Search Results (10)

Nowadays, society is becoming increasingly committed to traveling by plane for work, tourism, and leisure in general. However, either due to internal, specific factors or to external determinants, like terrorism and climate changes, a growing number of travelers have experienced the so-called fear of flying, a persistent, irrational fear of flight-related situations for which a clear, efficacious therapy does not yet exist. Based on the usual interaction with the surrounding environment, conducted by means of the five human senses, and particularly on the neurophysiological pathway followed by the chemical senses, in this study, we revise the findings in the related literature on the topic, proposing an alternative way to alleviate the anxiety related to the fear of flight. This is based on chemosensory stimulation being applied directly during a flight and is possibly concerned with the consumption of meals, an usual activity performed onboard. After an introductory section aimed at understanding the problem, we present some studies related to chemosensory perception during the flight, highlighting the specificities of the scenarios, followed by a description of findings related to the meals proposed by flight companies in this context, and finally wrapping up the possible alternative approaches that could be conducted by such providers to alleviate the fear of flying condition through chemosensory stimulation vehiculated by meals, and enhance the quality of flight experience related to food consumption onboard. Full article

This article aims to analyze the use of a bike-sharing system (BSS) during the flooding event caused by extreme rainfall that hit the municipality of Porto Alegre, Brazil, in May 2024. Public transport services were interrupted, prompting an investigation into the resilience of the BSS during the crisis. Considering data from the Tembici BSS company, a set of approximately 400,000 trips made between 104 stations in the municipality of Porto Alegre from January to May 2024 were analyzed. Daily rainfall data from the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET) were compared with the daily trip flow to identify the travel flow patterns on the days most affected by the flooding. The results indicate an abrupt drop in shared bicycle use during May 2024, but 7600 trips were recorded despite the crisis. Regarding the travel pattern between 1 May and 10 May, most trips were still for recreational purposes (73%), while trips for work and study accounted for 22% of the total, and only 5% were for delivery services. Overall, the resilience of the BSS during the extreme climate event in question points to the continuation of practical daily activities, although with more significant effects on economic-related activities and lesser effects on leisure-related activities. Full article

Social media has become an important part of most people’s lives since the pandemic and lockdowns. With little to do during lockdowns, some people created and managed social media accounts and became influencers. Following this trend, companies, governments, and individuals related to the leisure and hospitality industry turned to social media and influencer marketing to promote tourism in specific destinations in hopes of spurring an economic recovering. Since the pandemic, consumers have turned to social media to gather information and ideas for travel plans. To better understand the connection between what consumers read online and their desire to travel, this study aims to analyse the impacts of influencers, including their content and the fitness of destination, on consumers, who have their own perceived value and desire for the destination. A total of 332 Taiwanese respondents aged 18 to 55 were sampled to conduct a data analysis using the structural equation model (SEM). The results showed that content has a positive impact on the fitness of destination and the desire to travel, with no significant impact on perceived value, and the fitness of destination has a positive impact on perceived value and the desire to travel; in contrast, perceived value has a negative impact on the desire to travel. The mediation effect of influencer fitness of destination was also investigated through the bootstrap method. Fitness of destination acts as a full mediator between content and perceived value. Finally, the findings and managerial implications are further discussed to examine how the desire to travel among consumers can be affected by influencer marketing in the post-pandemic era. Practical suggestions for applying influencer marketing strategies based on the results are also proposed to help the tourism industry boost tourism revenue and achieve sustainable development goals after the pandemic. Full article

In recent years, European countries have been trying to cultivate electrical scooters (e-scooters) as an alternative form of micro-mobility. The purchase and maintenance costs of private e-scooters are expensive so cities have been collaborating with companies to construct an e-scooter rental network. This paper aims to interpret the usage patterns of e-scooters and suggest optimal station locations for charging and parking. The dataset depicts a three-month time period (August, September, and May of the year 2020/2021) of 26,374 trips, in which there were no pandemic limitations. The results are based on two main features: the initial–final position of the e-scooter (the total distance is unknown) and the travel time. Most e-scooter rides refer to leisure trips but there is a portion of users that ride e-scooters for casual trips or commutes to and from work. Here, an electrical scooter network that covers the demand of the city of Thessaloniki is suggested. The implementation plan indicates three stages of construction up to the completion of the network. The construction operation is responsible for the creation and development of a sustainable network by adding approximately 20 stations at every stage. The capacity of the stations fluctuates between 3 and 20 parking spaces, which should accommodate e-scooters and preserve free spaces for potential riders. According to the characteristics of the city of Thessaloniki, its coverage requires the construction of 67 carefully distributed stations. Full article

This paper examines the impact of vaccination programs on the stock market volatility of the travel and leisure sector. Using daily data from 56 countries over the period from January 2020 to March 2021, we find that vaccination leads to a decrease in the investment risk of travel and leisure companies. Vaccination results in a decrease in the volatility of stock prices of travel and leisure companies. The drop in volatility is robust to many alternative estimation techniques, different volatility measures, and various proxies for vaccinations. Moreover, this effect cannot be explained by an array of control variables; this includes the pandemic itself and both the containment and closure policies that followed. Furthermore, the beneficial role of vaccinations is relatively stronger in emerging markets than in developed ones. Full article

Purpose: The main purpose of this article is to study the IFRS implications of COVID-19 for selected travel and leisure companies listed on the JSE. The article investigates how these selected companies disclose financial information regarding the going concern, or in other words; the sustainability of the company, revenue of the company, how the companies made estimations, and more, to account for the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on their financial information. Design/methodology/approach: content analysis was used to analyse the financial statements of ten travel and leisure companies listed on the JSE. This analysis indicated what additional disclosures these companies have in the light of COVID-19. Findings: even though there is no specific IFRS standard providing guidance on the impact of COVID-19, the findings reveal that the companies took utmost care in disclosing information and the impact of COVID-19 in the financial statements. Companies cautiously considered the impact of the coronavirus on their financial results and provided the users of these financial statements with transparent financial information, regarding going concern and sustainability of the company, revenue, estimations, and more. Originality/value: a new economic crisis, different from any other economic crises, emerged as a result of COVID-19 and the IFRS implications such as, the effect on sustainability and going concern, impact on revenue of companies, financial estimations during the coronavirus pandemic, the effect of COVID-19 on the financial subsequent events and other financial statement disclosures is still unclear. This study is deemed of vital importance as the users of financial statements require all the necessary information about how COVID-19 has affected these companies, and whether or not these companies will be sustainable in the foreseeable future, as to enable the financial statement users to make informed financial decisions. Full article

Camels are exotic elements, which can be comprised within adventure travel companies promoting ecotourism activities. Such recreations contribute to sustainable livelihoods for local communities and educational empowerment towards nature and its conservation. At present, some local camel breeds’ survival reduces to this animal-based leisure industry and its reliability to perform and promote customized services accurately. By conducting an on-site questionnaire to customers participating in camelback riding tours, we assessed the motivational factors affecting participation, satisfaction, and loyalty in this tourism segment that may have made it socially differentiated. The sixfold combination of staff performance, culture geography, diverse and humane close interaction, camel behavior and performance, sociotemporal context, and positive previous experience involves the elemental dimensions that explain customer satisfaction and return intention probability within this entertainment business. Customer knowledge is essential for stakeholders to build personalized riding experiences and align profits with environmental sustainability and biodiversity mainstream concerns into their everyday operations. In turn, domestic camel tourist rides could be managed as a viable path to nature conservation by helping endangered local breeds to avoid their functional devaluation and potential extinction. Full article

The objective of this work was to research the impact of environmental, social, governance, and controversies (ESGC) indicators on financial performance. We used a sample of financial and nonfinancial business data from international countries for 2017 obtained through the Thomson Reuters environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) database. The company participants in the study belong to the tourism sector and are listed on international stock market indices. The methodology used was based on parametric and nonparametric statistical tests. Evidence supports that governance practices significantly influence financial performance. The contribution of the study is two-fold—from a theoretical perspective, it adds to the existing literature and, from an empirical point of view, we developed ESGC indicators and their relationship with financial performance using a binary regression logistic model, with results that can be applied to an international tourist perspective. Full article

Sustainability has become one of the key factors for the development of tourism both nowadays and in the future. The need to integrate environmental, socio-cultural and economic factors is a consequence of the evolution of society itself, the introduction of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) and a new way of understanding tourism and the world in general. Tourists increasingly seek a unique quality in their travels and are better informed before deciding on a tourist destination to spend their holidays or leisure time. They want to have unique, memorable experiences, and because of that, they are willing to look for those destinations that can offer them something different. The generation of expectations is no longer the sole responsibility of companies and public and private organizations in destinations, since information may be in the hands of the individuals themselves who can share it in social networks, blogs, or on platforms such as Booking or TripAdvisor, among others. This forces companies and public and private organizations to rethink the way in which and when they relate to tourists in general. With all these considerations, one of the objectives of this study was to analyse the way in which sustainability interrelates with the generation of expectations, experiences and perceptions and the effect on the possibilities of returning to a tourist destination and even recommending it in social networks to friends and acquaintances. For this reason, the destination of Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, was chosen, a mature destination of sun and beach that, in recent years, has been immersed in a process of change where one of the axes is sustainability. This study used a convenience survey with 310 valid questionnaires with tourists who stayed more than three days in Acapulco during the months of December 2016 to February 2017. The questionnaires were completed at different points of the destination and by participants over 18 years of age. We used SEM (Structural Equations Modeling) and EQS (Structural Equation Modeling Software) for statistical analysis. The results of the study showed how expectations influenced experiences and the intention to return to the destination and recommend it (WOM), thus, we proposed a series of recommendations for public and private agents that manage this tourist destination. Full article

Cruising is a segment of tourism that is increasing at a faster rate than other kinds of leisure travel, especially in the Arctic region. Due to changing environmental conditions in recent years, cruise ships have been able to access more regions of the Arctic for a longer operating season. We investigated the cruiser motivations for polar expedition cruising and the educational dimensions of expedition cruising. Motivations of cruisers were identified using entrance surveys prior to embarking on four separate itineraries (n = 144). We conducted semi-structured interviews, n = 22), made participant observations while on board the vessel for one trip to support survey findings, and followed up with a post-trip survey to assess attitudinal changes (n = 92). We found that, unlike mainstream cruisers, expedition cruisers are motivated by opportunities for novel experience and for learning. Subsequently, the educational programming offered by expedition cruise companies is an important component of the cruise experience. We found that this programming has positively impacted cruiser attitudes, behaviours, and knowledge post-cruise. These findings will encourage cruise companies to improve their educational offerings (i.e., preparedness, program quality, level of engagement) to meet the expectations of their clientele, thereby transferring critical knowledge of environmental stewardship. Full article