Search Results (13,016)

Maritime cultural heritage (MCH) in Greece remains poorly explored and underutilized due to several key challenges, including the dispersed locations of heritage sites, limited community engagement in decision-making, and the absence of a well-structured decentralized governance framework. This paper addresses these issues by focusing on strategic planning and social management to better integrate coastal and maritime heritage sites into both tourism development and the everyday life of local communities. Our research examines the creation of local social networks and participatory decision-making processes, as well as the adoption of innovative solutions such as maritime spatial planning (MSP) and soft projects to connect scattered cultural sites into cohesive, integrated clusters. The aim is to foster tourism and economic development through collaboration with local stakeholders. The findings emphasize the establishment of a social network for cultural heritage management in the West Pagasetic region of Magnesia, Greece, which culminated in a strategic plan to link cultural sites through soft projects and consultations. This process included a participatory workshop and the creation of a Community of Practice (CoP) that brought together professionals from the heritage, tourism, and planning sectors. Full article

The globalization of tourism poses complex challenges for destination planning and management, requiring the involvement of various stakeholders and strategic decision-making at various scales. Gastronomic tourism, a key factor in tourist satisfaction and loyalty, has been widely studied for its impact on tourism destination image (TDI). Despite advances in methodologies such as the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), which hierarchies the factors that influence TDI, there are still gaps in the use of sensitivity analysis to improve strategic planning, in particular to leverage TDI as a management tool. Specifically in UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy (UCCG), it is crucial to understand how sensitivity analysis can improve the robustness of AHP models. To address this gap, this study investigates how sensitivity analysis can refine decision-making processes for effective tourism management in Brazil’s UCCG. Using AHP as a decision-making methodology, it integrates sensitivity analysis to assess the reliability of six dimensions in the Analytic Hierarchy Process Image—UNESCO Creative Cities Gastronomy (AHPI-UCCG) model, introducing a dynamic approach to dealing with the complexities of destination planning. The results are valuable for policy-makers and private players in the tourism, creativity, and gastronomy sectors. They offer practical perspectives for improving destination promotion and encouraging coopetition. The study also demonstrates the adaptability of this approach based on sensitivity analysis, suggesting its applicability beyond Brazil to other UCCG networks, contributing to better tourism planning and management at a global level. Full article

Fuel combustion products cause considerable damage to the environment and human health. Therefore, it is necessary to switch to environmentally friendly vehicles. This study analyzed the dynamics of the number of cars and trucks with electric and hybrid engines, predicted their number at the current rate of change in their number, and the degree of provision and potential need for charging points in European countries. According to the results obtained, 73% of the territory of the European Union has a provision of charging points below the average level. This emphasizes the need to change the approach to structuring infrastructure upgrades by systematizing the process of creating new charging points. A mathematical model was created using the least-squares method to predict the number of vehicles with environmentally friendly engines over the next three years. The predicted number of such cars in the EU in 2026 is 12.5 million, which requires an increase in the number of charging points by 2.7 times compared to the existing ones. Under such conditions, it will be possible to reduce atmospheric emissions by 120 million tons by 2024, 160 million tons by 2025, and more than 200 million tons annually by 2026. The rapid growth of charging stations will lead to an increase in the electricity demand, which, in turn, will become an impetus for a sharp increase in electricity production by alternative sources. With the timely adaptation of infrastructure to the growing needs associated with environmentally friendly transport, achieving the maximum positive effect from these innovations is possible. Full article

The growing awareness of economic, environmental, and social issues related to tourism highlights the need to identify innovative practices that promote sustainability in tourist destinations. This study investigates mega sporting events and their fundamental role in sustainable tourism; these events contribute to tourism promotion by regenerating and revitalizing host areas. However, the increasing demand for transparency in the management of public resources, aimed at ensuring the economic sustainability of the areas hosting these events, has heightened the focus on monitoring resource allocation. Beyond the use of technological innovations, it becomes essential to study the role of innovation in promoting sustainable tourism management practices to guarantee the economic sustainability of destinations hosting major sporting events. A key tool for planning tourism promotion and ensuring economic sustainability is undoubtedly economic impact analysis. Although numerous methods are available, the integration of multiple approaches enhances both the completeness and accuracy of such evaluations. This study proposes an innovative approach that combines different methods to provide a robust approach for economic impact analysis. This research validates the proposed approach through the analysis of two prestigious cycling competitions: the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. The proposed approach enables the identification of areas where targeted investments and strategic improvements can promote sustainable and long-term economic benefits for host regions. It can support decision-making processes to plan tourism promotion and ensure economic sustainability. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the global tourism industry, forcing tourism entrepreneurs to adapt and innovate in order to recover. This systematic review aims to identify scientific evidence on tourism entrepreneurship experiences in Latin America during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the review seeks to uncover key challenges faced by tourism entrepreneurs, the locations and types of tourism most affected, and to draw lessons from these experiences. The authors followed the PRISMA protocol, identifying 15 research studies on tourism entrepreneurship in Latin America. The review analyzed articles from seven key databases—Scopus, Web of Science, Scielo, EBSCO, Proquest, Gale Academic Onefile, and LA Referencia—focusing on studies that examined tourism entrepreneurship within the context of COVID-19. These studies employed diverse methodologies, including case studies, surveys, and data analysis. The results show tourism entrepreneurs in Latin America faced challenges like economic crises, business closures, and unemployment. They responded with biosecurity protocols, domestic tourism, and digital tools such as online platforms and QR codes. A shift toward sustainable models like ecotourism highlighted local development and conservation. The pandemic spurred innovation and resilience, with adaptability, digital transformation, and collaboration, driving recovery. Sustainable practices and authentic experiences are key to long-term success. Full article

Geoparks, via the ABC geotourism concept, represent ideal places to effectively combine natural and cultural heritage, allowing visitors to better understand the country’s history and development. In this way, the sustainable development of local communities is promoted and contributes to the protection of the unique natural and cultural values of the region. Proper presentation of natural and cultural heritage in a geopark is key to developing soft forms of tourism, e.g., geotourism or ecotourism. The paper focuses on Slovak geoparks with a special emphasis on analysing the information availability and presentation of both natural and cultural heritage in these areas from the perspective of potential geopark visitors. Based on the analysis and evaluation of defined categories, including websites, social media platforms, mobile applications, information centres, brochures, educational trails, information panels, and guided tours, results show that, in general, existing geoparks’ promotional materials can be considered the best source of information on heritage and its presentation. On the other hand, the most significant identified shortcomings include insufficient use of mobile applications, a lack of educational activities, and the relatively low quality of existing educational trails. However, considerable differences exist in information access and heritage presentation in Slovak geoparks. Based on the findings, specific measures are suggested as potential solutions to enable the appropriate and correct presentation of heritage in the territories of Slovak geoparks. Their practical application will contribute to the development of Slovak geoparks, increase awareness of heritage located in the areas of individual geoparks, and provide a better understanding of the values of this heritage by the wider public. Full article

This paper investigates the dependency relationship and spatial patterns between urban fires and the distribution of urban functional spaces, using the Futian District in Shenzhen as a case study. This study utilizes univariate and bivariate Ripley’s K functions along with Point of Interest (POI) data to analyze the variation in the spatial clustering of urban fires across scales ranging from 0 to 2500 m. It explores the overall distribution trends and localized relationships between urban fires and five types of urban functional spaces: commercial, tourism, residential, public services, and transportation services. The results indicate that the clustering of urban fires increases at spatial scales of 0–1050 m and decreases at scales of 1050–2500 m. The overall distribution trend between urban fires and urban functional spaces demonstrates a bidirectional clustering pattern. The overall correlation shows that commercial service spaces have the strongest association with urban fire clustering, followed in order by residential services, public services, transportation services, and tourist service spaces. The clustering of urban fires in local areas is significantly associated with commercial and residential service spaces, and moderately related to public service and transportation service spaces, and shows no significant correlation with tourism service spaces. This research contributes to the understanding of urban fire risk through spatial analysis and offers insights for urban planning and fire safety management. Full article

Under the influence of factors such as extreme weather and accelerated urbanization, China has witnessed a sharp escalation in conflicts between various land-use functions, leading to a significant rise in tensions between people and land. The coordination of production, living, and ecological functions is particularly important for strengthening ecological civilization and achieving regional high-quality development. The concept of “Production–Living–Ecological” (PLE) Spaces, proposed as part of China’s ecological civilization initiative, refers to a spatial framework that integrates production spaces (land for agriculture, industry, and commerce), living spaces (land for housing, consumption, and public services), and ecological spaces (land supporting ecosystem regulation and biodiversity). Based on this perspective, this paper investigates the current situation and potential of land-use function conflicts in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area in 2020. Utilizing the multi-criteria evaluation analysis method, the study develops a land-use function-evaluation model. Furthermore, the paper establishes a diagnostic model for the intensity of land-use function conflicts based on the different permutations and combinations of land unit function intensities. The land-use function conflicts are categorized into ten types and four stages. The main findings are as follows: (1) In 2020, the overall production, living, and ecological functions of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao Greater Bay Area were at high, medium-high, and low levels, respectively. The land in the stable and controllable stage, the largely controllable stage, the largely out-of-control stage, and the severely out-of-control stage accounted for 39.22%, 28.73%, 25.41%, and 6.64%. The focal points of the intensity of land-use function conflicts were mainly located in Guangzhou, Foshan, Shenzhen, and Dongguan. (2) The study area was exposed to varying degrees of risk from land-use function conflicts, and the area proportion of low conflict potential area, with the proportions of low, general, higher, and high-conflict-potential areas being 47.88%, 23.43%, 22.14%, and 6.54%, respectively. (3) The primary hotspots of conflict potential were concentrated in Dongguan City and the administrative border areas of “Foshan–Zhaoqing”, “Foshan–Jiangmen”, and “Guangzhou–Zhongshan”. Full article

Along with the development and application of artificial intelligence technology, intelligent services are also emerging in the travel industry. Especially in the tourism and hotel industry, many organizations have started to introduce AI to assist their employees. The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of employees’ perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of AI on customer orientation, and further analyze the mediating role of attitudes toward use and the moderating role of a proactive personality. A questionnaire was administered to hotel employees in Liaoning Province, China, and hypothesis testing was conducted using SPSS 24.0 and AMOS 22.0. It was found that the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use significantly and positively influenced usage attitudes and customer orientation. The usage attitudes mediated between perceived usefulness/perceived ease of use and customer orientation. Proactive personality moderated the effects of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use on usage attitudes. This study not only theoretically enriches the research related to technology acceptance modeling, but also practically provides suggestions for hotel managers to manage their employees after the introduction of AI. Full article

Groundwater in northwest Tunisia plays a vital role in supporting the domestic, agriculture, industry, and tourism sectors. However, climate change and over-exploitation have led to significant degradation in groundwater quality and quantity. Traditional spatial analysis techniques such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) are frequently used for assessing groundwater potential and water quality. Yet, these methods are limited by data availability. The integration of Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (Geo-AI) offers improved precision in groundwater potential zone (GWPZ) delineation. This study compares the effectiveness of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and advanced Geo-AI techniques using deep learning to map GWPZ in the Majerda transboundary basin, shared between Tunisia and Algeria. By incorporating thematic layers such as rainfall, slope, drainage density, land use/land cover (LU/LC), lithology, and soil, a comprehensive analysis was conducted to assess groundwater recharge potential. The results revealed that both methods effectively delineated GWPZ; however, the Geo-AI approach demonstrated superior accuracy with a classification accuracy rate of approximately 92%, compared to 85% for the AHP method. This indicates that Geo-AI not only enhances the quality of groundwater potential assessments but also offers a reliable alternative to traditional methods. The findings underscore the importance of adopting innovative technologies in groundwater exploration efforts in this critical region, ultimately contributing to more effective and sustainable water resource management strategies. Full article

This study systematically analyzed research trends and hot issues in the field of geological hazard prediction using bibliometric analysis methods. A total of 12,123 related articles published from 1976 to 2023 were retrieved from the Web of Science (WOS) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases. Co-occurrence analysis and burst detection were conducted on the literature using the VOSviewer and CiteSpace tools to identify the research trends in geological hazard monitoring technologies. The results reveal that “data fusion”, “landslide identification”, “deep learning”, and “risk early warning” are currently the main research hot spots. Additionally, the combined application of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) technologies, as well as GNSS and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) models, were identified as important directions for future research. The bibliometric perspective offers a systematic theoretical framework and technical guidance for future research, thereby facilitating the sustainable advancement of safety, security, and disaster management. Full article

Today, cardiovascular diseases contribute to approximately 17.9 million deaths annually worldwide. With reference to Europe, coronary artery disease (CAD) causes about 3.9 million deaths annually. Considering the positive physical and psychological outcomes of on-site exercise for CAD patients, this study aimed to expand the literature by examining the effects of a 6-month online exercise training program using wearable devices on CAD patients’ perceived well-being, measured with the PERMA profiler. Individual well-being is considered today as an important prerequisite for healthy societies. Thirty patients with a recent myocardial infarction (i.e., <4 weeks) were randomly assigned to either the online home-based or the community-based exercise group. Both groups followed the same 24-week exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation program three times per week. Each session consisted of a 30-min aerobic, followed by a 15-min strength workout, and then a 15-min balance and flexibility training. The results of the Mann–Whitney U tests and the z scores indicated that the Meaning of Life, Health, Accomplishment, Engagement, and Positive Relationship dimensions of the PERMA were statistically improved, and Negative Emotions were decreased. These findings support the importance of cardiac telerehabilitation for patients’ psychological health, demonstrating that online exercise using wearable devices can be a meaningful alternative to on-site exercise for patients with recent myocardial infarction. These results have policy implications as they provide arguments for providing online exercise for CAD patients as an alternative means for improving their psychological health. Full article

Fine roots (diameter ≤ 2 mm) play a critical role in regulating soil organic carbon storage and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. However, the variability in fine root biomass, production, and turnover rates across different forest types remains poorly understood. This study investigates fine root dynamics, including biomass, distribution, and turnover, across four major monoculture plantation forests in subtropical China: Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook), Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.), Chinese sweet gum (Liquidambar formosana Hance), and camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora (L.) J. Presl). Using a sequential coring method, soil samples were collected monthly to monitor live and dead fine root biomass across different soil depths (0–15 cm, 15–30 cm, 30–45 cm, and 45–60 cm). Fine root production and turnover rates were estimated using three methods: Max–Min, Integral and Decision Matrix. The results showed that fine root biomass was highest in the camphor tree forest (1.96 t ha⁻¹), followed by Masson pine (1.12 t ha⁻¹), Chinese fir (0.89 t ha⁻¹), and Chinese sweet gum (0.83 t ha⁻¹). Approximately 90% of the total fine root biomass was composed of live roots across all forest types, highlighting their significant role in nutrient uptake. Both live and dead fine roots were predominantly concentrated in the upper 0–30 cm soil layer, with a notable decline in biomass in deeper layers. Fine root biomass production was highest in the camphor tree forest (2.66–2.90 t ha⁻¹ a⁻¹), followed by Masson pine (1.16–1.83 t ha⁻¹ a⁻¹), Chinese fir (0.87–0.97 t ha⁻¹ a⁻¹), and Chinese sweet gum (0.87–0.93 t ha⁻¹ a⁻¹). Turnover rates were highest in the camphor tree forest (1.25–1.36 a⁻¹), followed by Masson pine (0.96–1.51 a⁻¹), and both Chinese fir and Chinese sweet gum (0.94–1.05 a⁻¹ and 0.97–1.04 a⁻¹, respectively). This study identifies significant differences in fine root dynamics among subtropical forest types, providing baseline data critical for optimizing forest management, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas. These insights can enhance reforestation efforts, ecosystem resilience, and sustainable forest productivity. Full article

Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) has emerged as a critical study area, particularly because of its implications for employee well-being and citizenship behavior. This research aims to unravel the intricate relationships between GHRM practices, employee motivation, sustainability, well-being, and citizenship behavior within the hotel industry. Employing Ability–Motivation–Opportunity (AMO) theory as a foundational framework, a comprehensive model is developed and tested with data collected from four hundred ten hotel employees. Utilizing a cross-sectional methodology and employing the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique for hypothesis testing, this study reveals a substantial positive impact of GHRM on employee motivation, sustainability, well-being, and citizenship behavior. The findings of this research carry significant practical implications for the hotel industry, urging investment in GHRM practices. The investment can enhance employees’ understanding of the hotel’s green management initiatives, fostering motivation and encouraging proactive involvement in environmental protection and resource conservation. This study emphasizes the need for the hotel industry within the hospitality sector to prioritize the adoption of green HRM, highlighting its potential to elevate employee engagement and contribute to the sustainability of environmentally conscious practices. Furthermore, this paper recommends that the hotel industry reinforce sustainable practices among its workforce through training initiatives and environmental awareness seminars. Full article

Coastal erosion affects all coastal areas with different intensities, and its effects may be severe. This is the case of the Black Sea sandy beaches on the Romanian coast, where the beaches have been used for tourism since the mid-19th century. In 2012, a project was launched to reduce erosion and protect the Romanian Black Sea coast from its destructive effects. By the 2021 tourist season, the completed works in Mamaia resort resulted in beaches exceeding, in some cases, 300 m in width. However, while these efforts successfully curtailed erosion, they also brought unintended consequences. The imported coarse sand and increased seawater depth canceled the resort’s traditional advantages, raising concerns among both tourists and local stakeholders. The purpose of our article was twofold—to present the case of the Mamaia resort and the expansion works conducted and to present the results of an exploratory study highlighting the tourists’ perceptions regarding the beach extensions, as well as their motivations, preferences, and expectations for the development of a modern beach. Our results suggest that while the beach extension works were necessary and long-awaited, they inadvertently caused dissatisfaction among tourists, leading to shifts in tourist flows and financial losses for local tourism operators. Data visualization techniques were employed to explore the complex relationships between tourist satisfaction with the extension works (in both 2021 and 2022) and factors influencing their comfort and overall experience. Additionally, the extraction of millions of cubic meters of sediment for the extensions disrupted marine habitats, raising ecological concerns. Future coastal protection efforts should balance erosion mitigation, ecological sustainability, and tourism needs by adopting environmentally sensitive methods, preserving marine ecosystems, and engaging stakeholders to align projects with tourists’ expectations, thus ensuring the long-term viability of popular tourist destinations like Mamaia. Full article