Managing interactions in the tourism industry – a strategic tool for success

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Ajagunna ◽  
Ann P. Crick

Purpose – This conceptual paper aims to examine how the concept of host and guest interaction could help remedy the socio-economic impacts as created by tourism in Jamaica. The paper identifies that tourism development in Jamaica has created a range of negative social impacts, which include changes in attitude, aspirations and lifestyles of young people, who may come from poor backgrounds but are increasingly exposed to the consumerist lifestyles of wealthy visitors and the so-called role models in the society, “the Dons”. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach was employed as the focus for this study. The survey of residents, and tourists in Ocho Rios and Negril in Jamaica were primary sources of data for this paper. Findings – The tourism industry in Jamaica has seen a great diversification in recent years. The industry now ranges from conventional tourism (sun, sand, sea and sex) to cruise tourism, moderate community based tourism, heritage and cultural tourism, and more recently nature-tourism. However, social factors remain a deterrent. It is apparent that relying on the concept and principles of host and guest interaction presents a strategic option for success and if one is to understand the impact of tourism on the residents, the inter-action between the various elements in the system must be understood. Originality/value – The attitudes of Jamaicans are important in determining the level of host and guest interaction and the level of success in the industry. Attitude is the fulcrum from which quality service is delivered; as such, the people must be in tune with the industry at all levels in order to achieve a sustainable tourism industry.

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 467-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matvey S. Oborin ◽  
Irina Kozhushkina ◽  
Tatyana Gvarliani ◽  
Nikolay Ivanov

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the modern problems and the main trends of development of the health-improving tourism sector in the southern part of Russia and to identify significant factors in overcoming the complex challenges related to specific socio-economic conditions in the study area. Design/methodology/approach The material that served as the basis of the study comprises statistical data from the Southern Federal District and its subjects, as well as data about the development of tourism infrastructure on the official websites of governments, Ministry of Tourism and the population of the Southern Federal District. This information was systematized from a number of perspectives, including identification of the chronology of health-improving tourism infrastructure development in the chosen territory, as well as the advantages and disadvantages in this area. Based on the results of the study, the authors also developed some recommendations to overcome existing inactive trends in the field of health tourism. Findings This paper sheds light on the understanding of the challenges and changes that took place in the resort agglomerations of the south of Russia in terms of current issues and those that must be addressed in the coming years. It was concluded that health tourism in the south of Russia has old traditions based on the natural resource potential of territories that are included in the composition of the Southern Federal District. At the same time, the authors came to the conclusion that, unfortunately, not resort agglomerations are fully utilized. Furthermore, some historic resorts were not well maintained by local authorities and have suffered more recently because of lack of investment. At present, the financial results of health resorts and others related to health-improving tourism are precarious as most operations are unprofitable, and so complex decisions are needed to address the underlying problem of resource optimization because of the important social and economic role of the cities in this region. They have special natural and resource potential and preserve traditions related to health-improving tourism. Research limitations/implications The paper provides a conceptual analysis based on limited empirical data combined with some directions for further research. Originality/value The paper attempts to reveal the impact of social, economic and geopolitical factors, both negative and positive, on the development of the health-improving tourism segment, restructuring of the Russian tourism market and the emergence of promising opportunities and new directions for development. The findings also provide insights for practitioners and researchers, and the tourism industry can draw on this analysis to guide the development of strategy, increase investment attractiveness, make more effective use of the natural resource potential and maintain pressure on government partners to provide support to tourism.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 350-368
Author(s):  
Tirivavi Moyo ◽  
Gerrit Crafford ◽  
Fidelis Emuze

PurposeWhile operational factors reduce construction workers' productivity in Zimbabwe, the impact of the people-centred management aspects has not been empirically interrogated as a remedy. This article reports on a study that sought to determine significant people-centred management aspects that lead to improved labour productivity and assesses the existence of statistically significant differences due to the demographic variables of respondents. Demographic-specific strategies that enhance construction “workers” productivity were revealed.Design/methodology/approachThe survey research design using a self-administered questionnaire was deployed to collect the primary data. The design followed a positivist paradigm to evaluate objectively how people-centred management affects construction workers' productivity. The statistical data were descriptively and inferentially analysed.FindingsPeople-centred management was determined to be significant in improving construction workers' productivity, with the most significant aspect being the building of employee confidence in related approaches. Designations and educational levels mostly indicated a statistically significant difference in several aspects that included the adoption of a functional reward culture for workers and training on people-centred principles. Training on-site management and construction workers in people-centred management and its application are crucial to improving construction workers' productivity.Research limitations/implicationsConstruction companies should drastically improve their concern for people while they sustain a high concern for production within their construction sites. Although several factors affect construction workers' productivity, this study determined that management-related factors and people-centred management were significant towards influencing low productivity in Zimbabwe.Originality/valueThe study determined people-centred management and demographic-specific interventions as being able to improve construction workers' productivity in Zimbabwe.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-28
Author(s):  
John Githii

Purpose: Among all segments in the economy, tourism is one of the main sectors which impact the economy as many governments impose travel restrictions, travel bans, shutting down airports, and mass passenger cancellations The pandemic has forced people to use their retirement funds early as they needed to make a living. The general objective of the study was to examine effect of Covid 19 on the performance of tourism industry. Methodology: The paper used a desk study review methodology where relevant empirical literature was reviewed to identify main themes and to extract knowledge gaps. Findings: The study concluded that the Coronavirus puts a furrow on the tourism industry. Many domestic and international Airlines Companies are forced to cancel their flights from and to other countries due to insufficient tourist as the people are becoming panicked for the spread of this harmful virus. Revenues from the tourist industries has  got a bit lowered as no individuals are traveling to visit tourist destinations as all flights are being canceled . It has also showcased the ultimate harm it created on the economy of the country and the globe at the same time. It is being thought that the impact will continue for some more time and that is of much more concern in recent time Recommendations: The study recommends that tourism industry stakeholders should be ready for post-corona environment. There are different scenarios on when the industry will recover, what new challenges and standards will be imposed, who are more likely to travel which products and services will disappear and transform. Hence the stakeholders should be able to create different action plans for each scenario to be put into action after recovery. Destination image shall also be re-positioned based on safety, health and cleanliness. All stakeholders should also make sure they have a risk and crises management plan and a strong financial structure to improve their resilience in the future.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 412-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandr Gudkov ◽  
Elena Dedkova ◽  
Kristina Dudina

PurposeThis paper aims to discuss recent developments in the Russian tourism industry and the main reasons for new initiatives in local destination development.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on qualitative research methodology. A summary of key literature is presented alongside the analysis of the survey results.FindingsThis paper sheds light on the challenges and changes that took place in the Russian tourism business between 2014 and 2017. The subject is poorly covered in academic literature. The basic data for analysis presented in official statistics are scarce. Therefore a more effective way of obtaining relevant information was to conduct a survey using a semi-structured questionnaire, with tourism business actors as respondents.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper provides mostly conceptual analysis based on limited empirical data; directions for further empirical research are proposed in the conclusion.Originality/valueThe paper reveals something of the impact of economic and geopolitical factors, both negative and positive ones, on the restructuring of the Russian tourism market and the emergence of promising opportunities for the development of new domestic destinations. As a result, tourism market actors are able to become more diverse.


2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 489-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Mathias

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the courses in library service jointly developed and run by the University and the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth, between 1917 and 1928. Design/methodology/approach – An historical approach is adopted and use has been made of relevant extant primary sources held in the National Library, as well as various notices and reports of the courses published in the journals of the time. Findings – Strong similarities between the Summer Schools in Library Service of 100 years ago and the degree programmes currently offered via distance learning by the Department of Information Studies have been indicated. Research limitations/implications – Due to the nature of the research and the reliance on the survival of primary source material, it has not been possible to trace a complete set of Directors’ Reports, which would have offered greater insight into the content of the later Summer Schools as well as the people who attended these courses. Originality/value – The year 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the College of Librarianship Wales, (which has evolved into the Department of Information Studies at Aberystwyth University). However, the roots of this educational establishment can be traced back nearly 50 years earlier to the University’s Summer Schools in library service. This is a largely unexplored subject but represents the first step towards the establishment of the current Department of Information Studies.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kangning Wei ◽  
Kevin Crowston ◽  
U. Yeliz Eseryel

PurposeThis paper explores how task characteristics in terms of trigger type and task topic influence individual participation in community-based free/libre open source software (FLOSS) development by considering participation in individual tasks rather than entire projects.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative study was designed using choose tasks that were carried out via the email discourse on the developers' email fora in five FLOSS projects. Choice process episodes were selected as the unit of analysis and were coded for the task trigger and topic. The impact of these factors on participation (i.e. the numbers of participants and messages) was assessed by regression.FindingsThe results reveal differences in participation related to different task triggers and task topics. Further, the results suggest the mediating role of the number of participants in the relationships between task characteristics and the number of messages. The authors also speculate that project type serves as a boundary condition restricting the impacts of task characteristics on the number of participants and propose this relationship for future research.Research limitations/implicationsEmpirical support was provided to the important effects of different task characteristics on individual participation behaviors in FLOSS development tasks.Practical implicationsThe findings can help FLOSS participants understand participation patterns in different tasks and choose the types of tasks to attend to.Originality/valueThis research explores the impact of task characteristics on participation in FLOSS development at the task level, while prior research on participation in FLOSS development has focused mainly on factors at the individual and/or project levels.


2019 ◽  
Vol 122 (6) ◽  
pp. 1953-1967
Author(s):  
Mumtaz Ali Memon ◽  
Muhammad Zeeshan Mirza ◽  
Bibiana Lim ◽  
Waheed Ali Umrani ◽  
Mohamed Ayyub Hassan ◽  
...  

Purpose International students are considered as a huge and potentially lucrative segment for various products of the tourism industry in Malaysia. One of the tourism products is the local food they consume. The purpose of this paper is to investigate key factors that contribute to international students’ intention to consume Malay food. Drawing on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the present study examines the impact of attitude, subject norm and perceived behavioral control (PBC) on international students’ intention to consume Malay food. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approach using self-administered questionnaire was adopted. A total of 163 samples were collected from international students studying in five different Malaysian higher education institutions. A partial least squares structural equation modeling technique was used to test the hypothesized model. Findings The findings highlight that attitude, subject norms and PBC significantly motivate international students to consume local food. The subject norm toward consuming local food was revealed as the strongest predictor of international students’ intention to consume Malay food. Originality/value Although this is one of the early studies that uses the TPB in assessing the factors that influence international students’ intention to consume local food, this paper is driven by and aimed for practical consideration and thus making a significant contribution to practice. Specifically, the findings of the present study provide important implications for tourism industry practitioners to plan and implement initiatives that may promote local food among international students studying in Malaysian institutions.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajeesh Kumar N.V. ◽  
Arun M. ◽  
Baraneetharan E. ◽  
Stanly Jaya Prakash J. ◽  
Kanchana A. ◽  
...  

Purpose Many investigations are going on in monitoring, contact tracing, predicting and diagnosing the COVID-19 disease and many virologists are urgently seeking to create a vaccine as early as possible. Even though there is no specific treatment for the pandemic disease, the world is now struggling to control the spread by implementing the lockdown worldwide and giving awareness to the people to wear masks and use sanitizers. The new technologies, including the Internet of things (IoT), are gaining global attention towards the increasing technical support in health-care systems, particularly in predicting, detecting, preventing and monitoring of most of the infectious diseases. Similarly, it also helps in fighting against COVID-19 by monitoring, contract tracing and detecting the COVID-19 pandemic by connection with the IoT-based smart solutions. IoT is the interconnected Web of smart devices, sensors, actuators and data, which are collected in the raw form and transmitted through the internet. The purpose of this paper is to propose the concept to detect and monitor the asymptotic patients using IoT-based sensors. Design/methodology/approach In recent days, the surge of the COVID-19 contagion has infected all over the world and it has ruined our day-to-day life. The extraordinary eruption of this pandemic virus placed the World Health Organization (WHO) in a hazardous position. The impact of this contagious virus and scarcity among the people has forced the world to get into complete lockdown, as the number of laboratory-confirmed cases is increasing in millions all over the world as per the records of the government. Findings COVID-19 patients are either symptomatic or asymptotic. Symptomatic patients have symptoms such as fever, cough and difficulty in breathing. But patients are also asymptotic, which is very difficult to detect and monitor by isolating them. Originality/value Asymptotic patients are very hazardous because without knowing that they are infected, they might spread the infection to others, also asymptotic patients might be having very serious lung damage. So, earlier prediction and monitoring of asymptotic patients are mandatory to save their life and prevent them from spreading.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 248-255
Author(s):  
Brandon L. Gray ◽  
Samuel Gaster ◽  
Christina Early ◽  
Amanda Reed

Purpose Healthcare professionals work in high stress environments and may benefit from organizational efforts that enhance coping abilities. Community-based psychological first aid (CBPFA) is an evidence-informed program designed for building these skills and promoting resilience during stressful times. However, few studies have examined the effectiveness of CBPFA. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This study examined the effectiveness of CBPFA training in promoting occupational self-efficacy and intentions to use CBPFA among oncology care staff over time using a longitudinal design. Findings Participants reported increased occupational self-efficacy and intentions to use CBPFA skills after completing training. These factors remained stable at one-month follow-up. Research limitations/implications The implications of these results are limited by the lack of a control group in the study’s design, relatively homogenous sample and participant dropout. Originality/value Despite the study’s limitations, these results represent an initial step in empirically examining the impact of CBPFA trainings and providing evidence that CBPFA may be an effective preparedness and development program in high-stress healthcare settings.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 313-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen W. Litvin ◽  
Ronald E. Goldsmith ◽  
Bing Pan

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the impact electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) has had on the hospitality and tourism industry and discuss the changes that will affect its future. The paper’s touchpoint is the authors’ earlier paper (Litvin et al., 2008), which proposed that eWOM was to become a major influence as a conduit of travelers’ views and opinions. Design/methodology/approach The paper summarizes the arguments of the authors’ earlier paper, describing ways in which eWOM has evolved into the influential system it has become, with special emphasis on the growth of mobile media as a platform for eWOM dissemination. Findings The authors conclude that eWOM has fulfilled its promise to become a major influence on the hospitality and tourism industry and will continue to play an essential role in hospitality marketing for the foreseeable future. Practical implications The authors provide examples of successful media campaigns and propose strategies for hospitality and tourism businesses. Originality/value eWOM has emerged to become a highly influential element of modern marketing strategy. This look back at an early eWOM paper, with reflection on changes that have occurred and a view to the future, is of value as validation of an often cited article that set the stage for much subsequent hospitality research.


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