All the employees face the challenge of finding the right work–life balance. The ability of employees to deal with the successful combining of work, family responsibilities, and personal life is crucial for both employers and family members of employees. During the COVID-19 emergency situation, many people around the world were forced to work remotely. Initially, there were observed some certain expectations about the possibility of working from home as a positive factor that will promote work–life balance. However, over time, negative tendencies were also revealed, as employees were only one call or message away from the employer, and uncertainty and leisure time with family often created more stress. As many organizations and individuals were not ready for this sudden change, many mistakes were made, which further raised the issue of work–life balance. The aim of the research was to evaluate the flexibility of reconciling work and private life of Latvian employees in various socio-demographic groups during the COVID-19 emergency situation in spring 2020, to investigate how family life influenced employees’ ability to perform work duties, to find out if employees had any additional housework responsibilities and how their workload changed concerning housework amount during the COVID-19 emergency situation. The research is based on the data obtained in the survey of the Latvian employed population, which was conducted within the framework of the Latvian National Research Programme Project “CoLife” in the second half of 2020. As a result, the hypothesis of the research that all groups of employees experienced work–life balance difficulties during the COVID-19 emergency situation has been partially confirmed, i.e., women in the 18–44 age group and respondents with minor children in the household more likely faced difficulties of work–life balance. The scientific research methods that were used in the research are the monographic method, content analysis, survey, data processing with SPSS to determine the mutual independence of the data from the questionnaires.

PurposeThe aim of the paper is to examine and analyse the thematic literature on tourism seasonality and the causes and effects thereof.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a review of scientific and theoretical research by various authors on tourism seasonality, in order to systematically analyse the causes and effects of the seasonal patterns in tourism activity.FindingsSeasonality is one of the most important features of tourism demand, and it has a significant effect on many aspects of the tourism industry. The literature review suggests that tourism seasonality is caused by natural and anthropogenic factors that have a very significant bearing on the geographical location of a tourist destination, as well as institutional and economic factors. Assessments of the effects of seasonality in the scientific literature differ. The effects of seasonality analysed in the relevant literature can be divided into four major categories: economic, employment, social and cultural as well as ecological.Originality/valueThe paper presents a systematic literature review on tourism seasonality and the causes and effects thereof.

PurposeThe paper aims to identify the success factors that guide the sustainable development of rural tourism destinations in Cyprus.Design/methodology/approachFor the purpose of this study, two rural villages in the Larnaca and Limassol districts of Cyprus were selected as a sample. Interviews, field visits, interactions with practitioners, the local community and leaders in these villages then followed. Thematic analysis was applied to identify the factors guiding the sustainable development of these villages.FindingsNine success factors were identified: finding the theme and engaging with it, allowing locals to guide the development, training and education, economic benefits, developing new products and services, community involvement, the role of younger people, strong leadership and island-wide efforts to rebrand Cyprus as a destination. These factors seem to be critical to the success of sustainable rural destinations and to rebranding Cyprus as a destination that offers authentic experiences.Originality/valueThe nine success factors identified by studying two villages in Cyprus can guide other rural destinations in finding their path to sustainable development through themes and authentic experiences.

Entrepreneurship is an essential driving force for the social and economic development of any city. Well-arranged external environment is a fundamental prerequisite in order to motivate local entrepreneurs and to attract investors for establishing new businesses and development of the existing ones. An important role in the development of the external business environment is played by the political position of the local government and the process regulations at the city. The paper aims to carry out the assessment of the external business environment factors and their impact in Rezekne City. The external business environment analysis was performed using PESTEL analysis method; the document “Analysis of the Current Situation” elaborated for Rezekne City in 2014 was used as the base for the current research. The external business environment was evaluated based on six factors: political factors, economic conditions, sociocultural forces, technological factors, environmental factors, and legal/regulatory conditions. Results of the research indicate that the development priorities are defined in Rezekne; the appropriate measures are being performed to achieve the objectives. Overall, it enables entrepreneurs to plan their activities.

The study aims to assess transport systems in terms of ISO 37120 indicators in selected European cities. Using the principal components analysis, the research identified significantly correlated variables associated with urban transport. Three principal components explained almost 87% of input data variability. The first principal component was mainly related to transportation fatalities, the second component — to the length of bicycle paths, and the third component — to the length of the network used by light passenger public transport. A strong correlation was found between the length of high capacity public transport and transportation fatalities. Furthermore, the analysis proved that the Aalter transport system was an outlier. The paper concludes by identifying several recommendations on the improvement of urban transport management and the development of low-carbon mobility systems.