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Earthquakes strike without warning, even though they are known to recur. It is nonetheless difficult to mobilize resources to plan for them in advance, despite the high social and economic costs that can be anticipated, and despite the humanitarian obligation to provide quality and safe housing.

This research examines two post-earthquake housing reconstruction projects in rural areas of Turkey, where different procurement strategies were used. A top-down strategy was adopted in Dinar after the October 1995 earthquake; and a bottom-up strategy, was adopted in the Orta district in Cankiri after the June 2000 earthquake in the region.

Based on information obtained from government agencies, building contractors and the projects beneficiaries, a comparison has been made between the two procurement methods. While no generalized conclusions can be drawn – as the projects were conducted in the particular circumstances that prevail in rural areas of Turkey – it is possible to highlight key factors that can properly influence future housing procurement processes.

This paper seeks to increase knowledge of young tourism by presenting the findings of an empirical study of younger tourists attending cultural festivals in Switzerland. Although often neglected by academic research, the young tourism market is nonetheless important in size, furthermore, young tourists are often the trendsetters who establish and build the attractiveness of tourist destinations (Horak and Weber, 2000) The study provides data and analysis on the consumer behaviour of younger tourists, particularly regarding their choice of accommodation, eating out, travel and entertainment. The findings confirms Carr's (1998) view of a separate yet heterogeneous market, different from that of older tourists, yet in some cases sharing certain similarities. As in earlier studies of youth culture, the study finds an emphasis among young tourists on leisure activities and the importance of information — particularly from the Internet. Similarity with more traditional tourists was shown by the high importance given to cleanliness in accommodation and the provision of individual bathroom facilities. Young tourists were also found to be extremely loyal to a particular country, with a very high possibility of repeat business. Given increasing longevity and affluence, this could translate into a high “lifetime‐value of the client,” possibly lasting over half a century.

The purpose of this paper is to link consumer use of technology to two very popular themes in the hospitality industry: boutique hotels and environmental responsibility.

The case study focuses on how boutique hotels legitimize their green practices through the use of technology – web sites, social media – to communicate their environmental recognitions to discerning eco‐conscious consumers seeking small lodgings. The authors analyze the type of environmental legitimacy practices used by the boutique hotel segment of the tourism industry, using a variety of international, regional, or trade recognized environmental evaluation assessments to legitimize their boutique hotel green practices. A diverse sample of boutique hotel accommodations in two attractive, but similar international destinations – Istanbul, Turkey and San Francisco, California – are used, through content analysis of hotel web sites.

San Francisco Bay Area hoteliers, in the majority of instances, used their web sites to illustrate one international standard, LEED certification, for building structure. However, these hoteliers generally reported use of varying regional standards for legitimizing their green practices. Istanbul hoteliers reported on maintaining international standards for legitimizing their green practices, but did not seek specific standards for building structures.

Future research surveys of specific consumer perceptions of their search and experience would prove valuable in terms of destination selection and experience of environmentally‐conscious boutique hotels. Social media and related web sites utilize consumer self‐reporting, which would add additional insight for future research in this area.

The authors' analysis studies the web promotion of two similar geographic tourism destination boutique hotels' use of international versus regional legitimacy of their environmental practices.

This research compares youth tourists’ trip preferences and their perceptions of accommodation in Switzerland among visitors staying at three different types of properties (e.g., hard budget, budget, and mid-sector). Attractive price was found to be the most critical reason for the selection of accommodation for those staying at hard budget properties. Proximity to points of interest represents the main reason for choosing budget and mid-sector accommodations. When examining the differences in preferences for eating outlets, the respondents from the mid-sector lodging facilities prefer full-service restaurants while the other groups of visitors prefer to use self-service eateries. The study further finds that the youth guests of hard budget properties express reluctance in joining evening activities that are fee-paying. Managerial implications along with suggestions for future study are provided in the conclusion.

The aim of this paper to shed light on the strategies adopted by chefs and to identify the most successful in terms of Michelin rating and profitability.

In‐depth exploratory interviews with 20 great chefs located in France, Belgium, the UK and Switzerland having gained two or three Michelin stars over the last ten years.

Chefs use three different strategies for revenue‐generation: core business, full diversification and partial diversification. The reasoning behind the choice of strategy varies between two‐ and three‐star restaurants. The first strategy seems to lead to higher Michelin star ratings, and strategy, the second seems superior in terms of profitability. The third strategy yields inferior results, but is less risky.

The observations are constrained to “recently successful” restaurants, and hence may not be applicable to longer‐standing restaurants.

Concentrating on the core business leads to higher star rating, but lower profitability. Full diversification increases profitability but can jeopardize Michelin rating. The middle‐of‐the‐road approach seems inferior in any case.

To this day, little research has been conducted on the way in which great chefs having two or three stars in the famed Michelin Red Guide run their businesses. In particular, very little is known about their revenue‐generating strategies: what options are available and which revenue models are the “best”. This paper is exploratory in nature and aims to inform further research about luxury restaurants.

This paper analyses expansion strategies of international hotel operators in Eastern Central Europe (ECE) in relation to the changes in tourism supply and demand in ECE. Potential market sectors for the ECE region are explored, with the most promising for Eastern Central Europe being an emphasis on green or nature tourism, cultural tourism, the tourist business market and, finally the rejuvenation of the traditional spas and medicinal tourism of the region. Two groups of International hotel companies are identified. The majority group who are pursuing a follow-the-customer approach for the international business client in Prague, Budapest or Warsaw, and the smaller group who have expressed interest in supplying the budget and mid markets in secondary and tertiary locations.

The “sharing economy” has blurred the lines between personal and commercial operations for many sectors of the economy. A convergence has occurred between hotel companies and home sharing platforms, as Airbnb is investing in brick-and-mortar hotels, and conversely hotel companies are investing in home sharing platforms as each of the sectors tends to mimic the other. Important aspects for the hosts of Airbnb are the quality of social interaction between guest and host and the level of authenticity of social exchanges provided by interactions with locals. There is both a quantitative and qualitative demonstration of professionalization within Airbnb's organization. The aim of this research is twofold: to measure to what extent guests are aware of the professional level of the host and to evaluate the importance of these professional aspects at the different moment of the vacation process (booking, stay, and post experience).

The haute‐cuisine industry must cope with two, apparently antagonist demands from customers: providing reliable advice about the choice of restaurant, while concurrently preserving the “magic of discovery” and creativity every haute‐cuisine restaurant should provide. This paper has the objective of analysing how the Michelin guide “star system” operates as a “signalling device” in the industry, and handles these two market requirements. The research also explores how secrecy contributes to preserve chefs' creativity for the benefit of customer satisfaction.

The research is derived from 20 exploratory field interviews of chefs belonging to the “star system” in France, Switzerland and the UK.

Field research and analysis reveal the pressure to minimize type II errors, i.e. of selecting restaurants that do not merit inclusion and, consequently, increase type I errors. This behaviour explains the stability, reliability and consistency of the system.

Further research is needed to analyse the extent to which the phenomenon observed in the haute‐cuisine industry is manifest in other artistic (i.e. fashion) or hospitality (i.e. hotels) related sectors.

There is no unique route to the star system. The best way for chefs to increase the odds to get promoted is to focus on quality, develop their own style and be patient. The policy of the Michelin guide opens the door for competing guides willing to take more risk of type I errors.

This exploratory research is the first attempt to analyse the role of gastronomic guides in the haute‐cuisine sector.