Augmented reality adoption intention among travel and tour operators in Malaysia: mediation effect of value alignment

PurposeThis study evaluated the determinants of augmented reality (AR) adoption in Malaysia's travel and tour operator sectors through an integrated technology-organization-environmental (TOE) and diffusion of innovation (DOI) model.Design/methodology/approachThe TOE and DOI were considered the primary theoretical models but are combined and extended by including few additional variables. Data were collected from 220 respondents of travel and tour operating businesses in Malaysia and analyzed by applying PLS structural equation model technique.FindingsThe empirical results established that perceived cost, relative advantages, complexity and compatibility, observability, competitor pressure, value alignment, customer pressure, and trialability are positively connected with the behavioral intention except for external support. The results reveal that value alignment partially mediates the association between relative advantages and behavioral intention, complexity and behavioral intention, compatibility and behavioral intention, perceived cost and behavioral intention except in between trialability and observability.Originality/valueThis research is unique as the value alignment construct is included in the model, and thus it fulfills the literature gap by adding the mediation construct. This study contributes to enhancing AR's understanding of the Malaysian travel and tour operator industry through the lenses of owners or managers. It offers an integrated model that combines the TOE and DOI models, rare in this sector, and can be replicated or extended with validated scales.

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: AN ACCELERATOR OF DIGITALISATION IN TOURISM

The aim of this paper is to analyse the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on leveraging technology to generate new opportunities for travel companies. Tourism is one of the sectors most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, companies in this sector have never faced such a dramatic situation and their challenge has been to survive and find new ways to generate profit. In this context, the pandemic has become an accelerator of digitalisation and has made digital technologies vital. The study is based on secondary data analysis and the research objectives are to examine the impact of COVID - 19 on travel companies and to highlight the importance of developing digitalisation during the pandemic. To achieve these goals, the authors analysed the actions during the pandemic of the world's largest tour operator, Tui Group

Marketing Orientation of Entities on the Tourism Market

The tourism market is characterized by a high level of competition. Hence, the entities providing tourism services and creating their offers in tourist destinations take actions aimed at satisfying the consumers’ (tourists’) needs. These activities are realized by achieving the appropriate level of marketing orientation. In terms of behaviour, marketing orientation is based on the implementation of a marketing concept focusing on customers’ needs and also on the achieved economic results. In cultural terms, marketing orientation should be understood as a type of business culture. The study is of theoretical, empirical and conceptual nature. The theoretical part presents the following issues: genesis and essence of marketing orientation and methods of its measurement, the concept and the scope of the tourism market, along with the implementation of marketing orientation issues necessary to assess the functioning of entities on this market. The concept of a system of connections of a selected type of tourist market entity with other entities in terms of shaping marketing orientation was presented. An example of the research on the level of marketing orientation on the tour operator market in selected European countries was presented in the empirical part. Tour operator market entities in Poland are characterized by a slightly higher average marketing orientation than entities from other European countries. Tour operators operating on the Polish market are also more diversified in terms of the level of marketing orientation than entities from other surveyed European countries. The main aim of the study is to adapt the theoretical and methodological issues related to the assessment of the level of marketing orientation to the entities operating on the tourism market. The specific aim is to analyze the level of marketing orientation of the entities on the tour operator market. The following research methods were used: a critical analysis of the literature on the subject, methods of logical operations; observation, quantitative methods, and diagnostic survey based on a standard questionnaire.

SINERGITAS ANTARA PEMANDU WISATA DAN OPERATOR TUR (Study Kasus di CV Gondes Karya Mandiri)

ABSTRAK Pemandu wisata dengan Operator Tur merupakan dua hal yang tidak bisa dipisahkan dalam pelaksanaan paket wisata. Sehingga koordinasi diantara kedua bagian ini sangat diperlukan agar paket wisata yang dijual dapat berjalan lancar. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui hubungan yang saling berkaitan satu dengan yang lainnya. Metode Penelitian yang digunakan yaitu penelitian kualitatif tentang Sinergitas Antara Pemandu Wisata Dan Operator Tur di CV Gondes Karya Mandiri, data dianalisa dari 16 pemandu wisatadan 5 eksekutif operator tur dengan menganalisa 15 atribut. Hasil penelitian menyebutkan bahwa pemandu wisata dan opearatur tur saling bekerjasama dengan sinergi meskipun ada sedikit perbedaan persepsi namun tetap bisa berjalan dan bekerjasama dengan baik. Saran dari hasil penelitian ini memberikan rekomendasi untuk memberikan pembeda pada penggajian. Selain itu juga memberikan rekomendasi pada penelitian selanjutnya untuk meneliti tingkat kepuasan pelayanan pemandu wisata dengan Operator Tur. Kata Kunci : Pemandu Wisata, Operator Tur, Paket Wisata, Sinergitas ABSTRAK Tour guide with Tour Operator are two things that can not be separated in the implementation of tour packages. So that coordination between these two parts is necessary so that the tour packages sold can sucsesfull. This study aims to find out the relationships that are interrelated with each other. The research method used is qualitative research on synergy between tour guides and tour operators at CV Gondes Karya Mandiri, data analyzed from 16 tour guides and 5 executive tour operators by analyzing 15 attributes. The results of the study mentioned that tour guides and tour operators cooperate with each other with synergy although there is a slight difference in perception but still can run and cooperate well. Suggestions from the results of this study provide recommendations to provide differentiation on payroll. In addition, it also provides recommendations on further research to examine the level of satisfaction of tour guide services with Tour Operators. Keywords : Tour Guide, Tour Operator, Tour Packages, Synergy

THE COMMITMENT OF CRUISE TOUR OPERATORS TO THE TOURIST SAFETY AND SECURITY IN THE ALGERIAN LAW (COMPARATIVE STUDY)

Marine transport has developed worldwide. As a result, the design of passenger ships has improved since they are considered the main residence location of passengers and tourists. Thus, ships have become floating hotels, where recreational activities, leisure and celebrations are found. This has turned cruise tours have into a lucrative business. Alongside the boom that marine tourism has witnessed as one of the most dynamic sectors in the tourism industry, tragic events, that cannot be ignored, took place. One of these events was the sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise ship in 2012 that caused many deaths and injuries among passengers and tourists on board. This event evokes the question of the responsibility of cruise tour operators, its range and its limits. In contrast with the Egyptian and French laws that distinguish between the responsibility system of the tour operator and that of the marine transporter, the Algerian law does not make any distinction between the two systems, resulting in legal shortcomings in the case of damage that affects tourists. This latter is subject to the marine transporter legal system concerning commitment and responsibility, where the damage must be in relation to the use of the ship, which implies that bodily and material damages are not included, resulting in the decrease in the protection expectation level of the tourist consumer. In addition to the above, the lack of a distinction between the two responsibility systems leads to the multiplication of law sources and to the difficulty of its legal characterization that helps in determining the responsibility of the professionals held responsible for the tourist safety and committed to their security.

Determining Operation Groundswell’s Future Business Directions for Sustainable Tourism

Operation Groundswell (OG) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) and tour operator that offers volunteer backpacking trips. This study evaluates two ways in which OG aims to achieve sustainable tourism: their approach to voluntourism and their carbon offset initiative. A qualitative consumer analysis was conducted to evaluate how OG can move forward as a facilitator of sustainable tourism utilizing 1) their approach to voluntourism and 2) their carbon offset initiative. Findings from this study reveal that OG’s carbon offset initiative should be made more prevalent and transparent on their website and in their marketing to attract green consumers, that they should continue to engage with voluntourism with a critical lens so as to emphasize how voluntourism can be accomplished in an ethically-just and sustainable manner, and that they should consider developing hybrid trip offerings that emphasize the interconnectedness of their four program themes of health, education, human rights and the environment.

Determining Operation Groundswell’s Future Business Directions for Sustainable Tourism

Operation Groundswell (OG) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) and tour operator that offers volunteer backpacking trips. This study evaluates two ways in which OG aims to achieve sustainable tourism: their approach to voluntourism and their carbon offset initiative. A qualitative consumer analysis was conducted to evaluate how OG can move forward as a facilitator of sustainable tourism utilizing 1) their approach to voluntourism and 2) their carbon offset initiative. Findings from this study reveal that OG’s carbon offset initiative should be made more prevalent and transparent on their website and in their marketing to attract green consumers, that they should continue to engage with voluntourism with a critical lens so as to emphasize how voluntourism can be accomplished in an ethically-just and sustainable manner, and that they should consider developing hybrid trip offerings that emphasize the interconnectedness of their four program themes of health, education, human rights and the environment.

Social Media-Based Content towards Image Formation: A New Approach to the Selection of Sustainable Destinations

When addressing the ever-increasing role that social media plays in generating a clear image of the travel destination chosen by tourists, the research and specialty literature tends to be rather limited. Despite an increase in social media-generated content, the process is not yet fully understood, although research suggests the importance of two different factors (i.e., tour-operator-generated content and user-generated content) in influencing destination image formation. In this regard, the present paper aims to examine the most significant factors currently affecting the potential behavior of travelers towards the selection of sustainable destinations. What is more, another purpose of this paper is to explore the effects that tour-operator-generated content and user-generated content have upon the formation of the overall mediating destination image through cognitive and affective destination images. For the current analysis, a structural equation modeling (SEM) method was used in order to test the conceptual model. Data from Shanghai, China (n = 425) were used. The results demonstrate and establish that travel information sources (i.e., tour-operator-generated content and user-generated content) have a positive effect on destination image formation. The analytical results also revealed that in order to select a sustainable destination, travelers are influenced by tour-operator-generated content, as well as by user-generated content, with the effect of the latter being more important and influential. Travelers’ use of social media content has played a key role in the formation of the overall destination image through the mediating effect of cognitive and affective destination images. This research thus provides valuable theoretical and practical implications for academics and practitioners alike, implications which are valuable for the fields of destination marketing and management. Furthermore, practitioners of the management of sustainable destinations can thus make use of the results throughout the entire decision-making process.

Optimal Emission Reduction and Pricing in the Tourism Supply Chain Considering Different Market Structures and Word-of-Mouth Effect

In the context of carbon tax policy and word-of-mouth, local operators and tour operators in the tourism supply chain need to determine optimal wholesale price, carbon reduction level, and retail price of tour packages strategies. To address these decision-making issues, while considering the word-of-mouth effect, our paper considers a local operator determining wholesale price and carbon reduction level of the tour package and a tour operator determining retail price of the tour package. According to different bargaining powers, we study three scenarios: the local operator leading Stackelberg (LL), the tour operator leading Stackelberg (TL), and the static Nash game (NG). We develop three theoretical models and present some insights. We find that tourist’s sensitivity to word-of-mouth has positive (negative) impacts on optimal wholesale price, carbon reduction level, retail price, demand, and profits if the impact of word-of-mouth is positive (negative), while the impact of word-of-mouth is always having positive impacts on optimal decisions, demand, and profits. Interestingly, the NG market structure contributes the most environmentally-friendly products but mostly hurts the environment. The local operator under LL can obtain the largest profit, which is even larger than the profit of the tour operator, while the tour operator under NG and TL can obtain more profit than the local operator.

Fundamentals of travel agency and tour operator activity

In the textbook, taking into account the current national and international legal norms, the latest legislative changes affecting the tourism industry, the goals, objectives and directions of tourism development in the Russian Federation, explanations of authorized state bodies, established law enforcement practices, and doctrinal interpretations, the basics of implementing travel agency and tour operator activities in the Russian Federation are considered. Meets the requirements of the federal state educational standards of secondary vocational education of the latest generation. It is focused on the study of students receiving secondary vocational education in the specialty 43.02.10 "Tourism", the general professional discipline "Organization of the tourism industry" and the professional modules "PM. 01. Provision of tourist services", "PM. 03. Provision of tour operator services", "PM. 04. Management of the functional division of the organization".