Improving the profile of the European tourist destinations through the European tourism indicators system

Within the most recent European Policy for Tourism, the competitiveness of the European tourism industry is directly linked to the image of Europe and to its perception, as a collection of sustainable and high-quality tourist destinations. In such context, improving the profile of the European tourist destinations has become a main target. During the last years, the European Commission focused on the sustainable development of tourist destinations. Several projects were developed, the most recent one introducing a practical tool - the European Tourism Indicators System (ETIS) for the sustainable development of destinations. The present paper advances the idea that such tool can be successfully used in order to achieve the goal of improving the profile of the European tourist destinations

Developing the Emotional Intelligence of Millennial Students: A Teaching Strategy

The contemporary world is facing a real crisis due to the depletion of basic resources, consumerism and the unprecedented proliferation of physical and mental diseases that are caused by unhealthy nutrition and eating habits. The training of future specialists in the food industry with a high level of emotional intelligence, responsible both for themselves and for others, can be a useful strategy for getting out of the crisis. This was the general objective of the present research, whose statistical hypotheses aimed at increasing the level of empathy of students enrolled in two academic programs of study in the food industry by introducing four consumer psychology modules targeting emotional awareness and moral identity. The applied experimental treatment consisted of the students going through the activities of the four modules, with each module having a triarchic structure: teaching–self-testing–reflective writing. The design used was quasi-experimental, with a single group taking a pretest–posttest measurement. The results obtained support previous research efforts that had the same objective—to contribute to increasing millennial students’ levels of empathy and awareness of their own emotions. Additionally, using the pedagogical techniques of self-testing and reflective writing proved useful in achieving the set objective

Developing the Emotional Intelligence of Millennial Students: A Teaching Strategy

The contemporary world is facing a real crisis due to the depletion of basic resources, consumerism and the unprecedented proliferation of physical and mental diseases that are caused by unhealthy nutrition and eating habits. The training of future specialists in the food industry with a high level of emotional intelligence, responsible both for themselves and for others, can be a useful strategy for getting out of the crisis. This was the general objective of the present research, whose statistical hypotheses aimed at increasing the level of empathy of students enrolled in two academic programs of study in the food industry by introducing four consumer psychology modules targeting emotional awareness and moral identity. The applied experimental treatment consisted of the students going through the activities of the four modules, with each module having a triarchic structure: teaching–self-testing–reflective writing. The design used was quasi-experimental, with a single group taking a pretest–posttest measurement. The results obtained support previous research efforts that had the same objective—to contribute to increasing millennial students’ levels of empathy and awareness of their own emotions. Additionally, using the pedagogical techniques of self-testing and reflective writing proved useful in achieving the set objective

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

EU INITIATIVES REGARDING TOURIST DESTINATIONS’ SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Abstract: European Commission’s concerns regarding sustainable development within the tourism industry have focused for several years upon European tourist destinations as well. The latest European Tourism Policies, adopted by the European Commission, include clear objectives and measures for European destinations’ sustainable development. Projects like EDEN - European Destinations of Excellence, Calypso, VisitEurope.com or ETIS – the European Tourism Indicators System for sustainable tourism destinations are some successful examples of fully or partially achievement of EU’s sustainable development objectives and promotion of sustainable tourism development for European destinations. These initiatives created the best premises for European Union to maintain its leading position on the international tourism market, as a collection of sustainable destinations which together form the number one macro-tourist destination of the worl

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