This study investigates the travel behavioral characteristics of Hong Kong residents through checking their comfort level on their past independent travel experiences to Japan. In-depth personal interviews were conducted with 46 respondents. The design of the questionnaires is based on the culture shock component model suggested by Pearce (Pearce 2005a). Due to a lack of information on independent travel, another separate interview was conducted with a travel agency manager who is specializing in selling independent travel packages. Two main types of travel behavioral characteristics of Hong Kong travelers who had visited to Japan on an individual basis were identified in this study. Namely: safety and familiarity seeking behaviors. Safety seeking behavior is mainly due to cultural factors that the Hong Kong independent travelers are risk adverse, prudent on safety issues, being collectivistic and trying every possible ways to reduce risks such as looking for authoritative guidance for advice. On the other hand, the behavior of familiarity seeking is due to both psychological and cultural reasons. All these behaviors fit Plog’s (Plog 1974) result in categorizing Hong Kong travelers as ‘near-psychocentric’ because they have a dependable personality that they are cautious in making decisions, preferring something popular and familiar to them. By identifying Hong Kong independent travelers’ behavioral characteristics, the extent of incentives provided by Japan was also discovered. A demand-supply relationship was used to describe the interactions between Hong Kong independent travelers (the demand generator) and Japan (the incentive supplier).It is found that to a large extent, Japan provided incentives to Hong Kong independent travelers. Nevertheless, there are areas that the Hong Kong travelers were relatively uncomfortable with, including communication with the locals, adaptation to street forms and transport systems. As a result, recommendations for the betterment of future independent travel industry are presented. / published_or_final_version / China Development Studies / Master / Master of Arts in China Development Studies

As a societal phenomenon, festivals and planned events are discussed in a wide policy context. They have entered a broader discussion with regard to sustainability in which the factors that contribute to being sustainable are part of a new paradigm of responsibility for festivals and events. Recognition that this includes responsibility for socio-cultural impacts has gained traction in the academic literature. However, only minor attention has been given to the dynamics and competencies affecting the decision making of festivals and events leadership as it influences these. As the needs of festival stakeholder are changing, so too consideration of new competencies and new platforms for transformation are required. This critical appraisal provides a significant consideration of my research in this subject area. At the core of the appraisal are nine peer-reviewed journal papers, two peer-reviewed research book chapters and one peer-reviewed conference paper. These reveal the contribution over the last ten years made to the body of knowledge in the research area of leadership, futures and sustainable development of festivals and events. The pragmatist paradigm that had guided the work, and the integration of research methods germane to the stage of the research cycle and the layering of knowledge is discussed. A principal tenet of the research is creation of knowledge which is both academically rigorous and socially useful. The contribution of my work to knowledge and understanding is established in three key theme areas of festivals and events leadership values and influences; festivals and events context and stakeholders; and festivals and events futures. For both academic and the festival and event providers, practical benefits of extending the capacity of leadership competencies and awareness – and the obstructions to this – are shown, with methodologies for future visioning and future proofing observed and discussed. Limitations of the work and future research proposals conclude the work.

No description available.

<p>We have studied the tourism industry for three years, and we were interested in finding a different subject to conclude our studies. Language Tourism, a fairly small but upcoming niche in tourism, and one in which we have some experience, promised to be an interesting dissertation subject. In Europe there are three countries where English is a mother tongue – the United Kingdom, Ireland and Malta. The dissertation focuses on Malta.</p><p>Malta is a small island state in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily. The island state has three islands, Malta, Gozo and Comino, and together they enjoy a huge number of tourists, particularly in the summer months when the warm climate makes a good sun and sea destination. The summer season is officially June to August, so there is a problem concerning what to do when the last tourist leaves the island after their summer holiday. The tourism industry has a huge impact on the country and sustains around 30 per cent of the country´s total GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Malta has been promoted for a long time as a sea-side destination, and the Maltese Government Tourist Board traditionally promoted the island for sun, sea and sand, and popular culture.</p><p>Back in the 1980s Malta had an established reputation. The Maltese Government now wanted to attract a different type of tourist, the ‘quality tourist’. The type of tourist they wanted to attract would also visit the island during the shoulder months. They were talking about the cultural tourist.</p><p>The importance of good cooperation between the language schools and the Malta Tourism Authority is a high priority if the development of steady all-year-round tourism is to be a possibility. Being an island state Malta is likely to suffer more from the issue of seasonality, as islands in general tend to be affected more than inland and coastal destinations. However, Malta's climate is a major pulling factor.</p><p>Language tourism has grown on the island since the 1960´s; today there are between 40 and 50 schools registered on the island. There are three important factors contributing to a language trip: courses, teachers and the leisure programme. Even though Malta is facing competition from nearby destinations in the Mediterranean, it is on its own in this niche market and able to offer students a warm, friendly welcome with a combination of a unique experience and learning.</p>

We have studied the tourism industry for three years, and we were interested in finding a different subject to conclude our studies. Language Tourism, a fairly small but upcoming niche in tourism, and one in which we have some experience, promised to be an interesting dissertation subject. In Europe there are three countries where English is a mother tongue – the United Kingdom, Ireland and Malta. The dissertation focuses on Malta. Malta is a small island state in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily. The island state has three islands, Malta, Gozo and Comino, and together they enjoy a huge number of tourists, particularly in the summer months when the warm climate makes a good sun and sea destination. The summer season is officially June to August, so there is a problem concerning what to do when the last tourist leaves the island after their summer holiday. The tourism industry has a huge impact on the country and sustains around 30 per cent of the country´s total GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Malta has been promoted for a long time as a sea-side destination, and the Maltese Government Tourist Board traditionally promoted the island for sun, sea and sand, and popular culture. Back in the 1980s Malta had an established reputation. The Maltese Government now wanted to attract a different type of tourist, the ‘quality tourist’. The type of tourist they wanted to attract would also visit the island during the shoulder months. They were talking about the cultural tourist. The importance of good cooperation between the language schools and the Malta Tourism Authority is a high priority if the development of steady all-year-round tourism is to be a possibility. Being an island state Malta is likely to suffer more from the issue of seasonality, as islands in general tend to be affected more than inland and coastal destinations. However, Malta's climate is a major pulling factor. Language tourism has grown on the island since the 1960´s; today there are between 40 and 50 schools registered on the island. There are three important factors contributing to a language trip: courses, teachers and the leisure programme. Even though Malta is facing competition from nearby destinations in the Mediterranean, it is on its own in this niche market and able to offer students a warm, friendly welcome with a combination of a unique experience and learning.

abstract: Cuisines are becoming increasingly significant in a tourist's experience and as such looking into different cuisines and their effects on the tourist's destination provides strong indicators of the outlook for the destination. Metropolitan areas within the United States have a history of being known for specific food items as well as types of cuisines. This study explores the Metropolitan area of New Orleans and the cuisine specific to this region: the Creole cuisine. A mixed methods approach was used to identify the Creole cuisine within the New Orleans area as both a regional cuisine and as a culturally significant cuisine, within the context of the United States of America. Once established, and through the help of the local New Orleans' Convention and Visitors Bureau, an online questionnaire was distributed to individuals that had shown an interest in visiting the New Orleans area. The questionnaire identified the characteristics of the Creole cuisine and the respondents' most recent trip to New Orleans. The Brief Sensation Seeking Scale, adjusted for cuisine tourism, provided a categorical separation of the respondents into three groupings: "Foodies", "Semi-foodies", and "Non-foodies". Two important findings emerge from this study, the cultural significant cuisine segmentation model and the foodie scale. These two findings allow for an in depth look at characteristics of regional cuisines and food tourists, while providing a way to predict food characteristics of both destination and individual. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Community Resources and Development 2010

No description available.

Thesis (MBA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / The Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism is mandated to focus on growing the provincial economy, empowering women and youth, on supporting small businesses and co-operatives and improving the lives of the people of the province for the better as indicated in the Limpopo Economic Development, Environment and Tourism Province Budget Vote (2015/16). Economic growth and social wellbeing are closely tied to the ability to protect the natural environment. Mining, electricity generation and agriculture are among the economic activities that have a direct impact on the environment and need to be carried out in a sustainable and responsible manner. Towards this vision, the assets which are furniture, transport, computer hardware and other machinery and equipment need to be managed efficiently and effectively in order to fulfil the needs of society and the departments. These assets represent an enormous value for the owner which is LEDET and for society at large. To grasp the full potential of these assets, a deep and thorough understanding of an asset’s complete lifetime is needed. However, the assets especially physical assets, public buildings and infrastructures are not managed properly and that results in numerous challenges and audit queries that are raised by the Auditor General. The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges that are facing the asset management unit of Limpopo Department of Economic Development & Tourism (LEDET). Asset Management has been hailed as important in order to enable government to deliver proper services to the citizens of the country. This has encouraged the researcher to undertake the study in order to add more knowledge on the asset management process of the government, looking at the challenges and possible solutions. The need for this study was considered relevant and necessary as government departments and other private sectors face numerous challenges in implementing the asset management. Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, as a case study, faces challenges in fulfilling some of its mandate due to lack of support from asset management activities. In terms of its strategic plan, the department seeks to address issues relating to economic growth, the promotion and development of tourism and using environmental management to guide and monitor sustainable development in the province. These challenges have negative implications on the delivery of services to the communities it serves. In this study, the researcher investigated the following: demographic profile of respondents, challenges facing asset management, the impact of asset management on service delivery and lastly the best practice on the implementation of asset management. Data were analysed into themes and revealed communication, training, interpretation of relevant prescripts, limited resources, proper allocation of resources and effective participation of relevant stakeholders as, amongst others, challenges to the process. The study concluded by providing recommendations to management of the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism on how to improve the asset management activities to achieve the strategic goals of the department. The recommendations proposed are improved communications with stakeholders, development of asset plan, skills capacity of asset management officials and sourcing the asset information system that integrates with the financial system to provide a reliable asset register. / LEDET (Limpopo Department of Economic Development & Tourism)