Assessing Destination Competitiveness: An Application to the Hot Springs Tourism Sector

This paper proposes a model to identify the factors determining the competitiveness of the hot springs tourism sector, with particular application to Taiwan. The proposed conceptual framework brings together two approaches, namely the theories of industry organization (10) and the resource-based view (RBV). The proposition underlying this framework is that destination competitiveness is achieved by the adoption of policies and strategies aligned with market opportunities, drawing upon the unique or distinctive tourism features offered by the destination. It is proposed that three major influences are evident in the case of hot springs tourism, namely Tourism Destination Resources and Attractors, Tourism Destination Strategies and Tourism Destination Environments. An evaluation is provided of the administration of a three-round Delphi survey, which was intended to validate the determinants of destination competitiveness that were derived from the literature. Drawing upon the results of the pilot study it is concluded that the development of a sector-specific model of destination competitiveness is capable of capturing the nature and characteristics of the hot springs tourism sector

Purchasing-power depreciation under rising price level

Call number: LD2668 .R4 1963 C51

International Competitiveness in Hot Springs Tourism: An Application of the Analytical Hierarchy Process Approach

This study provides an evaluation of the potential of Taiwan's hot springs tourism sector by proposing a model of competitiveness that has broad applicability to hot springs destinations. Using the analytic hierarchy process method to generate weightings for the various elements which contribute to destination competitiveness, the study prioritizes aspects of hot springs tourism which would benefit from further development. A panel of experts commented on the relative competitiveness of hot springs tourism in Taiwan and Japan, and concluded that hot springs proprietors need to reinforce their conservation efforts and engage in the sustainable use of hot springs and surrounding environments. They noted that governments should formulate and implement strategic destination planning and development to avoid a repetition of previous mistakes. The increasing Taiwanese preoccupation with good health and longevity and Taiwan's rich endowment of high-grade natural hot springs produces a favorable environment development of the hot springs tourism sector. It also offers business opportunities to extend the appeal of hot springs tourism into health protection and medical treatment. The article concludes that Taiwan's hot springs tourism sector has a promising future, but that concerted effort will be needed to match the product offerings of its competitors

The Milky Way's Fermi Bubbles: Echoes of the Last Quasar Outburst?

{\it Fermi}-LAT has recently detected two gamma ray bubbles disposed symmetrically with respect to the Galactic plane. The bubbles have been suggested to be in a quasi-steady state, inflated by ongoing star formation over the age of the Galaxy. Here we propose an alternative picture where the bubbles are the remnants of a large-scale wide-angle outflow from \sgra, the SMBH of our Galaxy. Such an outflow would be a natural consequence of a short but bright accretion event on to \sgra\ if it happened concurrently with the well known star formation event in the inner 0.5 pc of the Milky Way $\sim 6$ Myr ago. We find that the hypothesised near-spherical outflow is focussed into a pair of symmetrical lobes by the greater gas pressure along the Galactic plane. The outflow shocks against the interstellar gas in the Galaxy bulge. Gamma--ray emission could be powered by cosmic rays created by either \sgra\ directly or accelerated in the shocks with the external medium. The Galaxy disc remains unaffected, agreeing with recent observational evidence that supermassive black holes do not correlate with galaxy disc properties. We estimate that an accreted mass \sim 2 \times 10^3\msun is needed for the accretion event to power the observed {\it Fermi}--LAT lobes. Within a factor of a few this agrees with the mass of the young stars born during the star formation event. This estimate suggests that roughly 50% of the gas was turned into stars, while the rest accreted onto \sgra. One interpretation of this is a reduced star formation efficiency inside the \sgra\ accretion disc due to stellar feedback, and the other a peculiar mass deposition geometry that resulted in a significant amount of gas falling directly inside the inner $\sim 0.03$ pc of the Galaxy.Comment: 6 pages, 0 figures; accepted for publication in MNRA

Asian Americans Experience Microassaults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Microaggressions are typically brief and common behavioral/verbal indignities that communicate a sense of hostility, derogatory, or negative perception towards a targeted group. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we observed an increase in the amount of microassaults, a more intentional type of microaggression, towards the Asian American population. In our study, we used a two-way 2x2 (Race: Asian Americans vs. White Americans; Time: before vs. during COVID-19) analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with repeated measures on one factor (Time) to determine whether there was a statistical significance between race in the experiences of microassaults before and during COVID-19. We used a self-report survey method to gather data from the participants. Overall, the findings from our study suggest that Asian Americans experienced an increase of microassaults during COVID-19 compared to before the pandemic. Moreover, this change in experiences over time was significantly different for White Americans. This study shows the importance of recognizing this phenomenon, and addresses the issues on inclusivity, cultural-awareness, and compassion. Moving forward, it is important that we are aware of social influences on race-related experiences among Asian Americans, and other marginalized communities