Sport tourism, as a segment of tourism, is one of the fastest growing industries. Sport events have grown enormously over the last two decades and, as a part of sport tourism, they are a very powerful tool that is used to market a country. Sport tourism also creates an internationally recognised image and attracts tourists from all over the world. One of the internationally recognised sport events held annually in Cape Town is the Pick In Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour (ACT). Originally started in 1977, it has grown to attract 32 000 cyclists by 2008. However, as with any event, the ACT's life cycle reached a climax and is currently on a downward slope, in terms of participation figures. This decline was the motivation for starting this study. As such, it was determined that the goal of this study would be to profile the participants in the ACT as this information could provide some of the reasons for the decline in numbers. In order for the researcher to successfully profile the participants, three objectives were formulated. Firstly, the reasons why cyclists participated in the ACT, in other words their travel motives, were examined. Secondly, it was determined which variables had a significant influence on cyclists' spending behaviour while visiting Cape Town. Finally, conclusions and recommendations were presented, and a profile of the participants was compiled. The research was done by means of using a questionnaire with three sections. The first section sought demographic information while section B measured the spending behaviour of the respondents. The last section established what motivated the cyclist to participate in the ACT. The survey took place from 5 - 8 March 2008 during the registration period at the Good Hope Centre of the city of Cape Town. A total of 583 completed questionnaires were received by the fieldworkers. The data analyses were then performed by firstly capturing the data into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The statistical program, SPSS, was then used for the further analyses. A factor analysis was performed in order to achieve the first objective of determining what motivated cyclists to participate in the ACT. Then a regression analysis helped to establish which variables influenced cyclists' spending. After all the analytical procedures were completed, the results of the factor analyses indicated the cyclists were motivated by the attractiveness of the event, by personal motivation and by a desire to escape from the daily routines and so to relax. The regression analyses lead to the results that the following variables determine how much money cyclists spend; marital status; province of residence; the number of nights stayed in Cape Town and which accommodation cyclists used. These results both confirmed and contradicted the results of previous research, even though this was the first time this type of research had been applied to a sport event in South Africa. This research can be used by event organisers to apply more effective target marketing and to develop new strategies to encourage an increase in participation figures. This research can also be used to improve business relationships between the different role players in an event. Further, product improvements can be made from certain recommendations. / Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

This thesis is a guidebook to the complex networks of representations in the Cob Mayan Jungle Adventure and Cob Mayan Village tours in Mexicos Mayan Riviera. Sold to tourists as opportunities to encounter an authentic Mayan culture and explore the ancient ruins at Cob, these excursions exemplify the crossroads at which touristic and Western scientific discourses construct a Mayan Other, and can therefore be scrutinized as staged post-colonial encounters mediated by scriptural and performative economies: the Museum of Maya Culture (Castaneda) and the scenario of discovery (Taylor). Tourist and Maya are not discrete identities but rather inter-related performances: the Maya become mysterious and jungle-connected while the tourist plays the modernized adventurer/discoverer. However, the tours foundations ultimately crumble due to uncanny and partial representations. As the roles and narratives that present the Maya as indigenous Other fracture, so too do those that construct the tourist as authoritative consumer of cultural differentiation.

Thesis (M.A.)--Baylor University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 108-117).

The thesis focuses on summarizing geologic information concerning Český Brod and its surrounding. The sum of information is intended as a basis for a complex tour of the area for students of ninth grade of elementary schools in and around Český Brod. Students taking the proposed tour should gain complex knowledge of geologic past and present in the given area.

My thesis explores the way in which the Italian language and literary culture contributed to John Milton’s early development as a poet (over the period up to 1639 and the composition of Epitaphium Damonis). I begin by investigating the nature of the cultural relationship between England and Italy in the late medieval and early modern periods. I then examine how Milton’s own engagement with the Italian language and its literature evolved in the context of his family background, his personal contacts with the London Italian community and modern language teaching in the early seventeenth century as he grew to become a ‘multilingual’ poet. My study then turns to his first published collection of verse, Poems 1645. Here, I reconsider the Italian elements in Milton’s early poetry, beginning with the six poems he wrote in Italian, identifying their place and significance in the overall structure of the volume, and their status and place within the Italian Petrarchan verse tradition. After considering the significance of the Italian titles of L’Allegro and Il Penseroso, I assess the impact of Italian verse forms (and particularly the canzone) upon Milton’s early poetry in English and the question of the nature of the relationship between Milton’s Mask presented at Ludlow Castle and Tasso’s ‘favola boschereccia’, Aminta. Finally, I consider the place in Milton’s career of his journey to Italy in 1938-9 and its importance to him as a personal ‘conquest’ of Italy. I suggest that, far from setting him upon the path toward poetic glory, as is often claimed, his return England marked the beginning of a lengthy hiatus in his poetic career. My argument is that Milton was much more Italianate, by background, accident of birth and personal bent, than has usually been recognised and that an appreciation of how this Italian aspect of his cultural identity contributed to his poetic development is central to an understanding of his poetry.

Det som märks är att kriser sker hela tiden, där gäller för reseaktörerna att vara förberedda. Krishantering är någonting som de flesta reseaktörer har men när det kommer till marknadsföringen av en destination vid kris ligger de lågt. Däremot marknadsför de destinationer i olika kanaler vanligtvis. / What you can notice is that crisis occur all the time, here it is important that tour operators is prepared. Crisis management is something that most of them have however marketing a destination in crisis they do not make any fuss. By contrast they marketing destinations in different distributaries channels.

O objetivo deste estudo consiste em diagnosticar a contribuição do sistema de qualidade das operadoras turísticas na produção e distribuição de seus produtos turísticos no Município de Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. Por meio da identificação dos sistemas de qualidade utilizados e suas categorias e/ou subcategorias de análise, visa-se conhecer a relação entre o desenvolvimento dos produtos turísticos e os seus sistemas de qualidade. Para isto, foi realizada inicialmente a ampliação do referencial teórico nas áreas da qualidade, planejamento e gestão de serviços para a identificação das variáveis organizacionais e mercadológicas. Posteriormente, uma pesquisa de campo identificou os sistemas de avaliação da qualidade utilizados pelas operadoras selecionadas. Esta dissertação está dividida em 7 capítulos, onde serão tratados aspectos relacionados: a) ao planejamento e estratégia em seus vários níveis, focando o planejamento corporativo das operadoras turísticas; b) a qualidade, seu conceito, sua relação com os serviços e com o turismo; e c) a elaboração e monitoração do produto turístico, por meio da descrição dos processos de desenvolvimento de produto e dos processos avaliativos e seus indicadores de qualidade. Entende-se que os sistemas de avaliação de qualidade existentes nas operadoras turísticas de Porto Alegre devem estar voltados aos conceitos de qualidade em relação à adequação do produto ao uso desde o momento de seu projeto, visando satisfazer: (a) às necessidades do cliente interno e final; (b) às rotinas internas e a padronização de alguns processos do serviço; e (c) à cultura organizacional flexível e à comunicação interna clara e acessível a toda a organização. Todos esses elementos direcionados a critérios de qualidade previamente definidos podem determinar a diminuição do hiato entre a aquisição do produto/serviço esperado e o obtido. A partir dos resultados, identificou-se que o entendimento sobre qualidade é superior às ações de controle e realinhamento no desenvolvimento e distribuição do produto turístico elaborado pelas operadoras de Porto Alegre. Uma possível interpretação para o resultado encontrado é que os mecanismos de aferição de qualidade utilizados pelas operadoras turísticas estudadas não são adequados para representar o comportamento da realidade ou que os gestores são otimistas quando avaliam o resultado de seus esforços na direção da construção da qualidade dos produtos oferecidos. Concluiu-se, portanto, que "o que é percebido é maior do que o que é realizado". Existe a necessidade do aprimoramento e do planejamento de ferramentas de controle eficazes, capazes de efetuar uma análise mais aprofundada dos critérios a serem alcançados pelas operadoras na satisfação de seus clientes. / Submitted by Marcelo Teixeira (mvteixeira@ucs.br) on 2014-05-14T17:20:12Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Gabriela Tavolara.pdf: 3119916 bytes, checksum: 752174a713d938705cb758d8461d9030 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-14T17:20:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Gabriela Tavolara.pdf: 3119916 bytes, checksum: 752174a713d938705cb758d8461d9030 (MD5) / The objective of this work consists in diagnosing the contribution of the quality systems in tour operators in the production and distribution of tourist products in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. A the identification of quality systems and its categories and subcategories of analysis, will be made to verify the relationship between tourist products development and its quality systems. For that, initially it was made a theoretical revision in quality, planning and service s management to survey necessary data to identify marketing and corporate variable. Afterwards, a field research identify the quality control system used by tour operators in Porto Alegre.The study is divided in seven chapters concerning: a) strategy and planning; b) quality, its concept, relation to services and tourism; and c) development and monitoration, tourist product process description of development, assessment and its quality indicators. It is understood that tour operator s quality systems must be focused on quality concepts in adequacyto the use since the project to satisfy: a) the final and internal consumer; b) internal routines and the standardization of some processes of the service; and c) to the flexible organizacional culture and the clear and accessible internal communication to the whole organization. All these elements directed to the criteria of quality previously defined can determine the reduction of the difference between the acquisition of the expected product/service and the obtained one.From the results it was identified that the agreement on quality is superior to the actions of control and lining up process in the development and distribution of the tourist product elaborated by the operators of Porto Alegre. A possibility of interpretation of this result is that the behavior of the reality it was not being represented adequately for the mechanisms of quality control used by the studied tourist operators. Another interpretation mentions optimistical analysis to it of the managers in the evaluation of the result of its efforts in direction of the construction of the offered product quality. One concluded, therefore, that "what it is perceived is bigger of the one than what it is carried through".

abstract: Residential historic preservation occurs through inhabitation. Through day-to-day domesticities a suite of bodily comportments and aesthetic practices are perpetually at work tearing and stitching the historic fabric anew. Such paradoxical practice materializes seemingly incompatible relations between past and present, people and things. Through a playful posture of experience/experiment, this dissertation attends to the materiality of historic habitation vis-à-vis practices and performances in the Coronado historic neighborhood (1907-1942) in Phoenix, Arizona. Characterized by diversity in the built and social environs, Coronado defies preservation's exclusionary tendencies. First, I propose a theoretical frame to account for the amorphous expression of nostalgia, the way it seeps, tugs, and lures `historic' people and things together. I push the argument that everyday nostalgic practice and performance in Coronado gives rise to an aesthetic of pastness that draws attention to what is near, a sensual attunement of care rather than strict adherence to preservation guidelines. Drawing on the institutional legacy of Neighborhood Housing Services, I then rethink residential historic preservation in Coronado as urban bricolage, the aesthetic ordering of urban space through practices of inclusivity, temporal juxtaposition, and the art of everyday living. Finally, I explore the historic practice of home touring in Coronado as demonstrative of urban hospitality, an opening of self and neighborhood toward other bodies, critical in the making of viable, ethical urban communities. These three moments contribute to the body of literature rethinking urbanism as sensual, enchanted, and hospitable. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Geography 2013

O objetivo deste estudo consiste em diagnosticar a contribuição do sistema de qualidade das operadoras turísticas na produção e distribuição de seus produtos turísticos no Município de Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. Por meio da identificação dos sistemas de qualidade utilizados e suas categorias e/ou subcategorias de análise, visa-se conhecer a relação entre o desenvolvimento dos produtos turísticos e os seus sistemas de qualidade. Para isto, foi realizada inicialmente a ampliação do referencial teórico nas áreas da qualidade, planejamento e gestão de serviços para a identificação das variáveis organizacionais e mercadológicas. Posteriormente, uma pesquisa de campo identificou os sistemas de avaliação da qualidade utilizados pelas operadoras selecionadas. Esta dissertação está dividida em 7 capítulos, onde serão tratados aspectos relacionados: a) ao planejamento e estratégia em seus vários níveis, focando o planejamento corporativo das operadoras turísticas; b) a qualidade, seu conceito, sua relação com os serviços e com o turismo; e c) a elaboração e monitoração do produto turístico, por meio da descrição dos processos de desenvolvimento de produto e dos processos avaliativos e seus indicadores de qualidade. Entende-se que os sistemas de avaliação de qualidade existentes nas operadoras turísticas de Porto Alegre devem estar voltados aos conceitos de qualidade em relação à adequação do produto ao uso desde o momento de seu projeto, visando satisfazer: (a) às necessidades do cliente interno e final; (b) às rotinas internas e a padronização de alguns processos do serviço; e (c) à cultura organizacional flexível e à comunicação interna clara e acessível a toda a organização. Todos esses elementos direcionados a critérios de qualidade previamente definidos podem determinar a diminuição do hiato entre a aquisição do produto/serviço esperado e o obtido. A partir dos resultados, identificou-se que o entendimento sobre qualidade é superior às ações de controle e realinhamento no desenvolvimento e distribuição do produto turístico elaborado pelas operadoras de Porto Alegre. Uma possível interpretação para o resultado encontrado é que os mecanismos de aferição de qualidade utilizados pelas operadoras turísticas estudadas não são adequados para representar o comportamento da realidade ou que os gestores são otimistas quando avaliam o resultado de seus esforços na direção da construção da qualidade dos produtos oferecidos. Concluiu-se, portanto, que "o que é percebido é maior do que o que é realizado". Existe a necessidade do aprimoramento e do planejamento de ferramentas de controle eficazes, capazes de efetuar uma análise mais aprofundada dos critérios a serem alcançados pelas operadoras na satisfação de seus clientes. / The objective of this work consists in diagnosing the contribution of the quality systems in tour operators in the production and distribution of tourist products in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. A the identification of quality systems and its categories and subcategories of analysis, will be made to verify the relationship between tourist products development and its quality systems. For that, initially it was made a theoretical revision in quality, planning and service s management to survey necessary data to identify marketing and corporate variable. Afterwards, a field research identify the quality control system used by tour operators in Porto Alegre.The study is divided in seven chapters concerning: a) strategy and planning; b) quality, its concept, relation to services and tourism; and c) development and monitoration, tourist product process description of development, assessment and its quality indicators. It is understood that tour operator s quality systems must be focused on quality concepts in adequacyto the use since the project to satisfy: a) the final and internal consumer; b) internal routines and the standardization of some processes of the service; and c) to the flexible organizacional culture and the clear and accessible internal communication to the whole organization. All these elements directed to the criteria of quality previously defined can determine the reduction of the difference between the acquisition of the expected product/service and the obtained one.From the results it was identified that the agreement on quality is superior to the actions of control and lining up process in the development and distribution of the tourist product elaborated by the operators of Porto Alegre. A possibility of interpretation of this result is that the behavior of the reality it was not being represented adequately for the mechanisms of quality control used by the studied tourist operators. Another interpretation mentions optimistical analysis to it of the managers in the evaluation of the result of its efforts in direction of the construction of the offered product quality. One concluded, therefore, that "what it is perceived is bigger of the one than what it is carried through".

This paper examines the relationship between tour operators and their existing tourism destinations. The intent is to help the tour operators plan strategically for building the sustainability of their destinations. A Framework for Strategic Sustainability Development, based on scientific consensus, was used to structure this work. Interviews with tour operators and tourism experts gave practical insight complementing the literature review and case studies analysed during the research. The key findings were the need for tour operators to: consider a whole-systems perspective; cooperate with the tourism destination to build a common vision of success and a clear understanding of sustainability; and to prioritise their actions based on achieving the vision. From this the authors proposed guidance notes to assist tour operators in addressing these barriers. The paper concludes that tour operators can play a major role in building a sustainable society while perpetuating the tourism industry. In order to do so their actions must be chosen and managed correctly. This involves cooperation with the destinations throughout the strategic planning process and for all involved to be on the same page in terms of the end goal, a sustainable society.