Agritourism and the farmer as rural entrepreneur: A UK analysis

Farm-based recreation or agritourism is increasingly seen as a diversification strategy to promote a more diverse and sustainable rural economy and to protect farming incomes against market fluctuation. Thus, farmers are increasingly being recognised as entrepreneurial, needing to develop new skills and capabilities to remain competitive. However, few studies have addressed the role of entrepreneurship within the context of the diversified farm tourism business. This paper examines the range of skills and competencies that farmers in the North West of England identify as important for successful diversification and explores the extent to which these competencies are evident. The findings indicate that although farmers are increasingly turning to agritourism as a means to generate additional income, they lack many of the fundamental business competencies required for success. A finding which has implications for rural development policies and signals the need to address these skill deficiencies through farm advisory processes and via more effective training and support of agritourism providers

Consuming dark tourism: A Thanatological Perspective

Despite increasing academic attention paid to dark tourism, understanding of the concept remains limited, particularly from a consumption perspective. That is, the literature focuses primarily on the supply of dark tourism; less attention, however, has been paid to the demand for ‘dark’ touristic experiences. This theoretical paper seeks to address this gap in the literature. Drawing upon the contemporary sociology of death, it explores the relationship between socio-cultural perspectives on mortality and the potential of dark tourism as a means of confronting death in modern societies. In so doing, it proposes a model of dark tourism consumption within a thanatological framework as a basis for further theoretical and empirical analysis of dark tourism

The Impact of SMART Media Technologies (SMT) on the Spiritual Experience of Hajj Pilgrims

Over the last three decades, information and communication technologies have advanced rapidly and continue to do so. Nowadays, the popularity and spread of socalled Smart Media Technologies (SMT) is not only transforming the lives of tourists around the world in general, but is impacting on the experience of pilgrims on the Hajj in Saudi Arabia in particular. Indeed, the Saudi government has undertaken a number of initiatives to encourage the use of SMT in the religious tourism industry. Specifically, the availability of SMT services such as Hajj Apps, E-bracelets for pilgrims, free WIFI and mobile charging services in Grand Mosques (in both Makkah and Madinah), dedicated social media websites, and the ability of pilgrims to take advantage of smartphone activities are facilitating and enhancing their technological and social experience of the Hajj. However, the introduction of ‘high-tech’ into the Hajj is arguably impacting on the nature of the pilgrims’ experience, challenging its fundamental spirituality by transforming it into something more akin to a ‘cyber experience’, an experience which competes with and jeopardises the principles of the Islamic religious journey of the Hajj with its focus on worship, simplicity and nonostentatious behaviour. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore how the spiritual experience of pilgrims may be influenced by the availability and use of various SMT services. The findings suggest ways in which these technological services both enhance and impact negatively on the pilgrim’s spiritual experience

SMART Media Technologies impact on the Spiritual Experience of Hajj Pilgrims

Over the last two decades, information and communication technologies have advanced rapidly and continue to do so. Currently, the popularity and spread of SMART Media Technologies (SMT) is not only transforming the lives of tourists around the world in general, but is impacting on the experience of pilgrims on the Hajj in Saudi Arabia in particular,(Brdesee et al, 2013). Indeed, the Saudi government has undertaken a number of initiatives to encourage the use of SMT in the religious tourism industry, (Majid, 2016). Specifically, the availability of SMT services such as Hajj Apps, E-bracelets for pilgrims, free WIFI and mobile charging services in Grand Mosques (in both Mecca and Madinah), dedicated social media websites, and the ability of pilgrims to take advantage of SMART phone activities are facilitating and enhancing their technological and social experience of the Hajj (Naar, 2015; also BBC, 2016). However, arguably the introduction of ‘high-tech’ into the Hajj is arguably impacting on the nature of the pilgrims’ experience, challenging its fundamental spirituality by transforming it into something more akin to a ‘cyber experience’, an experience which competes with and jeopardies the principles of the Islamic religious journey of the Hajj with its focus on worship, simplicity and no ostentatious behaviour. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore how the spiritual experience of pilgrims may be influenced by the availability and use of various SMT services. The findings suggest ways in which these technological services both enhance and impact negatively on the pilgrim’s spiritual experience

The photograph: Tourist repsonses to a visual interpretation of a disaster

Photographs have long been used as a means of interpretation at museums and other tourism attractions, including dark tourism sites. Typically, such photographs are documentary, recording or depicting subjects relevant to the theme of the site. Less common, however, is the use of respesentational or artistic photographs, and little is known about their effectiveness as interpretation tools. This paper address this gap in knowledge. Based on research in L’Aquila, Italy, the site of a major earthquake in 2009, it explores the responses of tourists to a photograph interpreting the disaster displayed in the city centre. It reveals that the photograph is a highly effective form of interpretation, connecting tourists with the human dimension of the disaster, although the provision of background information on the photograph would enhance the tourists’ experience

Responsible tourism that creates shared value among stakeholders

This paper maintains that responsible tourism practices can be re-conceived strategically to confer competitive advantage. It looks at the extant literature surrounding the notions of “responsible tourism” and “shared value”. A qualitative research involved in-depth, semi-structured interview questions to discover the tourism and hospitality owner–managers’ ethos for responsible tourism. Secondly, telephone interviews were carried out with tourism regulatory officials. The findings have revealed that discretionary spending in socially and environmentally sound, responsible policies and initiatives can create shared value among tourism enterprises and their stakeholders. In a nutshell, this paper indicates that responsible tourism led to improved relationships with social and regulatory stakeholders, effective human resources management, better market standing, operational efficiencies and cost savings, along with other benefits.peer-reviewe

Advancing the sustainable tourism agenda through strategic CSR perspectives

This paper links the corporate social responsibility (CSR) paradigms to the sustainability agenda. The objective is to sharpen the strategic base of responsible behaviour in tourism enterprises. The design follows a comprehensive literature review about sustainable tourism from a hospitality industry perspective. Theoretical underpinnings suggest that the tourism and hospitality industries are continuously witnessing changing attitudes on the part of both the consumers and the enterprises. This contribution provides some details about the sustainability agenda as it explains how it emerged following Brundtland's report. Afterwards, it identifies key contributors who raised the issue of sustainable tourism as well as CSR policies, including inter-governmental committees and non-governmental organisations. It is believed that synergistic and shared value approaches are relatively straightforward and uncomplicated. Therefore, such notions are more easily taken up by academics or by tourism and hospitality stakeholders. There is continuous discourse in many international fora, conferences, seminars and colloquia about sustainable tourism, responsible behaviour and the related subjects. However, the discussions are usually characterised by presentation of theories which define the concepts, rather than being practical workshops which identify the business case and how to trigger active participation in the tourism industry. Relevant literature indicates that value-driven approaches focus on improving tourism and hospitality business performance through effective and efficient practices in their workplace environments. This contribution suggests that long-term sustainability can be reached if industry practitioners successfully address their societal and community deficits.peer-reviewe

Exploring the emotional dimension of visitors' satisfaction at cultural events

Cultural events have emerged as a destination instrument for sharing local folk culture with visitors, aspiring to provide them with satisfying experiences at the same time as conveying socio-economic benefits to the local communities. However, studies of the visitor satisfaction process as a measure of the success of staging a cultural event remain noticeably lacking. Adopting an ethnographic approach, this article investigates visitor satisfaction by considering the emotional dynamics involved- a psychological dimension that remains largely overlooked within the tourism context. Fieldwork findings reveal the important role of senses in this process and pinpoint precise emotions that impact on (dis)satisfaction and intentions. Based on the research outcomes, the article then proposes a model conceptualising this process that is of relevance beyond the specific context of events. The study envisages a tighter link between the fields of tourism and psychology, given the potentially rewarding outcomes this might yield