Journal of Tourism Management Research

Transformative changes in human resources management practices in the tourism sector amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

2024-01-09T03:48:32-06:00

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced a significant degree of uncertainty into the operational landscape of businesses within the tourism sector. These uncertainties have raised questions about how working conditions have evolved and may continue to change in the future. This phenomenon has not only had a widespread impact on the travel industry, but it has also extended its influence to the education sector, consequently affecting numerous other sectors in the broader economy. Within this context, the role of departments such as Human Resources (HR) has gained increasing prominence. These departments are entrusted with the crucial responsibility of monitoring workplace standards, particularly in terms of compliance with hygiene regulations and health procedures. The research was conducted in the accommodation service sector of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), encompassing businesses operating in various regions. A sample size of 20 was selected, with data collected from five different facilities situated across the Northern part of the island. This research seeks to shed light on the evolving landscape of human resources management practices in response to the transformative changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve this objective, a qualitative research approach was employed. Oral interviews with business executives supplemented this strategy, giving the research findings more depth and context. The culmination of this study is presented in the final section, encapsulating the results and their implications. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse surrounding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on human resources, shedding light on the evolving landscape of work in the tourism sector.

Unravelling the dynamics of behavioral loyalty: A model for domestic tourists exploring Terengganu

2024-03-30T04:18:41-05:00

This study examines a model for domestic tourists exploring Terengganu. The Terengganu Tourism Department is tasked with increasing tourist numbers, enhancing their expenditures through heightened allure and superior services, creating an indelible experiential milieu, and establishing Terengganu as a prominent destination. However, recent statistics depict Terengganu as experiencing a diminutive influx of domestic tourists and corresponding tourism receipts compared to other states. In 2018, Terengganu ranked ninth in domestic tourist visitations and associated receipts. Hence, this study aims to ascertain the determinants influencing behavioral loyalty among domestic tourists towards Kuala Terengganu. Data collection transpired through an online questionnaire deployed via Google Forms, synchronized with the global advent of COVID-19, which precipitated ramifications across nations. Respondents included domestic tourists visiting Kuala Terengganu. Data analysis involved 201 respondents, using structural equation modeling. The empirical findings describe that the attractiveness of the destination substantiates a discernible impact on tourist satisfaction. Furthermore, the outcomes highlight that tourist satisfaction exerts a noteworthy influence on eWord-of-mouth (eWOM) and behavioral loyalty. The findings indicate that tourist satisfaction comprehensively mediates the relationship between destination attractiveness and both eWOM and behavioral loyalty. It asserts that Kuala Terengganu’s distinctiveness from competing Malaysian destinations is facilitated by destination attractiveness, involving recreational amenities, leisure facilities, infrastructural attributes, and overall appeal. Consequently, proficient promotional strategies can be devised by Tourism Terengganu, accentuating the advantageous and captivating features of Kuala Terengganu’s attractions. These aspects are strategically tailored to resonate with the cognitive and emotional assessments of domestic tourists, instigating a proclivity to recurrently choose Kuala Terengganu as their preferred travel destination.

Perception of medical tourism image from the perspective of healthcare professionals: The case of Turkey

2024-03-30T04:51:26-05:00

The study aims to reveal Türkiye’s medical tourism destination image and its determinants from the perspective of healthcare professionals. The cross-sectional study population consists of healthcare professionals working in public hospitals in Türkiye (N=1.142.469). The research data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of two parts. The first part of the questionnaire consisted of statements aiming to reveal the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants. The “medical tourism image scale” was used in the second part of the questionnaire. The study data were collected online between July 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023. Of the participants, 64.9% were female, 58.1% were married, 37.7% were between the ages of 18-29, and 31.7% were physicians. 76.7% of the participants chose their profession willingly, 80.2% were dissatisfied with their lives in general, 23.9% were working in the Black Sea Region, and 56.9% stated that economic instability was the biggest obstacle to medical tourism. As a result of the study, the total score on the medical tourism scale was 94.270±12.751. According to the results of the correlation analysis, there was a relationship between service quality, safety and security, cost, tourism opportunities, hygiene, and accessibility (p<0.001). Türkiye’s medical tourism destination image is high, according to healthcare professionals. However, healthcare professionals think that economic instability is the biggest obstacle to medical tourism. The most important conclusion of the study is that service quality, safety and security, cost, tourism opportunities, hygiene level, and accessibility are essential factors in forming a medical tourism image.

Dark tourism: The effect of visiting a mausoleum on a tourist’s psychological mood state in the central Asian city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan

2024-04-04T02:52:09-05:00

This paper examines the psychological effects of dark tourism by analyzing the feelings and emotions of domestic and international tourists who visited a mausoleum. Dark tourism sites have received considerable attention as a growing phenomenon in the 21st century. Dark tourism is associated with death, disasters, and atrocities; and includes places such as murder sites, battlefields, cemeteries, and places where tragedies have taken place. The Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum in the Central Asian city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan was chosen as a dark tourism site. A convenience sample of 21 visitors, of which 10 were international travelers and 11 were from Central Asian countries, agreed to be individually interviewed using a qualitative methodology. The results found that a range of emotions were expressed during the visit, with the majority of visitors expressing positive emotions on a scale from good to great, which included feelings of contentment, astonishment, excitement, and admiration at the conclusion of their visit. For many of the local visitors of the Islamic faith, it also provided a religious experience that for, some included prayer and meditation.

Does tourist guides' perceptions of quality of work life effect their perceptions of responsible tourism?

2024-04-22T00:43:29-05:00

The rapid development of tourism movements in recent years has brought to the fore concerns about the economic, socio-cultural, and environmental carrying capacities of tourism destinations. Sustainable tourism policies, like responsible tourism, should be adopted by countries that see the significance of building tourism around pristine natural and cultural resources. This will help to pass on their values to future generations and ensure that they continue to generate economic benefits. It is important to determine the responsible tourism perceptions of tourist guides, who are important stakeholders in the tourism industry and are conscious of the protection of the natural environment in the tours they manage. In this context, it is aimed at determining whether tourist guides' perceptions of the quality of work life have an impact on their perceptions of responsible tourism. For this purpose, first a conceptual framework was developed, and then data from the study were collected from 405 tourist guides with face-to-face surveys that contained the Work-Related Quality of Life Scale (WRQoL) and the Scale of Responsible Tourism (SRT). The study’s data were analyzed with a statistical package program and discussed in terms of descriptive and inferential statistics. As a result of the analysis, it has been determined that there is a significant relationship between the perceptions of quality of work life and the perceptions of responsible tourism of tourist guides. In addition, with the regression analysis, it was seen that quality of work life perceptions positively affected the responsible tourism perceptions of tourist guides.