An ever-increasing number of women worldwide are making the most of their independence and becoming increasingly motivated to travel more than ever before. Women are grasping the opportunity to be tourists in their own right; for their own pleasure and satisfaction, breaking away from their hybrid identities of, ‘the wife’, ‘mother’, ‘girlfriend’ or the ‘housewife’. Women of all ages are beginning to become empowered and to travel together in close female friendship groups, in two’s or alone. They are gaining confidence and are able to independently self-organise their trips. Educational opportunity and financial self sufficiency through improvement in earning capacities has greatly increased women’s access to a much wider range of leisure and travel choices. Personal life spans involve significant chronological transitions, such as from university to work, marriage to divorce, work to retirement where identity has to be renegotiated; new autobiographies reconstructed, and new trajectories have to be set. Often, it seems women are motivated to travel during such transitional circumstances. Despite the tendency to assume that male appeals are universal, research suggests that female and male perceptions and experiences of space differ substantially. In tourism, gender relationships have been examined from a number of perspectives; women as the employee's of the tourism industry; women as hosts in the tourism destination; and more recently women as tourists. Women are slowly being recognised as a market segment, facilities and different services in luxury hotels, women only tours and cruises are evolving to meet demand. The gendered perceptions and ideologies of New Zealand; being 100% pure nature and the adventure capital of the world which is open to all, ages, and abilities, attracts statistically more women backpacker travellers than men. A major objective of this thesis is to redress the bias in tourism research; to represent women including lesbian women in the tourism arena. In both cases giving women a ‘voice’ to represent their touristic experiences, desires and link these to the notion of identity construction through tourism. Little remains known on the wider variables and influences that motivate the travel choices of lesbian consumers in particular. It has been argued that female tourism experiences, like their leisure behaviours, are constrained by male dominated cultural values and attitudes at destinations and by social constraints and restrictions in their home society. However, on the other hand it has also been argued that some women’s tourism experiences - such as backpacking and independent travelling- can also be potentially liberating for some women as they gain the freedom to express their often hybrid identities in new ways. The focus in this study is towards the positive gains and benefits to the individual through travel experiences, but this cannot be done in isolation without considering some of the constraints and challenges. It is multidisciplinary in approach, grounded in theoretical frameworks offered by gender studies, tourism studies, social science, leisure studies, women’s studies, queer theory, cultural geography and sports studies. It is a qualitative study which sets out to explore tourism experiences and the personal growth and identity development through tourism experiences in New Zealand. Sixty in-depth interviews were held with international women travellers, backpackers and tourism providers in New Zealand. Adopting an interpretive paradigm with a limited feminist influenced, the important focus was to allow the women to speak of their experiences and lives in their own voices. In line with qualitative methodologies, it is the words and photographs of the women that form the data set for this study. It critically examines how a performative understanding of the playing out of gender can be linked to notions of serious leisure, the reflective production of biographies and accumulation of cultural capital. The results reveal that personal development, self identity and social identity can be influenced by travel experiences in varying degrees. Four interlinking categories of importance were identified; embodied experiences, psychological development, socio-spatial interactions and visual consumption. Each category evolved and was sometimes dependent upon age and sexuality. The results of this study show that there are real benefits to personal growth and identity development to women through their travel experiences. Through travel women make the time or find the time to self-reflect on their lives. They escape from the social constraints at home and can achieve a sense of freedom. Through the act of travelling itself and through participating in physical adventure activities travel can present a means of empowerment and a record of achievement. The confidence gained through travel experiences can enhance self-esteem and help construct a new dimension to their identities.

In current academic literature hostels have frequently been identified as the primary mode of accommodation for young budget travellers, most notably in the form of backpackers. Although typically identified as a rite de passage for many middle-class Westerners, a need to challenge contemporary backpacker typologies was identified as potential travellers from Eastern Europe, Russia, China and Southeast Asia had become increasingly mobilised. Research has focused predominantly outside of Europe and has centred mainly in three regions – India, Southeast Asia, and Australasia. This geographically ‘Eastern-centric’ research orientation has thus created a regional-based definition which has been used to describe a global phenomenon. Moreover, these typologies have also neglected the motivations of travellers from non-conventional demographic backgrounds and have frequently overlooked those visiting destinations which are deemed unconventional or non-exotic. Backpacker motivations have become heavily stereotyped and rigid, yet many academics have persisted in romanticising their behavioural performances, frequently portraying their journeys as highly mobile, fluid sojourns which are built upon strong desires to attain new cultural experiences and to immerse oneself into the unknown. Building upon the research of Hannam and Ateljevic (2007), Edensor (2007) and Muzaini (2006), this thesis challenges many fundamental definitions and explores the notion that many backpackers may indeed search for the banal as opposed to maintaining its avoidance. Moreover, the role of mobility, which has been neglected from a significant proportion of academic literature on backpackers, is critically observed in order to assess its significance and validity in the overall 6 experience of backpacking-orientated vacations. While backpackers are frequently identified as highly mobile travellers, the thesis critically examines this notion and suggests that many may be far less mobile than originally perceived. A multi-method qualitative study was developed and undertaken between April 2008 and September, 2009 which details the accounts and experiences of 59 interviewees and additionally documents the findings from several participant observations at a total of 24 different hostels in Southern and Western Norway. The findings of this thesis suggest that the hostel user is a highly versatile character who exhibits a wide spectrum of different motivations, many of which differ considerably from observations in more typical research settings. Moreover, the accounts of many hostel users reveal that mobility is an intrinsic feature to the overall experience of their holidays, while those exhibiting similar characteristics to the conventional backpacker typology frequently opted to perform in significantly different and more immobile ways. The thesis therefore represents a genuine contribution to knowledge on a subject which has often failed to escape an academic obsession with creating definitions and a need to oversimplify the large diversity of motivations used to characterise them.

This thesis provides an analysis and critique of the U.K. conference sector during the post-war period, in response to five hypotheses and research objectives. A pre-tested and piloted postal questionnaire was distributed to 3,000 U.K. conference venues that were drawn from secondary data sources, such as the Venue Directory. A total of 438 (14.6%) usable responses were returned. The research findings used quantitative analysis, with descriptive, explanatory, comparative and predictive research approaches also adopted. Holts linear and exponential smoothing was used to predict future trends. The literature review concerning the classification of the U.K. conference sector identifies that many of the typologies used over the last decade are often confusing and unnecessarily protracted due to sub divisions. This research forwards a typology comprising of four mutually exclusive classifications, namely purpose-built conference venues, hotels, educational establishments and visitor attractions all with conference facilities. This research identified many similarities and differences between the four venue classifications. Purpose-built venues initiated the U.K. conference sector during the 1950s. Hotels followed then educational establishments and finally the most recent are visitor attractions with conference facilities. Although purpose-built venues were the originators of the modern U.K. conference sector, growth rates from the other three venue classifications have, at one time or another exceeded that of purpose-built venues during the post-war period. Purpose-built venues were established in response to demand and were not initially economically focused, whereas the other three venue classifications added conference facilities to generate additional revenue sources and thus were economically motivated. The 1990s were the first decade in which over 37% of each venue classification opened their conference facilities, thus competition grew by over one third within the 1990s. The 1990s were also the most popular decade in which venues across the U.K. conference sector refurbished, with cosmetic changes such as upgrading furnishings and décor commonplace. Such refurbishments were undertaken to keep pace with customer’s demands, offering higher standards along with the need to modernise. Overall such refurbishments are viewed as a response to increased competition, cited by all venue classifications as a key issue encountered. Butler’s Lifecycle Model was utilised to explain the development of the U.K. conference sector, identifying that each venue classification has passed through its lifecycle at differing rates, with purpose-built venues having the longest lifecycle, but progressing through its lifecycle the slowest. Visitor attractions have the shortest lifecycle of the four venue classifications. Respondents perceive the future of the U.K. conference sector as positive, with increasing numbers of venues forecasted to open in the current and subsequent decade. Hotels conference venues still dominate the sector, although visitor attractions are predicted to experience the greatest levels of growth over the current and future decade. The majority of educational establishments and visitor attractions plan to refurbish in the future, whilst the majority of purpose-built venues and hotels do nWhere refurbishment is planned, cosmetic ch to furnishings and décor are commonplace, along wi iationdern conferquipnd hend safety i The majority ofe refurbiplannoccur wihe first half of the t . ll resps perceie fututerence sector totinued growth and increaseet----------------733b0988 Conisposifor;"c7_thesis phd ------------d3b0988ent-Dispositorm-data; name="c17_cre1" Wld -----------------------------7dab0988 ositiom-data; name="c17_creators_1_name_f -----------------7da1582a3b0988 CoDisposition: form-date="c17_creators__given" Junabeth -----------------------7da2031f3 Content-Disposition:data; name="c17_creators_1_name_fa -----------------------7da27c63 Content-Disposition: form-data; name="c17_creators_1_name_family"

ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of mining and tourism industries in China with a goal of understanding whether or not these two sectors are mutually compatible in achieving sustainable developme nt. Yunnan, a province in southwest China was selected as the study area because of its high potential for growth in both sectors. A macro-level Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis and a case study were employed to understand patterns of change and linkages. Paper 1 addresses the spatial patterns of mining and tourism activities by a GIS analysis. Spatial cluster analysis of major tourism attractions and mining sites concludes that 1) mining sites tend to be clustered, whereas locations of tourism attractions do not exhibit any significant evidence of aggregation. 2) Mining and tourism sites tend to cluster at the scale of 25 kilometers to 45 kilometers. However, 3) mining/tourism sites relatively far away from each other attain more economic income. Incorporating the social context and development history of the study area, the results imply that although mining activities may have some negative impact on tourism attractions making those nearby a mining site earn less income; some factors tie the two industries together such as investing capacity of and policy support from local government. Paper 2 considers the environmental health and socioeconomic status of the areas where mining or tourism activities cluster. Statistical analysis on prefecture level and county level detects no significant difference between areas of mining and tourism in terms of economic status (GDP and poverty rate) and social development (ratio of researchers, agricultural technicians, teachers and doctors, and access to pipe water, major roads and telephone). For environmental indicators, the air pollution and soil erosion index perform better in tourism areas than mining areas, while other variables including forestry coverage, water quality and an overall ecological health index detect little difference between mining and tourism areas. The paper concludes that sector difference in economic and environmental performances may be over-emphasized. How mining and tourism contribute to or impact the sustainability of regional development needs to be further studied within the local context. Paper 3 develops a case study of a Tibet village called Jisha in northwest Yunnan to explore management as a factor influencing tourism impacts on environment and local economic productivity. Jisha village experiences two types of tourism development. A community based small-scale tourism development project, initiated by a local nongovernment organization, aims to partner with Jisha residents to build a Tibetan style hostel which will bring tourism income to the villagers. An external company plans to construct a hotel, golf course and chair- lift by making a large investment in the community. Although some aspects of this project are likely to benefit the local community better than others, local residents are resisting all development efforts. Results of the ethnographic study show organization- led projects work better in benefiting local people and conserving environment than corporation businesses. However, such ventures may not have the multiplier effect on the local economy as external corporate businesses because of the moderate size of the investment.

This study aims to develop a performance evaluation framework for Destination Management Organisations (DMOs). Although tourism researchers (Ritchie and Crouch 2005; Pike 2005; Bornhorst et al. 2010; Morrison 2013; Pike and Page 2014) acknowledge that the organisational performance of a DMO is a key determinant of destination development and competitiveness, existing studies in this area are scarce. Therefore, the major contribution of this study is towards the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the construct of DMO effectiveness, and ultimately the development of a robust DMO performance evaluation framework (PEF). A stronger focus on evaluation of DMO effectiveness is particularly relevant in light of the recent public sector funding cuts in England that have significantly affected DMOs. The thesis is informed by a critical review of the existing tourism destination development and performance management literature. The discussion focuses on the strategic and operational roles of DMOs as key development agents within the contemporary context of destinations in England. Moreover, the study is informed by relevant performance management theories applied in wider private, public and non-profit organisational contexts. The principles of organisational effectiveness in this study are examined by a synthesis of multiple theoretical lenses: goal theory, stakeholder theory and competing values approach. Particular emphasis is placed on existing theory and practice of evaluating organisational effectiveness in the context of small and medium organisations, as well as development agencies, as they are pertinent to the organisational nature of DMOs. The study’s research design is underpinned by an interpretive social sciences paradigm and employs a qualitative methodology. A total of twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior DMO managers across England. Emphasis is on identifying senior DMO managers’ perspectives on the concept of effectiveness and organisational performance. Furthermore, the interviews focus on exploring the key determinants of DMO performance evaluation. The thematic analysis and critical discussion of DMO managers’ views with the relevant literature has led to relevant conclusions that informed the performance evaluation framework as presented in the final chapter of the thesis. The theoretical contributions of the study include the identification of key performance perspectives that enable the comprehensive evaluation of operational effectiveness and strategic impact of DMOs. The findings of this study suggest that DMO effectiveness is defined by the organisation’s rationale for existence and non-profit strategic impetus, which includes supporting the visitor economy by means of strategic value creation and co-creation, strategic leadership for tourism development, and advancing the collaborative governance structures for tourism development. The study ascertains that several features of the specific destination context determine the complexity of destination development and ultimately the emphasis of DMOs in particular performance evaluation perspectives. Nevertheless, it was found that a holistic approach to DMO performance evaluation requires a focus on two key interrelated perspectives: outward-looking and internal. From an outward-looking perspective, DMO performance evaluation primarily focuses on the achievement of strategic tourism development results that the DMO creates or co-creates with its stakeholders. These strategic results (or value) is underpinned by the DMO’s rationale for existence, and is associated with its supporting and leadership role in four destination development areas: identifying the rationale for intervention; designing action plans for the strategic support of tourism; administering the implementation of destination development activity; and, monitoring the impact of development interventions. Internal performance perspectives focus on internal value creation within a DMO in terms of business planning and organisational capability. The former relates to evaluation of business objectives and functions, as well as structures and processes; while, the latter relates to evaluation of resources, skills and competences. Importantly, the interface between outward-looking and internal perspectives of DMO effectiveness is elusive, as internal and external stakeholders co-create value with various levels of contribution at different stages of the process of development. The study specifies the nature and mechanisms of value creation and co-creation across outward-looking and internal perspectives of DMO performance; therefore, it supports an advanced understanding of the dynamics that determine the elusiveness between DMO and destination success. The study has several practical applications for DMO managers and policy makers. The study can help DMO managers conduct systematic and robust performance evaluations of their organisation by combining both outward-looking and internal perspectives of DMO effectiveness. This can help them identify areas for improvement of economy, efficiency, capacity and effectiveness in achieving strategic and operational results. Ultimately, this can lead to improvements in return on investment for DMOs and their resource providers (e.g. funders). The study can help DMO managers and stakeholders determine each other’s contribution to the value creation and value co-creation in destination development activities. This can assist DMOs evaluate their added value or additionality in destination development initiatives, which in turn can support or clarify the rationale for the DMO’s existence. Moreover, the study supports improvements in destination development initiatives by promoting the need for DMO managers to work in partnership with stakeholders and advance unified theories of change and impact chain models for destination development. This way, DMO managers can improve effectiveness in monitoring and controlling the processes of project and programme implementation. The study also helps DMO managers identify gaps in skills and competences for performance monitoring and evaluation. Demonstrating commitment in developing performance evaluation capability, as well being able to demonstrate return on investment can be valuable for DMOs. It enables them to gain credibility, trust and legitimacy, which can lead to improved capacity to develop successful partnerships with key stakeholders. This is then particularly important in the contemporary context of DMOs in England, where they work as key partners within LEPs. In addition, it is valuable in times of scarce public sector funding as strengthening partnerships with key stakeholders can lead to opportunities for revenue generation. Finally, the study can enable policy makers to evaluate DMO performance and rationalise their existence and their roles in the context of sustainable destination development.

Sustainability has become critically important for the success of any balanced tourism development. This cannot be achieved without full consideration and integration of sustainable development principles into the planning mechanisms of the tourist destination/s. This study was initiated to justify the role of planning as a tool for implementing sustainability in tourism. It has hypothesized that a complete evaluation of performance of the tourism planning mechanism should be considered as a starting point, highlighting the needs, strengths, weaknesses and deficiencies of tourism planning mechanisms adopted by tourist destinations. The research method proposed an assessment system for the different levels of the planning mechanism (policies, strategies, plans and techniques) from a sustainable point of view and thus contributed to the field of tourism planning assessment and evaluation. The research divided sustainability in tourism into four main dimensions: economic, environmental (natural and manmade), socio - cultural and continuity of the development process. It developed a set of key criteria to assess each dimension at every level of the planning mechanism. As Egypt was selected as a case study, the research offered an analysis of its tourism planning mechanism with a focus on points of strengths and weaknesses at each level. Primary data (face to face interviews) and secondary data (tourist policy and documented tourist plans) were employed to examine each element of sustainability. This was followed by recommendations and suggestions for enhancing the performance of Egyptian tourism planning to attain more sustainable development goals and to implement more efficient tools for the application of sustainable tourism. The research also highlighted the role of assessment and evaluation in tourism studies and the importance of conducting an ongoing assessment of tourist planning and development processes. This in turn leads to improving the functions of each planning stage, monitoring the whole planning process and controlling deviations in the planning performance. This study has directed attention towards the field of evaluation and assessment in tourism and has introduced a new path for sustainable tourism development planning.

The literature demonstrates that wildlife tourism, which can incorporate anything from insects (dragonflies, butterflies, glow-worms), flowers, mammals and birds, has become a potentially lucrative activity which is attracting attention from tourists and destinations. There are both positive and negative impacts associated with wildlife tourism. It can contribute to the conservation of threatened habitats / species, provide economic benefit to local communities attract new types of tourists to remote and economically peripheral areas, and provide environmental education and psychological benefits to tourists. Less desired outcomes of wildlife tourism imply that as places and their wildlife become more popular, tourist numbers and infrastructure increases and so too do incidences of disturbance which directly impact upon the well-being and sustainability of the focal wildlife populations such as the disruption of daily behaviour including feeding, breeding, and resting. Whether the positives outweigh the benefits has yet to be tried or tested and may well depend upon how the resource and visitors are managed which in turn depends upon understanding the expectations, the behaviour and the experiential benefits sought by tourists. Given the spectrum of tourist-wildlife opportunities, it follows that wildlife tourists are by no means an homogenous market, there are significant variations in typologies, from the 'serious' to the 'casual' and from the 'specialist' to the 'generalist'. Therefore planning and management become more difficult as the behaviour and needs of each segment differ enormously. Up until now, the human dimensions of watching wildlife have been rather overlooked in the tourism literature; and particularly the experiential and psychological benefits of wildlife tourism have not been adequately explored or applied to the management and marketing of destinations. Using a sample of British tourists, the aim of this research was, therefore, to explore the culture of wildlife tourism in order to contribute a better understanding of what it means to enjoy wildlife experiences, the content of what exactly is enjoyed, the process through which people attend to and perceive wildlife and the emotional responses it provokes. Inherent in this thesis is the discussion of the human dimensions of wildlife, namely how wildlife tourists perceive the natural world, whether they have eco, anthropocentric or anthropomorphic views of the animal kingdom, and whether the application of biophilia, our supposed inherent desire to connect with other, non-human, living things, can be applied to wildlife tourism. In addition the author explored the field skills involved in wildlife watching with regards to identification and photography, what constitutes a memorable experience, and finally the expectations and benefits of travelling on an organised wildlife holiday. In order to satisfy this aim, an ethnographic approach to data generation was employed in two distinct stages. First in-depth interviews were carried out with British tour operators to investigate the business of wildlife tour operating, to discover who the main operators are, the types of products that they offer, the profile of the clients that they attract as well as the management and delivery of their tours. This showed that the wildlife tourism market can be divided into different typologies, for example, birders, `listers' and general naturalists. Secondly, the author joined two tour groups within the general naturalist market, one birdwatching tour to Andalucia to watch the Autumn migration and one whale and bird-watching tour on the Sea of Cortez, Baja California. Whilst on tour, field journals were kept to record the days' events, participants emotional responses to wildlife, and her own observations of tour leading. These journals were coupled with in-depth interviews of tour participants whilst on tour and later in-depth interviews with people who regularly take dedicated wildlife holidays. This ethnographic study of these dedicated general naturalists reveals a number of important themes which may be of use for future studies such as: how interest in wildlife began, how wildlife watching is part of everyday life not just a holiday activity, the fascination with how wildlife adapts to human / urban environments and the relationship with regular wildlife visitors in their garden. In addition it highlights how wildlife tourism is used as a symbol of self presentation, how it is important to develop skills such as identification of species and photography, and how spontaneity, close proximity to wildlife, high numbers and first sightings all make for memorable experiences. There are a number of profound and psychological benefits which the nature of this study allowed to come to the fore, and that was the wonderment and sense of awe at the beauty and diversity of the natural world, of really feeling alive and in 'flow' when watching wildlife and how being in 'flow' distorts time. Linked to this is the spiritual fulfilment and sustenance provided by nature. The physical attributes of the wildlife holiday highlight the important role of the tour leader, their knowledge of species and of where to see them as well as the demonstration of responsible wildlife watching behaviour. Participants voiced their desire for relaxation, for meeting like-minded people and for sharing experiences with others. Finally participants appeared to be aware of potential negative impacts and liked to see responsible tour operating. The thesis ends by discussing the practical implications of these findings for industry and for wider society, and concludes by suggesting areas for future research. "An honest experience of nature would find that the natural world is an arena of endurance, tragedy and sacrifice as much as joy and uplift. It is about the struggle against the weather, the perils of migration, the ceaseless vigilance against predators, the loss of whole families and the brevity of existence. The natural world is like a theatre, a stage beyond our own, in which the dramas that are an irreducible part of being alive are played out without hatred or envy or hypocrisy. No wonder they tell us so much about ourselves and our own frailties" (Mabey 2006: 13). "

M.Com. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

This study examines the critical success factors of route tourism development. The aim is to provide a set to practical planning guidelines to assist the successful implementation of routes on a local level. Lessons are drawn from case studies of the Camino de Santiago in Spain, the heritage trails in Queensland, Australia, Hadrian’s Wall in the United Kingdom and of the Midlands Meander in South Africa. Routes are considered important because it demonstrated to be an effective vehicle for local economic development. The evidence of their positive impact on rural economies is confirmed throughout the case studies. It is argued that the successful development of tourism routes is not an exact science and emerging destinations often have many hurdles to overcome. Through an analysis of these four case studies, the study explores the elements of themed routes that constitute successful destinations and highlights the importance of planning, promotion and institutional development.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01