Sustainable tourism consumer: socio-demographic, psychographic and behavioral characteristics

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asli D.A. Tasci ◽  
Alan Fyall ◽  
Kyle Maurice Woosnam
Keyword(s):  
Least Squares ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Sustainable Tourism ◽  
Social Sustainability ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Behavioral Characteristics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainability Practices ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality Industry ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality

Purpose This study aims to uncover socio-demographic, psychographic and behavioral characteristics of sustainable consumers as a means to advance the demand for sustainability practices by the tourism and hospitality industry. Socio-demographic and psychographic variables were tested for their influence on an individual’s self-assessment as a sustainable consumer, which was then tested for its influence on behavioral outcomes in the form of environmental and social sustainability concerns, objects of sustainability concerns, subjects considered responsible for sustainability and tourism choice vis-à-vis mass vs alternative forms of tourism. Design/methodology/approach Because of the paucity of a well-established and robust theory on the characteristics of sustainable consumers, both content analysis of the literature and quantitative analysis of survey data were used to identify the socio-demographic, psychographic and behavioral characteristics of consumers. Plausible variables identified in the literature were filtered through principal component analysis and ordinary least squares regression analysis to fine-tune the variables a priori to develop a suitable model, which was subjected to partial least squares-structural equation modeling to further trim variables a posteriori by testing their reliability and validity. Findings Understanding who sustainable consumers are and what they are likely to believe and do is imperative for increasing sustainable practices by the industry. The study shows that people who consider themselves to be sustainable consumers are likely to have higher levels of ethical views, be more feminine and more liberal in personality, demonstrate concern with environmental and social sustainability issues, consider all pertinent parties responsible for sustainability and chose alternative forms of tourism over mass tourism. The study implies that general American consumers have the potential to buy into sustainability practices. Originality/value Despite researchers’ sporadic attempts to describe different characteristics of sustainable consumers and sustainable tourism consumers, past research has not substantiated a comprehensive description of who is a sustainable consumer in terms of socio-demographics, psychographics and behavioral characteristics. The literature on sustainable consumer characteristics is scarce and atheoretical; thus, the current study sets the stage for the development of this area of work across all sectors of the global tourism and hospitality industry. The model test results provide a clear profile of sustainable tourism consumers in socio-demographic, psychographic and behavioral domains for the industry to respond to.

scholarly journals Conclusion: how to achieve tourism sustainability in Cyprus?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zanete Garanti ◽  
Galina Berjozkina
Keyword(s):  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Sustainable Tourism ◽  
Advanced Technology ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality Industry ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality ◽  
Sustainability Challenges

PurposeThis concluding paper aims to summarise the main points and outcomes related to the theme issue question what are the challenges and opportunities for sustainable tourism development in Cyprus?Design/methodology/approachThis paper draws on the findings of the theme issue articles summarising key points on how sustainability can be achieved in different tourism and hospitality industry areas in Cyprus.FindingsThe overall findings highlight the challenges the tourism and hospitality industry face in Cyprus to implement sustainable tourism measures while significantly depending on the income industry generates. Articles in this thematic issue also explore the opportunities that stakeholders, support measures, education, advanced technology and rural thematic tourism activities can provide.Originality/valueThe articles in this issue address sustainability challenges and opportunities for a small island state Cyprus that heavily depends on sun and sea tourism activity. The articles in this theme issue provide academic and practical insight through thematic literature reviews, field visits, case studies, interactions and interviews with practitioners, residents and policymakers.

Respect: give it to get it! Does leadership complimented with respect can foster creativity?

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahnoor Hai ◽  
Shahid Latif ◽  
Ahmad Raza Bilal ◽  
Bilal Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Leadership Style ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Employee Creativity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transformational Leadership Style ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality Industry ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to advance the prevalent leadership–creativity perspective by examining respectful engagement as a missing link between transformational leadership and employees creativity in the tourism and hospitality industry of Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 288 supervisor–subordinate dyads of hotel and tourism industry in Pakistan. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique was used to validate the measurement model and to test the proposed hypotheses using SmartPLS 3.0.FindingsThe results suggest that transformational leadership and respectful engagement are significantly related and that respectful engagement fosters employee creativity. The study further confirmed that respectful engagement mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and employee creativity.Practical implicationsBesides theoretical contribution, the study has several managerial implications for the tourism and hospitality industry. Globally, in the tourism and hospitality industry, the service selling proposition is largely based on creativity. Hence, the study suggests the managers of tourism and hospitality industry should adopt a transformational leadership style to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage of creativity. The study further recommends the managers capitalize on their transformational leadership style to observe respectful engagement in the workplace, which in turn can encourage employees to behave creatively.Originality/valueTheoretically, this paper contributes to the existing body of knowledge in a couple of ways. Firstly, while several empirical studies have discussed the impact of transformational leadership on employee creativity, and various mediating models have also been tested in this regard, little effort has been made to study the links between transformational leadership and employee creativity despite existing awareness about the importance of respectful engagement for employee creativity. Thus, the current study examines employee creativity with the lens of transformational leadership and respectful engagement. Secondly, the study integrates the theories of transformational leadership, employee engagement and employee creativity.

Work Life Balance for Sustainable Tourism Development

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Deery ◽  
Leo Jago ◽  
Candice Harris ◽  
Janne Liburd
Keyword(s):  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Sustainable Tourism ◽  
Tourism Development ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Work Lives ◽  
Sustainable Tourism Development ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality Industry ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality

The tourism and hospitality industry is very much a ‘people industry’, which requires a stable and talented workforce as a fundamental component. However, there are some aspects of the industry that make it unattractive to potential employees. These aspects include the long and unsocial hours of work, the low pay and often stressful working environment (Deery and Jago, 2015: Karatepe, 2013). These aspects contribute to the industry’s reputation for not providing staff with an acceptable work-life balance. The question then becomes how the tourism and hospitality industry can contribute to a better balance and thus underpin the socio-cultural aspects of sustainability. This study examines the sustainability of the industry across three countries, Australia, the United Kingdom (UK) and New Zealand, by focusing on whether tourism employees in hospitality organisations consider they have a balance between their personal and work lives. Hospitality is chosen as the focus for this study since it plays a fundamentally important role in underpinning the viability of the broader tourism industry. Current practices are confronted by larger societal changes in the labour market, where lifelong careers within the same firm (or industry) are challenged by rapid employee turnover, demands for greater flexibility, new technologies, and alternative work schedules. We discuss how collaboration between industry, employees and wider community may help underpin sustainable tourism development.

Unraveling the fuzzy predictors of stress at work

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanaz Vatankhah ◽  
Mona Bouzari ◽  
Homayoun Pasha Safavi
Keyword(s):  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Fuzzy Theory ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Workplace Stressors ◽  
Mental Demand ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality Industry ◽  
Stress At Work ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality

Purpose This study aims to identify and rank the significant determinants of stress among tourism and hospitality employees. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-method approach is used to identify and rank workplace stressors. Particularly, the synthesis of relative literature and interview with the panel of experts resulted in the preliminary identification of workplace stressors. Underpinned by fuzzy theory, in addition, the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process is used to rank identified criteria and relative sub-criteria. Findings Results of three-wave investigation lead to an index comprising key components and weighted ranking of workplace stressors in the tourism and hospitality industry with job characteristics as the most important criteria and mental demand as the most salient sub-criteria influencing stress at work. Research limitations/implications The pattern of findings enhances the current knowledge regarding significant workplace stressors in the tourism and hospitality industry. Practical implications Compositional framework and the weight-based ranking of identified components may act as a source of strategic solution for managers to reduce and manage stress among employees. Originality/value Workplace stressors have attracted considerable research attention, however, no general consensus yet exists among scholars and practitioners conferring to the key composition and relative importance of workplace stressors.

scholarly journals COVID-19: potential effects on Chinese citizens’ lifestyle and travel

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Wen ◽  
Metin Kozak ◽  
Shaohua Yang ◽  
Fang Liu
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Travel Behaviour ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Consumption Patterns ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Future ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality Industry ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality ◽  
Chinese Travellers

Purpose The 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is projected to have adverse consequences on the global tourism and hospitality industry. This paper aims to examine how the outbreak may alter Chinese tourists’ lifestyle choices, travel behaviour and tourism preferences in the short and long term. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on the synthesis of news broadcasted by several media outlets to be supported by an overview of the related literature on tourism marketing, tourism management and tourist behaviour. The authors’ experiences investigating trends in tourism and hospitality at the local and international level have also contributed to the study. Findings This paper predicts that COVID-19 will likely affect Chinese travellers’ consumption patterns, such as the growing popularity of free and independent travel, luxury trips and health and wellness tourism. New forms of tourism including slow tourism and smart tourism may also drive future tourism activities. Such changes are likely to force businesses to reconsider their service designs and distribution channels. Research limitations/implications While Chinese and other potential visitors rethink how they travel, professionals, too, should reflect upon how to bring positive or negative changes to the tourism industry following this pandemic. Subsequent research should also consider how to mitigate the effects of similar public health crises in the future. Practical implications Recommendations for industry practitioners and policymakers focus on tailoring travel arrangements to tourists’ backgrounds. The suggestions may help to alleviate outbreak-related stress, offer travellers newly enriching experiences and partially mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on the tourism and hospitality industry. These recommendations can also apply more broadly to global tourist markets. Social implications The COVID-19 outbreak has already brought significant impacts to nearly every society and industry. Tourism scholars and practitioners should carefully consider this tragedy and how it may inform industry and social practices. This and other public health crises represent sterling opportunities to view the industry holistically in terms of its effects on the environment, climate and travellers themselves. Originality/value This paper presumably represents a frontier study, critically examining the possible impacts of COVID-19 on Chinese travellers’ consumption patterns and how the tourism and hospitality industry may respond to such changes in the future.

Reflections on the theme issue outcomes

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-402
Author(s):  
Marina Sheresheva ◽  
John Kopiski ◽  
Richard Teare
Keyword(s):  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Experience Economy ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Detailed Assessment ◽  
Hospitality And Tourism ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality Industry ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality

Purpose This study aims to profile the Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes (WHATT) issue “What are the main trends, challenges and success factors in the Russian hospitality and tourism market in the experience economy era?” with reference to the experiences of the theme editors, contributors from industry and academia and the theme issue outcomes. Design/methodology/approach This study uses structured questions to enable the theme editors to reflect on the rationale for their theme issue question, the starting point, the selection of the writing team and material and the editorial process. Findings This study provides a framework to facilitate discussion between all stakeholders in Russia’s tourism and hospitality industry; it identifies ways of improving competitiveness as a tourist destination and contributes to thinking about sustainable development. Practical implications Reports on dialogue between Russian academics and industry practitioners related to the challenges, opportunities and success factors that are important for the development of the tourism and hospitality industry in Russia. Originality/value This is the first detailed assessment of the opportunities and mechanisms for creating memorable tourist experiences in Russia. The theme issue also identifies the main problems relating to the development of tourism and hospitality, the implications for industry and the solutions needed to address them.

scholarly journals Clique and elite: inter-organizational knowledge sharing across five star hotels in the Saudi Arabian religious tourism and hospitality industry

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 1358-1378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inaam Altayeb Idrees ◽  
Ana Cristina Vasconcelos ◽  
David Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Saudi Arabian ◽  
Organizational Knowledge ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Religious Tourism ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality Industry ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to offer a theoretical and practical explanation for the nature and reasons for inter-organizational knowledge sharing across an informal clique of competing five-star hotels in the Saudi Arabian religious tourism and hospitality industry.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology is an adapted form of the grounded theory approach deploying a four-stage research design using qualitative interviews with key players in the industry to inform the analysis of the knowledge sharing approaches.FindingsThe findings illustrate the features of the knowledge sharing approaches across the five-star hotels studied. In particular, the findings highlight the existence of a cooperative-competitive tension in the relationships and knowledge sharing between the hotels. This illustrates the existence of a tacit strategy that cooperation can lead to long-term benefits for the competitor hotels.Originality/valueThe study is unique in its focus on the cooperative-competitive tension of five-star hotels in the Saudi Arabian religious tourism and hospitality industry and on this influence on the inter-organizational knowledge sharing across hotels within an oligopolistic market structure. The study also has value in using elements of oligopoly theory and of game theory, particularly, the prisoner’s dilemma, in explaining how inter-organizational knowledge sharing occurs within this market context.

scholarly journals Vulnerability to COVID-19 unemployment in the Portuguese tourism and hospitality industry

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Sofia Lopes ◽  
Ana Sargento ◽  
Pedro Carreira
Keyword(s):  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Economic Downturns ◽  
New Type ◽  
Tourism Activity ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality Industry ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality

Purpose This paper aims to address the immediate effects of the COVID-19 crisis in the Portuguese tourism and hospitality industry by examining whether some specific characteristics make people more vulnerable or more immune to unemployment. Design/methodology/approach Using an extensive micro-level data set of personal and job-related attributes containing all unemployed individuals in the Portuguese tourism and hospitality industry, a logit model with 56,142 observations is estimated to assess how each characteristic contributed to the unemployment odds during the COVID-19 crisis (until the end-July 2020), relatively to the pre-COVID period. Findings The most vulnerable workers to COVID-19 unemployment seem to be older, less educated, less qualified, women and residents in regions with a higher concentration of people and tourism activity. Moreover, the COVID-19 crisis is generating a new type of unemployment by also affecting those who were never unemployed before, with more stable jobs and more motivated at work, while reducing voluntary disruptions. Practical implications Public effort should be made not only to increase workforce education but especially to reinforce job-specific skills. The COVID-19 crisis has broken traditional protective measures against unemployment and separated workers from their desired occupations, which justifies new and exceptional job preservation measures. Policy recommendations are given aiming at strengthening worker resilience and industry competitiveness in the most affected sub-sectors and regions. Originality/value This study extends the current understanding of worker vulnerability to economic downturns. Herein, this paper used a three-level approach (combining socio-demographic, work-related and regional factors), capturing the immediate effects of the COVID-19 crisis and focussing on the tourism and hospitality industry (the hardest-hit sector worldwide).

scholarly journals The circular economy, natural capital and resilience in tourism and hospitality

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 2544-2563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Jones ◽  
Martin George Wynn
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Development Planning ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality Industry ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality

Purpose This paper aims to review some of the academic literature on the circular economy, natural capital and resilience by tourism and hospitality scholars and to examine how a number of companies and industry bodies within the tourism and hospitality industry have used these concepts in their business operations and development plans. Design/methodology/approach The paper outlines the importance of sustainability to the tourism and hospitality industry and provides definitions of the concepts of the circular economy, natural capital and resilience. The paper reviews some of the academic literature on these concepts, explores how a number of companies and industry bodies within the tourism and hospitality industry have used them in their business and planning operations and identifies a number of future directions for academic research and managerial contributions. Findings The concepts illuminate a range of sustainability challenges and opportunities, and some companies use these concepts in their sustainability strategies and development planning. The current depth of theoretical understanding does not lend itself to management strategies, but one fruitful avenue is to explore how information systems can be better deployed to support these concepts and sustainability management in general. Originality/value The paper provides an accessible exploratory review of how academics and companies are focussing on the concepts of the circular economy, natural capital and resilience in the tourism and hospitality industry. As such, it will be of interest to academics, students and practitioners interested in the hospitality industry.

High performance work systems in the tourism and hospitality industry: a critical review

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 2365-2395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Panagiotis V. Kloutsiniotis ◽  
Dimitrios M. Mihail
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Black Box ◽  
Actual Process ◽  
Work Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Performance Work Systems ◽  
Hospitality Sector ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality Industry ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality

Purpose This study aims to provide an up-to-date theoretically based qualitative review regarding the “high-performance work systems” (HPWS) approach in the area of the tourism and hospitality management. The aim is to classify the so-far studies between those that examine the general “black-box” issue and those that investigate the actual process of the “black-box.” Finally, this study identifies the “gaps” in the literature and provides avenues for further research. Design/methodology/approach This review is based on a systematic critical analysis of the HPWS research that has been conducted explicitly on the tourism and hospitality industry during the years 2004-2019 (N = 28), published in core HRM and management journals. Findings This study identifies a significant gap in the progress of the HPWS research in the tourism and hospitality sector, contrary to the so-far research in the generic human resource management (HRM) literature. Hence, recommendations and suggestions are provided for advancing the HPWS research in the particular sector, including the need for more advanced conceptual and statistical models by focusing specifically on the process of the “black-box.” Practical implications The present review contributes considerably to the HPWS research in the tourism and hospitality sector and recommends avenues for further research in enhancing the overall HPWS literature. Originality/value This is the first study that reviews the HPWS literature in the tourism and hospitality sector, in an effort to reconcile the differences between the present sector and the generic HRM literature.

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