Stakeholders' attitudes towards tools for sustainable tourism in historical cities

Urban space is often the cause of disputes. The underlying causes of these disputes are conflicting interests, attitudes and needs regarding the way it is used. Among the various functions performed by cities, tourism activities have been distinguished as the foremost in the cities of historical value. Mass tourism has developed in the last decade and its excessive flow of tourists has in turn led to overtourism which as described in literature is a negative phenomenon. The causes of conflicts related to the development of tourism and their scale are very diverse. The freezing of the tourism economy during the COVID-19 pandemic created an opportunity to balance its development in the future. As described in the article, this research aims at identifying the attitudes and expectations of Krakow's residence towards the tools of balancing the tourism economy in the post pandemic period. The statistical analysis of the acquired data collected through questionnaires from 386 respondents during July 2020 revealed that most of the respondents support the preservation of cultural heritage and landscapes over business and profit making.

The method and scope of open innovation exchange in tourist destinations – Analysis of the opinions of tourism experts from Prague and Cracow

The concept of open innovations has enjoyed significant popularity among both researchers and management practitioners for two decades, as evidenced by numerous research papers and case studies. The progressive development of the concept also applies to the tourism industry, which, faced with problems and changing expectations of tourists, needs to implement innovative solutions not only at the enterprise level, but taking into account all stakeholders of the tourist destination. The purpose of the article is to identify the opinions of tourism experts towards the prospect of knowledge sharing in open innovations and the differences in approaches to this issue. The results of the research are discussed in two comparative dimensions, dividing the experts into representatives of a specific tourist destination (Prague and Cracow) and representatives of the public and private sectors. Experts from two similar tourist destinations differ in their opinions, both in terms of the way they approach the implementation of the concept of open innovations in the city, as well as the scope of application of the implemented innovations. On the other hand, the differences in opinions of representatives representing the public and private sectors of the tourism industry coincide – although they do not resolve whether it should be a bottom-up or top-down initiative, they unequivocally indicate that the implementation of open innovations should involve all stakeholders in a tourism destination. The authors also put forward a proposal to create innovation exchange centers as part of the activities of Destination Management Organizations (DMOs), supported by the local administration of the tourist destination. © 2023 The Authors

Sources of conflict among tourism stakeholders in historical cities

Cities, in particular those of historical value, are popular destinations for mass tourism. The urban space is often the main cause of conflicts, at the heart of which lie conflicting interests, attitudes and needs relating to the way this space is utilized. The aim of the research described in this article is to identify the intensity of conflicts between residents, tourists and the tourism sector. The research was conducted in 2020. The statistical analysis of the obtained data included questionnaires from 386 respondents. Analysis was conducted of the conflicts that arose among tourism sector players, who were classified into groups–tourist entrepreneurs, residents, and local authorities. Respondents often indicated conflict arising between tourists and residents, and between tourist sector entrepreneurs and residents. In the opinion of respondents, conflicts were the result of result of varying structures in the hierarchy of values and of differences in attitudes towards the city. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Diagnosis of competencies in the meetings industry in Poland, Hungary and Ireland in post-COVID-19 period

The freezing of economies due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused damage not only on the sales side but also on the labor market due to the outflow of staff from companies specializing in the organization of meetings. The return of the meetings industry sector to the development path will involve skillful change management, including in the area of competencies and skills. To inventory and assess the competencies of employees in the meetings industry, this study was carried out among specialized enterprises in the meetings industry in Poland, Hungary, and Ireland, on samples of two research groups, i.e. the Director General (CEO) and operational employees based on questionnaires and individual in-depth interviews (IDI). The obtained results allowed to establish the hierarchy of self-assessment of own managerial competencies, assessment of the competencies of the CEO by the employees, areas of increasing team competencies, and areas of staff development in the sector shortly, contributing to the recovery from the pandemic crisis. Raising the competencies and qualifications of employees is perceived as one of the most powerful tools for overcoming the pandemic crisis, obtaining 68% positive indications among CEOs in Poland, 77% indications in Hungary, and 84% in Ireland. In all analyzed countries, the meetings industry is indicated as a strategic product of the tourist market. Among the planned long-term actions aimed at overcoming the pandemic crisis, increasing employee competencies is perceived as an opportunity for the companies operating the meetings industry sector (90% in Poland, and 80% in Hungary and Ireland). © 2021 LLC CPC Business Perspectives. All rights reserved.

Stakeholders’ attitudes towards tools for sustainable tourism in historical cities

Urban space is often the cause of disputes. The underlying causes of these disputes are conflicting interests, attitudes and needs regarding the way it is used. Among the various functions performed by cities, tourism activities have been distinguished as the foremost in the cities of historical value. Mass tourism has developed in the last decade and its excessive flow of tourists has in turn leaded to overtourism which as described by literature is a negative phenomenon. The causes of conflicts related to the development of tourism and their scale are very diverse. The freezing of the tourism economy during the COVID-19 pandemic created an opportunity to balance its development in the future. As described in the article, this research aims at identifying the attitudes and expectations of Krakow's residence towards the tools of balancing the tourism economy in the post pandemic period. The statistical analysis of the acquired data collected through questionnaires from 386 respondents during July 2020 revealed that most of the respondents support the preservation of cultural heritage and landscapes over business and profit making. © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.