Search results

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.

The purpose of the article is to present an innovative tool to support tourism managers and professionals in their decision-making process: the strategic agenda for tourism and the priorities for action.

In this article, the authors explain a process for developing a strategic agenda for tourism, how the themes were selected through a survey with a list of senior executives and later discussed and prioritized during the annual tourism conference convened by IPDT – Institute of Tourism.

The key findings were the top 10 themes/priorities for tourism planning and development as seen by the most senior tourism executives operating in Portugal, and how those themes can be explored to anticipate opportunities for companies and destinations.

This is the first agenda for tourism produced in Portugal with such a large group of senior executives from the tourism sector as the contributors. The project was deeply rooted in the experience and views of senior professionals operating in the tourism value chain, making it a reliable and up-to-date tool to support their decision-making processes.

This study aims to explore the latent potential of alternative-responsible tourism and ecotourism leadership in sustainable tourism and the sustenance of rural communities in Musina Municipality in Limpopo Province, South Africa. It also sought to compare this potential with other African pastoral areas and to integrate it with various rural sites elsewhere abroad.

Narrative literature, document reviews, interviews and focus group discussions were used to garner relevant data and were analyzed through cross-tabulation analysis and manually. On this account, probable climate change-bound environmental consequences, rural, tourism, farming and ecological administration issues came to the forefront.

The examination correlates the potential position of proper ecotourism exercises and responsible tourism as an agreeable path to promote sustainability in rural localities. Subsequently, upon apparent countryside products, ecotourism and farming exercises glimpsed in the study area, environmental degradation poses a conceivable hazard to natural resource governance. Hereafter, it aggravates the possibilities for climate change effects and poor subsistence.

The rich biodiversity in the study area provides platforms for sustainable rural tourism enterprises and addresses any pertinent concerns. Thus, the study has manifested a demand for a creative tourism approach and innovations against environmental change outcomes and to capacitate Musina Municipality residents and probably others elsewhere on the continent to engage in ethical tourism initiatives and sustainable livelihoods.

The purpose of the study is to examine opportunities for gastronomic tourism development and smart solutions in the regions of Latvia.

The methodology is based on a qualitative approach applied to examine the theoretical and legal frameworks for gastronomic tourism, as well as on a case study based on mapping and a typology of gastronomic tourism.

An analysis of priorities for the Kurzeme planning region (including Talsi municipality) in tourism development revealed that digitalization, the introduction of smart solutions important for travellers and the integration of the digital environment and innovative solutions into tourism services are specified in policy documents. An examination of a mapping of tourist services supplied in the Talsi municipality and the role of gastronomic tourism therein showed that such a mapping can serve as a basis for developing targeted smart and digital tourism products for Talsi municipality, which involves both the target audience and the typology of food tourist behaviour.

The examination of smart solutions for the regions of Latvia represented an in-depth case study of one municipality – Talsi. Talsi municipality was selected as a typical gastronomic destination, which offers a wide range of gastronomic tourism opportunities, and this kind of tourism is also referred to in the tourism development strategy of the municipality (region).

This study's contribution is determined by the constantly changing dynamic environment that fosters the differentiation of supply of tourism products, as well as the integration of smart solutions into tourism products. Gastronomic tourism in Latvia and the Baltic states plays a steady role in contributing to the recognition of the cultural environment and regional traditions; therefore, the supply of smart solutions is essential and significant from the regional perspective. The originality of the research is also determined by an examination of smart solutions for gastronomic tourism in the tourism products supplied in the region.

The aim is to analyse a regional cultural tourism object in Latvia, focusing on the elements of smart tourism as an indication of opportunities provided by digital technologies and its practical application.

The research employed data from the Central Statistical Office of the Republic of Latvia (hereinafter CSB), publicly available reports by ministries of the Republic of Latvia (hereinafter RoL), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (hereinafter OECD) etc., as well as summarized scientific findings on the research problem. Data on the use of smart technology elements at the Rundale Palace Museum were obtained in two ways: from public reports on the museum in 2016–2021 and additionally an expert interview was conducted with the deputy director of the museum. The expert interview questions were semi-structured.

The characteristics of cultural tourism indicate the use of ICT in destination management, marketing, planning, process organization and changes in organizational culture. The recognizable elements of smart cultural tourism are the smart travel destination, smart experiences and smart business. 4.0 G technologies are required to ensure the functioning of the elements: artificial intelligence, big data analytics, the Internet of things, blockchain, cloud computing, virtual and augmented reality. Smart cultural tourism is a unified system involving several levels of national and municipal institutions, organizations, entrepreneurs and NGOs. The implementation of smart cultural tourism requires centralized funding to implement and manage digital connectivity between the stakeholders. In the Latvian and Baltic context, the Rundale Palace Museum has been established as a cultural tourism object – a Renaissance palace museum, which is the second most visited museum in Latvia. The Rundale Palace Museum digitizes the services it provides within its financial possibilities, e.g. cloud data for remote purchase of visitor tickets, self-registration of visitors in the single visitor system, augmented reality and mobile applications. The Internet of things is not used, while artificial intelligence is partially used by the museum. At the Rundale Palace Museum as a smart tourist destination, the research did not identify the following features: a technological platform, a smart destination strategy and use of big data. Further, public-private consumer cooperation is not in place. The Rundale Palace Museum was not identified as an element of smart business, as a single smart business ecosystem for cultural tourism has not been created in the entirety of Latvia as yet nor in the Zemgale region in particular. Communication between cooperation partners occurred via telephone.

Few research studies on digital solutions for cultural tourism in Latvia and in the region of Zemgale, where the largest Renaissance pearl in Latvia and the Baltic States – the Rundale Palace Museum – is located, have been conducted; hence, this study contributes to addressing the research gap.

This study analyses the role of tourism in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as the need to integrate sustainability into tourism policies, which contribute to the development and accessibility of technologies and the quality of society.

This study reviews the accessibility of the tourism industry and the expansion of smart tourism in terms of sustainability, reviewing a wide range of research papers and analysing the concepts, findings and approaches suggested by scientists from various countries, as well as examples from the Baltic States.

The results reveal that the tourism industry is capable of adapting to changing conditions in modern society in a short enough period, thus contributing to the expansion of smart tourism and their active implementation at tourist attractions. In view of the goals set by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the accessibility of tourist attractions to various social groups should be provided through cooperation between public and private organizations.

This study explores the accessibility of tourism attractions and the development of smart tourism in the context of sustainability. Further, the article analyses some best practice examples from the Baltic States, which underpin the adaptation of the tourism industry to the changing conditions, as well as indicating the adaptation of the industry to the demands of modern society.

This study aims to analyze the business process management (BPM) applicability to a destination country-brand of a Latin American developing country and present a new process model for it.

This is a qualitative exploratory study whose unit of analysis is the BPM applicability to the destination country-brand of a Latin American developing country. Primary data were obtained through in-depth interview with the developing country's tourism international promotion agency. The secondary data were government reports and research papers on country-brand studies. Data analysis was carried out using stakeholder business context model, architecture processes, pain/gain matrix and BPMN for modelling.

The results present a new process model for country-brand management to reduce existing barriers. Three steps were carried out: analysis and modelling of the current processes of country-brand management; presentation of the current processes' problems and analysis and modelling of future processes country-brand management.

A theoretical contribution is provided in the literature on processes and country-brands since no previous studies relate these concepts and present a process-oriented management analysis for country-brands.

The main practical contribution was to identify the country-brand management problems, propose solutions to them and generate a new process model for country-brands that can be used as a managerial tool for national tourism organizations to improve their brands.

The present study is original as it approaches the first analysis of country-brand development with an emphasis on its process management.

As net-zero pledges gain momentum globally, more and more accommodation businesses seek to quantify their carbon emissions. Building on Chan (2021), this study aims to explore what drives Australian accommodation providers to measure the carbon footprint of their businesses and what barriers hinder them from doing so.

Empirical data were collected by conducting ten semi-structured interviews with owners, senior executives, consultants, certification bodies and hotel management companies. The set of interviews represented different segments of the hotel industry and various accommodation types. Data were analysed with thematic analysis.

The major drivers for adopting carbon footprint analysis are as follows: the analysis being perceived as an important contribution to a company's corporate responsibility, the owner or manager's environmental concern, the assessment being a requirement for obtaining an eco-certification and the business benefits associated with implementing the initiative. The major barriers hindering adoption include the following: difficulties with data gathering, the lack of a standard methodology, a lengthy decision-making process and a lack of resources.

Based on the empirical findings and three theories on ecological responsiveness, this study develops a conceptual framework for implementing carbon footprint analysis in the accommodation context and recommends strategies to increase the adoption of carbon footprint analysis.

This study responds to Chan and Hsu's (2016) call for further research on carbon footprint in the hotel context and represents the first attempt to explore the drivers and barriers specifically associated with implementing carbon footprint analysis in the accommodation sector.

This study aims to highlight the importance of developing academic research in tourism and hospitality management into a more responsible approach, applying a multistakeholder model. This multistakeholder approach forces the tourist community to be considered when identifying the gaps and impacts of academic research.

This study suggests action research as one of the appropriate methodological approaches for conducting responsible research, as action research allows challenges to be overcome through the interaction of researchers and stakeholders. Principles of responsible research are indicated and exemplar studies that use action research are described.

Proposals and recommendations for responsible research are identified, such as demand-driven research, action research as a methodological approach and a way to address societal challenges, and the importance of considering the research ecosystem. In addition, some advantages (funding, reputation and legitimacy) and barriers (resources and publication) of responsible research are explained.

Practical implications are described. Conducting responsible research is oriented toward identifying real practical implications proposed and validated by the tourist community instead of being proposed solely by the researchers.

This paper emphasizes the need to work together with the tourist community and their stakeholders to enhance the real societal impact of academic research in tourism and hospitality management.

The authors would like to raise a self-critical debate for the future enrichment of research in the tourism industry. Research in this industry can contribute to solving significant societal problems. Responsible research can help scholars to be part of the solution to these challenges, working together with different tourism stakeholders.