A Model for Community - based Sustainable Tourism Development in Developing Countries: The Case of Rural Tourism in India

An aspect often overlooked in sustainable tourism development literature is that much of it has originated from developed countries and hence does not take into account the socio-economic, political and legislative conditions of the developing world. The purpose of this study is to provide a phased model for sustainable tourism planning and development in developing countries by incorporating two major factors: an ‘integrated stakeholder’ approach and the inclusion of appropriate sustainability indicators of the human, socio-cultural, economic and environmental categories of capital stock.The model would be developed based upon an examination of rural tourism initiatives in India, and would seek to be representative of developing countries in general, by accounting for their unique development challenges. Its application could then be customized by destination tourism planners to their own contextual specificities and would provide an effective framework for community based sustainable tourism development

The accommodation experiencescape: a comparative assessment of hotels and Airbnb

PURPOSE: Accommodations providers in the sharing economy are increasingly competing with the hotel industry vis-à-vis the guest experience. Additionally, experience-related research remains underrepresented in the hospitality and tourism literature. This paper aims to develop and test a model of experiential consumption to provide a better understanding of an emerging phenomenon in the hospitality industry. In so doing, the authors also expand Pine and Gilmore’s original experience economy construct. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Using data from a survey of 630 customers who stayed at a hotel or an Airbnb in the previous three months, the authors performed a multi-step analysis procedure centered on structural equation modeling to validate the model. Findings The authors demonstrate that the dimensions of serendipity, localness, communitas and personalization represent valuable additions to Pine and Gilmore’s original experience economy construct. Airbnb appears to outperform the hotel industry in the provision of all experience dimensions. The authors further define the pathways that underlie the creation of extraordinary, memorable experiences, which subsequently elicit favorable behavioral intentions. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The findings suggest the need for the hotel industry to adopt a content marketing paradigm that leverages various dimensions of the experience economy to provide customers with valuable and relevant experiences. The industry must also pay greater attention to its use of branding, signage and promotional messaging to encourage customers to interpret their experiences through the lens of these dimensions. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The study expands a seminal construct from the field of services marketing in the context of the accommodations industry. The Accommodations Experiencescape is offered as a tool for strategic experience design. The study also offers a model of experiential consumption that explains customers’ experiences with accommodations providers

There’s no place like home! The Impact of Accommodations Homescape on Traveler Well-being

Airbnb continues to gain popularity as an alternative to hotels, with the home-like setting being a critical differentiating factor. However, the tourism literature has not explored whether and how accommodation environments are facilitating traveler “at home” experiences and the impact of these experiences on the critical outcome of well being. The purpose of this study is twofold. First, we develop a model of homescape in the accommodations industry and identify, operationalize, and measure its components. Second, we examine the impact of the homescape on travelers’ experience and overall well-being in both Airbnb and hotel accommodations. Surveying 740 participants who were traveling to receive healthcare services, we found in both Hotels and Airbnb that the homescape (community, home-design congruence, and esthetics) influence travelers’ experience of feeling “at home”, which, in turn, positively influences their well-being. Implications for theory, practice, and areas of future research are discussed

Platforms in the peer-to-peer sharing economy

10.1108/josm-11-2018-0369Journal of Service Managementahead-of-printahead-of-prin