scholarly journals Inciting tourist accommodation managers to make their establishments accessible to people with disabilities

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginie Capitaine
Keyword(s):  
Economic Value ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Market Potential ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
The Disabled ◽  
Hotel Managers ◽  
Tourist Accommodation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on the research carried out in Québec as part of a master’s degree for the IÉSEG School of Management on behalf of Kéroul, an organization whose mission is to make tourism and culture accessible to people with disabilities. Established over 30 years ago and active largely in Québec, Kéroul has observed a lingering reluctance on the part of tourism industry operators to meeting the needs of disabled visitors. In the research, we set out to answer the following question: how can Kéroul encourage tourism establishments to develop accessibility? In light of the hotel industry’s key role in tourism, exploratory research was conducted with 30 Québec hotel managers through extensive individual interviews. Design/methodology/approach The exploratory research took the form of in-depth interviews with hotel managers. The sample was selected after conferring with Kéroul and a Québec hotel association. As a first step, a jointly written letter was sent to managers who were association members, inviting them to be interviewed. Findings Some respondents showed an interest in accessibility, seen as a means of attracting group bookings; others confirmed that accessible rooms rented well to guests from all categories. Nonetheless, most were skeptical about the economic value of the disabled market. They were also poorly informed about this type of clientele, the concept of accessibility and the facilities “barrier-free” tourism requires. Originality/value Until now, the literature on accessible tourism has generally accentuated the needs of disabled consumers and analyzed their behavior with regard to tourism. Arguments to demonstrate the market potential of tourists with disabilities have ensued. The need to meet this demand was expressed while highlighting the low degree of consideration given to the disabled market by tourism professionals at present. However, few publications treat accessibility as a viable business opportunity. The study reveals the concerns and views of tourism industry professionals vis-à-vis accessibility and is all the more relevant, given the current context in Québec.

Two decades of evolution in tourism competitiveness: a co-word analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda de Paula Aguiar-Barbosa ◽  
Adriana Fumi Chim-Miki ◽  
Metin Kozak
Keyword(s):  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Social Aspect ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consensus Analysis ◽  
The Social ◽  
New Models ◽  
Social Side ◽  
Integrative Concept

PurposeThe objective of this study was to analyze the evolution of tourism competitiveness over the years, ascertaining the state of the art and the degree of consensus among scholars on its constituent elements to propose an integrative and updated concept.Design/methodology/approachA set of 130 definitions on tourism competitiveness formulated between 1999–2018 was analyzed and segmented into three periods, allowing its historical evolution to be ascertained. It is a qualitative and quantitative exploratory research that uses a combination of techniques, namely, content analysis, analysis of co-words and consensus analysis.FindingsThe results indicated a low use of elements such as the quality of life and the environment in the authors' definitions during 1999–2018, although these elements were present in the first concept of tourism competitiveness by Crouch and Ritchie (1999, 2003). Another finding of this study shows a reduction in the analysis of tourism competitiveness based on the supply and demand side. Nowadays, the research tends to turn on the basis of the population directly affected. It also reveals the enrichment of the theoretical corpus with new lines of research arising and new groups of scholars of the subject, consequently a new frontier in tourism competitiveness.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors recommend deepening the analysis in each category of conceptual elements of tourism competitiveness to identify the origins of the low consensus. The authors also suggest conducting further research on the largest invisible schools of thought on this subject to understand their relations and perspectives, and thus to advance in the theoretical streams of the field. Finally, it is imperative to develop research on new models and monitors of tourism competitiveness that meet its renewed concept and integrate dimensions to consider the perspective of supply, demand, tourists and residents, as well as not excluding the economic bias but including the social side.Practical implicationsOwing to the fact that monitors of tourism competitiveness have practically no variables related to the social, most of the surveys are carried out from the supply or demand perspective, leaving the resident distant from the process. In this way, the results allow authors to indicate that new models of competitiveness measurement should be formulated based on the vision of the community impacted by tourism, i.e. a new version of tourism competitiveness not based on productivity but rather on the social aspect.Originality/valueThe findings of this study contribute to the field literature by offering an integrative concept of tourism competitiveness based on the elements with a higher level of consensus among researchers. Furthermore, the results accentuate a worrying fact regarding the operationalization of this concept, as the theoretical basis is not expressed in the monitors of competitiveness. Thus, nor it is possible in the management of the tourism industry.

scholarly journals Social desirability and cynicism biases in CSR surveys: an empirical study of hotels

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 567-588
Author(s):  
Henri Kuokkanen ◽  
William Sun
Keyword(s):  
Response Bias ◽  
Social Desirability ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Choice Model ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Hotel Managers

PurposePrevious studies support the notion that corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives can have a positive effect on customers in the hospitality and tourism industry. However, most of these studies have ignored response biases and none have incorporated them into their analyses numerically. This study aims at closing this research gap.Design/methodology/approachThe authors utilized a hybrid choice model to test for the hypothesized effects of social desirability (SD) and cynicism biases on reported purchase intention. The authors further compared the results with those of analyses that ignore these biases to demonstrate their distorting influence.FindingsThe results indicate that SD and cynicism biases have a moderating effect on reported purchase intention. Older generations and frequent travelers seem particularly prone to bias, and the biases have a distorting effect on the overall survey results.Research limitations/implicationsTraditional analyses that exclude biases, incorrectly, suggest several aspects of CSR that are significant (or insignificant) to purchase intention, provide unreliable results. The authors did not generalize bias-prone respondent segments but urge future research to investigate this.Practical implicationsHotel managers aspiring to gain competitive advantage through CSR investment must consider biases in their market research. Otherwise, they risk developing CSR initiatives that do not instigate positive customer behaviors, leading to the failure of the investment.Originality/valueThe authors quantified SD and cynicism as significant causes of response bias, which distorts survey results. Previous studies have conceptualized SD without quantifying its impact, while cynicism has been identified as a novel source of bias in the industry. This study further introduces hybrid choice modeling as a novel approach to address response bias that could extend itself beyond the industry studied here.

Dimensions of wine hotel experiences shared online

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Brochado ◽  
Mike Troilo ◽  
Helena Rodrigues ◽  
Fernando Oliveira-Brochado
Keyword(s):  
Market Segmentation ◽  
Food Service ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wine Tourism ◽  
Tourism Experience ◽  
Hotel Managers ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Present Understanding

Purpose The purpose of this study sought to identify the main themes linked with wine hotel experiences, based on tourists’ narratives shared online, and to investigate whether these narratives vary according to traveler type. Design/methodology/approach Content analysis was carried out on 4,114 online reviews of 52 wine hotels located in 27 wine regions across 11 nations in both the Old and New World. Findings The analysis of these web reviews revealed that narratives can be grouped under 11 themes organized into 7 main dimensions as follows: wine, lodging (i.e. hotel, area and room), food service (i.e. restaurant and breakfast), scenery (i.e. views and vineyards), staff, transportation and recommendation. The main narratives vary according to traveler type. Practical implications Improving the present understanding of wine tourists’ experiences should help wine hotel managers find new approaches to enhancing visitors’ satisfaction. As the dimensions of wine tourism experiences shared online vary according to traveler type, wine managers can design their offer to target families, couples, friends, solo and corporate clients. Originality/value Prior research has identified the need for market segmentation in the wine tourism industry. This research addresses this need by specifying the wine tourism experience according to traveler type. The breadth of the data, and the method of using travelers’ own testimony as opposed to more common surveying are additional contributions for both academics and managers.

How hotel responses to online reviews differ by hotel rating: an exploratory study

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 242-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
HyeRyeon Lee ◽  
Shane C. Blum
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Rating System ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Star Rating ◽  
Hotel Managers ◽  
Online Reputation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how hotels respond to online reviews on a third-party Web site (such as TripAdvisor) based on the hotel’s star rating. Design/methodology/approach – Content analysis was used to compare responses to online hotel reviews at five different levels of hotel based on a star-rating system ranging from one star to five stars. Findings – Most hotel managers’ response rates were low, and they paid the most attention to positive comments. Managers at four- and five-star hotels more often responded to negative online reviews. Guest service manager was the most common job title of managers who responded to guests’ reviews. Research limitations/implications – This paper is limited to an analysis of ten hotels, two for each of the five-star ratings. More hotel cases with long-term data collection involving the use of the star-rating system may provide more insights on this discussion. Practical implications – The exploratory study sought to identify strategies for managing online reviews in the lodging industry. Hotel managers should respond to negative online reviews with appreciation, apology and an explanation of what went wrong. Moreover, hotels may need a designated person to observe and respond to guest comments on their Web sites and third-party Web sites. A designated person is also needed to monitor online comments and communicate with guests to better manage the hotel’s online reputation. Originality/value – As an exploratory research project, this paper expands the understanding of hotel managers’ responses to their guests’ online reviews in an attempt to identify best practices for the industry.

scholarly journals Assessing the value and market attractiveness of the accessible tourism industry in Europe: a focus on major travel and leisure companies

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 203-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Bowtell
Keyword(s):  
Market Value ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Market Potential ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Managerial Perceptions ◽  
Historic Data ◽  
Managerial Positions ◽  
Disabled Tourists ◽  
Leisure Industry

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the accessible tourism market potential, alongside the implications of operating in the accessible tourism market and an assessment of major travel and leisure company involvement. The research focused on providing a market value forecast using historic data from 2005 and extrapolating this to 2025. An examination of the reasons for and against major travel and leisure company involvement in the accessible tourism market was accompanied by an analysis of managerial perceptions. Design/methodology/approach The exploration of travel patterns of disabled tourists, in particular spend per head per holiday, was used to measure the value of the demand side of accessible tourism. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with employees of major travel and leisure companies in managerial positions. Findings The study indicates that the accessible tourism market is a distinct sector, possessing the capacity for extensive future growth, and thus presents major travel providers with a potentially substantial and lucrative market, generating potential revenues of €88.6 billion by 2025. Research limitations/implications Due to a lack of existing data an assumption had to be made on the evolution of travel spend per head per holiday. However, the formula used, using GDP/Capita growth, is a recognised way of forecasting this kind of data in the travel and leisure industry. Originality/value This is the first paper to provide an examination of the reasons for and against major travel and leisure company involvement in the accessible tourism market, as well providing a forecast of the market value up to 2025.

scholarly journals The Accessibility of People with Disabilities to the Tourism Activities in Batu City

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Ucca Arawindha ◽  
Titi Fitrianita
Keyword(s):  
Urban Planning ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Local Regulation ◽  
Depth Interview ◽  
The Disabled ◽  
City District

This study aims at identifying the accessibility of people with disabilities to the tourism activities in Batu City. Batu is a city whose tourism industry develops so rapidly that it is called A Tourism City. Despite its multiple artificial and natural tourist sites, Batu City does not provide the accessible infrastructure for people with disabilities. According to the Local Regulation Number 7 Year 2011 about The Urban Planning of Batu City Year 2010-2030, the regulation about the disabled-friendly infrastructure is still minimum. It is only stated in Chapter 10 Section (4) m, explaining that the pedestrian lane is equipped with the walking lane for people with disabilities. However, if we refer to the Local Regulation of East Java Province Number 3 Year 2013 about Security and Service for People with Disabilities, every city/district is obliged to provide the accessible infrastructure for people with disabilities, including the accessible infrastructure in the tourist site. The accessibility is not limited to the walking lane for people with disabilities included in the Local Regulation of Batu City, but it also covers the toilet, parking area, hotel/inn, transportation, and etcetera. Consequently, this study is necessarily carried out due to the fact that the number of people with disabilities in Indonesia is quite many, as many as 37.5 million people (Wirawan, 2015). This study employs the Mix Methods. It is a survey method strengthened by the descriptive qualitative study. The data are obtained by using questionnaire, in-depth interview, observation, and document study. The finding of this study is expected to be able to give an overview about the readiness of Batu City as a Tourism City that is disabled-friendly, thus, it can be used as a basis of fair policy making for all citizens as well as to eradicate the discrimination, particularly in the tourism activities.

scholarly journals Marketing of environmentally friendly hotels in China through religious segmentation: a theory of planned behaviour approach

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Wang ◽  
Philip Pong Weng Wong
Keyword(s):  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Environmentally Friendly ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Incentive Variable ◽  
Hotel Managers ◽  
Selection Of

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between religiosity, green purchase attitude (GPA), subjective norm (SN), perceived behavioural control (PBC) and green purchase intention (GPI) towards the selection of environmentally friendly hotel. The current study argues that consumers’ incentive variable, namely, religiosity, can influence consumers’ environmentally friendly hotel selection. Design/methodology/approach This study had successfully gathered 404 completed questionnaire sets through online surveys. All survey data were subjected to descriptive analysis and analysis of variance using SPSS. Besides that, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were performed for the testing of hypotheses. Findings The results suggest that religiosity significantly and positively influences GPA, SN, PBC and GPI. Furthermore, GPA and PBC positively and significantly influence GPI. The SN also displays significant positive influence on GPA, while GPA plays a full mediation role between SN and GPI. In addition, statistically significant differences in religiosity, SN and PBC were obtained between religious affiliations of consumers towards environmentally friendly hotel selection. Originality/value This study extended the existing knowledge based on the selection of environmentally friendly hotels among religious consumers in the tourism literature. Besides that, these empirical findings would greatly benefit hotel managers and other key stakeholders in the tourism industry.

Envisioning the future of technology integration for accessible hospitality and tourism

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Tlili ◽  
Fahriye Altinay ◽  
Zehra Altinay ◽  
Ye Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Bibliometric Analysis ◽  
Emerging Technologies ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Future ◽  
Hospitality And Tourism ◽  
Tourism Services ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to examine a topic of growing significance to hospitality and tourism scholars and practitioners – how emerging technologies can fulfill accessible hospitality and tourism services for people with disabilities. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review of the literature based on the Web of Science database and qualitative research were conducted. Specifically, bibliometric analysis and thematic analyzes of expert interviews were used. The obtained views from experts in the field further validated and enriched the obtained findings. Findings The primary topics of exploration in existing literature were identified, such as social networks and data-empowered services. The potential areas of further advances are also revealed such as the need for cross-country collaborations and potential gaps between scholarly and practitioner interest in the topic. Research limitations/implications This research is limited by the scope of adopted search keywords and databases. Practical implications This study offers vital practical implications for the future integration of emerging technologies to fulfill accessible hospitality and tourism. It also demonstrates the pressing need for more interconnected global collaborations for this important initiative. Social implications This study emphasizes how the hospitality and tourism industry could better leverage technological power to empower people with disabilities. It also points out the importance of an inclusive process for technology implementation for accessible hospitality and tourism services to fully represent the interests of disabled customers (including the consideration of their different backgrounds). Originality/value This study sheds light on the future research directions of technological empowerment of accessible hospitality/tourism. It also makes methodological contributions by demonstrating what bibliometric analysis has to offer to relevant fields of studies. The solicited views of experts in the field from different countries on the topic further add to the depth and value of the findings while demonstrating the combination of these two approaches as a promising mixed-methods route to produce richer and more robust findings.

The voice of tourists with mobility disabilities: insights from online customer complaint websites

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 451-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Song Ee Kim ◽  
Xinran Y. Lehto
Keyword(s):  
Critical Incident ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Complaints ◽  
Customer Complaint ◽  
Hospitality And Tourism Industry

PurposeWhile the topical areas of service failure and complaints have been systematically investigated for the general traveling public, service failure issues for disabled tourists have been widely ignored. This exploratory study attempts to provide some insights into this phenomenon by analyzing disabled travelers' complaints reported through online customer complaint websites.Design/methodology/approachA total of 316 customer complaints were collected and analyzed utilizing a modified procedure of the Critical Incident Technique (CIT). Differences in service failure dimensions in industry sector and recovery type were investigated through the correspondence analysis.FindingsCritical incidents of disabled travelers were classified into three dimensions of service failures including service delivery failure, unfulfilled special requests, and unsolicited employee conduct. Significant relationships in service failure dimensions were identified in the industry sectors and types of recovery.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of this study are unidentifiable demographic information and lack of necessary details, since this study is based on textual data collected from online complaint/review websites. For further research, more inclusive quantitative data could provide a more complete picture.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study could represent a valuable step toward assessing the current status of service failure provided by hospitality and tourism industry, and thus provide useful insights for practitioners to more effectively serve this market segment.Originality/valueThis study serves as exploratory research and contributes to a better understanding of the tourism experience of individuals with disabilities.

Exploring emotional traces in families’ recollection of experiences

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-45
Author(s):  
Amélie Clauzel ◽  
Nathalie Guichard ◽  
Coralie Damay
Keyword(s):  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Luxury Hotels ◽  
Emotional Dimension ◽  
The Family ◽  
The One ◽  
Hotel Managers

Purpose From experiences recollections, this study aims to explore the place of emotions in the souvenir’s step of the family consumption process of luxury hotels stays. Design/methodology/approach To explore the emotional dimension, this exploratory research is based on a triple qualitative approach (software, manual and a psychology-based approach). In total, 1,055 e-reviews, following a family stay in four- and five-star hotels, were collected. Findings The findings highlight an omnipresent emotional dimension in the recollections of experiences of consumers who have travelled with their families. These emotional traces differ according to the hotel’s positioning. Overall, positive emotions are much more prominent in the most luxurious hotels, while negative emotions are more related to the four-star hotels. Moreover, the four-star hotels reviews mainly associate emotions with the tangible aspects of the offer. Those in five-star hotels are more structured through intangible aspects. Research limitations/implications The study of family decision-making dynamic, with a focus on the role of each family member, is a first perspective. That of experiences recollections apart from the digital approach is also to be considered. Practical implications On the one hand, the objective is to extend the literature about the role of emotions in a service consumption process, and especially in a family context, trying to understand the post-purchase step of these customers. On the other hand, it is interesting for hotel managers to identify to which aspects of the offer (e.g. comfort, room, catering, decoration) the emotional traces that have remained in the customers’ memory are associated. Originality/value This study considers the family unit in a new way, that of its emotional memories’ traces of luxury hotels experiences. The post-consumer stage of the purchase process based on many spontaneous online reviews analysis is investigated.

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