This thesis develops econometric models of departure time and travel mode choice to evaluate dynamic transportation policies. Dynamic policies affect travel attributes differently throughout the day. Both departure time and mode choice are modelled with Random Utility Maximizing (RUM) Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) discrete choice models that capture systematic and random heterogeneity. Departure time is represented by a heteroskedastic generalized extreme value model (Het-GEV) with overlapping choice sets. Studying the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), models are estimated using Revealed Preference (RP) household travel data from the 2006 Transportation Tomorrow Survey (TTS). Empirical models are used to evaluate dynamic transit and road pricing policies. Results indicate that the models are capable of capturing mode and time switching behaviour in response to peak pricing policies. To alleviate demand while maintaining transit mode share, a road charge and a moderate, flat, transit fare increase throughout the morning peak are recommended.

Travel patterns in Canadian urban areas changed during the twentieth century. No longer is urban travel downtown oriented. In all but the smallest Canadian urban areas, travel has evolved into a polycentric pattern. Despite this Canadian public transit networks remain oriented to the older travel patterns because of shortages in planning capacity. The transit literature on performance monitoring focuses on “system” variables rather than “network” variables like how well transit networks match travel patterns. This research develops a method by which transit planners can monitor the performance of transit networks in their communities. Applying this methodology provides recommendations to planners on how to improve transit network structures to better facilitate polycentric urban travel. Future research should compare the network performance of Canadian transit systems.

Travel patterns in Canadian urban areas changed during the twentieth century. No longer is urban travel downtown oriented. In all but the smallest Canadian urban areas, travel has evolved into a polycentric pattern. Despite this Canadian public transit networks remain oriented to the older travel patterns because of shortages in planning capacity. The transit literature on performance monitoring focuses on “system” variables rather than “network” variables like how well transit networks match travel patterns. This research develops a method by which transit planners can monitor the performance of transit networks in their communities. Applying this methodology provides recommendations to planners on how to improve transit network structures to better facilitate polycentric urban travel. Future research should compare the network performance of Canadian transit systems.

This thesis gives an overview and seeks to establish a framework for creating the built environments that would support an ethical and environmentally aware global counterculture in travel and tourism. It seeks to advocate for the use of natural building techniques, responsive architecture, and sustainability in hospitality design and demonstrates the positive impact that these strategies might have on the visitor as well as the host community. Such reciprocal benefits are achieved by encouraging respectful, ecologically, and culturally sustainable design of global hospitality facilities, while the visitor is immersed in contextually-conscious spaces and environments. This approach is illustrated in several global terroir-driven vineyard case-studies. A new design and development methodology is outlined, stemming from Goethean science and its emphasis on the relationship between people and environment, a methodology that involves reciprocity, wonderment, and gratitude. The thesis maintains that if a hospitality environment is developed as holistically as possible, the spirit of the place visited will be amplified to the extent that visitors will feel that un-namable sense of energy that comes from a deeper, almost spiritual, connection. In its detailed approach, this thesis examines the environmental design theories of Christopher Day. Additionally, the architectural theories of Christopher Alexander in his work 'The Timeless Way of Building', as they appear and have been adapted in built projects, and in the promise they hold for future of hospitality design, are reviewed. Overall, this thesis investigates the potential of the built environments of an alternative tourism. Responding to the evolving definitions of personal luxury and motivations for travel, this thesis is inspired by the notion that people are affected physically, mentally, and spiritually by the built environment that surrounds them. In its conclusion, this thesis outlines potential guidelines for the future of hospitality design and the interpretation of place as fundamental to the integrity of a destination and infinitely rewarding for the visitors that go there.

In recent years, destination marketers have experienced increasing pressure to compete in niche marketing, where critical analysis of each unique target market’s consumer needs is essential for marketing success. Destination marketers spend considerable time and financial resources identifying, characterizing and accommodating consumer needs in niche markets. Meanwhile, consumers are utilizing all aspects of information technology to plan, book, and better inform their travels. Youths’ growing participation and influence in the travel and tourism industry has received moderate attention both conceptually and empirically. Furthermore, despite the increasing availability of travel information online, youths’ predisposition toward media usage and their growing propensity toward travel and tourism, there has been relatively little to no attention paid towards young travelers’ use of the Internet as a multifaceted travel information source. This thesis focused on broadening our knowledge of young travelers online travel information search behavior within the context of media-induced tourism. Taking a netnographic approach, this study explored how electronic word-of-mouth regarding travel destinations, products and services is mediated through Internet technology, specifically how online communities and online discussion forums are utilized as important venues, which support conversations among travelers (Wang, Yu & Fesenmaier, 2002; Wang & Fesenmaier, 2004). Study results supported previous arguments that online communities and social networking play an important role in mediating travel information search and decision-making, especially for youth, fan culture and media-induced tourism. The overall findings, limitations to this study, suggestions for future research, and practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

The travel industry is located at the midstream of the tourism and plays a crucial role in the integration of resources. However, due to its susceptibility to the season, business prosperity, and natural or man-made disasters, the market demand in travel industry is fairly instable. Moreover, the entry-barrier is rather low in this industry, which makes it so competitive that no single enterprise can predominate over others. Consequently, to form a strategic alliance has become an imperative to survive, and a PAK alliance has been proved to be effective in practice for many years. Many travel agencies in Taiwan have taken advantage of a PAK alliance to achieve goals like a high corporate achievement or product-line expansion¡Ketc. This research discusses chiefly about what attitude the scale of business have when joining in a PAK alliance, including their motives, partner-selection, and performance improvement. Furthermore, this study probes into key factors of the success of a PAK alliance and looks into the prospect of tourism. The major findings of this research are listed below: 1. Large-scale businesses participate in a PAK alliance mainly in view of the ¡¥¡¦motive of resources¡¦¡¦, and put much more emphasis on the ¡¥¡¦market strength¡¦¡¦ of their partners. However, an alliance offers nearly no help on the part of ¡¥¡¦financial performances¡¦¡¦. 2. Middle-scale businesses participate in a PAK alliance also mainly in view of the ¡¥¡¦motive of resources¡¦¡¦, and put much more emphasis on the ¡¥¡¦ consistency of business culture¡¦¡¦ between they and their partners. Besides, an alliance can substantially assist them in gaining ¡¥¡¦market strength¡¦¡¦. 3. Small-scale businesses participate in a PAK alliance mainly in view of the ¡¥¡¦motive of economy¡¦¡¦, and put much more emphasis on the ¡¥¡¦ consistency of business culture¡¦¡¦ and ¡¥¡¦network¡¦¡¦ between they and their partners. Besides, an alliance can substantially assist them in the ¡¥¡¦accumulation of organization competence¡¦¡¦. 4. Small-scale businesses pay much attention to the influence of ¡¥¡¦human factors¡¦¡¦ on the success of a PAK alliance. 5. All types of businesses consider it plausible and inevitable for alliance members to cause damage to the overall benefit, and when it does happen, they deal passively with it. 6. In the future, businesses would place little importance on PAK alliance; instead, they are supposed to think highly of the potentiality of their main products if they are competent and the market allows them to do so, and PAK products merely serve to increase the diversity of products.

Overfishing of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico has significantly increased lately. A major regulation to reduce the overfishing is Total Allowable Catches (TAC) in combination with a season closure. The restrictions on entry lead to an inefficient outcome, however, because the resource is not used by the fishermen who value it the most. As an alternative to restricting entry, transferable rights (TR) programs are being increasingly considered. Under a TR program, a market is created to trade a right to use a resource and the total benefits of the participants are maximized through such a trade. The principal objective of this dissertation is to comprehensively assess economic and biological consequences of the red snapper fishery for the TR program. To date the literature lacks sufficient discussion of how recreational TR programs would function. I, therefore, propose an economically desirable institutional framework for the TR program in the recreational fishery. I draw some lessons from hunting programs and applications of other TR programs to find better schemes for the TR program in the recreational fishery.This dissertation uses theoretical and empirical models as well as institutional settings to develop the TR program. A theoretical model is provided to investigate which unit of measurement for the TRs is preferable. For empirical models I first estimate an empirically based recreation demand that incorporates TR permit demand and then develop a simulation submodel using the estimated demand. I find price instruments, such as fees or TR programs, are very efficient to reduce fishing trips but they also lead to distributional impacts on trips by low income (or low cost) anglers. Partial simulation results indicate that an efficiency benefit of the TR program would be significant because recreational trip demand in the current closed season is not trivial. I conclude that the TR program in the recreational fishery will economically and biologically provide a great deal of merit to reduce the overfishing situation and a substantial efficiency gain to Gulf anglers. Some institutional barriers, especially from the large transaction cost can also be overcome if electronic systems or the Internet are used.

Thesis (doctoral)--Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität zu Greifswald, 1936. / Cover title. At head of title: Deutsche Philologie. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 4-6).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-131).

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2000. Graduate Programme in Film and Video. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 114-117). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pMQ67715.