Vol. 4, no.2/2022

Crises - new opportunities for the tourism and travel industry

By Claudia-Elena Țuclea

Customer perceptions about the hospitality industry during the COVID-19 Pandemic

By Daria-Roxana Theodoru, Andreea Fortuna Șchiopu

How did hospitality customers perceive the experience of going out during the global COVID-19 pandemic? What concerns did they have about hospitality providers? The purpose of this paper was to clarify how consumers perceived the pandemic and whether or not people feared infection when dining out. The firs purpose was to determine how many people went out during the pandemic, and the second aim was to determine how they perceived the performance of the hospitality industry. To measure their perceptions, we proposed several variables: psychological well-being, expected positive emotions, expected negative emotions, desire to avoid, and customer satisfaction. The main objective was to investigate the correlation between the selected variables. For the study, a questionnaire was distributed to different target groups: Adolescents, adults, and middle-aged people. It was found that the population of Bucharest felt a need to socialize and go out during the pandemic rather than a reluctance to do so. This study highlights the importance of anticipated perceptions and how they influence consumers' final perceptions.

The purchase of online products: a review of barrier effects on trust intentions

By Shahriar Jeddy, Mohammad Reza Mashayekh, Ali Rostami

In Iran, there has been a quantitative and qualitative increase in online businesses in recent years. However, despite the daily growth of virtual business networks, Iranian consumers regrettably do not have the confidence in such businesses that should be expected, but are still willing to buy products in person through traditional channels; financial transaction values, as well as the number of Internet users, were reported to be very low compared to developed countries. Therefore, the objective of the study was to investigate and verify what factors affect trust in buying online products. Considering the objective, the study was an applied descriptive research method with an analytical approach. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) model was used to analyse the data using Partial Least Squares (PLS) Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The sample size for the study was71 individuals who were screened through an online survey of PNU (Payame Noor University) students. The reliability of the questionnaire was examined using Cronbach's alpha. The results showed that there was a statistically positive significance between lack of integrity, lack of benevolence, lack of competence, and intention to trust. Meanwhile, the intention to trust was statistically significant with purchase intention. Consequently, it was suggested that e-tailers should try to improve the dimensions of their trustworthiness for e-customers.

Intermodal GIS analysis model for assessing the travel cost to tourist resorts in Romania

By Antonio Valentin Tache, Alexandru-Ionuţ Petrişor, Ovidiu-Eugen Ciogescu, Maria-Monica Tache

Tourists, like any other users of transport systems, seek to travel safely from origin to destination, choosing the appropriate route in relation to the speed, comfort, and cost of trip. Therefore, the goal is, from a tourism transport planning perspective, to minimize connections and, wherever necessary, make them as efficient as possible. Multimodal solutions allow passengers to adopt less polluting modes of transport whenever possible, encouraging a more sustainable journey. Digital solutions and integrated planning services offer the potential for sustainable, easy-to-use and efficient multimodal travel. The purpose of this article is to present a novel GIS-type IT solution for assessing the cost of multimodal transport to tourist resorts in Romania. The IT platform considers the movement of tourists to tourist resorts through two networks in the intermodal system, railways and national roads, connected through nodes represented by the railway stations.

Challenges and benefits of blockchain implementation in supply chain

By Cristian Negruțiu

This article presents the challenges and benefits of blockchain implementation in the supply chain. In a broader context, the article addresses how technology facilitates digitalization in a traditional industry, with no shortage of ideas and controversies. The findings are drawn from a case study of a Romanian tech startup. The empirical investigation uses interview and direct observation methods to show how the startup under study implements Industry 4.0 solutions based on blockchain technology. The findings demonstrate the feasibility of the technologies, the benefits for customers, and the challenges associated with them. So, it can be said that tech startups are real ambassadors of innovation and are able to change the status quo faster and easier. Their solutions and products have the potential to disrupt the industry and evolve into integrated platforms for artificial intelligence.

Entrepreneurship: a full time or a part time job?

By Emilia Bățroș

The decision to start a business can be influenced by a wide range of factors. Several studies show the characteristics of full-time and part-time entrepreneurship, but few show the actual comparison of the two concepts. The aim of this research is to analyze the differences between the two forms of entrepreneurship from two perspectives: the current entrepreneurs' perspective and the students' perspective, in order to help people decide which form of entrepreneurship is the best. Based on qualitative and quantitative research, the results showed that the most important factors that influence the final decision to start a business are work experience, education, financial factor, work and time flexibility, and lifestyle. The SPSS results and t-tests on the students' character traits show that there are no significant differences among four of them, except for the trait "autonomy".

Cultural, religious and spiritual tourism attractiveness among youngsters

By Denisa-Natalia Hampu, Monica-Maria Coroș

Being one of the first forms of tourism, cultural tourism has experienced several expansion and contraction phases over the years. In recent years, other subcategories of cultural tourism have increased greatly, such as spiritual tourism. If there is a trend, there are young people interested in 'newness', but to become a profitable trend, it must be promoted accordingly to the target market. In determining their desires and expectations, it turns out that young people between the ages of 18 and 35 are not only interested in spiritual tourism, but also in religious destinations when they are also busy with other activities. They associate religious tourism primarily with prayer or holy places, which some young people do not practice at all, but associate spiritual tourism with meditation or self-knowledge. While young people indicated that religious tourism could also be an attraction when combined with a good marketing strategy, most of them cannot recall seeing any marketing efforts in this regard. A good marketing strategy put in place after properly identifying the key objectives, desires, and expectations of the target market could open up great opportunities for businesses in this area.