Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / On title page: Master in International Relations. Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D. ) - James Cook University, 2004. / Typescript (photocopy). Appendices: 253-259. Bibliography: leaves 228-251.

Tez (Yüksek Lisans) - Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, İktisat Anabilim Dalı, 2007. / Bibliyografya var.

The aim of this research was to compare the distribution channel relationships in two different tourism markets: the mature market of Britain and the evolving market in Poland, with a view to assessing likely courses of tourism development in Poland. Relationships in channels of distribution can be understood as all the interactions, processes and flows taking place between companies involved in exchange of products and services. The focus of the research was an investigation of channel relationships between travel agents and tour operators. The evolution of tourism channel relationships in Britain and Poland was investigated in three stages: initiation, implementation and review, following the Kale and McIntyre (1991) and Crotts et al. (1998) models. Analysis of existing literature established that historical, political and economic backgrounds, as well as demand and supply, impact in different ways upon the structure of such channels in each country. Following that recognition two phases of empirical research were conducted using a mixed methods approach. The exploratory phase was based on interviews with British and Polish travel agents and tour operators, and from this phase a set of propositions was developed regarding travel agents' and tour operators' attitudes towards channel relationships. These propositions were explored using data collected from a detailed questionnaire survey distributed to a sample of British and Polish tour operators and travel agents. The results from this quantitative research were qualitatively augmented by outcomes from indepth interviews. The key findings from the research were that the Polish distribution system resembled to some extent the old British tourism structure. It was, however, unable to directly follow the development route undertaken by British companies. The pattern of operation was different in both countries due to four factors. Firstly, the distortions in operations in Poland originated from the post-socialist business structure; secondly, the diversity of business in Poland was much greater than in Britain, whilst, thirdly, the level of vertical integration between companies and the level of the development of information technology was more extensive in Britain. Finally, although the relationship development process consisted of similar stages in both countries, the field investigations showed differences in partners' selection, monitoring and support. The Polish companies relied heavily on social bonding and social ties in the selection stage, while in Britain the transparency and higher stability in the market reduced the necessity of close social bonding between employees and companies. The overall conclusion from the research is that the Polish travel companies are likely to follow many aspects of the British route, though with some specifically Polish characteristics. The initial evaluation of channel partners and the evaluation of the relationship between agents and tour operators would be strengthened in Poland, if there were a strong, regulatory and advisory association in the Polish market such as ABTA in Britain. Further research is recommended in terms of the impact of information technology on channel relationships in tourism and the role of tourism associations in the organisation of the tourism market.

The rapid expansion of tourism degrees over the last 30 years has been fuelled by the expansion of Higher Education, the popularity of tourism as an area of study, and the attraction of tourism careers. However, the tourism industry has not always been involved in these developments, nor appreciative of tourism degrees. Tourism employers have suggested that tourism graduates do not meet their needs, and voiced concern about the relevance of tourism degrees. Yet, there has not been a comprehensive study which explores employers' perceptions of the value of tourism degrees. This thesis aims to address this by providing an in-depth exploration of how tourism employers perceive the value of tourism degrees. To achieve this aim, a mixed method approach was adopted. A qualitative approach to this study was employed in its first stage. The findings from this stage were used to inform the second quantitative stage. The results indicate that the perceived value of tourism degrees is based on both its employment relevance and academic status. From an employment perspective, the majority of jobs available to graduates are entry level jobs which do not require holding a degree. These jobs are often customer facing, with what employers term as 'personality' being considered a key requirement. Tourism degrees are not seen to contribute to graduates meeting this requirement. Rather, they are seen to contribute to gaining knowledge of the industry, which incidentally is low on the employers' list of requirements. The importance of relevant work experience where skills such as customer-service skills can be developed and demonstrated should thus not be overlooked. Work experience schemes based on cooperation between universities and the industry could also have a positive effect on graduates' employability not only by expanding their work experience, but also because such cooperation is often linked to a more positive view ofthe value of tourism degrees. Where jobs which do require holding a degree are concerned, employers indicated that tourism degrees do not provide an advantage. They associated tourism degrees with new universities, and perceive graduates from new universities to exhibit deficiencies in higher level graduate skills. This suggests that although the expansion of HE was designed to meet the needs of the economy, employers may not be convinced of its benefits. The results indicate that regardless of whether the tourism degrees provide good, sound academic base, if employers associate them with former polytechnics and lower academic standards they will still opt for graduates from elite institutions and more traditional degree subjects.

This thesis deals with tourism services accessibility for foreigners in the Czech republic, which means each service language adaptation for foreign visitors. The term of accessibility is defined in the theoretical section as well as the way of application in tourism services and the evaluation criteria. Great emphasis was laid on tourism employees language facilities and foreign language information accessibility. The services analysis was made in Prague as the most visited tourism destination in the Czech republic and then in Třebíč, town with UNESCO listed sights. The main task was map out the present state of services in term of language accessibility which are offered to foreigners and propose possible ways of other development in the areas of tourism services where the accessibility is not completely solved.

Destination image is an aspect of tourism that requires crisis management (CM) and marketing, because it is vulnerable to crises and media coverage. The literature review identified that potential terrorist attacks and political instability were particularly influential in changing travellers' intentions to visit and perceptions of different destinations. To date, there is no published academic research on the changing images of Indonesia as a result of the prolonged 1997 crises (pre the Bali bombings) and the 2002 and 2005 crises (post the Bali bombings). This study addresses this by examining Indonesia's images from the perspectives of the Indonesian tourist industry and UK residents. This study also addresses gaps identified in the following destination image research areas: image formation, image change and crisis management. The review of current literature revealed that there has been little shift towards a greater use of qualitative or mixed-methods approach for the study of destination image. This research uses a mixed-methods approach to address the limitations that the use of a single, purely quantitative or quantitative approach would impose. Results from the primary research reveal that the images of Indonesia, including the security image is more positive among visitors than non-visitors. The research results suggest that Bali has strong unique images and these have allowed its tourism to continue and survive pre- and post- the crisis period. Furthermore, the results revealed that Indonesia's image has become more complex since 1997, specific factors affected its image during crisis, the critical role of the media in the development of image and tourism demand and why certain crisis management strategies proposed in the tourism literature are not effective. This research contributes to the study of image dimensions, differences, change and formation factors and the use of mixed-methods within a crisis context. The research also contributes within the area of crisis management by suggesting modifications to the current crisis management framework, making it more adaptable in certain contexts and suggests the need for 'knowledge management' and a 'logical incrementalism' approach when developing the CM plan. The implication of the research findings is that mixed-methods approach is compatible and beneficial in destination image research with similar or complementary research objectives.

This thesis provides an examination of the managerial policies adopted by the Egyptian tourism sector in planning and implementing the repositioning of the image of Egypt from the mid 1960s onwards. It aimed at augmenting its traditional cultural identity with an additional hedonistic dimension, derived from the development of beach resort tourism on the Red Sea coast. In addition to exploring the specific elements of the Egyptian repositioning, including an evaluation of its success, the study seeks to identify from the analysis, the key issues and managerial requirements involved in the repositioning of destinations in general, and proposes a preliminary model of the content and sequencing of the repositioning process. The study employed a qualitative methodology involving ethnographic fieldwork with key informants, chosen as representatives of the main categories of stakeholders who participated in Egyptian tourism planning of the repositioning programme. It took its direction and procedures from an adaptation of Grounded theory, in which three main sources of data were collected and appraised: ethnographic interview responses, direct observation, and documentation generated both internally and externally. The results revealed by this study suggest that, though total tourist flows generally increased after the repositioning, and the proportion of tourists visiting the Red Sea beach resorts, rather than the cultural locations, also increased, the lack of proper evaluation mechanisms of the programme made it difficult to attribute causally these changes to public sector managerial decisions, rather than to other variables in the broader external environment (world tourism growth trends, power of the international operators, price competitiveness, etc.). Moreover, in analysing the mechanics of the programme, a number of key areas of deficiency in strategic planning and marketing practice were identified. These deficiencies included: weak or non-existent marketing research; poor market targeting and product portfolio analysis; inadequate planning and evaluation procedures; weak communication, and integration of effort between stakeholders; and limited awareness of cutting edge promotional practices. The normative model of repositioning offered at the end of the Results section of this study seeks to address some of the problems and deficiencies disclosed in the Egyptian case study, by suggesting some of the desiderata of best practice when destinations need to augment, modify, or change their image.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Canterbury, 2007. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 121-131) Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph.D)--University of Technology, Sydney, 2004. / Bibliographic references: leaves 348-367.