Project

Employee satisfaction in Tyrolean DMOs

A Tyrol-wide study on employee retention at company and destination level (2022)

Employee commitment at company and destination level in Tyrolean tourism associations

Objective

The aim of the project is to identify starting points for increasing the satisfaction and loyalty of employees in tourism to their company and their destination in Tyrol.

Target group

The target group of the study are employees of the 34 Tyrolean tourism associations.

Central questions

How do employees rate their own loyalty to their place of work, i.e. the tourist destination, and to their employing company?
Which factors are relevant for the choice of the employing company and how are they assessed? (Organizational commitment)
Which factors are relevant for the choice of location/region and how are these evaluated? (Destination Commitment)
What can be derived from this for a socio-economically sustainable destination and ultimately company development?

Method - survey

In spring 2022, employees of the 34 Tyrolean tourism associations had the opportunity to take part in the online survey on "Employee satisfaction in Tyrol".

Results

The results confirm organizational commitment as a predictive factor for destination commitment. Social interaction is positively related to organizational commitment; however, no relationship was found between time and flexibility and organizational commitment. Positive relationships were confirmed between leisure opportunities, proximity to hometown and destination commitment. Both organizational commitment and destination commitment lead to positive word-of-mouth behavior. The results provide several practical implications for improving both forms of commitment. This study is the first to extend the field of loyalty studies to destination commitment and identifies it as a key factor for employee loyalty in the hospitality industry. In addition, this study highlights the role of social relationships in the organizational context and at the destination.

The entire study with results was published in the following article:

Fecker, D., Zehrer, A., & Raich, F. (2023). Crossroads of dedication: assessing the synergy between organizational and destination commitment. Current Issues in Tourism, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2023.2298336

Contact persons for detailed information on the study:

FH-Prof. Hubert Siller

Position: Head of MCI Tourism

Research focus: Leadership, tourism and destination development, international winter sports markets

E-mail: hubert.siller@mci.edu

FH-Prof. PD MMag. Dr. habil. Anita Zehrer

Position: University lecturer & Head of the Family Business Center

Research focus: Family businesses, business transfer

E-mail: anita.zehrer@mci.edu

Dr. Frieda Raich

Position: Freelance project collaborator

Research focus: Destination development, destination governance