Due to their dynamic nature and importance in the service process definition, customers’ expectations have gained attention from researchers and practitioners, and have been essentially focused in developed countries from the Northern Hemisphere. Still, countries, regardless of the hemisphere, have different levels of socioeconomic development and cultural patterns that can have different influence on customers’ expectations about a service. In this sense, the main purpose of this research is to understand if culture equally influences customers’ expectations about a service in countries with different cultural patterns and human development levels. The multigroup analysis using structural equation modelling was used to calculate the regression weights for all the path combinations in the analysis for each proposed group of countries. About 1262 customers from 10 Latin countries were enrolled in this study to determine their expectations about the hotel service and cultural dimensions. Findings show that cultural dimensions influence customers’ expectations about the hotel service differently in groups of countries with different cultural patterns and levels of human development. Results also indicate that hotel managers should adapt the service to the level of human development of each group of countries when it comes to internationalisation.

The offer of a wide range of services has given consumers several options to meet their needs. Therefore, in coherence with the competition between companies, they need to adopt processes and measures that they can perceive as consumers’ needs to offer a service that is adequate for their requirements. This study aims to understand the impact of co-creation on services and what factors impact the intention to revisit tourism services, specifically hotel stays. In this sense, the search seeks to understand the influence of co-creation on the variables under study and, in turn, which variables impact the intention to revisit a tourist service. To this end, a quantitative investigation was conducted through an online questionnaire survey to 314 respondents, in August 2020, that stayed at hotels in Portugal. The study demonstrates the importance of co-creation as a mediator of factors such as customer experience and the company’s orientation towards the customer and, in turn, building a long-term relationship with the customer (loyalty). However, there is no evidence to support the relationship between co-creation and revisit intention as this last one is influenced only by allegiance. This investigation contributes to the theme of co-creation and revisiting in the tourism sector of mainland Portugal and the islands, which is a recent topic analyzed in the literature, and significantly contributes to the application of business goals.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to get insights on a real-life portfolio of events from a demand-centred prospective, based on the identification of factors influencing the degree of attendee’s satisfaction, with the ultimate aim of identifying commonalities and prospective cross-leverage strategies among events. Design/methodology/approach: Data from attendees to three major events taking place in Funchal, the capital city of Madeira, were analysed based on multivariate statistics and categorical regression owing to the overwhelming presence of categorical data in the database. The econometric analysis pursued in this paper is based on a sample of 1,830 tourists. Findings: The research demonstrates that the impact of the socio-economic variables and travel arrangements on attendees’ satisfaction is rather irrelevant, irrespective of the event under analysis, with cross-cutting factors defining the overall quality of any event (mainly technical aspects such as aesthetical elements, organization and opening hours) determinant in predicting the overall degree of satisfaction. Another key finding relates to the existence of a number of commonalities among events, in terms of tourists’ profiles, market orientation, themes and resources laying ground to define ready-to-apply cross-leverage strategies. Research limitations/implications: The analysis concentrated on three major events taking place in the capital city of a peripheral region. The content of the questionnaire co-developed with the destination management organization with order to get access to a large sample of respondents. Practical implications: Lessons to be learnt in terms of managing a disparate collection of events developed over time in an ad hoc manner. A few examples of cross-leverage strategies are put forward. Originality/value: The analysis and empirical content portrayed in this study contribute to the literature on event portfolio via description of real-life case examples of how to develop competencies based on post-event analysis in a proactive manner.

Critical thoughts about tourist destinations overcoming and mitigating impacts from COVID-19 lie in the opportunities created by the pandemic. In this paper, an innovative way to attract tourists to Madeira Island and specifically for the Caminho Real (CR) is proposed, assisted by augmented reality. There are important considerations for developing software suitable for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets; values and benefits for sustainable tourism development and for being an educational experience respecting social distancing; and services included in the augmented reality application. Therefore, some propositions are presented to evaluate the possibility of augmented reality as a secure opportunity to show historical, cultural, and ethnographic aspects when visiting a tourist destination, while respecting social-distancing constraints.

Geo-tourism, an emerging field that focuses on the natural and cultural heritage of a region, offers a unique opportunity to promote sustainable tourism and foster local economic development. This study aims to assess the geo-tourism potential Danube region in Serbia, a natural diverse and culturally rich region of Serbia, Western Balkan, and Southeastern Europe, using a comprehensive methodology that incorporates geo-statistical and machine learning tools. A dataset comprising various geographical, and cultural factors was collected from reliable sources, including, protected areas, tourism statistics, cultural heritage inventories and satellite imagery. Geo-statistical analyses were performed to identify spatial patterns and relationships among the collected variables. Techniques such as spatial autocorrelation, hotspot analysis, and interpolation methods were employed to reveal concentrations of geo-tourism resources, hotspots, clusters, and areas in need of conservation. The results of this study provided valuable insights into the geo-tourism potential of the Danube region. The spatial analysis revealed several hotspots. Machine learning models accurately predicted tourism demand based on variables such as accessibility, cultural heritage, and natural landscapes. These findings can guide policymakers that, using the power of geo-statistical and machine learning tools, the Danube region in Serbia can unlock its full geo-tourism potential.