Focus Groups of Travel Agents Regarding a New Concept in Tour Operation: Sears Tours

The purpose of the focus group sessions was to identify major areas of concern among experienced travel agents both in Orlando and New York. In particular, the discussions focused on the travel agents\u27 experiences with the sale of tour packages and their relationships with tour operators. The methodology used by the Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies was to start each discussion by introducing broad issues of tour packaging, and incrementaly narrow down to major concerns of day-to-day operations, as well as what would be the ideal tour operator the travel agents would like to work with. The next stage revealed the future arrival of a new tour operator that will have the following characteristics: a. No service charge to the travel agency for any credit card purchases by consumers. b. Incentive commissions: sell x packages and get additional y $. c. Combined rebate for customer and travel agent on future travel at the same travel agency only. d. Satisfaction guarantee or your money back (Tour Operator takes full responsibility to refund customers, and will not refer the travel agent to the various providers such as airlines, hotels etc.) In the final stage of each discussion, the travel agents were informed that the future tour operator is SEARS TOURS which will basically have the same customer satisfaction policy as the nationwide retail store. The travel agents expressed their opinion regarding the appearance of this supplier in the market. Findings are reported in the next section. The Orlando group is reported first, followed by the New York group. The findings are reported chronologically, that is according to the incremental stages of the discussion mentioned earlier

Visitors to Wet N\u27 Wild and Typhoon Lagoon: Focus Groups of Central Florida Residents

The purpose of the focus group sessions was to identify major areas of concern among Central Florida residents who visited Wet N\u27 Wild and Typhoon Lagoon. In particular, the discussions focused on visitors\u27 experience, similarities and differences between the two parks, perception of value for money, perceived market appeal, retrn visits, advertising, and accessibility to the parks

The Image and Perception of Silver Springs Commercials Among Cincinnati, OH Residents: A Report of Focus Group Findings

The major aim of the focus group was to identify main areas of concern regarding the impact of the five Silver springs commercials to be broadcasted in the State of Ohio. Twelve residents of Greater Cincinnati participated in the two hour focus group. Four participants were males and eight were females. Their ages ranged from 16 to 60, and they represented an array of ethnic groups. The participants also had a varied educational background from high school diplomas to college advanced degrees. This cross section representation of the population allowed different opinions and perceptions by the various participants. The focus group interview took place on May 6, 1987 at the Cincinnati Technical College located in Central Parkway minutes from the downtown area. Participants were recruited by the Institute\u27s staff in local shopping malls and other public places. Please note that the majority of the respondents heard of or visited Silver Springs

Canada as a Potential Vacation Destination for Florida Residents

Canada expends a large amount of money on tourism and advertising in the U.S., but growth has not kept up. The author surveys Floridians as to their attitudes toward Canada as a tourism destination

Church Street Station\u27s Train Ride to Mount Dora: Focus Groups of Central Florida Residents, Tourists, and Convention Delegates

The purpose of the focus group sessions was to identify major areas of concern among Central Florida residents, tourists, and convention delegates with regard to a new train ride attraction between Orlando and Moutn Dora. In particular, the discussion focused on the appeal of the new attraction to these three groups and their suggestions for features to present on this unique ride

Government of Spain U.S. Market Study

The purpose of the focus group sessions was to identify major areas of concern among experienced U.S. residents who traveled to foreign destinations. In particular, the discussions focused on the the image of Spain as a vacation destination and the variables that influence the choice of Spain as a vacation destination. The methodology used was to start each discussion by introducing broad issues of vacation travel, travelling to foreign destinations, and incrementaly narrow down to a full discussion of the Spanish Tourist Product

What Makes that Employee so Good? Identifying the Characteristics of High Performance Hourly Employees in the Theme Park and Attraction Industry

Following the September 11th, 2001 events, the United States has seen the first decline in employment expansion in over a decade. The services industry lost 111,000 jobs, mainly in travel-related businesses like hotels (46,000) and auto services (13,000), in particular auto rental agencies and parking services (U.S. Department of Labor, 2001). The hospitality industry, like many other sectors of the service industry is faced with the challenge of recruiting and retaining employees. Employment in the theme park and attraction industry is not an easy task. Human resource professionals are challenged on a daily basis with unique task of recruiting, selecting, training and developing employees. In the wake of September 11th events, some hourly employees who have been laid off from their theme park and attraction facilities may have chosen not to return to the industry. Less than a year after the tragedy, many facilities are rebounding and having considerable problems locating high-performance employees. Identifying the traits and characteristics of high-performing employees and distinguishing them from average-performance employees would assist many operators in the theme park and attraction industry. Although many theme park and attraction facilities provide detailed training for their employees, no major research was conducted to identify the personal background, personality, or other employment-related characteristics that may predict high-performing hourly employees

Hotel Remodeling Impact: Guest Satisfaction at a Family Resort Hotel

A case study of a family resort hotel demonstrated empirical relationships between guest satisfaction and their perception of the hotel\u27s physical appearance, staff attitude, and the guests\u27 age group. The 333 self-administered surveys also provided information about the guests\u27 travel behavior and their experience at the hotel. The predictive regression model confined that the hotel was in need of remodeling, and that potential renovation projects will ultimately result in increased guest satisfaction

The Role and Responsibilities of a Tourism Research Center: The Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies

The Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies is located in the University of Central Florida. The Institute, funded both by state and commercial research projects is involved in research, education, and public awareness activities

Church Street Station Train Excursion Market Study

The following are the main findings of this study: 1. All respondents expressed a relativitly high interest in taking the new train attraction when it opens. Eighty eight percent of the local residents, ninety one percent of convention delegates and ninety five percent of tourists, said that they will probably or definitely take the ride. 2. Respondents were willing to pay an admission fee of $15.00 (local residents) to pay$23.00 (tourists) for the round trip. 3. The train ride was perceived to appeal to all market segments: young and old, with our without children, tourists and locals, males and females. 4. The train ride was perceived to be different from other Central Florida attractions, but would be visited by tourists only after have been to other attractions first. 5. All respondents expressed a concern about the availability of parking facilities at the train station in Orlando Tourists and convention delegrates made their train ride contingent upon transportation to and from their hotels. 6. All respondents preferred a variety of entertainment on board, such as: live comedy, mystery, train robbery, Dixieland music, barbershop quartets, sing along, etc. 7. The majority of local redisents did not express an interest in the Mt. Dora overnight package. Tourists and convention delegates, however, expressed a realtively high interest in staying in Mt. Dora overnight. Sixty nine percent of tourists and fifty two percent of convention delegates said that they would probably or definitely stay in Mt. Dora. 8. Those tourists who expressed an interest in staying in Mt. Dora overnight were willing to pay between $75.00 (tourists) and$95.00 (convention delegates), for the complete package