University student perception regarding the tourism potential in the city of Lleida

This study analyses the opinion of students enrolled at the Lleida University in regards to the tourism potential of the city where they study. The survey was conducted on a total of 202 students, with the average age of 21.47 years. In order to participate in this study, the respondents had to meet a certain criteria – to be passionate about tourism and to travel at least once a year. The sample population is made up of both Spanish (78.3%) and foreign students who came to study through the Erasmus mobility program (21.7%). The research was carried out in the city of Lleida, Spain between January and April 2015 and the data were processed using the SPSS statistical software. The analysis of the tourist profile showed that the students are familiar with the city's main tourist attractions and most of them have visited at least one of these sites. Even though financially they are highly dependent on their families, they do value the comfort level of the housing and transportation services while travelling. The students ‘opinion is that the city of Lleida has a low tourism potential and they would not recommend it to their friends as a tourist destination. The local transportation infrastructure level and very few leisure opportunities bring a large contribution to this negative image

Online tourism in Romania in the context of globalization - study concerning the presence of the travel agencys on the internet

Tourism is a dynamic domain and sensitive to changes caused by globalization. It is modeled both by operators and tourists, being in a constant transformation. The presence of the Internet and using it constantly turns the distance from impediment in ordinary. Destinations that not long ago were regarded with suspicion today can be explored including through testimonials of tourists from around the world. This study addresses one of the most important changes among travel agencies due to globalization that is moving their activity online. The research is made on the travel agencies from Romania in 2013 and includes both general issues such as the existence of a website, consumer protection in the online environment, card payment possibility on the site, and particular aspects, such as spa deals, social offers and tourist information

The Behaviour of Romanian Tourists Regarding The Attendance at Festivals

AbstractDespite the importance of the festivals for the culture and the economy of nations, little research has been conducted in order to understand the behaviour of the Romanian tourists regarding the festivalattendance and the intention to travel in order to participate in festivals. The originality of this study is highlighted by the analysis of the behaviour of Romanian tourists regarding the attendance at festivals, from the point of view of studying festival tourism as a form of cultural tourism. The article is based on the findings of an exploratory survey–based research carried out in February – May 2014.The purpose of this paper is to analyse the behaviour of the Romanian tourist regarding the participation in festivals, both in his town and also when he is travelling. Our objectives are to: find if Romanian people in general, and Romanian tourists, in particular, are interested in traveling with the purpose of attending a festival, identify the main motivations for attending a festival, the types of festivals that are preferred and the tourists ‘perception on Bucharest as potential international festival destination.The paper concludes that Romanian tourists tend to participate in one festival per year in average in their country and less than one festival per year in another countries, that music festival is the most appreciated type of festival and also we discovered that the most important motives for attending festivals in tourists’ perception are psychological, cultural and emotional

UNIVERSITY STUDENT PERCEPTION REGARDING THE TOURISM POTENTIAL IN THE CITY OF LLEIDA

This study analyses the opinion of students enrolled at the Lleida University in regards to the tourism potential of the city where they study. The survey was conducted on a total of 202 students, with the average age of 21.47 years. In order to participate in this study, the respondents had to meet a certain criteria – to be passionate about tourism and to travel at least once a year. The sample population is made up of both Spanish (78.3%) and foreign students who came to study through the Erasmus mobility program (21.7%). The research was carried out in the city of Lleida, Spain between January and April 2015 and the data were processed using the SPSS statistical software. The analysis of the tourist profile showed that the students are familiar with the city's main tourist attractions and most of them have visited at least one of these sites. Even though financially they are highly dependent on their families, they do value the comfort level of the housing and transportation services while travelling. The students ‘opinion is that the city of Lleida has a low tourism potential and they would not recommend it to their friends as a tourist destination. The local transportation infrastructure level and very few leisure opportunities bring a large contribution to this negative image

Romanian Wellness Tourism – A Potential Solution with Positive Implications for the Effects of the Aging Population in the European Union

Romania is a member state of the European Union. Among the resources of the Romanian tourist patrimony, mineral and thermal waters, mofettes, salt mines, muds and the climate build up a valuable portfolio of the wellness tourism offer. These resources are used to recover and reacquire the strength to work, but also for minimizing the effects of degenerative diseases commonly affecting senior citizens. The aging of the population of the European Union is one of the challenges affecting this block on a macroeconomic level increasingly more visibly. A solution for minimizing the effects of the rising number of senior citizens might be the integration of the Romanian wellness offer in the European tourist offer. Our country is also affected by this phenomenon and the existing wellness resources are useful in diminishing the negative effects of the aging process. The research began by analyzing the specialized literature, which confirmed the phenomenon of aging among the Europe's population. This was followed by a pilot study (287 respondents) which was undertaken from June to December 2015 on representatives of the Romanian population. Romania's tourist heritage, represented by its wellness tourism resources, may represent an important tourist product on the European market which can help senior citizens benefit from treatments of degenerative illnesses

Can Spa Tourism Enhance Water Resources and Turn Them into a National Brand? A Theoretical Review about the Romanian Case

The present article includes descriptive research about how water resources in Romanian medical spas could be better promoted to increase their visibility. Romania is one of the European countries with impressive potential in terms of balneology, having a wide diversity of natural factors that allow treating several medical conditions in the same resort. In addition, one-third of the mineral and thermal water springs in Europe are present on the Romanian territory, making Romania one of the most important European destinations in terms of natural spa resources. The present research aims to illustrate how the Romanian medical spas communicate with tourists about the therapeutic water available in five medical spas: Băile Felix-1 Mai, Techirghiol, Băile Tușnad, Sovata and Covasna, having as its main objective to raise the awareness among the spas representatives regarding the necessity of water management implementation. The research is based on primary data obtained from the official websites of the resorts included in the study and in the published scholarly articles that approached the Romanian medical spas

How to monitor the Transition to Sustainable Food Services and Lodging-Accommodation Activities: A Bibliometric Approach

The transition to sustainable food systems is one of the main challenges facing national and international action plans. It is estimated that food services and lodging accommodation activities are under pressure in terms of resource consumption and waste generation, and several tools are required to monitor their ecological transition. The present research adopts a semi-systematic and critical review of the current trends in the food service and lodging accommodation industries on a global scale and investigates the real current environmental indicators adopted internationally that can help to assess ecological transition. This research tries to answer the subsequent questions: (i) how has the ecological transition in the food service industry been monitored? and (ii) how has the ecological transition in the lodging accommodation industry been monitored? Our study reviews 66 peer-reviewed articles and conference proceedings included in Web of Science between 2015 and 2021. The results were analyzed according to content analysis and co-word analysis. Additionally, we provide a multidimensional measurement dashboard of empirical and theoretical indicators and distinguish between air, water, energy, waste, health, and economic scopes. In light of the co-word analysis, five research clusters were identified in the literature: “food cluster”, “water cluster”, “consumers cluster”, “corporate cluster”, and “energy cluster”. Overall, it emerges that food, water, and energy are the most impacted natural resources in tourism, and users and managers are the stakeholders who must be involved in active monitoring

Repositioning of Romanian Seaside Tourism as an Effect of Climate Change

The present paper examines the evolution of Romanian seaside tourism between 2008–2018 to find the connection between climate change and the number of total tourist arrivals. The vicious cycle of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change has become one of the most critical topics discussed due to its negative effect on the wellbeing of the planet and its impact on sustainable economic development in the long run. Various economic activities, including tourism, could be subject to dramatic changes due to global warming. Depending on the geographical location of tourist destinations, and the degree of fluctuation in climate indicators, there have been dramatic shifts in visitor flow. This situation has been aggravated as countries that were once famous for their summer season and seaside holidays are now affected by high temperatures. Such temperatures can hardly be tolerated by tourists, particularly those from the Nordic countries. By comparison, there are countries that have been known to have only two or three full summer months suitable for tourism at the seaside and which in the last years have had a more extended summer season. This situation could turn into a significant competitive regional economic advantage for countries such as Romania, at least in the short- and medium-term. In this context, we aim to investigate whether there are climatic conditions, such as the extension of the tourist season on the coast (in the case of destinations that have four seasons and are known for having a shorter number of summer days), that can be turned into advantages. In this regard, we have conducted exploratory research to analyse if there is a statistically significant correlation between the indicators regarding climate change and tourism arrivals on the Romanian seaside, namely Constanta county. For our study, we used secondary data, provided by the Romanian National Meteorological Administration and the National Institute of Statistics, and accumulated a detailed profile of Romanian seaside summer tourism in the context of actual climate changes and challenges. Climate change may have significant consequences on the tourism industry and economic growth as well. Information on the direct effects higher temperatures could have on tourism is lacking. Improving policy analysis is necessary to reduce uncertainties, further understanding, assess implications and enable the tourism industry to adapt to changing circumstances

Repositioning of Romanian Seaside Tourism as an Effect of Climate Change

The present paper examines the evolution of Romanian seaside tourism between 2008–2018 to find the connection between climate change and the number of total tourist arrivals. The vicious cycle of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change has become one of the most critical topics discussed due to its negative effect on the wellbeing of the planet and its impact on sustainable economic development in the long run. Various economic activities, including tourism, could be subject to dramatic changes due to global warming. Depending on the geographical location of tourist destinations, and the degree of fluctuation in climate indicators, there have been dramatic shifts in visitor flow. This situation has been aggravated as countries that were once famous for their summer season and seaside holidays are now affected by high temperatures. Such temperatures can hardly be tolerated by tourists, particularly those from the Nordic countries. By comparison, there are countries that have been known to have only two or three full summer months suitable for tourism at the seaside and which in the last years have had a more extended summer season. This situation could turn into a significant competitive regional economic advantage for countries such as Romania, at least in the short- and medium-term. In this context, we aim to investigate whether there are climatic conditions, such as the extension of the tourist season on the coast (in the case of destinations that have four seasons and are known for having a shorter number of summer days), that can be turned into advantages. In this regard, we have conducted exploratory research to analyse if there is a statistically significant correlation between the indicators regarding climate change and tourism arrivals on the Romanian seaside, namely Constanta county. For our study, we used secondary data, provided by the Romanian National Meteorological Administration and the National Institute of Statistics, and accumulated a detailed profile of Romanian seaside summer tourism in the context of actual climate changes and challenges. Climate change may have significant consequences on the tourism industry and economic growth as well. Information on the direct effects higher temperatures could have on tourism is lacking. Improving policy analysis is necessary to reduce uncertainties, further understanding, assess implications and enable the tourism industry to adapt to changing circumstances

Past and Future Trends in Medical Spas: A Co-Word Analysis

The present paper consists of a co-word analysis of the previous research in the medical spa field published in the Web Science Core Collection database. The study’s main purpose is to identify the past trends in the medical spa field from the tourist and medical perspectives and to anticipate the future research focuses in the field. In this regard, the article is based on four objectives that create a descriptive picture of the research in the medical spa area, such as (i) studying the current state of the art, (ii) analysing the most visible articles in the field, (iii) highlighting the leading research interests in medical spa research and (iv) anticipating new possible research trends that link cost-effective medical spa activity to COVID-19 post-recovery treatments. A total of 627 articles, published between 1997 and 2021 (March), were analysed, and the data were interpreted using the VOS Viewer software. The study results indicate that high interest in medical spas started to become observable in 2015, when the funding bodies became interested in this field and began supporting publishing and research regarding medical spas. The main subjects investigated in previous studies were related to the specific issues of the industry and tourism activity. They also considered the medical approach of the spa and the use of natural resources in treating different diseases. Except for these main interests, since 2020, it has started to become evident that another approach in the published studies may lead to a new trend in research. The study results show that researchers have begun to investigate the possibility of using medical spa resorts to aid post-COVID-19 recovery, which is considered a cost-efficient option for completing traditional treatment. This new focus in research proves that the medical spa field can rebrand itself as playing a supportive role in national healthcare systems in countries with a long tradition in balneotherapy, and gives a new developing trajectory to the medical spa industry