Papers by Dr. Iride Azara
Event Management
There are perhaps not better times than those we are living in, to reconsider how practices and a... more There are perhaps not better times than those we are living in, to reconsider how practices and approaches to event innovation, and resilience may help us to chart a path to a more sustainable industry and societal practice for now and for the future. The impacts the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the events sector globally and nationally have certainly been profound (see for example the OECD report, 2021; Stewart et al., 2022). Yet, whilst these impacts remain to be fully unpicked; continued heightened economic and socio-cultural instabilities remind us that the pathway to events success (or failure) lies on the sector’s capacity to both rethink current approaches and practices to event planning, delivering, and managing as well as build on innovative stances with an aim of strengthening the sector’s capacity and resilience in the face of externalities. It is with this in mind that this special issue set out to explore event innovation and resilience during uncertainty, a topic and a...
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EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo
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Tourism, health, wellbeing and protected areas
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The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Travel and Tourism
The term game park tourism is used to define a range of tourism experiences specifically occurrin... more The term game park tourism is used to define a range of tourism experiences specifically occurring within the designated boundaries of a game park. These experiences range from nonconsumptive activities, such as wildlife photography, observational activities, arts, and painting, to consumptive practices, such as hunting in game parks, fishing, petting lions, riding elephants, and so on.N/
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International Journal of Spa and Wellness, 2021
There was once a man with a dream. A dream and a hope that societies across the world would pay m... more There was once a man with a dream. A dream and a hope that societies across the world would pay more attention to the need for health, wellness and wellbeing. This man was Prof. Alan Clarke, Emeritus editor in chief of the International Journal of Spa and Wellness, who sadly passed away in summer 2021. The editorial board would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to Prof. Alan Clarke for the tireless effort, commitment and dedication to see this journal moving from a simple yet important idea to a reality. Prof. Alan Clarke will be remembered by many for his incommensurable knowledge, wits and passion to knowledge advancement in the Tourism, Hospitality, Events and Spa industries and for his overall determination to make societies better. He was such an original and creative thinker as well as a great researcher and storyteller. His loss will be felt by many and indeed by all of us at Routledge. However, the light he shone endures in this journal. Since its inception, his vision...
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International Journal of Spa and Wellness, 2021
When we launched this special issue “Re-imaging a life post-COVID-19”, we set out to explore the ... more When we launched this special issue “Re-imaging a life post-COVID-19”, we set out to explore the myriad of midand long-term scenarios and strategic responses needed to enable individuals, communities and Spa and Wellness businesses around the world to adapt to life post COVID-19. We did so with an open mind, boldly encouraging discussions and reflections on the challenges and opportunities that the present crises may afford us, forcing us to think and act differentlyas both individual and social beingsin relation to the role of health and wellbeing in our lives, and the way Spa, Wellness businesses and related industries can cater for these needs. The key questions that have driven this special issue have been: what challenges have we, as individuals, as social beings, and consumers and industry operators faced as a result of the pandemic? Importantly, what lessons have we learnt so far and how can we take advantage of them? It is now two years since the first outbreak of the coronavirus disease, and whilst many societies have speedily embraced medical advancements such as vaccines as a way out of this global health crisis; many more are still grappling with “ad-hoc” lock downs and general social and economic unrest. Undeniably, the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and it is still having impacts on the ways we as individuals and as consumers go about our everyday lives, continuing to redraft our very sense of being in the world, our values, beliefs and normative behaviours. In pre-pandemic times, concerns about individual and societal health, and wellbeing were beginning to drive many of us to proactively make lifestyle and product choices aimed at improving our mental, physical wellbeing and indeed quality of life (GlobalData, 2021). Yet, the spread of the coronavirus disease across the world has accelerated these trends in a remarkable way. Findings from the McKinsey (2021) consumer survey report show, for example, how buying products, services and indeed experiences geared to improve personal health and wellness are on the rise. Throughout these challenging times, we have learnt to adapt and devise new ways of becoming healthy. We have had time to reconsider the importance of nutrition, fitness and even our own appearances as we grappled with the idea of working from home and staying at home even during our precious leisure time. We have found ways of staying socially connected with our family and friends. Importantly, we have learnt that taking time for ourselves is essential to our overall wellbeing. Mindfulness is now not an esoteric concept, the preserve of the few. Meditation and relaxation-focused apps have burgeoned during this time, offering us that much needed opportunity to cater for our psychological and even spiritual wellbeing. In this operating context, Deloitte (2021) predict that by 2040 60% of the overall consumer spending will be directed towards proactively improving health and wellbeing. This looks both impressive and extremely promising from an industry point of view, particularly as the Spa and Wellness industries have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Degrees of social and physical distancing measures have challenged (and to some extent continue to) the very raison d’etre of many wellness business providers, increasingly laying bare the need for organisations to be more resilient but also more agile and innovative. The
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Event Management, 2021
The examination of processes of value co-creation and co-destruction within events is now more pe... more The examination of processes of value co-creation and co-destruction within events is now more pertinent than ever. Given the effects of constant sociocultural and environmental change and pandemic, and the huge challenges facing the sector, it is now more important than ever to understand what value is and how it can be created or destroyed. For instance, considering the engagement and involvement of audiences/ attendees it is important to explore the relationship between attendees’ motivations and frequency of attendance with their level of engagement. At the same time, there is a clear need of investigating additional factors that contribute to value co-creation in the context of events. Research should concentrate on understanding the different audiences, actors and stakeholders across different event contexts and settings within their respective value and distribution chains and within the wider event environment. The proliferation of events research is valuable therefore not j...
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Tourism, health, wellbeing and protected areas, 2018
This introductory chapter reflects on the themes of (1) tourism and protected areas' sustaina... more This introductory chapter reflects on the themes of (1) tourism and protected areas' sustainability, and (2) health and wellbeing in protected areas, before outlining the section organization of the book.
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<jats:p>This study focuses on Generation Ys' attitudes and behaviour towards engaging i... more <jats:p>This study focuses on Generation Ys' attitudes and behaviour towards engaging in volunteer tourism whilst backpacking. To that end, we first examine Gen Ys' generational characteristics and the predominant attitudes and behaviours displayed by this generational cohort. Then the focus is shifted to understanding Generation Y as backpackers and their internal and external motivations. These motivations are queried under the prism of volunteer tourism; being seen as factors determining the level of engagement with volunteer tourism and overall backpacking behaviour while travelling. This chapter provides insights into the themes described above by examining the relevant tourism literature. Finally, it summarises the theoretical gaps in the extant literature and sets objectives for future research, whilst signposting authors to key literature sources.</jats:p>
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More and more public and private tourism organisations are putting an emphasis on the creation of... more More and more public and private tourism organisations are putting an emphasis on the creation of ‘memorable tourist experiences’ (Bærenholdt and Michael Haldrup, 2004; O’Dell, 2007 and Ennen and Van Maanen, 2013). It is now commonly accepted that technology plays a vital role in communication and interpretation and altogether in achieving this outcome, supporting tourism growth and instigating innovative responses to competition for tourist attraction (Neuhofer, Buhalis and Ladkin, 2012). This paper discusses how technology can be used to mobilise and reconceptualise a contested heritage space, focusing on an ongoing research project aimed at developing audio tours at the Devonshire Dome: a Grade II* listed building and iconic tourism landmark that dominates the Buxton 44 townscape (Sheller and Urry, 2006 and Haldrup and Larsen, 2006). Aimed at first-time visitor to Buxton, the exploration of the Dome encourages visitors to use the building under the terms and conditions of the Heritage Lottery Funds received in 2000. The terms of the HLF grant were that the building be made available to visitors and the community in perpetuity. The audio tours takes the visitors on a journey through time showcasing the building from a grand stable block; to a well-respected ‘hydropathic’ hospital before being given a new lease of life as a University campus. Preliminary findings, collected through a series of qualitative research interventions with visitors to the Dome and University stakeholders highlight the potential technology has to enable three competing heritage narratives of place to coexist simultaneously thus developing and reconfiguring people’s relationship with the place and the range of stakeholders involved in the delivery of the tourism product. The research contributes to the existing body of knowledge that aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of how technology can be used at heritage sites as both a key driver of change in helping to create and develop memorable experiences, redrafting visitor’s relationship with space and maximising effectiveness.N/
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Journal of Ecotourism, 2019
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Tourism Planning & Development
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Festivals, Tourism and Social Change
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International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
Purpose This study aims to examine issues of talent management (TM) in events. Specifically, it i... more Purpose This study aims to examine issues of talent management (TM) in events. Specifically, it investigates the triangular relationship that exists amongst temporary event workforces, event employment businesses (EEBs) and event organisers (EOs). Design/methodology/approach A mixed method design was used including a quantitative survey of UK temporary event workers (TEW) to examine their characteristics and motivations to work at events; a qualitative survey with (EOs) to understand the reasons for using TEW and (EEBs) and interviews with EEBs to understand their challenges in delivering best-fit between TEW and EOs. Findings This study sheds light on the complex relationships amongst temporary event workforces, EOs and event employment businesses. Findings show TEW who display high levels of affective commitment towards their employment organisation and possess the characteristics of extraversion and contentiousness, are highly motivated to work at events. EOs suggest their operat...
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International Journal of Spa and Wellness
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International Journal of Spa and Wellness
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Papers by Dr. Iride Azara