Waste Management: Valorisation Is the Way

Waste management is one of the great problems in the world today. This study aims to analyse how scientific research has evolved in recent years in the field of waste management and what will be the key issues in the coming years, mainly in terms of recovery. The methodology used was longitudinal bibliometric analysis through scientific mapping using strategic maps and thematic networks. Among the findings, it was confirmed that the concept of incineration is fading due to social opposition and is changing to a much broader concept that encompasses it, such as valorisation. Being able to create a circular economy without waste should be the goal of policy makers. To achieve this, the waste hierarchy must be respected, which indicates that waste must be managed in this order: prevention, minimisation, reuse, valorisation, recovery and elimination

Exploring the impacts of local development initiatives on tourism: A case study analysis

This study investigates the intricate relationship between local development initiatives and tourism, with a specific focus on their impacts. By utilizing input-output matrices and a survey-based vector of tourist expenditure, we calculate both direct and indirect effects using accounting multipliers. The study assesses the potential return on investment and the generation of future income resulting from a 2.3 million euros investment. Our findings illuminate the predominantly positive impacts of local development initiatives on tourism. We underscore the importance of strategic planning, community engagement, and sustainable practices in optimizing the benefits and addressing potential challenges associated with local development for tourism. While this research primarily emphasizes the positive aspects, it recognizes the need for a nuanced understanding of the multifaceted impacts. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing a comprehensive analysis of the intricate relationship between local development and tourism. The study's practical insights and recommendations are valuable for policymakers, local communities, and tourism stakeholders, guiding them toward adopting sustainable and inclusive development strategies that maximize the positive impacts of tourism

Factors Associated with Spa Tourists’ Satisfaction

Most spas are surrounded by beautiful natural environments, so these facilities contribute to sustainable economic development and their guests are national and local tourists with a high average stay. This study has the objective of analyzing the factors associated with the level of satisfaction and the profile of spa tourists in Andalusia, southern Spain. The methodology used was a quantitative study based on a stratified cross-sectional survey. Each stratum was a spa, with a population of 53,231 users per year, whose final sample included 725 users. The results found were that the profile of Andalusian spa tourists is predominantly female, over 56 years old, and retired with average incomes below one thousand euros. The level of satisfaction of its users is above the average in the factors of accommodation, restaurants, spa, and public roads and natural environment and most of these clients would recommend it to others [92.4%] and express the intention to return [63.6%] which indicates that Andalusian spas show a very high level of customer loyalty. The study has the limitation of being cross-sectional quantitative research carried out in Andalusia that could be complemented in future research with a qualitative study with experts. The research presents contributions for companies since they could develop strategies to attract users with younger profiles with activities, prices, or spaces that are more appropriate to their needs and seek the conditions to increase the satisfaction of these segments. The study is original since this research is a quantitative study that shows the real profile of the Andalusian spa tourist and their high level of satisfaction with the spa and their loyalty. The surveys were conducted at each spa by a face-to-face researcher with a response rate of 98%

Validation of a Satisfaction Questionnaire on Spa Tourism

The authors’ line of research is within the existing methodological debate around the concepts of quality of services, destinations, and quality measurements methods. The authors consider that the most appropriate way to measure quality is to develop instruments according to the destination and context in question, defining the quality of the tourist destination for practical purposes based on the satisfaction experienced by the tourist or the SERVPERF model, weighted and used to measure the quality of sun and beach tourist destinations. The authors of this work propose the knowledge of spa tourism, its quality and its level of satisfaction as a research gap and consider it as a starting point to validate a questionnaire that would allow the measurement and comparison of parameters with other segments already studied and that can also serve as a measuring instrument for tourist segments with similar characteristics, not as well known in the international literature as inland, ecological or nature tourism. Good internal reliability results were obtained in all items and in all dimensions. The factor analysis distributed the weights of the variables in the theoretical model, and construct validity was obtained with an association between the global evaluation by dimension and the general significance. The score of the main questionnaire was statistically significant

Usability Analysis of Andalusian Spas’ Websites

Health tourism is booming all over the world, and thermal spa tourism in Spain is a type of tourism aimed at integrating with nature, achieving sustainable development. In general, its facilities are located in areas specially protected by environmental legislation. This tourism sector attracts an increasingly wide market segment that has become more demanding and better informed and that more frequently uses the Internet to gather information. Tourists’ shopping and consumption habits are increasingly influenced by new information and communication technologies (ICTs), making these a topic of interest among academics and professionals. Website development has been shown to be an area of innovation for spa facilities, but evidence has also been found that this sector has experienced difficulty in adopting ICTs. This research sought to analyse spa websites’ usability by conducting an exploratory investigation of different websites’ contents. The results reveal that the use of new web technologies by spas is underdeveloped, although these facilities have achieved good positions in Internet search engines due to the synergistic effect of the official tourism websites. That is why most of them tell their story, detail their nature and the protection of their spaces. In this way, spas turn their websites into communication channels that convey to tourists their commitment to the environment and sustainable development

A Typology of Spa-Goers in Southern Spain

This study sought to obtain conglomerates of spa-goers in Andalusia, Spain, based on a survey of 10 spas’ users. The data from 725 valid survey questionnaires were analysed using a quantitative approach. The results show that 44.6% of users are between 65 and 88 years old and more than 60% are women. Approximately 50% of the respondents are retired, and 60% report a monthly income of less than 1000 euros. Three clusters were identified in the segmentation analysis: users with lower, partial and higher satisfaction. Over half (58%) of the respondents belong to the higher satisfaction segment. Thermal tourism evidently has a strong potential for attracting other tourist segments. Andalusia has thermal springs that attract many tourists, which are located in places of great natural beauty and are part of inland towns’ economic development. The findings confirm the need to improve the existing understanding of spa-user typologies. The benefits derived from health tourism can be analyzed from the concept of value proposition for the company, the user, the community and its environment. To generate income, spa companies must meet the expectations of stakeholders and this begins with an organization that constantly learns and innovates to satisfy users. The managers of the spas lead these projects, introducing important changes in their offer, from traditional medical aspects to facilities and therapies based on relaxation and sustainable natural tourism, promoting their organizations with sustained objectives over time capable of satisfying all stakeholders, creating value capable of attracting and satisfying the different segments of spa tourists, as this study shows

Family and non-family business behaviour in the wine sector: A comparative study

The purpose of this study is to explore the main differences in key variables of winemaking companies in view of their consideration as a family business in Spain. Using a database of 520 wineries with the main variables used in the literature, this paper analyses the differences between being a family or a non-family winery on the performance, size and structure of debt. The companies were classified as family or non-family then a means test was performed for all key variables between both groups. This study suggests that there are significant differences between family and non-family businesses in the return on assets (ROA) and in the operating margin, which are higher in the case of companies classified as family businesses and in the relative debt and debt ratio, which are higher in companies considered to be non-family. The remaining variables are statistically equal. Better margins in family companies could be due to advantages in the prices derived from the products or brands offered or lower agency costs that may lead to an improvement in management costs, which explains such differences. In addition, the lower risk exposure that would lead family businesses to opt for less risky leverage formulas that would lead to increased long-term financing could explain why these advantages are not reflected in the return on equity (ROE)

The climate index-length of stay nexus

This study sought to analyze the effect of the climate of tourists' region of origin on their length of stay in a specific inland destination as climate of origin has been ignored in previous analyses. The present study collected data from 674 valid surveys of visitors in the selected destination and applied a zero-truncated negative binomial regression model and a Poisson-inverse Gaussian regression model. The results for this destination suggest that climate of origin affects tourists' length of stay. This finding was obtained via the Poisson-inverse Gaussian regression model because of its greater tolerance to long tail distributions. Similarities and differences were found regarding results for other destinations found in the literature. The present findings further include the non-significant effect of reasons for traveling and tourists' satisfaction and the significant influence of tourists' mode of transport, income, and age on length of stay. Cheaper lodging categories also have an important impact on visitors who prefer extended stays.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Algarve hotel price determinants: a hedonic pricing model

This study sought to assess customers' willingness to pay for a wide variety of characteristics and attributes of hotels in Portugal's Algarve region. After collecting nearly all the information available on TripAdvisor for hotels in this region, a hedonic pricing model was developed using a database of 9992 cases. The results suggest that - after standardisation - the most important variable shaping Algarve hotel room rates is the previous day's prices. When associated with a family-friendly hotel, star category and services have a greater value than beaches or golf courses do. Customers also appreciate some types of hotels, such as boutique, quaint or trendy hotels, but view others negatively, such as family-friendly or business hotels. Only the specific location of Falesia Beach adds value, although the Algarve is a desirable destination overall. Both destination and hotel managers can use the proposed method to analyse data for their region on customers' propensity to pay