Claudia Jurowski

Resident attitudes: A Structural Modeling Approach

Abstract The objective of this research is to model host community support for tourism development based on the factors found to influence reactions towards it. Using the literature, a tourism support model with hypotheses involving several paths was proposed. Data were collected from five counties surrounding a Virginia (USA) recreation area, and the model and hypothesized paths were tested. The LISREL-8 structural equation analysis package was utilized with maximum likelihood method of estimation in combination with the two-stage process. The findings revealed that the host community support is affected by the level of concern, ecocentric values, utilization of resource base, perceived costs and benefits of the tourism development.

Exploring the future of tourism and quality of life

Few studies to date have examined the impact of tourism on quality of life (QoL) as conventional research has tended to focus, instead, on resident attitudes towards tourism and tourism ’s impacts in particular (Smith, 1977; 1989). Even less research has addressed whether tourism can drive or facilitate sustainable development (Miller and Twining-Ward, 2005) or whether tourism can contribute to the subjective wellbeing of those involved in travel and tourism. Impact studies generally ask residents to agree or disagree with statements regarding perceived impacts from tourism on their community. By contrast, QoL research aims to understand how these impacts are internalised and influence an individual’s overall life satisfaction (Andereck et al, 2007). With terms used interchangeably QoL, happiness and well-being refer to one’s satisfaction with life, and feelings of contentment or fulfilment with one’s experiences in the world (ibid.). Whether tourism as phenomena and practice may support the growing body of evidence that demonstrates a positive relationship between existential factors such as life purpose / meaning, personal growth and wellbeing (Vella-Brodrick, 2007) was the topic of intense debate during the 2008 Business Enterprises for Sustainable Travel Education Network (BEST EN) Think Tank VIII.

A Multi-cultural and Multi-disciplinary Approach to Integrating the Principles of Sustainable Development into Human Resource Management Curriculums in Hospitality and Tourism

The sustainability of the hospitality and tourism industry is dependent upon managers who adopt sustainable development principles as part of their management philosophy. Achieving this aim requires the integration of the principles of sustainable development into the curriculum of hospitality and tourism management courses. The article explains how a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary team of academics and practitioners used the nominal group technique to reach consensus on a curriculum module that integrated sustainability principles into a human resource management course. The process and the results of the consensus building process are discussed. The relationship between sustainable development principles in human resource management and socio-economic, cultural, and environmental issues is explained.

BEST think tanks and the development of curriculum modules for teaching sustainability principles

The actualisation of sustainable tourism is possible only if and when managers of tourist destinations and hospitality enterprises both value and know how to implement sustainable development principles and practices. It follows that the concept of sustainable development, with its values and principles, must become part of the mindset of tomorrows managers to move sustainable development forward from theoretical concepts to the realm of practice. Business Enterprises for Sustainable Travel (BEST) has assumed a responsibility for developing resources for educating future tourism managers about the principles of sustainable development. The goal is not only to instil the values of the principles of sustainability but also to impart the skills and knowledge needed to apply the principles. This report describes BESTs work and recent Think Tanks that have been used to progress that work.

The inner struggle of visiting ‘dark tourism’ sites: examining the relationship between perceived constraints and motivations

Numerous conflicting factors impact the tourism decision process especially as it relates to dark tourism, that is, tourism that focuses on mortality. This research examines the relationships among constraints and motivational factors that affect tourists’ decision to visit the Memorial of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre in China. Seven dimensions of constraints were revealed with the most important factor being an interest in other leisure activities. Of the three motivational factors discovered, the obligation the respondents feel to visit the site was discovered to be the most important. The major contribution of this research is its analysis of the relationship between motivations and constraints and the discovery that there are both positive and negative relationships between constraint and motivation factors. The most important finding may be that an increase in curiosity motivation may result in a decrease in disinterest constraints but an increase in the strength of the constraint of Chinese cultural perspectives on death and taboos. The findings suggest that the most effective marketing might not focus too much on the development of curiosity but on other motives, such as obligation and education.

Dancing cultures: globalization, tourism and identity in the anthropology of dance

Dancing Cultures is clearly written for anthropologists seeking an intellectual discussion of cultural components that are created, demonstrated, and evolved by dance through interactions of native...

Report: B.E.S.T. Think Tank IV: Mass Sustainable Tourism: Challenges and Opportunities

The achievement of sustainable tourism requires managers with knowledge and commitment to the implementation of sustainable practices. This report summarises the most recent Think Tank organised by Business Enterprises for Sustainable Travel (B.E.S.T.) Education Network, an organisation whose mission is to develop and disseminate knowledge in the field of sustainable tourism. It accomplishes its mission through the design of teaching material on sustainable practices that can be integrated into traditional hospitality and tourism management courses so future managers will have the skill and knowledge needed to manage in a sustainable manner. The B.E.S.T. Education Network is organised and chaired by Dr Pauline Sheldon from the University of Hawaii School of Travel Industry Management, and is comprised of university professors. The network has two sub-committees, one that plans the annual Think Tank and conference and the other, chaired by the author, is responsible for completing and disseminating the teaching materials created by the Think Tank participants. B.E.S.T., originally housed within the Conference Board, was founded in 2001 through a grant from the Ford Foundation as an incubator for stimulating a variety of activities to encourage the adoption of sustainable practices in the travel and tourism industry. In 2003, B.E.S.T. became a part of the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) as a programme of the International Tourism Partnership. One of B.E.S.T.’s activities was the organisation of Think Tanks whose purpose was to develop instructional material that could be inserted into undergraduate hospitality and tourism courses. The first Think Tank was held in Bongoni, South Africa, in 2001, followed by others held in Hawaii and Costa Rica. The Education Network was spawned in these Think Tanks and now has full responsibility for their continuation. Dr Janne Liburd chaired and hosted this year’s Think Tank, which was held at the University of Southern Denmark in Esbjerg, Denmark. Numerous keynote speakers updated the audience on important developments in sustainable tourism for mass destinations; 21 research papers were presented. A prize for the outstanding paper was awarded. Curriculum modules on Triple Bottom Line Accounting, Facilities Planning and Design, and Community Tourism were outlined. A summary of each segment of the Think Tank follows. JOST 595