ILLUSTRATING THE PERCEPTION OF STUDENTS TOWARDS AUTONOMOUS SERVICE ROBOTS IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 385-406
Author(s):  
Nicola Wakelin-Theron
Keyword(s):  
Autonomous Robots ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Student Response ◽  
Service Robots ◽  
Data Generation ◽  
Hospitality Students ◽  
Economic Paradigm ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality ◽  
Autonomous Service

Research purpose – The purpose of the study was to explore the students’ perceptions towards autonomous service robots, using interviews and, in a novel manner, also their drawings, to generate data. The paper contributes to current knowledge claims around the Techno-Economic Paradigm by providing a greater understanding of, and student response to, autonomous service robots. Additional insights were gained on transformational skills set for tourism practitioners. Design/Methodology/Approach – A qualitative approach followed a participatory research design which was set in a public higher education institution. Undergraduate tourism and hospitality students who had previous exposure and engagement with robots were the purposive sample. The paper draws on the Techno-Economic Paradigm to illuminate how, according to students’ experiences and perceptions, autonomous robots interact in, and disrupt, the tourism industry. Findings – Four main drawings essentially expressed tourism and hospitality students’ perceptions of autonomous service robots in the tourism industry. Centrally there are opportunities for the absorption of robots in certain sectors of the tourism industry. Despite greater use of robots in service-driven industries like tourism, it remains challenging to establish the right balance between humans and robots, and up- and re-skilling transformation would be required of those working in the tourism industry and those studying towards a tourism qualification. This study advances that additional research is still required, including longitudinal studies on the effects of autonomous services in the tourism industry, as well as students’ perception on the use of robots, re-skilling as well as ethical risks to customers, the greater value to the economy and those working in the tourism industry. Originality of the research – The article contributes to the use of visual methodology as part of data generation, specifically how students’ perceptions regarding autonomous robots in the tourism industry were graphically distilled using this methodology.

Promoting awareness of sex trafficking in tourism and hospitality

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Aston ◽  
Jun Wen ◽  
Edmund Goh ◽  
Oswin Maurer
Keyword(s):  
Sex Trafficking ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Short Commentary ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality Industry ◽  
Current Knowledge Base ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality

Purpose This cutting-edge short commentary is intended to raise awareness of sex trafficking in the tourism and hospitality industry. The purpose of this paper is to also advocate for further research to identify and hopefully prevent sex trafficking in related settings. Design/methodology/approach This paper provides a descriptive overview of the current knowledge base on sex trafficking in tourism and hospitality. Based on gaps in the literature, future research agendas and directions are suggested. Findings Academic research on sex trafficking in tourism and hospitality remains limited. More scholarly attention is needed to this matter. The tourism industry is directly and indirectly associated with sex trafficking (e.g. hotel accommodations and direct consumption of sexual services, such as through sex tourism). Despite legislative efforts by international government agencies to eradicate sex trafficking, the problem remains pervasive. Broader practice- and research-based intervention efforts are needed. Originality/value This short commentary advocates for tourism and hospitality researchers to make practical and theoretical industry contributions that may help prevent sex trafficking.

scholarly journals Scuba Diving Experience and Sustainability: An Assessment of Online Travel Reviews

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 43-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peunjodi Naidoo ◽  
Prabha Ramseook-Munhurrun ◽  
Jing Li
Keyword(s):  
Text Analysis ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Scuba Diving ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Analysis Software ◽  
Unsupervised Analysis ◽  
Online Travel Reviews ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality ◽  
Online Travel

Scuba diving is a popular activity in small island destinations which is on the rise. However, it is particularly important to preserve the physical environment for small island developing states due to their unique biodiversity and fragile ecosystems. Scuba diving tourism in island destinations is provided mainly by dive operators who are responsible to deliver the scuba diving experience to tourists. However, despite the importance of sustainability for the tourism industry, it is unclear to which extent the marine environment or green issues are important for consumers. Studies are increasingly suggesting that sustainability is an important feature considered by consumers. However, information is sparse regarding the extent to which sustainability is a key component for customers when evaluating the scuba diving experience. In this study, 3109 text reviews from the Trip Advisor website across all 57 listed diving operators in Mauritius were selected for data analysis. Th e present study uses Leximancer, a text analysis software that conducts unsupervised analysis of natural language texts provided in an electronic format.The Gaze: Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Vol.9 2018 p.43-52

scholarly journals Eclectic Paradigm and the analysis of FDI in tourism in Nepal

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 69-82
Author(s):  
Sandeep Basnyat
Keyword(s):  
Host Country ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Policy Reforms ◽  
Local Service ◽  
The Third ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
Eclectic Paradigm ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality ◽  
Internalization Advantages ◽  
Theory Paradigm

This paper analyzes the factors that determine the inflows of FDI in tourism sector of Nepal using Eclectic Theory (Paradigm) propounded by John Dunning. It was observed that the first and second conditions (ownership specific advantages and internalization advantages) are firm specific determinants of FDI, whereas, the third is location-specific and, therefore, has a crucial influence on the host country Nepal’s inflows of FDI in tourism. It was further observed that the development impact of FDI on the tourism industry of Nepal may be determined by various combinations of three main important factors – policy environment, including policy reforms that trigger further inflows of FDI; the level of development (and maturity) of the tourism industry; and, the geography of Nepal. The paper suggests that MNC’s can help Nepal by, among other things, diversifying the supply of tourism products and improving the local service standards.The Gaze: Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Vol.5 2013 pp.69-82

scholarly journals Transport Choices and Tourism Destination Competitiveness: The Case of Zimbabwe

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shepherd Nyaruwata ◽  
Douglas Runyowa
Keyword(s):  
Road Transport ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Tourist Destination ◽  
The Road ◽  
Visitor Perceptions ◽  
The Government ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality Industry ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality ◽  
International Airlines

The tourism industry in Zimbabwe has experienced fluctuating trends in its growth since the dawn of the new millennium. The Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry undertook a visitor exit survey in 2015/2016 period. The purpose of the study was to gather visitors’ views on Zimbabwe as a tourist destination in order to guide policy formulation on the sector. One of the objectives of the survey was to assess the visitor perceptions of Zimbabwe as a competitive tourist destination. Questionnaires were administered to departing visitors at the country’s three international airports and seven border posts during the period July 2015 until June 2016. The results of the survey indicated that 77% of visitors use road transport to enter into the country. The survey also showed that 18% of visitors to the country travelled by air. It is recommended that that the government accelerates the implementation of the open skies policy so as to attract more direct international airlines to fly into the country. It is also recommended that the government undertakes massive improvement of the road infrastructure in the country so as to encourage the geographical distribution of tourists within the country. It is finally recommended that the private sector and the national tourist organization, Zimbabwe Tourist Authority (ZTA) engage international tour operators and persuade them to develop and promote fly-drive tour packages to the country.

scholarly journals Global Perspective in Tourism Development

2015 ◽  
pp. 406-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quee-Ling Leong ◽  
Shahrim Karim
Keyword(s):  
Multivariate Statistics ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Tourism Development ◽  
Demographic Factors ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Effect Of Food ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality Industry ◽  
Socio Demographic Factors ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality

Malaysia offers a rich potpourri of delicious cuisines from diverse ethnicity. However, not much attention given to promote Malaysian food and the food seems to be ignored in the tourism industry. Furthermore, the concept of utilizing Malaysian food as a marketing means is tenuous. In this chapter, the image dimensions of Malaysian food and the effect of food images on tourists' satisfaction are discussed. Additionally, the influence of socio-demographic factors on tourists' perceived image is deliberated. Univariate and multivariate statistics are used to describe the obtained findings. The results of the study will significantly fill in the gap in the literature about Malaysian food's image and the potential of Malaysia being promoted as a food destination. Additionally, the results would indisputably provide better insight to the tourism and hospitality industry on the perceptions of international tourists towards Malaysian food and Malaysia as a food tourism destination.

scholarly journals Soft Skills for Sustainable Development in Tourism: The Bulgarian Experience

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teodora Kiryakova-Dineva ◽  
Vyara Kyurova ◽  
Yana Chankova
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Skills Acquisition ◽  
Hospitality Education ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality Industry ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality

The aim of this paper is to discuss the soft skills acquisition in the tourism industry as a means of education for sustainable development. A quantitative research approach has been applied in order to investigate the soft skills needed for tourism. The analysis is based on interviews carried out with representatives of the Bulgarian regional Chamber of Commerce and representatives of the Bulgarian hotel and restaurant industry. Additionally, a case study involving three groups of respondents, i.e. Learners, Educators and Representatives of business and Employers in the tourism and hospitality industry in Bulgaria was conducted based on a combined list of soft skills. Whereas some hard skills are traditionally taught at the educational institutions, soft skills, here identified as Core soft skills, Specific soft skills and Managerial soft skills, often remain beyond the educators’ aims. Thus, the study provides some useful insights into the contemporary practice of tourism and hospitality education, on the one hand, and into the paradigm of education for sustainable development, on the other. Keywords: Soft Skills, Tourism, Business, Hospitality, Education, Sustainability, Bulgaria

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