A Comprehensive Review of the Quality Approach in Tourism

This study summarizes the evolution of the quality approach in tourism. Environmental issues are also addressed, as there are strong interdependencies between these two areas. Especially in tourism, the quality-environment integration is essential. The study reveals the diversity of quality and environmental models currently used worldwide, including general models for quality assessment and management, applied in all areas, and also the tourism-specific models. The objectives of this synthesis are to achieve a systematization of the information on the quality and environment approach in tourism, and to highlight the main axes of changes. The conclusions formulated illustrate the future directions to improve the quality approach in tourism, concerning both the quality models and their implementation. The results of this comprehensive review are useful to the tourism coordination structures at national and regional level, and also to academics and researchers, to better understanding the trends in quality approach and optimizing their quality-related actions. The workpaper is based on the reports of World Tourism Organization and other tourism professional structures, as well as studies and researches published in specialized journals related to quality and environment approach in tourism

GASTRONOMIC HERITAGE: A CONTRIBUTOR TO SUSTAINABLE LOCAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT

Gastronomic heritage is undergoing significant developments, creating a need for competitive strategies to develop food tourism in certain regions. The research explores food culture and tourism in three case studies of Latvia, Romania, and Italy. The article focuses on the information about gastronomic heritage that food lovers request, and the critical components required at a destination for food tourism to flourish. A survey of people involved in gastronomic tourism (151 in Romania, 112 in Italy, 126 in Latvia) using a simple random sample. Based primarily on respondent observations, descriptive and qualitative analysis and nonparametric method are used to explain the phenomenon. SPSS software (26 version) was used to analyze the statistical data. The findings show that people need of information and a new kind of interaction between tourist/consumers and home producers that they can trust. Many of the information are hidden and there is a lack of voice about the gastronomic heritage specially on home producers. The promotion of home producers could be successful if emphasis is placed on attracting tourists and on their visits to home producers, as well as on attracting tourists from abroad. In different countries does not actively promote the opportunity to experience at home producers. A digital food resource and the role of home-organized markets is encouraged in destinations that is promoted to focus the lens on the gastronomic heritage and all its experiences

Exploring the Environmental Practices in Hospitality through Booking Websites and Online Tourist Reviews

The major impact of hotel industry on the environment has become a serious concern for both hoteliers and tourists, with many studies showing that tourists are having more and more expectations from hoteliers to implement environmental practices. Considering the fact that most hotel bookings are now made online through booking websites, it is important for these to show and manifest the same preoccupation with the environment, by promoting environmentally friendly initiatives. The aim of the present study is to emphasize the crossroads between sustainability and digitalization, and to increase the role of digital technologies in encouraging a sustainable development of all tourism sectors, including hospitality. The study provides information and identifies important elements to assess the environmental practices of booking websites. In order to identify the position that booking websites and platforms take towards the environmental practices, the filter section of four booking platforms is analyzed. The present study aims not only to analyze the current position of booking platforms towards the environment, but also to identify methods that improve the way they highlight their implemented environmental practices, based on tourist’ reviews. In order to identify the customers’ opinion regarding these types of practices, a total of 31,800 tourist reviews posted on Booking.com were analyzed. The results have indicated that the level of awareness related to the need of protecting the environment, in the case of both hoteliers and tourists, must increase aspects that also imply the need for booking websites to highlight and encourage environmental practices. The obtained results are useful for booking websites developers who can adapt and make the website’s interface friendlier regarding environmental practices. In addition, hotel managers and entrepreneurs can make use of these results in order to develop new types of business in the hospitality industry, and in the long run the results are useful for increasing the awareness among tourists of the need for environmental practices. Suggestions are made on how booking websites can involve themselves more in environmentally friendly initiatives and in potential future study subject discussions

Improving the Management of Tourist Destinations: A New Approach to Strategic Management at the DMO Level by Integrating Lean Techniques

Destination management organizations have a key role to play in the governance of tourism destinations, in managing destination networks and in ensuring good cooperation between stakeholders. Although, destination management organizations (DMOs) are atypical organizations, their operations are evaluated according to their organizational efficiency and effectiveness. This study aims to propose a framework to improve the management of the tourist destination through an innovative approach that interconnects strategic management and Lean techniques to increase efficiency and productivity in operational processes, organizational efficiency and effectiveness at the DMO level. The framework developed in this study interconnects the analysis of the internal environment through the Value Chain and the Lean Six Sigma methods identified to be suitable for application in the management of the tourist destination. Testing of the practical application of this framework was done for Association for the Promotion and Development of Tourism (APDT), which is the DMO that ensures the management of the tourist destination of Brasov, Romania. The research contributes to the optimization of the processes at the DMO’s level. The framework developed in this study can be implemented by practitioners to improve the management of the tourist destination. The paper also offers future research directions

The Start-Up Manager in Times of Crisis: Challenges and Solutions for Increasing the Resilience of Companies and Sustainable Reconstruction

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, amplified by the Russian–Ukrainian military conflict, have had a significant impact on economies and industries around the world, with serious implications for the activities of companies, including start-ups. In this context, this paper aims to examine the challenges and critical issues faced by the managers of start-ups during crises, and to identify solutions for increasing the resilience of companies and moving towards sustainable business reconstruction. Given that there are currently only limited data related to the long-term economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on start-ups, and especially concerning the implications of the Russian–Ukrainian war, we use a qualitative research approach to explore Romanian start-up managers’ perceptions of how this difficult context affects their businesses, taking into account the economic, social, and psychological factors that affect their management. The issues faced by start-up managers in times of unprecedented crisis in recent history are highlighted. The results of the research identify response measures that can contribute to increasing companies’ resilience, helping start-up managers to overcome critical events, and making sustainable choices for subsequent business recovery and reconstruction

The region of gastronomy program - A factor for empowering local communities

The purpose of the paper is to analyse the initiatives aimed at raising awareness of local communities on the importance of protecting and promoting distinct goods for sustainable food, culture, arts, and tourism, at EU level, to balance globalized food trends. The study carries out a comparative analysis at the level of three European Regions of Gastronomy: Coimbra Region, Sibiu Region, and South Aegean Region. The key areas of the Region of Gastronomy Award program: raising citizen awareness about the food they eat, the value of local products, and the need to innovate to protect local products. The benefits of such initiatives and their contribution to empowering local communities and to a better quality of life were identified and highlighted

Connecting the Members of Generation Y to Destination Brands: A Case Study of the CUBIS Project

There is direct correlation between building powerful destination brands and the degree to which tourists and locals share the brands values. The massive penetration of the active population by Generation Y has generated a major shift in tourism marketing, based on the profile of this cohort. The members of Generation Y are very different from previous generations. The so-called “digital natives” share high technological proficiency; they like to share their skills; they are disloyal consumers; and they are affected by trends. In order to connect with members of Generation Y and to actively involve them into the life of tourist destinations, viral, participative, interactive, networked and versatile marketing techniques should be employed. This article introduces the Intelligent Solution for Brand Culturalization (CUBIS) Project, which is a collaborative research initiative that offers to Destination Management Organizations an innovative idea of how to connect the members of Generation Y with destination brands using information and communication technologies (ICT). The CUBIS Project aims to create emotional attachment with the brand values and supports the adoption of the brand by young locals and tourists. The CUBIS idea is flexible and highly adaptable to other destinations. The article uses exploratory qualitative research in the form of a case study

Gastronominės kultūros paveldo paklausos ir pasiūlos modernizavimas

Gastronomic cultural heritage is part of cultural heritage. Under globalisation, individu-als become increasingly interested not only in cultural heritage as a whole but also in its com-ponents, e.g. gastronomic heritage. Nowadays individuals are interested in such things as tradi-tional foods, the techniques of preparing the foods and the traditions of consuming them. Indi-viduals wish to see gastronomic traditions not only on a national scale but also a regional and even a local scale. Previous research studies conducted in Latvia focused on the progress of cultural heritage products as value and the introduction of such products by businesses in the rural areas of Latvia. Scientific cooperation opened up opportunities to study the phenomenon of a wider geographical space covering four countries – Poland, Lithuania, Romania and Latvia. The aim of this research stage: to identify an impact of information on the demand-supply bal-ance of gastronomic heritage as a product in the market. The method of the research: a socio-logical survey (n = 1000 from Poland, Lithuania, Romania and Latvia; 285 men and 715 wom-en) that was carried out during 2016. Despite the fact that the sample groups were not repre-sentative (did not reflect the views of the entire population), the obtained data and results of this analysis provided insight into the cultural issues under today’s circumstances through the popu-lation’s views. The results of the study strengthen the need for the modernization of the infor-mation system in order to promote rural viability.Dėl globalizacijos poveikio žmonės vis daugiau susidomi ne tik bendruoju kultūros paveldu, bet ir atskirais jo komponentais, tarp kurių ir gastronominiu paveldu: nacionalinis tradicinis maistas, maisto paruošimo būdai, jo vartojimo tradicijos ir pan. Žmonės siekia susipažinti su gastronominėmis tradicijomis ne tik nacionaliniu, bet ir regioniniu ir net vietiniu lygmeniu. Ankstesni tyrimai, atlikti Latvijoje, buvo skirti kultūros paveldo produktų vertės progresui ir įtraukimui tokių produktų į verslus kaimiškosiose Latvijos vietovėse. Mokslinis bendradarbiavimas atvėrė galimybes tirti šį fenomeną platesnėje geografinėje erdvėje, apimančioje keturias valstybes: Lenkiją, Lietuvą, Rumuniją ir Latviją. Šios tyrimo fazės tikslas – identifikuoti informacijos įtaką gastronominio paveldo, kaip rinkos produkto, paklausos ir pasiūlos balansui. Tyrimo metodas – sociologinė apžvalga, apimanti 1000 respondentų (285 vyrų ir 715 moterų) iš Lenkijos, Lietuvos, Rumunijos ir Latvijos. Nors ši tiriamųjų grupė nėra reprezentatyvi (neatspindi visų gyventojų požiūrių), tačiau tyrimo duomenys ir jų analizė leidžia pateikti įžvalgas apie gyventojų požiūrio kultūrinius aspektus, atsižvelgiant į šių dienų aplinkybes

Raising Competitiveness for Tourist Destinations through Information Technologies within the Newest Tourism Action Framework Proposed by the European Commission

Several challenges regarding the European tourism industry were recently identified at EU level which the experts of the European Commission tried to meet, thus formulating several priorities within the newest Tourism Action Framework: Stimulate long-term competitiveness in the European tourism sector, promote the development of sustainable and high-quality tourism, and consolidate the image and promotion of European tourist destinations. Due to the new generational context, information and communications technology ICT and innovation became keywords within the most recent European Tourism Policy. Considering the symbiotic relationship that exists at the European tourism level between sustainable development, innovative ICT solutions, and long-term competitiveness, the decision-makers in European destinations should focus on identifying innovative ways to implement the new Tourism Action Framework adopted by the European Commission, through ICT applications, in order to support long-term competitiveness achievement. Two such authentic proposals are formulated within the present discussion paper: the creation of a decision support system for the management of sustainable European destinations and the development of a trip-planner for quality-sensitive tourists based on an umbrella European certification/labeling system for tourism quality. There is still a fertile field in these areas and, therefore, more innovative ICT tools to support the long-term competitiveness of European tourist destinations can be developed