Marwa Ghanem

PurposeThis study aims to address the absence of a thorough understanding of commitment in tourism public-private partnerships (PPP) by exploring antecedents of PPP commitment and their underpinning relationships in regard to the destination management system (DMS).Design/methodology/approachAn empirical investigation of the case of the Egyptian DMS, a PPP which was forsaken by the government partner and which subsequently failed. Qualitative and quantitative approaches are used for a comprehensive overview of the researched phenomena pertaining to external and internal stakeholders.FindingsThe results indicated that stakeholder management, relational capital, perceived benefits and stakeholder capabilities could influence intentions to commit to a tourism PPP project. Also, the latter three factors were found to mediate the relationship between stakeholder management and long-term PPP commitment. The results also shed light on the important aspects of non-contractual, interpersonal relationships between internal and external PPP stakeholders.Originality/valueThis research pioneers inquiries on the commitment of Tourism PPP/DMS projects and its possible drivers in a non-Western context. Also, this study contributes to knowledge by exploring the relationship within and between internal (partners) and external (e.g. local service providers) stakeholder groups and provided evidence on the crucial role of both on long-term PPP commitment and success. The current study has a few significant contributions to the PPP literature regarding the commitment and success of PPP in the complicated environments in which tourism PPP projects are operated. Moreover, this study offers essential information and practices for improving partner relationships with external stakeholders.

The pivotal impact of memorable tourist experiences on behavioral intentions and destination competitiveness has been underscored by prior studies, which remarked how the different attributes of various types of tourist activities and services influence the memorability of the overall destination experience. However, these endeavors approached the topic of destination experience in a generic manner, and did not research the specific dynamics behind the memorability of such touristic activities in depth. This study aims to identify and evaluate destination-level attributes that contribute to the memorability of sightseeing bus-tour experiences (MBTE), as an example of destination activities. Based on a mixed-methods approach exploring the perspectives of tourists and destination professionals, the results suggest a checklist of 34 attributes arranged under six dimensions: (1) attractions, (2) accessibility, (3) amenities, (4) tourist information and tour guidance quality, (5) quality of services, and (6) other ancillary services. The results give insights into the different perspectives of tourists and decision-makers on the relative importance of MBTE determinants and elaborate on their implications.

Purpose This study aims to address the absence of a thorough understanding of commitment in tourism public-private partnerships (PPP) by exploring antecedents of PPP commitment and their underpinning relationships in regard to the destination management system (DMS). Design/methodology/approach An empirical investigation of the case of the Egyptian DMS, a PPP which was forsaken by the government partner and which subsequently failed. Qualitative and quantitative approaches are used for a comprehensive overview of the researched phenomena pertaining to external and internal stakeholders. Findings The results indicated that stakeholder management, relational capital, perceived benefits and stakeholder capabilities could influence intentions to commit to a tourism PPP project. Also, the latter three factors were found to mediate the relationship between stakeholder management and long-term PPP commitment. The results also shed light on the important aspects of non-contractual, interper...

This study highlighted the important role of sport events in promoting domestic tourism in Egypt. In particular, this study designed to explore attendees’ motivation, satisfaction and behavioral intention, and further examine the influence of motivation and satisfaction on intention to return to event and hosting destination. This is in order to identify what needs to be considered for such events to contribute towards domestic tourism development. In this regard, the 10 th University Youth Week of Egypt (September 2015) was investigated. In this big event, more than 6000 youth from 25 Egyptian universities participated in sports, arts, scouting, social, cultural and scientific activities. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected from a sample of 812 attendees and analyzed by using SPSS V.16 and multiple regression analysis. The results showed that youth motivations and satisfaction have a significant influence on behavioral intentions towards the event and the hosting destin...

Many previous studies shed light on the importance of studying the factors that preclude eff ective adoption of technology in the tourism industry. Prior studies also affi rmed the presence of a relationship between the national culture, the acceptance of technology, and the eff ective adoption thereof. However, those studies diff er in the cultural variables used and in results on their infl uence on technology adoption. Th is study used the national culture theory of Hofstede (2010) and the Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989) to measure the impact of national culture and normative beliefs of marketing managers on the adoption of e-tourism. Data analysis was carried out using multiple linear regressions and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Th e results showed that the culture of uncertainty avoidance had a signifi cant positive impact on perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. Each of the last two elements also aff ected the attitudes of marketing managers in tou...

The pivotal impact of memorable tourist experiences on behavioral intentions and destination competitiveness has been underscored by prior studies, which remarked how the different attributes of various types of tourist activities and services influence the memorability of the overall destination experience. However, these endeavors approached the topic of destination experience in a generic manner, and did not research the specific dynamics behind the memorability of such touristic activities in depth. This study aims to identify and evaluate destination-level attributes that contribute to the memorability of sightseeing bus-tour experiences (MBTE), as an example of destination activities. Based on a mixed-methods approach exploring the perspectives of tourists and destination professionals, the results suggest a checklist of 34 attributes arranged under six dimensions: (1) attractions, (2) accessibility, (3) amenities, (4) tourist information and tour guidance quality, (5) quality...

ABSTRACT Prior research on heritage tourism has suggested a set of general guidelines to develop sustainability in heritage sites, but these lack details on implementation and prospective challenges, especially in the developing countries. This research studies the practical application of sustainable heritage tourism (SHT) in Egypt. In particular, it investigates the challenges facing the tourism development of the Esna heritage site, and proposes a framework of action. The emergent challenges are related to two main aspects: community (e.g. close urbanization and theft of antiquities) and management (e.g. lack of top management support and commitment, conflict of authorities, lack of awareness and appropriate skills, and lack of adequate funding). The study found that the central and most influential factors are those related to management. The suggested framework of actions outlines objectives, related actions and implementation responsibilities. The implementation of the entire suite of actions would enhance the ability of Esna to conserve heritage, develop local community and assist in facing the challenges to development. Generally, this study is a step towards a better understanding of how sustainable heritage tourism could be achieved in developing countries. It also gives relevant insights to both researchers and practitioners.

This study aims to enhance the understanding of destination management system (DMS) effectiveness and its evaluation. Upon review of the literature, it was established that DMS effectiveness and its evaluation has not yet been researched adequately. Informed by an interpretive approach, this study contributes to research particularly by investigating what constitutes effectiveness and explores the aspects (factors and relationships) that need to be considered in a holistic DMS effectiveness evaluation. Based on a qualitative case study strategy, this study adopts a comprehensive approach that considers multiple stakeholder groups’ perspectives. The research evidence is collected through a case-study of the Egyptian DMS experience (the Touregypt project). The Touregypt project gives insights to the understanding of three DMS cases that have not been researched before in DMS literature: first, an actual DMS application in a developing country; second, a public and private sector partnership experience; and third, a failed DMS experience (the system has failed in the course of this research). Prompted by the interpretive approach, this study tried to explore DMS effectiveness based on the perspectives, attitudes and experiences of the multiple stakeholder groups (Hesse-Biber and Leavy 2010). Accordingly, the empirical data was collected through a multi-method approach that includes interviews, observation, archival document analysis (including Touregypt forum analysis), and website analysis. Data has been analyzed guided by discourse analysis, complemented with the general inductive approach of Miles and Huberman (1994). Following an interpretive theory-building strategy, the analyzed data has been further interpreted in the light of prior theories of DMS and information systems research, particularly the Delone and MacLean IS effectiveness theory (1992, 2003, and 2004). The main contribution of this study to knowledge is a theory based model that enhances the understanding of DMS effectiveness evaluation. The suggested model identifies the aspects (factors and relationships) that need to be considered when evaluating the effectiveness of DMS. Also, the results of this study give insights to the understanding of DMS effectiveness by shedding light on what constitutes effectiveness and the possible relationship between such constructs.

Many researchers underscored the effective role which Geographical Information Systems (GIS) can play in supporting management and promotion of the tourism industry. This paper investigates the practical usage of GIS for the benefit of sustainable tourism development. In particular, it examines the possible opportunities and challenges facing the adoption of GIS to assist sustainable tourism development. GIS can provide a unified tourism information network on destinations. For example, it includes maps of and information on geographical locations, topography and kinds of heritage available. Likewise, GIS offers a list of possible cultural tourist activities as well as practices of frequent tourists. Such a unified information network can promote the planning of sustainable development in terms of supporting managers' decision-making. This study explores the challenges that need to be tackled in order to effectively acquire GIS potentials. The main contribution of this study is ...

There have been many attempts to understand the role of trust in the success of Information Systems (IS), but they have mainly studied users’ trust in IS themselves in online contexts, with little attention being paid to other possible trust types and organizational IS contexts. Also, there is a dearth of research on the topic in relation to tourism context and developing countries in general. This study examines the mediating role of three types of trust (management-based, provider-based, and system-based trust) in the relationship between tourism IS qualities (system, information, and service quality) with employees’ satisfaction and the intention to and actual use of a system. Perceptions were tested with data from 200 employees in the public sector of the Egyptian tourism industry using structural equation modeling. The results revealed that trust directly affects intention to use/use and user satisfaction, and it completely mediates the effect of the IS qualities on the intenti...