Search Results (7)

Background and Objectives: Chronic low back pain is a widespread condition, particularly in older populations, contributing to physical, mental, and social burdens. Traditional treatments, such as medications and surgery, carry long-term risks, including dependency, side-effects, and complications from invasive procedures. Additionally, healthcare accessibility is limited due to high costs, long waiting times, and geographic disparities in healthcare services, particularly in rural areas. For these reasons, non-pharmacological approaches that address both physical and psychological aspects are increasingly recognized as effective. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a marine resource-based healing program in Taean, South Korea, in improving pain, physical function, and mental health in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain. Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled trial involved 46 participants with non-specific chronic low back pain (mean age, 68.7 ± 5.1 years), randomly allocated to either an experimental group (marine healing program) or a control group (core exercises). The experimental group participated in a 4-night, 5-day intervention comprising heated peat pack therapy, mindfulness meditation, core exercises, and local tourism. The control group performed core exercises without additional interventions. Key outcomes included pain, muscle properties, functional disability, lower extremity function, balance, gait, and depression. Results: The experimental group demonstrated significant reductions in resting pain (p < 0.001), improved pressure pain threshold at L3 (p < 0.001), decreased L3 muscle tone (p = 0.015), and improved functional disability scores (p < 0.001). Functional gains were observed in lower extremity function scores (p < 0.001), balance (sway area: p = 0.046), gait velocity (p < 0.001), and depression levels (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The marine healing program significantly improved pain, functional abilities, and mental well-being in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain, highlighting its potential as an integrative approach to chronic low back pain management. Further studies are recommended to explore long-term and generalized effects. Full article

The assessment of sustainable tourism development in the rural areas of the Aktobe oblast of Kazakhstan involved thoroughly analyzing multiple dimensions. Environmental, socio-economic, and cultural sustainability aspects were considered to comprehensively understand the region’s tourism potential. The study began by evaluating the available tourism resources in rural Aktobe. This included assessing natural attractions such as landscapes, wildlife, and geological features, as well as cultural heritage sites and infrastructure like accommodation facilities and transportation networks. A crucial aspect of the study was to analyze the environmental impact of tourism activities in rural areas. This involved evaluating the effects on ecosystems and natural resources. The measures for conserving these resources were also identified. Another focus was on the socio-cultural aspects of tourism development. The study aimed to preserve local traditions, cultural heritage, and community identity amidst tourism growth. Strategies for achieving socio-cultural sustainability were devised. Ranking methods were employed to identify key factors influencing rural tourism development. These methods helped prioritize areas for improvement and resource allocation. A balanced approach was adopted to assess the interaction between different dimensions of sustainability. This ensured that environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects were considered equally to achieve overall sustainable tourism development. ArcGIS 10 was used for data analysis and visualization. Maps and charts were created to represent spatial and statistical information, aiding in identifying trends and patterns. The study findings were crucial for identifying priority areas for infrastructure development and formulating strategies and programs for rural tourism promotion. The study aimed to ensure that tourism development aligns with the principles of sustainable development, benefiting both the local communities and the environment. The study provided valuable insights into the current status of rural tourism in Aktobe oblast and offered recommendations for sustainable development, contributing to the region’s long-term prosperity. Full article

Tourist resorts stand out as a focal point in the academic discourse on tourism, garnering significant attention within the tourism academic community. Assessing the efficiency of these resorts serves as a crucial tool for steering their management strategies, optimizing resource allocation, and contributing to regional economic development. This study centers on tourist resorts in Jiangsu Province, employing the data envelopment analysis method to gauge their tourism efficiency. The research delves into the impact of decomposing the efficiency of tourist resorts and investigates the spatiotemporal dynamic patterns of various efficiencies. Key findings indicate that: (1) The overall tourism efficiency of tourist resorts in Jiangsu Province registers as low, with an average of only 0.119, signaling ample room for improvement towards optimal levels. Among different efficiencies, scale efficiency exhibits the highest average value, followed by pure technical efficiency, with comprehensive efficiency ranking the lowest. (2) The comprehensive efficiency of tourist resorts in Jiangsu Province is influenced by the combined effects of various decomposition efficiencies. Notably, pure technical efficiency plays a more substantial role in overall efficiency compared to scale efficiency. (3) Spatial differentiation in efficiency values is evident among tourist resorts in Jiangsu Province. High-efficiency areas, particularly the southern Jiangsu region, display concentrated clusters, emphasizing a pronounced agglomeration of scale efficiency. In contrast, the central and northern regions of Jiangsu witness a rising number of tourist resorts demonstrating pure technical efficiency and high overall efficiency. (4) Over the research period, the focus of various efficiency factors in tourist resorts shifted towards the north, albeit without significant deviation. Simultaneously, the standard deviation ellipse area of various efficiencies exhibits a general trend of expansion. Drawing from these research outcomes, the article recommends practical measures such as enhancing the diversity of vacation resort services, establishing interactive mechanisms, and attracting management talent. These suggestions aim to provide actionable guidance for the development of tourist resorts, contributing to their sustained growth and success. Full article

In recent years, the development of abandoned mining land has become a focal point in landscape planning. However, during the development of abandoned mining land, there often exists a phenomenon of prioritizing economic considerations over ecological concerns, leading to a failure to achieve genuinely sustainable development. An ecological sensitivity assessment, guided by the principles of protection and development, provides an evaluation framework that directs planning strategies for abandoned mining land from the perspective of balanced development and conservation. To facilitate the development and construction of abandoned mining land, this paper utilizes GIS technology, on-site surveys, analytic hierarchy processes, etc. Taking the abandoned mining land in Haining, Zhejiang, China, as the research subject and considering its unique site conditions, ecological sensitivity is divided into topographic conditions, surface water systems, and plant landscapes. Ecological sensitivity factors are selected, and an ecological sensitivity assessment system is constructed from the perspectives of ecological conservation and sustainable development. Using ArcGIS 10.2 and Fragstats 4.2 software, landscape pattern analysis is conducted, exploring the relationship between landscape patterns and ecological sensitivity assessment results from the perspectives of landscape fragmentation, diversity, and aggregation. By comparing the results of single-factor sensitivity analysis and comprehensive sensitivity analysis, as well as landscape pattern indices before and after classifying ecologically sensitive areas, the practicality of the evaluation system is verified, facilitating planning studies and providing design recommendations for abandoned mining land. Landscape pattern indices serve as supplementary explanations for ecological sensitivity. Based on the results of ecological sensitivity assessment and landscape pattern indices, the ecological conservation levels in the research area are classified into five categories: the Level I Comprehensive Protection Zone, Level II Moderately Developed Zone, Level III Construction Suitable Zone, Level IV Core Construction Zone, and Level V Core Development Zone. These correspond to ecological protection zones, sightseeing experience zones, historical exhibition zones, core commercial zones, and themed amusement zones, respectively. The I-level sensitive area in the research area has the smallest range, while IV-level and VI-level sensitive areas have larger extents, exhibiting a high degree of overall landscape fragmentation but with diverse and dominant landscape types. Integrating ecological sensitivity assessment results and landscape pattern indices aids in delineating ecological conservation levels and regional functional recreation zones, guiding the rational recreation allocation of resources for abandoned mining land and promoting its development into a scenic area integrating ecology and tourism. Full article

With the growing significance of the tourism industry and the increasing desire among travelers to discover new destinations, there is a need for effective recommender systems that cater to individual interests. Existing tourism mobile applications incorporate recommendation systems to alleviate information overload. However, these systems often overlook the varying importance of different items, resulting in suboptimal recommendations. In this research paper, a novel approach is proposed: a weighted parallel hybrid recommendation system. By considering item weights and leveraging parallel processing techniques, this method significantly enhances the accuracy of the similarity between items, leading to improved recommendation quality and precision. With this approach, users can efficiently and effectively explore new destinations that align with their unique preferences and interests, thereby enhancing their overall tourism experience and satisfaction. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed weighted parallel hybrid recommendation system, we conducted experiments using a dataset consisting of 20 users. The results demonstrated that the proposed approach achieved an impressive classification accuracy of 80%. A comparative analysis revealed that the proposed approach outperformed that of existing systems and achieved the best results in terms of classification accuracy. This finding highlights the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method in generating and promoting sustainable travel experiences by developing a personalized recommendations system for the unique preferences and interests of individual users. Full article

The study deals with the analysis of data from a selected tourism facility and the implementation of a solar system and a rainwater system, which are an alternative to commonly used energy sources. The objective is to evaluate the potential savings from the use of the solar system for water heating and the rainwater system for purposes other than potable use with respect to local conditions of sunlight and rainwater variability. The facility holds 257 beds allocated in 124 rooms on 5 floors. The result of the contribution is an economic evaluation of the efficiency of investments in the proposed systems and the resulting recommendations in the field of energy flows in the selected facility. Appropriate formulas including the consumption of hot water, the amount of energy needed to heat water, the cost of the consumed energy necessary for heating and the average annual rainfall in the location, water consumption for clearly identified purposes of alternation with rainwater, the initial investment costs and operating costs of the solar and rainwater systems, were used for an economic evaluation of the investment into the solar and rainwater systems. Based on the economic evaluation, the economic efficiency of the proposed systems and the return on investment was calculated. The payback periods for the solar system used for hot water heating and the rainwater system used for non-potable purposes, accepting the local conditions, are 7 and 15 years, respectively. Full article

The paper provides new evidence on the relationship among per capita incomes, local expenditures and territorial economic structure in Italian inner areas. The study area comprises the municipalities belonging to three Italian regions, namely, Marche, Abruzzo and Molise. The methodology employed involves a panel multilevel regression model, in order to investigate both on territorial and time changes. The period under analysis covers 2008–2016, the years following the outbreak of the global crisis. The results highlight the importance of three public expenditure categories—Environment protection and planning, Tourism, and Cultural heritage—on the growth of per capita incomes. Regional economic structure also plays an important role, especially through the rate of employees in the industrial sector. In order to increase the effectiveness of local public policies, a re-allocation of global expenditures among its various components might be recommended. Another suggestion concerns the implementation of integrated policies oriented both to tourism and to the enhancement of territorial assets. Full article