Commitment and sustainable destination development

This project is being carried out in cooperation with MCI Tourism and the Center for Family Business.

Objective

The focus of the project on HRM concepts in tourism was on the loyalty of employees in tourism to their destination and to survey this loyalty.

Central questions

• How do employees in the family-run Tyrolean hotel industry assess their own loyalty to their place of work, i.e. the tourist destination, and what can be derived from this for a socio-economically sustainable destination and company development?

Method

Through qualitative interviews (N= 21) and focus group discussions, four main questions and core aspects were identified:

Key findings

1. The main role in terms of employee loyalty to the destination is played by the company, but the destination as an overall construct can have a positive impact on loyalty.
2. A central element of the cooperation between destination and company, which thus strengthens the destination commitment of employees, is a corresponding distribution of roles at a higher level, which addresses the issue of destination commitment.
3. Connection to a larger city, mobility, affordable housing, a sense of belonging, family and appreciation of the company are the components of quality of life that are particularly important for destination commitment.
4. The definition of responsibility among the actors involved was named as the most effective measure.