Strategic Planning for Local Tourism Destinations: An Analysis of Tourism

This paper reports on a study of the planning practices of local tourism destinations. The tourism plans of 30 local tourism destinations in Queensland, Australia were analyzed to determine the extent to which sustainability principles, namely strategic planning and stakeholder participation, were integrated into the planning process. Utilizing a tourism planning process evaluation instrument developed by Simpson (2001), it was found that local tourism destinations are not integrating sustainability principles in their planning processes

The Greek-Orthodox version of the Brief Religious Coping (B-RCOPE) instrument: psychometric properties in three samples and associations with mental disorders, suicidality, illness perceptions, and quality of life

Background: The B-RCOPE is a brief measure assessing religious coping. We aimed to assess the psychometric properties of its Greek version in people with and without long-term conditions (LTCs). Associations between religious coping and mental illness, suicidality, illness perceptions, and quality of life were also investigated. Methods: The B-RCOPE was administered to 351 patients with diabetes, chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD), and rheumatic diseases attending either the emergency department (N = 74) or specialty clinics (N = 302) and 127 people without LTCs. Diagnosis of mental disorders was established by the MINI. Associations with depressive symptom severity (PHQ-9), suicidal risk (RASS), illness perceptions (B-IPQ), and health-related quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF) were also investigated. Results: The Greek version of B-RCOPE showed a coherent two-dimensional factor structure with remarkable stability across the three samples corresponding to the positive (PRC) and negative (NRC) religious coping dimensions. Cronbach’s alphas were 0.91–0.96 and 0.77–0.92 for the PRC and NRC dimensions, respectively. Furthermore, NRC was associated with poorer mental health, greater depressive symptom severity and suicidality, and impaired HRQoL. In patients with LTCs, PRC correlated with lower perceived illness timeline, while NRC was associated with greater perceived illness consequences, lower perceived treatment control, greater illness concern, and lower illness comprehensibility. Conclusions: These findings indicate that the Greek-Orthodox B-RCOPE version may reliably assess religious coping. In addition, negative religious coping (i.e., religious struggle) is associated with adverse illness perceptions, and thus may detrimentally impact adaptation to medical illness. These findings deserve replication in prospective studies

Dysregulation and containment in the psychoanalytic psychotherapy of a poorly controlled diabetic patient

Dysregulation, as a phenomenon of disruption in the psychotherapeutic setting, may be evidenced in the psychoanalytic psychotherapy of diabetic patients presenting poor metabolic and treatment control. In the case of a female patient, violations of the setting via acting out behaviors provided an opportunity for working through and understanding in depth the patient's unconscious attempts to activate traumatic childhood experiences and introduce loss and confusion into the relationship with the psychotherapist. Dysregulation was considered in connection with the patient's pathological containment function, in conflicting part self and object representations, and in relation to traumatic experiences of maternal desertion. Improvement of the patient was identified in her relationships with the psychotherapist, significant others, and the medical health providers, as well as in the overall management of her diabetic treatment. © 2008 The American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry

Regional perspectives on tourism geographies: The case of Greece

The aim of this chapter is to provide a holistic overview of issues and topics regarding tourism geography in Greece: from its origins to its current situation. By following a historical tracking of tourism activities in this country and the growth of tourism geography as an academic domain at the university level, the main goal is to analyze the shift of academic research on tourism from geographical perspective, as presented in both the Greek and English language literature. The chapter concludes that there is a need for practical orientation and redefinition of typologies of tourism geographies in order to apply a more sustainable and cross-disciplinary approach in the academic discourse on Greek tourism. © 2013 by Emerald Group Publishing Limited

The challenge of incorporating smart city activities in medium-size cities: The case of Greece

A major challenge affecting the potential of a smart city project in achieving local community expectations is the extent to which local communities are involved not only in the planning, but also in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation phases (or, to put it differently, in the co-production process). There is a need for a 'co-smartisation' process to evolve. The present paper provides a general analytical and policy framework for this co-smartisation process to be implemented successfully. Attention is given to medium-size cities as the risks associated with smart city projects in such cities are higher due to such factors as limited operational, managerial and cooperation capacity. Trikala and Heraklion, two Greek medium-size cities, are used as case studies in order to illustrate potential strategies for consolidating the participation of local communities in smart projects at the medium-size city level in the southern European regional context. Copyright © 2017 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd

The challenge of incorporating smart city activities in medium-size cities: The case of Greece

A major challenge affecting the potential of a smart city project in achieving local community expectations is the extent to which local communities are involved not only in the planning, but also in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation phases (or, to put it differently, in the co-production process). There is a need for a ‘co-smartisation’ process to evolve. The present paper provides a general analytical and policy framework for this co-smartisation process to be implemented successfully. Attention is given to medium-size cities as the risks associated with smart city projects in such cities are higher due to such factors as limited operational, managerial and cooperation capacity. Trikala and Heraklion, two Greek medium-size cities, are used as case studies in order to illustrate potential strategies for consolidating the participation of local communities in smart projects at the medium-size city level in the southern European regional context. Copyright © 2017 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd