The Impact of Tourism Specialization on Transition Economies

What is the relationship between tourism specialization, economic growth, and human development in transition economies? That’s the question behind a new study led by Rosen Professor Robertico Croes and Assistant Professor Jorge Ridderstaat. Using Poland as a case study, the research looks at the role of tourism in economic and human development since communism fell in the 1990s and the country transitioned from a centrally-driven to a market-led economy

Unravelling the Tourism–Poverty Nexus

Literature on the links between tourism development and poverty alleviation is surprisingly fragmented. A new model, the Tourism-Poverty Interdependence Diamond (TPID), from Dr. Jorge Ridderstaat and Dr. Xiaoxiao Fu, UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management, offers a tool to unravel the complexities of this relationship. Using Honduras as a case study, this new approach clearly shows that tourism development can impact poverty, and highlights that poverty can also impact tourism development, with the links ranging from direct to indirect

Tourism Competitiveness and Human Development

What motivates tourists to choose one destination over another and how does tourism impact those who live in tourist areas? As more parts of the world begin to reopen after the devastating health, social, and economic impacts they have suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the time is right to consider the link between tourism competitiveness and human development. New research led by Rosen College\u27s Associate Dean Dr. Robertico Croes, Dr. Jorge Ridderstaat and Dr. Valeriya Shapoval presents a new theory and typology

Restaurants Post COVID-19

When you’re suddenly forced to close 1,800 restaurant dining rooms without any certainty of being able to reopen them any time soon, you need to act decisively and prioritize if you plan to be around for a grand reopening. For Darden Restaurants and their market-leading US brands, those priorities during lockdown were ‘look after the people – look after the cash!’ Dr. Elizabeth Yost, Dr. Murat Kizildag and Dr. Jorge Ridderstaat of UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management investigate the company’s achievement

Resetting Coastal and Marine Tourism in a Post-COVID World

Marine and coastal zones have long been exploited for tourism revenue, and the health of many coastal and marine environments has declined. The near-global shutdown of tourism due to the COVID-19 pandemic has offered a unique opportunity to rebuild the tourism industry using a new model. Researchers from UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management joined a team of international researchers to present a framework for such change at the 2022 United Nations (UN) Ocean Conference in Lisbon

Does the Fear Index Incessantly Affect Stock Performance in the Lodging Industry?

This study investigates the impact of fear on stock returns of the lodging companies for two specific periods (from January 1997 to December 2007 and January 2008 to June 2018). While the literature has adequately studied the relationship for general stock returns, it has underemphasized a sector- based approach, including the lodging industry, toward understanding the connection. The study contributes to the literature by focusing on the short-term dynamic connection for the lodging firms and by providing theoretical propositions that could advance the theory building process. The results show that the fear index has lost its forward-looking capacity on stock performance in the lodging industry after 2018

The Relevance of the Vacation Home Rental Industry to Florida\u27s Economy and the COVID-19 Hangover

The University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management documented the economic footprint of Florida’s vacation rental home industry in excess of $27 billion. The study commissioned by Florida Realtors and conducted in partnership with the Florida Vacation Rental Management Association, took place in summer and fall of 2019 and was completed in early spring of 2020. The research team consisted of Robertico Croes, Ph.D., Manuel Rivera, Ph.D., Kelly Semrad, Ph.D., Valeriya Shapoval, Ph.D., Jorge Ridderstaat, Ph.D., and Mehmet Altin, Ph.D

The force field of tourism

The literature on tourism development has focused on a one dimensional relationship between tourism development and quality of life. The impact of shock events on the relationship tourism development and quality of life seems ignored. Rather less attention has been paid to the multi-dimensional aspects of the relationship between tourism development and quality of life, and the potential impact of shock events on shaping this relationship. This study proposes a conceptual framework describing a triad of relations between tourism development (TD), quality of life (QoL) and shock events, and advocates that a bilateral relation exists between these three constructs. The framework also integrates three types of theories, each of which with the potential to explain tourism growth from a different perspective. The study analyzes a number of challenges facing tourism and discusses how these challenges interact and affect the interconnectedness between TD, QoL and shock events. The dynamic interplay of all these forces shapes tourism development patterns and will determine the nature of tourism development. The present study contributes to the tourism literature by identifying and structuring core elements that are responsible for the dynamics of tourism. In essence, it advances the understanding of this complex phenomenon, while providing building blocks for an anticipated view on the future of tourism

Aruba\u27s Taxing Dilemma: Navigating Tourist Perceptions on Room Tax and Turnover Tax in Paradise

This study presents the second part of our assignment for the Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA). Our study investigated the effects of two tax proposals (a turnover tax rate increase from 6% to 7% and a room tax rate increase from 9.5% to 12.5%) on tourism demand. We used monthly time-series data on tourism arrivals from several markets, including the U.S., The Netherlands, and other markets. We also segmented the arrival data based on the accommodations used in Aruba (high-rise, low-rise, and other accommodations). We applied several procedures to prepare and test the data before applying an Autoregressive Distributed Lag model to estimate the short- and long-term effects. The short-term effects relate to temporary instability generated along the long-term (structural) impacts. In the case of Aruba’s tourism, the short-term would indicate temporary up or down changes in tourists arrivals, which will gradually settle down to more consistent growth in the number of visitors. The results of our findings are presented below in the form of several questions