Destination management organizations have a key role to play in the governance of tourism destinations, in managing destination networks and in ensuring good cooperation between stakeholders. Although, destination management organizations (DMOs) are atypical organizations, their operations are evaluated according to their organizational efficiency and effectiveness. This study aims to propose a framework to improve the management of the tourist destination through an innovative approach that interconnects strategic management and Lean techniques to increase efficiency and productivity in operational processes, organizational efficiency and effectiveness at the DMO level. The framework developed in this study interconnects the analysis of the internal environment through the Value Chain and the Lean Six Sigma methods identified to be suitable for application in the management of the tourist destination. Testing of the practical application of this framework was done for Association for the Promotion and Development of Tourism (APDT), which is the DMO that ensures the management of the tourist destination of Brasov, Romania. The research contributes to the optimization of the processes at the DMO’s level. The framework developed in this study can be implemented by practitioners to improve the management of the tourist destination. The paper also offers future research directions.
Nowadays, the tourists increasingly prefer to plan their travels using online search engines, to the detriment of classical travel agencies. A well-designed and well-managed booking website can satisfy the tourists’ needs, whereas a less intuitive one can make them dissatisfied. The search engine developers cannot develop an effective and efficient booking website which satisfies the users’ needs, creates a favorable experience for them, and influences their intention to purchase, without understanding the users’ needs regarding the search engines attributes and features. This study applies a quantitative research, collects primary data, and investigates how booking websites can move from a basic to a sophisticated online presence. The aim of the analysis is to provide an insight regarding the tourists’ preferences and their interface needs, as well as the filters and the options that may help them find the most relevant results for the chosen destinations. The study develops a comprehensive performance evaluation model for booking websites using specific attributes and features of the tourism industry. This model includes usability and functionality dimensions that have been identified by analyzing six booking websites, three used at the international level (Booking, Priceline, and Hotwire) and three used only in Romania (Vola, Infoturism, and Carta), and correlated with the customers’ needs regarding booking websites and hotel website evaluation. The results are useful for booking website developers and can be used to adapt their user interfaces, making them far more user-friendly. Suggestions are made regarding how to improve the performance of booking websites and potential ways for future research are discussed.
This study summarizes the evolution of the quality approach in tourism. Environmental issues are also addressed, as there are strong interdependencies between these two areas. Especially in tourism, the quality-environment integration is essential. The study reveals the diversity of quality and environmental models currently used worldwide, including general models for quality assessment and management, applied in all areas, and also the tourism-specific models. The objectives of this synthesis are to achieve a systematization of the information on the quality and environment approach in tourism, and to highlight the main axes of changes. The conclusions formulated illustrate the future directions to improve the quality approach in tourism, concerning both the quality models and their implementation. The results of this comprehensive review are useful to the tourism coordination structures at national and regional level, and also to academics and researchers, to better understanding the trends in quality approach and optimizing their quality-related actions. The workpaper is based on the reports of World Tourism Organization and other tourism professional structures, as well as studies and researches published in specialized journals related to quality and environment approach in tourism.
The intervention of intermediaries in supporting collaboration for sustainability is considered an effective way to address the challenges faced by all parties involved in this type of commitment. Our paper includes several less frequently approached perspectives in this field of research and refers to the intervention of commissioning in supporting collaborative relationships with multiple stakeholders for sustainable territorial development. This paper proposes a model of structural and systemic development of commissioning at the national level, by specific geographical regions and development domains, and analyzes how commissioning structures intermediate the connection between multiple stakeholders, public authorities, and other relevant actors from different sectors of society, which mobilize resources to solve sustainability issues. The results show that the intervention of commissioning adds value to sustainability collaboration by providing stakeholders with an accessible and updated database specialized in development domains, where demands and offers for development resources can be managed safely, and the identification of the appropriate offer is carried out operatively through fast and secure computer systems able to create efficient and prompt connections. We believe that the model presented in the paper can be extended internationally to support global collaboration for sustainability, and we suggest further research in this direction.
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