The implications of ‘miniaturism’ for urban tourism destination futures – from micropubs to microbars

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how the continued interest in the concept of “miniaturism” has seen the micropub develop into the new format of the microbar and examines the drivers of this trend. It then reflects on the possible implications of the rise of the microbar concept on the future of the urban tourism destination landscape. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper that is built on the natural curiosity of future studies to use an understanding of the present to predict what will happen next and what the implications of those developments will be. Findings The paper provides a clear definition of the microbar and identifies four distinctive drivers behind its conception, linked to changes in consumer behaviour. These cover the rise of the micro-break, the need for responsible urban regeneration, consumers desire for immediate and unique experiences and increasingly diverse populations. The paper predicts that these trends will drive an increase in microbars leading to greater tourist mobility in the urban tourism destination, more fragmentation and heterogeneity of products and services as well as an intensification in the need for authentic experiences and opportunity driven development giving rise to a hybrid form of guerrilla hospitality. Ultimately the authors predict that the venue will become more important than the specific location when consumers view the landscape of the urban tourism destination. Originality/value The focus of previous academic research has been on the historic development of the micropub and its impact on regeneration and communities, but very little literature has examined the rise of the microbar and the potential implications for the urban tourism destination

Tourism and the smartphone app: capabilities, emerging practice and scope in the travel domain.

Based on its advanced computing capabilities and ubiquity, the smartphone has rapidly been adopted as a tourism travel tool.With a growing number of users and a wide varietyof applications emerging, the smartphone is fundamentally altering our current use and understanding of the transport network and tourism travel. Based on a review of smartphone apps, this article evaluates the current functionalities used in the domestic tourism travel domain and highlights where the next major developments lie. Then, at a more conceptual level, the article analyses how the smartphone mediates tourism travel and the role it might play in more collaborative and dynamic travel decisions to facilitate sustainable travel. Some emerging research challenges are discussed

TRAVEL AND TOURISM COMPETITIVENESS OF THE WORLD’S TOP TOURISM DESTINATIONS: AN EXPLORATORY ASSESSMENT

In the recent years, competitiveness has become one of the common conceptsemployed to approach and describe the sustainable development of the travel and tourism industry.Competitiveness of the travel and tourism industry, like of the tourist destinations, is defined takinginto consideration a set of reference elements related to the major dimensions of the industry, suchas the business environment, infrastructure, laws and regulations, and resources available. The paper assesses the competitiveness of the travel and tourism industry in the World’s top25 tourist destinations based on the methodology and the specific results provided in the Travel andTourism Competitiveness Report and taking into consideration the most representative performanceindicators of this industry, international tourist arrivals and international tourist receipts, providedby the World Tourism Organization.travel and tourism, tourist destinations, competitiveness

MAIN DESTINATIONS AND TOURIST FLOWS ON THE YOUTH TRAVEL MARKET

Global tourism has seen an explosion since the ‘60s due to the post-war global economic growth and over the past two decades it recorded a significant increase, youth travel being the main component of this growth. According to experts, this type of tourism is in full evolution, young tourists representing an increasingly important segment of the global tourism market. Many experts in the tourism industry think youth travel is the fastest growing market segment, and the previsions of the World Tourism Organization estimate that in the near future youth travel will tote up 25% of the worldwide tourism market. On one hand, this phenomenon can be explain through the cultural motivation of the young people in practicing tourism, and on the other, through the relatively low or acceptable costs of transportation, especially for the youth in well developed countries.youth travel, tourist flows, tourist destinations.

The Impact of 9/11 and Other Terrible Global Events on Tourism in the U.S. and Hawaii

This paper reviews recent trends in travel and tourism in the U.S. and Hawaii to ascertain how the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and subsequent terrible global events affected their tourism flows and the manner and pace of their recovery. We note that tourism in the U.S. has not fully recovered from 9/11 and other international shocks; indeed recovery of international travel to the U.S. may be a long way off. By contrast, Hawaii tourism is enjoying robust growth in the aftermath of 9/11 as growth in tourist arrivals from the U.S. mainland has more than offset declines in Japanese and other international visitors. We suggest that Hawaii's current tourism boom is in part explained by the diversion of U.S. travel from foreign travel. The paper demonstrates the usefulness of vector error correction models to generate dynamic visitor forecasts which we use to ascertain whether tourism in Hawaii has fully recovered from 9/11 and other terrible international events. The paper considers policy options for facilitating the recovery of international tourism to the U.S.

The Impact of 9/11 and Other Terrible Global Events on Tourism in the U.S. and Hawaii

This paper reviews recent trends in travel and tourism in the U.S. and Hawaii to ascertain how the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and subsequent terrible global events affected their tourism flows and the manner and pace of their recovery. We note that tourism in the U.S. has not fully recovered from 9/11 and other international shocks; indeed recovery of international travel to the U.S. may be a long way off. By contrast, Hawaii tourism is enjoying robust growth in the aftermath of 9/11 as growth in tourist arrivals from the U.S. mainland has more than offset declines in Japanese and other international visitors. We suggest that Hawaiis current tourism boom is in part explained by the diversion of U.S. travel from foreign travel. The paper demonstrates the usefulness of vector error correction models to generate dynamic visitor forecasts which we use to ascertain whether tourism in Hawaii has fully recovered from 9/11 and other terrible international events. The paper considers policy options for facilitating the recovery of international tourism to the U.S.Tourism, Terrorism, Impact, Recovery

Disappearing Act(ions): College Perceptions of Climate Change and its Impacts on Tourism

Various locations around the world are considered to be ‘disappearing’ due to the impacts of climate change on their natural attributes. This disappearance raises the question of how travel to those destinations will change in the future, and whether or not awareness of climate change might limit tourism. This study examines the presence of the last-chance tourism theory in college students, and hypothesizes that willingness to travel or engage in environmentally responsible behaviors will not change with increased awareness because of a desire to visit places before they disappear. A survey is used to gauge awareness and concern, as well as willingness to travel after being presented with a fact sheet on climate change and the impacts of tourism. Our results show that a large majority of students would still travel to a threatened location, but that they would also be willing to engage in environmentally responsible behaviors. Even though climate change awareness may not deter tourism, it may still increase concern and allow for the root issue of climate change to be addressed

The profile of the tourism information center officer in Romania

Local destinations incorporate various stakeholders, often including a host community, and can form a network with other destinations to shape larger destinations. To attract tourists, destinations must consider the travel basic costs, convenience, and timelines. Like other consumers, tourists weigh costs against the benefits of specific destinations and investment of time, effort, and resources against a reasonable return in education, experience, fun, relaxation, and memories. Convenience takes various meanings in travel decisions: time involved in travel from airport to lodging, language barriers, cleanliness and sanitary concerns, access to interests (beaches, attractions, amenities) and special needs (Kotler, 2002). Tourist Information Officers are our front line in all tourism matters, along with Travel Consultants and with the front-desk personnel of other tourism stakeholders. Working in tourist information centers around Romania, they are able to promote tourism destinations, tourist attractions and provide information and reservation services for sightseeing, travel, accommodation and tours. They also assess tourist opportunities for local communities. The purpose of this paper is to deliver a brief status quo of the TICs Officers in Romania and some suggestions for the improvement of the service of tourism information centers.tourism information officer, destination management, destination marketing, tourism center certification, profile of TIC Staff, tourism

Terrorism and Tourism in the Asia Pacific Region: Is Travel and Tourism in a New World After 9/11?

The paper reviews trends in travel and tourism in selected Asia Pacific countries before and after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (9/11) to consider the question of whether or not global tourism has fundamentally changed since 9/11. Tourism is an important economic sector in several Asia Pacific countries and is a "fragile" industry in that it is highly susceptible to external shocks such as wars, outbreaks of deadly contagious diseases, incidents of terrorism, and so on. The first part of the paper presents a stylized picture of industry response following terrorist incidents and other major negative shocks to tourism, and reviews international tourist arrivals at selected Asia Pacific destinations. A richer body of data available for Japan and the U.S. allows examination of the extent of substitution between domestic and international travel, and the impact of changed travel behavior on tourist spending. The paper finds that there has been significant substitution of domestic travel for overseas travel by nationals of both countries after 9/11, and that this has had a dramatic impact on the Hawaii tourism market. The paper explores some of the reasons for the differences observed in post-9/11 travel recoveries across Asia Pacific countries.

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE EVOLUTION OF YOUTH TRAVEL

Youth travel is an important part of global tourism, consequently, getting to know the evolution of this form of tourism requires an approach of the aspects regarding the permissive and restrictive factors that influence the youth travel dynamic worldwide. In terms of the factors that influence youth travel, we highlighted these two categories of factors (permissive and restrictive) and, within each category, we tried to singularize the influence of every factor over youth travel.tourism, youth travel, factors influencing evolution of youth travel, general factors, specific factors, factors that favour the development of youth travel, factors that restrict the development of youth travel