Dimitrios P. Stergiou

Q-methodology and tourism research

Tourism research is in the midst of a ‘critical turn’ away from traditional positivist approaches, towards more reflective and critical paths of inquiry. This paper introduces readers to Q-methodology, a method of research that tourism researchers rarely use and that can provide useful information in critical tourism research concerning the exploration and comparison of subjectivity. The paper presents the fundamentals of the approach and provides examples of its application in tourism and other areas that may directly interest tourism researchers. In so doing, the paper encourages and facilitates the use of Q-methodology amongst tourism researchers interested in enhancing the nature and richness of their methodological alternatives for developing tourism knowledge.

Inquiry Conversion and Tourism Website Effectiveness: Assumptions, Problems and Potential

The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of inquiry conversion in tourism website evaluation research. It uses data from an evaluation of a tourism promotional website to explore some of the potential problems and issues associated with conversion studies. In doing so, a number of basic assumptions that form the basis for the rationale underlying conversion research are discussed, as are important methodological issues raised by tourism researchers. Additional comments for improving the quality of conversion studies measuring the effectiveness of tourism websites are presented.

Generation Z as Young Winery Visitors in Greece

Generation Z (Gen Z), as consumers, represent the future of the wine tourism industry. Yet to date it has escaped the attention of wine tourism researchers. This study sought to begin addressing this gap, by investigating the winery experiences of Gen Z in Greece. A list of attributes of the winery visit was adopted for testing and a sample of Gen Z higher education students (n = 156) participating on a winery field trip was used to determine the perceived importance and performance of each attribute. The results show that the core wine product has limited appeal for Greek Gen Z consumers, who are mostly interested in spending a pleasurable day outdoors with opportunities to socialise with friends, enjoy the food and scenery, and undertake non-wine related activities.

Understandings of tourism theory

Purpose This paper explores perceptions of tourism theory and its usefulness to the professional practice of tourism management as identified by the two major stakeholder groups – academics and tourism practitioners. Design/methodology/approach Data for this study were collected through the use of two electronically administered surveys with tourism academics teaching on undergraduate tourism programmes of study and tourism professionals, both based in the UK. Findings Findings suggest that tourism theory is important in understanding tourism itself. But at the same time it has pragmatic relevance, facilitating researchers and others to make sense of the real world and contributing to successful practice in tourism. Originality/value This is the first study to provide empirical data from both academic and practitioner perspectives into often contested debates about the nature and uses of tourism theory.

An importance-performance analysis of young people’s response to a wine tourism situation in Greece

ABSTRACT The objective of this paper is to explore the desired wine tourism experience of young adults in Greece. While increased attention has been paid by researchers to age-related differences regarding wine tourism, young wine tourists in Greece have not received academic attention to date. This study addresses this gap in the literature, focusing particularly on the context of the winery visitation experience. More specifically, a list of attributes of the winery visit was adopted for testing and a sample of 156 higher education students participating in a field trip to a winery were asked to rate the importance and performance of each attribute. The study was undertaken within an Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) framework. As indicated from the empirical findings, the core product of the winery experience appears to have limited appeal to young consumers, who have other priorities when visiting a winery. These include enjoying the scenery and food, socialising, and undertaking non-wine related activities. They are also particularly price sensitive. The final section considers the implications of these findings for winery managers and future research into the wine-related experiences of young markets.

Second home conversion during the economic crisis: the case of Artemida, Greece

Abstract The conversion of second to primary homes is a known phenomenon; yet, its emergence as a result of necessity in an era of economic crisis has not been adequately addressed in the literature. To fill this gap, the article discusses an interview study of younger adults who have made this conversion, conducted in a second home area near Athens, Greece. The study explores the factors that influenced respondents to move permanently to their second home and perceptions of their relocation. Given the ongoing economic crisis in Greece, the research is placed in a unique socioeconomic context, allowing the investigation to delve into the effects of the economic crisis on these housing choices, by comparing perspectives on conversions having taken place before and during the crisis. Findings depict second home mobility as a complex phenomenon linked to tourism, changing housing needs, social factors, economic pressures, but also new potential urban functions arising from the current economic depression in Greece.

Tourism education and industry expectations in Greece: (re)minding the gap

The tourism industry in Greece is experiencing growth even in the midst of the current economic crisis. In 2013, international visitors consumed more than €11 billion worth of goods and services produced by the Greek economy, which accounted for 26.5 percent of the country’s total exports (World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), 2013). The level of arrivals to Greece increased by 6.1 million (38.2 percent) between 2008 (the year the crisis hit) and 2014 (SETE (Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises, 2014; World Bank, 2015), with revenues reaching €13.4 billion (Bank of Greece, 2015). Moreover, in 2014 tourism directly supported 340 500 jobs (9.4 percent of total employment). According to the latest WTTC (2015) research, this was expected to rise at an annual rate of 2.4 percent to 446 000 jobs (10.4 percent of total employment) in 2025. From an educational perspective, this growing demand for tourism employees can be translated into a growing need of tourism education to adequately prepare the workforce to serve present and future needs of the industry. As Ladkin (2005) points out, tourism higher education, as a major platform for human capital development for the tourism industry, has a mission to provide graduates with the particular skills and attributes necessary for successful operation in tourism workplaces. In other words, tourism education needs to enhance the employability of tourism graduates. Indeed, students enrolling in tourism programs of study are motivated by anticipated career outcomes (Airey and Johnson, 1999). However, employability of the future graduates is not likely to increase unless they demonstrate their ability to cope with the circumstances of the business world. Yet there appears to be a considerable gap between what is taught in tourism education and what is actually needed by the industry (Amoah and Baum, 1997; Zehrer and Mössenlechner, 2009). In this respect, tourism education has often been criticized for overemphasizing theoretical knowledge, at the expense of practical application (Dale and Robinson, 2001; Koh, 1995). At the same time, the tourism industry tends to discount students’ formal qualifications on the grounds of insufficient knowledge and expectations about tourism employment conditions and lack of experience (Hjalager, 2003; Jugmohan, 2010; Kusluvan and Kusluvan, 2000). Similar results are reported by a set of evaluative studies of the Greek tourism education system, presented later in this chapter. However, findings from these studies are almost exclusively based on the views of hotel managers and graduates working in hotels and are, therefore, of limited scope because they are confined to a single sector of the tourism industry. To this end, this chapter takes an interest in tourism industry expectations of tourism graduates in Greece. The scope of these earlier studies is broadened by using empirical material from an interview study of tourism managers in Athens, representing a wider range of tourism organizations.

Handbook of marketing research methodologies for hospitality and tourism

This text is one in a series entitled ‘Aspects of Tourism’, edited by Chris Cooper, C. Michael Hall, and Dalen J. Timothy. This text is but one of a large number of texts from the publisher dealing with various tourism issues facing decision-makers, government officials, academics and industry researchers. The basic intent of this text is to examine in a comprehensive manner the transport/tourism interface. Tourism transport is discussed from the standpoint of modes of transport, transport networks and various flows of tourist passengers within the modes and networks. The text itself may be useful in a number of settings, including particularly the academic arena (which will be elaborated upon on later). Researchers and others interested in the area of tourism transport will also be interested in Duval’s work, especially as he synthesizes his text from a relatively large body of literature. All of the text chapters have a series of learning objectives at the beginning of the chapter, a chapter summary, self-review and essay questions at the end of each chapter and key sources with brief annotations. These elements will be useful in the academic setting especially, as many texts that are used in teaching lack even the basic elements just discussed. The text consists of three sections. The first section provides the framework for the rest of the text. In Chapter 1, initially a situational analysis of tourism and transport is provided. Five premises are discussed concerning relationships among transport, networks and tourism flows, which underlie much of the text: