Business Commons^™

The Importance Of Social Sustainability Practices In The Post-Pandemic Context, Cynthia Mejia

Rosen Research Review

Consumer perceptions regarding social sustainability practices within the hospitality industry are ever more important for hospitality businesses. Consumers are increasingly conscious of whether a business pursues sustainable practices, both in its treatment of employees and in supply chain purchases. Consumers' views on how well a business performs on these indicators can impact on consumer decisions and business viability. UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management researcher Dr. Cynthia Mejia and collaborators have undertaken a study to understand how much importance restaurant consumers attach to specific social sustainability actions, and the way in which consumers perceive restaurants to be performing in the …

Travel And Life – A Development Perspective, Xiaoxiao Fu

Rosen Research Review

Whether we travel to discover the unknown or to simply take a break from our daily routine, it's often said that travel broadens the mind. But how exactly does travel impact life, and how does the relationship between travel and life change at different life stages? In new research, Associate Professor Xiaoxiao Fu at UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management and her collaborators take a developmental perspective on tourism consumption and look at how travel and life inform and shape each other, from childhood to maturity.

Resetting Coastal And Marine Tourism In A Post-Covid World, Alan Fyall, Sergio Alvarez, Robertico Croes, Jorge Ridderstaat, Maksim Godovykh

Rosen Research Review

Marine and coastal zones have long been exploited for tourism revenue, and the health of many coastal and marine environments has declined. The near-global shutdown of tourism due to the COVID-19 pandemic has offered a unique opportunity to rebuild the tourism industry using a new model. Researchers from UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management joined a team of international researchers to present a framework for such change at the 2022 United Nations (UN) Ocean Conference in Lisbon.

Vulnerability And Resilience In A Tourism Destination, Sergio Alvarez, Alan Fyall

Rosen Research Review

In an industry that is critically vulnerable to hazards, some destinations are hit harder than others by the same or similar events. UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management researchers, Dr. Sergio Alvarez and Dr. Alan Fyall, have developed a conceptual model that sees the destination's vulnerability as the sum of its physical, social-cultural, economic, ecological/environmental, and institutional vulnerabilities, nestled within its level of exposure to different hazards. Their framework offers to better equip destination management organizations (DMOs) by identifying vulnerabilities and facilitating more effective planning and decision making.

How Hurricanes Impact Florida's Tourism Industry, Arthur Huang

Rosen Research Review

Almost every year, hurricanes bear down upon the state of Florida. The storms appear to be growing in occurrence and severity. While the media cover the damage and death toll, the impacts on the state's critical tourism sector remain largely anecdotal. The full story lies buried in data. Dr. Arthur Huang from UCF's Rosen College of Hospitality Management has investigated different data sets to understand the impact of hurricanes on the tourism industry. What has been uncovered has significance not only for Florida but for tourism sectors elsewhere affected by these giant storms.

Estimate Tourism Model Choice For Pilgrim In The Way Of St. James: The Portuguese Way, Rosa Conde, Ana Pinto Borges, Isabel Neira Gómez, Elvira Viera

Articles

The purpose of this study is to examine how the characteristics of the pilgrims and the attributes of travel influence the choose of the Portuguese. It is important to understand the choices tourists make. This study identifies the factors that influence the tourists’ choice of way. The analysis is based on the official statistics of the Portuguese Way of Santiago between 2003 and 2020.

The study provides several important findings concerning tourism’s model choice. Understanding the tourists’ modal choice behavior help public and private organizations to develop appropriate marketing strategies.

The probit model is used to model a relationship between …

Erasing The Past For Marketability: The Effects Of Selling National Myth In Ybor City's Public Historical Narrative, Janine A. Galindo

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Ybor City is a historical neighborhood in Tampa, Florida, and a tourist attraction known for its immigrant roots and once-thriving cigar industry. This thesis places Ybor City into the context of the burgeoning heritage tourism market, examining how cities financially reliant on tourism often sanitize their public historical narrative. I identify the main actors involved in Ybor City's marketing and preservation by investigating contemporary newspaper articles and multiple National Park Service documents, thereby uncovering the motivations and decisions that led to Ybor's cultural image of a bustling, relatively peaceful early 20th-century "Latin" community. To correlate Ybor's aestheticized public image with …

The Value Of The Serious Leisure Perspective In Understanding Cultural Capital Embodiment In Festival Settings, Giulia Ressetti, Bernadette Quinn

Presentations

Festivals have been conceptualised as serious leisure activities as well as arenas for cultural capital acquisition and embodiment. However, there is still theoretical confusion surrounding the process of cultural embodiment, especially in leisure practices. This paper suggests that the serious leisure perspective, in combination with cultural capital ideas, offer a means of deepening understanding of how cultural capital can be embodied in festival settings. To make its arguments, the paper draws on qualitative data collected at two long-established literary festivals, one in Ireland and one in Italy. Observations and interviews with festival participants were used to develop an understanding of …

The Viking Age As A Themed Experience: Representing Hitorical Narrative Through Research Based Design, Edward D. Macpherson

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

I intend to design an interactive educational experience that teaches guests about the culture, society, and beliefs of Scandinavian peoples during the Viking age. The concepts are illustrated through a dynamic narrative designed to be experienced through exploration of a themed environment. Immersion into the narrative is intended to instill a sense of active participation with the culture itself. This interaction is intended to inspire guests to further investigate the culture and history outside the limits of the experience. These qualities, unique to an immersive environmental themed experience, capture the lasting attention of an audience such as other mediums may …

2022-23 Winter Texan Report, Arjun Singh, Xiaojing Sheng, Edelyn Barcena

Business and Tourism Research Center Reports

No abstract provided.

Implications Of An Exogenous Shock (Covid-19) On Wine Tourism Business: A Portuguese Winery Perspective, Alexandre Guedes, Britta Niklas, Robin M. Back, Joao Rebelo

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This study investigates the impact of an exogenous and unexpected shock (COVID-19) on the wine tourism business from the winery's perspective. A sample of 146 Portuguese wineries was surveyed. The econometric results show that the share of wine tourism sales, the amount of dependence on exports and the assertiveness of brand recognition have a structural effect on direct-to-consumer tasting room wine sales, even when the winery's business is disrupted by a shock that degrades the dynamics and flows of international trade. The research establishes a starting point that allows to understand the implications of an exogenous shock on the structure …

Editorial, Faizan Ali

Journal of Global Hospitality and Tourism

I am pleased to present the third issue of Journal of Global Hospitality and Tourism (JGHT), Volume 2, Issue 1. This issue focuses on ensuring the journal’s scope and strengthening its position in both conceptual developments and practical applications in global hospitality and tourism through publication of five quality manuscripts and 2 academic viewpoints: five full papers that underwent rigorous double-blind reviewing, an academic viewpoint, and an industry viewpoint. The present issue of JGHT contains five full papers, written by fourteen authors located in four different countries and affiliated with eight different universities.

Tourists' Perceptions Of And Reactions To Child Sex Tourism: An Exploratory Qualitative Investigation, Joshua Aston, Jun Wen, Shaohua Yang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: Using a qualitative approach, this cross-disciplinary study integrating modern slavery, tourism and marketing expertise outlines Chinese outbound tourists' perceptions of and reactions to issues related to child sex tourism.

Design/methodology/approach: In total, 27 in-depth interviews were conducted, and data were analysed. Manual coding was chosen as an efficient method to process qualitative interview data given the relatively small sample size in this study.

Findings: Three main themes emerged from analysis: (1) tourists' negative perceptions of child sex tourism; (2) tourist boycotts against child sex tourism destinations and activities as reactions to this socially deviant and illegal phenomenon and (3) …

A Design Concept For A Tourism Recommender System For Regional Development, Leyla Gamidullaeva, Alexey Finogeev, Mikhail Kataev, Larisa Bulysheva

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

Despite of tourism infrastructure and software, the development of tourism is hampered due to the lack of information support, which encapsulates various aspects of travel implementation. This paper highlights a demand for integrating various approaches and methods to develop a universal tourism information recommender system when building individual tourist routes. The study objective is proposing a concept of a universal information recommender system for building a personalized tourist route. The developed design concept for such a system involves a procedure for data collection and preparation for tourism product synthesis; a methodology for tourism product formation according to user preferences; the …

Host Perceptions Of Socio-Cultural Impacts Of Volunteer Tourism In Vietnamese Farm Communities, Tuan Nien Tran

Theses, Doctoral

Volunteer tourism has grown significantly, contributing enormous economic, environmental, and socio-cultural impacts to host communities over 20 years (Aquino & Andereck, 2018; Lee & Zhang, 2019; Olsen et al., 2021). There appears to be limited research on the impacts of volunteer tourism on host communities, especially the socio-cultural impacts. The academic literature lacks an agreed framework to understand the socio-cultural impacts (Zamani-Farahani & Musa, 2012). The aim of this study is to provide an in-depth understanding of the socio-cultural impacts of volunteer tourism in Vietnamese farms on the host communities. Drawing on the multiple forms of capital perspectives and theoretical …

Does Covid Have An Effect On Consumer Behavior Towards Vacation Rental Homes?, Whitney Wiley

Honors Theses and Capstones

While Covid has significantly impacted the tourism industry, this research study analyzes the effect of the pandemic on consumers’ behavior towards vacation rental homes. More specifically, it focuses on the three main stages of vacation rental: the choice, booking, and stay. A qualitative research approach was used along with primary data collection. Interviews with individuals in Gen Z were collected in a semi-structured format with open-ended questions. The findings reveal that consumers are now more likely to choose vacation rental homes over other accommodations due to the space and privacy that rental homes provide. As a result of Covid, individuals …

Steep But Not Deep: A Critical Review Of Climate Change Effects On Nh Ski Areas And Their Consumer Population, Stephanie Menard

Honors Theses and Capstones

Climate change presents a significant challenge to the global tourism industry, particularly for sectors reliant on natural resources, such as the New Hampshire ski industry. This thesis investigates how ski resorts across the state are addressing the effects of climate change and adjusting to evolving consumer behavior to strategically position themselves for the future. The study’s research questions are focused on understanding the current tactics being employed by ski resorts and how consumer choices may be affected by climate change effects on the industry. To explore these questions, informational interviews with four industry professionals and a consumer survey were conducted. …

Site, Sight, Swipe, Prada Marfa: A Case Study In Public Art, Cultural Tourism, And Image-Based Social Media Engagement, Ha'ani Joy Hogan

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Through a case study of Prada Marfa, a site-specific public art sculpture located in West Texas, this dissertation examines the connection of public art, cultural tourism, and image-based social media engagement. Little scholarship that combines all three areas of study exists. To fill this gap, this study incorporates five methods of research to determine how one public art sculpture's existence can contribute to its surrounding community by prompting economic activity and influencing the way that community is seen through a public lens. The five methods encompass a historical analysis of news articles about The City of Marfa and Prada …

Validation Of An Operationalized Model Of Iso-Ahola’S Theory Of Tourism Motivation: A Case In Point-To-Point Suborbital Space Travel, Brian T. Musselman, Scott R. Winter

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

The purpose of the study was to validate Snepenger, King, Marshall, and Uysal’s (2006) model of Iso-Ahola’s (1982) theory of tourism motivation for use in point-to-point suborbital space tourism research. No previous research was discovered, which assessed point-to-point suborbital space flight within the theoretical foundation of the theory of tourism motivation. Snepenger et al.’s (2006) model was assessed as published, and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) failed to produce data fitting the four dimensions. The researchers modified the item descriptions based on research. Using a second sample, the modified model was assessed. EFA produced four factors with adequate convergent and discriminant …

Propaganda Of Car Ecotourism In Glacier National Park, Hanna Y. Mohammed

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This paper discusses the promotion of car ecotourism and its impact on Glacier National Park. Coinciding with the creation of the park's flagship Going-to-the-Sun Road from 1921 to 1932, both the state and the private sector presented the image of the newly commodified automobile as a vehicle to explore nature with. Historically, national parks have served the interests of the middle and upper classes, by suppressing marginalized communities, primarily through forced relocation in order to clear the lands for creation of the parks. The public's conception of the “wilderness” drastically changed during the time the car was commodified, as nature …

An Assessment Of "Long-Thin" Airline Routes: Network Structure And Emissions Implications For Environmental Policy, Porter Burns

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this research was to define, map, and quantify the network and environmental implications of “long-thin” routes (LTRs) – a route structure that has been discussed in the aviation industry but not formally studied in literature. LTRs were defined through the use of global OAG scheduling data from 1998 to 2018 to identify trends in air traffic growth and network dynamics. Flights were separated into seven aircraft class sizes (e.g., 75–150 seats, 150–225 seats) to measure LTRs at multiple scales. Routes were considered “long” if the stage length was at or above the 75^th percentile in each …

U.S. Travelers’ Perceived Image Of Latin America As Their Future Travel Destination, Maricela I. Montes-Guerra, Natalia Zapata-Cuervo, Miyoung Jeong

Faculty Publications

This study identified U.S. travelers’ perceptions toward Latin America as their future place to visit, based on their perceived destination attributes, activities, and overall affective image. Selecting nine attractive destinations, this study aimed, first, to develop U.S. travelers’ perceptual mapping of countries by using destination image attributes and activities, second, to determine comparative strengths and weaknesses, and third, to propose destination marketing strategies that will derive U.S. travelers' attention to the country. Overall, Americans have favorable affective image toward the nine tourism destinations in Latin America. Costa Rica was respondents’ most preferred country to visit, followed by Peru and Brazil.

Accommodating (Global–Glocal) Paradoxes Across Event Planning, Michael Duignan, Milena M. Parent, David Mcgillivray

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The aim of this research note is threefold: 1) to introduce the concept of paradox and its numerous applications to the study and management challenges associated with the planning and delivery of events, with a specific look at large-scale events like the Olympics to provide an extreme case; 2) to present a new paradox entitled the "Global–Glocal Paradox" that interrogates how inherent global and local stakeholder interests and tensions are managed; and 3) to present a series of conceptual and practical ways events can "accommodate" as opposed to "resolve" this paradox to help balance stakeholder interests instead of pitting one …

What Makes Travelers Choose Japan Over Other Destinations: The Application Of Customer-Based Brand Equity Theory And Tourism Xenophilia, Midori Yamazaki

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Customer-based brand equity (CBBE) has been extensively applied to examine a variety of travelers' behavioral intentions and tourism destination choices. However, from the perspective of competition among destinations, the use of the overall destination brand equity (ODBE) dimension is still in its experimental stage. The objective of this research is to determine the impact of destination brand awareness (DBA), image (DBI), quality (DBQ), and value (DBV) on ODBE. Specifically, this study focuses on the case of Japan tourism from the view of American travelers. Moreover, this study aims to incorporate tourism xenophilia (TXI), which is an emerging concept in tourism …

An Examination Of The Saudi Arabian Citizens’ Perception On Leisure Tourism’S Impact On Culture In Saudi Arabia, Ihsan Bayaa

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation aims to understand the perception of Saudi Arabian citizens on the impact of leisure tourism on culture in the country. Given that Saudi Arabia is the second most popular tourist destination in the Middle East, with more than 16 million visitors in 2017, and that the leisure tourism industry is rapidly expanding, it is important to examine the impact of this growing industry on the local culture.

This study is significant as it provides valuable insights into the perceptions of Saudi Arabian citizens on the impact of leisure tourism on their culture and ways it may shape their …

Bringing The Past To Life: Co-Creating Tourism Experiences In Historic House Tourist Attractions, Jacqui Doyle, Felicity Kelliher

Articles

This ethnographic study concentrates on the co-creation of experiential value between the tourist and tour guide in a single historic tourism site; Huntingdon Castle, Ireland. Built upon the principles of service dominant logic, the research explores how storytelling acts as an engagement platform and value enhancing strategic resource. In doing so, it impels the value co-creation journey and shapes the tourist’s experience. Observation is coupled with qualitative interviews to capture the dual perspective of both guides and tourists. Findings exhibit the co-creation process through the performance of stories; how and when people derive pleasure (value); the influencing aspects of the …

Talent Management And Sustainable Performance In Travel Agents: Do Green Intellectual Capital And Green Servant Leadership Matter?, Yehia Shihata Elzek, Mohammad Soliman, Hafidh Al Riyami, Noel Scott

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Talent management (TM) can contribute to improving sustainable business performance in the face of a competitive and socially responsible environment. The use of TM to improve tourism staff skills and motivation is contentious, given such jobs are seen as routine and low-paid. Indeed, the precise processes through which TM techniques support sustained performance outcomes in tourism enterprises requires examination. This paper provides empirical evidence for the impact of TM practices on sustainable organizational performance (SOP). This effect of TM on performance is mediated by green intellectual capital (GIC). The moderating role of green servant leadership (GSL) on the link between …

The Impact Of The Intensity Of Media Use On Potential Tourists’ Risk Perception And Travel Protective Behavioral Intentions In Covid-19, Ruihong Sun, Xinliang Ye, Jianping Tang, Jiexi Yang, Noel Scott

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an increased need for potential travelers to gather information about their trips to mitigate perceived risks. This study aims to understand the relationship between the intensity of media use (both new and traditional), epidemic risk perception, and tourism protection behavior intention among potential tourists. Methods: A total of 491 valid questionnaires were collected in Shanghai, China. Factor analysis, path analysis, and effect analysis were conducted using SPSS and AMOS to examine the impact of different media types on epidemic risk perception and tourism protection behavior. Results: The findings indicate a positive …

Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome And Pet Tourism, Jun Wen, Fangli Hu, Joshua Aston

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Highlights:

• Introduces canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome into the tourism literature

• Describes the nexus between canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome and pet tourism

• Highlights travel-related benefits for aging pets

• Discusses the need to consider travel a non-pharmacological intervention for pets

• Presents an interdisciplinary discussion to develop this niche market

Tourism Experiences Reduce The Risk Of Cognitive Impairment In The Chinese Older Adult: A Prospective Cohort Study, Qian Li, Zheng Guo, Fangli Hu, Mengfei Xiao, Qiang Zhang, Jun Wen, Tianyu Ying, Danni Zheng, Youxin Wang, Song Yang, Haifeng Hou

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Given the etiological complexity of cognitive impairment, no effective cure currently exists for precise treatment of dementia. Although scholars have noted tourism’s potential role in managing cognitive impairment and mild dementia, more robust empirical investigation is needed in this area. This study aimed to examine the associations between tourism and cognitive impairment and dementia in older Chinese adults. Method: From a nationwide community-based cohort, 6,717 individuals aged ≥ 60 were recruited from 2011 to 2014, of whom 669 (9.96%) had had at least one tourism experience in the 2 years prior to enrollment. All the participants were then prospectively …