Search

This study represents the first providing a definition of the strata titled tourism accommodation (STTA) sub-sector of the tourism industry. This definition is achieved by identifying the stakeholders that collectively comprise the sub-sector. There is a paucity of prior research concerned with this increasingly significant form of tourism accommodation (). This is despite the significance of accommodation to the tourism economy (Cooper et al., 1998) and STTA's rapid growth (Guilding et al., 2005). Stakeholder theory has been drawn upon to explore, identify and classify the key players involved in the Australian STTA sector. The study also provides a commentary on the different STTA roles played by the stakeholders and the nature and extent of their perceived engagement with the tourism industry. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Across the Western World there has been significant expansion in the multi-ownership of tourism accommodation complexes in recent years. Despite this development, this is believed to be the first study to attempt a holistic synthesis of the range of forms and structures that multi-owned tourism accommodation (MOTA) complexes can assume. A spectrum of MOTA types is developed based on the notion that MOTA complexes can exhibit varying degrees of ownership. This synthesis of MOTA types lays the basis for an evaluation of the relative merits of different MOTA types. A commentary is provided concerning the difficulty of quantifying MOTA growth and the nature of challenges that MOTA can present to a range of stakeholders. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The growth of multi-titled tourist accommodation (MTTA) complexes represents a significant addition to our conventional conception of forms of short-term accommodation. MTTA complexes are assuming a variety of forms and appear to be proliferating in many parts of the world. This study investigates the international growth of MTTA, with particular emphasis attached to the Australian experience. It also outlines the nature of the new MTTA paradigm, advances a typology of MTTA organisations and identifies the factors accounting for the increased incidence of MTTA. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper draws on field study data to provide an examination of the condominium owner/manager relationship in the Australian tourism context. Although there has been considerable growth in tourism accommodation owned through strata-title, no research examining the somewhat idiosyncratic relationship between unit owners and resident managers has been found in the literature. The peculiar nature of the relationship underlines its significance as a context in which to apply the agency theoretical model. As Australian condominium resident unit managers provide letting and caretaker services for condominium unit owners, it appears that the relationship can be justifiably viewed as a principal-agent exchange (Mills, P.K., J. Business Res. 20 (1990) 31). The study specifically focuses on strata title condominiums located in major tourism regions. This sub-sector of the condominium management industry was chosen for study because it exhibits several key attributes distinguishing it from the non-tourist-based condominium sector. For example, two different parties represent the principal (resident owners and investor owners), also a significant proportion of a resident manager's work relates to the management of short-term holiday unit letting. In light of the particular agency relationship dynamics arising in large tourist-based condominium governance, several suggestions concerning the legal environment of the industry are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Per capita energy and water consumption figures of five fully accredited eco-resorts were benchmarked against 11 hotels, 13 condominium complexes and six caravan parks located in three major tourist destinations in Queensland, Australia. Somewhat surprisingly, it appears some eco-resorts fail to achieve above average standards with respect to these dimensions of environmental performance. The most efficient resource consumption outcomes were evident where resource use efficiency was factored in at the early stage of resort planning. A noteworthy observation was that none of the businesses investigated could provide data for waste and wastewater production. The problems of developing a benchmarking process for the consumption of water and electricity by accommodation providers are discussed. A major obstacle was found in the fact that consumption rates are influenced by a multitude of site specific characteristics such as age of building, building size and layout, nature of operation, extent of communal facilities, climate, etc. With such a large number of factors affecting energy and water consumption, one is drawn into the problem of how many benchmarking groups need to be developed in order for benchmarking accommodation complex resource consumption to be a meaningful exercise. This also renders problematic the development of environmental compliance accreditation criteria. The study's findings renew concerns about the focus of some industry administered green accreditation schemes and the emphasis placed on their role as a key instrument for promoting more sustainable outcomes for the tourist accommodation sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sector-wide environmental accounting is an important mechanism for determining areas of poor environmental performance that need to be targeted to reduce resource consumption and the production of waste output. However, to date, little attention has been paid to the practicalities of conducting sector-wide environmental accounting in fragmented, service-oriented industry sectors that comprise a diversity of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This study explores such practicalities through a series of independent energy audits conducted in the Australian tourist accommodation industry. Three distinct energy consumption accounting techniques are reviewed in the light of findings made from 35 energy audits, and more than 200 telephone and face-to-face interviews held with various accommodation sector representatives. The three sector-wide energy consumption accounting methods reviewed are: the Floor Area Method, the Multiple Regression Method and the Mandatory Reporting Method.In light of different business structures, different in-house environmental accounting practices, and other major factors affecting resource consumption, mandatory reporting is found to be the most efficient and effective method. To facilitate its use, it is recommended that:a)governments consider requiring commercial resource consumption or waste production figures to be made generally accessible,b)businesses are required to collect energy consumption data over several years to provide the basis for calculating relatively accurate models that capture the factors driving energy consumption, andc)standardised accounting spreadsheets are developed to facilitate data collection for different types of enterprises. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]