Symposium - Call for Papers

Call for Papers on

“Segmentation of the travel market”

Symposium at the International Conference on Tourism Development and Management (ICTDM 2009)

11th – 14th September 2009, Kos Island, Greece

Organised by
Dr. Miguel Moital, Senior Lecturer in Events Management, Bournemouth University, UK

SCOPE
In order to complement the regular program of the conference, this symposium aims to bring together practitioners and academics to discuss new and emerging topics related to the segmentation of the travel market. While segmentation is a relatively well established area in tourism research, there are still many challenges to overcome. This symposium will provide a key opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas regarding novel approaches to segmentation of the travel market that capitalise on technological developments, advances in consumer behaviour research and the changing face of consumer behaviour. The Symposium aims to examine the current state of segmentation perspectives and methodologies, as well as widen the study and depth of understanding of segmentation in a tourism context. This will be achieved by stimulating discussion and an exchange of ideas between professionals, academics, researchers, policy-makers, consultants, practitioners, government officials and postgraduate students from tourism, hospitality and management related fields.

TOPICS OF INTEREST

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit high quality papers that focus on some of the key issues and challenges of segmenting the travel market, including (but not limited to) the following themes:

• Theoretical or conceptual papers that introduce new perspectives on the segmentation of the travel market
• Integrative reviews (including meta-analyses) that synthesise existing literature and identify opportunities for future research
• Reassessments of prior segmentation research with insightful refinements
• Empirical studies testing existing and novel segmentation methodologies

Specific topic areas include (but are not limited to):

• Segmentation strategies
• Cross cultural and international segmentation
• Historical developments
• Identification and profile of emerging travel segments
• Comparison of consumer trends by specific segments (e.g. slow travellers, e-tourists, adventure travellers)
• Choice and evaluation of segmentation bases (e.g. psychographic, demographic, attitudinal, behavioural)
• Critique and refinement of the factor-cluster approach
• Combining segmentation bases
• Methods of data analysis for segmentation research
• Methods for assessing the internal/external validity of segments

SUBMISSION AND PUBLICATION OF PAPERS
Abstracts of no more than 300 words should be submitted electronically by June 10th, 2009 to Dr. Miguel Moital (e-mail: mmoital@bournemouth.ac.uk). The abstract should include title, name(s) of author(s), affiliations, postal and e-mail addresses. It must be typed using Times New Roman, 12-point font, single spacing with justified alignment. Abstracts of all papers presented at the symposium will appear in the conference’s book of abstracts and there will be an edited volume of Conference proceedings. In addition, papers presented at the symposium will be considered for a special issue of the International Journal of Tourism Policy, guest edited by the organiser of the symposium.
For further enquiries regarding conference fees, conference programme, recommended accommodation, maps/instructions, and registration forms, please visit the conference's website

Review of 2008 (4) - The II International Congress of Tourism – Leiria and West (Portugal)

In November I travelled to Portugal to attend the II International Congress of Tourism – Leiria and West, hosted by the School of Tourism and Sea Technology, Leiria Polytechnic Institute, Peniche. The conference attracted more than 100 delegates, including Portuguese academics and tourism students. The conference featured 20 paper presentations, supported by several keynote speeches. I presented a paper, co-authored with Teresa Robinson (colleague at Bournemouth University) and Inga Achterkamp (undergraduate student at Bournemouth University), entitled "Germany’s Image as a Holiday Destination: An Investigation into the Perceptions of British Visitors and non-Visitors". The paper, which was based on Inga’s undergraduate dissertation, was very well received, to the extent that it was awarded second best paper of the congress. The paper has now been submitted to a Brazilian tourism journal (Turismo em Análise) and we are waiting for the editor's decision.

Review of 2008 (3) - Presov, Slovakia

In October I travelled to Presov, Slovakia, to deliver a keynote speech at the 8th International Conference of Partner Institutions, La Fondation pour la Formation Hôtelière, Nestle Pro Gastronomia and Hotel Academy. The Conference puts together 18 European educational institutions in the field of hospitality and tourism to share experiences in teaching and research as well as to stimulate mutual activities. My presentation focused on gastronomy and tourism, presenting a summary of the results of the research on European tourists’ motivation to consume, and satisfaction with the consumption of, Portuguese gastronomy. This study has been carried out together with Dr. Antónia Correia (Algarve University) and Carlos Ferreria da Costa (Aveiro University).
The social programme included a visit to the local wine museum and a gala dinner at a private club, which was prepared and served by the students and staff of the local hotel school.

Visiting the wine museum

With Dr. Iordanka Alexieva, Chair of the Conference

Central Square in Presov, with the beautiful cathedral behind

Review of 2008 (2) - EIGTUR and more

In March 2008 I attended the First International Meeting on Tourism Management – EIGTUR 2008, hosted at Parque Metalúrgico in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil, by NUPETUR, the tourism research centre of Federal Univerisity of Ouro Preto. The conference attracted more than 100 delegates, mainly from Brazil but also from other South American countries including Argentina and Uruguay, as well as delegates from Europe, Africa and North America. The conference featured a diverse range of paper presentations, supported by a series of high profile keynote speakers and round tables addressing contemporary issues in the tourism industry.

In addition to delivering a number of presentations, I was a member of the scientific committee. I presented two referred papers: one on the determinants of the intention to purchase leisure travel over the Internet and another on the determinants of the intention to adopt mobile electronic tourist guides. I have also delivered two other presentations as keynote speaker. The first one focused on a model that I have developed (together with Antónia Correia from Algarve University, Portugal) to study the prestige motivation in tourism (see post below). The second presentation covered the legacy of mega-events. These topics were presented in sessions were renowned international academics also presented their topics, including Larry Dwyer (Australia), Brent Ritchie (Canada) and Carlos Costa (Portugal). The conference was an excellent opportunity to network and meet fellow tourism academics (mainly Brazilian).

Besides attending the conference and develop contacts with Brazilian academics, this journey to Brazil had two other purposes. One of them was to raise the profile of Bournemouth University by delivering guest lectures at Brazilian Universities. Three guest lecturers took place: São Paulo University (undergraduate students & lecturers), Universidade Anhembi Morumbi (under & post-graduate students and academics) and UNIFACS - Salvador University (undergraduate students & academics).

The other purpose was to collect primary data about the carnival experience. I have participated in two carnivals (Carnabeirão and Micareta de Feira) and collected data through observation and interaction with event participants. Email contacts were also obtained and online interviews with event attendants will take place in the near future.