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Among major international research and practice issues, the issue of the circular economy has emerged recently as "an alternative economic paradigm" to address the current needs of the present and to search for innovative solutions for the future. The objective of this paper is to explore the initiatives and practices of the circular economy that could be actuated by tourism firms with the aim of understanding the value that could be created and its contribution to sustainable development based on decarbonization, energy efficiency, and the use of renewable sources. To achieve this objective, an in-depth, qualitative case study of a tourism resort is presented and analyzed to identify the key CE practices activated, with the aim of creating greater value and contributing to sustainable production and consumption. The results show that the main CE practices implemented focus primarily on enhancing resource efficiency, reducing emissions, and minimizing environmental impacts. This research also emphasizes the benefits that the CE provides in terms of economic, environmental, and social efficiency. The study enriches the relevance of CE and the sustainability approach for the tourism sector by highlighting the main value opportunities that tourism firms could grasp from the application of CE. Also, the paper contributes to providing practical suggestions regarding possible initiatives and practices that tourism managers could adopt for deploying CE practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, corporations constantly innovate to stay ahead of the competition in the contemporary business environment. Thus, enterprises invest in high-performance work systems (HPWS) that foster employee growth and improve their abilities, in turn, to accomplish digital innovation in the circular economy. The primary objective of this study is to better understand how high-performance work systems (HPWS) and digital innovation interact, while also examining the potential mediating roles of e-learning and the moderating effects of a supportive organisational culture between them. For data collection, a questionnaire and quantitative method was used, and the survey included a sample of 575 workers from the tourism sector of China. According to the findings, HPWS is favourably correlated with digital innovation, and e-learning serves as a partial intermediary in this relationship. The outcomes also demonstrate that an encouraging organisational culture further strengthens the connection between HPWS and digital innovation. These findings emphasized the value of introducing HPWS and e-learning initiatives in organisations to promote digital innovation while also highlighting the necessity of a supportive culture to maximize the advantages of these projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of climate change is becoming a challenge for the survival of business organizations. These changes pressure business organizations to adopt strategies to protect the natural environment. In order to cope with these changes, business organizations concentrate on strategic decisions regarding the protection of the natural environment due to the demand of various stakeholders. Continuous and updated information on environmental issues is required to successfully formulate and implement decisions to protect the natural environment. Therefore, the environmental management system (EMS) is an important mechanism that enables business organization to collect information about the demands of various stakeholders regarding the natural environment. Most studies have examined the green innovation (GI) of the tourism sector and related the innovation of natural environmental protection activities with management's capabilities and strategic decisions. Limited studieshave considered EMSs as important to bring GI into the tourism sector. GI comprises various environmental initiatives that play a vital role in impacting the GI of the tourism sector worldwide. However, these are ignored by researchers. Therefore, we examined the effect of the EMS on GI. Moreover, we also examined the extent to which green financing of the tourism sector intervenes in the EMS and GI link. Data were collected from 322 managers in the tourism sector. The collected data were analyzed with the help of correlation and regression techniques. The study findings confirmed that the EMS positively affects GI, while green financing mediates the connection between the EMS and GI. Hence, this study offers numerous practical suggestions for improving the GI of the tourism sector in the emerging circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to study the relationship between economic growth and the increase in the tourism sector in Italy. Unlike most of the literature, we use the value added in the main economic sectors involved in tourism activity as a proxy for tourism development. The use of the tourism value added allows us to analyze the effect of both international and domestic tourism on per capita GDP growth. The main working hypothesis we tested is whether the relationship between GDP growth and the expansion of the tourism sector is in any way influenced by the geographic area referenced and/or the time period considered. Accordingly, we conducted our analysis at both the national and subnational (cluster) levels, splitting the original sample into two equal subperiods (1997–2008 and 2009–2019). The panel VAR analysis shows that for the country as a whole, tourism growth depends on the past value of the economic growth rate, especially for the subperiod 2009–2019. The cluster analysis clarifies that these outcomes are strongly determined by the cluster that covers the wealthiest Italian regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism represents an important economic driver in Italy, being responsible for approximately 13.2% of the total GDP (a value higher than the reference European average) and for nearly 10% of the regional GDP. Among the touristic sectors, the agritourist ones show a persistent growth, experiencing in 2019 a 6.7 point percentage improvement compared to the 2017 figures. Given this situation, the transition towards a low-carbon path, affecting the building sector for some time, should also involve agritourist buildings, through the release of EU directives, member state laws, and technical rules. On the other hand, agritourism sites could be awarded the Community EU Ecolabel. Unfortunately, awarding the EU environmental excellence brand implies the availability of several data on building energy behavior that should then be managed by complex evaluation tools. To overcome this issue, the use of the simplified ARERA (Italian Regulatory Authority for Energy Networks and Environment) technical datasheets, issued to assess environmental improvements consequent to energy efficiency interventions in the urban residential building stock, is proposed. The application of this tool totally avoids using building computer-based simulation models, thus facilitating the preparation of the EU Ecolabel request documentation by agritourism owners. Being awarded the Community EU Ecolabel also implies approaching a net zero energy condition because of a lower energy consumption and a minor recourse to fossil fuels. For this purpose, an application of an easy graphical method, previously developed for residential and commercial buildings, which visually represents improvements achievable by a given agritourism when implementing energy efficiency measures, is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sought to explore the impact of green human resource management on organizational identification and employees' eco-friendly behavior, as well as the mediating role of organizational identification in the relationship between green human resource management and employees' eco-friendly behavior. To achieve the study objectives, a cross-sectional quantitative study was developed, for which the data were obtained through a structured questionnaire containing the measures of the study variables. Data were collected from 235 employees from several Portuguese tourism organizations participating in the study. The Harman test and bootstrapping were applied previously to the assessment of the results. The mediation study's hypothesis was evaluated using Baron and Kenny's linear regression method, and subsequently complemented using the Sobel test. The findings showed that the implementation of green HRM practices in tourism organizations has a positive impact on employees' eco-friendly behavior and on organizational identification, with the latter mediating the relationship between green human resource management and employees' eco-friendly behavior. The study is breaking new ground because it incorporates the impact of green human resource management on organizational identification and employees' eco-friendly behavior in a single research model, thus expanding knowledge on the subject, namely in the tourism sector in Portugal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the multiplier effects on domestic product, employment, and the external sector of the US economy due to the decline of tourism activities during the pandemic. For this purpose, we use an input-output model and the latest available input-output data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD's) database. It was found that for every USD million decrease in tourism receipts, the net output decreases about USD 1.53 million, the level of employment decreases about 16.86 persons, imports decrease about USD 0.20 million, while the comparative analysis of these results with the economy's average multipliers indicates that tourism constitutes a key sector of the US economy. From the evaluation of the results, it is deduced that the decline of tourism activities recorded in the year 2020 accounts for about one-fourth of the observed recession in the US economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eco-efficiency analysis can provide useful information about sustainability in the tourism industry, which has an important role in both global economy recovery and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), generating considerable indirect carbon emissions with respect to the supply chain due to its significant connections to other industries. This study, from the perspective of tourism sectors, including tourism hotels, travel agencies, and scenic spots, integrated the environmentally extended input-output analysis (EEIO) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) models to develop a research framework, analyzing the indirect carbon emissions of the tourism supply chain, evaluating eco-efficiency with respect to both direct carbon emissions and total carbon emissions (including direct and indirect parts), and exploring the driving factors of eco-efficiency of tourism sectors using Tobit regression models. This study took Gansu as a case, a province in China characterized by higher carbon intensity, an underdeveloped economy, and rapid tourism growth. The results demonstrate that (1) tourism hotels contribute the most carbon emissions in tourism sectors, especially indirectly due to the supply chain, with carbon emissions mainly resulting from the manufacturing of food and tobacco; (2) the eco-efficiency of tourism sectors in Gansu presents a U-shaped curve, which is consistent with Kuznets' theory; and (3) energy technology is key to improving the eco-efficiency of tourism sectors. The research results provide a clear path for the reduction of carbon emissions and the improvement of eco-efficiency in Gansu tourism sectors. Against the backdrop of global climate change and the post-COVID-19 era, our research framework and findings provide a reference for similar regions and countries who are in urgent need of rapid tourism development to effect economic recovery.

In times of uncertainty, new ideas, concepts and business solutions are born. The crisis caused by the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a wide impact on the tourism sector, from small-scale to multinational companies. Based on an explanatory case study of a tourist guides venture, the paper seeks evidence on how conditions such as social capital, the use of information technologies and the application of new organizational solutions can support entrepreneurship at times of crisis. The paper provides insight into the functioning of Guides without Borders—a venture bringing together over 50 tourist guides. The research is based on the case study methodology supported by semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Findings indicate that despite harsh times, social ties, trust and technology can leverage an organization. The research also confirms that the application of an innovative approach to the organizational structure and processes (in accordance with the concept of teal organizations) is beneficial at times of crisis. Thus, the organizational approach adapted by the studied organization can serve as an example for future tourist guides and other professionals' undertakings in uncertain times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, the issue of development of the tourism industry is becoming increasingly relevant, as this industry is an important component of the economic system of each country. External factors have the most significant impact on the development of tourism: natural disasters, wars, economic crises, and pandemics have had a destabilizing effect on the development of the tourism industry around the world. To avoid or reduce the impact of negative phenomena on the tourism industry of a particular country or region, it is crucial to predict the impact of external factors, identify the most important of them, and develop strategic measures to turn threats into opportunities. In the context of solving the mentioned problem, this study aims to model the impact of external factors on the level of use of tourism potential of the region. After all, tourist services and products of each country and region are unique, as they are formed under the influence of existing special natural resources, cultural heritage, environmental, social and other factors inherent only in them; and if in one country/region the influence of a certain factor can weaken the development of tourism, in another one—it can stimulate it. A method of comparison with the reference value and a method of calculating the integral indicator were used in the study. Based on the analysis, an integral indicator of the level of use of the tourist potential of the region was calculated and the method of assessing the impact of external factors on the level of tourist potential on the example of the Carpathian region of Ukraine was tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the literature on the contribution of tourism to economic expansion vis-à-vis the tourism-led growth hypothesis has been widely explored, so far, limited attention has been paid to the specificity of the role of tourism-related loans or financial inducement in economic growth. This paper examines the short-run and long-run relationships between bank loan disbursements to the tourism sector and economic growth in Northern Cyprus. We structurally derive empirical equations for co-integration and error-correction models by extending the original Solow growth model, applying a cointegration approach that is strengthened by the autoregressive distributed lag and Granger causality approaches to reveal important findings. The empirical findings suggest unidirectional causality from loans disbursed to the tourism sector to economic growth in Northern Cyprus for the period under study. Additionally, we show that tourism-related loans and human and technological advancement all spur economic growth in the short- and long-run. These findings' main policy implication is that long-term complementary policies in the domestic banking system can increase the access to financial sources for tourism enterprises and, consequently, promote tourism-led economic growth, especially in small tourism-dependent economies where capital sources are scarce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tourism sector is a driver of economic development characterised by its environmental impact. It is a prevalent part of the 2030 Agenda, given its potential to help meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At the same time, board gender diversity is considered essential for companies to implement environmentally sustainable initiatives. However, analysis of the relationship between the role of women on boards and environmental performance has been neglected in the tourism literature. This paper adopts a novel approach to the study of this sector by analysing the relationship between gender diversity on the board of directors and companies' environmental practices. A fixed effects model is estimated using an international sample of 120 listed tourism companies for the period 2002 to 2019. The results show that boards that are more gender diverse and have a greater female presence are associated with poorer environmental performance and a weaker implementation of policies and practices to reduce resource use and emissions. However, board gender diversity aids performance in environmental innovation.

In the last few years, it has become essential, in order for companies to ensure their survival, to approach the customer and bet on quality. This is due to the importance of tourism in many economies and the increase in supply and demand. For this reason, there are numerous studies found in literature that evaluate the extent to which quality practices impact finances and competitiveness of tourism companies. Furthermore, the usual practice in many of these studies is to classify all types of tourism businesses in the same category, even though there seem to be significant a priori differences between them. The main objects of scrutiny in this study are restaurants and hospitality. The analysis of the aggregate results of two surveys carried out among executives in Spain that employed SEM methodology demonstrates that quality practices have influence, albeit indirectly, on a firm's performance in a positive way. However, separate analysis of subsamples show disparities between hotels and restaurants. This paper illustrates that, although both subgroups operate in the same sector, they obtain different results from implementing quality policies. Therefore, the specific features and typology of the selected tourism company should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]