Destination management organizations have a key role to play in the governance of tourism destinations, in managing destination networks and in ensuring good cooperation between stakeholders. Although, destination management organizations (DMOs) are atypical organizations, their operations are evaluated according to their organizational efficiency and effectiveness. This study aims to propose a framework to improve the management of the tourist destination through an innovative approach that interconnects strategic management and Lean techniques to increase efficiency and productivity in operational processes, organizational efficiency and effectiveness at the DMO level. The framework developed in this study interconnects the analysis of the internal environment through the Value Chain and the Lean Six Sigma methods identified to be suitable for application in the management of the tourist destination. Testing of the practical application of this framework was done for Association for the Promotion and Development of Tourism (APDT), which is the DMO that ensures the management of the tourist destination of Brasov, Romania. The research contributes to the optimization of the processes at the DMO’s level. The framework developed in this study can be implemented by practitioners to improve the management of the tourist destination. The paper also offers future research directions.

The major impact of hotel industry on the environment has become a serious concern for both hoteliers and tourists, with many studies showing that tourists are having more and more expectations from hoteliers to implement environmental practices. Considering the fact that most hotel bookings are now made online through booking websites, it is important for these to show and manifest the same preoccupation with the environment, by promoting environmentally friendly initiatives. The aim of the present study is to emphasize the crossroads between sustainability and digitalization, and to increase the role of digital technologies in encouraging a sustainable development of all tourism sectors, including hospitality. The study provides information and identifies important elements to assess the environmental practices of booking websites. In order to identify the position that booking websites and platforms take towards the environmental practices, the filter section of four booking platforms is analyzed. The present study aims not only to analyze the current position of booking platforms towards the environment, but also to identify methods that improve the way they highlight their implemented environmental practices, based on tourist’ reviews. In order to identify the customers’ opinion regarding these types of practices, a total of 31,800 tourist reviews posted on Booking.com were analyzed. The results have indicated that the level of awareness related to the need of protecting the environment, in the case of both hoteliers and tourists, must increase aspects that also imply the need for booking websites to highlight and encourage environmental practices. The obtained results are useful for booking websites developers who can adapt and make the website’s interface friendlier regarding environmental practices. In addition, hotel managers and entrepreneurs can make use of these results in order to develop new types of business in the hospitality industry, and in the long run the results are useful for increasing the awareness among tourists of the need for environmental practices. Suggestions are made on how booking websites can involve themselves more in environmentally friendly initiatives and in potential future study subject discussions.

This article addresses issues regarding the intention of responsible tourism to increase the accessibility of tourist destinations for children with disabilities and their families. The main objective of this research is to identify the barriers that families with disabled children confront during their touristic experiences and to find ways to diminish these barriers. In this respect, qualitative marketing research based on the focus group method was conducted. The research results revealed that the most important barriers faced by such families are attitude barriers, followed by physical barriers and a lack of information. Starting from these results, we proposed the higher involvement of national authorities and other stakeholders in strategies meant to decrease or remove the barriers faced by people with disabilities and their attendants in order to develop responsible tourism. Such strategies could firstly involve the development of a primary school curriculum by including educational programs that are meant to avoid attitude barriers. Secondly, other stakeholders could use new emerging technologies, such as virtual reality, to offer tourists the opportunity to experience some tourism products and places before they travel.

Several challenges regarding the European tourism industry were recently identified at EU level which the experts of the European Commission tried to meet, thus formulating several priorities within the newest Tourism Action Framework: Stimulate long-term competitiveness in the European tourism sector, promote the development of sustainable and high-quality tourism, and consolidate the image and promotion of European tourist destinations. Due to the new generational context, information and communications technology ICT and innovation became keywords within the most recent European Tourism Policy. Considering the symbiotic relationship that exists at the European tourism level between sustainable development, innovative ICT solutions, and long-term competitiveness, the decision-makers in European destinations should focus on identifying innovative ways to implement the new Tourism Action Framework adopted by the European Commission, through ICT applications, in order to support long-term competitiveness achievement. Two such authentic proposals are formulated within the present discussion paper: the creation of a decision support system for the management of sustainable European destinations and the development of a trip-planner for quality-sensitive tourists based on an umbrella European certification/labeling system for tourism quality. There is still a fertile field in these areas and, therefore, more innovative ICT tools to support the long-term competitiveness of European tourist destinations can be developed.

Nowadays, the tourists increasingly prefer to plan their travels using online search engines, to the detriment of classical travel agencies. A well-designed and well-managed booking website can satisfy the tourists’ needs, whereas a less intuitive one can make them dissatisfied. The search engine developers cannot develop an effective and efficient booking website which satisfies the users’ needs, creates a favorable experience for them, and influences their intention to purchase, without understanding the users’ needs regarding the search engines attributes and features. This study applies a quantitative research, collects primary data, and investigates how booking websites can move from a basic to a sophisticated online presence. The aim of the analysis is to provide an insight regarding the tourists’ preferences and their interface needs, as well as the filters and the options that may help them find the most relevant results for the chosen destinations. The study develops a comprehensive performance evaluation model for booking websites using specific attributes and features of the tourism industry. This model includes usability and functionality dimensions that have been identified by analyzing six booking websites, three used at the international level (Booking, Priceline, and Hotwire) and three used only in Romania (Vola, Infoturism, and Carta), and correlated with the customers’ needs regarding booking websites and hotel website evaluation. The results are useful for booking website developers and can be used to adapt their user interfaces, making them far more user-friendly. Suggestions are made regarding how to improve the performance of booking websites and potential ways for future research are discussed.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, amplified by the Russian–Ukrainian military conflict, have had a significant impact on economies and industries around the world, with serious implications for the activities of companies, including start-ups. In this context, this paper aims to examine the challenges and critical issues faced by the managers of start-ups during crises, and to identify solutions for increasing the resilience of companies and moving towards sustainable business reconstruction. Given that there are currently only limited data related to the long-term economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on start-ups, and especially concerning the implications of the Russian–Ukrainian war, we use a qualitative research approach to explore Romanian start-up managers’ perceptions of how this difficult context affects their businesses, taking into account the economic, social, and psychological factors that affect their management. The issues faced by start-up managers in times of unprecedented crisis in recent history are highlighted. The results of the research identify response measures that can contribute to increasing companies’ resilience, helping start-up managers to overcome critical events, and making sustainable choices for subsequent business recovery and reconstruction.