Human resources management (HRM) practices are hotel management tools that contribute to organizational success. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how soft HRM practices in the Thai hotel industry affect job satisfaction and job retention. This study focuses on soft HRM practices, which draws on theories of commitment and motivation. Soft HRM refers to human relations between staff and the hotel organization. A quantitative approach was employed using multiple regression technique with a stepwise method for data analysis. It was found that employee satisfaction is not fostered by increasing remuneration, but is more related to the quality of working life, good leadership style, regular training, employment security, the hotel's brand image, and employees' personal traits, a most important aspect. The findings from this study provide a comprehensive framework for both academic and managerial responses to resolve the labor and skill shortage crises. Equally important is the extrinsic and intrinsic motivation and personal attitude theory that underpins employee job satisfaction in this study.
6 February 2023 in Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism
The aim of this research is to investigate how spiritual retreat tourism influences tourist satisfaction and intention to revisit a destination. A quantitative approach was employed and a self-administered survey was used to collect data. A multiple regression analysis was used to analyze data. The results revealed that push factors including novelty, relaxation, transcendence, self-esteem, physical appearance and escape influence spiritual retreat tourist satisfaction; while pull factors, especially authentic experiences, natural settings, peaceful atmosphere, far from the usual places and historical significance, influence spiritual retreat tourist satisfaction, in turn leading to intention to revisit the same destination.
Background: Research on the theoretical integration of attributes of wellness tourism in the form of the physical, mental, spiritual, and environmental (PMSE) attribute framework and the effect of cultural differences on the framework validation has not been conducted before. Objectives: This study developed and validated the key underlying attributes of the wellness tourism experience framework within the Thailand context. Methods: From reviewing the related literature to identify potential sub attributes under the four dimensions of the PMSE framework, themes were developed using a theory- and prior research-driven method within different cultural contexts. The fitness of the PMSE attribute framework model within the context of Thailand wellness tourism was confirmed through a survey design with a quantitative approach from the generalities of the sample groups. The entire dataset was statistically tested with descriptive statistics and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results and Conclusions: After adjustments, the four-factors with a 28-item model substantiated the data. The results validated that the mental experience dimension accounted for the most variance, with an indicator value of 0.99 in the framework, predicting the effective wellness tourism experience better than the other attributes. Experience design should involve the participation of all stakeholders in the wellness tourism system in terms of managerial contribution. Recommendations for the planning of wellness experiences concerning each four-factor will be investigated in future studies.
While tourist destination brand development is well documented, there is little research on the process of brand image development concept. The aim of this study is to examine what is the concept of tourist destination brand image development based on a case study from the Southland (SL) region of New Zealand (NZ). A qualitative approach was adopted using face-to-face interviews with stakeholders within the SL, NZ. Participants considered that brand concepts, such as the name or symbol that represents the region, should be based on local geographical attractions. Furthermore, the uniqueness of product, place, and local attributes and experiences should be used in creating a brand image; finally, the events and festivals held by locals annually. This study contributes to a destination marketing strategy and indicates that those involved in brand development should seek to understand how attribute–holistic, functional–psychological, and common–unique help in destination brand image development. It makes a managerial contribution by better understanding the way to implement the destination brand image and hence improve marketing effectiveness by maximizing the benefit to all stakeholders, including customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers, and nonprofit organizations.