Tourism and Travel Commons^™

Food Producers And Pandemics: A Mystery Shopping Analysis, Francesc Fusté-Forné

Journal of Sustainability and Resilience

Recent research has widely analysed the significance of food in tourism. Departing from the understanding of ‘cheese’ as part of the food tourism system of a destination, this paper aims to analyse cheese factory tours as a tourism service provided by food producers. A mystery shopping approach is used to study the 75 cheese producers under the Manchego quality cheese. Results show the response behaviour of Spanish Manchego cheese producers to an email sent by a ‘tourist’ who asks for a visit during pandemic times. As a segment of food tourism, cheese tourism is gathering a growing attention by academics …

The Most Important Thing, The People!, Marie Haley

Journal of Sustainability and Resilience

This paper looks at indigenous concepts from New Zealand Maori and American Indians that offer philosophy for long term resilience and human-centred decision making. For true resilience, individuals, businesses and governments need to be adaptable, decisive and make long term changes. Operational changes need to come from a change of mindset and cannot return to old systems. Covid-19 has highlighted placing humans at the centre of decision making. This paper looks at the case study of The Seventh Generation Tours, in Akaroa New Zealand and the indigenous concepts of turangawaewae, knowing our connection to place and environment, manaakitanga, hospitality and …

A Future Of Tourism Industry: Conscious Travel, Destination Recovery And Regenerative Tourism, Asif Hussain

Journal of Sustainability and Resilience

The tourism industry is a complex network of millions of suppliers and consumers who trade experiences and services. The traditional tourism model revolves around increasing the number of visitors to ensure economic return. The conventional tourism models often ignore the real cost of the travel industry’s health and the cost per tourist. Covid-19 has shown us the extent to which the travel industry can be affected. The tourism and hospitality industries is the worst affected industries globally and the continuous waves of the virus, and new variants, are forcing governments to impose strict lockdowns. Misinformation and disinformation are making it …

Action Capstone: United Standby Travel Handbook, Danaya S. Kinikini

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

This project sought to answer the question, how might I create a travel handbook for airline employees to better utilize their travel privileges and improve morale? The handbook was broken down into three parts: resource how-to guide, standby travel handbook, and Facebook group. The airline industry saw an unprecedented busy summer travel season following the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. Senior employees were finding themselves burnt out and new employees were overwhelmed with the workload due to short staffing levels. Many new employees were leaving for better compensated jobs. Stakeholders identified were United, management, and employees. If employees can utilize their travel …

An Empirical Modeling Of Transformation Process Through Trip Experiences, Asli D.A. Tasci, Maksim Godovykh

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Transformative experience has been the buzzword in recent years. Tourism and hospitality experiences in natural, historical, cultural, and authentic spaces are some of them. However, to this date, specific dimensions of transformation or its process have not been empirically identified. This study reviewed the literature on transformation, used open-ended questions to collect free-elicited responses on the meanings of transformation, collected expert opinion, and developed a 101-item scale reflecting different dimensions and the steps of the transformation process. The scale was validated with a sequential scale validation procedure; Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) were used …

Advertising And Social Media Strategy For America’S National Parks: A Case Study Of Congaree National Park, Abigail Gallup

Senior Theses

Advertising for America’s National Parks comes in many different forms but is highly limited for national parks with lower visitation rates and less funding. Congaree National Park located just outside of Columbia, South Carolina has a small budget for advertising and goals to increase their visitation rates and visitor diversity. Particularly, Congaree rangers hope to increase visitation from the local Black community which surrounds Congaree National Park. Rangers at Congaree mainly use social media to advertise but have also investigated other forms of advertising and fundraising as well, including a Friends of Congaree Swamp license plate. This thesis will show …

Bird Diversity In The Ecuadorian Chocó: A Proposal For Avitourism In Villaflora And Manduriacu Reserve, Elizabeth Kroger

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Ecuador is rich in avifauna, and the Chocó bioregion of Northwestern Ecuador is a hotspot for bird endemism and diversity. However, many rare and beautiful species are threatened by human activities such as logging and mining. It is essential that communities are able to find alternative solutions that bring economic benefits and improve public health. Avitourism is an economically beneficial and environmentally friendly solution. This study examined avifaunal biodiversity in Villaflora and Manduriacu Reserve, a small town in the cloud forest of the Chocó region. Point counts on pre-existing trails were used to assess bird communities as well as search …

Impact Of The Covid-19 Outbreak On Tourists’ Real-Time On-Site Emotional Experience In Reopened Tourism Destinations, Yang Yang, Qian Ruan, Songshan (Sam) Huang, Tian Lan, Ying Wang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic that caused unprecedented havoc on global tourism industry will all blow over, however whether the tourists' real-time on-site emotional experience in the reopened tourism destinations is higher or lower than that of the period before the pandemic outbreak has not been studied. Since this is an important basis for managers to design tourist win-back strategies, this study empirically examines the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on tourists' real-time on-site emotional experience using geo-tagged check-in user-generated content data in China's National 5A scenic spots from November 7, 2019 to April 8, 2020. Results show that although the COVID-19 …

Effects Of Air Quality And Weather Conditions On Chinese Tourists’ Emotional Experience, Ying Wang, Yang Yang, Songshan (Sam) Huang, Li Huang, Weijie Sun

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Though the effects of air quality and weather conditions on tourism have been examined from different perspectives, their effects on tourists' emotional experience have not been investigated. Due to lack of effective measurements, tourists' real-time on-site emotional experience have not been duly examined. This study used tourists' geo-tagged check-in user-generated content (UGC) to extract the sentiments underlying tourists' real-time on-site emotional experience, and modelled the effects of air quality and weather conditions on tourists' emotional experience. The empirical results confirmed a negative and non-linear impact of air pollution, and an inverted-U effect of temperature on tourists' emotional experience. By developing …

Using Dialectic Thematic Analysis In Dark Tourism: Combining Deductive And Inductive Reasoning In A Modular Method, Martin Maccarthy

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study combines the results of two antithetical research processes: induction and deduction. Using a prescribed dialectic method commemorative pilgrimage at two non-substitutable sites is explored. A metamodel, comprising an amalgam of published commemorative models and ideas is first constructed and used as the project's interpretive frame. Parsing the metamodel produces 17 constructs: four of which are motives (inputs) and 11 of which are typified behaviours (outputs). The combined data from two Australian memorials; one in Western Australia and one in France is then analysed using the metamodel as representative of existing theory. The constructs are then deduced whilst simultaneously …

Government Response To Covid-19 And Gender Discrepancy: Tour Operator Perspective From New Zealand, Marie Haley, Asif Hussain

Journal of Sustainability and Resilience

The New Zealand government closed the international borders for the first time in history to pursuit an elimination strategy to COVID-19. This has had a severe impact upon tour operators who have been excluded from a free and fair market, to protect the broader economic and public health systems. This paper argues that the government response needs a focus at the whanau and community level, with a targeted focus on women empowerment in the communities that are dependent upon international tourism. The government should pursue an approach of engagement with systems to facilitate community lead COVID-19 recovery. Thus, allowing the …

Building Destination Tourism Alliances In The Central-Western Region Of Mexico For The Recovery Of Post-Covid-19 Tourism, Silvia María López Ruiz

Journal of Sustainability and Resilience

This study focuses on knowing the joint work between Mexico’s tourist destinations and the private sector, promoting proximity tourism for the recovery of tourism after the Covid-19 pandemic, through the creation of the “Central West Pact for Tourism” in Mexico. For the qualitative empirical analysis based on a case study, it is based on secondary data and an in-depth interview conducted virtually with two pioneering leaders of this pact and responsible for tourism management in the state of Zacatecas, Mexico. In addition, a qualitative content analysis of the project’s official website (Viaja En Corto – Descubre El Centro de …

Futurizing Gastronomic Experiences In Natural Environments, Francesc Fusté-Forné

Journal of Sustainability and Resilience

The current pandemic accentuated the need for a more responsible tourism system, where local food production and consumption become a cornerstone of sustainable tourism futures. Experiences embedded in natural environments are neither new nor recent, but the pandemic urged tourism stakeholders to look at nature again as a source of inspiration for tourism regeneration. The research analyses the configuration of gastronomic experiences in protected areas through the philosophy of a gourmet restaurant located in a volcanic setting in Catalonia, north-eastern Spain.

From Hurricanes To Pandemics: Community-Based Transformation And Destination Resilience In Utuado, Puerto Rico, Patrick J. Holladay, Pablo Méndez-Lázaro, Katja Brundiers

Journal of Sustainability and Resilience

Community-based tourism that is both sustainable and resilient lends strength to the community-based tourism system. Local mobilization of resources, cohesiveness, coordination, opportunities for change, healthy social and natural capital, economic diversification, strong leadership, and management that embraces creativity all build resilience. An example from Utuado, Puerto Rico is presented that illustrates these concepts with conceptual parallel of Hurricane Maria’s devastating impact to that of COVID-19. Post-coronavirus tourism should support local communities that could be resilient, creative, adaptive and transformative while it protects and provides long-term benefits to local communities and people.

An Introduction To The Michael R. Argetsinger Symposium Issue For The Journal Of Motorsport Culture & History, Duke Argetsinger, Mike Stocz

Journal of Motorsport Culture & History

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Influence Of Touch Points On Tourist Experiences At Crisis Impacted Destinations, Nina Krey, M Claudia Tom Dieck, Shuang Wu, Paraskevi Fountoulaki

Rohrer College of Business Departmental Research

Customer journeys in tourism are becoming more complex, often including multiple touch points that can influence expectations, experiences, and travel behaviors. The management of these different interactions is further complicated if tourist destinations face natural or man-made crises (e.g., financial crises, COVID-19). The current research takes a comprehensive look at how negative word-of-mouth (WOM) shapes pre-consumption expectations that drive actual tourist experiences and subsequent satisfaction behaviors. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), findings from 188 tourists confirm the influence of uncontrollable, negative WOM on destination image. Yet an actual, positive experience negates these negative pre-trip influences. Tourism managers …

Do Water Safety Lessons Improve Water Safety Knowledge?, Michael J. Tipton, Joseph Muller, Cristian Abelairas Gomez, Jo Corbett

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

A person, usually a child or young adult, dies by drowning every 90 seconds around the planet. Most drowning prevention initiatives do not assess the efficacy of the intervention. In this study, thirteen- to fourteen-year-olds had their level of water safety knowledge (covering cold shock, rips and tides) assessed before, just after, and 3-6 months after one, 25-minute water safety lesson on these topics. We evaluated the knowledge gained and retained on water safety “awareness” (i.e., knowledge of risks) and “confidence” in terms of knowing what to do in an emergency. The results demonstrated that the lesson significantly increased water …

Covid-19 Pandemic On Youth Tourism, Kübra Asan

Journal of Mediterranean Tourism Research

The COVID-19 pandemic, which affected the entire world, has profoundly affected the tourism sector based on human mobility. However, it is estimated that the effects of the pandemic will be less in youth tourism. The study aims to explain the effects of the pandemic on the youth tourism market. In this context, a survey study was conducted in the InterRail Turkey Community/Unirail Group. The data collected by using the online survey technique were subjected to principal component analeymiş. After the analysis, it was seen that the effects of the pandemic on the tourism behavior of the participants can be explained …

Importance-Implementation Of Disability Management Practices In Hotels: The Moderating Effect Of Team Orientation, Zakaria Elkhwesky, Islam Elbayoumi Salem, Mona Barakat

Journal of Mediterranean Tourism Research

The purpose of this study is to examine the importance of disability management practices (DMPs) and the level of implementation from the viewpoint of food and beverage (F & B) managers, F & B entry-level employees, working in F & B departments, and human resources (HRs) managers in five-star hotels in Egypt. It also analyzed the moderating role of team orientation (TO) between the importance and the implementation of DMPs. Data were collected from 400 respondents. The association between the importance and the implementation of DMPs is significant, moderate, and positive. The results also exhibited that the correlation between the …

Wish You Were Here, Exhibit Brochure, Judy Kuhns, Stephen Ford

Rosen Library Exhibits

On display: August-December 2021

Featured items: Postcards from 1907-1915 during The Golden Age of Postcards, materials on loan from Special Collections, books from the Rosen Library Collection, and souvenirs. Primary Curators: Judy Kuhns and Stephen Ford

See more items from this exhibit

Wish You Were Here, Exhibit Sign, Judy Kuhns, Stephen Ford

Rosen Library Exhibits

On display: August-December 2021

Featured items: Postcards from 1907-1915 during The Golden Age of Postcards, materials on loan from Special Collections, books from the Rosen Library Collection, and souvenirs. Primary Curators: Judy Kuhns and Stephen Ford

See more items from this exhibit

Sullivan County Economy Improvements With Tourism, Katrina Babb

2021 Spring Reports (Sullivan)

Sullivan County and Sullivan, IN identified a need to increase tourism to the county and incorporated city limits. Seven students in ECON351 were tasked with performing SWOT analyses of Sullivan County’s tourism industry and providing recommendations to improve tourism. Three dimensions of tourism were analyzed: Eco-Tourism, Entertainment, and Historical/Heritage. Recommendations for improving tourism centered on these three dimensions and included expanding trails and facilities, improving social media accounts, preservation and educational opportunities, billboard usage, and more.

Prisma Statement And Thematic Analysis Framework In Hospitality And Tourism Research, Samuel Adeyinka-Ojo

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This paper aims to explore the application of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklists for advanced systematic reviews of literature and Thematic Analysis Framework (TAF) focusing on A-15 Point checklist for qualitative data analysis in hospitality and tourism research. There exists paucity of knowledge and extant literature work that are dedicated to highlight the application of PRISMA and TAF checklists. There are several studies that have presumably adopted PRISMA and TAF; however, most of these studies merely mentioned in their methodology section that these two checklists were adopted. This paper reviews previous studies that have adopted …

An Exploratory Study On Cognitive Internship Perception Of Tourism Students, Ozge Buyuk, Gulsah Akkus

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Tourism and hospitality education fills the need of skilled employees for tourism industry. Turkey has many vocational schools which provide the qualified personnel need. Students training in these institutions concerned carry out compulsory internships in tourism enterprises. Internship is a beneficial process that leads students the opportunity to transform their theoretical knowledge into practice. However, many problems exist during the internship. During this period, interns recognize both the sector and themselves further. Positive perceptions of internship period increase the willingness of students to work in the tourism industry after graduation. So defining the students’ perceptions and complaints during the internship …

Analysis Of Effectiveness Of Industrial Exposure Training Undertaken By Students Of Hospitality Management In Star Hotels, Saravana Kumar

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Industrial exposure training is mandatory for all hospitality Management students which are created to enable students learn practically in the real hotel atmosphere the operations of various departments and the practical skills. Bigger hotels have Training Manager and also learning & development Director who provide induction and also training for the students in various departments. This study is done to analyze two aspects of the IET i.e. if Students learning experience really happens and if hotels providing learning oriented training. These students who go for industrial exposure training need to be handled in a different manner and not to be …

Efficiency Of Internal Control Systems And The Effect Of Organizational Structure And Culture On Internal Control Systems In Accommodation Industry, Kadriye A. Akmese, Ali Ilgaz

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Accommodation businesses are based on a structure of producing services and customer satisfaction. Due to this relationship, non-financial information stands in the forefront among various evaluations for these businesses. Additionally other Dynamics need to be under control in order to attain the middle and long-term business profitability and sustainability. At this point internal control is considered as a vital system, which provides the chance of evaluating crucial characteristics of the business that seem to be functioning at the background such as financial position, structure and operating. In this study, the effectiveness of internal control systems in accommodation businesses is evaluated …

Social Media Marketing In Rural Hospitality And Tourism Destination Research, Samuel Adeyinka-Ojo, Shamsul K. Abdullah

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

An increasing number of studies have been dedicated to the application of social media in the marketing of hospitality services and tourism destinations. However, there exists a lack of extant literature dedicated to exploring how social media can be used in the marketing of hospitality and tourism in rural destinations. In order to achieve the objectives of this paper, the methodology adopted, and samples used for the analysis of literature review composed of relevant papers published in hospitality and tourism journals on social media framework, social media marketing (SMM), rural hospitality and tourism (RHT) destinations. These existing literature works were …

The Impact Of Effective Implementation Of Customer Relationship Management To The Success Of Hotels In Afikpo North Local Government Of Ebonyi State, Nigeria, Ogboagha Callister, Managwu Lilian

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This study assessed the impact of effective implementation of customer relationship management to the success of hotels in Afikpo North. The researchers formulated three objectives and one hypothesis for the purpose of the study. A total of eighty (80) respondents were sampled for the study. Questionnaire and personal interview were the instruments used for data collection. Relevant data collected were analyzed using simple percentages and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to test the hypothesis. The findings of the study showed that product customisation, long term relationship, customer loyalty and return on investment were the importance of Customer Relationship Management …

Conceptualization Of Ecotourism Service Experiences Framework From The Dimensions Of Motivation And Quality Of Experiences: Four Realms Of Experience Approach, Jennifer K. L. Chan

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

The paper explored ecotourism service experience dimensions from the ecotourists’ motivations and quality of experiences. Based on these empirical dimensions, an ecotourism service experience framework is conceptualized and guided by the four realms of experiences. A total of 51 international ecotourists were interviewed at the ecolodges. Motivation responses and quality of experiences were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings of motivation dimensions were cross-checked with the dimensions of quality of experiences. Consistent findings revealed that tangible – wildlife and nature/environment, learning, being away from workplace/home (escapism), aesthetic (amusing scenery) and entertainment experiences driven from river boat cruise, cultural performance and viewing …

Determination Of Food Neophobia Levels Of International Mersin Citrus Festival Participants, Sevda Sahilli Birdir, Nurhayat Iflazoglu, Kemal Birdir

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Mersin Citrus Festival is considered the biggest festival of the province and is an international event held in Mersin every year. The festival aims to introduce citrus fruits, the most important agricultural product grown in Mersin. This study was carried out in order to determine the neophobia levels of attendees’ and to measure their attitudes towards new foods at the 7th International Mersin Citrus Festival. Answers to four research questions were sought in the study. The data were obtained through a survey on 1-3 November 2019, using the convenience sampling method. The obtained 152 usable questionnaires were subjected to statistical …