TOWARDS A DEVELOPMENT MODEL OF LOCAL CULTURAL TOURISM THROUGH THE INVOLVEMENT OF LOCAL ACTORS (PROVINCE OF CONSTANTINE, ALGERIA)

Since the nineties, cultural tourism is considered as a form of tourism that is carried out by groups of people or institutions, whose main motive is the fulfillment of an interest and knowledge more on the culture, the history and the heritage of the chosen destination. The city of Constantine, located in northeastern Algeria, is one of the oldest cities in the Mediterranean basin. It was elected "Capital of Arab Culture 2015" due to its history, cultural and architectural heritage. The aim of this study is to examine the influences of cultural tourism on local development, to highlight the perception of local actors' roles in the development of tourism and to determine their involvement in the preservation of Constantine's cultural heritage to achieve a development model of cultural tourism in Constantine. This study is based on a literature review and field surveys, the type of questionnaire includes different types of questions: open questions, Likert scale questions and multiple choice qualitative questions. A manual processing of the data was performed using the mean and standard deviation calculation. The results of this study reveal a misunderstanding of cultural tourism among local residents hence the need to develop a model of categorization of the objectives of the study (SPIP) which proposes four key principles for the development of local cultural tourism in the city of Constantine. However, unless the proposed model elements are incorporated, cultural tourism in this city would never emerge.

TRAINING NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES: THE CASE OF THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY IN JORDAN

This study is designed to assess and identify the status of hospitality training needs, methods and potential challenges within the hospitality industry, in order to recognize gaps and develop training programmes that address and enhance the competitiveness of small businesses within it. A qualitative approach was employed, whereby face-to-face and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 60 owners and managers of small businesses in the hospitality industry. Using thematic analysis, the study concludes that communication skills, especially foreign languages, are the most the important training need at both managerial and operational levels. Moreover, the study found that on-the-job training is one of the most important training methods. Furthermore, a lack of training budgets is found to be the most critical challenge to training. The study provides empirical evidence and practical implications for decision-makers in the hospitality industry.

THE EMERGENCE OF A NEW RELIGIOUS TRAVEL SEGMENT: UMRAH DO IT YOURSELF TRAVELLERS (DIY)

This research examines the rise of a new religious travel segment – the Umrah Do It Yourself (DIY) travellers. While Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, Umrah is a minor Muslim pilgrimage that can be undertaken at any time of the year, while still playing a crucial role in the completion of Hajj rituals. In the past, Umrah was managed by an authorised travel agent, who makes all the necessary pilgrimage preparations, from flights to trip itineraries. Recent years have seen an upsurge in travellers who prefer not to utilise the services of such agencies, but instead, to make their own arrangements. The decision by the Saudi Arabian government to launch a Tourist e-Visa in September 2019 has opened a window of opportunity for the legalization of Umrah DIY journeys. The objectives of this study are (i) to explore the travel motives that contribute to the success of the Umrah DIY, and (ii) to explore the factors that support and facilitate the decision for the Umrah DIY. The data were obtained via 20 semi-structured interviews with Umrah DIY travellers. The findings show that flexibility, spirituality, and budget have a crucial impact on travel motivation. Additionally, the findings suggest that information sources, travel quality, companionship/new friendship, and familiarity facilitate the choice of Umrah DIY travel. This research contributes to the growing scholarship on the Muslim travel market beyond Hajj and to studies on independent religious travel. Findings provide an opportunity for suppliers and industry participants to understand the travel motives of this new segment as a basis for producing relevant religious tourism products and services.

IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC COVID-19 TO THE INDONESIA SEAS

This paper presents the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Indonesian seas from April to October 2020. Data were mainly obtained through literature studies focusing on coastal and ecosystem services, noise observation in the ocean, and in-situ data for atmospheric conditions. The results of this study found that the pandemic has given the oceans and ecosystems time to recover from anthropogenic stresses even though the tourism and fisheries sectors have experienced strong economic shocks. A decrease in the amount of pollution in several major cities in Indonesia was also found during the pandemic period.

TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND ENERGIZING ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING: EMPIRICAL MODEL FOR IMPROVING COMMUNITY-BASED ECO-TOURISM PERFORMANCE IN INDONESIA

This paper aimed to examine the effect of transformational leadership, energizing organizational learning and teamwork efficacy on improving Indonesia community-based eco-tourism organization performance. A field survey was conducted in the Tasikmalaya tourism sector. A total of 205 eco-tourism workers were surveyed to obtain data. This study offered a conceptual model for variable proposed to improve the eco-tourism community performance. The findings show that transformational leadership and energizing the organizational learning process positively affects organizational performance in the eco-tourism community. The author argues that energizing the organizational learning process mediates the relation between transformational leadership and organizational performance. This study addressed gaps in transformational leadership literature and practices by examining the interactions between energizing organizational learning process and eco-tourism workers teamwork's efficacy.

NICHE TOURISM IN SOUTH AFRICA: A RENEWED POLICY FOCUS IN THE COVID-19 ENVIRONMENT

The COVID-19 pandemic is a catalyst for new patterns of demand and supply for the tourism sector. One consequence is a renewed policy interest in the importance of niche tourism products for destination development. This paper investigates the importance of niche tourism and its (re-) emergence on the policy agenda of tourism stakeholders in South Africa. It is argued that with a resurgence of niche tourism as policy focus there is a need for an extended research agenda on niche tourism in South Africa. The analysis represents a contribution to the changing agendas of tourism scholarship in the global South which have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

POLICIES AND IMPLEMENTATION OF WORKER EMPOWERMENT IN CHINESE COMPANIES IN KONAWE DISTRICT, SOUTHEAST SULAWESI PROVINCE

Based on the Work Plan of the Ministry of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia, the number of foreign workers entering Indonesia in 2018 were 353,630 workers, causing the Indonesian workers to find job more difficult in their country. The Research Objectives are: (a) To describe policies and implementations to decrease unemployment rates in Southeast Sulawesi Province; (b) To Analyze an expert Chinese Foreign Worker accompanied by ten Indonesian Workers for transfer of knowledge and transfer of jobs; (c) To Identify Chinese Foreign Workers and Indonesian Workers who are employed in Chinese Companies. The research design is a cross sectional design. The sample consisted of 100 people, while the data analysis used flow models, correlation and respondents' perceptions. The results showed that there were 10 Chinese workers and 90 Indonesian workers who worked in a chinese companies, but there are discrimination in different position and payroll system that Chinese workers salary were higher than Indonesian workers.

RESIDENTS’ PERCEPTION TOWARDS GEOHERITAGE CONSERVATION AND TOURISM DEVELOPMENT: EVIDENCE FROM JODHPUR, INDIA

The Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, India, located at the height of 150 meters above the surrounding sandy plains, is one of the city's most prominent monuments built over the Jodhpur group-Malani-Igneous Suite. The old city, which boasts numerous blue-painted houses, lies adjacent to the Mehrangarh Fort. The residents of the old city play a significant role in keeping the geoheritage and cultural heritage intact. The study investigates the moderating role of residents’ Perception towards support for Geoheritage Tourism and Conservation in and around Mehrangarh Fort. A combination of Weber’s theory of substantive and formal rationality (WTSFR) and Social Exchange Theory (SET) is used to investigate and infer the interposing and moderating role of residents’ perception on the relationship between influencing factors and support for geo-heritage conservation. A PLS evaluation of the SEM reveals a substantial capacity of the residents’ perception to predict support for conservation and tourism development.

POPULARIZATION OF OBJECTS OF THE CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL HERITAGE OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN AS A FACTOR FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ETHNOCULTURAL TOURISM OF THE COUNTRY

This article is devoted to the research of world cultural heritage sites in the territory of Kazakhstan, their influence on tourist flows, and the formation of new routes in the direction of ethnocultural tourism. In the article, the authors analyze the phenomenon of ethnocultural tourism development as a way of knowing the historical, cultural, and natural heritage of the country. In the course of research activities, a survey was conducted, priority objects for the development of ethno-cultural tourism in the Southern region of the Republic of Kazakhstan were identified. The result of the study was the development of a technological map of the route "Turkestan - echo of centuries", which will significantly affect the popularization of UNESCO's cultural and natural heritage, as well as the quality of excursion services along this route, which will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the formation of tourist flows of domestic and inbound tourism in Kazakhstan, and will also allow to prepare new directions within the framework of ethno-cultural tourism.

CAN TOUR GUIDES PROTECT THE MARINE AND COASTAL ENVIRONMENT FROM MASS TOURISM IMPACTS: SITUATION OF ANDAMAN OCEAN, THAILAND, PRE-COVID-19

This article studies the role of Thai guides in protecting marine and coastal environment against impacts from international tourism, in the Andaman Ocean, Thailand. This is a qualitative study with in-depth interviews of 26 licensed guides that were selected by using purposive and snowball sampling. Quantitative data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, and qualitative data from in-depth interviews and field notes were analyzed with qualitative data analysis. The results show that behaviors affecting marine and coastal environment mostly involve chasing and catching beautiful fish and/or marine animals (76.9%), feeding fish (73.1%), and collecting beautiful stones, rare shells, and/or coral reefs (73.1%). Guides act in the roles of educator, psychologist, entertainer, ambassador, and servant, and protect against impacts to the extent that they can. While some impacts can be avoided, others remain out of scope and control of the guides.