Enhancing Socio-cultural Interaction Through Development of Travel Packages

The purpose of this research was to study the needs and desires of Americans who are interested in socio-cultural aspects of travel. In this study we analyzed interest in Finnish Spas and Finland. Qualitative research was conducted using focus groups. After identifying four market segments who were interested in socio-cultural travel, travel packages were specifically designed and tested for each market segment. Ultimately, our goals were to tailor-make travel packages to meet the needs of each specific market segment. To encourage discussion regarding inter-cultural travel to Finland, background information was provided on this country, emphasizing its uniqueness as a cultural crossroad between East and West. A video tape showing Finnish people, food, history, natural and scenic beauty were used to initiate the discussions. Slides depicting activities available to the traveler were shown. The research process by which socio-cultural travel packages can be designed will be reported together with key findings

Global strategies for destination management organisations: Focus on country brand experience management

Destination management organizations (DMOs) compete for international tourists globally. This study applies Yip’s (2003) Total Global Strategy (TGS) framework to global competition among DMOs in the tourism industry. TGS aims to answer two important questions: 1) how global is the industry; and 2) how global should the business strategy be? Based on the TGS framework this study first addresses the impact of market-, cost-, government- and competitive globalization drivers on the tourism industry globalization potential. The focus is on the special characteristics of tourism services including environmental and social sustainability, safety and security issues. Second, the study investigates how DMOs can apply global strategies based on the five strategy levers of global market participation, global products and services, global marketing, global location of value-adding activities, and global competitive moves. Third, this study illustrates how DMOs can customize and/or standardize these five global strategy levers in the context of brand experience management (BEM) proposed by Laitamaki (2007a). The study uses Australia, Tourism Australia and Brand Australia as examples of how the TGS Framework and BEM principles can be applied to a country, a DMO, and a country destination brand respectively. The focus of this study is on DMOs’ global country brand strategies and the extent to which they should be customized versus standardized in the context of country brand experience management. The study contributes to the existing tourism literature by introducing the Total Global Strategy framework as an alternative for the cluster theory (Porter 2000) and... (see the PDF file)Destination management organizations (DMOs) compete for international tourists globally. This study applies Yip’s (2003) Total Global Strategy (TGS) framework to global competition among DMOs in the tourism industry. TGS aims to answer two important questions: 1) how global is the industry; and 2) how global should the business strategy be? Based on the TGS framework this study first addresses the impact of market-, cost-, government- and competitive globalization drivers on the tourism industry globalization potential. The focus is on the special characteristics of tourism services including environmental and social sustainability, safety and security issues. Second, the study investigates how DMOs can apply global strategies based on the five strategy levers of global market participation, global products and services, global marketing, global location of value-adding activities, and global competitive moves. Third, this study illustrates how DMOs can customize and/or standardize these five global strategy levers in the context of brand experience management (BEM) proposed by Laitamaki (2007a). The study uses Australia, Tourism Australia and Brand Australia as examples of how the TGS Framework and BEM principles can be applied to a country, a DMO, and a country destination brand respectively. The focus of this study is on DMOs’ global country brand strategies and the extent to which they should be customized versus standardized in the context of country brand experience management. The study contributes to the existing tourism literature by introducing the Total Global Strategy framework as an alternative for the cluster theory (Porter 2000) and... (see the PDF file

The impact of U.S. Cuba policies on Cuban tourism industry: Focus on the Obama and Trump Administration

The difficult United States - Cuba foreign relations have shaped the Cuban tourism industry from pre-revolution times when Cuba was the most popular Caribbean destination for American tourists, to the post-revolution events including the economic blockade established by President Kennedy. American presidents have used the U.S. Cuba policies to control American tourists’ access to Cuba. This study investigates the impact of U.S. Cuba policies on the Cuban tourism industry with a focus on the Obama and Trump administrations. It estimates the impact of Obama and Trump Cuba policies based on the number of U.S. tourist arrivals between 2014 and 2019. The study addresses these impacts in the context of the growth of the Cuban tourism industry between 1990 and 2019 in terms of tourist arrivals from key source markets. This study concludes that the Cuban tourism industry has been strongly influenced by the U.S. Cuba policy during the Obama and Trump administration. Starting in 2009 President Obama improved the U.S. - Cuba relations and in 2017 the U.S. became the largest source market with 1,228,680 Americans visiting Cuba. This growth reversed to a drastic decline in 2019 as President Trump’s travel restrictions started to have a major impact

Designing and delivering memorable experiences in the luxury hotel sector

Over the last three decades managerial interest in hospitality and tourism has begun to centre on the link between customer satisfaction and the experiential elements of service consumption (Janiszewski, 2009). Indeed, profound changes in travel behavior have been observed in terms of how tourists engage with destinations, attractions and hotels that inspire the emotions, satisfy the individual's quest for psychological self determination and wellbeing and produce meaningful experiences (Van Doorn 2006) in what has been termed the 'experience economy' (Pine and Gilmore 1999). With the tourism industry's aid to be closely linked to the origin and implications of the experience economy (Morgan, Elbe de Esteban Curiel 2009) this study aims to investigate the factors that impact both the 'producers' (e.g. owners, architects, designers, hotel brands, hotels and service providers) and 'consumers' (guests) within this economy. The study seeks to explore both the supply and demand sides of the 'experience economy', placing prime focus on the hotel guest room within the luxury hospitality sector. The results will show how organizations are responding to this phenomenon and will be of interest to hospitality providers, marketers and academics

Sustainable Tourism Development Frameworks and Best Practices: Implications for the Cuban Tourism Industry

The purpose of this study is to identify best practices that can help the Cuban tourism industry in implementing a comprehensive sustainable tourism strategy. The study addresses the important research problem of how to improve sustainable tourism development in a specific country. The objective of this study is to provide practical recommendations to the Cuban tourism industry on how to learn from the suggested best practices and how to implement them effectively. The study conducts a comparative literature review that contributes to the subject area by addressing sustainable tourism development best practices in the context of the Cuban tourism industry. The study concludes that although the Cuban tourism industry has addressed several sustainable tourism development areas, there is room for improvement in each of the areas based on a more integrated development approach. This paper addresses limitations of the study and suggests areas of future research including a comprehensive study of sustainable tourism development standards in Cuba and other Caribbean countries