The effectiveness of a guide training program was evaluated as a means of providing interpretive services to commercial boaters at the New River Gorge National River. Commercial river guides attended a National Park Service sponsored training program which provided accurate information and education concerning natural and cultural history of the New River, the national significance of the New River Gorge National River, the history and purpose of the National Park Service, and information and services available at the visitor centers. The emphasis of the training session was to increase the river guides’ knowledge base and to encourage their interpretive presentation of this information to their customers. Customers of a commercial outfitter were administered a questionnaire before and after the guide training program. Significant differences in the amount of interpretation guides presented on the river, the amount of knowledge customers acquired during the trip, and the customers' overall trip rating were noted by empirical testing. Increases in the means of all three outcome variables occurred following guide training. Customers’ intentions to visit a New River Gorge Visitor Center did not significantly change following guide training. The validity and reliability of the instrument is discussed as well as potential biases and constraints of the study. Implications for management and further research are also discussed. / M.S.

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旅遊業為我國未來產業發展的重點之一，再加上團體套裝旅遊一直是亞洲國家中最普遍及最受觀迎的旅遊型態之一，我國2009年的團體套裝旅遊比例即佔了35.6%。其中，領隊人員可以說是團體套裝旅遊的重要元素，不僅影響著該次旅遊品質的好壞，領隊也可藉由專業的服務取得旅客的信任，而獲得後續帶團的機會；是以，由於我國過去旅行社設立門檻不高，加上領隊掌握一定旅客數，不少領隊帶槍投靠或自立門戶，造成旅行業良莠不齊、競爭激烈。 因此，本研究欲探討現行旅行社對於領隊的管理模式，運用交易成本理論及4C交換成本理論架構，剖析旅行社、領隊與團體旅遊消費者間三方交換之關係，並對於旅行社提出適當的領隊管理建議，期盼能對於旅行產業的市場紊亂情形有所助益。而由於本研究議題過去缺乏學術研究成果且未被有系統的討論，故採用質性研究及深度訪談做為本論文的研究方法。 研究結果得知，透過訪談資料的整理與分析，歸納出兩種現行的領隊管理模式。管理模式1：旅行社著重於處理與消費者間的4C關係，並設法阻礙領隊與消費者間4C關係的建立，使消費者購買團體旅遊產品是出自於旅行社本身，而非領隊；管理模式2：旅行社與領隊共生共榮，在旅行社與消費者的交換關係方面，旅行社著重於產品的外顯單位效益成本；而在旅行社與領隊的交換關係方面，旅行社運用4C的處理得宜，維繫優秀的領隊，鞏固銷售。 本研究以4C交換成本理論，歸納出兩種領隊管理模式，建議後續研究者可針對旅行社背景，探討何種領隊管理模式對其最有利；另外，針對國內網路時代的盛行，有業者引進國外居家旅遊商業模式H.B.T.A.(Home Based Travel Agents)，類似於本研究所提出的管理模式2，後續研究者也可針對此議題進行深入探討。 / Travel industry will be one of the most promising industries in Taiwan; in addition, Group Package Tour is one of the most popular traveling types in Asian countries. In 2009, the percent of Group Package Tour in Taiwan is highly 35.6%. Especially, Tour leader (or tour escort) is the critical element of Group Package Tour.He (or she) can not only influence on the quality of travel, but also can get customers’ trust and the chances of business by professional service. Therefore, because of the low entry barrier of Travel industry and tour leader holding up some customers, lots of tour leaders job-hop or build up their own business. It makes travel industry highly competitive. For this reason, this study wants to use the Transaction Cost Theory and 4C Exchange Cost Theory to discuss current tour leader’s management model, and analyze the exchange relationship among travel agent, tour leader and Group Package Tour customer. Finally, this study wants to propose management recommendations for travel agents. However, this topic was less discussed in the past, so that this study uses qualitative research and in-depth interview as the research method. According to the research result, this study generalizes two kinds of tour leader’s management model. Model 1: Travel agents focus on the 4C relationship with consumers, and manage to hinder the 4C relationship between tour leader and consumer; Model 2: Travel agents cooperate with tour leader. Between travel agent and consumer, travel agents focus on C1. Between travel agent and tour leader, travel agents focus on the 4C relationship for holding up excellent tour leaders. For future research, this study suggests to discuss what travel agent background can benefit from two kinds of tour leader’s management model, or discuss H.B.T.A. (Home Based Travel Agents) deeply.

The main objective of this thesis is to propose a products optimization for current Czech touristic clientele in France. Partial aims are to identify visitor segment of Czech clients in France and to define variants of products optimization proposals for selected Czech clients in France. The theoretical part consists of five chapters and deals with international tourism, tour operators, including their services and marketing mix, consumption behaviour of customer on international tourism market, outbound tourism of Czech republic and position of France in international tourism. The practical part covers an analysis of supply and demand and product optimizations proposals for one Czech tour operator. Czech tourists going on Five-day Coach Package tours to Paris were selected as a target segment. There were proposed three variants of product optimizations for this group, based on information gained from an analysis of competitors´offer and a profile of a visitor and his requirements. The optimizations of Paris package tour mainly concerned costs reduction of service providers, quality enhancement of an accommodation and boarding.

This thesis examines travel to continental Europe as undertaken by several generations of Irish Protestants between 1660 and 1727. Historians draw parallels between the Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland and other polities in ancien régime Europe, but these demand an exploration of contemporary encounters. Research on the Irish in Europe concentrates on Catholics without much regard to Protestant experiences, while work on English or British travel overlooks ways in which Irish Protestant voyages differed. This thesis analyses the experiences of Church-of-Ireland families from the gentry, nobility and aristocracy, especially the Southwells, Percevals, Molesworths, Molyneuxs, Boyles and Butlers. Correspondence, notebooks and financial accounts reconstruct their voyages, mainly to France, Italy, the Low Countries and Germany, and their attitudes towards the practice of travel. Journeys to other destinations are incorporated, as are the voyages of neighbours, acquaintances and employees. Purposes varied, but travel was consistently considered an opportunity for 'improvement'. The thesis follows the successive preoccupations of travellers, beginning with demonstrations of 'fitness to travel'. Wealthy young men were judged according to criteria that privileged anglicisation and Protestantism, though linguistic skill was a more socially-comprehensive standard. Advisors emphasised civil conversation and written observation, but warnings to avoid 'countrymen' were ignored. The company of English-speaking travellers and Irish Catholic expatriates created distinctive European experiences. Foreign hosts often saw uncomplicated Englishmen, though some recognised Irish difference. Anglican travellers held qualified membership of a 'Protestant international', drawing on a cross-confessional 'stock of friends'. Travellers received tuition that complicates perceptions of travel as 'informal' education and they memorialised experiences through souvenirs and gifts. Voyages encouraged some into English residence and identifications, though others brought improvements home to Ireland. 'Improvement', as it related to wealthy Church-of-Ireland families, functioned not as a binary between approved England and disdained Ireland but a triangular exchange in which continental Europe featured prominently.

臺東縣觀光休閒產業是大家目光焦點，已有千百個民宿業，配合市場需求已扮演住宿重要角色。所到之處，都是民宿業天下。隨著時間南迴鐵路、南迴公路以及蘇花二改全面進行中。未來3-5年交通上會有很大躍進。臺東市區BOT飯店業陸續完工，臺東市觀光旅遊產業軟硬體逐漸成形，臺東成為一個觀光城市，迎向陽光未來指日可待。 在這個"休閒者為中心”的時代，正逐漸成為一個日益引起關注、富有生機和活力的體驗經濟時代。體驗經濟的出現滿足了消費者對商品的需要、情感的需要、自我實現的需要。體驗經濟是以客戶為中心的經濟，它反映人類的消費行為和消費心理正在進入一種新的高級形態。 我們建議台東如意休閒事業飯店能朝以下方向前進，1)主題飯店2)體驗主題化 3)公益敎育提倡推廣4)異業結盟共創佳績 在這個世代希望創造自己和朋友、家人、孩子們的歡樂童年和美好回憶。忘憂館景觀旅店和曙光渡假酒店，要朝向這方向前進，要提供好的條件給消費者，藉由人的感受所創造的價值，是需要不斷提昇和優化來帶動經濟成長和發展。 / Tai-Tung tourism and leisure industry catch everyone’s eyes, hundreds of B & B in Tai-Tung, have been playing an important role in tourist-stay market. B & B could be found everywhere. With transportation to connect Tai-Tung and other cities will have great improvement in the nearly 3 to 5 years due to south-link highway and the Su-Hua Highway. Hotels in Tai-Tung downtown by BOT are being completed. Threrfore, Tai-Tung, as a tourist city, is expended to have a bright future. Since, the hardware and software of tourism are gradually being matured. In this "casual person-centric" era, the era of experience economy is becoming a growing concern, full of vigor and vitality. Experience economy fullfills to cousumers’ needs , emotion and self-actualization. Experience Economy is customer-centric economy, which reflects consumers’ behavior and consumer psychology are moving forward to a higher level. We recommend Tai-Tung Ru-Yi Leisure Hotels can move in the following directions, 1) Theme hotel 2) theme experience 3) Promote Public Education 4) cross-industry alliance to create success. People in this age want to create the joy of childhood and lovely memory for their friends, family, and children. The forget worry village and Sunrise Hotel should donate themselves to be the providers who provide customers the good living conditions, with the feelings of people to create value, is the need to constantly improve and optimize to boost economic growth and development.

This concept of calculating, optimizing, and utilizing a trajectory known as a ``Free Return Trajectory" to facilitate spacecraft rendezvous with Near-Earth Asteroids is presented in this dissertation. A Free Return Trajectory may be defined as a trajectory that begins and ends near the same point, relative to some central body, without performing any deterministic velocity maneuvers (i.e., no maneuvers are planned in a theoretical sense for the nominal mission to proceed). Free Return Trajectories have been utilized previously for other purposes in astrodynamics, but they have not been previously applied to the problem of Near-Earth Asteroid rendezvous. Presented here is a series of descriptions, algorithms, and results related to trajectory initial guess calculation and optimal trajectory convergence. First, Earth-centered Free Return Trajectories are described in a general manner, and these trajectories are classified into several families based on common characteristics. Next, these trajectories are used to automatically generate initial conditions in the three-body problem for the purpose of Near-Earth Asteroid rendezvous. For several bodies of interest, example initial conditions are automatically generated, and are subsequently converged, resulting in feasible, locally-optimal, round-trip trajectories to Near-Earth Asteroids utilizing Free Return Trajectories. Subsequently, a study is performed on using an unpowered flyby of the Moon to lower the overall DV cost for a nominal round-trip voyage to a Near-Earth Asteroid. Using the Moon is shown to appreciably decrease the overall mission cost. In creating the formulation and algorithms for the Lunar flyby problem, an initial guess routine for generic planetary and lunar flyby tours was developed. This continuation algorithm is presented next, and details a novel process by which ballistic trajectories in a simplistic two-body force model may be iteratively converged in progressively more realistic dynamical models until a final converged ballistic trajectory is found in a full-ephemeris, full-dynamics model. This procedure is useful for constructing interplanetary transfers and moon tours in a realistic dynamical framework; an interplanetary and an inter-moon example are both shown. To summarize, the material in this dissertation consists of: novel algorithms to compute Free Return Trajectories, and application of the concept to Near-Earth Asteroid rendezvous; demonstration of cost-savings by using a Lunar flyby; and a novel routine to transfer trajectories from a simplistic model to a more realistic dynamical representation. / text

A new form of foreign travel called “voluntourism” has emerged in Sweden. In advertisements that invite to “make a difference”, travel agencies promote short- term aid opportunities at for example orphanages or schools in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. International volunteer work is nothing new. Rather, the volunteer agencies have entered an old and established organizational field. Using theories of new institutionalism and the analytical phrase “the story about”, this thesis investigates the way international aid work originated and evolved, and how commercial volunteer agencies entered the field. The thesis is partly based on historical data from organizational reports, biographies of aid work icons, and interviews with volunteers active during the 1960s and 1970s. Additionally, it makes use of contemporary data from interviews with representatives from volunteer travel agencies and volunteers. It also includes an analysis of how the travel agencies present their business operations on their websites. The thesis concludes that travel agencies apply the common perception of international aid work’s characteristics when marketing volunteer travels. This common perception can be traced through the evolution of international aid work. Travel agencies attract volunteers by offering access to this exclusive field. The volunteers are well-educated young women from middle class families. They are looking for experiences from international aid work, perspective on their own lives, and first-hand knowledge of local and traditional societies in poor countries. Nevertheless, due to the esteem in which the organizational field is viewed, a brief period spent as an aid worker is considered a desirable qualification for a job applicant. I interpret volunteer travel as a “grand tour”.

In the Tourism Industry, companies that offer the service of creating and selling package holidays to travelers are called Tour Operators. These all-inclusive holidays may include round trip flight tickets, accommodation in hotels, transportation, entrances to the tourist attractions and the assistance of a professional tour guide. Our Tour Operator established in El Salvador will provide tourism services for Taiwanese travelers willing to make a journey in Central America and visit the main attractions along its seven countries: Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Our strategy is focused on building alliances with Taiwanese partners, which are part of our target Corporate Customers. Operating in Taiwan, these companies are specialized on selling package holidays for traveling around the world, so they possess the necessary experience and resources to attract our Final Customers. Other several tour operators in Central America, conforming the group of our Competitors, rely on a similar business model. However, they haven’t yet taken advantage of the huge Asian market because they focus on providing service exclusively to the saturated American and European market. This Business Plan offers a practical approach on which over a period of three years, first our Start-Up will enter the Taiwanese market by creating alliances with the main Taiwanese tour operators. After going over this period, a future expansion to other Asian markets including China would be considered using a resembling business model.

Nowadays many travelers choose to book their trips via online booking sites instead of visiting physical travel agencies. This has changed the way the physical travel agencies operate their businesses and has forced them to adapt to new strategies in order to stay alive in this new reality of the industry. The comfort of the digitization pushes the world toward internet and online services, which implicitly mean that physical shops has become less important even in tourism industry where potential travelers go to digital platforms to reach out for information as well as to plan and choose their destinations. The aim of our study was to investigate how digitization has affected the way passengers book their package holidays and how it affects physical travel agencies and their businesses. With the help of our method, which consist of interviews and a questionnaire, we were able to collect empirical data for compilation and analyses and thus to draw our final conclusions. / Idag väljer många resenärer att boka sina resor via onlinebokningssidor istället för att besöka fysiska resebyråer. Detta har förändrat resebyråernas sätt att vara som verksamhet och även fått de att tänka ut nya tillvägagångssätt och strategier för att kunna hålla sig aktiva inom den turistiska marknaden. Vi lever i en alltmer digitaliserad värld där det mesta skall göras online, detta har lett till att fysiska verksamheter är mindre märkbara inom sina områden eftersom potentiella resenärer tar sig till digitala plattformar för att både nå ut till information samt för att planera och bestämma sina resmål. Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur digitaliseringen har påverkat resenärernas sätt att boka sina paketresor samt hur digitalisering berör fysiska resebyråer och deras verksamheter. Med hjälp av våra två metodval som består av intervjuer och en enkät kunde vi samla vårt empiriska material som sedan sammanställdes och analyserades vilket ledde till våra slutliga slutsatser.