Marco Haid

This paper examines the impact of selected variables on the value creation of tourism enterprises in Western Austria (Salzburg, Tyrol, and Vorarlberg) with the objective of developing an insolvency prediction model for Alpine tourism businesses. This study specifically highlights practical applications for business owners, policymakers, and financial institutions, providing strategies to mitigate bankruptcy risks in the tourism sector. The objective of this study is to address existing gaps in the literature regarding the early detection of insolvency in the tourism sector, particularly in German-speaking regions. To this end, a hybrid analytical method is employed, combining quantitative statistical approaches with sector-specific contextual analysis. A dataset comprising tourism firms was divided into two groups, namely solvent and insolvent, with a view to identifying significant explanatory variables influencing insolvency risks. The primary findings indicate that enterprise size, company age, and debt levels (as indicated by the equity ratio) are significant risk factors for insolvency. Furthermore, the results suggest that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are particularly vulnerable to financial crises. Finally, the findings demonstrate that macroeconomic structures and sectoral effects significantly impact insolvency probabilities. These findings emphasise the necessity for the development of early warning systems that are tailored to the specific requirements of SMEs in Alpine tourism.This research is particularly pertinent in light of the rising insolvency rates in the tourism industry and the lack of comprehensive official statistics, which impede effective crisis management. By addressing these challenges, the study contributes to the development of targeted risk management and intervention strategies to enhance the resilience of tourism enterprises in the region.

The production, sale, and consumption of regional products can positively influence a region’s sustainable development. Despite this significance, there is little research on how consumers perceive regional products using a sustainability lens. This study investigates the perception of regional products in terms of sustainability and related customer purchasing behaviour. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 participants in Tyrol, Austria. Data analysis employs a deductive-inductive coding approach and shows a high awareness of sustainability among respondents. The main reasons for purchasing regional products are supporting the local economy and regional agriculture. Shorter transport routes or the cultural landscape maintenance are also important factors due to environmental concerns. Most participants report that sustainability was a decisive factor in their purchase decision pertaining to regional products. Regional products and sustainability are thus intertwined from a customer perspective and are shown to have decisive roles in related purchasing behaviour.

A fierce "war for talent" has emerged, particularly in the tourism industry, with labour shortages and high turnover rates. This situation challenges employers to secure strategic competitive advantage through their most vital asset, people. Simultaneously, firms must invest in their human capital to increase their value, heightening the significance of employer branding. This paper hence investigates employer branding and does so in the unique context of family businesses, the dominant form of tourism firms, where employer branding takes on a distinct dimension as the family's influence fuses corporate and familial identities. Extending prior research findings that indicate that labour issues often stem from leadership inadequacies and human resource management shortcomings, this paper aims to comprehensively examine these multifaceted challenges and their relevance in the tourism industry. This study employs a qualitative approach utilizing 28 semi-structured interviews with managers, successors, and HR managers in Tyrol, an established tourism region in Austria and Europe. The results reveal that the integration of family values and qualities, as well as the identity and value-based self-image and brand strategies of a business, are important factors in recruiting and retaining employees. This study contributes to deeper insight into the importance, opportunities, and challenges of employer branding in family-run tourism businesses.

This chapter provides an overview of challenges family-run gastronomic businesses face in rural alpine areas, followed by strategies and innovations these businesses need to respond to socio-demographic change. This chapter aims to identify concrete solutions and derive strategic recommendations for policy-makers, innkeepers, and practical support measures for the succession process. Relevant literature was found in the course of a systematic literature search. To gain data, qualitative interviews were conducted in the provinces of Tyrol and Upper Austria. The results show that traditional family-run inns need innovative concepts that have been tested for their feasibility with the help of a public authority. Ideas include serving new target groups and organizing events, but also a kind of farm store and changing the main product to room rental.

Nature-based tourism destinations are vulnerable to visitation impacts. They need to protect the resource on which they depend whilst simultaneously offering high-quality visitor experiences. Indeed, it is crucial for tourism businesses who plan for tourism products and experiences to consider the environments that these will take place in. Many industries have developed and applied frameworks for sustainable product development; tourism, however, still largely draws on broad sustainability frameworks that address the destination as a whole rather than individual or sets of products. This chapter addresses this gap in the literature by positing a framework for sustainable tourism product development for high-quality nature-based visitor experiences. Using the Double Diamond Design Process as a basis, we propose a Triple Diamond Design Process that explicitly features sustainability as a concern in the development phase and that can guide processes around sustainable tourism product development in nature-based tourism. The model can be adapted to suit protected area (PA) and conservation contexts and their specific requirements. It posits a user-centred, evidence-based approach to product development to ensure a close fit between visitor expectations/abilities and values and product and experience offerings which will benefit businesses as well as visitors.

This study identifies the management functions performed in non‐profit ecosanctuaries relevant to tourism in New Zealand. Following a pragmatic qualitative approach, semi‐structured interviews in and pertaining to eco‐sanctuaries were conducted. The findings are contextualised using principal‐agent and stewardship theory. The results reveal that non‐profit ecosanctuaries fulfil various functions alongside their core tasks, restoration and conservation. These are education and engagement with the volunteers, local community, and external stakeholders. Dependence on external funding and support is crucial for ecosanctuary management decision‐making. Lack of funding, among other factors, means that, in some instances, non‐profit organisations go beyond their core mandate by adding tourism as a commercial component to their activities. In doing so, these organisations commit to and undertake tasks such as visitor management, visitor impact management and tourism product development.Abstracta: Diese Studieidentifiziert tourismusrelevante Managementfunktionen in lokalen non‐profit Naturschutzgebieten (‘ecosanctuaries’) in Neuseeland. QualitativeDaten wurden in Interviews erhoben. Die Ergebnisse werden mithilfe von principal‐agent theory sowie stewardship theory erklärt und kontextualisiert. Neben den Kernaufgaben in Renaturierung und Konservierung werdentourismusrelevante Funktionen in Bildung, Einbindung freiwilliger Mitarbeiter, lokaler Gruppen, sowie externer Akteure wahrgenommen. Die Abhängigkeit vonexterner Finanzierung und Unterstützung beeinflusst Entscheidungen des Managementsund bestimmt die Priorisierung von Naturschutz oder Tourismusfunktionen. Mangelnde Finanzierung führt neben anderen Faktoren dazu, dass gemeinnützige Organisationen in einigen Fällen über ihr Kernmandat hinausgehen, indem sie denTourismus als kommerzielle Komponente zu ihren Aktivitäten hinzufügen. Dabeiverpflichten sich diese Organisationen zu Aufgaben wie Besuchermanagementund/oder Produktentwicklung.

This study examines critical factors for tourism destination resilience in the first year of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in North Tyrol (AT) and South Tyrol (IT). Based on a mixed-method approach, the summer seasons of 2019 and 2020 are compared regarding change in overnight stays in 26 municipalities. The results highlight the importance of the classical 4Ps of marketing and specific contextual factors. These and their implications for research and practice are discussed. Marketing mix aspects most relevant for resilience in a highly tourism-dependent region are outlined.

Kurzfassung: Aktuelle und kommende demografische Entwicklungen führen zu einer großen Anzahl von Unternehmensübertragungen gerade in familiengeführten Klein- und Mittelbetrieben. Als zentrale Herausforderung im Lebenszyklus eines Unternehmens untersucht die vorliegende Studie familieninterne und familienexterne Nachfolgeprozesse mit dem Ziel Chancen und Herausforderungen besser zu verstehen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen verschiedene Phasen von Übergabeprozessen mit Besonderheiten und Unterschieden hinsichtlich interner und externer Übergaben auf. Die Unterstützung in diesen Phasen bei der Übergabe und die Förderung von JungungernehmerInnen sind wichtige Erkenntnisse für erfolgreiche Übergabeprozesse.