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The purpose of this paper is to examine how local agricultural communities are integrated into the tourism value chains and provide insights into how this can contribute to poverty reduction.

The study employed the value chain approach to gain an understanding of the linkages between tourism and agriculture. Interviews involving local suppliers of agricultural products and tourism businesses (n=195) were conducted in Lushoto, Tanzania. The livelihood portfolios (range of activities – farming, employment, tourism, etc.) were analyzed in terms of the resources (economic, natural, human, physical and social assets) available to individuals and households and how these are optimally used to achieve inclusive growth.

The findings show that the form of tourism business ownership and the presence of specific social networks between tourism businesses and local suppliers dictate the mode of buying and the strength of supply chains. Community-based tourism is dominant in the area, allowing tourists to interact with agrarian rural communities. However, the optimal local linkages have been hampered by the quantitative and qualitative mismatch between locally supplied products and the tourism sector’s requirements. The failure of many initiatives aimed at addressing the mismatch creates a need for empowering local communities to enable them to take the opportunities that tourism provides.

Least developed countries need to build on the lessons learned from the development of tourism in their local settings, and pursue strategies which bring hope, confidence and real benefits to the majority of the struggling population. This study gives an insight on how inter-sectoral linkages could be embraced among the strategies or means of reducing rampant poverty.

Linking local agricultural production to tourism has long been seen as a promising way to make tourism more economically inclusive. However, the use of value chain approach in studying the tourism-agriculture linkages for inclusive development, especially in the developing economies is not common. While employing Porter’s value chains analysis, this study provides insights into how local farmers can be incorporated in tourism food supply chains in an ethical and beneficial way.

This paper aims to investigate the nature of the public–private dialogue (PPD) initiatives and how PPDs are being used in the tourism and hospitality sector as the tool for reforming the business environment (e.g. set policy priorities, inform policy design, improve legislative proposals and incorporate feedback into regulatory implementation).

The study adapted a descriptive-qualitative method through desk research and in-depth interviews based on the explorative research design. The respondents included tourism and hospitality stakeholders from the public and private sectors in the Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Dar es Salaam tourist destinations in Tanzania.

The findings revealed numerous PPD initiatives which various actors in the tourism value chain rely on to address their matters. While some initiatives are not regular forums, few have been institutionalized in the Tourism Act of 2008, while others have been prescribed from the global level (UNWTO). The well-known PPD platforms include the Tourism Facilitation Committee, Technical Advisory Committee to the Minister, Tanzania National Business Council (the Tourism Task Force) and Public–Private Partnership in Tourism under the Ministry. However, most of the existing platforms overlap in terms of subject matter, mandates, participants and timing. The key success stories and factors of the PPD initiatives and the associated challenges have been discussed.

The study provides insight to the conclusion that public policies that are designed through PPD are better conceived and more effectively implemented because they result from mutual understanding between government and the business community. This knowledge is important to the least developed countries (LDCs), like Tanzania, as research has shown that stronger and more constructive dialogue between government and the private sector leads to better business environment, and countries with better business environments grow faster, attract more investment and reduce poverty more than the opposite.

Although several PPD initiatives are taking place in the tourism sector in most developing countries, little about them has been documented in the tourism literature. Hence, this study, which focuses on Tanzania, aims to fill this knowledge gap.

The purpose of this study is to identify and validate indicators of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) in the hospitality industry, as well as to examine its dimensionality in the context of emerging economies with a specific focus on tourist hotels in Tanzania.

The study uses a mixed-method approach for data collection and analysis. The qualitative study involved 20 in-depth interviews with hotel managers. Based on interview insights, indicators of EO were identified and applied in contextualizing the study and develop the survey questionnaires. The second phase, which was quantitative in nature involved a survey of hotels (n = 346) in the Coastal and Northern tourist circuits of Tanzania for validation and generalization. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to analyze the quantitative data.

EO in the studied context consists of proactive-risk-taking, innovativeness and competition approach. Hotels focus on proactive and risk-taking efforts concurrently, undertake wide-ranging acts; pursue bold and risk decisions in exploiting opportunities; being proactive on opportunity exploration but less emphasis on initiation speed on actions of competitors. Innovativeness focuses on providing quality services; standardization of services; product introduction; and technological advancements. Besides, the conventional dimensions, hotels use competition approach geared at extensive marketing; customer management; and flexibility in pricing based on competition. EO also exhibits multidimensionality with its dimensions exhibiting moderate-to-high correlations and with acceptable discriminant validity.

The study’s findings imply that EO and its respective indicators confirmed in western contexts are not necessarily a perfect reflection and applicable in the hospitality industry in emerging economies like Tanzania. Hospitality firms must be vigilant with contextual characteristics – economically, socially and culturally shaping entrepreneurial opportunities.

This study identifies and validates indicators of EO in the hospitality industry in emerging economies. Moreover, the study adds to the body of knowledge that EO in this context is also multidimensional in nature.

This paper aims to examine the role of innovation strategy on economic sustainability in the hospitality industry. The focus is on the tourist hotels in Tanzania.

The study uses survey of tourist hotels (n = 346) in the country’s Coastal and Northern tourist circuits. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesized relationship.

The findings indicate that innovation strategy in the industry emphasizes on standardized services; service quality; product introduction readiness and lastly on technology usage. Innovation strategy positively relates with the economic sustainability performance. Specifically, the strategy promotes hotels' sustainable growth, resource management long-term profitability, customer satisfaction and value chain management.

The findings elucidate on how sustainability can be integrated with core business strategies, to make corporate sustainability a reality. The findings also enlighten on the need for hotels to focus on innovation strategy to benefit from sustainability related opportunities. Moreover, the ability to understand customers’ needs and develop innovative services that offer social and environmental solutions can have an important implication on long-term economic success.

Most studies in the hospitality industry focus on innovative strategies geared towards environmental management. Hence, understanding how innovative strategy influences long-term economic sustainability as a core focus of any business endeavour is important. This study contributes to that body of knowledge as it uses innovation strategy based on Schumpeterian entrepreneurial approach in understanding the role of innovation on economic sustainability.

The objective of this study is to estimate leakages in tourism systems. More precisely, the study aims to investigate the sources of the annual requirements in the resorts and to identify the triggers for leakages in tourism systems in Zanzibar. It then seeks to explore the challenges that operators face when sourcing the inputs locally. Likewise the study seeks to trace the distribution channel of the tourists arriving in Zanzibar from generating markets.

Interviews involving 150 resorts were conducted during 2010 in the island of Unguja, where almost 97 percent of Zanzibar's resorts are found. Both quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis were employed.

The findings reveal massive internal (import‐coefficient leakages) and external leakages that only 16 percent of the resort requirements are sourced within Zanzibar. Unreliable capacity in terms of quantity and quality of the local supplies are among the leading factors that trigger high leakages. Most resorts in Zanzibar are owned, managed and operated by non‐locals. Tourism in this archipelago is revolving around the beach product; whereby the direct charter inclusive tourists, mainly from Europe, dictate the tourism channels. Nevertheless, a number of tourists buy pre‐arranged tours to Zanzibar as an “add‐on” to their mainland Tanzania safaris.

This study lays out the case for the need for more local linkages in the supply chain by revealing the extent to which the accommodation sector depends upon imported as opposed to local goods and services. Practical strategies to minimize leakages are proposed.

An abundance of literature has been written on linkages and leakages in tourism in several destinations. The same amount of work has yet to be done in sub‐Saharan Africa. The choice of Zanzibar is therefore justified.

This paper aims to examine the determinants of the expenditure for the all‐inclusive (AI) package tourists.

Using a visitor exit‐survey, a total of 843 all‐inclusive tourists visiting the Balearic Islands were involved. Then, a least square regression model was estimated, with the two dependent variables (logarithm of average daily expenditure in the country of origin and logarithm of average daily expenditure in the destination) while sharing the same explanatory variables (visitor and travelling attributes) to determine the variables which are more associated with the respective expenditure category.

It was found that the presence of the AI holiday experience at the destination as well as visitor and traveling attributes, were the important contributing determinants of expenditure either at home or destination economies. Noticeably, the tourist who could have visited the Balearics even in the absence of the AI holidays has spent more money compared to the tourist who could not have visited the destination. This implies that the kind of the customers the AI tourism tries to attract have the least economic contribution.

Expenditure patterns are always important element for tour organizers and marketers when planning, designing and delivering their products. With the intention of maximizing the tourism benefits the destination management could focus on the variables which have positive impact on the expenditure with the aim of capturing the consumer surplus which is central element of the economy. The study gives the insights.

While the determinants of tourism expenditure have been widely studied in tourism literature little is still known on the same determinants for the specific tourism segments like the all‐inclusive tourism. It is niches or segments that make up the total tourism market; unfortunately most researches focus on the total market while ignoring its niches. This study is an effort to focus on individual tourism niches.

This paper aims to identify the motivations for choosing all‐inclusive package tours when traveling, and to specify the visitor and travel attributes associated with those motivations.

A specific visitor‐exit‐survey involving all‐inclusive tourists visiting the Balearic Islands (n=843) was conducted during the summer of 2006 at the Airport of Palma de Mallorca. Then, through discrete choice models‐binary logit, relationships between the identified motivations and specified attributes were analyzed by looking for the attributes that are more associated with each motive.

The study results show that tourists traveling through all‐inclusive tours attach more importance to the motivations related to convenience and relaxation, economies of resources as well as safety and security in their vacationing processes; with specific tourist and trip attributes influencing the probability for confirmation.

Understanding the motivation of different tourist profiles visiting the destinations is useful in managing the tourism industry for satisfying specific tourist segments without jeopardizing the interests of the host community. A full understanding of all‐inclusive motivation would help travel organizers and marketers to plan, design and deliver products and services that cater for the specific needs of the all‐inclusive market, with the aim of capturing the financial benefits which are the central element of the economy.

There is still little knowledge in the literature about all‐inclusive package tourism. Specifically, the knowledge of tourist motivation with reference to the tour mode choice within the tourism landscape is still diluted, and therefore the motive behind one traveling through certain tour modes like all‐inclusives continues to miss the ground works. Nor have the factors that influence evaluation of the motivations related to the decision of this type of trip have been much studied, which renders this field of study one of the underdeveloped areas in the tourism social sciences. The paper attempts to contribute where there is this lack of knowledge.