A thorough understanding of tourists' concerns about traditional foods and the factors that influence this understanding are necessary for the promotion and development of successful food tourism in Ghana. The data about tourists' concerns on traditional foods in Ghana were obtained from a random sample of 675 outbound international tourists at the departure lounge of the Kotoka International Airport between February and March, 2010. Sanitation emerged as the major gray area of attitudes to Ghana's traditional foods with the concerns being more expressed among elderly, women, and Muslim tourists. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the Food and Drugs Board and the Ghana Tourist Board, the two agencies charged with the responsibility of regulating and controlling standards in the food industry, be well resourced to perform their expected roles effectively.

The purpose of this study was to investigate job resourcefulness as a moderator of the effects of work–family conflict and family–work conflict on job satisfaction. Data were collected from a sample of frontline hotel employees in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was employed to test the aforementioned relationships. Results demonstrated that the detrimental impacts of work–family conflict and family–work conflict on job satisfaction were weaker among frontline employees with higher job resourcefulness. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are offered.

The article reports on findings from a survey of hospitality employers in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It discusses one aspect of a research project funded by the East Midlands Tourism aimed at exploring the skill sets desired and made available to the local hospitality and tourism economy through students at local colleges and universities. The survey explored employers' motives, experiences and evaluations of employing students in their businesses. The research confirms that often the decision to employ students is ‘to meet the uneven levels of demand for hospitality services’, and in part, ‘to meet the extra demand created by the student economy in Nottingham itself’. During the academic year the two universities in Nottingham generate considerable demand in the local economy through the presence of students who come to study in the city from elsewhere. Furthermore, many employers in hospitality organisations are concerned to recruit casual labour, some of whom happen to be students. In most cases, employers are very satisfied with the contribution that students make, though few consider developing a long-term relationship with them. Consequently, most students are employed in routine unskilled, front-line roles. Few are promoted to supervisory or managerial positions, or considered for long-term employment after graduation.

As worldwide cruise passenger numbers demonstrated a trend towards a maturing industry in recent years (passenger numbers still increasing but at a declining rate), this study was undertaken to investigate the motivations influencing cruise tourists' decision to cruise. Motivation data are vital for cruise companies to plan for the future. The study provides a valuable and timely insight into the motivations of 306 North American cruise tourists. A structured questionnaire was conducted on board a cruise ship operated by a major cruise company serving ports-of-call along the Eastern Atlantic Seaboard and the Caribbean. Data were collected on 6 cruise itineraries for a 6-week period from May 31 to July 6, 2008. Three aspects of potential tourist motivation were explored using 7-point Likert scales, including, information sources, vacation attributes, and motives derived from the Leisure Motivation Scale. The analysis is structured in relation to the respondents' cruise itinerary and cruise experience. The influence of tested motivations varied with cruise experience but not cruise itinerary. For cruise tourists, personal- and Internet-based information sources are deemed most influential, and their desire to cruise is primarily driven by the need for stimulus-avoidance. Some significant implications for cruise companies have emerged.

Cruise tourism is undoubtedly a high growth segment of the tourism industry, averaging an annual passenger growth of 7.4% since 1990. Behind this growth is a significant shift in the profile of the cruise passenger. What used to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience reserved for an older generation, now attracts repeat passengers, with as high as 85% having cruised before. Remarkably, the average age of cruisers has dropped from 65 years in the early 1970s, to 46 years in 2008, calling for a deeper understanding of the new generations of cruisers.

Research has found that corporate reputations are particularly important for service firms. Yet, extant, similar research has not been conducted in the tourism sector where customers typically purchase complex bundles of services. Hoping to assist in filling this void, the purpose of this study was to segment cruise passengers based on their perceptions of a cruise line's reputation and identify differences between the resultant reputation groups. Data were collected on two separate 7-day Caribbean voyages, on board the same Holland America Line (HAL) ship. Vast differences were found between reputation groups and their perceptions of prior experiences. It was further revealed that reputation has a great influence over cruise passengers' perceptions of price sensitivity, monetary price, behavioral price, quality, value, satisfaction, word of mouth, and repurchase intentions. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Theming provides coherence, pleasure, and fantasy to the enjoyment of goods and services. Although social scientists and tourism researchers have studied built environments that are themed, the theming of activities and special events has not been examined in great detail. Themed activities and events are an integral dimension of themed cruises and underpin the provision of experiences that are coordinated and organised around a particular hobby, pastime, or specialised interest. This article identifies and analyses a series of factors that have contributed to the rise of themed cruises. These factors are the fragmentation of markets, the rising importance of neo-tribal affiliations, the heightened sense of nostalgic identification with past eras, and the popularity of celebrities. Themed cruises serve a particularly important purpose for the cruise industry because they are used as a way of attracting both first-time and repeat passengers. Business imperatives are ultimately behind the structured ‘thematisation' of consumption. The examples that complement the more theoretical components of the article were obtained from articles published in newspapers and travel-industry periodicals. A crucial notion addressed by this article is that the four factors responsible for the rise of themed cruises are interwoven and mutually reinforcing.

Many successful organisations consider Internet recruitment to be an important element of their recruitment strategy, in order to promote, attract, manage and inform applicants in what is seen to be a cost and time effective manner (Anderson, 2003; Bartram, 2000; Parry & Tyson, 2008). This article contributes to the understanding of this subject by considering the content and characteristics of online recruitment resources within the cruise industry with reference to the resultant attitudes and behaviours of prospective employees. This study sought to critically analyse the effectiveness of online resources to attract and inform future employees within the hotel sector of the cruise industry and make recommendations to employers in relation to developing practice. A research plan was formulated that aimed to take a multimethod approach to revealing practice and potential client perceptions. This approach included conducting a comparative analysis of cruise websites using a modified version of a conceptual e-recruiting model, as defined by Young and Foot (2005). In addition, a cruise industry recruitment specialist was interviewed to capture key contextual and strategic data. Thereafter, data from a focus group involving final year Cruise Management students from the University of Plymouth, were collected to highlight perceptions of online recruitment resources from the potential employees' perspective. The investigation reveals that many elements such as content usefulness, web site attractiveness and usability have a major influence on prospective employees' perceptions and opinions of a company or cruise brand and that cruise brands have yet to harness the full capability of the medium to best effect.

There have been numerous studies on employee motivation and satisfaction in the hospitality industry but there appears to be a lack of research regarding employment on cruise ships. Cruise ship employees are expected to provide high-quality services that could influence the quality of the tourist experience and the competitiveness of the organisation. Therefore, the level of employee motivation is a critical success factor for this industry. This research aims to contribute to this relatively under-researched area by evaluating the motivational factors for customer-facing service employees on cruise ships. In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with 16 past and present employees from various cruise ships. The data gathered were analysed using template analysis. The study revealed employees were mainly motivated to work for the money saving opportunities, the desire to travel and meet new people, as well as learning aspirations and the attractive lifestyle the employment offered. The study has found that the unique environment of working is important on cruise ships and has been worthy of close attention due to its influences on employee motivation.

Drawing upon the organisational socialisation and sensemaking literatures, this article examines the implications of potential mismatches between prospective cruise workers' perceptions and their subjectively defined reality of working on board. The study reveals how individuals make sense of this mismatch and how they define their onboard experiences. Participants, who were former cruise ship workers, were asked about their perceptions and expectations relating to working on board — before joining the ship, while on board and after returning home. Though claiming to have few prior expectations, direct questions about surprises when joining the ship highlighted that participants had tacit expectations. Participants differentiated between working and living on board, and although their expectations of work were realistic, their expectations of life on board proved unrealistic. Their awareness of being in an unusual working environment led them to describe the cruise ship as another world, which was described as impossible for people who had not lived in that world to understand. The liminality of their situation, betwixt and between two social worlds, appeared an important feature of their sensemaking, although in many cases it was not until they returned home that they fully recognised this. This revealed a mismatch not only between their tacit expectations and experienced reality, but also between the cruise ship workers and their peers and family back on land. Reflecting on their return home, participants displayed a degree of nostalgia for working on board, and romanticised about cruise ship life which was portrayed as carefree and secure, involving both freedom and captivity.

This research seeks to determine the perceived role that cruise ship crew play in regards to providing cruise passengers with word-of-mouth (WOM) information in respect to the activity/attraction choices at a destination. In-depth interviews were conducted with crew members in New Zealand and cruise passengers aboard three cruise ships voyaging between Australia and New Zealand. The findings from this research indicate that the crew members believe they play an influential role in providing passengers with WOM information. However, this finding was not supported by the cruise passengers, given that they most often used WOM information sources that were perceived to be independent of the cruise line.

The Canadian Arctic represents an emerging market in the rapidly evolving polar cruise sector. Since 1984 when cruises began in this region, cruise ship activity has been sporadic, but in 2006 the number of cruises to Nunavut doubled from 11 to 22. This elevated level of growth has persisted with ice strengthened cruise vessels conducting between 23 and 26 separate cruises through Arctic Canada each year from 2007 to 2010. With a warming climate some suggest this trajectory of growth will continue as sea ice diminishes and passages open up. Despite this growth little is known about this burgeoning sector from the perspectives of local residents. Through two community case studies local attitudes toward cruise tourism are positioned in a resident attitude typology. In Cambridge Bay, where cruise tourism is just emerging, resident attitudes were found to gravitate toward the passive-favourable areas of the typology. By contrast, in Pond Inlet, which is one of the most visited cruise destinations in Nunavut, attitudes were more varied with some individuals expressing degrees of resistance. The article suggests that if local people are to become engaged participants in the development of cruise tourism in Nunavut, then it is critical that resident attitudes and aspirations are articulated, respected and acted upon.

Cruise tourism is the fastest growing segment of leisure tourism. With its growth has come concern about the impact of cruise tourism on coastal and marine environments, local economies, and on the sociocultural nature of port communities. These three areas are key elements in analyses focused on responsible tourism, and form a critical base from which to consider strategies to ensure the sustainable development of cruise tourism. The goal of this article is to illustrate how a responsible tourism lens measures the impact of cruise tourism and, with its focus on the perceptions of host communities, more effectively addresses grassroots concerns. Case examples are used to identify and describe challenges faced by governments, communities, and the cruise industry. Analysis of these issues and challenges gives direction for how cruise tourism can grow in ways that are both sustainable and responsible.

Cruising in Australasia is undergoing rapid growth far outstripping the increases in the United States (US) or United Kingdom (UK). In 2008 cruising grew by 5% in the US, 12% in the UK and 26% in Australia. Although this growth is off a much smaller base than that of the US or UK, nevertheless, cruising's growth ‘down under’ is making the industry sit up and take notice, and as a consequence more ships are being positioned in Australia and now New Zealand during the southern summer season. Little research has been undertaken in regard to the growth and the data that is available is largely confined to industry reports. This research note summarises the current information and highlights the growth of this niche form of tourism.

The present study investigates the dimensions of customer-perceived value in the context of medical tourism. Due to the important role played by the Internet in the growth of medical tourism, we will also explore the value dimensions of the use of the Internet in the context of medical tourism. Based on the consumption value theory developed by Sheth, Newman & Gross (1991), a netnographic study shows that the functional dimension greatly contributes to the value perception of the medical tourism experience. The use of the Internet is found to primarily have social, epistemic and functional values. From a managerial angle, the results are useful to managers to implement marketing actions targeting medical tourists. From a theoretical angle, the results are a starting point to develop an innovative theoretical model combining the value dimensions of medical tourism and of the Internet in the same context.

The adoption of sustainable tourism practices requires tourism organisations to change existing practices. Despite the expected benefits of such new practices, implementing change in organisations is challenging (Caldwell, 2003; Dent & Goldberg, 1999; Kotter & Schelsinger, 2008). An important factor in the implementation of these change programs is the ‘readiness to change’ of the individuals involved in the process (Diclemente & Prochaska, 1998; Tabor & Lopez, 2004; Zimmerman, Olsen, & Bosworth, 2000). As the value of sustainability principles in the tourism industry has gained prominence, Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) have been charged with implementing sustainable tourism practices within their destinations. Often lacking formal authority to mandate change, these DMOs rely on internal marketing and education to stimulate the adoption of sustainable tourism within organisations in their destinations. The current study examines the readiness of managers within the Welsh tourism industry to change behaviour and adopt sustainable tourism practices. One hundred and twenty-nine responses were received from managers within the Welsh tourism industry. The current study utilises ‘readiness to change’ scales based on the five stages of change to show readiness of the managers in the industry to adopt sustainable tourism practices. A cluster analysis was also undertaken that indicates members of a tourism destination system can be segmented by ‘readiness to change’ enabling targeted marketing communication to destination members. The present study also provides practical applications for DMOs to implement change based on the ‘readiness to change’ model.

This article reports an experimental Delphi study of expert attitudes to management contracts in the Dutch hotel industry. The study was prompted by appreciation of the apparent trend towards the divesting of property by international hotel companies, which is also explored here. The purpose of the research reported was to ascertain expert views of the implications of such a trend for the Dutch hotel industry, which has a history of risk aversion and aversion to management contracts as a model for hotel operations. The Delphi approach allowed access to a variety of experts regarding different groups and stakeholder perceptions. The findings of the study, which is the first of its kind to address this question in the Dutch hotel industry context, suggest that there is an expectation of greater diversity in the financial arrangements for managing hotel operations, but no inclination to radically change the business practices that have hitherto characterised the Dutch hotel sector.

This study identified and analysed current corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices and benefits gained from implementing these activities in the United States (US) lodging industry. A survey of the US-based hotel executives showed that the most important and highest performing initiatives tended to be popular environmental practices focused on energy, waste and water management. Hotel executives reported that cost savings and branding-related outcomes were the greatest benefits from CSR implementation. It is argued that increased consumer and managerial learning of CSR activities from a holistic perspective is critical to moving the CSR program forward in the lodging industry.