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The importance of accurate forecasts of tourism demand for managerial decision making is widely recognized (see, for example, Archer 1987), and this study examines the literature on the accuracy of tourism forecasts generated by different forecasting techniques. In fact, although there are many possible forecasting methods, in practice relatively few of these have been used for tourism forecasting.

The purpose of this article is to examine empirically the impact of aggregation on forecasting accuracy; specifically, whether more accurate forecasts are obtained by forecasting a number of disaggregated tourist flows and summing the forecasts to obtain the aggregate forecast, or by summing the disaggregated tourist flows and forecasting the aggregate series directly. On the one hand, it may be easier to produce accurate forecasts from disaggregated series as the latter allow for differing behavioural patterns which may be more readily recognisable and hence easier to model and extrapolate. On the other hand, more aggregate series may be less susceptible to “noise” and therefore easier to forecast.

The objective of this study is to develop a set of econometric models for use in forecasting international tourist demand, as represented by the number of tourist visits, from the F.R. Germany and the United Kingdom to their respective major destinations.

Productivity growth in service industries has generally tended to be lower than in manufacturing industries, and the hotel sector is no exception. Problems of measuring productivity are discussed, together with specific reasons for low productivity in the hotel sector. It is suggested that increased usage of operations management techniques by hotel management is likely to result in improved productivity, and various examples are presented of situations in which these techniques can be successfully employed.

In a manufacturing context, the management of the conversion process takes place in a largely controlled environment which facilitates the measurement and control of quality. In a service organisation the generic differences result in these two aspects being more complex. After briefly reviewing these generic differences, and the difficulties facing the service sector, some of the more specific problems facing airlines in delivering a quality service are considered. Case material is presented to illustrate the steps being taken by some organisations to overcome these difficulties. Areas for further research are identified.

Nach 1953 ist die Internationale Vereinigung wissen‐schaftlicher Fremdenverkehrsexperten zum zweiten Mal in Wien zum jährlichen Kongress versammelt. Damals nach Kriegsende ging es darum, einem langsam wiedererstarkten Tourismus eine solide wissenschaftliche Basis zu geben. Es waren auch die Tourismuswissenschafter der klassischen Fremdenverkehrsländer Italien, Spanien, Österreich und der Schweiz, welche sich 1949 erstmals in der Schweiz trafen, um diesem Vorhaben eine konkrete Struktur zu geben. Prof. Paul Bernecker, als einer dieser Promotoren — genannt seien hier die andern: Prof. Walter Hunziker (bis 1973 Präsident), Prof. Kurt Krapf (erster Generalsekretär) und Prof. Angelo Mariotti — übernahm es, den Wiener Kongress zu organisieren. Er war dem Thema “Marktforschung und Werbung im Fremdenverkehr” gewidmet, übrigens ein nach wie vor aktuelles Thema, auch wenn die Terminologie heute in Marketing bzw. Marktbearbeitung oder Kommunikationspolitik erweitert wurde.

Approche générale du problème Peu nombreux sont les parcs qui se prêtent à une visite de plus d'une journée. Une réflexion qui s'attache aux établissements majeurs pourra donc se cantonner aux réalisations conçues en vue d'accueillir le public pendant une journée, c'est‐à‐dire 5 à 7 heures d'activités entrecoupées de pauses et d'un repas pris sur place.

Tourism plays an important role in the Portuguese economy. It employs 3.5 per cent of the working population and is the most rapidly growing economic activity in Portugal (OECD, 1986). Mendonsa (1983, p.218) notes that Portugal ‘is a poor country which has only managed to maintain a favorable balance of trade because of tourism and the remittances of its many emigrants working abroad’. Portuguese tourism is also increasingly successful compared to other destinations; Kendell and de Haast (1986, p. 12) point out that Portugal ‘has one of the fastest growing tourism sectors in Western Europe’.

When the theme of the conference was first announced, the term ‘Thermalisme’ was used. We wondered, ‘What is Thermalisme?’ We looked in an English dictionary, but without success ‐ the term was not given. So we started looking further afield. We thought that thermalisme suggests thermal, which in turn lead us to think of thermal springs, which implies spas ‐ perhaps' Eventually we found an article by Cohen (1974) which asks the question ‘Who Is A Tourist?’ In this article, Cohen lists eight ‘partial tourist rôles’ (p. 541), one of which is:

This paper aims to reveal developments in sensors applied to packaging lines.

Machine vision systems including special‐purpose smart cameras and a high‐speed camera are examined. The technology of radio frequency identification (RFID) is explained, and some products relevant to packaging are highlighted. Advances in X‐ray, metal detection and gas‐leak detection equipment are discussed.

Manufacturers are making smart cameras and high‐speed cameras easier to use. There is a trend for manufacturers to provide portable as well as in‐line instrumentation, for example, in code readers and gas leak detectors. RFID is an emerging technique for improving traceability in the supply chain, and some labelling machines additionally program an embedded chip.

Tracks the latest developments in sensors for engineers in the food and pharmaceutical packaging industries.