Back to the future: challenges of European tourism of tomorrow

Purpose–The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe the most recent (or emerging) trendslikely to have a major impact in shaping the future of tourism in Europe. Design/methodology/approach–The methodology of this paper involved in-depth literature review ofEuropean Union policies, initiatives and programs. Also, semi-structured interviews were conducted withkey individuals/organisations, mainly at a European level, but also including pertinent global and nationaltourism organisations. Moreover, an online survey was also conducted and circulated to a wide range oforganisations from all 28 EU Member States. Nvivo was used to analyse the documents as well as toconduct a content and thematic analysis of the interviews. Findings–This paper identifies five trends associated with the future of tourism in Europe. Those maintrends are: evolving visitor demand; marketing; stakeholders and tourism governance; new technologies;and sustainable and responsible tourism. Originality/value–This trends paper provides five useful recommendations for the future of tourism inEurope, including: sustainable tourism development, investment in technology, effective tourismgovernance, enhance Europe’s overall destination brand and marketing strategy, and the need for newskills and training

Prospective individual patient data meta-analysis of two randomized trials on convalescent plasma for COVID-19 outpatients

Data on convalescent plasma (CP) treatment in COVID-19 outpatients are scarce. We aimed to assess whether CP administered during the first week of symptoms reduced the disease progression or risk of hospitalization of outpatients. Two multicenter, double-blind randomized trials (NCT04621123, NCT04589949) were merged with data pooling starting when = 50 years and symptomatic for <= 7days were included. The intervention consisted of 200-300mL of CP with a predefined minimum level of antibodies. Primary endpoints were a 5-point disease severity scale and a composite of hospitalization or death by 28 days. Amongst the 797 patients included, 390 received CP and 392 placebo; they had a median age of 58 years, 1 comorbidity, 5 days symptoms and 93% had negative IgG antibody-test. Seventy-four patients were hospitalized, 6 required mechanical ventilation and 3 died. The odds ratio (OR) of CP for improved disease severity scale was 0.936 (credible interval (CI) 0.667-1.311); OR for hospitalization or death was 0.919 (CI 0.592-1.416). CP effect on hospital admission or death was largest in patients with <= 5 days of symptoms (OR 0.658, 95%CI 0.394-1.085). CP did not decrease the time to full symptom resolution

Small Country, Big Films: An Analysis of the New Zealand Feature Film Industry (2002-2012)

This thesis explores the contextual, institutional, and economic characteristics that influence contemporary feature filmmaking in New Zealand. It identifies and analyses the conditions and circumstances that have made it possible for New Zealand, as a country whose relatively small market size combines with its geographical remoteness, to not only create and sustain a feature film production industry, but also achieve unusual success for the resulting films, in critical and/or commercial terms. Applying an institutional political economy perspective to its research and analyses, this study draws on archival material, policy analysis and expert interviews with key personnel in industry and state agencies, in its undertaking of a ‘value chain’ examination of New Zealand feature film productions. Seven case studies are used to examine the distinguishing factors of the three kinds of productions – ‘tiers’ – that constitute the New Zealand feature film industry, with an emphasis on the connections between these tiers, as well as their individual significance for feature filmmaking in New Zealand. The study’s successful application of the three-tier feature film production ecology to the contemporary New Zealand filmmaking context is valuable for its capacity to add clarity to existing distinctions between the different types of film production occurring in Twenty-first Century New Zealand. Those are subject to, and emerge from, sometimes very different institutional and financing arrangements, and thus entail different expectations. Important in determining these differences is the question of whether a film’s contribution to a country is primarily cultural or economic, or, is situated somewhere between these functions and expectations. Central to the study’s ‘value chain’ structure and mode of analysis is the investigation of the priorities and motivations of the main institutions and agents involved, in recognition of their capacity to profoundly shape the possibilities for feature film production in New Zealand. This thesis argues that New Zealand is best advised to maintain and nurture all three-tiers of feature productions, because they depend on and complement each other. Together, they have contributed significantly to the success of the New Zealand feature film industry. To sustain this competitive position and to develop the country’s filmmaking potential further, it will be crucial for New Zealand’s public institutions to ensure continued support for bottom- and middle-tier films in particular, both in terms of favourable policies and funding allocations. Continued support is justified not just in recognition of the important cultural contributions of bottom- and middle-tier films, but also to help these film productions overcome the financial hurdles imposed by a small domestic market and limited economies of scale

Scrubbing up on-line: How best practice hospital websites can drive medical tourism

This study explores how health institutions (i.e. hospitals) communicate through their corporate websites to convey reliability and credibility in order to establish relationships with users in the field of medical travel. The 10 world’s leading medical tourism hospitals have been selected based on the International Medical Travel Quality Alliance (2019) ranking and their strategic online communication analyzed by applying framing theory. Methodologically, a content analysis was conducted of both websites and subsites which aimed specifically at medical tourists. We conclude that hospitals are in an embryonic phase in their communicative management model with their public in the field of medical tourism since they disregard the potential role of public relations. This article provides valuable and helpful information for both tourism and communication practitioners in medical tourism.Este estudo explora como as instituições de saúde (ou seja, hospitais) se comunicam por meio de seus sites corporativos para transmitir confiabilidade e credibilidade a fim de estabelecer relacionamentos com usuários no campo de viagens médicas. Os 10 principais hospitais de turismo médico do mundo foram selecionados com base no ranking da International Medical Travel Quality Alliance (2019) e sua comunicação estratégica online analisada pela aplicação da teoria dos quadros. Metodologicamente, foi realizada uma análise de conteúdo de sites e subsites voltados especificamente para turistas médicos. Concluímos que os hospitais estão em fase embrionária em seu modelo de gestão comunicativa com seu público no campo do turismo médico, uma vez que desconsideram o papel potencial das relações públicas. O artigo fornece informações valiosas e úteis para profissionais de turismo e comunicação na área de turismo médico.Este estudio explora cómo las instituciones de salud (es decir, los hospitales) se comunican a través de sus sitios web corporativos para transmitir confiabilidad y credibilidad a fin de establecer relaciones con los usuarios en el campo de los viajes médicos. Los 10 hospitales de turismo médico líderes en el mundo han sido seleccionados en base a la clasificación del International Medical Travel Quality Alliance (2019) y su comunicación estratégica en línea analizada mediante la aplicación de la teoría del encuadre. Metodológicamente, se realizó un análisis de contenido tanto de los sitios web como de los subsitios que estaban dirigidos específicamente a turistas médicos. Concluimos que los hospitales se encuentran en una fase embrionaria en su modelo de gestión comunicativa con su público en el ámbito del turismo médico ya que desconocen el papel potencial de las relaciones públicas. El artículo proporciona información valiosa y útil para los profesionales del turismo y la comunicación en el área del turismo médico

Back to the future

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe the most recent (or emerging) trends likely to have a major impact in shaping the future of tourism in Europe. Design/methodology/approach The methodology of this paper involved in-depth literature review of European Union policies, initiatives and programs. Also, semi-structured interviews were conducted with key individuals/organisations, mainly at a European level, but also including pertinent global and national tourism organisations. Moreover, an online survey was also conducted and circulated to a wide range of organisations from all 28 EU Member States. Nvivo was used to analyse the documents as well as to conduct a content and thematic analysis of the interviews. Findings This paper identifies five trends associated with the future of tourism in Europe. Those main trends are: evolving visitor demandmarketingstakeholders and tourism governancenew technologiesand sustainable and responsible tourism. Originality/value This trends paper provides five useful recommendations for the future of tourism in Europe, including: sustainable tourism development, investment in technology, effective tourism governance, enhance Europe\u27s overall destination brand and marketing strategy, and the need for new skills and training