Tourism Initiatives Research Articles

The Relationship Between Awareness and Commitment to Participate in the Green Tourism Model of Local Communities: Evidence from the Hmong People Community in Lao Cai Province - Vietnam

Purpose: This study explores the impact of green tourism on the Hmong community in Lao Cai province, Vietnam, including their awareness of sustainable tourism principles and factors influencing their engagement. It aims to provide practical recommendations to enhance understanding and commitment to sustainable tourism, contributing to the existing knowledge and offering insights applicable to other regions and communities interested in promoting green tourism. Theoretical framework: The theoretical framework for this research draws upon concepts and theories from sustainable tourism, community development, and environmental psychology, explicitly focusing on community participation and empowerment in tourism development. It explores the impact of the Hmong people's awareness, involvement in decision-making, and sense of ownership over green tourism initiatives on their commitment to participate in the green tourism model. Design/methodology/approach: This study employed a mixed-methods approach, a quantitative survey, to collect data from 200 Hmong individuals in Lao Cai province in early 2022. A thorough literature review accompanied the survey design, distribution, collection, and analysis of responses. By utilizing this approach, the research aims to comprehensively understand the Hmong community's awareness and commitment to participating in the green tourism model in Lao Cai province, Vietnam. Findings: The study's findings show that green tourism's environmental and sociocultural benefits positively influence the Hmong community's awareness and commitment to sustainable tourism practices. However, economic benefits were not significantly associated with public perception, indicating a greater emphasis on cultural heritage conservation than financial gains. These results highlight the significance of involving local communities in decision-making and offering tangible benefits to foster their active engagement in sustainable tourism initiatives. Research, Practical & Social implications: This study makes two significant contributions to the existing knowledge. Firstly, it provides a comprehensive understanding of the impact of green tourism on local communities, particularly the Hmong community in Vietnam. Secondly, it highlights the vital role of community participation in sustainable tourism development. The findings recommend policymakers' active involvement of local communities in decision-making and the provision of tangible benefits for their engagement in sustainable tourism practices, promoting their commitment to sustainable tourism. Originality/value: Being the pioneering study on this subject in Vietnam, this research holds a unique significance in raising awareness and fostering commitment among the Hmong community regarding their participation in green tourism within Lao Cai province. Furthermore, the study's findings can serve as a valuable resource for shaping policies and programs that actively involve the Hmong community in green tourism, leading to mutual benefits for the community and the local region.

Curating the music city: The accommodation sector in Glasgow’s music tourism ecology

Since becoming a UNESCO ‘City of Music’ in 2008, Glasgow has sought to develop the tourism potential of its music scene. As potential beneficiaries, accommodation providers have facilitated the development of music tourism initiatives within the city, strategically positioning themselves as ambassadors for the city’s music. This article considers how three Glasgow hotels ‘curate’ the musical life of the city, presenting themselves as facilitators of cultural experiences rather than mere service providers. We draw on interviews alongside an analysis of marketing discourse to show how this approach is reflected in the physical space of hotels, recruitment practices, and the language of promotional materials. Arguing that the packaging of musical experience often implies an instrumentalist understanding of music’s cultural value, we consider what it means for music to be re-imagined as an ‘experience’, and how music’s value as a resource for self-construction is articulated within the discourse of contemporary tourism.

Route Tourism Planning, Local Impacts and Challenges: Stakeholder Perspectives from the Panorama Route, South Africa

The growth of applied route tourism initiatives is a worldwide phenomenon. South Africa is a major focus for route tourism planning which is part of broader place-based development initiatives. This paper examines the perceptions of key route tourism stakeholders concerning the planning, local impacts and challenges of the Panorama Route which is located in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province. The findings are analysed from 63 qualitative interviews undertaken in 2022 concerning stakeholder perceptions about the planning, workings and impacts of this major route tourism initiative. Stakeholders include government and private sector formal as well as informal businesses. Differences as well as common themes were observed across these stakeholder groups. On many issues government (both provincial and local) was viewed as the ‘problem’ rather than the provider of solutions. Major criticism was pointed at inadequacies of service provision – especially water and electricity – and the poor state of road maintenance. The uneven geographical impacts of the Panorama Route were highlighted. Stakeholder perception research discloses the complexities of route tourism planning.

Opportunities and Challenges of Community-based Eco-cultural Tourism Development: A Case of Gwirize Cultural Village in Malawi

Summary The paradigm of community-based eco-cultural tourism has garnered recognition as a support system for sustainable tourism due to its ability to extend the benefits of tourism to rural and marginalized communities. This approach serves as a means to promote social and economic development and encourages local participation in tourism development. This case focuses on the impact, opportunities and challenges of community-based eco-cultural tourism at Gwirize Cultural Village in Malawi. The cultural village has had a positive impact on the community through the creation of a direct source of income, stimulation of local businesses, improvement of access to clean water, provision of entertainment and preservation of cultural heritage. However, the cultural village also faces numerous challenges, including lack of managerial and marketing expertise, inadequate skills to provide a diverse range of tourist services and lack of coordination with other tourism service providers in the district. It is recommended that capacity-building programmes be implemented to enhance local managerial skills and tourism services, and that management and operational frameworks be developed to guide communities involved in community-based eco-cultural tourism initiatives. Information © The Authors 2023

Suppliers' perceptions on engaging in smart destinations: Evidence from Ljubljana

Although it is acknowledged in research and practice that multiple, diverse tourism stakeholders are essential for the development of smart destinations, local tourism supplier participation is still lacking. There is limited understanding of how to engage suppliers in these collaborations, hence, this study explores suppliers' perceptions on their engagement with the development of smart initiatives in Ljubljana, Slovenia. A qualitative approach, based on semi-structured interviews was undertaken. The findings revealed that involvement in smart destination development is based on relational influences that were based on existing collaborative relationships. Organisational factors influenced supplier engagement prior to and during collaboration. Engagement influences are also specific to the destination context, which were related to historical cultural norms. These further facilitated or hindered suppliers' involvement. The paper draws valuable conclusions for leaders of smart developments, destination management organisations, tourism associations and businesses in Ljubljana and further afield where there is a need for implementation, integration and continuance of smart tourism initiatives.

What matters most? The Role of Local Leadership in Tourism Village Development in Bali

Purpose of the study: The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which local leadership plays a crucial role in the development of tourism villages in Bali, Indonesia. Specifically, the study focuses on eleven villages located in the Gianyar regency, where the management of tourist villages will be scrutinized in order to identify the key factors that contribute to successful tourism development.
 Methodology: The present research employed a descriptive research method to gather data for analysis. In addition to this, various data collection techniques such as interviews, questionnaires, observations, and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were employed to ensure the reliability and validity of the findings.
 Main Findings: The study found that various factors including budget, quality of human resources, uniqueness and innovation, village leadership, promotion, networking, and momentum have significant contributions towards the success of the tourism development program in Bali. Moreover, the study highlights the significance of local leadership in ensuring the success of tourism communities, emphasizing the role of village leaders in promoting the development of sustainable tourism initiatives.
 Applications of the study: The study has significant implications for policymakers and practitioners working towards sustainable tourism development in rural traditional villages.
 Novelty/Originality of the study: This study is filling the knowledge gap on the crucial role of local leadership in promoting successful tourism initiatives.

Effect of Landlockedness on Receiving Tourism Income in SAARC Countries

This study looks into the economic-driven tourism growth hypothesis in the context of SAARC countries. It also investigates the effect of landlockedness on tourism income receipt. It is based on secondary data gathered from several World Bank Reports and economic surveys of respective countries. It made use of 169 data points from SAARC's eight member countries. The data from an unbalanced panel was used. It makes use of an exploratory and analytical research design. For the impact study of independent variables on dependent variables, descriptive statistics, panel unit root testing, panel quantile regression analysis, quantile process estimates, quantile slope equality test, and symmetric quantile test are used. The GDP has a positive impact on tourism income in SAARC countries. It is found that one percent increase in the median value of GDP, the tourism income is increased by 0.219 percent. The evidence has proved the economic-driven tourism growth hypothesis, particularly regarding SAARC countries. This highlights the need for tailored tourism initiatives aimed specifically at landlocked nations.

To Utilize Structural Equation Modelling to Investigate the Impact of Cross-border Tourism on Regional Cooperation: The Mediating Effect of Community Support

Tourism plays an important role in encouraging cooperation and peace between the partitioned countries. The current study aims to investigate the influence of cross-border tourism on bilateral trade and cooperation between India and Myanmar. Further, the paper identifies the role of community support as a mediator between exogenous and endogenous variables. An onsite questionnaire is distributed among the residents of Indian border areas close to the neighboring border of Myanmar. The SEM is employed to reject the null hypotheses and test the proposed model empirically. The findings reveal that all the proposed hypotheses are supported. The cross-border cooperation is positively influenced by cross-border tourism development and trade between India and Myanmar. Moreover, community support mediates the relationship between cross-border tourism, bilateral trade, and cooperation. An important consideration from this paper is that tourism supported by border communities can act as a catalyst for promoting cooperation among hostile countries. India and Myanmar being close neighbors, have huge scope to support each other through different cross-border programs, projects, and bilateral trade. The study provides valuable insights for both countries to adopt tourism initiatives as a tool to ameliorate their relationships and develop the economic conditions of border communities.

Tourism and natural disaster management: a systematic narrative review

Purpose This study aims to track and integrate past research concerning how tourism might improve natural disaster management, detect thematic research areas and develop an agenda for future research. Design/methodology/approach Using a systematic literature review methodology, this research synthesises academic papers indexed in the Scopus, Web of Science and EBSCOhost (Hospitality & Tourism Complete) databases. A total of 34 articles published in peer-reviewed English journals were systematically selected for review and analysed using a thematic approach. Findings This review highlights a growing interest in the potential and value of tourism for disaster management. Eight key themes emerged in the review, including education and information communication about disasters; tourism facilities for disaster preparation; tourism resources in emergency conditions; livelihoods and economic recovery; disaster-related tourism attractions for recovery; destination re-branding and re-framing; community reinvigoration in tourism-driven disaster recovery; and special-interest tourism for recovery. A natural disaster management schematic empowered by tourism highlights tourism industry opportunities to positively impact the entire disaster management process. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this work offers the first systematic review of the research on how tourism might support multiple stages of natural disaster management. This study thus complements and enriches extant literature reviews on the nexus between tourism and disaster management. The framework presents timely guidelines for planners, developers and other key stakeholders to leverage tourism initiatives to improve disaster management outcomes.

Measuring Tourism Impacts on Community Well-being at the Hani Rice Terraces GIAHS Site, Yunnan Province of China

To reflect the intricate relationships between heritage, tourism, and community pertinent to Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), the framework of community well-being is adapted to evaluate the status and changes to destination communities imposed by conservation and tourism initiatives. A multi-stakeholder, mixed-method approach is adopted using qualitative interviews and a quantitative questionnaire survey at two villages of the Hani Rice Terraces, Yunnan Province of Western China. Results show that positive impacts from tourism are mainly concentrated on the environmental, conservation, and development dimensions. However, the lack of improvements in the education and health dimensions negatively affected the well-being of the local community. In particular, the subjective well-being is reduced with the increasing need for education induced by tourism. The evolution of community well-being is explored and portrayed through well-being hexagons and measures to enhance the positive impacts of tourism are proposed for GIAHS and other heritage sites or protected areas.

Ice-Breaking Tourism and Local Resilience Building

This study focuses on local ice-breaking tourism initiatives in Kemi (Finland), Mombetsu (Japan), and Abashiri (Japan). It adds to research on winter and cruise tourism and analyzes multiscalar challenges—ranging from the global warming and COVID-19 pandemic to dependency on local governmental support—threatening the future of tourism dependent on frozen maritime conditions and vulnerable to changing climate conditions. As the case study cities have invested significantly in tourism built around the uncontrollable natural phenomenon, changes in this industry can lead to substantial spillover effects in the surrounding communities. This qualitative comparative research is based on extensive fieldwork and utilizes the concept of resilience to discuss the means of responding to existing and predicted disturbances. The results of this study show that the recent adaptation and resiliency-building strategies have focused on searching for alternative use of old, new, and renovated ice-breaking vessels, attraction of new types of (often domestic) visitors, and development of activities and facilities that are less sensitive to seasonal variation and climate change. While introducing new local ideas concerning ecological and educational tourism, e-tourism, and community-oriented tourism, this article contributes to the understanding of resilience-building processes in tourism.

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The Effectiveness of Community-Based Tourism Initiatives in Promoting Sustainable Tourism Development and Improving the Well-Being of Local Communities

This study set out to assess the effectiveness of community-based tourism initiatives within Northern Cyprus in promoting sustainable tourism development and improving the well-being of local communities within North Cyprus. Using a mixed methods approach, the study provides evidence that community-based tourism initiatives can play an important role in promoting sustainable tourism development and improving the well-being of local communities within North Cyprus. The findings suggest that community-based tourism initiatives have positive economic, social, and environmental impacts, and that greater community involvement in these initiatives leads to even greater benefits. The study further recommends areas for future research.

Social Resilience Strategies Through Community-Based Tourism In The Era Of New Habits Adaptation

Indonesia is one of many nations whose economies have been crippled by the COVID- 19 outbreak. The reduction in per capita income, which has an effect on the community’s social resilience, is directly impacted by COVID-19. Through community-based tourism, this study intends to identify the social resilience strategy in Banyumas District, Banyumas Regency, in the age of habit adaption. In-depth interviews, documentation, and observation are the three methods of data collection using qualitative approaches. The study’s findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic is to blame for a region’s declining socioeconomic resilience, particularly for the welfare of those who depend on the tourism industry. The Banyumas District government’s ”Peken Banyumasan” community-based tourism initiative is employed as a tactic to sustain socioeconomic resilience in Banyumas District, Banyumas Regency. Community-based tourism has not yet completely realized its potential. This is a result of Ketenger Village’s lack of community involvement and the Regional Government’s dominance as the event organizer and planner.&#x0D; Keywords: covid-19, community-based tourism, social resilience

A Systematic Review of Indonesia’s Heritage Tourism in Perspective of Smart Tourism Conceptual Model

Currently, smart tourism has been adopted by cities in many countries. But this concept has various meaning built on different point of view of the smart tourism initiatives. This paper aims to give contribution on conceptual model formulation for smart tourism in process approach, using heritage tourism as case study. A literature review using PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) was carried out to achieve an understanding of the term smart tourism itself, with reference to various literature from qualified journals. From the literature review, various terms related to the definition, objectives, characteristics, inputs and outputs of smart tourism will be obtained. A semantic process with content analysis method to help determine the dominant factors/variables as important objects of Smart Tourism. The model to be built describes the components that influence the smart tourism process. This model also considers some local values that are used in general and particular in tourism policies that have been implemented in Indonesia. These values are believed to have an influence and characteristic of the smart tourism model in Indonesia. In the end, the model also describes the expected results of the smart tourism process.

Markets for Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs): The Role of Community-Based Tourism (CBT) in Enhancing Brazil’s Sociobiodiversity

Under detailed settings, tourism can add to the material and immaterial values of the use of biodiversity, such as non-timber forest products (NTFPs) collected by traditional communities, towards sustainability in rural landscapes. A critical aspect is to effectively assess where to implement tourism modalities that enhance NTFP extractivism and reduce the emphasis on the quantities extracted (yields). Here, we map NTFP extractivism and community-based tourism initiatives in Brazil to explore local markets, use a spatially explicit modeling approach and map landscape-scale governance mechanisms to upscale where sociobiodiversity can be successfully cherished through a community-led visitation and management model. Our results show suitable large areas to upscale community-based tourism (CBT) markets for NTFP extractivism in the Amazon and Cerrado, which can be supported by available social capital and partnerships. However, there is a lack of infrastructure and institutions to support their implementation. We evidence innovative ways for enhancing the role of tourism for Brazil’s sociobiodiversity and fostering transitions towards multifunctional sustainable land uses.

Investigating roles of place image dimensions, and perceived tourism impacts in locals’ support for sustainable tourism development

ABSTRACT The relationships among inhabitants’ place image dimensions, perceived tourism impacts, quality of life, and support for sustainable tourism development were examined using a model designed for this study. The results indicate that all four place image dimensions significantly influenced perceived positive tourism impacts. None of the place image dimensions had a significant effect on perceived negative impacts. Residents’ quality of life partially mediated the relationship between perceived positive impacts and residents’ support for sustainable tourism development. Further, it is explained how planning and development initiatives for tourism might be formed theoretically and practically.

Sport Tourism as Driving Force for Destinations’ Sustainability

Sport tourism is a fast-growing segment of tourism offering new perspectives and supporting travelers’ behavior shift towards active living that is a boost for sustainable destinations. These interrelations between active living, active travelling, and sport tourism have a powerful environmental, economic, and social impact. Based on the recognized contribution of sport tourism in sustaining destinations, the current paper aims to (a) explore the state of sport tourism in the Adriatic–Ionian Region by identifying existing sport tourism initiatives, (b) analyze the current and future potentials of sport tourism in the area’s sustainable growth, and (c) draw policy recommendations for sport tourism development in the region with a view to support the wider vision of sustainability. The review of existing sport tourism cases, revealing an existing investment towards this tourism form, was followed by a qualitative survey of the area’s tourism stakeholders (Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia). Results reveal that sport tourism is estimated to help in building a unique identity closely linked to sustainability goals—the area represents a great natural and cultural beauty that can be emphasized by sport initiatives, while, once such efforts are incorporated in wider sustainability plans, the destinations’ profiles can be significantly upgraded.

Residents’ support for tourism development: Investigating quality-of-life, community commitment, and communication

This study argues that when overall tourism impacts are positive, residents’ quality of life (QOL) increases, thereby positively affecting their attitudes towards tourism initiatives. The study also identifies several other important relationships that have been ignored in the literature. First, QOL may be a crucial push factor for community commitment, which in turn can trigger support for additional tourism development. Second, communication with tourists may moderate the links between QOL, community commitment, and tourism support. Data were collected from 468 residents living in Manavgat, Turkey and analyzed using structural equation modeling and Hayes’s PROCESS macro. The findings show that as the perception of the positive effects of tourism increases, opinions about the QOL will also be optimistic. Importantly, QOL strengthens both tourism support and community commitment. Additionally, community commitment mediates the link between QOL and attitudes towards tourism development. Finally, community commitment increases support for tourism, which is stronger for residents who communicate more with tourists.

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT: STRATEGIC GUIDELINES AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

Objective. The purpose of the article is to generalize and analyze the existing strategic guidelines and modern management practices for the sustainable tourism development, proposed by international organizations and associations. Methods. To achieve the goal, such research methods as literature review, substantive bibliometric analysis, data visualization were used. The review of international tourism organizations reports was used to identify, collect and analyze data on modern strategic guidelines and management practices for the sustainable tourism development, as well as their critical evaluation. Results. The initiatives of international tourism organizations to manage the sustainable tourism development are summarized and analyzed. It was determined that the most systematic approach to substantiation of strategic guidelines for the sustainable tourism development is inherent in the World Tourism Organization, which carries out its activities according to certain issues in seven directions, namely: increasing energy efficiency and use of renewable energy in hotels; monitoring the sustainable development of tourism at the destination level; resource-efficient use in tourism; simplification of tourist trips; stopping the loss of biodiversity and promoting the preservation and restoration of the environment; fight against climate change; launching a global plastic tourism initiative. The analysis and generalization of the existing strategic guidelines and modern management practices for the sustainable tourism development, proposed by international organizations and associations, allows us to conclude that the optimal recommendations for the sustainable tourism development should: 1) be aimed at the optimal use of environmental resources; 2) respect the socio-cultural authenticity of the host communities; 3) ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits for all stakeholders.