Tourism & Management Studies 

About: Tourism & Management Studies is an academic journal published by University of the Algarve - ESGHT - CIEO. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Tourism & Tourism geography. It has an ISSN identifier of 2182-8458. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 733 publications have been published receiving 4154 citations. The journal is also known as: Tourism and management studies.

Travel motivations and behaviour of tourists to a south african resort

Abstract: Travel behaviour refers to the way in which tourists behave according to their attitudes before, during and after travelling. Knowledge regarding travel behaviour can assist in marketing and product planning and development which can increase the number of visitors to tourism products such as resorts. However it was found that very little research has been conducted regarding the travel behaviour of tourists visiting South African resorts. The purpose of this study was to determine the travel behaviour and more specifically the travel motivations of tourists visiting resorts. Research was conducted by means of the distribution of questionnaires. The results indicated that the main travel motivations are resting and relaxation, enriching and learning experiences, participation in recreational activities, personal values and social experiences. These results indicated similarities with the findings of previous research studies.

Satisfaction in hospitality on TripAdvisor.com: An analysis of the correlation between evaluation criteria and overall satisfaction

Abstract: Social media has changed the way tourists seek and exchange information, resulting in changes in the management of tourism businesses including hospitality facilities. Guest reviews and comments have had an impact on the reputation of organisations, both positive and negative. Websites with user-generated content spread this information to other tourists through the evaluation of service provided and thereby influence the decision of new visitors. Accordingly, this research sought to identify the correlation between overall satisfaction and the evaluation criteria used on a website. For this, we analysed 660 reviews (236 of three-star hotels, 125 of four-star hotels and 299 of five-star hotels) on TripAdvisor, containing independent reviews including overall satisfaction, value (cost-benefit), location, sleep quality, rooms, cleanliness and service. Results showed a strong correlation of overall satisfaction with the criteria of room, service provided and cost-benefit.

Tourism development trajectories. From culture to creativity

Abstract: Cultural tourism has become a major segment of the global travel market. It has increasingly taken on attributes of ‘mass’ tourism, leading many consumers and producers to seek new niche experiences. One important development within cultural tourism is the advent of ‘creative tourism’, which involves creative experiences which are distinctively linked to the destination. This paper describes the transformation of cultural tourism and provides examples of recent trends in creative tourism development.

Hotel assessment through social media: The case of TripAdvisor

Abstract: Hotel booking decisions are increasingly influenced by consumers’ feedback available on social media sites. Using data submitted by TripAdvisor users, this study provides four key contributions to knowledge. Firstly, a comparative analysis was carried out of customer ratings received by hotels located on Spain’s coastal areas as well as Portugal’s southern coast. Secondly, significant differences were found in the number of comments as well as the average online review rating score awarded, which were found to be related to the geographical location of each tourism destination. Thirdly, it is found that customers tend to rate their experiences in hotels positively. Fourthly, the level of overall customer satisfaction with a hotel tends to increase proportionately to the number of customer feedback comments posted for that hotel. As a result of this, one of the findings of this study is that hotels should encourage their customers to post comments on online customer review websites to balance out any negative feedback received.