No abstract

The purpose of the paper is to present benefit segmentation of visitors to Portorož, a mature seaside Mediterranean destination, during a phase of repositioning, to understand whether it attracts visitors who seek benefits other than just passive leisure, which characterized Portorož in the past. Four distinct segments of visitors and their characteristics were identified. The largest segment, ‘well‐being visitors’, is looking for physical activity and convenience. The results give us better insight into the demand side; on the other hand, they have practical implications for tourism suppliers, who try to adapt their product to new conditions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Knowledge Management in the Hotel Industry Before and After the Entry in the EU: The Case of SloveniaThe paper deals with the impact of the EU entry on knowledge management in the hotel industry in Slovenia. For this purpose, the empirical research on knowledge management was carried out among hotel managers. It explored the changes in knowledge management between 2003 and 2006; that is before and after Slovenia entered the EU. The research revealed a progress in this period of time in knowledge management goals definition, transformation of not-owned into owned knowledge, inclusion of knowledge management in business reports, identification and elimination of the gaps between planned and actual knowledge. On the other hand, there was no further progress in the field of strategies and policy of knowledge management, perception of the importance of knowledge management's measurement, development of measures of knowledge management and diminishment of barriers to knowledge development. Further, several recommendations are suggested for hotel managers.

To date, research on intellectual capital (IC) in tourism has dealt with the supply-side view. This study continues the research into IC and develops a new perspective dealing with the demand side of IC in the accommodation industry, focusing on young consumers. On the theoretical ground, the study adapts the supply-side IC indicators to the demand-side perspective. A convenience sampling approach is used, and data was collected from 150 students representing the youth market. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is used to identify the dimensions of human, customer and structural capital of the accommodation industry for the youth market. Five dimensions of IC perceived by the youth market are identified: ‘Employee attitudes towards work’ and ‘Employee qualification’ constitute human capital; ‘Connectedness with guests’ and ‘Accommodation reputation and image’ represent customer capital, and ‘Structural knowledge’ reflects structural capital for youth in the accommodation industry.

Purpose -The purpose of the study is to explore how students as an important travel segment are involved in social media during the travel process and explore the underlying dimensions of social media use by students during the travel process. Design/methodology/approach -The quantitative research focuses on the students' use of social media in the three phrases of the travel process -before travel, during travel and after travel separately. Survey instrument was a structured questionnaire. Data were collected through online survey using Google Drive. Descriptive statistics and principal component analysis are performed in the study to comprehend the students' use of social media during the travel process. Findings -The findings of the study give an insight into the use of social media among students. They use mostly Facebook during the travel process, but traditional sources of information remain still relevant. Study findings reveal that social media are mostly used before travel begins and less during and after travel. There are identified two dimensions -"search for opinions" and "information and comparison" -that drive students to use social media before travel and two dimensions -"sociability" and "information" -that drive students to use social media during travel. Just one dimension labelled "sociability" emerged in relation to the use of social media after travel. Originality of the paper -The paper enhances the slim body of research on the use of social media among students during the travel process and raises awareness on social media use during the three phases of the travel process.