Styles of Learning, Workplace Problem Solving Strategies and Tourism Industry Employment Context Preferences

GLENN F. ROSS
James Cook University

ABSTRACT
The criteria upon which prospective tourism/hospitality industry employees depend when making career context choices is relatively little researched or understood. Styles of learning and problem solving strategies are two factors that have been regarded as important in the lives of many employees at times of career choice and change. This study has sought to examine favourability judgements in respect of major tourism/hospitality work context types, together with possible associated factors from areas such as learning preferences and problem-solving strategies among a sample of prospective tourism/hospitality industry employees. The more prominent tourism/hospitality industry work contexts were revealed to be Self Employment and Large Organisations. Large Organisation employment preferences were predicted by a learning preference involving the desire to acquire new approaches in the comprehension of material and skills in written communication; Self Employment preferences were predicted by a desire to learn creatively, but definitely not as part of a team. In regard to Large Organisational context preferences, significant differences were revealed as between those who did and those who didnot esteem the process of independent learning. Finally, an examination of an innovative problem-solving strategy as it related to choice of employment context preferences revealed significant associations for both Self Employment and Large Enterprise employment, with the latter context evidencing a dichotomous response pattern. The implications of these findings, for industry and for future tourism career pathway research, are considered.

Keywords: Career choice, learning styles, organisational types, problem-solving strategies.


Modelling International Travel Demand from Singapore to Australia

CHRISTINE LIM* - MICHAEL MCALEER**
*Griffith University
**University of Western Australia

ABSTRACT
Prior to the recent Asian currency and economic crises, tourism from Asia had rapidly become Australia's major tourism export industry. Tourists from Singapore, which is Australia's fifth major market, represented 6% of international tourist arrivals to Australia in 1996. The average annual growth rate of tourist arrivals from Singapore of around 20% over 1990-96 far exceeded the 10.5% average annual percentage growth rate of all tourist arrivals to Australia over the same period (Australian Bureau of Statistics 1997). Despite the Asian currency and economic crises in 1997-98, tourist arrivals to Australia from Singapore have continued to grow slowly. It is imperative to consider the economic factors influencing international tourism demand for Australia by Singapore, and to undertake a sensitivity analysis of tourist arrivals to changes in the factors. The purpose of the paper is to estimate the income, price and transportation cost elasticities of inbound tourism from Singapore to Australia using seasonally unadjusted quarterly data. Initially, estimation is undertaken using ordinary least squares. Given New Zealand's proximity to Australia, it is also useful to determine using a single-equation model if Australia and New Zealand are substitute or complementary destinations for Singaporean tourists by examining the effects of the relative price changes in New Zealand and Australia on international travel demand for Australia. In addition, seasonal influences are examined using the single-equation model. The OLS estimates of the appropriate single-equation model are also compared with the estimates obtained using the cointegration method in Lim and McAleer (2001).

Keywords: International tourism, elasticities, income, tourism prices, transportation costs, cointegration.

An Empirical Analysis of the Perceived Importance Attached to Destination and Accommodation Attributes

STEPHEN BALL* - PETER GIAKOUMIS**
*Sheffield Hallam University
**Rodos Hotel Association

ABSTRACT
Studies of national culture have shown that national stereotypes of tourists have been constructed and used by hospitality, tourism and other organisations in tourist destination countries. Personal experience and opinion have tended to be key influences in these constructions rather than empiricism. As competition strengthens and the meeting of specific tourist's needs gathers momentum such approaches become increasingly anachronistic and inappropriate. This paper presents and analyses the findings of a survey of the views of 167 English and 328 German tourist guests staying in 11 luxury AA and category A hotels in Rhodes, Greece when identifying the perceived importance attached to 42 destination and 22 accommodation attributes. The views of these two national groups are compared and contrasted. The impact of national culture on any differences in attitudes is explored and marketing implications for tourism policy makers and hoteliers are considered.

Keywords: national culture, tourist perceptions, accommodation attributes, destination attributes, Rhodes