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The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between financial and operational performance and the application of two different talent management (TM) models: internal talent development model and external talent capture model. Comparative case studies of the Football Club Barcelona and the Real Madrid Football Club allow drawing a definitive conclusion for TM in companies related to the competitive strategy.

The two TM models are examined via a longitudinal comparative case study analysis: FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF. Present paper builds on secondary sources: first, the TM properties of the clubs were extracted from academic sources and newspapers; second, data used to analyze the financial performance were derived from SABI database and operational performance was measured as the effectiveness in winning trophies in football championships (data gathered from Union of European Football Associations and International Federation of Football Associations databases).

The case analysis reveals that the two TM models offer equally effective financial and operational performance outcomes. The internal talent development model would be more useful for companies whose competitive advantage is achieved through differentiation through teamwork. However, companies that do not achieve a clear differentiation through teamwork should opt for the external talent capture model.

Talent is one of a company’s most important intangible assets. Although there exists a growing interest among companies as to the best way to TM, practical models on how to manage talent are virtually nonexistent. Comparative case studies from the sports arena allow for the extraction of lessons for companies related to TM and competitive strategy.

This research aims to reveal that accessibility of hotels to major points of attraction in the urban–territorial continuum of Catalonia, with its urban and coastal landscapes, has a direct impact on the dependent variables of customer satisfaction and average room rate.

The study collected data from 84 of 4-star hotel establishments, divided into urban and coastal hotels. Both coastal and urban hotels were differentiated depending on their distance to, the beach and the urban city center, respectively. Customer satisfaction and average room rate data were retrieved from online review platforms.

The study proves that hotels located in the urban–territorial continuum of Catalonia have different behaviors in terms of customer satisfaction and hotel pricing according to the variables of distance and landscape. The study shows that room rate and customer satisfaction are both higher in urban landscapes than in coastal landscapes. Urban hotels present significant differences in their levels of customer satisfaction and room rates depending on their location in the city of Barcelona. However, coastal hotels do not represent significant differences in room rates depending on their location, although they do represent significant differences in terms of customer satisfaction.

The originality of this study is based on how a dynamic urban–territorial model consisting of Barcelona and the Maresme coast, the hotel location and distances to main interest points impact in the variables of customer satisfaction and average room rate.

This study aims to discuss the transformational effect of the smart governance concept, which is one of the complementary elements of the smart city concept and to explain the change in governance structures according to the developments in information and communication technology.

In this study, the case study as one of the qualitative research methods is preferred, and smart city models of Barcelona, Amsterdam, Kocaeli and Ankara are examined.

In the research, scientific studies in the academic literature were evaluated according to the content analysis, and as a result of this analysis, the cities examined were grouped as “beginner,” “medium” and “advanced.” In the group, the characteristics of smart cities and the services they offer were taken into account. In this context, smart governance methods and their transformational effects are analyzed.

The most important contribution of this study to the literature is to identify the important characteristics of developed and successful smart city initiatives and to encourage their application to other developing world cities as a best practices model.

This study aims to examine the main factors and the related impacts that have caused a negative shift in the social perception of tourism among residents of Barcelona. Namely, it contextualises the recent evolution of the impacts and the social perception of tourism among the city’s residents; analyses the relationship between the social perception of tourism and different tourist, real estate, demographic and economic factors; and lastly, it identifies the social impacts that majorly influence the negative perception among residents in every neighbourhood.

This study applies quantitative and qualitative techniques to a selection of five neighbourhoods of Barcelona. First, the character of the neighbourhoods was analysed, and external statistical information was later provided to understand the state and evolution of the factors that shape perceptions of tourism. Secondly, representatives of the community movements were interviewed in-depth. This consecutive qualitative approach enabled the comprehension of how these factors shape the residents’ perception.

The results showed that residents generally shared similar perceptions despite variations among neighbourhoods. Perceived negative effects included not only the most direct consequences of tourism such as anti-social behaviour and congestion of public spaces but also indirect ones such as population displacement and the weakening of social structures.

This study’s innovation lies in linking objective statistical data that describe the reality of a tourist neighbourhood (housing prices, number of available beds, family income, etc.), to the subjective perceptions of its residents. Thus, it is possible to identify the perceived impacts of tourism (which have an impact on the local population’s satisfaction), and relate these to the true evolution of tourism variables in the neighbourhood. This contrasted reading between perception and reality is important for future initiatives for the regulation of tourism in the city.

Media and academic attention on Airbnb focuses on user experiences, implications for traditional accommodation establishments and negative sociocultural impacts. The purpose of this paper is to explore the views of Barcelona residents who have been impacted by the proliferation of Airbnb rentals.

A qualitative approach was adopted, involving semi-structured interviews with residents of Barcelona.

It highlights the problem of unregistered Airbnb rentals throughout the city, carrying implications for the gentrification of neighbourhoods, the displacement of local residents and anti-social guest behaviour. This study points to a consequent rise in anti-tourist feeling. It also reveals that the authentic experience promised by the sharing economy is illusory.

This paper presents a model that highlights a clash between the vaunted benefits of the sharing economy for hosts and tourists and the negative implications for a city’s residents.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the tourist landscape as represented in Turisme de Barcelona’s YouTube tourism promotional videos, looking at the landscape’s tangible locations, symbolic and tourist assets and the protagonists in an effort to interpret its storytelling in an overtourism context.

The mixed methodology is based on a visual content analysis of promotional videos posted on the official Barcelona tourism YouTube channel. Quantitative data analysis about the assets and their localization was completed with a qualitative assessment of the way these assets are displayed to unveil the narrative they convey.

The results highlight that Barcelona’s projected image is mainly based on tangible heritage (especially monuments), its recognizable cityscape and its eno-gastronomic assets. This rather conventional image is geographically concentrated on the neighborhoods perceived as tourist neighborhoods.

This analysis provides a critical reflection of the actual strategy of destination management organizations and the storytelling they transmit. The findings can help to orientate their future actions and provide a method of analysis that can be repeated for other destinations.

This paper sheds new light on the use of urban landscapes in nonstatic images both as a narrative subject and as a tangible tourist space in promotional discourse.

Cities all over the world rebrand themselves in order to refresh their image and attract/continue attracting tourists, industry or whichever group they hope to engage. Cities have tended to rebrand themselves based on varied social events and festivals such as fashion (Milan), food and beverages (Munich), folklore dancing (Rio de Janeiro), film (Cannes) and many more. The most powerful platform for rebranding a city is hosting the Olympic Games. Despite the fact that many city planners and decision-makers tend to perceive the Olympic Games as the highest yielding investment for reinforcing a city image, in the last three decades many host cities have lost millions of dollars, with this rare opportunity to leverage their city's image becoming one big fiasco. The aim of this paper is to present the key rules for making hosting the Olympic Games a very profitable business, in terms of reinforcing the city image.

Since some host cities are more established in economic terms and some are less, two different approaches (the “Barcelona model” and the “London model”) are discussed.

The Barcelona model shows how a city can leverage its image, based on the Olympic Games, to become more familiar to millions of potential tourists, and the London model shows how an entire country can also profit from the fact that its capital is hosting the Olympic Games.

The Barcelona model shows how a city can leverage its image, based on the Olympic Games, to become more familiar to millions of potential tourists, and the London model shows how an entire country can also profit from the fact that its capital is hosting the Olympic Games.

Focusing on critical discourse analysis, this paper aims to propose a framework for analysing the way activist anti-tourism groups construct their social action of protest. The authors argue that activist groups use different narrative strategies to construct and legitimise their discourse of protest to convey social meanings for social action practices. This study represents an attempt to explain how anti-tourism activist groups have the agency to build different paradigms of protest rooted in particular views of tourism.

As a result of the lack of research in this area, this study used a comparative case study methodology drawn on four case studies in the field of anti-tourism protest. Case study is deemed adequate to explore a complex social phenomenon, how activist groups differ from each other, in a specific socio-economic context. A critical discourse analysis method is used to study primary (interviews) and secondary sources (reports, websites and online campaigns documents) of information, which express the activist group motivations and objectives to protest against tourism.

This study’s findings provide evidence in how discourse differs among the protest groups. Three narrative paradigms of protest are identified, which guide their agency: scepticism, based on a global and ecological approach; non-interventionist transformation, rooted in local community issues; and direct transformation, based on a sectoral problem-solving approach. These differences are interpreted as the consequences of the emergence and the development of different paths of protest according to specific social contexts and power relations in which anti-tourism groups are embedded.

This paper provides a contemporary approach to anti-tourism activism within the context of social movements. This case study may be of interest to practitioners and international destination managers interested in gaining a better understanding of anti-tourism protest strategies, new anti-tourism narratives following COVID-19 and the opportunities and challenges for opening a dialogue with those involved in activism and social urban movements as part of sustainable tourism governance. Our results can also help activists to rethink how they integrate differences and particular strategic positions to avoid hindering collective action. This knowledge is especially useful for managers and authorities seeking to develop more accurate collaborative governance practices with local activists, and especially those interested in fostering participative action without marginalising the diverse range of local community perspectives.

This paper aims to analyse Barcelona City Council's tourism policy documents to detect how, through the influence of research, different pathways are produced to achieve social impact.

Using the case study approach, a qualitative content analysis is applied to review 31 tourism policy documents of Barcelona City Council.

The results show that the influence of tourism research on Barcelona City Council's policy documents occurs through the following pathways that drive potential social impact: the development of shared research programmes, joint projects, the creation of information exchange platforms, support for academia, the creation of debates, the founding of institutes, the referencing of scientific articles and studies commissioned directly by the City Council from higher education bodies for implementation in the city.

The originality of this paper is to highlight the social relevance of research and to contribute to raising awareness among researchers. The social impact of research is an under-explored topic in the field of tourism. Moreover, there is little research that conducts this analysis through policy documents.

This paper investigates urban potentials of historic covered market buildings. Generally, these structures witnessed the apex of construction during the turn of the 20th century in Europe and beyond. They thrived until the second half of the 20th century when they started to decline and their existence became threatened due to several factors. This research focuses on recent regeneration attempts that consider the qualities of these structures, not only as individual buildings but also as an important tool for the revitalization of their surrounding contexts.

This paper focuses mainly on the Egyptian network of historic indoor markets with special reference to Port Said markets which are currently in decay and in urgent need for intervention. Through the consultation of the Barcelona Model for Markets, Spain and the survey of Port Said historic markets; the present study suggests a framework through which the network of local markets can regain their positive role and contribute to the revitalization of their surrounding context.

Findings reveal that historic indoor markets are complex structures that cannot be regenerated in isolation from their usually fast changing contexts. Intervention in this prototype needs to balance between traditional imaginary of these buildings, including the protection of their historic features and the protection of vulnerable local trades; and at the same time, the adaptation of market buildings to contemporary needs to improve their competitiveness on the commercial level.

The present study suggests a two-level framework and approach through which the network of local markets in Egyptian cities can regain their positive role and hence contribute to the revitalization of their surroundings.