Search Results (45)

The rise in seasonal lifestyle tourism, characterized by winter-escape health and wellness stays and long-term leisure residence, has intensified peak–off-peak imbalances and pressures on the allocation of tourism service supply in tropical island destinations. However, existing research lacks a systematic comparison of seasonal fluctuations and long-term evolution for this subgroup at the city/county level. Therefore, this study aims to characterize the seasonal pattern, long-term trend features, and typological differentiation of seasonal lifestyle tourism at the county level, and to compare differences across types. Using monthly data on seasonal lifestyle tourism for 18 cities/counties in Hainan from 2021 to 2024, we apply TRAMO/SEATS decomposition to identify seasonal structures and measure seasonal amplitude and employ the Hodrick–Prescott (HP) filter to extract trend components and determine their directions of change. We further construct five development types by integrating trend categories and changes in seasonal amplitude and test between-type differences using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results show that Hainan exhibits a stable “winter–spring peak and summer–autumn trough” pattern (peaks concentrated in January–March and December, with the off-season typically spanning May–October), with strong seasonality and pronounced spatial heterogeneity. The four-year mean seasonal range at the county level is 215.01, with high values clustered in southern Hainan; Haikou remains relatively low, while Wenchang shows an upward trend. Long-term trends are clearly differentiated: 13 counties show sustained growth, 2 show decline, and 3 display a U-shaped recovery (decline followed by rebound). Growth rates also vary substantially, with Qionghai increasing at roughly 27 times the rate of Qiongzhong. Integrating seasonal and trend characteristics yields five types, of which the Robust Development type accounts for the largest share (50%). Between-type differences are mainly reflected in tourism service supply capacity: the number of star-rated hotels (p = 0.033, η² = 0.530) and overnight visitors (p = 0.004, η² = 0.676) differ significantly across types, whereas differences in natural-environment conditions are not significant. This study provides a scientific basis for zoning management and optimizing low-season strategies in Hainan. Full article

Turnover is a major concern for the hotel and hospitality industry on a global scale. This research focuses on several Middle Eastern five-star hotels in terms of transactional leadership and its relationship with employees’ turnover intentions. In addition, the mediating effect of organizational climate, along with the moderating influence of psychological contract fulfillment are examined. This research combines the premises of social exchange, organizational support, and psychological contract theories to support the development of hypotheses. A total of 350 employee data from five-star hotels in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain was gathered using surveys using a convenience sampling method. The research used Partial Least Squares—Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the hypotheses, which were supported by the results obtained. The importance of organizational climate and fulfilling psychological contracts is highlighted, which, under transactional leadership, can reduce turnover intentions. This is critical for the labor-intensive hotel sector with high turnover rates and random and unpredictable tasks. Transactional leadership is found to be a good fit for the Middle Eastern hotel sector through routinization and a structural approach. The current findings can be beneficial for scholars and practitioners. Full article

Ice-and-snow tourism cities face pronounced seasonal fluctuations that place strong pressure on urban accommodation systems. Understanding the spatial distribution, accessibility, and service capacity of hotels is therefore critical for sustainable tourism management in cold-region cities. Taking Harbin, China, as a representative winter tourism destination, this study develops a GIS-based spatial analytical framework to examine the spatial organization and service performance of star-rated hotels. Using data from 553 three-star and above hotels, combined with questionnaire survey data (N = 224), we apply the Nearest Neighbor Index (NNI), Kernel Density Estimation (KDE), and raster-based cost-distance accessibility analysis to identify spatial clustering patterns, accessibility differentiation, and mismatches between hotel supply and peak seasonal demand. We find that available hotel rooms can only meet about 60% of peak-season demand, indicating a severe capacity deficit. The results reveal a clear core–periphery spatial structure of star-rated hotels, significant accessibility disparities among hotel categories, and a pronounced mismatch between accommodation capacity and tourism demand during peak winter seasons. Peripheral areas exhibit limited accessibility and insufficient service capacity, while central districts experience high concentration and pressure. These findings highlight the importance of integrating spatial equity and seasonal demand considerations into accommodation planning and infrastructure optimization, providing policy-relevant insights for sustainable tourism development in cold-region cities. Full article

Employees are the fundamental source of a sustainable competitive advantage. Without the high quality of human capital, organisations cannot attain a competitive advantage that can be sustained over time. Employer branding is a strategy that focuses on engaging and attracting the best talent from the job market, which is crucial for sectors known for high employee turnover rates. In recent years, digital platforms and information technology systems have revolutionised employer branding by helping organisations connect with talent in more personal and innovative ways. In this study, we sought to explore and understand the role of LinkedIn in employer branding efforts and evaluate the benefits of using LinkedIn to brand an employer as the first choice for prospective employees. Additionally, the research proposes a LinkedIn-Integrated Employer Branding Model (LIEBM) that incorporates LinkedIn strategies. Qualitative data were collated from the recruiting heads of the leading four- and five-star hotels in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. The findings indicate that LinkedIn is widely used to improve an organisation’s employer brand image through various strategies. The results also demonstrate that employing LinkedIn strategies enhances the benefits of employer branding, contributing to actionable insights in the hotel industry to make excellent decisions at pre-recruitment, recruitment and selection stages. Full article

This study examines how psycholinguistic features of online reviews relate to guest satisfaction in Bali’s spa hotel market. Using LIWC-22 category rates from Google Maps reviews, a corpus of 15,560 quality-filtered reviews from ten leading spa hotels was analyzed. Exploratory factor analysis yielded four interpretable dimensions—Social, Health and Wellness, Emotional Tone, and Lifestyle. In regressions predicting review star ratings (satisfaction), Social (β = 0.028) and Health and Wellness (β = 0.023) showed small but statistically detectable positive associations, whereas Emotional Tone (β = 0.006, t = 0.727) and Lifestyle (β = 0.004, t = 0.476) were not significant. The model’s explained variance is negligible (R² = 0.001; F = 5.283, p < 0.05), reflecting the many influences on ratings beyond review language; findings are interpreted as directional associations rather than predictive effects. Practically, the results point to prioritizing interpersonal service cues and wellness/treatment assurances, with tone monitoring being used for service-recovery signals. The design favors interpretability (validated, word-based categories; full-history snapshot) over black-box complexity, and transferability is Bali-specific and conditional on comparable market features. Future work should add contextual covariates (e.g., price and location), apply explicit temporal segmentation, extend to multilingual corpora, and triangulate text analytics with brief questionnaires and qualitative inquiry to strengthen validity and explanatory power. Full article

Spatial distribution is a critical factor influencing the success or failure of hotel management. This study examines the spatial distribution patterns of foreign star-rated hotels in China from 2000 to 2015 based on 27 typical city cases, using global and local spatial autocorrelation methods within GIS spatial analysis. The research explores the evolution of these patterns, analyzes key characteristics, and combines these insights with a stepwise regression method. Pearson correlation analysis is used to identify factors that influence the evolution of the spatial pattern. This study reveals that, first, the Z-value of global spatial autocorrelation of foreign star-rated hotels in China decreases from 2.38 to 1.63, indicating that the spatial distribution of foreign star-rated hotels in China has shifted from imbalanced to balanced, transitioning from economically developed regions such as areas with overseas Chinese populations, provincial capitals, and municipalities directly under central government control, toward tourist cities. Second, star-rated hotels hold a critical position within the spatial pattern, highlighting their central role in shaping the hospitality landscape. Third, the spatial distribution of foreign star-rated hotels is primarily influenced by the number of inbound tourists, followed by the presence of scenic spots rated 4A and above. The influence of other factors is found to be less significant. Fourth, the correlation coefficient between tourism demand and foreign star-rated hotels increased by 0.004, whereas the correlation coefficient between tourism supply and foreign star-rated hotels decreased by 0.036, indicating that market factors are playing an increasingly important role in shaping the evolution of foreign star-rated hotels in China, reflecting broader market dynamics. This study provides practical guidance for local Chinese hotels facing competition from foreign-funded establishments and offers theoretical insight into the strategic implementation of transnational operations. It points out the expansion direction of local Chinese hotels across different developmental stages. Full article

Hotels are key consumers of products; therefore, they could contribute to the sustainable development of local communities. This research analyses consumption of local primary sector products in four-star and five-star hotels in Tenerife (Spain). In-person questionnaires were completed over a non-probabilistic sample of hotels to collate data with respect to categories of foodstuff consumption. Two indices were designed to this effect, which enabled us to compare the results according to hotel category, occupancy rate, and zone and determine the specific weight of each product category. The study aims to offer a reference tool to local authorities for granting Corporate Social Responsibility awards to luxury hotels as an incentive. Although carried out in Tenerife (Spain), this study is applicable to any tourist destination. Full article

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, customer reviews play a crucial role in shaping the reputation and success of hotels. Accurately analyzing and classifying the sentiment of these reviews offers valuable insights into customer satisfaction, enabling businesses to gain a competitive edge. This study undertakes a comparative analysis of traditional natural language processing (NLP) models, such as BERT and advanced large language models (LLMs), specifically GPT-4 omni and GPT-4o mini, both pre- and post-fine-tuning with few-shot learning. By leveraging an extensive dataset of hotel reviews, we evaluate the effectiveness of these models in predicting star ratings based on review content. The findings demonstrate that the GPT-4 omni family significantly outperforms the BERT model, achieving an accuracy of 67%, compared to BERT’s 60.6%. GPT-4o, in particular, excelled in accuracy and contextual understanding, showcasing the superiority of advanced LLMs over traditional NLP methods. This research underscores the potential of using sophisticated review evaluation systems in the hospitality industry and positions GPT-4o as a transformative tool for sentiment analysis. It marks a new era in automating and interpreting customer feedback with unprecedented precision. Full article

This study explores the relationship between environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance and enterprise value in Chinese tourism companies, with differing degrees of media attention and green innovation as the multiple-chained mediating factors. In this study, we adopted a quantitative approach to collect survey data from 804 samples selected from China’s A-level tourist attractions, star-rated hotels, and travel agencies. Through rigorous statistical analysis and hypothesis testing, our results reveal a significant positive relationship between ESG performance and enterprise value in tourism companies. Media attention and green innovation demonstrate crucial chained mediating effects in this relationship. The findings expand the understanding of ESG performance’s influence on enterprise value in the tourism sector, highlighting how media visibility and innovation initiatives amplify ESG’s positive effects. This study offers practical implications for tourism companies, emphasizing the importance of integrating ESG principles into core business strategies, engaging with media, and investing in green innovation to enhance firm value. In addition, it suggests that policymakers create incentive structures to promote sustainable practices and encourage media–tourism company collaborations to communicate ESG efforts effectively. Full article

(1) Background: Facing the challenges of a post-pandemic period and the Ukraine War and recognising the gap in scientific research on the application of revenue management (RM) in the Portuguese hotel industry, the main objective of this study is to identify the most effective and least appropriate RM practices for use in periods of low demand and crises, reflecting the financial sustainability perspective. The theoretical framework of this study focuses on the main RM practices, grouping them into price and non-price strategies. (2) Methods: A quantitative methodology was employed, collecting information from Portuguese hotels through an online questionnaire, and statistical analysis using Mann–Whitney and Chi-square tests was conducted. (3) Results: Hotels offered discounts during the pandemic, but room rates were reduced during the recovery period. These findings also revealed that commonly used techniques were the best available rate (BAR) and rate fences, particularly during the pandemic. Quality, brand image, strategic partnerships, and marketing actions are recognised as essential. However, loyalty programs, length of stay (LOS) control, rate parity, and bundled services are not commonly implemented despite their importance during periods of low demand. Larger hotels, five-star hotels, and members of international chains applied more RM practices than smaller four-star independent hotels. (4) Originality: This study provides original and valuable insights into increasing hotel revenues and occupancy rates during future periods of low demand, which benefit financial sustainability. Full article

Travelers’ perceptions of hotels and their aspects have been the focus of much research and are often studied by analyzing consumers’ online reviews. Yet, little attention has been given to the effect of the trip mode, i.e., whether the person travels alone or with others, on travelers’ preferences as sentiment. Here, we study the influence of the trip mode and purpose using a mixed-methods approach. We conducted a user study to evaluate the perceptions of reviews across trip modes and found that star ratings do not consistently capture the sentiment in text reviews; on average, solo travelers’ text reviews are perceived as more negative than the star ratings they assigned, whether they travel for business or pleasure. We then analyzed over 137,000 reviews from TripAdvisor and Venere and found that a co-occurrence network approach naturally divides the text of reviews into hotel aspects. We used this result to measure the importance of hotel aspects across various traveler modes and purposes and identified significant differences in their preferences. These findings underscore the need for personalized marketing and services, highlighting the role of trip mode in shaping online review sentiment and traveler satisfaction. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic drove the use of cleaning products, causing organic solvent contamination in hospitality environments. This pilot study investigated the presence and concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in selected hotels in four different US cities with varying star ratings at the end of the pandemic period. Targeting 139 VOCs, 57 were detected across eight groups: alcohols, halocarbons, aromatics, alkanes, terpenes, carbonyls, ethers, and esters, in the indoor air. Alcohols were the most prevalent, especially in lower-rated hotels, suggesting higher use of cleaning supplies. Elevated levels of aromatics were detected in hotels rated under three stars, with a notable disparity compared to higher-rated hotels. Additionally, alkanes and terpenes such as n-tetradecane and d-limonene were consistently detected. Health risk assessment showed concentrations of all VOCs remained below their health criteria for customers. The cumulative cancer risk was 2.25 × 10⁻⁶ for hotel workers from chronic occupational exposure to eight carcinogenic VOCs, representing 1/3 of the lifetime risk from these chemicals in the ambient air. Cancer risks from individual VOCs ranged from 0.001 × 10⁻⁶ to 1.07 × 10⁻⁶, with chloroform accounting for nearly half of the cumulative risk. The findings underscore the need for careful selection and use of furnishings and cleaning supplies and for effective indoor air pollution control and management in hotel indoor environments. Full article

Understanding the spatial distribution and sustainable development of rural tourism is essential for promoting balanced regional growth and formulating optimized policy strategies. This study aims to provide insights into sustainable development and policy optimization. Utilizing geographic information system technology, dominance analysis, and Geodetector statistical methods, this research offers a comprehensive examination of the spatial patterns and determinants of these distributions. The findings reveal significant regional disparities and clustering, with a higher concentration of key villages in economically developed eastern and central regions and fewer in the less developed western regions. The dominance analysis highlights that provinces such as Zhejiang, Shandong, and Beijing demonstrate strong advantages across multiple dimensions, including ecological environment, economic development, tourism infrastructure, transportation accessibility, policy support, and social development. Conversely, regions such as Ningxia, Qinghai, and Tibet exhibit lower dominance scores, indicating challenges in rural tourism development due to limited resources and infrastructure. Key influencing factors include forest coverage, GDP per capita, the number of star-rated hotels, transportation network density, policy initiatives, and urbanization rates. The results underscore the importance of a multi-dimensional approach to enhance rural tourism competitiveness and suggest targeted strategies for underperforming regions. This study contributes to advancing the theoretical framework of sustainable rural tourism and provides actionable insights for policymakers to foster balanced regional development, ecological conservation, and community-centered tourism practices. Full article

Tourism has emerged as a pivotal element of China’s economic development, particularly within its coastal cities. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of China’s coastal city tourism economic development, focusing on 53 coastal cities. Through a meticulous combination of literature analysis and data crawling, a robust database is constructed, encompassing tourism resources and revenues. This study delineates the spatial–temporal evolution pattern of China’s coastal city tourism development and employs geo-detector methods to quantitatively analyze the impact factors driving this evolution. Key findings reveal distinct trends in the coastal tourism economy of China from 2009 to 2019, characterized by spatial stability, similar trends in adjacent spatial units, and localized spatial structures. Notably, factors such as actual foreign investment, the presence of star-rated guesthouses, tourism industry employment, airport activity, and import–export trade volume exert significant influence on the domestic tourism economy. Similarly, tourism employment, airport activity, availability of star-rated hotels, import–export trade, and utilization of foreign capital emerge as influential factors shaping inbound tourism. Policy recommendations emphasize the need for government intervention to optimize tourism development strategies for coastal cities. This entails balancing resource exploitation with environmental protection and enhancing the quality of tourism services, fostering sustainable growth and long-term prosperity. Full article

This study investigates the elements that influence the quality of cultural and tourism services in the Huizhou region, seeking to improve the region’s tourism competitiveness and revive the growth of the local rural tourism industry based on the background of cultural and tourism integration. This article builds an evaluation index system for the influencing variables of culture and tourism service quality by choosing 20 indicators from three categories: public service quality, cultural service quality, and tourism industry performance. The entropy weight Topsis method is employed to assess the service quality of three districts and five counties in the Huizhou area, which serves as the research object. Research has shown that (1) the number of five-star hotels, the number of A-level scenic spots, and the number of overseas tourists received have a significant weight, and these have become important factors affecting the effective supply of high-quality rural tourism; (2) there is a significant difference in the quality of cultural and tourism services in different areas across the Huizhou region, with Tunxi District and Yi County having the highest level of service quality, while Qimen County and Jixi County have the lowest level; (3) The overall quality of cultural and tourism services in Huizhou region is relatively high, with six districts and counties rated medium or above, accounting for about 75% of the total. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the infrastructure construction, improve the quality of public services, maintain the local and regional culture, accelerate the integration of culture and tourism, and enhance the high-quality development of regional tourism in Huizhou. Full article