Eco-Tourism Resorts: A Case Study of Best Practices at the Hamanasi Resort in Belize

The objective of this research is to investigate best practice initiatives of sustainability involved in the successful development and management of Hamanasi Resort, an award winning eco-tourism resort located in Belize. The four phases of research at Hamanasi as originally proposed, found in Part I of the thesis, are outlined as follows: Phase one includes hands-on research through shadowing in different hotel departments, observation of management practices in Hamanasi, interviews conducted with employees, and questionnaires administered to guests; Phase two begins a study of the business and organizational model of Hamanasi along with an examination of the critical issues encountered during the start-up phases; Phase three is a SWOT analysis of Hamanasi and a market analysis of other properties that compete with the eco-resort; Phase four investigates eco-tourism promotions and policies in Belize and Hamanasi, and examines the different eco-certification practices. Part II of the thesis reports on the findings of this research with an emphasis placed on important findings

THE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AS A MODEL OF TOURIST BUSINESS AND FACILITATING INSTRUMENTS FOR ITS IMPLANTATION AT THE SPANISH HOTEL SECTOR

The present research aims at the identification of the degree of consideration and development of the CSR by the tourist sector and the linked administrations. The fact-finding methodology is based on the analysis of data originating from different sources with a qualitative focus, identifying and gathering the necessary information for the revision of literature, the existing tourism policies and the CSR at an international, European and Spanish level, as well as on the generic and specific available instruments of the hotel sector that organizations and companies have for the introduction and development of CSR

Rural tourism as a development strategy : case studies from Chile : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Science in Rural Development at Massey University

In the last ten years Chilean governments have implemented various polices aimed at rural poverty alleviation, focusing initially only on agricultural development and more recently also on non-agricultural development, promoting activities such as rural tourism. While rural tourism has been developed in Chile to some extent, there is still a lack of empirical research on its development and impacts. The aim in doing this study was to overcome this lack of research and guide strategies for rural tourism development initiatives in Chile. To achieve this, a multiple case study involving two communities was undertaken to identify ways in which smallholder farming households can be assisted in diversifying their livelihoods into rural tourism. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and participatory methods. These data were then analysed using qualitative methods. Households which have diversified into rural tourism are very positive about it. In economic terms rural tourism has allowed them to improve their housing conditions and increase spending on their children's education, and has provided work for women and young people. Rural tourism has also increased women's self-esteem and, importantly, has led people to place a higher value on their cultural traditions. It has also increased environmental awareness and fostered native tree planting at the household level. Rural tourism has also had some negative consequences, such as loss of family privacy, increased noise and increased solid waste problems. The main findings of this research suggest that there are key factors for successful rural tourism development. Therefore, for rural tourism to become a viable strategy for smallholder farming households assistance needs to take into account such things as provision of credit, technical assistance in setting up a rural tourism product to meet tourists' expectations, building stakeholders' capacity in rural tourism and business management, as well as assistance in establishing and managing an association of rural tourism providers. Changes to regulatory frameworks are also required to enable the setting up of rural tourism ventures. Effective cooperation and coordination between tourism operators and rural tourism providers, as well as cultural impact management and solid waste management, are also needed for successful rural tourism development. Key words: rural tourism, rural development, livelihood diversification, Chile

PELATIHAN DESAIN MENU MAKANAN UNTUK POKDARWIS DALAM RANGKA MENDUKUNG PENGEMBANGAN DESA WISATA DI DESA SUKAJADI, BOGOR

Programs to increase the interest of local and international tourists to villages tourism need to be supported by knowledge of human resources in the tourism industry, especially regarding designing food and beverage menus, which are one of the supporters in tourism products. The purpose of this community service activity (PKM) is to provide training to help tourism awareness groups (Pokdarwis) in Sukajadi Village, Tamansari District, Bogor. Based on interviews conducted before the program started, the people of Sukajadi Village as a whole did not know how to design food and drink menus and how to promote regional specialties from Sukajadi Village, so training was carried out on the basic knowledge that Pokdarwis should have on how to design food and drink menus. Through discussions during training with Pokdarwis, creative ideas regarding menus have the potential to be developed. Participants in this training can understand well all the material provided. Participants also realized the importance of deepening their knowledge of designing food and beverage menus to produce superior tourism products

Services marketing in the hospitality economy: An exploratory study

Meeting the challenges of an unstable and unsettled environment is not easy. The recent impacts on the hospitality services economy of changing technology, mergers of institutions, increasingly demanding consumers and increased competition have created an atmosphere of volatility and rapid change. In order to survive in this demanding market place, service organisations have only one choice, to successfully develop and launch new services. However, the failure rate of new service projects is high, because the knowledge on how new services should be developed is limited. Unfortunately, unlike tangible new product development practices which have the benefit of extensive research into how successful new products are developed, the service sector has only recently begun to explore ways to ensure the success of new services. Therefore, this study focuses on a better understanding of how successful new hotel services are developed and investigates the factors, which have impact on success or failure in new service development (NSD) in the hotel sector. The results of the exploratory study are summarised in a conceptual model for further research.Innovation process, services marketing, new product development, new service development, critical success factors, hotels - tourism, Marketing,

Promoting Indonesia’s Halal Tourism Package trough hatiIndonesia.tr, a Mobile Application as a Guidance Tool for Halal Travel Seekers

Since halal tourism becoming way of life for Muslim and non-Muslim in this world, Indonesia as a country with the largest Muslim population and have super spectacular scenery have to show up among other countries which provides halal tourism packages such as Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, Dubai, and etc. The Global Muslim Travel Index 2015 report noted that the tourist segment was worth US$145 billion, with 108 million Muslim travellers representing 10 percent of the entire travel economy. It is expected to grow in worth to$200 billion with 150 million travellers by 2020 (thejakartapost.com, 2015). This fact makes halal tourism as a very potential market for some countries-even some countries with small Muslim population highly interested in offer halal tourism packages. HatiIndonesia.tr is the first halal travel guidance application in Indonesia. It will help halal travel seekers to find halal destinations, hotels, restaurants, mosques and also other features such as prayer time, qibla directions, and etc. By using HatiIndonesia.tr, all halal tourism sector will be integrated into one pack of wonderful application. HatiIndonesia.tr will give a hub for halal travel seekers with halal tourism providers. Halal tourism providers mean all vendors from micro, small, and medium enterprises to a huge vendor in form of company. Hopefully, by the existence of this application, tourism in Indonesia could be better prepared to compete in the ASEAN and also in globe’s sphere. HatiIndonesia.tr will give a chance for halal tourism in Indonesia grow rapidly and able to compete with other halal tourism providers globally

Use of ICT and Develepoment of Tourism Sector in Albania

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is increasingly playing an important role in developing a competitive economy based on knowledge and innovation. Use of ICT enables the provision of a higher quality of citizen’s life; it helps ease and efficiency of business processes and increase the efficiency and transformation of management. The use of ICT in different sectors of the Albanian economy has begun to be realized rapidly, improving economic and financial performance and expanding the range of services that are offered to users. ICT has been used massively also a sector which in Albania brings an important impact on GDP it is the tourism sector, however, it is noted that the use of ICT in this sector is at levels lower than in other countries of Europe as well as the region. The use of ICT and the Internet in the tourism sector in the world but also in Albania has enabled the creation of a new business environment, the global distribution of information as a very important element for the tourism sector and the creation of new channels of distribution, transforming the tourism sector globally. The tourism sector in Albania, which is competing strongly from neighboring countries after the period of its establishment and strengthening, currently faces the challenge of the massive use of ICT in the provision of information and the enhancement of services for its clients. The purpose of this paper is to evidence the level of use of ICT in the tourism sector in Albania, and based on analysis of data collected, presents recommendations on the use of ICT in the sector, aimed at increasing performance, expanding services and improving the quality of services provided to customers

Expectations and perceptions of customers in mall restaurants in an East London shopping mall using the DINESERV approach

Published ArticleShopping malls have become distressed in South Africa, with statistics showing a decline of 5.3% in tenant mix in 2013 compared to 2012, as retail stores in malls decline due to online shopping and the changing consumer value equation and culture. As such, to reposition and resuscitate shopping malls, restaurants have become an important part of the leasing strategy in malls. However, despite lowering their prices and spending marketing funds on promotions, mall restaurants seem to be finding great difficulty in determining customer expectations. With this as background, the focus in this study was to gain insight into restaurant customers’ expectations and perceptions in Hemmingways shopping mall using the DINESERV model. Customers’ expectations and perceptions were measured on a five point Likert-type scale. The empirical results show that, on a 5 point Likert scale, the overall mean score for expectation items was 4.50 whilst for perception items was 3.46. The overall DINESERV gap was -1.04, implying that mall restaurants did not meet customers’ expectations. The results of this study serve not only to identify customers’ expectations and strengthen customer loyalty in mall restaurants, but also improve the mall’s reputation and increase customer satisfaction

Assessing the Dynamic Economic Impact of Tourism in a Developing Region in South Africa

According to the National Development Plan (NDP), the three main developmental problems South Africa is facing include: high levels of unemployment, poverty and inequality. Tourism, as an economic sector, has been cited as a possible solution to create much-needed employment and income which could lead to reduced poverty and improved inequality. Tourism could be used in developing regions as a driver of economic growth. The objective of this study is to determine the dynamic impact of the tourism sector on economic growth in a developing region in South Africa, namely the Vaal-Triangle region. The research methodology followed a quantitative design, using a pooled panel approach including the two municipal areas of Metsimaholo and Emfuleni which comprises the Vaal region. Annual data from 2001 to 2017 were used to analyse the impact of growth in tourism on economic growth. Economic growth was set as the dependent variable and tourism measurements such as tourism spending and trips as the independent variables. Results from the analysis confirm the original hypothesis that tourism growth has a significant impact on economic growth. The sector therefore, has the potential to create employment opportunities and alleviate poverty in a developing region if promoted and supported to its full potential. &nbsp

AN ARDL MODEL OF AGGREGATE TOURISM DEMAND FOR TURKEY

This study empirically examines aggregate tourism demand function for Turkey using the time series data for the period 1960-2002. The total tourist arrivals into Turkey are related to world income, relative prices and transportation cost. We employ bounds testing cointegration procedure proposed by Pesaran et al. (2001) to compute the short and long-run elasticities of income, price, and transportation cost variables. We also implement CUSUM and CUSUMSQ stability tests on the aggregate tourism demand function. The empirical results indicate that income is the most significant variable in explaining the total tourist arrivals to Turkey and there exists a stable tourism demand function.