promotion and the branding literature, specifically with promotional and branded premiums. Practical implications Mutual benefits can be obtained by both tourism destination marketers and premium marketers. Originality/value This research highlights the importance of branded premiums in tourism destination promotional offers. This research also shows the influence of the price value of a premium’s brand name in a tourism destination promotional offer.


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