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The purpose of this study is twofold: it aims to examine hotel website features by conducting a content analysis and it analyses customers’ viewpoints about the importance of the contents of hotel websites. The study involves a quantitative method of measurement and evaluation of the information provided by hotel websites. It tries to evaluate the richness of definite and ample information dimensions, which as a whole constitutes the information services offered through the website.

The study is based on two pillars: all five-star hotel chains (113 hotels) in Egypt as the population frame to evaluate the contents of their websites; and a sample of 406 customers selected to examine the customers’ views on the importance of the contents of hotel websites. This study proposes a quantitative evaluation frame of all dimensions provided by hotel websites which is developed, tested and validated.

The study has revealed important findings that can help hotel managers to adjust the information on the websites to be more efficient and customer-oriented.

Because of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalizability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed frame again in further studies.

The study includes implications for the development of hotel website evaluation from the perspective of two sides, hotel managers and customers, by using a unique quantitative evaluation model.

This research has for the first time combined statements from the perspective of two sides – hotel managers and customers.

This paper aims to investigate participants’ motivations and perceptions of a field trip. Specifically, this paper examines if and how students’ perceptions change with time and it explores the main factors for ensuring success in an experiential learning tourism program.

The study gathered and compared data collected in two points in time – immediately at the end of the experience and two months afterward. T-tests for paired samples were used to examine potential differences in perceptions and principal component analysis was used to identify the key factors determining the success of the experience.

The findings indicate that there are various motivations behind participation and that time barely affects perceptions of the experience. Furthermore, three factors emerged as important for meeting expectations, namely, social and professional connections, learning and traditional yet engaging teaching.

While the outcomes are useful, they need to be thoughtfully applied because of the small data set. It is important to repeat similar investigations to allow more certainty in the propositions formulated. Furthermore, future studies should evaluate a broader variety of outcomes to determine whether perceptions remain constant. The implications are that educators and destination managers can easily apply these conclusions for the benefit and the findings can inform other field trips and broader experiential initiatives.

Despite research on learning outcomes and perceptions of experiential learning having expanded considerably, a fundamental question that remains unanswered is how perceptions of such experiences change and, consequently, when the most appropriate time is to assess participant perceptions.

研学旅游与体验式学习：学生对田野实践的认知

摘要

本文的研究目的是为了探讨学生对于研学旅游中田野实践的参与动机和观念。特别地, 本文检验了学生的观念是否以及如何随时间变化, 并探讨了影响体验式研学旅行项目成功实施的关键因素。

该研究在两个时间点收集数据, 一是在完成体验式学习之后立即进行数据收集, 二是在两个月后再次进行数据收集。研究主要采用配对样本T检验来检验认知的潜在差异, 采用主成分分析法来识别影响该体验能否成功的关键因素。

研究结果表明, 参加体验式研学旅行的人们有着不同的动机, 时间基本不影响参与者对研学体验的认知。此外, 三个因素显得十分重要：社交和专业联系、学习、传统的参与式教学。

尽管本研究的结果有重要的实践价值, 但由于样本量相对较小, 需要谨慎应用此研究结果。本研究认为, 有必要在未来的研究中进行类似的重复研究, 以确保所得出的结论具有稳健性。此外, 未来的研究应当考虑更多的结果, 从而判断参与者的认知是否稳定。本文的研究意义有三：教育工作者以及旅游目的地经理人可以轻松应用这些结论来盈利, 可以启发其他类型的田野实践, 启发更一般的体验式学习项目。

近来, 虽然关于体验式学习成效、体验式学习认知的研究迅速增加, 但一个尚未被解答的根本性问题是：体验式学习的认知是如何变化的, 因此, 在哪个时间点去评估参与者的认知是最合适的？

Turismo educativo y aprendizaje experimental: percepciones de los estudiantes sobre las excursiones

El propósito de este estudio es investigar las motivaciones y percepciones de un viaje de campo. Específicamente, en este articulo se examina si las percepciones de los estudiantes cambian con el tiempo y se determinan los principales factores para asegurar el éxito de un programa de aprendizaje experimental de turismo.

El estudio reunió y comparó datos recopilados en dos puntos en el tiempo – directamente después de la experiencia y dos meses después. Se aplico la prueba “t” para muestras emparejadas para examinar las posibles diferencias en las percepciones y se utilizó el análisis de componentes principales para identificar los factores clave que determinan el éxito de la experiencia.

los resultados indican que hay varias motivaciones detrás de la participación y que el tiempo prácticamente no afecta las percepciones de la experiencia. Además, tres factores surgieron como fundamentales para cumplir con las expectativas de los estudiantes: conexiones sociales y profesionales, aprendizaje y enseñanza tradicional pero dinámica.

Si bien los resultados son útiles, deben aplicarse cuidadosamente debido al pequeño conjunto de datos. Es importante repetir investigaciones similares para permitir mayor certeza en las proposiciones formuladas. Además, los estudios futuros deberían evaluar una variedad más amplia de resultados para determinar si las percepciones permanecen constantes. Las implicaciones son que los educadores y los gerentes de destino pueden aplicar fácilmente estas conclusiones para beneficio y los hallazgos pueden informar otras excursiones e iniciativas experimentales más amplias.

Si bien la investigación sobre percepciones del aprendizaje experimental se ha ampliado considerablemente, una pregunta fundamental que queda sin respuesta es cómo cambian las percepciones de tales experiencias y, en consecuencia, cuándo es el momento más apropiado para evaluar las percepciones de los participantes.

To report on the Special Libraries Association (SLA) Annual Conference held in June 2007 in Denver, Colorado.

Conference report.

The annual conference aims to provide attendees continuing professional education, vendor presentations, invited papers and social events. Exhibits from library vendors include technology, information materials and services.

A conference report of interest to information professionals in academia, corporate and governmental information centers and libraries.

The transfer of radionuclides from fallout to individual foods has been studied continuously in several areas in the Republic of Croatia, since 1959. Investigations focus on the long‐lived fission radionuclides: ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr. In order to estimate doses received by the Croatian population the Caesium and Strontium levels in their diets were calculated and analysed. According to the results obtained the risk to the population from ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr ingestion was highest over the 1960s and in the year of the Chernobyl nuclear accident, but the content of radionuclides in the foods were below the permissible levels.

The most common form of municipal waste disposal in the EU continues to be landfilling, from which leachate could seriously contaminate ground water aquifers that serve as drinking water sources. Constructed wetland is considered as a sustainable option as it facilitates water recycling in landfill sites using closed loop technology. In Slovenia constructed wetlands have been successfully developed and there are already 6 landfills that have been remediated using this technique. An innovative co‐natural approach that has been applied on the landfill site at Ormoz (1.5ha), allows a landfill site to become a bioreactor by permitting controlled infiltration. Leachate is purified using a constructed wetland covering 1,000m². The average hydraulic load is 12m³/d. Purified water will then be recycled through an underground irrigation system to fast growing trees. We assume that this solution will allow rapid stabilisation of the landfill site as the infiltrated water in the landfill site stimulates microbes to mineralise organic waste. There is no risk of leaks as the root systems of trees follow the non‐uniform settling of waste. Owing to the closed hydrological and pollution cycle, the impact on the environment and especially the risk of water contamination will be reduced.

This chapter presents an innovative learning opportunity for tourism students, International Tourism and Hospitality Academy at Sea, that has been in operation for the last 10 years. The program could render itself as a case study of Kolb’s experiential learning theory according to which knowledge is created by transforming experience. Its uniqueness and complexity lie in its diversity. This program has involved between 80 and 130 tourism students yearly from four to six institutions from different countries participating in new scholarly inputs by non-resident professors and instructors.

The awareness of Eastern Europe within China is mostly tied to the shared notion of Communist control. During the last half century, educational and cultural links were established which often resonated in the minds and desired experiences of many Chinese tourists. This chapter explores the meaning of these Asian-European links for Croatia by using economic data and archival evidence. The analysis is framed within the context of China’s policy toward Central and Eastern Europe. The work seeks to offer a better understanding of the politico-economic decisions that shape contemporary tourism flows and interests, not only in relation to Croatia, but also to similarly placed countries.

The paper aims to report on the 30th IATUL Annual Conference held in Leuven, Belgium, 1‐4 June, 2009

The paper summarises the major themes of the conference as well as giving some specific details of developments at the Indira Gandhi National Open University in India, which supplement the author's presentation at the conference.

The IATUL conference included a wide gamut of important issues faced by the libraries in the knowledge society of the twenty‐first century. The delegates exchanged ideas and learnt of best practices prevalent in libraries across the globe. The conference provided insights into the issues of innovation, change, benchmarking, quality assurance, Web 2.0 tools, information literacy, free internet resources and so forth.

It was a conference of immense value for library and information professionals. It raised important issues; problems faced by the libraries today and offered tentative solutions.

Until now the majority of researchers of sports tourism have focused their research on the tourist and their characteristics, meaning, on the demand. Since the majority of authors (Gibson 1998; Seddighi and Theoracharous 2002; Hudson 2003; ?inch and Higham 2001) studied tourists and their characteristics we decided to focus on the providers of active sports holidays. According to Planina, Mihali_(2002, pg. 29) the tourism model is built on demand and supply. The supply side was analyzed by WTO (2004) in their research amongst European tour operators with the highest turnover in order to establish how sport features in products involving Latin America. Based on this idea we decided to carry out a research amongst providers of active sports holidays and asked them about a typical client. We divided the providers into segments according to the type of guests. The research was carried out to find the answer to the question “What do providers of active sports holidays offer in Slovenia and how they perceive their guests?” We were interested to know what they actually offer and the trend of the enquiries they receive from their visitors. The characteristics of the visitors are important to help providers decide how to develop their facilities to meet the demands of the market. We learnt that in Slovenia the majority of tourists are short‐length stays. We also researched the supply and demand and learnt that the providers expect the demand to be highest for skiing and cycling. In the largest of the segments the activities most frequently offered are swimming (water sports), tennis (racquet sports), the usual team sports and skiing. However, the demand for these sports is not growing. Amongst the activities which are in lesser demand but have been defined by the providers as growing are mountain biking and golf.

Three papers were presented to launch the debate on the theme: