Incorporating Sustainability in Meetings and Event Management Education

Events and other meetings are an important component of the tourism industry. The activities around events and other meetings bring people together and offer communities an opportunity to celebrate and showcase their traditions, culture and way of life. As the major stakeholders in such activities realise the significant economic benefits of holding events and meetings, governments and operators are making significant capital investment in developing the necessary facilities and infrastructure to accommodate this sector of the tourism industry

Randomised controlled trial of school-based humanistic counselling for emotional distress in young people: Feasibility study and preliminary indications of efficacy

The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial comparing six weeks of humanistic school-based counselling versus waiting list in the reduction of emotional distress in young people, and to obtain initial indications of efficacy. Following a screening procedure, young people (13 - 15 years old) who experienced emotional distress were randomised to either humanistic counselling or waiting list in this multi-site study. Outcomes were assessed using a range of self-report mental health measures, with the emotional symptoms subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) acting as the primary outcome indicator. Recruitment procedures were successful, with 32 young people consenting to participate in the trial and 27 completing endpoint measures. Trial procedures were acceptable to all involved in the research. No significant differences were found between the counselling and waiting list groups in reductions in levels of emotional symptoms (Hedges' g = 0.03), but clients allocated to counselling showed significantly greater improvement in prosocial behaviour (g = 0.89) with an average effect size (g) across the nine outcome measures of 0.25. Participants with higher levels of depressive symptoms showed significantly greater change. This study suggested that a randomised controlled trial of counselling in schools is acceptable and feasible, although initial indications of efficacy are mixed

Managing sustainable festivals, meetings and events

Festivals, meetings and events (FMEs) are an important component of the tourism industry. FMEs provide opportunities for social and cultural exchange, exchange of new and innovative ideas, business contacts, and learning. They play a key role in many destinations in attracting tourists, providing recreational activities for the community and developing and strengthening a destination's image. Each FME provides a specific kind of appeal and experience, which in most cases cannot be repeated. As the appreciation of the benefits of holding festivals, meetings and events grows, governments and operators are continuing to invest in developing the necessary facilities and infrastructure to accommodate this tourism activity

Sustainable operations management

Unlike many business sectors, tourism is an amalgamation of various industries offering products and services ranging from airline and cruise ship travel and accommodation to restaurant meals, entertainment, souvenirs and gifts, park services, recreational vehicles, resort development, safaris, leisure and recreational opportunities. There is growing recognition that established management practices have led to undesirable social and environmental impacts, some of which, in turn, threaten the sustainablllty of tourism operations. It is consequently the management of tourism operations, at the local and individual level, that has major implications for sustainability. It is essential that forces of change begin with company policy and actions at the organisational level

The building blocks of luxury accommodation experiences: A meta-ethnographic synthesis

While luxury accommodation experience research has increased in the last decade, the field shows little accumulation of knowledge over time, requiring further foundational development. This study presents a meta-ethnographic synthesis of sixteen qualitative studies to propose a new conceptualisation of the luxury accommodation experience. The study follows Noblit and Hare (1988) seven-steps methodology for the interpretative synthesis of qualitative empirical studies, an under-utilised methodology introduced by Smit, Melissen, Font, and Gkritzali (2020) in tourism and hospitality research. The synthesis model highlights the emotional, multi-dimensional and process-driven nature of the luxury accommodation experiences, created by guests, hosts, and external others through the social interaction occurring within a physical and sensorial environment and influenced by personal and situational factors. The synthesis also underlines three factors characterising the luxury accommodation experience, congruence, culture, and collaboration, providing a foundational framework to advance hospitality luxury experience research. Implications for practitioners are also highlighted

The effect of location on DEA efficiency measures : case study from Taiwanese International Tourist hotel

In the face of a highly competitive environment, hotel’s operational efficiency plays a crucial role in determining a hotel’s profitability and competitiveness. Efficiency measures can provide hotel managers with benchmarking information and further insight of how the hotel can improve efficiency with its current resources or through changing resource allocation. This research initially adopted data envelopment analysis (DEA) to measure the relative operational efficiency of 57 international tourist hotels in Taiwan. However, this DEA score only indicated the relative efficiency of all sample hotels and did not consider the role of location. This shortcoming was rectified through the construction of an area adjustment to reflect the effect of location on DEA efficiency. Implications for hotel management arising from this adjustment are discussed

A model of luxury lodge experience quality

Experience quality has been studied for many decades in various contexts. While understanding of experience quality has advanced, its context-specific and multi-dimensional nature has challenged its conceptualisation. With the rise of experiential accommodation in tourism and hospitality, luxury lodges have been increasingly recognised in the industry and by customers as the emblem of luxury experiences, albeit receiving limited scholarly attention. Through a qualitative multiple-case study methodology, utilising high-engagement research techniques, this study explores the dimensions and determinants of luxury lodge experience quality. The study presents an experience quality model grounded in empirical data, bridging various experience quality theoretical perspectives to explain the luxury lodge experience, and demonstrating generalisation capabilities for other service contexts. The study contributes to the ongoing discourse on experience quality, particularly in the context of small luxury accommodation. The study also offers important practical implications for luxury accommodation operators on designing, staging and managing quality experiences.</p

A balancing act : Negotiating authenticity in luxury lodges

This study explores the negotiation process underpinning the creation of authentic experiences in luxury lodges. The findings of this study highlight how this is a balancing act performed by the hosts through the provision of an authentic experiential platform connecting guests with unique places and genuine people and is of a luxurious nature. Staged experiences are authenticated by the guests through their bodies and minds, activating, in turn, experiences of existential authenticity. Contributing to service marketing and management literature, the study departs from purely abstract authenticity conceptualisations by applying an experience design and management lens to understanding authentic experiences. Practically, our findings demonstrate how authenticity is operationalised in luxury lodges and how these experiences are understood and valued by tourism and hospitality consumers and providers, providing crucial implications for luxury accommodation marketers and managers.</p