Simulation Modeling of Occupational Health of Tourism and Hospitality Workers

Tourism and hospitality research has utilized mostly traditional approaches to understand and explain observed phenomena. Complexity science offers great potential for studying the complex dynamical system of tourism and hospitality with greater effectiveness. The accelerating pace of technological advances, destabilization of societies, and increasing levels of uncertainty have fueled the emergence of chaos and complexity perspectives. Social scientists are increasingly viewing the conceptual and statistical assumptions underlying the linear paradigm as being seriously flawed and limiting our ability to explain social phenomena. Innovative complex-systems approaches grounded in complex adaptive systems (CAS) theoretical, methodological, and analytical perspectives have potential to lead to greater understanding of various phenomena. The foregoing methods and tools will be discussed in the context of occupational health of Hispanic immigrant hospitality sector workers

New Directions in Mediterranean Tourism: Restructuring and Cooperative Marketing in the Era of Globalization

At a time when tourism is the preeminent global industry, the Mediterranean is one of the most important tourist regions in the world, accounting for approximately a third of total tourism revenues and half of international arrivals. Because the traditional sun, sand, and sea tourist product of the Mediterranean is experiencing a crisis with subsequent market shifts toward other regions and alternative tourist products, the region has begun to lose its share of the international travel market. The time is ripe for the 21 Mediterranean countries to evaluate their tourist industries in the context of sustainable development strategies, begin to consider restructuring their industries to increase efficiency and competitiveness, and form strategic alliances for cooperative marketing efforts in order to maintain a competitive edge in the global tourist market at the threshold of the third millennium

From Farmers and Shepherds to Shopkeepers and Hoteliers: Constituency-Differentiated Experiences of Endogenous Tourism in the Greek Isle of Zakynthos

The effects exerted by endogenous tourism investment on the developing Greek island of Zakynthos are examined, focusing in particular on whether the experiences among residents, tourist enterprises and local government are homogeneous, or whether they reflect varied attitudes related to sociodemographic, destination, development-process and tourist characteristics. Multivariate analysis shows that the main factors contributing to the variance in locals' experiences of and reactions to tourism development are the endogenous nature associated with the early 'development' phase of the evolution cycle, inhabitant constituency, carrying capacity and tourist nationality. In addition, the protection and conservation of natural and sociocultural resources are revealed as serious concerns of the island's local government. Management strategies for visitor-impact alleviation should focus on community-based planning where the hosts' collective wisdom is incorporated into the overall development process and tourism policies are compatible with the physical and human components of the local society

STI/HIV Risks for Mexican Migrant Laborers: Exploratory Ethnographies

The influx of Latino laborers into the U.S. and the confluence of migration-driven factors in an environment ripe for risk-taking have the potential to exacerbate already rising STI/HIV rates among migrants and their social networks at both the home and receiving regions. This paper focuses on Mexican migrant laborers who are among the most marginalized and exploited Latinos in the U.S. This study used ethnographic methods to delineate the sociocultural and spatial contexts and social organization of migrant farmwork, and examined how intertwined individual and environmental factors render migrant farmworkers vulnerable to STI/HIV risks. Findings indicate the presence of a number of factors in the study population of Mexican migrant workers (N = 23)—such as poverty, limited education, physical/social/cultural isolation, long work hours, constant mobility, hazardous work conditions, limited access to health care, low rates of condom use, multipartnering, and use of sexworkers—which increase their risks for STI/HIV transmission. To be successful, prevention efforts need to focus not only on condom education and HIV awareness and testing, but also on reducing migrants’ social isolation and understanding their social networks

Caribbean Tourism and Development

Mass charter tourism is the cornerstone of development plans in the Caribbean. Unparalleled tourism investment in the post-World War II era has boosted a tourist influx of unprecedented dimensions, the world’s largest peacetime population movement, especially in developing insular regions. The heavy influx of tourists has contributed to significant economic gains in Caribbean nations. However, it has simultaneously inflicted a plethora of long-term adverse consequences, including the emergence and diffusion of infectious diseases. Paradoxically, while the sustainable development of the Caribbean requires the control of infections and diseases, travel and tourism actually produce the facilitating conditions for their very emergence

Human Rights and Health Disparities for Migrant Workers in the UAE.

Systematic violations of migrant workers’ human rights and striking health disparities among these populations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are the norm in member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Migrant laborers comprise about 90 percent of the UAE workforce and include approximately 500,000 construction workers and 450,000 domestic workers. Like many other GCC members countries, the UAE witnessed an unprecedented construction boom during the early 2000s, attracting large numbers of Western expatriates and increasing demand for cheap migrant labor. Elite Emiratis’ and Western expatriates’ dependence on household staff further promoted labor migration. This paper offers a summary of existing literature on migrant workers and human rights in the UAE, focusing on their impact on related health ramifications and disparities, with specific attention to construction workers, domestic workers, and trafficked women and children. Construction workers and domestic laborers are victims of debt bondage and face severe wage exploitation, and experience serious health and safety problems resulting from inhumane work and living conditions. High rates of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse impact the health of domestic workers. Through a review of available literature, including official reports, scientific papers, and media reports, the paper discusses the responsibility of employers, governments, and the global community in mitigating these problems and reveals the paucity of systematic data on the health of migrant workers in the Gulf

Binge Drinking and Casual Sex on Spring-Break

College students‘ health-risk behaviors on spring break were examined via pre-and post-surveys. Over one-half reported getting drunk on the previous vacation and stated intentions to do so again. Personal normative beliefs and situational expectations emerged as strong predictors of intentions to binge and pacts of actual bingeing. Intentions for casual sex were predicted by attitudes, personal normative beliefs, situational expectations, and pacts, whereas engagement in casual sex was predicted by intentions for and prior experience with it. The majority of students reported rarely/never using condoms during spring break. They appear to participate in riskier behaviors in the spring break environment than at home. Keywords: binge drinking, casual sex, spring break, theory of interpersonal behavior

Conflict Resolution through Tourism Cooperation? The Case of the Partitioned Island-State of Cyprus

Hostility and armed conflict can exist most easily in closed societies. Social science literature suggests that increasing contact among individuals from diverse groups creates an opportunity for mutual acquaintances, enhances understanding and acceptance among the interacting group members, and consequently reduces inter-group prejudice, tension, and conflict. International tourism has been recognized for the opportunities it provides for social contact to occur. This paper presents the conceptual framework for a more effective management of the intercommunal conflict on the island of Cyprus through tourism cooperation within the framework of the cooperation and inter-group contact theories. More specifically, the paper suggests how different groups of stakeholders can be instrumental in free tourist migration, joint tourism ventures, and tourism-based community interaction and collaboration between the Turkish-Cypriot north and the Greek-Cypriot south, and which in turn, may lead to an alternative–and more effective–solution to tension and conflict which has existed on the island for several decades

Tourism in Crisis: Managing the Effects of Terrorism

While tourists are free to avoid destinations associated with risk, the consequences of disastrous events on tourist destinations are inescapable and can be profound. Terrorism that targets tourism can be viewed as a disaster for a destination and ensuing events can create a serious tourism crisis. This article argues that tourist destinations—especially those vulnerable to politically motivated violence —should incorporate crisis management planning into their overall sustainable development and marketing/management strategies to protect and rebuild their image of safety/attractiveness, to reassure potential visitors of the safety of the area, to reestablish the area?s functionality/attractiveness, and to aid local travel and tourism industry members in their economic recovery. Recommendations include having a crisis management plan in place, establishing a tourism crisis management task force, developing a crisis management guidebook, and partnering with law enforcement officials

The Impact of Gender and Religion on College Students Spring-Break Behavior

The authors investigated the influence of gender and religion on health-risk behavior potentials and destination-related expectations of college students on spring break vacation using a random sample of 534 students from two U.S. universities. Results indicated that gender and religion had a significant impact on students‘ potential to engage in health-risk behaviors during spring break as well as their choice of spring break destinations and their expectations for hospitality service quality and characteristics of the destinations. Important social marketing and public policy implications for the tourism and hospitality industry are discussed