The ethical dimension of travel agencies business in changing business environment (Serbia): Employees' attitudes vs. employees' conduct expected by management

The purpose of the paper is to provide an empirical study of employees' ethical behavior in travel and tourism industry. A survey research was done in 2012 in the Republic of Serbia among employees in travel agencies as one of the most important subjects in heterogeneous structure of travel and tourism industry, using a questionnaire designed according to the basic theoretical principles of professional ethics. Dealing with the issue of ethical responsibility of employees in travel agencies, this work examines whether employees have business ethics awareness and what kind of individual and corporate social responsibility as part of business environment is undertaken in this regard. The findings of the study showed that employees of travel agencies are ready to act in an ethical manner, although it is the opposite of management attitudes in specific situations. Finally, the paper provides a critical evaluation of entrepreneurial activities and obstacles that travel agencies encounter while operating in the Serbian economy in transition

CUSTOMER ORIENTATION OF EMPLOYEES IN TRAVEL AGENCIES AS A PREDISPOSITION OF SERVICE QUALITY: TEST OF COSE CONSEQUENCES MODEL

The principal aim is to test the Customer Oriented Service Employee (COSE) model and customer sided consequences in travel agencies in Serbia. Data was collected from 243 customers of travel agencies willing to evaluate customer orientation of employees in selected travel agencies in Serbia. Data analysis incorporates structural equation modeling. COSE consequences model was only partially confirmed (three of six hypothesized relationships between COSE dimensions and customer-sided consequences).This article contributes to the theory and practice in the field of customer relationship building. Providing a discussion on COSE model implication in the travel industry, this study highlights the differences which occur in the field of service marketing. This study extends measurement model of customer orientation in travel industry implementing the COSE model in a developing country. Unlike typically measured customer orientation by self-reports from travel agents, this study presents their customer orientation just from the customer's perspective

Tourist Satisfaction with Hospitality Services on River Ship “Ms River Aria”

The main prerequisite for a successful business of hospitality services and building customer loyalty is to develop measures for improving and development hospitality services and offer. This paper presents the results of tourists satisfaction surveys based on the measurement of expected and perceived levels of quality hospitality services on a river ship “MS River Aria” company “Grand Circle Cruise Line”. The survey was conducted between March and September 2012 on the itinerary: Amsterdam - Vienna (SGE), Amsterdam - Antwerp (SHH), Linz - Budapest (EDR) and Budapest - Constanta (LBS). A model for measuring hospitality services was developed by the company itself. During statistical data analysis, only the highest ratings, whose share was shown as percentage, were taken into account. The obtained results may be relevant for other cruise companies and contribute to the improvement of business and pleasure tourist

The Institutionalization of Business Ethics of Travel Agencies in Serbia

The task of the paper is to point out the importance of applying regulations of legislative documents in order to achieve an appropriate level of ethical behaviour of participants in tourism. The paper also points up to the existence of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism UNWTO. It is a basic mechanism which directs an appropriate ethical conduct of all stakeholders in tourism and requires concretization in Serbia as well. The special importance of the work is related to basic principles of ethical codes of conduction of the association of travel agencies in Great Britain (ABTA), Slovenia (ZTAS) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (UTA BiH). That kind of document still does not exist in Serbia, nor does indicate its establishment and use. Furthermore, the lack of research works focused to the issue in Serbia requires a discussion about the importance of institutionalizing business ethics in tourism. In order to address a research problem, researchers have applied different methods in each particular phase of the research process. Method used for data collection is desk research. This phase provided data from available references, while data processing was accomplished by description, examination as well as comparison

Film Tourism: A Contemporary Resource for Promoting Serbia

Studies of the relationships between film, TV and tourism are relatively new, and in development mainly since the early 1990s. Leisure activities such as watching films as well as traveling are ways to escape. Both provide temporary relief from the real world. Contemporary tourism industry itself is very competitive and many new destinations are trying to attract the tourists to their destinations. Film can provide knowledge of certain aspects of the country such as nature, culture and people which result in the construction of the attitudes towards the country. An interest in the nation and its positive image can eventually lead to an actual visit to the country. Serbia offers a range of scenery that can serve diverse location needs from villages to rivers, mountains and forests. The country’s unique architecture from Ottoman and Habsburg to Socialist period structures and from Roman and Medieval to contemporary urban is offering rich, distinct backdrops for a variety of productions. This paper investigates the film tourism phenomenon by reviewing previous research and practices (in several countries, including Serbia) to highlight the benefits of film in promoting tourist products