The purpose of this article is to analyse differences in the opinions of two groups, domestic (Australian) and international students, towards careers in the tourism and hospitality industry. This will ascertain if one group is more committed to a career in the industry than the other. A quantitative study investigating factors that students find important in choosing a career, as well as their perceptions of different aspects of a career in the industry, was undertaken. In total, 379 completed surveys were collected. The findings of this research show that there are significant differences between the two groups, especially when comparing the extent to which respondents believed tourism and hospitality offered the career factors that students found important. From these results it is argued that international students are more likely to believe that the tourism and hospitality industry offers the factors they find important when choosing a career. This has implications for tourism and hospitality employers in Australia as it shows that domestic graduates will be less likely to join the industry upon graduation.

There is a widely held assumption that the Internet provides opportunities to rethink and reorganise the knowledge interaction and dissemination between industry, education and research. Web 2.0 technologies are emerging as teaching and learning tools, but there is still no striking evidence to support the above-mentioned assumption. Accordingly, the purposes of this article are to, first, discuss the challenges in tourism education and address in brief the declining role of universities as knowledge monopolies and their emerging role as open knowledge mediators. Second, to present open innovation paradigms and address issues of knowledge accumulation and dissemination in tourism and the new role of the university. Third, INNOTOUR, an experimental Web 2.0 innovation hub for tourism, is presented. Preliminary learning experiences using the INNOTOUR platform as an advanced tool for collaborative, open source education in tourism are outlined. Finally, we point out collaborative challenges for international tourism research and teaching. We argue that there is a compelling need to build grounded theory and consolidated practice that will advance the quality and efficiency of tourism education through the use of a wide span of interactive technologies and committed teaching methods, facilitating dynamic, interdisciplinary and international learning experiences.

In this phenomenologically influenced study, three early career researchers share their lived experiences of engaging with grounded theory as either a ‘methodology’ or ‘method’ in their respective research projects. The three lived experiences were interpreted using a constructivist grounded theory approach. The study provides insights into their experiences associated with ‘learning about’ and ‘doing’ grounded theory. Based on these three early career researchers' experiences, learning to be a grounded theory researcher is constituted of three inter-connected processes: learning about and doing grounded theory (and qualitative research); researchers as socially situated and embodied, corporeal beings; and experiences of grounded theory learning contexts and curricula. Additionally, learning about and doing grounded theory is a multi-faceted social experience involving knowledge building, meaning making, skill development, reflexivity, axiology, conducive learning conditions, communities of practice principles as well as influences from researchers' affective domains.

With the liberalisation of the gambling industry by 2002, the gambling revenue of Macao has increased tremendously, and even outstripped that of Las Vegas by 2006. This has resulted in floods of foreign investment and rocked the market of Macau. This study aimed to investigate the market condition where fierce competition was brought in by overseas investors. Longitudinal analyses on the monthly occupancy rate, average room rate and total available rooms of all 3- to 5-star Macao hotels with casino facilities over a 48-month period were carried out. Seasonality has no significant effect on occupancy rate. Tourist arrival numbers and total available rooms demonstrate positive correlation, while both average room rate and casino facility have shown a negative correlation with hotel occupancy. The negative correlation between a casino facility and occupancy rate sorts out the market potential of a casino hotel and a commercial hotel in the city of Macao. An econometric model, comprising five micro- and macro-economic factors is described. The current study is the first to examine the market condition of the Macao hotel industry. It not only explains business implications for the Macao hotel industry, but also contributes to the field of hospitality literature.

Competition in the higher education sector has led to an increase in studies examining student motivations for study and satisfaction with their overall education experience. While there is a growing body of literature focused on undergraduate students, few studies have addressed postgraduate student motivations for studying tourism. To address this gap, a study of tourism postgraduate students studying at the School of Tourism, The University of Queensland (UQSoT) was implemented. This article explores the relative importance of location, institution and program focus as motivators for undertaking postgraduate studies in tourism.

The aim of this article is to explore the linkage between Generation Y's career expectations and aspirations on the one hand and employee engagement on the other. The article includes primary work on the views of Generation Y undergraduate students with work experience in the hospitality industry. The questionnaire was developed by the authors to focus expressly on identified aspects of Generation Y's views on their careers. Across two universities in Scotland, the views of 122 respondents with work experience mainly in the hospitality industry are analysed. The Generation Y respondents in this study signal that their early experiences in the hospitality industry act to discourage them from pursuing careers in this sector. This is a generation that is apparently self-centred and demanding. It seems to have high initial career expectations and higher aspirations still for long-term careers that the hospitality industry can do more to meet. Expectations and aspirations centre mainly on their personal career development, or employability factors. They involve both employee and employer inputs, notably determination to succeed and good pay respectively. While based on a relatively modest sample size, the article suggests pointers to hospitality industry employers on how to engage Generation Y in order to support business performance. Above all, graduate recruitment and career development that is clear, structured, fair and equal is sought by Generation Y, especially for females. By responding to Generation Y and with further research, hospitality organisations may be better placed to attract and retain Generation Y graduates. More, they may encourage employee engagement.

The purpose of this study is to develop and test a model that investigates core self-evaluations as a mediator in the relationship between coworker support and work engagement. Data were collected from a sample of 100 full-time frontline employees of the five- and four-star hotels in Iran. The relationships were tested using hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The results demonstrate that core self-evaluations partially mediate the impact of coworker support on vigour, while it fully mediates the relationship between coworker support and dedication. In contrast, core self-evaluations do not function as a mediator in the relationship between coworker support and absorption. Implications of the findings are discussed and avenues for future research are offered.

The hotel industry utilises the concept of human resource practices system differentiation (HRPSD) by focusing resources on managerial level jobs as a technique of strategic human resource management (SHRM). Despite its use in both practice and the academic literature, research focusing on HRPSD is scarce and detailed analyses of the effects of this practice on employees cannot be found in the academic literature. The objective of this article is to develop a conceptual framework facilitating the examination of how human resource practices systems are differentiated within 5-star hotels, and to identify some direct effects of such systems on employees. The article provides a conceptual framework of SHRM with HRPSD, including the link to human resource intermediate outcomes that have not previously been included in previous research in a hotel industry context.

This article discusses the perceived benefits and challenges associated with membership of the Green Tourism Business Scheme, a sustainable certification initiative. The literature reveals sustainable business continues to be the focus of considerable academic interest, as well as practical importance. Interviews with seven local hospitality and tourism enterprises in the West of England provided valuable insights into the benefits of the scheme. These were related to environmental impacts, financial considerations, marketing opportunities, brand recognition and company image, and other issues such as public relations, personal moral responsibility, and political considerations. Challenges included several internal and external factors potentially preventing businesses from joining the GTBS, such as a lack of respondent knowledge of the sustainable tourism concept, the perceived expense of applying for and/or membership, a lack of time to complete the application process, and the amount of work involved in compliance. Recommendations to facilitate and encourage future membership included more information about the scheme and its marketing advantages, the need for regional organisations to spend more money on promoting the GTBS brand, and the necessity of educating consumers on the importance of sustainability.

This study tries to give an answer to the question whether the perceived beneficial images of destinations differ across different travel contexts (wellness vs. sun & beach) and wellness and nonwellness travellers respectively. This objective is demonstrated by considering two sets of destinations: European and Asian countries that are specialising, to a varying degree, in wellness tourism. In addition, the conceptualisation of destination image follows the direction of an ‘overall composite and gestalt impression’ summarised by Keaveney and Hunt (1992, p. 166) that also requires an adequate holistic measurement process. For this purpose the procedure outlined by Tapachai and Waryszak (2000) for developing so-called proxy benefit prototypes for describing the product category of a destination is replicated. Meaningful practical results could be elaborated by profiling destination images of ten different countries from the perspective of the abovementioned traveller segments. Plots from multidimensional scaling (MDS) and consecutive property fitting procedures assisted in visualising the results and competitive relations.

The aim of this article is to focus on developing an understanding of wellness tourism provision. A brief contextualisation is offered, along with a discussion of definitions and classifications. Subsequently, in order to offer a more in-depth analysis, one market category — that of the holistic or wellness ‘retreat’ — is assessed in greater detail. This research attempts to unpick some of the generalisations made about the wellness tourism sector by providing detailed research on one under-represented part of this market provision. An operator database was created of retreat centres globally, based on the author's definitional classification criteria. Over 500 centres' data were collated and reviewed. From this a more in-depth survey took place, whereby 50 retreat providers were interviewed to research a range of motivational, experiential and management issues related to wellness tourism. The research shows that retreat operators are a relatively unique group of wellness tourism providers insofar as they are poorly organised collectively (compared, for example, to the spa sector); the vast majority can be classified as ‘lifestyle entrepreneurs’ in terms of their business motivations and aspirations; many own, manage and teach at their centres, and their views on and engagement with training, regulation and the tourism sector itself are very much place-specific. The product focus of many retreats is what sets them apart from other aspects of wellness tourism.

Interest in all aspects of health and wellness tourism has been growing in every part of the world. Businesses have responded with aggressive growth in the quantity and diversity of supply offered, especially in North America. Yet few countries have systematically assessed their supply and linked it to the changes in motivation and behaviour towards spas, health and wellness in their own population. This article brings together a number of secondary sources as well as research conducted by the author with the leading spa association in Ontario, Canada, in an effort to present an overview of the characteristics of the supply of and demand for spa, and the forces that continue to shape both aspects in that country.

Early 21st century postmodern western societies are witnessing the rebirth and reinvention of health tourism founded on new ideologies, concepts, spaces and services mostly dominated by the desire for wellbeing expressed by the spa ideal. This is the affirmation of a new reality which, considering its growing role in present-day society, requires research, especially regarding demand, motivation and profile. Based on doctoral research in tourism, leisure and culture entitled The New Spaces for Leisure, Tourism and Health in Portugal: The Spas, this article sets out to present, examine and discuss a review of the literature on current principles and issues associated with health and body management, especially as they pertain to periods of leisure and tourism through a global and transversal approach. Then, in empirical terms, the article portrays the client profile of the new spas (including the new wellness segment tourist), founded on a pioneering and wide-ranging national survey carried out in Portugal. The information was gathered by means of a questionnaire directed to clients of Portuguese spas. Spa-goers were questioned as to the regularity, services, motivation and context of their spa use, as well as their other healthcare habits. Based on the information gathered, a profile of spa-goers in Portugal was designed and, by means of a classification technique, clusters were subsequently identified in this consumer group.

Until 2004, Portuguese spas were traditionally thought of as establishments in which noninvasive therapies based on naturally occurring sources of mineral water are provided under professional supervision. With the publication of the Decree-Law No. 142/2004, Portuguese legislation regulating spas changed quite dramatically: from that moment on, spa-owners, numbering some 40 establishments countrywide, were allowed to open up what had hitherto been a strictly health-orientated sector. Since then much has changed in the Portuguese mineral springs spa market: one of the main innovations has been the introduction of a large variety of services that may be termed ‘wellness treatments’ — therapies not strictly related to pre-existing health conditions. These are now being offered as a product range in their own right, along with traditional medical treatments, thus diversifying the services provided, with all based on the same highly therapeutic naturally occurring mineral water. Thus spa services are no longer just a health product but have also become a tourist attraction, thereby legally formalising something that, to a limited extent, had always been the case. With the change in the services offered, the typical customer profile has also modified significantly: users of today's spa facilities are younger (between 25 and 45 years of age) than in the past, from the middle- to middle-upper socioeconomic stratum, live in large urban centres, have a reasonably high level of education, and could be either male or female. Such clients often prefer making various short trips over the year to test out different destinations, and choose registered hotels with three or more stars for their stays. The changing client profile has forced firms to adapt the means they employ to establish a growing and loyal client base. Indeed, over the past five years, a large majority of Portuguese spa service providers have significantly upgraded not only their services and infrastructures, but also their use of internet sites. With these changes in mind, the study reported on here aimed to analyse the way such firms currently communicate with prospective clients using the web. The results of this study may offer both Portuguese spas and those in other locations the opportunity to further improve their dialogue with current and potential spa-goers.

Many studies on the motivations and profiles of health and wellbeing tourists have focused on various sub-sectors of health, wellness and wellbeing tourism, but more general research on wellbeing tourists has been quite rare. This study aims to investigate tourists' motivations as predictors of their interest in wellbeing tourism holidays as opposed to tourists who are not interested in wellbeing holidays. Data were collected at the Nordic Travel Fair in January 2009. In total 406 acceptable responses were used. To evaluate the predictive influence of push and pull factors, the data were analysed using logistic regression analysis with backward stepwise method. The results show that previous experience of wellbeing holidays, number of annual holiday trips, together with pull factors ‘water park and/or spa’, ‘natural sights’ and ‘easy access at the destination’, and push factors ‘refreshing myself’, ‘experiencing fashionable/trendy places’ and ‘aesthetic experiences’ significantly increase the likelihood of tourists being interested in taking wellbeing holidays.

The goals of this article are twofold: first, to investigate if rural tourism could be seen as a form of wellbeing tourism by comparing motivations; and second, to use motivation segmentation to find out how the wellbeing segment differs from other segments. A questionnaire was developed based on literature on wellness and rural tourism motivations. Data were collected on a Finnish rural tourism website during the summer of 2009. A total of 727 responses were analysed using k-mean cluster analysis to create segments. The results show that among Finnish rural tourists a segment of rural wellbeing can be distinguished. The segment members want to relax away from the ordinary, escape from a busy everyday life, have a hassle-free vacation, get refreshed, have a sense of comfort and have an opportunity for physical rest more than members of other segments. A typical rural wellbeing tourist is a 45- to 54-year-old female who has lived her childhood in the countryside. She travels with her spouse less than once a year to a rural destination. The wellbeing segment wants to feel relaxed. It values privacy, does not want schedules, likes a calm atmosphere and wants to spend time outside in nature more than other segments.

Located on the east coast of Australia, Byron Bay is well recognised as a popular tourism and wellness destination that offers an eclectic mix of ‘alternate’ services and businesses that provide health and wellbeing experiences including alternative ‘new-age’ shops, ‘spiritual’ services such as meditation and yoga classes, alternative medicine and holistic healing centres. This article traces the development of wellness tourism products and experiences in the destination and explores the implicit link to wellness and spiritual values that underpin the local community. This case study research forms part of a Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre project undertaken in 2009 that investigates the demand and supply of wellness and medical tourism in Australia. A key outcome of this research was to identify factors that have contributed to establishing Byron Bay as an ‘alternate’ wellness tourism destination for domestic and international visitors. In addition, barriers and opportunities for further development in health and well tourism are identified.

The purpose of this study was to (1) evaluate factors in FIT guest's perception of five-star hotel location, and (2) assess the differences among customer-satisfaction levels and how those differences impacted guests' satisfaction with their choice of hotel. FIT guests (Frequent Individual travellers/foreign independent traveller) staying at 17 five-star hotels were selected based on information of foreign immigration statistics recorded by the Korea National Tourism Organization. Factor analysis of the six dimensions was labelled as Tourism Attraction, Convenience, Safety, Surrounding Environment, Traffic, and Accessibility. Results showed that FIT guests value and expect in a hotel's location: (1) safety, (2) ease of access to transportation portals (air, train, bus, and public transportation), and (3) close connection to area attractions (historic, business, and pleasure).