Attractiveness Of Tourist Destinations Research Articles

Tourist Destinations Positioning: From Indexes to Managerial Implications

Despite the numerous attempts to define Tourist Destination Attractiveness (TDA) and Governance (TDG), there are no identified contributions concerning the analysis of these elements in a systemic way. This paper creates a TDA-TDG matrix able to map destinations on the basis of these dimensions, in order to draw development strategies. Drivers of TDA and TDG are chosen by means of literature and validated by 15 tourism stakeholders. TDA index is got throughout Delphi method while TDG index throughout an adaptation of the SERVPERF questionnaire. The paper results in a mapping of tourist destinations that allows tourist managers to draw paths of development.

ASSESSMENT OF THE POTENTIAL OF GAMBLING TOURISM AS A RESTARTING FACTOR FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURIST DESTINATION OF GREATER SOCH

Research background.Currently, gambling tourism is one of the most popular forms of leisure allacross the globe. It is apparent that, when a business as lucrative as gambling has something to dowith thedevelopment of tourism, its impact on a tourist destination, both current and future, can be impressive.Research into this type of tourism reveals an interrelationship between gambling tourism and certain social-economic variables in the development of tourist destinations–the gambling business can be a crucialcomponent in the attractiveness of tourist destinations and facilitate economic stability and prosperity in thearea. The development of gambling tourism is regarded as a restarting andrenewing factor for thedevelopment of tourism destinations which can potentially facilitate their development through thereinvestment of revenue into their economic and political culture.Issues in the development of touristdestinations and gambling tourism have been examined in works byW.M.Abbott, A.A.Volberg (2006),А.Alegria (2014), L.Caneday, J.Zeiger (1991), M.C.Hall (2008), R.Harrill (2003), S.K.Kang,C.K.Leeb, Y.Yoonb, P.T.Long (2008), T.K.Lee, C.K.Lee (2014), A.A.Ligthelm(2009)and others.Research aims. The study aims to assess the potential of gambling tourism as a factor in thedevelopment of tourist destinations through the example of Greater Sochi.Inferences. The development of a tourist destination requires formingsome kind of supply, with theprocess of planning and development of gambling tourism approached based on integrated analysis,including by the local community. Taking into account the foreign experience of sustainable development oftourist destinations via the economic and social effects of gambling tourism, this impact ought to be assessedusing a model for establishing a balance between revenue and expenditure.The tourist destination of the city of Sochi as a tourism product is unique, with its peculiarities,various attractions, its original environment, culture, and history. Researchers, who generallyhave beenpositive in their assessments of the economic effect from creating a gambling zone, have also been stressingthe need to use this tool judiciously and competently. The assessment of Sochi by representatives of itsbusiness community and public as a gambling tourist destination is mixed.At the moment, the prospects of agambling zone in Sochi are quite undecided, as no site has been determinedfor the zone, there is a lack ofinvestors willing to do it, and there is no developed concept for the formation and development of agambling zone in Sochi.Gambling tourism could produce a positive impact, since it could attract well-off tourists duringtheoff-peak season. Immune to seasonality, it could ensure tourism flows all year round. Gambling tours, as acomponent in the destination’s tourism product, could help diversify and improve tourism products andservices, which would help attract new tourists and foster a new image for the destination, with a view toboosting its competitiveness.Keywords: leisure, gambling tourism, destination, gambling business, city of Sochi.

Ethical Food as a Differentiation Factor for Tourist Destinations: The Case of “Slow Food”

In recent years, the topic of ethical food has assumed increasing importance in international academic debate. Despite there being some studies carried out on this topic, there is limited literature on the role ethical food plays in the tourism sector and, specifically, in tourist destination attractiveness. This paper explores how ethical food can be a driver of destination attractiveness and how it is possible to take advantage of this issue for particular tourist destinations. In this paper, ethical food as a destination attraction is explained through the case of Slow Food. Results show that ethical food has a very important role to play in the future of destination attractiveness thanks to special events and projects concerning ethical food, which also contribute to the sustainability of a destination. Finally, strategies to exploit the potential of this ethical food so as to develop tourist destination attractiveness are drawn.

Alpine Tourism as an Economic Development Factor. A Market Perspective

Tourism trends and policies is becoming an international reference and benchmark on how effectively countries are supporting competitiveness, innovation and growth, and shed light on policies and practices associated with this. Despite the topic of attractiveness of tourist destinations is at the center of the international economic debate, there are still many areas showing important gap among potentials and performances and in most cases literature doesn’t offer a suitable measure and strategic solutions for this problem. From a destination-based tourism model, the transition has been made to a model driven by motivation and the search of experience. The forces driving the change are: internet, low costs, tour operators, OTAs and the new demand for experiences from tourists, which have changed the rules of the game and, most importantly, altered the balance between supply and demand. The paper has three research goals. Firstly, a driven-based analysis will be presented, aimed at identifying the factors which condition and/or support the sector, briefly touching a legislation, governance, funding and infrastructure and cultural heritage. Subsequently the paper will focus some deficiencies of the tourist system in Italy, still organized according to an endogenous vision of the sector’s development, and based on a model turned to a production perspective in which the offer is placed at the center of the system, with no added value and limited activity in term of retails, marketing and innovation and low level of professional competence. Finally the research will aim to propose a change of the tourism policy in Italy. As well as a reorganization of offer in a more innovative and experienced-based key, to be more competitive Italy needs the role of local government to be extensively reviewed: local administrations will have to take leadership of the destinations, bringing a strategic vision to the territory and becoming the main actor in conceiving and designing the offer of tourism.

How to evaluate the effects of climate change on tourism

The aim of this study is to assess the most relevant quantitative approaches to evaluating the effects of climate change on tourism. In recent years, numerous empirical studies have conducted evaluations of this kind, based on different methodologies and perspectives. This review shows that the effects of climate change can first be assessed through changes in physical conditions essential to tourism; secondly, by using climate indexes to measure the attractiveness of tourist destinations; and, thirdly, by modelling tourism demand with the inclusion of climate determinants. The review suggests that, although some methodologies are in the early stages of development, different approaches result in a similar map of those areas mainly affected by the problem.

Measurement of attractiveness of tourist destinations: Establishing Travel Photo Method (TPM) as a new research method

Measurement of attractiveness of tourist destinations: Establishing Travel Photo Method (TPM) as a new research method

The role of gastronomic brands in tourist destination promotion: The case of St. Petersburg

This article focuses on a significant component of tourist destination attractiveness, namely, territorial gastronomic branding. Some destinations boast a specific gastronomic brand, while others do not have a clearly defined ‘gastronomic face’. Moreover, some territories lack the 'food basis' or unique gastronomic resources, such as a brand product or local cuisine, for creating such a brand. The authors undertook an investigation of whether a territorial gastronomic brand can be formed when a region lacks a definite ‘food basis'. What is the basis for creating a regional gastronomic brand (RGB)? Does the ‘food basis’ always form the nucleus of a gastronomic brand? Or within the framework of the experience economy, is a ‘non-culinary’, 'non-food' addition sufficient for creating an RGB? The authors argue that the basis for a gastronomic brand can be traced to the cultural and historic traditions of the region. The authors focus on possible ways of forming gastronomic brands in multicultural cosmopolitan cities where authentic gastronomic brands are blurred to a great extent. Specifically, the research focuses on St. Petersburg, which is a prototypical multicultural city lacking a pure ‘food basis' for forming a territorial gastronomic brand.

Identifying Tourism Potentials in Republic of Macedonia Through Regional Approach

Tourism development is closely related with competitiveness and attractiveness of tourist destinations. Therefore, identification of tourism potentials is in close relation with the need of achieving destination competitiveness on tourist market. The results of conducted research lead to findings that indicate to a strong basis for future development of tourism in Republic of Macedonia with identified potentials and possibilities for future actions, mainly related with promotion of tourist products within the regions, respect of principles for sustainable development, protection of natural environment, urgency of defined policy, priorities and activities. Identification of tourism potentials and achievement of competitiveness in tourism sector is more complicated due to the heterogeneous character of tourism. Therefore there is a real need of serious approach towards this issue in the case of the Republic of Macedonia.

Coastal landscape and the hedonic price of accommodation

The impact of climate change on tourism has been examined in terms of changes in a destination's climate; the impact of ancillary effects such as sea-level rise has been neglected. In this study the role that coastal and other landscape features have on the attractiveness of tourist destinations is examined using the hedonic price technique. The average price of accommodation in the coastal districts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany is explained using landscape and other characteristics of these districts. As parts of the coastline of Schleswig-Holstein are protected by dikes, adaptation measures as well as natural coastal features are represented in the dataset. The analysis shows that an increase in the length of dikes in a given district would result in a reduction in the average price of accommodation. An increase in the length of open coast results in an increase in the average price of accommodation. For two districts, the impact of sea-level rise is examined through a comparison of the costs of different coastal protection measures compared to the resulting changes in revenue from accommodation. The costs of dike construction along with the effect of reduced accommodation prices favour the use of beach nourishment to protect the coast.

Developing the image of the “Young Tourist”: Details from Swiss festivals

This paper seeks to increase knowledge of young tourism by presenting the findings of an empirical study of younger tourists attending cultural festivals in Switzerland. Although often neglected by academic research, the young tourism market is nonetheless important in size, furthermore, young tourists are often the trendsetters who establish and build the attractiveness of tourist destinations (Horak and Weber, 2000) The study provides data and analysis on the consumer behaviour of younger tourists, particularly regarding their choice of accommodation, eating out, travel and entertainment. The findings confirms Carr's (1998) view of a separate yet heterogeneous market, different from that of older tourists, yet in some cases sharing certain similarities. As in earlier studies of youth culture, the study finds an emphasis among young tourists on leisure activities and the importance of information — particularly from the Internet. Similarity with more traditional tourists was shown by the high importance given to cleanliness in accommodation and the provision of individual bathroom facilities. Young tourists were also found to be extremely loyal to a particular country, with a very high possibility of repeat business. Given increasing longevity and affluence, this could translate into a high “lifetime‐value of the client,” possibly lasting over half a century.

Potential Impacts of Climate Change on International Tourism

Global temperatures rose by over 0.5°C during the 20th century and current estimates suggest that they will continue to rise at between 0.2 and 0.3°C per decade during the course of the 21st century. This increasing trend towards warmer temperatures could have major consequences for the tourism industry, which is heavily dependent on present climatic and environmental conditions. The ecosystems of many international holiday destinations are potentially vulnerable to climate change. This paper reviews the potential impacts of climate change for ten international tourist destinations. The most serious impacts will result from the effects of sea-level rise on small island states. Other impacts likely to affect tourism include coral bleaching, outbreaks of fire, changed migration patterns of animals and birds, flooding, the spread of vector-borne diseases and shorter skiing seasons. Without appropriate adaptive measures, climate change could produce a shift in the comparative attractiveness of tourist destinations around the globe.