rss_2.0Sciendo RSS Feed for Czech Journal of Tourismhttps://sciendo.com/journal/CJOThttps://www.sciendo.comhttps://sciendo-parsed-data-feed.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/6005c6cbe797941b18f26d9c/cover-image.jpghttps://sciendo.com/journal/CJOT140216https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2022-0006<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The Czech Republic now has 16 monuments of cultural and natural heritage on the UNESCO list; given the size of the country, it is one of the best concentrations in the world. Newly nominated monuments in the Czech Republic contribute significantly to the development of local tourism, particularly in inbound tourism. Thus, they attract a culturally oriented clientele with a sufficient view and interest in historical monuments. The quality framework of the destination is predetermined by their identity.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2022-00062023-01-05T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2022-0003<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The paper contributes to the extensive knowledge on the impacts of high-speed transport systems on transport-related human behaviour. The paper presents the case of the Czech Republic – a small transit country in Central Europe where the government plans to build high-speed transport systems to improve transport connectivity within Europe. This step will certainly be met with a response. So, the aim of the paper is to find out how high-speed rail (HSR) influences tourism development in the Czech Republic. Therefore, the paper focuses on behaviour of travellers and analyses its intention to switch from a certain mode of transport to HSR. In order to predict future tourism development, determinants of transport mode choice are analysed and tested to learn more about travellers’ preferences and their potential change in their behaviour. The findings reveal that HSR would stimulate international tourism and for certain circumstances it would help to recover MICE tourism.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2022-00032023-01-05T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2022-0005<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Medical tourism in the Czech Republic is a relatively new phenomenon, so far, no research has been conducted in this area to collect relevant data. This research aims to analyse and evaluate the experience of medical tourists and find out what is important and what influences them in choosing a destination where they will undergo the selected procedure. Based on qualitative research, which was conducted in the form of interviews with medical tourists who underwent medical intervention in the Czech Republic, the problems faced by medical tourists, and factors influencing their decision-making processes were identified. Finally, suggestions for improvement were found. The research focused on the areas of communication, behaviour, decision-making processes, and factors that lead to patient satisfaction. The results are important not only for the healthcare facilities themselves but also for the creation of an adequate marketing strategy, as it was found that the most important tool in the decision-making process is the word of mouth. It was found that medical tourists choose the country mostly based on the recommendation of family or friends, mostly those who have already undergone medical treatment in that country. Therefore, it is important that patients leave satisfied so that they can continue to recommend going for treatment abroad or particularly in the Czech Republic.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2022-00052023-01-05T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2022-0004<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Having in mind that the tourism industry has been seen as highly complex and competitive, which is driven also by the rapid change in technology, the paper examines the perceptions and practices of Macedonian travel agencies that have intentions to boost their international exposure and find new strategies to perform. Data were collected from 96 employees’ responses to identify external macro and competitive environment factors as well as to further investigate of the patterns and perceptions regarding their international strategy practices. Two considerations are taken into the discussion. What travel agencies might do in view of changes in the global environment and in view of its abilities and what entry mode is most suitable. Hence, the findings from the paper support the notion for greater internationalization and for encouraging travel agencies to establish new strategic alliances. Also, it can provide relevant and useful information for the policy makers which can be used for improving the overall tourism country internationalization efforts.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2022-00042023-01-05T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2022-0002<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Chatbots are rapidly growing application area of conversational artificial intelligence. The aim of the paper is to explore the evaluation of user experience with chatbot applications in museums and galleries. Introduction to principles of chatbots, their creation and testing is provided. Methods of user experience evaluation are explained and the indicators that can be used to assess user experience with chatbots are listed. History and classification of museum chatbots is briefly summarized. A systematic review according to the PRISMA methodology was conducted to map the latest trends in museum chatbots’ development and namely to answer two research questions: (1) What chatbots have been developed for the needs of museums and galleries? and (2) Was the visitor experience with these chatbots evaluated? The research gap in measuring visitor experience with chatbots was identified.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2022-00022023-01-05T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2022-0001<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The pandemic COVID-19 led to almost “zero tourism” worldwide, with unforeseen consequences for a certain period of time. The hospitality industry was one of the hardest hit sectors of tourism, resulting in unprecedented versatility of lodging establishments. This paper examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the hospitality industry, focusing primarily on the socio-demographic aspect of domestic demand in the Czech Republic. The gender of guests was found to have a strong impact on various safety requirements, such as maintaining a safe distance, reduced hotel capacity, or provided disinfection. In addition, women rated all COVID-19 measures higher than men. Other socio-demographic aspects, such as age and education, also have an impact on safety requirements. Consequently, the research findings can help develop new hotel strategies that keep the guest experience and profit optimization in mind.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2022-00012023-01-05T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2020-0005<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Growing tourism in environmentally protected areas brings pressure not only on nature and ecosystems, but also on their management. This paper focuses on main conflicts connected with transport and mobility of tourists and environment protection in these areas, and tools to solve the identified problems. The research is based on data obtained from structured interviews with representatives of administrations of 26 PLAs (protected landscape areas) and 4 NPs (national parks) in the Czech Republic. Another 45 key stakeholders were interviewed in three case study areas (PLA Jizerské hory, PLA Moravský kras, and NP České Švýcarsko together with PLA Labské pískovce). Our results indicate that sustainable mobility of visitors and sustainable tourism have a high potential, but that a system supporting relevant economic activities, together with good information and promotion, should be created. The paper also suggests mobility plans for these areas as a promising strategic tool.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2020-00052022-04-10T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2020-0003<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>The enormous growth of research and development is accompanied by growing number of scientific publications in recent decades. These publications are collected and processed by a number of digital libraries. Though digital libraries provide basic search tools, more advanced methods such as visualization and visual analysis can be implemented by using special software only. This article presents the possibilities of visual analyzing content of digital libraries using the CiteViz tool developed in Klapka (2013) and shows the implementation using of the Scopus database. Results of testing the implemented solution in selected areas of sustainable tourism and demonstration of the possibilities of the implemented solution are presented at the end of the article.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2020-00032022-04-10T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2020-0004<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>In recent years, social tourism has been strongly promoted in the EU, including the travel of people with various types of disabilities. The present study analyses travel motivation and barriers to travel for visually impaired people. This analysis is based on several years of research at the Faculty of Informatics and Management, University of Hradec Králové, Czech Republic, then on the personal travel experience of a visually impaired person and the practice of a rehabilitation instructor at Tyfloservis, o.p.s (charitable trust), Hradec Králové, an organization supporting independent living of visually impaired people. The study is also based on interviews with ten visually impaired respondents and their travel experience. SARS-COV-2 is also included as a current barrier to travel.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2020-00042022-04-10T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2020-0002<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Nowadays, health tourism has emerged as a multi-billion-dollar industry due to the fact that people have frequently traveled in order to improve their wellbeing. The internationalization of health tourism has also motivated production and consumption of healthcare services as well as increased variety of intermediaries and ancillary goods and services to support this sector. Although the significant benefits of health tourism, its actual contribution to economic growth and related issues have remained ambiguous. Therefore, this paper aims to: (i) Discuss the potential economic aspects of health tourism based on the published figures of major destinations in Asia Pacific with an international focus and (ii) Examine the economic risks related to health tourism that either directly or indirectly harm the process of economic growth. The results indicate that development of health tourism satisfies patients’ demand for high quality healthcare at competitive prices, boosts the value of foreign exchange inflow and expands job opportunities. Health tourism services have become the subject of international earnings which has elevated economic opportunities of potential destinations. Besides that, increasing international health tourist flows with high income could evaluate costs of healthcare services, brain drain of healthcare professionals, inequitable health care access. Additionally, increases in international traveling might produce a new economic burden of communicable diseases, environmental degradation; brokers and organ transplants associated with black-market in some destinations. Hence, sustainability and responsibility have been considered as key criteria in the health tourism industry in order to improve tourists’ health performance and maximize benefits for local communities. Such economic analysis also enables us to evaluate benefits and losses from health tourism development and track the balance of trade around this economic sector.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2020-00022022-04-10T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2020-0001<abstract> <title style='display:none'>Abstract</title> <p>Language learning in tourism is increasingly embracing digital technologies for both synchronous and asynchronous content delivery and interaction. Blended learning combining online and traditional face-to-face forms as well as immersive forms such as 3D virtual worlds, where participants may travel as they learn from the comfort of their sofa, offer promising benefits, namely in times of pandemic and other turbulent events. Involving culturally and geographically distant tutors in the learning process may increase learners’ motivation as well as satisfaction, provided that the course curricula and lesson plans utilize the potential by appropriate selection of activities. Despite all the potential benefits, however, troubles caused by the increased complexity of digitally enhanced courses may ruin learners’ experience. The paper provides a conceptual basis for a systemic approach in planning, creating, and delivering courses, considering both technical and psychological aspects, which may assist in the prevention or mitigation of the challenges. To provide a relevant context, presentations of several language schools are briefly examined. The study of changes in their presentations between 2014 and 2021, in the light of web search trends, provides an additional glimpse into the evolution of the adoption and perception of relevant forms of education and technologies, further supporting the necessity of a systematic approach. Experience from three separate projects implementing innovative language courses collected both qualitatively and quantitatively via questionnaires is summarized, pointing out both successes and challenges.</p> </abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2020-00012022-04-10T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2019-0008<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title><p>Agrotourism industry has contributed immensely to economy of many developing nations, especially in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. This forms a basis for these research findings aimed at assessing the potential of agrotourism in Obasanjo Farm and Oakfield farm for improving the livelihood of immediate communities. This study employed a multiple research instrument while theoretical and specific practical approaches were used in the identification and classification of the potential agrotourism activities using a thematic qualitative, descriptive quantitative and SWOT analysis. The results show that 71% of the respondents have basic knowledge of agrotourism. The Likert scale shows that the respondents completely agreed (4.52) that agrotourism is beneficial to people and equally agreed (4.56) on the need to develop it. Recommendations are drawn from the SWOT analysis on the need for farm management to strengthen available opportunities through incorporating agrotourism activities with other farming activities, while addressing the environmental threats and organisational weaknesses.</p></abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2019-00082021-01-29T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2019-0006<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title><p>The abundant use of the Internet and mobile technologies while traveling leaves a digital footprint in the form of big data that can be tracked. Big data bring information about spatial visitor behaviour that is valuable for strategic destination management. Big data enrich not only scientific fields (e. g. management, marketing, or geography) with their knowledge, but also represent the invention of new tools for their actual processing. Generally, big data are considered as a strategic tool enhancing the competitiveness of a destination. The paper presents the basic characteristics of big data and reviews research focused on big data in tourism. Moreover, it identifies its potential for tourism from both the theoretical and methodological point of view. The final part deals with current trends in using the big data in tourism and its application in destination management. The future trends of big data in the context of destination management are implied as well.</p></abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2019-00062021-01-29T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2019-0010<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title><p>Either due to religious and spiritual motivations or to personal ones, religious pilgrimages have become increasingly popular during the last decades. The article proposes a study concerning the motivations of pilgrims who travel to Iasi every year in October to attend a religious event organized in the city. The main goal of this paper is to present the results of the research concerning the main travel motivations of pilgrims. The issue is whether their socio-demographic profile influences their travel motivations and the extent to which pilgrims’ satisfaction is determined by the travel motivations they declare. This is quantitative research which uses a questionnaire survey, based on the data provided by 441 respondents. The results are important for the scholars in religious tourism and for destination managers who use this kind of data to improve their planning and organisational activities of such events.</p></abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2019-00102021-01-29T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2019-0009<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title><p>A geopark mission does not consists just of presenting and interpreting the geological phenomena and processes, but it also includes conservation and sustainable use of the natural resources as well as understanding and supporting the local people and their culture. For sure, the geology of the area determinates the local flora and fauna as well as the local life style. On different examples, this case study presents how the Nature and Geopark Styrian Eisenwurzen is involving local people to protect the local geoheritage and natural resources as well as to raise its visibility and touristic attraction. It shows that the traditional local production can contribute both to the landscape conservation and geoheritage interpretation, and that the application of participatory management and ABC interpretive concept can affect all that in a synergic way.</p></abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2019-00092021-01-29T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2019-0007<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title><p>The main objective of the heritage interpretation is communication and dissemination of scientific knowledge generated around a certain site. Therefore, this article aims to demonstrate that the use of an adequate interpretation methodology contributes to improving a mere aesthetic experience through greater learning outcomes, more intense emotional binding, higher awareness of the heritage conservation and overall satisfaction with the visit. Thus, the heritage interpretation has become a critical tool for creating competitive cultural or nature-based tourism services and products providing hosting destinations with attractive tourism offers. The methods of this study include a literature review, which summarises the findings of different research projects assessing the relationship between the aforementioned variables. The main conclusions drawn from this review are that there exist adequate methodologies for the heritage interpretation, which contribute to improve learning outcomes, improved tourist satisfaction and emotional experiences during the visit.</p></abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2019-00072021-01-29T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2013-0002<abstract xml:lang="en"><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title><p> Destination management is considered as an advanced form of cooperation among tourism stakeholders who are associated in a destination management organization (DMO). In developed tourist destinations such as the Alpine regions, these institutions were formed spontaneously after a few years dealing with the socio-economic changes in demand to prove their competitiveness. This process strengthened their cooperation. In the Czech and Slovak Republic destination management does not have a long tradition. Although numerous tourism organizations have been established, their identification as DMOs is questionable especially considering the length of cooperation development in the Alpine regions. Therefore the article examines on an example of the Slovak Republic.</p></abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2013-00022013-10-08T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2013-0003<abstract xml:lang="en"><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title><p> The paper deals with the idea of destination competitiveness and its relations with competitiveness of spatial tourism products and competitiveness of entities catering tourism in the region. The case study method is used in the paper and the example of Industrial Monuments Route of the Silesian Province is analysed. The Route is a tourist product which presents the major and most interesting industrial facilities in the Silesian Region in terms of tourist, historic and architectonic values. The creation of the new spatial product - the Route by the regional authority - enhanced competitiveness of the Province as the image was improved, as well as a competitive advantage of operators of attractions within the Route was built. Some difficulties and challenges of such a way of enhancing destination competitiveness are discussed in the text.</p></abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2013-00032013-10-08T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2013-0001<abstract xml:lang="en"><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title><p> Visitor management is often too narrowly connected with mass/individual tourism in protected areas. Generally, visitor management can be used in any destination for mass and individual tourism also in connection with optimization of visitor flows, visitor concentration, and optimization of visitor impacts in a very broad sense. This paper focuses on the introduction of the theoretical concept of visitor management; it discusses different visitor management approaches and their principles, compares these approaches, and shortly describes typical visitor management tools. The discussion focuses on the appropriate use of chosen selected tools, mainly carrying capacity approaches, zoning and optimization of tourism infrastructure and monitoring, including tourism sustainability indicators. The computer simulation and prediction of qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the phenomena in destination is also shortly described. The typical application of visitor management in protected areas is described as a case study and a set of recommendations for visitor management are declared.</p></abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/cjot-2013-00012013-10-08T00:00:00.000+00:00https://sciendo.com/article/10.1515/cjot-2015-0001<abstract><title style='display:none'>Abstract</title><p> The focus of the submitted article is to introduce the findings of author’s research in the area of destination management process conducted in the developed (Alpine) tourist destinations in the year of 2014. The theoretical part based on a literature review summarizes current knowledge dealing with the destination management process in terms of approaches and research findings. Problems influencing either positively or negatively this process, e.g. financing, legislation or cooperation among stakeholders are also defined. The practical application part includes an analysis of model destinations in Lower Austria and Upper Austria and presents the results of qualitative research conducted in these destinations. The collected information can be used to design methods leading to the improvement of the destination management process in tourist less developed destinations.</p></abstract>ARTICLEtruehttps://sciendo.com/article/10.1515/cjot-2015-00012016-02-04T00:00:00.000+00:00en-us-1