TOURISM by Stanislav Ivanov
Tourism & Management Studies, 2023
The research presents the results of a quantitative survey of senior managers’ evaluation of prof... more The research presents the results of a quantitative survey of senior managers’ evaluation of proficiency of employees’ social skills completed in 2019 within the framework of the Next Tourism Generation Alliance, a European Commission funded project. The current and future levels of proficiency, social skills gaps and training are assessed. The sample includes 1404 respondents from organisations across eight countries in Europe in five tourism and hospitality sectors (hospitality, food & beverage, tour-operators, visitor attractions and DMOs). Results show significant country-based differences and variations according to the type of organisation, operational sector and organisation size. The required future levels of the social skills are strongly related to their current levels. Two clusters are identified based on the management perceptions of employees’ social skills gaps. Respondents in the first cluster (N=871) see only small gaps between the current and required future proficiency levels of social skills in their organisations while respondents in the second cluster (N=533) perceive much larger gaps. The findings indicate a need to develop holistic social skill training and education which supports quality customer experiences and sustainable tourism criteria.
Tourism & Management Studies, 2020
This paper provides a comprehensive review of Scopus-indexed English language publications on ent... more This paper provides a comprehensive review of Scopus-indexed English language publications on entrepreneurship in cultural and creative industries and the arts, identifies research gaps, and gives directions for future research. The paper analyses 131 publications published in the period 1982 – 2019 through quantitative analysis of frequencies, cross-tables, and Chi-square test, and qualitative thematic analysis of the publications. Eight research domains were identified: 'Characteristics and motivation of entrepreneurs', 'Business models', 'Audience development', 'Use of information and communication technologies', 'Urban development', 'Public policy', 'Incubators and clusters' and 'Entrepreneurial education'. Findings show that two-thirds of the papers are based on empirical research, most of which is conducted in the U.K. From a managerial perspective, the conclusions are that cultural entrepreneur is gradually becoming a central figure in contemporary cultural processes that has the potential to fulfil market and audience needs, fill the emerging business niches, and contribute to the revitalisation of cities and regions. It identifies research gaps and formulates directions for future research.
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TOURISM by Stanislav Ivanov