How Are The Operators In The Tourism Industry Approaching The Virtual Channel

This paper reports on the findings of a research on the Web strategy and efficacy of different kind of firms operating in the tourism industry. The study has been conducted considering European companies. In this article we investigate the value chain of the tourism industry. The aim is to understand which organizations are the most prepared to use the real oportunities offered by the virtual channel. For example travel agencies are using the Web site as a communication tool, and hotels are using it to market goods and services, to receive reservations, and to evacuate customer complaints or suggestions

The influence of green practices and green image on customer satisfaction and word-of-mouth in the hospitality industry

Frame of the research: As sustainability aware consumers represent a substantial market segment, green practices and green positioning are becoming strategic to enhance competitive advantage. Purpose of the paper: This study investigates whether the presence of green practices or a green image in the accommodation sector influences customer satisfaction and eWOM and whether this differs between different accommodation categories. Methodology: The TripAdvisor reviews of 1701 Italian hospitality business were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Accommodation facilities with green practices present high scores in guest satisfaction and eWOM, particularly those with a green image. The differences in customer satisfaction between accommodation types is smaller for businesses with a green image. B&Bs, agritourism facilities, and other accommodation facilities, even those without a green image, can rely on green practices to increase customer satisfaction and eWOM. Research limitations: We considered the use of green features in the name of the accommodation facility as a proxy for sustainability alignment. Customer satisfaction could be affected by other variables. The sub-sample of “green name” companies is limited. The size and age of the accommodation facility could impact the number of reviews. Practical implications: Our results provide valuable insights into the determinants of customer satisfaction and intention to review a green practice and suggest the need to communicate a green orientation. Originality of the study: Our study extends the investigation to different accommodation types; considers the green image of the accommodation facilities rather than green certification; compares customer satisfaction and eWOM with or without a green image by accommodation type

A Case Of Media Budget Definition In The Banking Industry

The problem that usually all enterprises face, in the presence of scarce resources, concerns the definition of the communication budget and a media planning compatible with the objectives of communication and with the budget itself. The case we refer to, the Banco Popolare, is an example of best practice in defining the budget and in assigning the same on the various media. The many merger cases that have characterized the Italian banking world, in the last years, have consequently led to an exponential growth of the communication investments in this industry. With the aim of facilitating the rebranding process and repositioning of the business, heavy investments in institutional communication are often required

Methodology for the application of predictive method for road safety analysis in urban areas. The case study of Brescia

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Spectral broadening in self-assembled GaAs quantum dots with narrow size distribution

The control over the spectral broadening of an ensemble of emitters, mainly attributable to the size and shape dispersion and the homogenous broadening mechanisms, is crucial to several applications of quantum dots. We present a convenient self-assembly approach to deliver strain-free GaAs quantum dots with size distribution below 15%, due to the control of the growth parameters during the preliminary formation of the Ga droplets. This results in an ensemble photoluminescence linewidth of 19 meV at 14 K. The narrow emission band and the absence of a wetting layer promoting dot-dot coupling allow us to deconvolve the contribution of phonon broadening in the ensemble photoluminescence and study it in a wide temperature range.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

Quattordicesimo Rapporto dell’Osservatorio della Congiuntura Turistica nella Provincia di Brescia: novembre 2012

Report relativo al sondaggio Congiuntur Consuntivo Estate 201

The influence of foreigners’ buzzing on TripAdvisor ranking of restaurants in Venice: implications for the sustainability of over-touristed heritage cities

Local and global coexist in any tourist destination, and the challenge of tourism sustainability is what remains in the balance between these two dimensions. Social and consumer-generated media are changing how local and global are coming together in the local system. These media\u2019s effects are even more important in overtouristed places, where a significant imbalance between local and tourist development already exists. In this paper, the effects from foreigners\u2019 reviews in crowd-based ranking systems in overtouristed cities are investigated. Based on a case study of TripAdvisor\u2019s restaurant rankings in Venice, our findings suggest that foreigners\u2019 reviews systematically rate tourist experiences\u2019 quality higher than non-foreigners\u2019 reviews, and that their attitude significantly affects the ranking of these experiences. This discloses these systems\u2019 limited reliability in overtouristed cities when it comes to rank quality, as well as the potential risks deriving from their large and uncontrolled adoption. The study concludes that a governance system is needed that is more respectful and inclusive of these places\u2019 specific requirements

A Straightforward Framework for Road Network Screening to Lombardy Region (Italy)

It is not possible to deal with sustainable mobility without considering road safety as a key element: Target 3.6 of the Sustainable Development Goals aims at halving the number of road deaths by 2030. To do so, further effort and effective tools are required for road authorities, to implement improvement measures and enhance road safety for all. Road network screening (RNS) is the first step of the whole Road Infrastructure Safety Management (RISM) System process. It is applied to a wide scale to assess the safety performance of the whole road network and identify the worst performing roads (or sites). The literature is quite rich with RNS models and methods, which have greatly improved, recently. Moreover, although many national frameworks on road safety have been issued over time, some barriers remain, specifically related to data quality, such as accurate crash location, which is mainly used to integrate crash data with other databases. In addition, most of these frameworks adopted partial indexes to identify black spots and presented results using fixed maps for visualization. This paper fills these gaps by the proposal of a straightforward operational framework to perform RNS, based on a simple and flexible rationale to integrate raw crash, traffic, and road data. Specifically, the framework: (i) manages crash location data, without relying on plane or geographical coordinates, which are missing or inaccurate and still are a crucial issue in many European countries such as Italy; (ii) adopts an adjusted accident cost rate index that integrates frequency and severity of crashes as well as a measurement of exposure; (iii) introduces variable maps that show the results at different jurisdiction levels. A relevant case study demonstrates the usefulness of this framework using 30,000+ crash data of the whole non-urban road network of the Lombardy Region (Northern Italy). Road authorities could adopt this framework to perform an accurate safety screening on the overall regional road network. Moreover, this framework could be implemented in a road traffic safety managerial system to better prioritise safety interventions within a tight budget and help achieve sustainable development targets