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1 – 10 of over 5000
Article
Publication date: 27 October 2023

Filiz Gümüş Dönmez, Mert Gürlek and Osman M. Karatepe

This paper aims to explore work interfering with family (WIF) and family interfering with work (FIW) as the mediators linking psychological resilience to happiness.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore work interfering with family (WIF) and family interfering with work (FIW) as the mediators linking psychological resilience to happiness.

Design/methodology/approach

Data gathered from tour guides in Türkiye were used to test the aforesaid associations. In this paper, partial least squares structural equation modeling was performed to gauge the direct links and mediating impacts of WIF and FIW simultaneously in the link between psychological resilience and happiness.

Findings

Psychological resilience exerts a dual influence on WIF and FIW. Simply put, psychologically resilient tour guides balance their work demands with those of the family or vice versa and exhibit low levels of WIF and FIW. As hypothesized, WIF and FIW are the two mediating mechanisms relating psychological resilience to happiness.

Practical implications

It is important to create a family-supportive atmosphere where tour guides can avail themselves of family-friendly practices (i.e. family leave, flexible work schedules, breaks to be spent with family members after long tours and convenient working hours). Psychologically resilient tour guides, with the abovementioned practices, would experience alleviated conflicts between work and family roles and would therefore have heightened happiness.

Originality/value

Although the extant literature has presented plenty of empirical studies about the predictors and outcomes of WIF and FIW, evidence about the links of personal resources as third variables to WIF and FIW simultaneously is still scanty. In addition, there is no evidence linking personal resources such as psychological resilience to nonwork outcomes such as happiness through the mediating roles of WIF and FIW. This paper fills in these voids by gauging the links given above using data collected from tour guides, a population that has been subjected to limited inquiry in the WIF and FIW literature.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 28 November 2017

Eusebio C. Leou and Po-Ju Chen

Two hotel guests repeatedly took food from various breakfast buffets every morning before starting the daily tour. Not only is this considered a violation of etiquette, it also…

Abstract

Two hotel guests repeatedly took food from various breakfast buffets every morning before starting the daily tour. Not only is this considered a violation of etiquette, it also violated the hotel restaurant policy. Following complaints from other tour group members, and a polite but firm request from a hotel restaurant manager to address the unacceptable behavior, the tour guide was faced with a dilemma. As the offenders were, after all, his customers, the guide risked offending his clients by asking them to respect hotel policy. If he did nothing, the tour guide risked the appearance of ignoring the other clients who adhered to proper etiquette and felt embarrassed by association. He also risked damage to his reputation as a tour guide, as well as damage to the professional relationship between his employer and the hotel if he did not act.

Details

Trade Tales: Decoding Customers' Stories
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78714-279-4

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 March 2018

Meltem Caber, Gökhan Yilmaz, Dogus Kiliçarslan and Adnan Öztürk

The purpose of this study is to examine how food neophobia, food involvement, tour guide performance and intention of local food consumption impact each other.

3878

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine how food neophobia, food involvement, tour guide performance and intention of local food consumption impact each other.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was performed with a sample of international tourists visiting Antalya, Turkey, and the data were used to test the proposed research model by means of structural equation modelling.

Findings

Results reflected a causal relationship among the examined constructs. Although tour guide performance had an insignificant effect on food neophobia, tourists’ food involvement negatively impacted and decreased neophobia.

Originality/value

This study is an exceptional contribution to the literature, as it empirically investigates the role of tour guides on tourists’ local food consumption behaviour.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 30 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 March 2016

Cheng-Yue Yin and Patrick Poon

This paper aims to examine the impact of other group members on the travel experiences of Chinese tourists participating in domestic package tours.

5598

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the impact of other group members on the travel experiences of Chinese tourists participating in domestic package tours.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the critical incident technique, usable responses were obtained from 253 tourists regarding the influence of other group members on their travel experiences in the same group package tour (GPT).

Findings

The results show that the travel experiences of Chinese tourists on a domestic package tour are affected by three general factors, namely, appearance, behaviors, and language of other group members.

Research limitations/implications

This research mainly involves samples of young tourists. The findings may not be able to generalize to elderly tourists. Future studies may involve samples from various age cohorts.

Practical implications

The findings offer new insights and directions for GPT operators and tour guides to improve tourism management and tourist experiences.

Social implications

This study contributes to tourism literature about customer-to-customer interaction by identifying the major categories of other customers’ characteristics or behaviors that may positively or negatively influence a GPT tourist’s travel experience.

Originality/value

This study enriches the existing literature by investigating the attributes of other group members that may affect the travel experiences of a domestic GPT participant. Tourism firms can formulate better strategies and staff training to enhance tourists’ travel experiences.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 28 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 June 2016

Gabriel C.M. Laeis and Stefanie Lemke

This paper aims to investigate whether the sustainable livelihoods approach (SLA) enables an analysis of the complex interrelations and interdependencies between social…

3660

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate whether the sustainable livelihoods approach (SLA) enables an analysis of the complex interrelations and interdependencies between social entrepreneurs (SEs), destination communities’ livelihood assets and related transforming structures and processes. SEs in tourism are regarded as drivers for linking destination communities with enterprises, aiming to create economic benefits and livelihoods.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were gathered through participatory action research at a tourism lodge and its foundation, which facilitated agricultural training, and by conducting in-depth interviews with ten key stakeholders. The sustainable livelihoods framework (SLF) served as the theoretical framework.

Findings

The SLA enables an analysis of interrelations and interdependencies between various stakeholders and to visualise the way SEs forge the impacts tourism has on livelihoods. The agricultural project did not reach its full potential because of, amongst other factors, competing aims between the profit and non-profit business, resulting in the lack of a clear vision and strategy. Additional challenges were dependency on external funding and a lack of reciprocal communication between the stakeholders involved.

Research limitations/implications

This research is based on one case study, and findings cannot be generalised. Future studies should develop the SLF further, possibly through adaptation and integration of other tools.

Practical implications

The SLF enables researchers to integrate local knowledge and participatory research methods, thus facilitating engagement and learning between different stakeholders.

Originality/value

Through empirical research, this paper adds valuable insights into the applicability of the SLF in the context of social entrepreneurship in tourism.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 28 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2023

Mohamed Mousa, Hala Abdelgaffar, Islam Elbayoumi Salem, Ahmed Mohamed Elbaz and Walid Chaouali

This study aims to investigate the perceptions of female tour guides’ lower and top levels of management in travel agencies about how misunderstanding Islam and its culture may…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the perceptions of female tour guides’ lower and top levels of management in travel agencies about how misunderstanding Islam and its culture may engender the poor representation of women in the tour guide profession.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative research method is used, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 full-time female tour guides working at several travel agencies in Egypt. Thematic analysis helped extract main ideas from the transcripts.

Findings

The representation of female tour guides in travel agencies is shaped by the following three determinants: religious (familial obligations and marital status), contextual (nature of tour guide activities, poor representation of women in senior tourism-related jobs, cronyism, sexual harassment and spread of foreign female tour guides) and media influence. Understanding these three factors may enable a more comprehensive representation of female tour guides.

Practical implications

Female tour guides could work closely with tourism policymakers in Egypt to shape the media messages about them. This might include elaborating on the main challenges faced by female tour guides. Social support from families and friends may allow female tour guides more freedom and empowerment.

Originality/value

This study contributes by filling a gap in tourism, human resources management and gender studies in which empirical studies on the representation of females in travel agencies have been limited so far.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 35 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 10 August 2017

Riddhi Bhandari

This chapter examines how the everyday interactions that are fostered with the circulation of debt impact the socioeconomic order in which they operate. Employing the theoretical…

Abstract

Purpose

This chapter examines how the everyday interactions that are fostered with the circulation of debt impact the socioeconomic order in which they operate. Employing the theoretical framework of “circuits of commerce,” scholars have examined how social relations and economic activities intertwine, are negotiated and transformed through the circulation of debt. The focus of such studies has been on the motives of actors, such as the desire for relationship-making, and structural conditions, like the inaccessibility of formal institution, that necessitate the emergence of debt-centered circuits of commerce (Hampton, 2003; Heslop, 2016; James, 2014). However, such circuits also have broader impacts and affect socially pervasive moral evaluations and work cultures (Ho, 2009; Zelizer, 2011). Building on these findings, I examine commission-based alliances among showroom owners and tour guides in Agra’s tourism market to understand how “bad debt” between them shapes Agra’s local tourism economy.

Methodology/approach

This chapter is based on ethnographic research conducted in 2012–2013 with Agra’s tourism entrepreneurs, like showroom owners, tour guides, and convincers.

Findings

Entrepreneurs’ everyday practices around the circulation of debt impact how tourism in Agra is perceived and conducted. Although debt is initiated to mitigate uncertainty of getting clientele, its circulation exacerbates that very uncertainty.

Originality/value

This chapter contributes to the theory of economic practice, highlighting how economic actors, through their everyday practices, shape the macro-structure of the economic system in which they operate.

Details

Anthropological Considerations of Production, Exchange, Vending and Tourism
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78743-194-2

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 20 September 2014

Sølvi Lyngnes and Nina K. Prebensen

In response to issues and challenges facing the operators of nature-based tours, this study examines snowmobile tours in Svalbard, Norway. Specially, it posits to explore…

Abstract

In response to issues and challenges facing the operators of nature-based tours, this study examines snowmobile tours in Svalbard, Norway. Specially, it posits to explore experience providers awareness of the fragile nature in which they are operating and how this awareness is implemented in their offerings. Subsequently, the chapter evaluates experience providers’ attitude of what aspects of the offerings they perceive as attractive to the tourists and the staging of the offerings accordingly. This study utilises interviews with six informants representing three different firms, a participant observation, and text analyses of the offer on the website www.Svalbard.net as the study method. The results show that the informants are aware of the fragile nature and strive to promote a sustainable behaviour during tours. In particular, they focus on informing and teaching the tourists about environmental aspects of the tour through storytelling and staging during the tour. By empowering the tourists through education and involvement they aim to make the tourists change their focus from riding the snowmobile to learning about the fragility of the nature and wildlife. Further, the informants state that the tourists may even become spokesmen for sustainable tourism due to the touring experience received. In conclusion, in a highly fragile environment like the Arctic a rise of motorised tours invites discourses on tourism development. It is pivotal to preserve the nature in a sustainable way while offering attractive tour experiences.

Details

Advances in Hospitality and Leisure
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78441-174-9

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 2014

Chuanmin Mi, Xiaofei Shan, Yuan Qiang, Yosa Stephanie and Ye Chen

Tour social network data that are heterogeneous contain not only the quantitative structured evaluation data, but also the qualitative non-structured data. This is a big data…

1149

Abstract

Purpose

Tour social network data that are heterogeneous contain not only the quantitative structured evaluation data, but also the qualitative non-structured data. This is a big data scenario. How to evaluate tour online review and then recommend to potential tourists quickly and accurately are important parts of social responsibility of tour companies. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new method for evaluating tour online review based on grey 2-tuple linguistic.

Design/methodology/approach

The phenomenon of “poor information” exists in some big data scenario. According to social responsibility, grey 2-tuple linguistic evaluation model for tour online review is proposed.

Findings

Tour social networks contain data that are valuable to each individual on tourism industry's value chain. Grey 2-tuple linguistic evaluation model can be used for evaluating tour online reviews. This is a systems thinking method that takes social responsibility into account.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the complex links among reviewers in social network, network mining approaches and models are expected to be added to this research in the near future.

Practical implications

Grey 2-tuple linguistic evaluation method can contribute to the future research on evaluating a variety of tour social network comment data in the real world.

Originality/value

A new evaluation method for making evaluation and recommendations based on tour social network comment information is proposed.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 43 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 June 2019

Xin-Hua Guan and Tzung-Cheng Huan

In an increasingly competitive market, tourism managers are aware of the importance of talent management. Because tour guide behavior has an important influence on tourists’…

1186

Abstract

Purpose

In an increasingly competitive market, tourism managers are aware of the importance of talent management. Because tour guide behavior has an important influence on tourists’ experience in the process of group touring, how to motivate a tour guide’s proactive behavior becomes an important issue. Based on social exchange and cognitive theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of particular human resource management practices on proactive behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

This research takes the tour guide as the research object. The questionnaire survey method was used to obtain data. At last, 351 valid questionnaires were obtained. Finally, the hypotheses of this research are tested using structural equation modeling and percentile (bias-corrected percentile) bootstrapping method.

Findings

The results show that human resource management practices positively influenced proactive behavior of tour guides. Moreover, both perceived organizational support and self-efficacy were found to mediate the relationship between human resource management practice and proactive behavior.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the tourism literature by finding that both perceived organizational support and self-efficacy can foster the effect of human resource management practice, resulting in proactive behavior of tour guides.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 31 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

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