A contínua ampliação da infraestrutura viária já se provou ineficaz em resolver os problemas de congestionamento nos grandes centros urbanos e uma solução não sustentável tendo em vista os altos investimentos envolvidos. Em contraposição ao tradicional aumento da capacidade viária, surge a Gestão da Demanda de Viagens (GDV). Uma das medidas englobadas pela GDV é a mobilidade corporativa que visa a promover o uso de opções de transporte mais sustentáveis e eficientes nos deslocamentos casa-trabalho das pessoas. Aproximadamente 50% dos deslocamentos diários nas cidades brasileiras ocorrem por motivo de trabalho. Por isso organizações públicas e privadas desempenham um papel fundamental em questões atreladas ao transporte. Embora não controlem a forma como seus funcionários vão ao trabalho, as organizações, por muitas vezes, podem estimular a mudança de hábitos de deslocamento ao prover informações e incentivos para isso. Este trabalho tem por objetivo verificar a aplicabilidade da adoção de estratégias de mobilidade corporativa em organizações situadas no Brasil. Em um primeiro momento, apresenta-se mais profundamente o conceito, os benefícios e as medidas de mobilidade corporativa que podem ser implementadas. A seguir, são comparados e analisados diferentes métodos existentes para a elaboração de planos de mobilidade corporativa. Propõe-se um novo método adaptado à realidade local composto por sete passos que totalizam 26 atividades que devem ser cumpridas para a construção de um plano bem-sucedido. Realiza-se uma pesquisa-ação em um complexo administrativo que reúne 17 mil funcionários e está localizado a 20 km do centro da cidade. Investiga-se o padrão de deslocamento casa-trabalho dos funcionários da organização e são analisadas que medidas de mobilidade corporativa poderiam ser adotadas para estimular o transporte sustentável entre os funcionários deste local. / The continuous expansion of road infrastructure has proven to be ineffective in solving the problem of congestion in large urban areas. It is also an unsustainable solution due to the high investments involved. Instead of increasing road capacity, Travel Demand Management (TDM) emerges as an alternative to deal with the problem. One of TDM’s measures is corporate mobility, which aims to promote more sustainable and efficient transport options for commuting to work. Approximately 50% of daily trips in Brazilian cities are work related. Therefore public and private organizations play a key role in issues related to transportation. Although they do not control how employees commute to work, organizations have the ability to stimulate travel behavior change by providing information and incentives. This study aims to verify the applicability of the adoption of corporate mobility strategies in organizations located in Brazil. At first, a more in depth concept is explained in addition to the benefits and corporate mobility measures that can be implemented. Then, we compare and analyze different existing methods for the construction of corporate mobility plans. We propose a new method based on the local context. The method is composed by seven steps totalizing 26 activities which must be followed for developing of a successful plan. Finally, we describe the application of the method that was carried out in an Administrative Center which gathers 17 thousand employees and is located 20 km away from the city center. We investigate employees’ commute patterns and analyze which corporate mobility measures could be implemented to promote a more sustainable commute pattern to work.

A contínua ampliação da infraestrutura viária já se provou ineficaz em resolver os problemas de congestionamento nos grandes centros urbanos e uma solução não sustentável tendo em vista os altos investimentos envolvidos. Em contraposição ao tradicional aumento da capacidade viária, surge a Gestão da Demanda de Viagens (GDV). Uma das medidas englobadas pela GDV é a mobilidade corporativa que visa a promover o uso de opções de transporte mais sustentáveis e eficientes nos deslocamentos casa-trabalho das pessoas. Aproximadamente 50% dos deslocamentos diários nas cidades brasileiras ocorrem por motivo de trabalho. Por isso organizações públicas e privadas desempenham um papel fundamental em questões atreladas ao transporte. Embora não controlem a forma como seus funcionários vão ao trabalho, as organizações, por muitas vezes, podem estimular a mudança de hábitos de deslocamento ao prover informações e incentivos para isso. Este trabalho tem por objetivo verificar a aplicabilidade da adoção de estratégias de mobilidade corporativa em organizações situadas no Brasil. Em um primeiro momento, apresenta-se mais profundamente o conceito, os benefícios e as medidas de mobilidade corporativa que podem ser implementadas. A seguir, são comparados e analisados diferentes métodos existentes para a elaboração de planos de mobilidade corporativa. Propõe-se um novo método adaptado à realidade local composto por sete passos que totalizam 26 atividades que devem ser cumpridas para a construção de um plano bem-sucedido. Realiza-se uma pesquisa-ação em um complexo administrativo que reúne 17 mil funcionários e está localizado a 20 km do centro da cidade. Investiga-se o padrão de deslocamento casa-trabalho dos funcionários da organização e são analisadas que medidas de mobilidade corporativa poderiam ser adotadas para estimular o transporte sustentável entre os funcionários deste local. / The continuous expansion of road infrastructure has proven to be ineffective in solving the problem of congestion in large urban areas. It is also an unsustainable solution due to the high investments involved. Instead of increasing road capacity, Travel Demand Management (TDM) emerges as an alternative to deal with the problem. One of TDM’s measures is corporate mobility, which aims to promote more sustainable and efficient transport options for commuting to work. Approximately 50% of daily trips in Brazilian cities are work related. Therefore public and private organizations play a key role in issues related to transportation. Although they do not control how employees commute to work, organizations have the ability to stimulate travel behavior change by providing information and incentives. This study aims to verify the applicability of the adoption of corporate mobility strategies in organizations located in Brazil. At first, a more in depth concept is explained in addition to the benefits and corporate mobility measures that can be implemented. Then, we compare and analyze different existing methods for the construction of corporate mobility plans. We propose a new method based on the local context. The method is composed by seven steps totalizing 26 activities which must be followed for developing of a successful plan. Finally, we describe the application of the method that was carried out in an Administrative Center which gathers 17 thousand employees and is located 20 km away from the city center. We investigate employees’ commute patterns and analyze which corporate mobility measures could be implemented to promote a more sustainable commute pattern to work.

Cette thèse s’intéresse au genre du récit de voyage et à la mise en place, au fil des siècles, d’une poétique viatique propre aux terres mexicaines. Deux historiques illustrés par des récits de voyageurs occidentaux introduisent le thème. Le premier se focalise sur l’évolution du genre du Moyen-âge au XXe siècle. Le deuxième retrace les grandes lignes de l’histoire mexicaine du XVIe siècle à nos jours. Ces assises permettent de situer les récits de Francisco Solano, Paco Nadal et Suso Mourelo, trois auteurs espagnols contemporains, qui ont voyagé au Mexique entre 1994 et 2008, dans la tradition viatique. Leur analyse rend compte de changements de paradigmes dans la pratique du voyage et dans sa textualisation, mais aussi de la continuité d’un modèle (le récit de voyage classique) et d’un imaginaire (celui de l’Occident sur le Mexique) véhiculés depuis des siècles. À l’instar du genre hybride étudié, ce travail adopte une démarche transdisciplinaire. Il questionne la représentation du Mexique et montre comment ce pays acquiert dans les discours des voyageurs une dimension mythique. Il termine par dévoiler, à la lumière des théories décoloniales, les idéologies qui traversent les discours des trois auteurs et voyageurs espagnols. / This thesis explores the style of travel literature and the development over the centuries of a poetic of travel, unique to the Mexican territory. Two backgrounds depicted by occidental travelers’ writings introduce the topic. The first one focuses on the travel’s writing evolution from Middle Age until the XX century. The second one gives us an outline of Mexico’s history from the XVI century till today. These foundation help determine the narratives of Francisco Solano, Paco Nadal and Suso Mourelo, three contemporary Spanish authors who authentically traveled to Mexico between 1994 and 2008. Their analysis reflects paradigm shifts of the travel concept and his writing forms, but also the continuity of a model (the classic travel book) and an imagination (Occidental view of Mexico) transmitted for centuries. Like the studied style, this work takes a transdisciplinary approach. It questions Mexico’s representation and shows how this country acquired in the speeches of travelers a mythical dimension. Finally, in the light of the decolonial theories, it reveals the ideologies that the three Spanish authors and travelers convey.

This research investigated the use of language in the texts of the promotional brochures created for the tourist industry. The selected printed materials for the study were used in advertising the five countries most severely affected by the Asian Tsunami in 2004 (Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and the Maldives). The focus of the analysis was on the two sets of brochures of the five selected countries published by the UK’s leading travel agencies – Thomas Cook, Thomson and Kuoni before and after the disaster. The contrastive discourse analysis was applied in order to investigate the similarities and differences of linguistic features within the texts both between the two sets for each country as well as between the five selected countries. The overall results of the text analysis from the five selected countries have shown significant changes in language use. The investigation revealed that in the post-disaster set of brochures the number of destinations was broadened and their descriptions were made more vivid. The post-disaster texts represented more efforts in developing a wider range of tourism attractions and activities in order to expand the markets and increase the number as well as type of potential future tourists. The information derived from the questionnaire has revealed the potential tourists’ sensitivity to language used in promotional brochures. The results demonstrated that most respondents were aware of the change of language used before and after the Tsunami. The findings validated the hypothesis that the role of language within tourism advertising is as significant as the role of images. This has a major impact on individuals’ choosing their next holiday destination since many potential tourists still base their holiday decision-making on holiday brochures. The research has found that the role of language plays a significant role in tourism advertising representations and also has a major part as one of the marketing tools in tourism promotional strategy.

The airline product is a standardized product and positioning in today’s highly competitive and constantly changing environment is one of the most important elements in an airline’s marketing strategy. Airlines are constantly trying to apply and implement various marketing positioning strategies in order to achieve success and growth. The overall purpose of this study was to examine the positioning strategies of the four selected Middle Eastern airlines in the South African business and leisure travel environment, based on airline performance in terms of service quality attributes that are perceived as important by passengers. The results of the study will contribute towards the air transport literature by confirming the validity of grouping a large number of service quality attributes and adding value to the role players’ understanding of their particular airlines’ influence and importance of service quality for positioning. The study also addresses the need for reliable information on attributes of service quality that are perceived by South African business and leisure passenger as crucial factors impacting on the selection of their airline. A literature review as well as empirical research was conducted to achieve the purpose of this study: the former provided a demarcation of the broad concepts of service quality and positioning. These concepts were specifically linked to the airline industry, providing a clear indication of the positioning strategies used by the selected airlines as reflected through the media and the airlines’ websites. The literature review also helped to identify the service quality attributes that were important to passengers of different airlines. These attributes were used to determine the positioning of the selected airlines as perceived by their passengers. The positioning of airlines was graphically represented using 3D Centroid plots. The data was analyzed using factor analysis, analysis of variance and multivariate analysis of variance. Factor analysis was used to group identified attributes of service quality important to passengers of selected Middle Eastern airlines. Analysis of variance was used to test the relationships between variables, while multivariate analysis of variance was used to test the effect of variables on each other. Databases were not available for this study: therefore non-probability sampling methods, namely convenience and quota sampling, were used. A limitation of the study within which the data analysis occurred is that the data collected was not normally distributed. The data had to be transformed and then tested for normality. The transformed data was normally distributed . The results of the research suggest that passengers are mostly concerned with the responsiveness of the airline and reliability of service, followed by consistency in the quality of service, and are less concerned about the added efforts of the airline as its main positioning component. The findings suggest the direction to be taken for the purpose of service improvement. Airlines should focus more on security measures and well-trained employees, as this will give passengers more confidence. Being responsive and prompt and willing to help, with a courteous attitude, should be a priority objective for employees as part of the service culture. The findings also suggest that more resources should be invested in customization, such as loyalty and frequent flyer programmes. The recommendations of this study could be used to improve the current process of service delivery. / Dissertation (MCom(Tourism Management))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Tourism Management / MCom / Unrestricted

No description available.

The tourism industry has been identified as the industry with the most potential to create jobs and contribute largely to economic growth. In order to live up to this potential, tourism businesses need to create tourism products for potential tourists which need to be promoted successfully through a number of mediums. The use of the Internet as a medium for promoting and selling tourism products is increasing, however, in order for tourism businesses to successfully promote the tourism product through the Internet, they have to understand the needs and wants of their current and potential target markets. One segment of the tourism market that has come under increasing attention is the mature traveller market. This market is defined as travellers who are 50 years of age and older. Generally, the mature traveller market is viewed as a small homogenous group of old consumers with little or no spending power. However, evidence suggests that this market is comprised of an increasing number of diverse people, who use the Internet and like to spend on tourism products. Therefore, this research will examine differences between Internet users and Internet non-users in the mature traveller market. Specific attention will be paid to investigate differences in demographic, socioeconomic, Internet use and travel-related characteristics. The identification of these characteristics will enable a profile to be d~veloped for each group, which can be used by tourism businesses to effectively promote tourism products over the Internet to the mature market In order to collect data from potential respondents, a questionnaire which was used in a similar study conducted in the US was used. Data was collected using a convenience sample of Internet users and Internet non-users from the Eastern Cape and Gauteng provinces of South Africa. Cronbach alpha and factor analysis were used to assess the reliability and validity of the research instrument and measurement scales. In order to test whether differences did exist between the two groups the Chi-square and t-test statistics were used. Finally in order to examine which factors where influential in differentiating between Internet users and Internet non-users discriminant analysis was employed. The findings in the present study suggest that there are significant differences in demographics, socioeconomic, Internet use and travel-related characteristics between Internet users and Internet non-users in the mature market. By understanding the differences between Internet users and Internet non-users, tourism businesses can identify marketing strategies that appeal to mature travellers who use the Internet and to those do not, by utilising information gathered from Internet users and Internet non-users demographic, socio-economic and travel-related characteristics.

The aim of this paper is to examine the intersection of tourism and memoirs in the United States specifically how specific travel memoirs function as tourist attractions. This investigation employs performer-centered analysis as a method of inquiry in order to gain insight on tourist experience as well as concepts of travel, imagination and embodiment. The paper also employs MacCannell’s Semiotics of Attraction as a framework to illustrate the presence of the following categories: tourist, sight, and marker. The presence and the relationships established between these categories establish Into Thin Air and Almost Somewhere: Twenty-eight Days on the John Muir Trail can both be defined and function as tourist attractions.

The Chinese inbound tourism market to SA has been acknowledged as an emerging market. However, South African tour operators experience difficulties in establishing and developing viable partner relationships with Chinese travel agents. Recognizing the size, importance and complexity of this market, the major purpose of this research is to explore and investigate the crucial process of developing Sino-South African partnership relationships in the tourism industry, to facilitate the establishment of business relationships with Chinese travel agents. This study is draws on applied marketing, management and cross-cultural theories on networking to explore the process of developing partnership relationships in the Chinese inbound tourism market to SA. The literature on networking, the development of networking relationships, and the effect of guanxi (connection), a key feature of Chinese business networking on partnership relations are reviewed. Given the limited research conducted on this topic and its cross-country nature, a quantitative research method was adopted for this study. Specifically, this study utilized e-mail survey techniques to explore the relationships between South African inbound tour operators and Chinese travel agents. This study identifies that the process of developing partnership relationships between Chinese travel agents and South African inbound tour operators is culturally embedded. They are giving rise to communication problems that affect partnership relationships. A new stage model of the development of partnership relationships between South African inbound tour operators and Chinese travel agents is therefore developed. In particular, the study identifies important factors in the process of developing business relationships. For example, mutual commitment, the pricing issue, word-of-mouth, and quality of services are all considered crucial in attaining long-term stable partnership relationships. Guanxi plays a significant, but not decisive role in the process of developing partnership relationships between Chinese travel agents and South African inbound tour operators. However, guanxi relationships can provide added value to the partnership relationships.

The dissertation The Analysis of the Offer of Travel Agencies in View of the Chosen Destination is aimed at the comparison and evaluation of the offer of chosen travel agencies. In particular terms the topic is a comparison of ski tours to Italian Dolomites. The goal was to judge whether an offer of Czech travel agencies tours is sufficient on the Czech market. The first chapter explains basic terms concerning tourism. Then the characteristics of the destination Dolomites and the analysis of particular travel agencies follow. The last chapter offers the comparison of offers from the point of view of several criteria. On the basis of discovered data the introductory hypothesis was confirmed, respectively that the offer of ski tours on the Czech market is sufficient.