The influence of social media food content on the Greek travel destination image

In the modern days, tourists tend to increasingly use social media during the pre-trip, on-site (in-situ) experiences, and feedback levels. These are progressively influencing travellers’ behaviours, as well as forming the experiences, impressions and ideas of consumers. This thesis intends to explain how food-related content on social media can influence the destination image of Greece, considering the value of food as a unique and distinguishing element of the touristic destinations and identifying the power of social media food content on developing gastronomic tourism and improving the destination image of Greece. We aim to recognize the power of social media channels and particularly Instagram, in impacting destination choice, offering inspiration for travel planning as well as interpreting the relationship between Greek gastronomy and travelling in the digital era. To achieve our goals, both primary and secondary data were collected. The literature review is performed from the broadest to the most exact relevant subjects. The data collection, as well as analysis, have been implemented through the qualitative method. To clarify the questions asked and to attain the scope of this thesis, we resort to the focus group technique, collecting ideas from several young culinary tourists belonging to the target group of Millennials and Generation Z. The combination of both primary and secondary data offered significant findings that contributed to recognising the value of social media food content on the destination image of Greece. It is worth mentioning that the results of this research prompted that there is a strong impact of social media food content on consumer behaviours, travel choices, as well on the motivations of young gastronomic tourists.Nos dias de hoje, os turistas tendem a usar cada vez mais as redes sociais durante a pré-viagem, as experiências no local (in-situ) e o seu feedback após a experiência. Estes influenciam cada vez mais os comportamentos dos viajantes, bem como as experiências, impressões e ideias dos consumidores. Esta tese pretende abordar como os conteúdos gastronómicos nas redes sociais podem influenciar positivamente a imagem do destino da Grécia, considerando o valor da comida como elemento único e diferenciador dos destinos turísticos e identificando o poder dos conteúdos gastronómicos das redes sociais no desenvolvimento do turismo gastronómico e melhorar a imagem de destino da Grécia. O objetivo é reconhecer o poder das redes sociais, particularmente, o Instagram, em impactar a escolha do destino, oferecendo inspiração para o planeamento de viagens e interpretando a relação entre a gastronomia grega e as viagens a este destino na era digital. Para atingir os nossos objetivos, foram recolhidos dados primários e secundários. No que se refere à revisão de literatura, foi realizada desde os assuntos mais amplos até os mais exatos relevantes. A recolha de dados, bem como a análise, foi implementada através do método qualitativo. Para esclarecer as questões colocadas e atingir o âmbito desta tese, recorremos à técnica de focus group, recolhendo ideias de vários jovens turistas com interesse pela gastronomia pertencentes ao público-alvo dos Millennials e da geração Z. A combinação de dados primários e secundários ofereceu descobertas significativas que contribuíram para reconhecer o valor do conteúdo gastronómico nas redes sociais na imagem de destino da Grécia. Importa referir que os resultados desta investigação demonstram o impacto do conteúdo gastronómico das redes sociais nos comportamentos dos consumidores, escolhas de viagem, bem como nas motivações dos jovens turistas com interesse pela gastronomia

Exploring a developing tourism industry: A resource-based view approach.

This exploratory study examines dimensions related to tourism development in the case of Uruguay. Internal and external analyses were conducted to identify key resources to maximise opportunities and minimise threats to the country’s tourism development. The study, which adopts the resource-based view of the firm, is based on the perspectives of key tourism stakeholders. Unstructured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with eight key informants, three representing government institutions, three private, and two public-private. The interviews revealed opportunities in various fronts, primarily consolidating and expanding international markets, and developing additional offerings, including convention/event and heritage tourism to minimise the effects of seasonality. Strong dependence on neighbouring markets, marginal airline connectivity and knowledge of Uruguay internationally were main perceived barriers to further development. The value of employing the resource-based framework in guiding understanding of the themes under investigation was confirmed. Implications emerging from the findings are discussed, and future research directions suggested

Determinants of tourism destination competitiveness in the countries most visited by international tourists: Proposal of a synthetic index

Tourism destination competitiveness is a multidimensional concept that is widely studied in the academic literature, but multiple factors make its measurement a difficult task. In this article, we design a synthetic index to rank the 80 countries that attract the majority of international tourists by level of tourism competitiveness. In order to do this, we use all of the simple variables included in the 2017 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index, proposing a new methodology for the construction of this synthetic index, which it solves the problems of aggregation of variables expressed in different measures, arbitrary weighting and duplicity of information; issues that remain unresolved by the TTCI. Likewise, we analyse the most influential dimensions in tourism competitiveness. Air transport infrastructures, cultural resources and ICT readiness are the key dimensions that explain the main disparities.Funding Agency Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness State Research Agency (SRA) European Union (EU) ECO2017-86822-Rinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

How events can influence in the customer experience at Out of the Blue Hostel: an internship storytelling

The growth of tourism is not an exception to Azores Islands that saw a big increase of tourists after the low cost airlines started flying to the islands in 2015. The whole market is in a process of adaptation and hostels is a new concept to the island and very appreciated to the ones who visit it. Out of the Blue hostel's concept is to turn each stay into a unique experience. So me and the owners of the hostel were brainstorming ideas how to improve the concept and together we decided to create Out Of The Blue Family Dinners, where every evening we prepare homemade dinners and take guests out on night tours, creating moments of sharing cultures, ideas, dreams and time on the island between the guest and the staff of the hostel. In this storytelling I am presenting how I started doing events at the hostel and the process of adaptation to the tourism trends, guest and management needs in order to create a high quality experience. In the end I will present the reviews left by the guests of the hostel on various booking platforms. After 6 months the impact of the events is very visible through the guest reviews and feedbacks, team satisfaction and sales revenue.O turismo em crescimento e não é uma exceção nas Ilhas dos Açores que viu este fenomeno acontecer após as low coast começarem a voar para as ilhas em 2015. Todo o mercado está a adaptar-se e os hostels é um novo conceito na ilha e muito apreciado para o aqueles que as visitam. O conceito Out of the Blue é transformar cada estadia em uma experiência única. Então, juntos começamos a fazer um brainstorm como melhorar o conceito. Juntos, decidimos começar a fazer eventos todas as noites que inclui jantares e passeios nocturos, criando momentos de partilha de cultura, ideias, sonhos e tempo na ilha. Esta storytelling que vos apresento consiste em começar a fazer eventos no hostel e todo o processo de adaptação às tendências de turismo, hospedes e necessidades de gestão para criar uma experiência de alta qualidade. No final, irei apresentar os resultados de inquenritos realizados no hostel. Depois de 6 meses os impactos dos eventos são muito visíveis nas avaliações e comentários dos hospedes, assim como na satisfação da equipe e nos lucros das vendas

Interacting with heritage: On the use and potential of IoT within the cultural heritage sector

This paper discusses the potential for the use of IoT technologies within cultural heritage, including the creation of new interactive experiences, visit personalisation, visitor data analysis, connected and distributed museum visits and the provision of pre- and post-visit experiences. We argue that cultural heritage offers a key opportunity for the development and deployment of new IoT systems, with potential benefits both for the cultural heritage domain and the IoT community. We present a number of areas of potential work for IoT researchers that are applicable to the heritage domain and to the broader IoT context, including challenges around poor connectivity, identifying and tracking visitors, and providing systems that are easily installed configured and maintained in environments with minimal infrastructure and poor technical support

The sustainable livelihoods of informal artisan entrepreneurs in tourism: A case of Kenya

The tourism industry is a source of livelihood for many people as it creates employment and business opportunities. Nonetheless, the industry experiences many fluctuations and instabilities that threaten the livelihoods of those who depend on it. These threats are more intense for informal artisan entrepreneurs in tourism, who also grapple with enormous challenges in the informal sector despite their persistent work in the context. Thus, this exploratory research aims to understand how informal artisan entrepreneurs sustain their livelihoods while facing challenges in the informal sector and the tourism industry. The study uses the conceptual lens of the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) and framework alongside the concepts of resilience, vulnerability and culture. It incorporates 51 telephone interviews with 32 artisans and 5 institutions in Kenya, conducted over two phases, and includes document analysis, field notes and researcher diaries. In doing so, the study draws key methodological considerations for conducting remote qualitative data collection and engaging with marginalised participants in Sub-Saharan Africa. The findings show that artisans experience constant challenges such as poverty, an indecent work environment, and inadequate institutional support. Nevertheless, their exposure to vulnerable conditions is paradoxically matched with resilience. The artisans’ resilience stems from their agency and socio-cultural structures, which have allowed them to combine different resources to sustain their livelihoods, cope with challenges, and persist in making handicrafts. Theoretically, the study creates a modified framework for sustainable livelihood analysis. It also challenges how resilience is conceptualised in sustainable livelihoods and entrepreneurship and suggests how it should be conceptualised. Relatedly, it draws insights into the paradoxical relationship between resilience and vulnerability. Hence, it contributes to the understanding of resilience in sustainable livelihoods. Notably, the study extends the body of knowledge on informal artisan entrepreneurs in tourism, who have proven unique in their characteristics and how they sustain their livelihoods.The tourism industry is a source of livelihood for many people as it creates employment and business opportunities. Nonetheless, the industry experiences many fluctuations and instabilities that threaten the livelihoods of those who depend on it. These threats are more intense for informal artisan entrepreneurs in tourism, who also grapple with enormous challenges in the informal sector despite their persistent work in the context. Thus, this exploratory research aims to understand how informal artisan entrepreneurs sustain their livelihoods while facing challenges in the informal sector and the tourism industry. The study uses the conceptual lens of the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) and framework alongside the concepts of resilience, vulnerability and culture. It incorporates 51 telephone interviews with 32 artisans and 5 institutions in Kenya, conducted over two phases, and includes document analysis, field notes and researcher diaries. In doing so, the study draws key methodological considerations for conducting remote qualitative data collection and engaging with marginalised participants in Sub-Saharan Africa. The findings show that artisans experience constant challenges such as poverty, an indecent work environment, and inadequate institutional support. Nevertheless, their exposure to vulnerable conditions is paradoxically matched with resilience. The artisans’ resilience stems from their agency and socio-cultural structures, which have allowed them to combine different resources to sustain their livelihoods, cope with challenges, and persist in making handicrafts. Theoretically, the study creates a modified framework for sustainable livelihood analysis. It also challenges how resilience is conceptualised in sustainable livelihoods and entrepreneurship and suggests how it should be conceptualised. Relatedly, it draws insights into the paradoxical relationship between resilience and vulnerability. Hence, it contributes to the understanding of resilience in sustainable livelihoods. Notably, the study extends the body of knowledge on informal artisan entrepreneurs in tourism, who have proven unique in their characteristics and how they sustain their livelihoods