Elena Cavagnaro

A study of students’ travellers values and needs in order to establish futures patterns and insights

Purpose If the only viable future for tourism is sustainable tourism then ways should be sought to increase the demand for sustainable offers. The purpose of this paper is to explore whether sustainability values influence the travel needs of students. The aim is to discover cues in the present behaviour of young tourists that can enhance sustainable travel choices and therefore secure the future of the tourism industry. Moreover, the study provides a solid basis for predicting the future travel behaviour of young tourists. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected in The Netherlands in 2013 through a survey. A non‐probabilistic sample of 365 students (a sub‐group of young tourists) was reached. Multivariate analyses were used to test whether position in the social structure and value orientation influence the travel need. The logistic models allowed youth tourism behaviour to be predicted. Findings Respondents with a biospheric value orientation associate travel with being in contact with nature an...

Generation Y’s attitude towards organic wine

This research paper focuses on the motives behind Generation Ys wine choices. Data collection was done by reviewing relevant literature, interviewing wine experts and organising blind and open wine tastings accompanied by questionnaires and focus group discussions. Results confirm that a high level of wine knowledge and biospheric value orientations positively influence organic wine appreciation. The extrinsic attributes price and grape variety are important in the wine purchasing decision. However, when it comes to repeat purchasing, taste is the most important aspect. For future research the advice is to measure the effect of product exposure and organic wine promotion in the longer term on Generation Ys organic wine appreciation.

Sustainable tourism 2040

Purpose In tourism, it is a challenge to connect the commercial (economic) interests of the industry with the creation of social and environmental values along the principles of sustainability. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework that can inspire businesses to use sustainability as a leading principle for their commercial activities, by means of expert consultation. Design/methodology/approach A study was conducted in which sustainability, foresight and business identity featured as the guiding concepts. Data were collected by means of expert consultation. Findings The study resulted in four scenarios for a sustainable tourism industry in 2040 which were framed by the key uncertainties driving this 2040 future. These scenarios offer a source of inspiration for tourism businesses to develop a proactive attitude and robust strategies for a sustainable yet competitive future. Subsequently, for each of the four business types (based on their identity or DNA) strategic questions were listed together with actionable strategic propositions with reference to sustainable development. Research limitations/implications Data were collected with a sample of partners in the European Tourism Futures Research Network (convenience sample). Practical implications The key strategic questions and actionable strategic propositions are presented for four different business styles that allow them to implement sustainability in a commercial way. Originality/value The connection between the core concepts of sustainability, foresight and business identity offers a novel approach to the field of sustainability.

Fun, animal welfare or community development? Understanding young tourists’ preferences for a wildlife tourism package

This paper explores the impact of young travellers’ value orientations on their choice for a wildlife tourism package. On the basis of existing literature, four different packages were designed: one mirroring the traditional offer of wildlife tourism as a hedonic experience; one enhancing the animal welfare aspect and intended to appeal to biospheric values; one enhancing the cultural and community development aspect and intended to appeal to altruistic values; and one combining both cultural and animal welfare aspects. Data were gathered on location in South Africa – one of world’s main wildlife tourism destinations. Results suggest that the altruistic and biospheric value orientations have a strong influence on the choice for a wildlife package tour. Respondents with an above average altruistic value orientation opt for the tour that focuses on community development (third package) or that combines this aspect with animal welfare (fourth package); while respondents with an above average biospheric value orientation are attracted to the fourth package. Overall, the majority of respondents opt for one of the packages that include sustainability components. These outcomes combined with results from previous research bring us to the conclusion that young tourists are open to a sustainable tourism offer in general and wildlife tourism in particular.

Change as a travel benefit: Exploring the impact of travel experiences on Italian youth

This paper aims, firstly, at identifying the main dimensions of perceived change induced in young people by a travel experience and, secondly, at understanding which dimensions of the tourism experience have the greatest influence on this change. A survey was designed based on the contemporary literature and validated through a series of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with experts. Data were collected from a representative sample of 400 young Italian travellers. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) identified two dimensions of perceived personal change. The first dimension is linked to cultural knowledge and openness to other cultures, while the second relates to the introspective benefits that allow young travellers to enhance their self-understanding. By using logistic regression models, the influence of sociodemographic variables and the tourism experience on the two change dimensions were identified. This study confirms the potentiality of tourism to promote change in the young traveller. Moreover, in answering its first aim, it shows that change is a two-dimensional construct involving personal and interpersonal change. Regarding the second research aim, this study has contributed to a more solid distinction between meaning and motivation to travel. Results moreover show that meaning, motivation and satisfaction are the components of the travel experience that exercise a significant influence on the perceived change.

Academy of International Hospitality Research (AIHR) Conference, 11–12 April 2017: Innovation in Hospitality – an overview

The third AIRH conference involved 18 speakers making either keynote or paper presentations from twelve countries, mostly from Europe but also one from the USA. Over 80 delegates registered to attend and the programme stimulated some lively debates. Formal and informal feedback was very positive and most attendees reported that they gained a lot from the event. The conference opened with a debate on revenue management. Revenue management embraces the selling of goods or services at the optimum (by definition, not the maximum) price. The optimum price is the best price that a guest is ready to pay at a certain moment in time, in this case the optimum price per room so as to maximise hotel revenue on any one day. Hotel accommodation is said to be highly perishable because it is time-specific. Rooms not sold today cannot be stockpiled until tomorrow. Hotel management is keenly focused on ensuring maximum occupancy at the best possible price; and revenue management has been an important tool to assist in this objective. The first speaker, Professor Stanislav Ivanov from Varna University, posed questions about the durability of revenue management by stating that some assumptions of revenue management are probably already outdated and do not take into account new realities. One of the questionable assumptions is about the linearity of the demand curve because people are not the rational decision-makers of classic economic models. Not all hotel guests are equally price sensitive – those with expense accounts, or luxury seekers, for example, are unlikely to respond in the classic theory way when pries are reduced. The way companies consider their guest is not future proof because clients will also have at their disposal artificial intelligence and will use it to challenge the revenue management structures of the service provider. Artificial intelligence will, for example, compare hundreds and thousands of website for offers, will check on hotel rates 24/7 and be able to book and pay. And this thought brought Professor Ivanov to the last question: who will be the target of revenue management then, the human being or the artificial intelligence making the booking for the client? Jean-Pierre van der Rest, Professor at the University of Leiden Law School, focused on the institutional response to the possible artificial intelligence threats to costumer privacy and freedom of choice. The point being that behavioural pricing is discriminating because it uses personal characteristics to fix a price for a good or service. And that, moreover, it can negatively affect the trust people have in the company using these tactics. Finally, there are people who have not the capacity to understand when they may be cheated by a company. Legislators may intervene using, for example, the tool of mandatory disclosure, warning about pricing policies. In an experiment, Jean-Pierre checked the impact of different disclosure statements on the propensity for people to buy. Results show that disclosure statements do not have a negative impact, and in three out of four options, do not have a positive impact on the intention to buy. The more the message is in line with the perceived self-interest, the higher their intention to buy. This rebound effect makes disclosure not the best way for regulators to act and warn people. Stan Josephi introduced revenue management as a game with different levels and of increasing complexity. Its complexity has to do with the shortage of skills, the short-term focus of owners, the Chinese walls between hotel departments, and in fact the sheer variety of customers’ needs and wishes. His message is that to play this game properly, the whole organisation should be geared towards playing it, from strategy via processes and culture to people’s mentality and intuition. The people touch, though, should not be emphasised as much as it is now. The focus should be on online reputation of the hotel and scientific analysis of reliable data, not only to optimise demand, but to generate it. Benjamin Tam, revenue manager at NH hotels, tied down the whole discussion to practice. The message is that revenue management is becoming more flexible and dynamic so that a tailor-made offer can be made to the guest. The tools being used are making this possible by offering data almost in real time. Interestingly, NH is now negotiating with Booking, from which they still get the majority of guests, by offering the same discount they offer to NH loyalty programme members, but only on the condition that the client coming to Booking enrol for the loyalty programme. Clearly too at NH, revenue REPORT