Hotel Booking Website Quality, Travel Agent Satisfaction and Purchase Intention

Website quality is one of the features that organisations increasingly use to maintain a competitive advantage. In the hospitality sector in particular, the growing use of a website as a sales channel has necessitated that hotel distribution companies understand the influence of website quality on their customers’ purchase behaviour. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of Business-to-Business (B2B) third-party hotel booking website quality features on travel agents’ satisfaction, and their subsequent purchase intention. Quantitative data was collected from South African travel agents using an online survey. Three website quality dimensions namely ease of use, information quality and visual appearance, as well as customer satisfaction and purchase intention were measured. Results indicate that there is a positive relationship between website quality and customer satisfaction, and between customer satisfaction and purchase intention. Information quality appears to have the strongest relationship with customer satisfaction. Regression analyses revealed that the relationship between website quality and purchase intention is mediated by customer satisfaction. The study makes a predominantly empirical contribution as there does not appear to be a similar study conducted within an African context. From a practical contribution perspective, the findings may assist third-party hotel distribution companies with meeting the demands of travel agents, and thereby improve their overall business performance.

Revisiting the Relationship Between Tourism and Crime Based on a Dynamic Spatial Durbin Model

To determine the extent to which tourism development affects crime rate, this study uses a dynamic spatial Durbin model (DSDM) to examine the spatial effect of tourism on crime. Based on a panel data set of 21 cities in Sichuan Province, China, over the 2008 to 2018 period, and after controlling for the interactive effect, the results reveal that tourism exerts a significantly negative impact on crime. This implies that tourism development can reduce crime. Moreover, tourism has a negative spatial spillover effect; thus, increased tourist arrivals decrease crime in neighboring cities. Per capita GDP, wages, unemployment, population density, hotels, scenic spots, and travel agents generate various direct and spillover effects. Finally, we provide policy suggestions.

Entrepreneurial resilience and business continuity in the tourism and hospitality industry: the role of adaptive performance and institutional orientation

Purpose This study aims to explore the dynamics of resilience in tourism and hospitality enterprises by investigating the influence of internal and external contextual factors (i.e. adaptive performance and institutional orientation) on the relationship between entrepreneurs’ resilience and business continuity indicators (i.e. perception of career insecurity and business exit intention). Design/methodology/approach In the Covid-19 pandemic context, quantitative data were collected using self-administrated questionnaires from entrepreneurs (founders of small-sized restaurants and travel agents in Egypt) using structural equation modeling. Findings The study reveals that entrepreneurs’ resilience under adversities directly correlates with business continuity indicators, with adaptive performance and institutional orientation functioning as mediators. Research limitations/implications The socio-demographic characteristics of entrepreneurs could be further investigated to observe the differences based on age, education and region. The type of business (i.e. restaurants and travel agents) could have an impact on the examined relationships. Therefore, further studies can use multi-group analysis to examine such differences between various sub-sectors of the hospitality business. Finally, the cross-sectional sample method used in this study is another limitation. In any study in which causality is inferred, longitudinal research confirms stronger inferences (Morgan & Hunt, 1994). Practical implications An instant implication is that entrepreneurs can take proactive actions to enhance their resilience. Entrepreneurs should seek to influence their own skills and abilities through various educational and training programs. For example, they can take advantage of business seminars, workshops and executive education courses. Entrepreneurs who have the chance of enhancing their skills in solving complex problems, identifying their strengths, managing their emotions are better able to adapt to unfavorable circumstances. Social implications The inhabited environment. Entrepreneurs should be institutionally oriented by building strong communications and networks with key actors and business-to-business customers. This would help entrepreneurs to understand the rules of the game, adapt to the environment, gain market legitimacy and accordingly acquire the social and financial support when hazards occur. Originality/value The extant literature lacks evidence about the internal and external contextual factors underlying the process of resilience in small and medium-sized enterprises and its outcomes. Research on entrepreneurship has rarely discussed the antecedents of business withdrawal. This study contributes to addressing this research gap.

Vaccine tourism: an emerging topic of discussion

Vaccine tourism (also known as vaccine vacation) is a term that recently became popular once travel agents started offering tours abroad along with COVID-19vaccination doses as a package in early 2021. Vaccine tourism is a kind of medical tourism where people are offered to get two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, stay in that country, and a tour of that country. It is based on a 3- ‘V’ policy: Visit-Vaccination-Vacation. ‘Vaccine passport’ is a term often confused with vaccine tourism. A vaccine passport is a document of proof that the person has taken a vaccine against that particular disease and is asked to produce it at the point of entry to a different country. This is similar to an immunity passport in which a person is tested for an antibody after a certain duration of taking the vaccine and if the antibody is positive, that means the person is protected against that disease. The history of this goes back to the time when people entering the ‘British Pandharpur' or pilgrims to Mecca for Hajj were asked for a vaccine certificate, a scar of vaccination, or pitted face as a sign of smallpox survival. For COVID-19 WHO has not advised in favor of vaccin

Between Instagrammable Attraction and Selfie Tourist: Characteristic and Behavior

Aims: This study aims to identify and analyze the characteristics of instagrammable attractions and selfie tourist behavior. Methodology: The method used in this research is descriptive quantitative. The survey was conducted by adopting a non-probability sampling technique involving 104 respondents. The distribution of questionnaires and observations were carried out for two weeks at the Lembang Floating Market. Results: The study found that most tourist attractions can be categorized as instagrammable attractions. While selfie tourists strongly consider the availability of unique and current attractions, for the purpose of documenting and sharing their experiences through photos or videos on their Instagram accounts. Therefore, this study concludes that instagrammable attraction has a positive and significant effect on attracting selfie tourists. Especially because the characteristics of instagrammable attractions that "perfectly impress" are able to attract selfie tourists who have travel motives and behavior to seek existence and recognition on social media, especially Instagram. Implication/Applications: The results of this study are able to provide comprehensive information related to selfie tourist behavior that is beneficial for stakeholders, especially travel agents and tourist destination managers. The Originality of the Study: The limitation of this research is the data collection method which is dominated by surveys. Therefore, further research is expected to conduct an in-depth study related to the reasons tourists are interested in selfie tourism.

Klasifikasi Keluhan Tamu Mengenai Pelayanan Front Office di The Westin Resort Nusa Dua Bali Berdasarkan Ulasan pada Tripadvisor

The purpose of this study is to discover the reasons and effects of recurring complaints based on the classification of guest complaints about Front Office services at The Westin Resort Nusa Dua Bali, in order to identify alternative methods to reduce the number of guest complaints. The data was gathered through documentation on TripAdvisor and an interview with the Front Office Manager, and the data analysis technique applied was descriptive qualitative. The analysis's findings revealed the reasons and consequences of guest complaints about Front Office services, which were classified into two categories: service-related complaints and attitudinal issues. Furthermore, the front office service procedures have not achieved 100 percent compliance with the SOP during the guest cycle. In the case of attitudinal complaints and service-related complaints, the reason of the complaints was determined as a disparity in SOP. This research was effective in enhancing comprehension of the reasons and effects of guest complaints regarding Front Office services on Online Travel Agents. Based on the research that has been conducted, suggestions should be addressed to hotel management as an alternate option to reduce problems that have occurred by enrolling in training.

Efektivitas Pemberian Alokasi Kamar pada Biro Perjalanan Wisata: Kasus di Hotel The Kuta Beach Heritage Bali

Despite the rapid development of online travel agents who market hotel rooms via the internet, traditional travel agencies also still play an important role in marketing and booking hotel rooms. As The Kuta Beach Heritage hotel still utilizes and uses room marketing channels through offline travel agencies. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of providing room allocation or room allocation to travel agents at The Kuta Beach Heritage Bali. The data used is secondary data in the form of production from each travel agency and given room allocation. While the primary data was obtained through interviews with various related parties at the hotel. Data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The results showed that the utilization of room allocation by the travel agency had not been maximized or had not been able to achieve the target given by the hotel, which was 60%. The practical implication of this research is the need for innovative efforts to increase the production of room nights by both hotels and travel agencies

A pioneering cruising enterprise: The North of Scotland, Orkney and Shetland Steam Navigation Company, 1886–1908

Commercial cruising began around 1880. Underlying factors were the iron steamship that enabled scheduled sailings and larger, more comfortable vessels and growing incomes in industrialising countries that increased the potential market for tourism. Britain took the lead in cruising development. This article examines a pioneering enterprise, The North of Scotland, Orkney and Shetland Steamship Navigation Company – the name reflects its sphere of operation. In 1886, the company began providing cruise voyages out of Aberdeen and Leith. It offered a new product, cheap and short cruises to the Norwegian fjords. The success of the first season led to the ordering of a new vessel, the St Sunniva, specifically designed for cruising and arguably the first cruise ship. The Company operated cruises chiefly to the fjords, but also to the Baltic and the Mediterranean, completing a total of 224 cruises between 1886 and 1908. Such sustained participation was due to imaginative and efficient organisation. Press advertising, the employment of travel agents, block bookings and private charters were used to gain business. The Company's vessels employed local pilots and from early on carried ‘conductors’, who were forerunners of the ‘cruise director’. The Company's success and innovations encouraged other firms to enter the cruising market, notably large liner companies such as P&O, Union Castle and Royal Mail after 1900. These used much larger vessels with better, more luxurious facilities. The North of Scotland Company, with its smaller and older vessels, could not compete and it withdrew from cruising in 1908.