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Home-based commercial hospitality (HBCH) is the focus of this study. This community-based tourism (CBT), which has received little research attention, is examined to reveal the meaning of commercially hosting visitors in private homes for experiential meetings on a variety of topics such as food, art, culture, folklore and various workshops.

A qualitative research method was adopted, using semi-structured, in-depth interviews with HBCH providers in the desert town of Arad, located in southern Israel.

The study reveals the impact of this unusual occupation on the host's quality of life, the factors that encourage and suppress involvement in this entrepreneurship, as well as the positive and negative consequences of HBCH on the local environment.

The findings could offer important guidelines to municipalities and local governments seeking to encourage CBT and sustainable micro-enterprises.

HBCH is a recent phenomenon and, as such, has been little researched. This study of one community raises issues that may be shared by HBCH enterprises. The findings could contribute to developing such initiatives elsewhere, avoiding the obstacles faced in this pioneering effort.

The aim of the study is to capture consumers' conceptualization of ethnic food and ethnic restaurants, focusing on what it takes for ethnic restaurants to be perceived authentic.

Qualitative research, based on semi-structured in-depth interviews which were transcribed and subjected to inductive thematic analysis.

The findings conceptualize what ethnic food and ethnic-authentic restaurant are, leading to formulating the criteria that authentic ethnic restaurant should meet.

Findings have practical implications for restaurateurs interested in establishing themselves as ethnically authentic and for businesses focusing on ethnic food. This study was based on Israeli-Jewish participants; studies with other populations will contribute to the findings' trustability.

This study provides novel and critical insights into ethnic restaurant managements and to the customer conceptualization of the concept of ethnic authentic, demonstrating it being a multifaceted concept.

The current paper aims to explore the attitudes of decision makers in restaurants in Puerto Rico toward vegetarian food, and examine the restaurants' orientation toward vegetarianism and the challenges they face in catering to vegetarian patrons.

A survey instrument was developed to include 21 items representing the various attitudes and views toward vegetarian food; restaurant characteristics; and participant's demographic information. A total of 92 face-to-face structured interviews were conducted among various independent family restaurants located in the metropolitan area of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The findings suggest that although the participants certainly recognize the value of vegetarian food for their restaurants, they are still unaware or uninformed about many issues related to vegetarianism and vegetarian customers. Moreover, the study also raises some worrying concerns as to the attentiveness of restaurants to the needs of vegetarians.

The study raised important practical implications for restaurants in San Juan and, potentially, for restaurants in other destinations that share the same challenges. Perhaps the most important implication that emerges is the need to educate the decision makers in restaurants (i.e. owners, managers and chefs) regarding critical issues related to vegetarians and vegetarian food.

The purpose of this paper is to argue for the incorporation of ethics into the coursework of culinary schools, utilizing the value chain analysis as a theoretical framework to explore and confront food ethics concerns.

Based on a review of the pertinent literature, this conceptual paper offers a theoretical framework whereby ethical issues relevant to the food industry can be tackled and then incorporated into the training of culinary professionals.

To illustrate the usefulness of the suggested framework, the paper provides a systematic analysis of ethical concerns related to the production, distribution and consumption of food.

Food ethics education is likely to have a positive impact on the credibility of the culinary arts' profession, at a time when there is a shift toward sustainability and ethical awareness; it is also likely to impact favorably on the opportunity of recruiting culinary professionals as agents of change regarding pressing moral challenges.

Including ethics in the curricula of culinary schools has various positive social implications, including the development of future professionals with acknowledged ethical responsibilities toward society.

Despite the upsurge of ethical concerns and the controversies associated with the food industry, hitherto culinary schools have paid little attention to ethics within their curricula. In view of that, the article introduced a value‐chain perspective for integrating food ethics into culinary arts curricula.

The aim of this paper is to discuss the issues of animal rights in the hospitality and tourism (H&T) industry, and to suggest ethical guidelines for the operation of animal‐based attractions.

The issue is presented through an extensive literature review, in addition to current examples and demonstrations from the industry.

For years, the H&T industry has been heavily criticized for its inconsiderate and even cruel use of animals for entertainment purposes. However, there are clear indications, presented in this paper, of a growing tendency to adopt approaches that emphasize animal welfare and even animal rights.

The growing awareness of animal rights, the changing public opinion and the influence of animal rights' movements is forcing animal attractions to re‐evaluate their attitudes toward the use of animals. Generally, animal attractions should adopt an approach that combines entertainment, education and welfare concerns. Specific guidelines for each component and recommendations are provided. However, this issue requires further discussion and research to clarify key problems.

The paper is of value to researchers and practitioners who are interested in the development of H&T ethics regarding the use of animals.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the contribution of animal‐based attractions to ecological causes – particularly wildlife conservation and environmental education – while portraying the debate regarding the legitimacy and effectiveness of these sites.

An extensive literature review gives examples, demonstrating the potential of animal‐based attractions to support the causes of ecological sustainability while raising the challenges, constraints, and limitations in utilizing them to the fullest.

Opposition to animal‐based attractions is fierce and should be understood and addressed by management and regional associations.

Suggestions for improving the sites' operations are elaborated throughout the paper.

The paper is of value to relevant stakeholders including zoological professionals and animal activists, and it can raise awareness of certain aspects that may not have received adequate attention.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the impact of technology on the human resources (HR) function in organizations, in general, and in hospitality firms, in particular.

The issue is presented through an extensive literature review, in addition to practical examples and demonstrations from the hospitality industry.

The literature clearly points to a substantial incorporation of technology in HR operations, to the extent that human resource information systems (HRIS) are perceived today as internal e‐commerce. This transition offers significant potential but also raises challenges and concerns. In addition, certain constraints often prevent HRIS from being utilized to their full potential, and therefore need to be addressed at the managerial level.

The review particularly raises the importance of managerial commitment to the successful performance of HRIS in organizations. In addition, suggestions for overcoming the barriers of the effective implementation of HRIS across HR functions are detailed throughout the paper.

The paper presents an important contemporary issue that has received very little attention in the hospitality and tourism literature. By providing a state‐of‐the‐art review on the potential contribution of HRIS to the industry, and elaborating on critical issues related to the topic, the paper can be of value for both HR educators and practitioners.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the referral patterns of local residents who are frequently requested by visitors to the community to provide information and/or direct venue referrals for travel‐related services. Also investigated, were the factors influencing the selection of a specific venue being referred. It is posited that visitors delay many travel decisions until they arrive at a destination and extensively utilize local “experts” in their decision strategy.

The current study expands upon previous research on visitor decision strategies for travel‐related services once that are at a destination by examining the referral activity of 180 residents in the metro‐Orlando area, a destination that attracts more than 47 millions visitors each year. A standardized questionnaire was utilized to collect data in two distinct areas of the destination, a central tourism corridor and a bedroom community.

In general, at‐destination recommendations from locals were found to be highly sought by visitors, regardless of the occupation of the perceived local expert. In addition, although the weekly frequency of requests to a local expert was typically lower in the bedroom community in contrast to the tourism corridor, they still existed in significant enough numbers such that they should capture the attention of enterprises providing such services. At the least, a partial alignment of an enterprise's promotional strategies and tactics to reach targeted visitor segments through “locals” becomes obvious. Overall, notable recommendation patterns were not uniform across type of service enterprise, and were highly evident for food and beverage and entertainment facilities, while recommendations for lodging facilities were found to be limited in this study. It was also determined that local residents were most influenced by organic factors compared to induced factors.

The results suggest that hospitality businesses should focus a portion of their marketing strategies and tactics towards the community in order to attain/drive positive word‐of‐mouth referrals. This implication is particularly relevant for restaurants and shopping venues. Finally, it is suggested that the most effective way for businesses to reach local residents is through direct contact and communication, rather than traditional advertising channels.

The paper has both theoretical and practical value, and provides further confirmation that tourists delay/make many decisions post‐arrival and that locals play an important role in travel‐decision process.