Habib Alipour

Tourism development within planning paradigms: the case of Turkey

Abstract The focus of this study is to examine the Turkish governments policy and planning process that was directly or indirectly involved in tourism development with the major aim of identifying the variables that are at work within the tourism organizations and administrative system. A case study of planning and implementation processes suggests that Turkeys tourism development was subject to various deliberate influences and spontaneous dynamics without a proactive national tourism policy. Furthermore, the planning process has remained limited to physical planning to the detriment of social, environmental and integrated planning. The tourism industry is confined to a few enclave developments as directed by market forces rather than as a derivative of formal planning decisions. This study also acknowledges that a ‘planning’ paradigm for tourism has been established, but not necessarily adopted/applied in every tourism development project (particularly in Turkey).

Tourism revival and planning in Islamic Republic of Iran: challenges and prospects.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to investigate and explore the Iranian tourism industry as it tries to meet the challenges which are facing not only the sector but also the Iranian government in a quest to restructure/revive the tourism sector as an economic alternative. Encouraging ‘tourism’ in Iran has become a hotly debated issue between two main factions in the government. One view sees tourism as a means to achieve economic benefits as well as a means to modernize and conform to the international community, where the second view considers tourism as a means of globalization and a threat to the Islamic values and norms. In spite of the vast tourism resources and potentials, Iranian tourism has experienced a tremendous setback due to upheavals of the 1970s and the Iran- Iraq war of the 1980s. The research has explored some fundamental flaws in the governments attitude towards the tourism sector which are embedded in the lack of commitment to, and a strategy for, the tourism sector. A minimal activity in the tourism sector has been confined to particular region/regions which are urban-based and religious oriented forms of tourism. Lack of a formidable tourism organization with a long-term strategy, along with an ad hoc approach to the sector, have curtailed such a promising sector in Iran.

Sustainable planning model toward reviving Lake Urmia

Lake Urmia (Urumieh in Persian) in north-western Iran is one of the largest permanent hyper-saline lakes in the world and the largest lake in the Middle East. It has numerous ecological, economic and social implications in terms of biodiversity, climate, species, habitat, tourism and recreation. However, during the past decade, the lake has shrunk significantly and its depth has fallen by almost 6 m. Contrary to other studies that have focused on the geomorphology of the lake, this study analyses the socio-environmental impact and provides a sustainable adaptive governance management model for its revival. This study reveals that unless various stakeholders and affected parties are actively involved in an implementable adaptive governance model, the fate of the lake will remain uncertain.

The untapped potential of sustainable domestic tourism in Iran

The majority of tourism literature focuses on international tourism; however, domestic tourism for specific destinations, such as Iran, can contribute to job creation, heritage protection, regional integration, and cross-cultural understanding. The market for domestic tourism in Iran has been downplayed and its true value has been underutilized. This study assumes that the present apathy towards tourism is reinforced by the public sectors lack of decisive governance towards the tourism industry where the public sector “can best act to mediate contemporary tourism-related social, economic, political and environmental policy problems” (Hall, 2011, p. 439). Drawing on “culture-ideology of consumerism” and “ecological economics” theories, study revealed that critiques of international mass tourism have convincing argument that domestic tourism is a domestic investment with a sustainable agenda.

A Conceptual Sustainability Approach to Tourism Planning and Development in Post-War Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)

Abstract This research aims to explore the processes of tourism planning and policies in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). For this purpose, a research model has been designed and tested for use in the case of BiH. The main backdrop to this model is based on a new, alternative tourism planning perspective (Tourism planning: a third way?) developed and designed for similar situations (Burns, 2004). The study proceeded by examining the institutions responsible for tourism development through the application of in-depth interviews, content analysis, personal communications, and observation. The findings of the study revealed that although the concept of tourism planning is well understood amongst decision-makers, it has, however, remained a theoretical precept rather than a practice which is implemented. The study has also revealed that the perception of tourism planning and development is devoid of new approaches in respect of the issues of sustainability and community involvement in the decision making process. Therefore, sustainability is not used as an integrated framework, and policies are made without including these two important dimensions, which are at the core of the Third Way model. According to the findings, the present situation can be attributed on the one hand to the political complexity of the economies in transition and, on the other, to the reluctance of the officials to commit themselves to a planning process which involves responsibilities and sacrifices.

Pro-tourism and anti-tourism community groups at a world heritage site in Turkey

This empirical study deepens our understating of support for sustainable tourism development (SSTD) from the perspectives of various community groups in Pamukkale, a world natural and cultural heritage inscribed on the UNESCO list. A quota sampling technique was used to survey the views of three communities: business, farmers, and the government. Occurrences of contrarian cases were checking using cross-tabulation analyses. Complexity theory and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), as an innovative approach, were applied to develop and test a configurational model for predicting both high and low SSTD scores for three community groups. The fsQCA results revealed that causal recipes for achieving pro-tourism behaviour are not simply mirror opposites of the conditions leading to anti-tourism behaviour. The complex configurational models indicating high/low SSTD were unique to each community group, indicating that a specified strategy must be developed for community-based tourism management. The evidence-of-fit validity of the measurement model and the predictive validity of the configurational model were provided. Support for the fsQCA results in the key tenets of complexity theory confirms that this theory explained the heterogeneity and complex interactions of SSTD antecedents well. The study outcomes provide a guideline for managing conditions to both increase SSTD and hinder SSTD negation for various community groups. The limitations and implications for further research are discussed.

Employee workplace spirituality and pro-environmental behavior in the hotel industry

ABSTRACT Pro-environmental behaviors in the workplace are less investigated than those in the public and private spheres. With this in mind, and through the values framework of workplace spirituality (WPS), synthesizing the theories of connectedness and organizational citizenship, the current study proposed a theoretical model to gauge the influence of WPS, a relatively new area of inquiry in organizational research and a neglected field in tourism and hospitality, on hotel employees’ organizational citizenship behavior for the environment (OCBE). In this framework, the emerging concept of connectedness to nature (CNS) – a strong cognitive and affective predictor of pro-environmental behavior – was depicted as a mediator, and the construct of environmental awareness (EA) was deemed a moderator. The intended model received support through empirical testing, and results confirmed that WPS is significantly associated with employees’ OCBE, and CNS indirectly affects the relationship between WPS and OCBE, while EA functions as a booster. The theoretical and practical implications of the study were discussed, and a series of contributory managerial implications were described accordingly.

Workplace spirituality and organization sustainability: a theoretical perspective on hospitality employees’ sustainable behavior

Organizations are under pressure to find new, sustainable practices to help deal with the deterioration of biodiversity, widening social inequality, and unsustainable use of scarce resources. The most pressing challenge for organizations is how to engage every employee in organizational sustainability process/practice, which is vital for a collective approach toward achieving organizational sustainability. This issue is even more of a concern in tourism and hospitality, which depends heavily on natural resources on the one hand, but is a labor-intensive sector with a huge number of employees on the other hand. However, there is a gap and lack of adequate focus in hospitality literature regarding workplace spirituality’s role, an employee-friendly work environment that raises the spirit of employees, and its contribution to the promotion of sustainable behavior among the employees. Nevertheless, some studies argue that workplace spirituality enhances the sense of community, increases other-centeredness value orientation, boosts social capital, and promotes empathy and compassion in the work environment. Based on a review of the literature, this study conceptually establishes a connection between workplace spirituality and sustainable behavior of employees at the organizational level. Thus, it is suggested that hospitality organizations can cultivate workplace spirituality and the creation of moral bedrock within the organizational space. The outcome of this process will uplift employees’ commitment to sustainable practices, environmental values, and their organization’s prosperity.