Showing papers by "Tim Coles published in 2022"

Crisis? How small tourism businesses talk about COVID-19 and business change in the UK

Abstract: ABSTRACT There has been much speculation about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector. Common narratives have variously depicted an unprecedented crisis, a time of opportunity for innovation and transformation and a chance to build a ‘new normal’. The aim of this paper is to investigate how owners and operators of micro- and small enterprises in tourism and hospitality in the United Kingdom made sense of the pandemic and its effects on their businesses. Situated in long-term research engagements with the businesses, three interlocking interpretative repertoires emerged from the analysis of 16 semi-structured interviews conducted between March and May 2021. Participants did not share a progress-driven approach to business change, there was no evidence of a radical ‘new normal’ emerging and COVID was not perceived as a crisis. While these findings appear counter-intuitive, their principal contribution is as a valid counterpoint to policy and academic discourse about COVID as crisis and opportunity. Furthermore, they highlight the importance of developing more nuanced accounts of the tourism business during and relating to the pandemic. Terms like ‘crisis’ and ‘opportunity’ used by policy-makers, practitioners and academics only partially reflect the deliberative efforts and practical perspectives of owners and operators of tourism enterprises.

Experiencing Event Management During the Coronavirus Pandemic: A Public Sector Perspective

Abstract: Events have played a significant role in the way in which the Coronavirus pandemic has been experienced and known around the world. Little is known though about how the pandemic has impacted on supporting, managing and governing events in municipal (i.e., local) authorities as key stakeholders, nor how events have featured in the opening-up of localities. This paper reports on empirical research with senior events officers for local authorities in the UK on these key knowledge gaps. Specifically, it examines events officers' unfolding experiences of the pandemic. The paper points to unpreparedness for a crisis of this scale and magnitude, and the roles of innovation, adaptation and co-production in the emergent response. It highlights the transformative nature of the pandemic through reconsiderations of the purpose of public sector involvement in events and, from a policy perspective, how relatively smaller-scale, more agile and lower-risk arts events and performances can figure in local recovery. Finally, while the effects on, and response of, the body corporate (the local authority) to crises is an obvious focus, it is important to recognise those of the individuals who manage the response and drive change.

Airbnb and the sharing economy

Abstract: ABSTRACT A large share of growth in the sharing or platform economy is driven by peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation providers such as Airbnb. The literature argues for both positive and negative socio-cultural, economic and environmental impacts emanating from the tourism and hospitality businesses and value chains that are dependent on AirBnB and other online platforms. These impacts are felt in terms of competition with more traditional business models (e.g. hotels, motels and B&Bs) and their influence on tourist and visitor flows as well as their spatial impacts that has led to substantial community opposition to accommodation providers that utilise Airbnb in some destinations. This introduction to the special issue on AirBnB and the sharing economy identifies several themes in the consumption and production of the sharing, peer-to-peer and platform economies on tourism at various scales, ranging from international networks, destinations and business, through to neighbourhoods and individuals. Although Airbnb provides the primary frame by which to investigate the relationships between the sharing economy and tourism and the implications of so-called disruptive innovation this introduction also notes some of the wider implications of the sharing and platform economy for people and places.

Hidden Florence revealed? Critical insights from the operation of an augmented reality app in a World Heritage City

Abstract: ABSTRACT Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, overtourism was a major topic in global tourism management discourse. The continued growth of international tourism placed pressure on many high-profile urban destinations containing some of the world's most important intrinsic cultural heritage. This paper critically examines the operation of Hidden Florence, a heritage tourism augmented reality (AR) application (app) for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Florence in Italy. Since 2016, the city management plan has actively promoted digital and smart solutions to address the issues induced by mass heritage tourism. Through user engagement data from 2013 to 2018, this paper investigates the nature and extent of app use, both in and away from the city. The paper makes two main contributions. First, from a managerial perspective, the empirical analysis points to several major practical and methodological challenges if AR apps, and the data they generate, are to be employed effectively as part of the management of established heritage destinations. Second, the use of AR apps in, and smart approaches to, tourism management have been recently theorised and advocated. Evidence from Hidden Florence demonstrates that translating conceptual possibilities into longer-term management practices and beneficial change is more challenging than existing discourse concedes.