Mark Holmes

Prof. Dr. Mark Holmes

School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management, Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics, University of Guelph, ON N1G 2W1 Guelph, Canada.
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Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

17Years (2010-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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23 December 2019 in Journal of Travel Research
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
PDF file
MHMark Holmes
Mark Holmes
RDRachel Dodds
Rachel Dodds
IFIsabelle Frochot
Isabelle Frochot
Considering the evolution of climate change and recognizing that the tourism industry is among the key contributors to this evolution, this study aims to clarify how researchers and practitioners can understand better what the triggers to the adoption of a sustainable behavior are while on holidays. Various studies have been conducted on the sustainable tourist, pointing to numerous characteristics but as of yet, not achieving an agreement as to what the profile of this type of tourist is. Through a study on a sample of Canadian tourists, this article aims to identify whether a sustainable consumer type can be identified, how those consumers differ in their everyday sustainable behavior, and whether daily life behaviors continue when traveling. By investigating indicators such as altruism, frugality, and pro-ecological behavior, the study both identifies the underlying structure of sustainable behavior and brings a new insight into which elements permeate or not when traveling.

9 March 2010 in Journal of Sustainable Tourism
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
RDRachel Dodds
Rachel Dodds
SGSonya Graci
Sonya Graci
MHMark Holmes
Mark Holmes
Koh Phi Phi, Thailand, and Gili Trawangan, Indonesia, are two islands in Southeast Asia that face several developmental challenges associated with the rapid growth of tourism. Both islands are part of a marine park, are small in size and have several natural resources that need protection. They both face burgeoning tourist numbers that have increased tourism infrastructure development and are leading to environmental degradation. These islands have discussed ways to incorporate sustainability into their management and marketing practices, and they have looked to tourists as a support for change. This study examines the motivations, profiles and perceptions of tourists in island destinations, their level of awareness of environmental issues there, the extent to which they feel responsible about preserving or protecting their natural resources and the role they may be willing to take in their management, including their willingness to pay for environmental protection. The findings showed that the majority of the tourists to both islands were young, had relatively high levels of income and were from English-speaking nations. Tourists in both islands stated that they were willing to pay for sustainability practices, but there were differences around who they felt should be primarily responsible for implementing sustainability measures.

13 March 2021 in Sustainability
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
WMWilliam Murray
William Murray
MHMark Holmes
Mark Holmes
Building and maintaining a sustainable workforce in the hospitality sector, where demand for talent consistently exceeds supply across the globe, has only been exacerbated by COVID-19. The need to sustain this workforce behooves the industry to unpack core drivers of employee commitment in order to retain top talent. This paper explores how dimensions of employee empowerment increase organizational commitment and, in turn, reduce turnover intention—leading to a more sustained workforce. Drawing on the results of 346 surveys within the Canadian lodging industry, structural equation modeling was undertaken to examine the influence of empowerment on organizational commitment and organizational commitments influence on turnover intention. Findings suggest that the development of meaning through employee empowerment, particularly when the ideals and standards between workers and their organization are aligned, creates a strong emotional commitment which appears to strongly reduce an employee’s intention to leave. Feelings of emotional connection or duty towards an organization show clear positive relationships with reduced intentions to leave. For an industry struggling with higher-than-average turnover intention and labour costs, focusing on creating work with meaning, and instilling a sense of belonging in the workforce will enable organizations to reduce their employee’s turnover intentions.

15 September 2013 in Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics
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Journal Article
Closed access
PDF file
RDRachel Dodds
Rachel Dodds
MHMark Holmes
Mark Holmes
VAVichukan Arunsopha
Vichukan Arunsopha
NCNicole Chin
Nicole Chin
TLTrang Le
Trang Le
MSMimi Shum
Mimi Shum

22 November 2020 in Tourism Recreation Research
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Journal Article
Closed access
RDRachel Dodds
Rachel Dodds
MHMark Holmes
Mark Holmes
MNMichelle Novotny
Michelle Novotny
In today’s fast-paced and globalized business landscape, the need for sustainability has increased for organizations. The need to re-evaluate practices, however, can be difficult if existing practices or models of operation are traditionally change adverse. For organizations to be motivated to make these changes, understanding both the intrinsic and extrinsic motivators for change are essential. This is especially true in the festival industry. This study applied the Drivers of Sustainability Framework and linked it to the underlying psychological factors outlined in Self-determination Theory in the context of Canadian festivals. Interviews were conducted with 38 festival organizers to determine intrinsic and extrinsic motivations along with barriers towards the implementation of sustainability practices. Four key findings were identified. First, intrinsic motivations were the primary driver towards festival sustainability management and are a key influence on the holistic integration of sustainability. Second, intrinsically driven volunteers contribute greatly to the adoption of sustainability practices. Third, extrinsic motivations affect how festivals address their sustainability efforts but are often short-term and isolated in nature. Fourth, autonomy, competence, and relatedness were recognized to increase self-determination of festivals in adopting sustainable initiatives.

22 July 2011 in Journal of Vacation Marketing
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
HDHillary Dawson
Hillary Dawson
MHMark Holmes
Mark Holmes
HJHersch Jacobs
Hersch Jacobs
RWRichard I. Wade
Richard I. Wade
This study explores various factors that encourage travel to wineries in the Ontario viticultural regions of the Niagara Peninsula, Prince Edward County, Pelee Island and Lake Erie North Shore. A convenience sample of 1309 visitors at 19 wineries revealed that the winery experience was not the primary purpose of the trip for a majority of the visitors but was a major influencer in their decision to travel to the regions. Planning typically began within three weeks of departure when friends, family and local websites provided the principal sources of information. Differences were observed among the four regions in demographic profile, motivations, influencers and consumption behavior. Proprietary tasting events and comprehensive wine tour packages including fine dining and overnight accommodation were suggested products that would attract more visitors whose on-site purchases were critical to the success of many operations.