Business Commons^™

Research, Planning, And Development Of A University-Based Retirement Community (Ubrc): A Strategic Lodging Opportunity, Tevfik Demirciftci, Britt Mathwich, Fred Demicco

ICHRIE Research Reports

University-Based Retirement Communities (UBRCs) are a growing trend among universities and senior living. UBRCs are an intriguing concept that benefits retirees and universities as they bring alums back to campus for their residences. This study investigates the interest level and preferences of Colorado Mesa University's alums and retired professors for an on-campus UBRC. This research is the first phase of the planning process for developing and operating a successful UBRC.

Keywords: University-Based Retirement Communities (UBRC), Continuing Care Retirement Communities, Senior Living Communities, Active Adult Communities

For More Dementia-Friendly Facilities In Tourism And Hospitality, Paola Ossola

ICHRIE Research Reports

Some tourists – such as seniors, people with disabilities, pregnant women, obese people, people with allergies, etc. – might have physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities that limit their tourism experiences. These tourists may require access accommodations. Nevertheless, only a small number of hotels and other hospitality facilities have been catering to these needs beyond the legal minimum so far. To address this gap, we recommend the implementation of sustainable practices for enhancing accessibility in hotels and other hospitality facilities that specifically focus on meeting the needs of senior tourists who may be living with dementia. For doing so, the first …

A Research On Chinese Visitors' Souvenir Purchase In Shanghai Disney, Wei Wei

ICHRIE Research Reports

Travel marketers have been called upon to better understand tourists’ souvenir purchase behaviors and experience in a fast-emerging world region, China. To dissect contemporary Chinese consumers’ purchase behaviors and experiences, this research explored the motivations, experiences, and behavioral intentions associated with theme park souvenir purchase among Chinese domestic tourists at Shanghai Disneyland Park. A total of 32 personal interviews were conducted. Based on the interviews, this research found that Chinese consumers’ intention to purchase Disney souvenir is influenced by both internal and external motivations. With regards to Chinese consumers’ purchase experience, the majority had a positive experience because of the …

Does Ranking Explain Actual Performance? A Case Of Wef Tourism Competitiveness Report, Mohd Hafiz Hanafiah, Mohamad Abdullah Hemdi, Ismail Ahmad

ICHRIE Research Reports

A competitive tourism destination should generate tourism revenues. Defining and measuring competitiveness is crucial for a tourism destination, especially to appraise its performance compared to the competitors. The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) was developed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2007 as the only tourism competitiveness indicator. The TTCI has been subjected to methodological criticism, such as the arbitrary weighing of variables. Underdeveloped countries are rated lower while the first-world countries are the highest rated tourism destinations in TTCI. Their ranking has been buoyed by their quality infrastructures, but not on tourist motivation to visit their diverse …

Mountains And Marijuana: Motivations Of Visitors To Colorado, Lorraine Taylor

ICHRIE Research Reports

Legal sales of retail marijuana began in Colorado on January 1, 2014. At this time a new market of marijuana tourists was born. The purpose of this study was to better understand marijuana tourists: their characteristics, behavior, and motivations. Marijuana stores and the tourist destinations where they are located can benefit from targeting this niche market. As more states continue to legalize retail marijuana, this research can be useful in various geographical regions in the US.

Tourists, Not Industry Experts, Create Memorable Tourists’ Experiences!, Helena Williams, Jingxue (Jessica) Yuan

ICHRIE Research Reports

The way we do or think about tourism is changing. Today’s tourists do not want to just look, watch, or relax while traveling. More tourists of all generations and incomes are seeking experiential memorable travel opportunities. The destinations and activities that individual tourists choose are very dependent upon unique interests and personal idiosyncrasies. This research study confirms that the destination selections and subsequent satisfaction that leads to favorable Word-of-Mouth/Mouse (WOMM) marketing depends upon the level of individualized engagement promised to and experienced by the tourists themselves. Businesses and destinations increasingly need to be designed and targeted to individuals who are …

How Clean Is The Food We Eat From Street Vendors In Orlando, Florida?, Bendegul Okumus, Sevil Sonmez

ICHRIE Research Reports

Convenience, low cost, and opportunities to experience unique flavors have led to an increase in street food consumption worldwide. There are approximately 117,000 food trucks in the U.S., representing approximately $857 million in sales annually. Some of these food trucks are unlicensed and some truck vendors are unwilling to comply with requirements for food preparation, permits, parking, and inspection processes. Data were collected from food trucks in Orlando, Florida in order to have a clear understanding of risk factors. Food samples were collected from food trucks and analyzed for microbiological contamination. To investigate possible safety risks, 30 different samples were …

Matching Reviewers To Customers: The Role Of Demographics And Preferences In Hotel Online Booking, Cheng Chu Chan, Long W. Lam, Cheris W. C. Chow, Lawrence Hoc Nang Fong, Rob Law

ICHRIE Research Reports

Travelers can easily refer to online reviews as a source of advice before booking a hotel; however, online reviews are not structured which make gathering useful information uneasy. What if online review sites can prioritize and direct the reviews that are most relevant to the customers and save them a lot of time? The value and usefulness of reviews are affected by the reviewers’ background. This study investigated whether customers tend to value the reviews written by similar people more than those written by dissimilar people. The first experiment showed that positive reviews increased consumers’ intention to book a hotel, …

How To Apply A Strategic Approach To Deliver Legacies From Hosting Mega Sport Events, Tracey J. Dickson

ICHRIE Research Reports

In the process of bidding for and organizing mega sport events (e.g., Olympics, Paralympics, and FIFA World Cups), there are many opportunities to leave a legacy for the host communities. The more obvious legacies are new stadiums, better transport, and urban redevelopment. Less obvious legacies are increased sport participation and enhanced volunteering activity. There is little research after the events that demonstrate these legacies. This Research Report is informed by recent research that highlights the lack of strategic planning for legacies. To outline how a host community could increase their chances of delivering legacies after hosting mega sport events this …

The Examination Of Entertainment Product Performance In Macau, Jian Ming Luo, Chi Fung Lam

ICHRIE Research Reports

Macau surpassed Las Vegas as the top gaming destination many years ago. Entertainment is a crucial element in many gambling destinations. Associating entertainment and gambling helped create a more appealing image and package of gambling destination. This study investigated the performance of entertainment products in Macau. This study used convenience sampling to collect 300 usable questionnaires from three tourists’ departure spots. Respondents were asked to evaluate the importance and performance of seven categories of entertainment products. The most important entertainment products were Family Fun and Show. Most people did not think Beauty and Wellness, or Sports and Recreation were important. …

Like Mother, Like Daughter? A Destination Image Comparison Between Florida And Orlando, Asli D.A. Tasci, Wei Wei

ICHRIE Research Reports

“Like mother, like daughter.” We say this often in our daily life. But is this true when it comes to the destination brand image of a state versus that of a city within that state? We conducted a study to investigate this. This is a short summary of the findings that have not been published in peer-reviewed outlets yet.

Where Do Tourists Stay Overnight In Macau?, Sunny Sun, Rob Law, Davis Kachio Fong

ICHRIE Research Reports

Recently, diverse accommodation choices such as clubs have become an extremely important topic for hotel guests, imposing an unprecedented challenge to hoteliers. Examples of other accommodation choices are clubs, karaoke bars, casinos and saunas. It is well-known that tourists’ accommodation choice is an important issue for destinations. The present study thus tried to understand the tourists’ characteristics such as demographics, geographic region, psychographic factors, and behavioral patterns, among different accommodation choice, and provided managerial implications for hotel and tourism practitioners. Since Macau is an entertainment-oriented tourist destination with a variety of accommodation choices, findings are expected to help hotels in …

Preferences Of Lgbt Tourists Traveling To Smaller Cities, Eric D. Olson, Ching-Hui Su, Chin-Hsun Tsai

ICHRIE Research Reports

The global lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) population accounts for about 450 million people, with $3.7 trillion spending power per year2. With the rise of the “pink economy,” LGBT tourism destinations and suppliers have found ways to attract the LGBT tourist through increased target marketing, unique product offerings, and a welcoming environment. Most marketing campaigns targeting LGBT tourists have focused on acquiring LGBT tourists to larger cities with established LGBT communities. Thus, this study discusses the tourism preferences of LGBT tourists traveling to a smaller, regional city. LGBT consumers form their own unique subcultures, and consumption activities reflect their …

More Tourists Green Up: Bringing The Charm Back To Vietnam, Luu Trong Tuan

ICHRIE Research Reports

More and more tourists have chosen attractions in Vietnam as destinations of their travel not only to explore their hidden charms but also make them greener through their role as green value co-creators. Vietnam is filled with hidden charms for tourists’ discovery such as Sa Pa Mountains, Ha Long Bay, Phong Nha Cave, Hoi An Ancient Town, Da Nang Beach, Mekong Delta, and Phu Quoc Island. Nonetheless, these charms are increasingly less charming and losing the returns of tourists, both international and local, due to the destruction of their green. Although people and factories in the localities are the main …

Environmentally And Financially Sustainable Tourism, Haywantee Ramkissoon, Vishnee Sowamber

ICHRIE Research Reports

Clear blue sky, clean water and unpolluted air are natural resources no longer accessible to everyone. Due to high levels of carbon emissions, resource depletion has become a matter of deep concern. This calls for initiatives to mitigate impacts and protect our ecosystem and societies. LUX* Resorts & Hotels, a hotel group in the island of Mauritius, situated on the East Coast of Africa, introduced the “Tread Lightly” initiative, a key sustainability instrument to help reduce carbon emissions, while maintaining its global positioning with a five-star rating. It’s widely studied how warming temperatures are causing significant impacts. Our study shows …

The Right Message To The Right People: Developing Effective Crisis Response In Cruise Travel, Bingjie Liu

ICHRIE Research Reports

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to provide insights into developing effective crisis responses within the cruise industry. Particularly, this study tested the effects of different crisis responses on individuals’ safety perceptions and cruise travel intentions. This study also tested how individual characteristics; such as past cruise experience and demographic characteristics, may affect the communication outcomes.

Originality/Value

Using an interdisciplinary approach, this study applied crisis communication theories to a cruise travel context. The findings of this study can be directly applied to develop effective crisis responses for hospitality practitioners, which exemplify the essence of translational research.

Relevance of the …

Pricing Decisions During The Fifa 2014 World Cup: São Paulo And Rio De Janeiro, Albert A. Barreda, Sandra Zubieta Zamudio, Han Chen, Marina Cassilha, Yoshimasa Kageyama

ICHRIE Research Reports

Purpose: This report explores the host destination’s response to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The study establishes how the hotel Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of two of the main cities in Brazil reacted to the World Cup.

Originality/value: Exploring Brazilian hotel revenue managers’ responses to a major sporting event in Latin America is the main contribution of this research report.

Relevance of the topic: Several business sectors in the travel and hospitality industry experience distinctive positive and negative performance for hosting mega-sporting events. The findings of this research report will be helpful for hotel revenue managers who regularly propose strategic …