New Article : Progress in tourism and destination wellbeing research

Posted . Filed under Featured, Research.

Heather Hartwell, Alan Fyall, Cheryl Willis, Stephen Page, Adele Ladkin & Ann Hemingway, 2016, Progress in tourism and destination wellbeing research, Current Issues in Tourism, pp. 1-63

Download citation http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2016.1223609

progress-in-tourism-and-destination-well-being-research

Abstract

A proliferation of research in recent years has revealed a myriad of relationships between tourism and the concept of wellbeing. These include health benefits of visiting tourist destinations, a product focus on wellness and maintaining good health. Broader interpretations emphasize the complex ways in which tourism can influence the emotional, psychological, cognitive and spiritual dimensions of wellbeing, both for tourists and for destination communities. This study reflects an emerging paradigm shift that incorporates a deeper appreciation of the benefits derived at the destination level from a focus on health and wellbeing. The study highlights three key perspectives, namely the tourist, the destination community and the destination itself. The study concludes that research in this area is critical to the future development, management and marketing of sustainable and competitive destinations with the wellbeing of tourists, their destination host communities, and the overall destination experience, critical to their ultimate success.

Keywords: health, wellbeing, wellness, quality of life, tourism, destinations

Professor Adam Blake to contribute to The Future of Tourism in Post-Brexit Britain debate Central London Tuesday 21st February 2017

Posted . Filed under Guest speakers, News, Research, Student Experience.

The Future of Tourism in Post-Brexit Britain

Exploring Opportunities and Meeting Challenges at National and Local Levels flyer_page_1

Central London Tuesday 21st February 2017

KEY SPEAKERS:

Deirdre Wells OBE Chief Executive UKinbound

Professor Adam Blake Professor of Economics & Econometrics, Faculty of Management Bournemouth University

Giles Smith Deputy Director for Tourism, Heritage and Cultural Diplomacy Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Patricia Yates Director Strategy and Communications VisitBritain

Ufi Ibrahim Chief Executive British Hospitality Association

Kurt Janson Director Tourism Alliance

Esther Pearson Director South West Coast Path Association

Event Details  Website  Register to Attend

Despite Britain’s recent decision to leave the EU, tourism continues to be a key component of economic growth in the UK, being directly responsible for 1.6 million jobs across the country. According to latest statistics from the ONS, the number of visitors to the UK by overseas residents in August 2016 was 3.8 million, an increase of 2% when compared with August 2015. Overseas residents spent £2.6 billion in the UK during their visits, an increase of 4% compared to figures of the previous year. These figures have been linked to the fall in the pound following the referendum, which has made holidays in the UK cheaper for overseas visitors.

Last year was record-breaking, with tourism generating over £62 billion in Gross Value Added revenue to the British economy. Moreover, the rate of growth in visits to many regions within the country was faster than in London. However, with more than 50% of international visitor spending still in London and with Brexit reshaping the landscape, creating new opportunities in the short-term and challenges in the long-term depending on the agreement with EU, there is still more to be done to create balance in the sector and boost growth equally across the whole country.

Responding to these emerging challenges and opportunities, in August 2016 the Government published the ‘Tourism Action Plan’, a report setting out the Government’s next steps to make tourism more internationally competitive and resilient post-Brexit, while ensuring that its growth delivers for everyone.

As such, the action plan focuses on the following five areas:

  • The tourism landscape: strengthening co-ordination and collaboration
  • Skills: boosting apprenticeships and attracting more people to careers in tourism
  • Common sense regulation: examining the scope for deregulation
  • Transport: making it easier for visitors to explore by rail, bus and coach
  • A GREAT Welcome: driving continuous improvements in our visa service

With local authorities playing a key role in the visitor economy due to its devolved nature, there is a need to ensure the way forward for local tourism to take full advantage of the benefits the country has to offer.

This very timely symposium is an invaluable opportunity for local authorities, tourism organisations and regional economic development agencies to examine the national strategy assess the post-Brexit tourism landscape and consider how to best deliver lasting tourism across the UK.

Delegates will:

  • Assess the national outlook of tourism in post-Brexit Britain
  • Explore new opportunities and ways to overcome new challenges
  • Discuss funding allocations and new apprenticeship schemes to support small business
  • Consider the regulatory framework and discuss the importance of commonsense regulation
  • Evaluate the GREAT Welcome Campaign and explore ways to attract new tourists from key markets
  • Examine the contribution of local councils in boosting tourism, developing local leadership and encouraging local entrepreneurship
  • Participate in interactive discussions with leading practitioners and share best practice

I am pleased to advise you that we offer a 20% early registration discount off the standard delegate rates for all bookings received by the 13th January 2016. For further details about the symposium, please refer to the enclosed event brochure. Do feel free to circulate this information to relevant colleagues within your organisation.

In the meantime, to ensure your organisation is represented, please book online or complete and return the attached registration form at your earliest convenience in order to secure your delegate place(s).

Kind regards,

Conference Team

Public Policy Exchange

Tel: 020 3137 8630

Fax: 020 3137 1459

If you do not wish to receive further information regarding PPE events then click here.

Smart Tourism, Smart Cities, Smart Living announced as a Theme of the The Visitors’ Economy: Strategies and Innovations Conference Bournemouth University, UK. 4-6 September 2017.

Posted . Filed under Featured, Guest speakers, News, Research.

Conference Theme: Smart Tourism, Smart Cities, Smart Living

Track Chairs: Igor Calzada, Oxford University and Dimitrios Buhalis, Bournemouth University

The Visitors’ Economy: Strategies and Innovations Bournemouth University, UK.  4-6 September 2017.

 

Smart tourism emerges as a concept that enables destinations to build their competitiveness based on the interoperability of systems and co-creation of tourism products between all stakeholders. This is based on emergent smart cities and smart living developments and take city principles to urban or rural areas and not only consider residents but also tourists in their efforts to support mobility, resource availability and allocation, sustainability and quality of life/visits. The Smart City idea and application from the Critical Social Innovation perspective means that a new paradigm is required when bottom-up interventions are the key governance challenge in the postgrowth era. A requirement that are already taking place due to the effect of some disruptive private initiatives such as Uber and AirBnB, among others, that are altering the traditional dynamic between the locals/residents and the trans-locals/tourists in a new way of combining the practice of travelling, the changing nature of the mobile way of living and the new understanding of the place itself. Smart Cities and Smart Living can bring together the need to use technology innovations to develop regional competitiveness of territories towards Social Innovation & Governance and create value to all stakeholders. Social, technological, economic, democratic and politically innovative processes in cities and regions introduce a wide range of innovative methods and solutions that improve the value cocreation for all stakeholders. The theme is inclusive to a range of Smart Cities, Smart Living and Smart Tourism approaches including the following topics:

  • Smart region technologies and Open Innovation
  • Internet of Everything, Bid Data, Analytics
  • Digital and Smart Living
  • Smart Territories – Comparative City-coastal/mountain Regions
  • Smart Transformations: Innovation, Transition, Governance, Resilience,Change
  • Smart Cities and smart tourism
  • Digital Social Innovation
  • Social Capital & Social Entrepreneurship
  • Smart region and smart tourism Strategy & Governance
  • Smart Tourism, Smart Travel, Smart hospitality
  • Smart Local Governance, Citizen Participation & Communitarian Development
  • Smart and Future everything

Papers are invited on these topics as well as papers using other economic methodologies to analyse the visitor economy or issues relating to it.

Deadline for abstract submission:                      26 May 2017

Confirmation of acceptance:                                 30 June 2017

Last date for early bird registration:                    14 July 2017

Deadline for registration:                                       18 Aug 2017

Please submit email abstracts to:           DepTHconference2017@bournemouth.ac.uk

Mark it for the Conference Theme: Smart Tourism, Smart Cities, Smart Living

Register: https://thevisitorseconomy.eventbrite.com.

Further information: https://goo.gl/ckcuHU

 

Keynote: Dr Igor Calzadaigorcalzada, MBA, Oxford University – Tourism in Smart Cities? Effects from the Urban Transformations perspective

Dr. Igor Calzada, MBA is Lecturer and Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford University, Urban Transformations ESRC Programme at COMPAS. In addition to this, he holds a Lecturer position at the Institute for Future Cities at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. In 2016, he was awarded Visiting Fellow position at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel where is organising a Workshop Series 2016-2017 entitled ‘Bridging European Urban Transformations’ in a wide range of topics such as data, governance, social innovation, migration, economic development, among others. Outside academia, in the private sector, he worked for more than a decade at the Mondragon Co-operative Corporation Group based in the Basque Country (Spain). In the public sector, he was Director at the Basque Regional Government.He is working on the crossroads between: Territory + Strategy + Social Innovation. Current Research Interests include City-Regions, Governance, Urban Change, PostGrowth Transition, Social Innovation, Participation, Smart Cities & Sovereignty. His main research focuses on comparing social, technological, economic, democratic and politically innovative processes in cities and regions by paying special attention to cases and issues of regional and metropolitan devolution. In particular, he is focused on investigating European City-Region and Smart City benchmarking case studies through the application of qualitative and action research methods. More information: www.igorcalzada.com/about

Related publications:

 

 

 

 

 

Call for papers and Themes : 4-6th September 2017 BU Tourism and Hospitality Conference Bournemouth University The Visitors’ Economy: Strategies and Innovations

Posted . Filed under Featured, Guest speakers, Research, Student Experience.

Join BU Tourism and Hospitality Conference Bournemouth University The Visitors’ Economy: Strategies and Innovations

4-6th September 2017  Call for papers/abstracts and Call for Themes/Tracks
Please submit your ideas and suggestions

fusion-building-bournemouth-university_01

Bournemouth University Tourism Hospitality

https://goo.gl/ckcuHU Register on https://thevisitorseconomy.eventbrite.com

New Publication: Tourists’ representations of coastal managed realignment as a climate change adaptation strategy

Posted . Filed under News, Research, Student Experience.

Johanna Schliephack, and Janet E. Dickinson 2017 Tourists’ representations of coastal managed realignment as a climate change adaptation strategy Tourism Management Volume 59, April 2017, Pages 182–192 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2016.08.004

Highlights

•Tourists have a poor understanding of managed realignment.
•Managed realignment is anchored to existing ideas of coastal protection.
•There is some variation in the representation aligned to amenity use values.
•The representation has the power to mobilise the public in various ways.

Abstract

In coastal destinations climate change adaptation is needed to address coastal erosion due to a combination of sea level rise and more frequent extreme weather events leading to loss of natural features and tourism infrastructure. Managed realignment is increasingly adopted as a strategy to address coastal change; however, this has often proved a contentious strategy with stakeholder groups. This study explores tourists’ representational framework of managed realignment and how this frames understanding of the concept, understanding of how coastal resources might change and implications for future visitation. Data compiled using a questionnaire adopted a social representations theory perspective to analyse how collective tourists’ ideas may serve to mobilise the public in various ways. In general tourists have a poor understanding of managed realignment anchored to historic coastal management strategies and contextualised by use values with consequent implications for tourism planning and coastal management decision making.

Keywords : Climate change; Managed realignment; Social representations; Coastal erosion

Image

Johanna Schliephack completed her MSc at Bournemouth University and is now working in the field of Sustainable Tourism for EarthCheck, the world’s leading scientific benchmarking, certification and advisory group for travel and tourism. Her research interests are tourism and climate change, sustainable tourism and visitor management.

Image

Janet E. Dickinson is a Professor at Bournemouth University. Her research interests focus on mitigation and adaptation of tourism to climate change, the sharing economy, digital technology, social representations and time.

Dr Susanna Curtin Expedition to Costa Rica

Posted . Filed under Research, Student Experience.

Expedition to Costa Rica

Dr Susanna Curtin Expedition to Costa Ricaimg_0478

 On the 1st November 2016, Dr Susanna Curtin joined Drs. Rick Stafford, Anita Diaz and Phillipa Gillingham on a ten-day student expedition to Costa Rica.  Although Costa Rica is a renowned world leader in conservation with 25% of its landmass designated to a national park system comprised of protected tropical dry forest, cloud forests, wetlands and marine reserves, there are a number of economic and social pressures that threaten this environmental sustainability. The purpose of this expedition was to research the conservation projects and policies which co-exist alongside the large scale banana plantations, coffee, other agriculture and tourism industries that are essential to their economy.  The students’ brief was to evaluate the positive and negative impacts of these important activities on conservation; paying particular attention to the different perspectives presented by various stakeholders.

Our experiences began at the Gandoca Project which is situated in a laid back coastal town on the Caribbean.  A fine black sandy, windswept beach is the backdrop for Gandoca’s turtle conservation.  Whilst November is not the season for turtles to come ashore and lay their eggs.  During our stay here in small wooden cabins, we studied the flora and fauna of the area on foot in the primary rainforest and on boats through mangrove-lined tributaries.  There was also work to be done planting palms and mangroves to protect the beach from erosion from the vicious storms that have begun to claim the coastline.  We also cleared the litter to rid the beaches of the alarming array of plastics which threaten marine wildlife.

From here it was north to Cahuita national park for snorkelling on a coral reef and walking through the tropical rainforest which lines the shore.  Here we experienced tourism infrastructure but also an amazing list of reptiles, mammals, insects and plants; an example of where tourism and nature can happily co-exist. The latter part of our journey consisted of volcanoes, a kilometre of zip wiring high over the jungle, hot springs and Costa Rican hospitality.  Overall, an excellent experience for everyone and a good blueprint for a student expedition.

img_4611

New article on Disruption technologies in the tourism industry

Posted . Filed under Featured, News, Research.

ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Hsu, A.,  King, B., Wang, D., Buhalis, D.,  2016, In-destination tour products and the disrupted tourism industry: progress and prospects, Information Technology & Tourism, Vol 17, pp.1-21.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-016-0067-y   and https://goo.gl/ntNBA1 

Disruption in tourism industry

Abstract 

Established inbound tour operators (ITOs) are being challenged by emerging competitors that have embraced technology-enabled innovations, including aspects that are associated with the collaborative or sharing economy. A variety of suppliers across the supply chain are now able to form a direct connection with customers through platform websites, thereby providing tech-savvy tourists with the capacity to create customized trips. Incumbent ITOs are now competing with emerging entrants that are responsive to customer needs because of their digital expertise. As the various provider categories have become less clear and as barriers to entry have fallen, tour service suppliers must consider the contemporary tourism ‘‘ecosystem’’ when formulating strategies. In the face of declining consumer demand for standardized tour products, there is an urgent need to consider changing tourist habits or tastes when introducing new in-destination options. In exploring the evolving features of the inbound tourism ecosystem, this paper draws upon the recent literature to focus on the distinguishing characteristics of innovative tour service and experiences. It identifies how tour suppliers respond to competitor actions, or embrace these features themselves. The authors adopt a multiple case study approach and assemble evidence from 17 examples of tourism start-ups in Taiwan. The paper concludes with implications for practitioners and suggestions for future research. 

Keywords: Disruption, technology, Product innovation,  In-destination tour products, Disrupted industry structure 

Introduction

Periods of tourism industry development have often coincided with technological advances which have challenged the position and roles of established stakeholders (Hjalager 2015). The progression of information communication technology (ICT)  has been notable for facilitating a process of travel agency disintermediation (Buhalis and Licata 2002). The emergence of online travel agents (OTAs), combined with smart gadgets, mobile commerce, location-based services, data analytics, and the sharing economy have empowered tourists to co-create their journey experience with destination-based suppliers of tour components. Moreover, through the processes of globalization, international companies have offered greater freedom for citizens to engage in exploration beyond existing boundaries (Amadeus 2015). While some tourists may still prefer the convenience of group tours in a one-stop purchase, others expect more interactive and customized services (Dwyer et al. 2009). Moreover, the demand for technology-enabled travel experiences is increasing (Neuhofer et al. 2015) in this emerging smart tourism ecosystem (Gretzel et al. 2015). In the case of Taiwan, most visitors prefer to travel as free and independent travellers (FITs) and demand for group tours is falling (Taiwan Tourism Bureau 2015). It is becoming imperative for destination-based service providers to renovate their product range with a view to meeting changing needs within the FIT market, notably in the case of inbound tour operators (ITOs). While digital innovation has revolutionized many industries, Dawson et al. (2016) investigated the vulnerability of businesses through the major digital impacts on demand and supply, involving both incremental and radical changes. While technology is providing solutions to the customization of individual needs, modest adjustments are happening when market demand is fulfilled by creative suppliers who manage their costs more efficiently through the use of digitalization and external resources. Structural shifts are also occurring with the creation of ‘‘new value propositions, business systems, and hyperscaling platforms (Dawson et al. 2016, p. 1)’’ through technology-enabled innovations. Traditional ITOs are relatively vulnerable because the value that the sector creates is heavily dependent on information asymmetry and product bundling. Tourism stakeholders are being increasingly confronted by the disruptive power of the so-called collaborative or sharing economy (henceforth the sharing economy) (Euromonitor International 2014; Fraiberger and Sundararajan 2015). The advent of the sharing economy has been realized through novel platforms which address tourist needs by linking peerto-peer resources (Fraiberger and Sundararajan 2015). Driven by platform-based initiatives such as Airbnb and OTAs that include Expedia, the platform business model connects tourists directly with suppliers in the destination (Alstyne 2016). 

Visitors are provided with alternative options to customize their journeys, thereby creating an opportunity for ITOs and tour service providers to offer individual components through the liberalization of distribution channels via global platform enterprises (Accenture Digital 2016). Nevertheless, while incumbent tourism stakeholders have traditionally designed their conventional tour products around the economic logic of providing multi-layered channels (Stamboulis and Skayannis A. Y. Hsu et al. 2003), they must now identify the emerging product features within the contemporary ‘‘smart’’ tourism ecosystem. Drawing upon the existing literature and on real-life examples, the authors of the present paper aim to explore how in-destination tour providers innovate their product offerings. In particular, while touring services are often non-standardized, the authors argue that identifying such features would benefit tourism stakeholders in light of the emerging platform-based business model such as the sharing economy. There is an evident need for the innovative in-destination tour suppliers to supplement the platform enterprises and to provide tourists with better solutions. If there is no innovation of in-destination services and products, it is likely that established tour suppliers will progressively cede their market position in the face of a digitally disrupted industry and shrinking demand for more conventional tour products.

https://goo.gl/ntNBA1

VeggiEAT is a 4 year EU funded project among four countries (Denmark, France, Italy and United Kingdom)

Posted . Filed under News.

vanesaMy name is Vanessa Mello Rodrigues, and I am a Brazilian Registered Nutritionist. Currently I am a Marie-Curie Post-doctoral research fellow within the Foodservice and Applied Nutrition Research Group and working for one year on the project VeggiEAT, coordinated by Prof. Heather Hartwell.

VeggiEAT is a 4 year EU funded project among four countries (Denmark, France, Italy and United Kingdom) encouraging a more sustainable diet based on vegetables. One of my first jobs was performing a sensory test with 56 first year Hospitality students evaluating the difference in preference between frozen and canned vegetables. A frozen and canned sample for both peas and sweet corn were presented to the participants, and they were asked to taste them and indicate how much they liked them on a 9 point Likert scale (ranging from 1 ‘I do not like it all’ and 9 ‘I like it a lot’). We also asked for open ended comments.

The analysis showed that for peas, the frozen sample was greatly more liked than the canned one, average scoring 6.0 and 2.6 points, respectively. This was mainly attributed to the more ‘vibrant colour’ and ‘firmness’ of the frozen variety, whilst the canned peas were considered ‘mushy’ and with a ‘not pleasant appearance’. The opposite was observed for sweetcorn, although both were liked, the difference between the samples was 1.6 score points on average (6.7 canned; 4.9 frozen). The main positive characteristics highlighted for the canned variety were the ‘thickness’ and ‘greater size’ of the sweetcorn.

These results are going to be further statistically evaluated and described in detail and published as a swift communication. We also aim to disseminate to industry as canned and frozen vegetables offer virtually the same nutrition as fresh, with the advantage of facilitating accessibility, storage and food safety disparities.