Jerome Agrusa

• Ph.D.
• Professor (Full) at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

The one island-one resort concept of the Maldives features a distinct upscale tourism experience for visitors that offers seclusion, remoteness, and privacy. In view of each island as its own resort, the isolation among the islands poses unique challenges for workforce development as employees live on the same island where they work to serve the to...

Industry 4.0, which is now underway, is characterized by the emergence of new technologies including artificial intelligence, robots, virtual reality, the Internet of Things, and fifth-generation wireless technology. The hospitality and tourism industry has seen a considerable transformation throughout this time, and this trend will continue. The c...

Driven by changing consumer behavior trends, a transitioning economy, unique cultural and historical traditions, in conjunction with a wide‐ranging exposure to health, wellbeing, and holistic approaches to human needs, Thailand is well suited to accelerate its involvement in this niche market. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the traveler'...

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the trend toward purchasing locally grown food and evaluate if tourists visiting Hawai'i are willing to pay more for locally produced foods that are more ecologically sustainable. Design/methodology/approach A research questionnaire was developed in order to investigate the attitudes and behaviors of...

“Leaving the place behind, better than before” is the regenerative state-of-mind approach to reset, rethink and move forward, beyond sustainable tourism. Despite growing global attention, empirical evidence supporting tourism developments through regenerative travel remains extremely rare. Moreover, rampant incidents of travel-shaming across touris...

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to problems and upheaval throughout the highereducation sector, with university campuses ceasing face-to-face instruction and with assessments shifting to an online model for a few years. As a result, the pandemic prompted educators to teach online, utilizing online lectures, narrated power points, audio snippets, podc...

This study examines the structural relationships between vegan restaurant attributes, perceived benefits, consumption value, and future intention using an attribute–benefit–value–intention (ABVI) linkage, as an extension of the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model. Data were sourced from 330 respondents who were members of two vegan association...

The book “Economic Sustainability of Culture and Cultural Tourism” focuses on the economic sustainability of cultural and cultural tourism projects. It consists of eleven chapters, which address cultural heritage, culture, cultural/creative industries and(cultural) tourism. Analysis in the cultural heritage-related chapters deals with specific topi...

The increasing complexity of tourism and sustainability offers opportunities and challenges among diverse stakeholder perspectives. The need for sustainable and nature-based approaches exists throughout the growing body of literature from among a number of dimensions and measures. One of the overarching goals of the paper is to examine whether tour...

Vaxication (i.e., post-vaccination travel) and branding destinations for COVID-19 safety have emerged as the cornerstones to fully rebound global tourism. Numerous destination brands are now stimulating tourism demand through realigned travel incentives specifically for fully vaccinated travelers. However, there is growing fear and incidents of tra...

Social media has had a strong presence in many people’s lives over the last decade. In addition, social media platforms have allowed people to share opinions, provide advice on numerous fac-tors, including where to visit, as well as to stay connected and maintain friendships. The hospital-ity and tourism industry, however, can make effective use of...

Given the current travel restrictions with the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an unprecedented opportunity for Hawai’i to reexamine its current tourism offerings and establish a new approach to support a more authentic, cultural, and sustainable tourism for the U.S. domestic tourist market. As tourists from the continental U.S. are the largest source...

This study examined the impact of cultural intelligence (CQ) on three key work-related attitudinal outcomes (burnout, engagement and job satisfaction) in a structural equation model. Data were collected from 288 restaurant employees in Hawaii, United States, where restaurant patrons are culturally diverse. Among the four dimensions of CQ (metacogni...

This research aims to conduct a cross cultural study of Mainland Chinese and the United States (U.S.) seniors’ personality traits and identify how they affect motivation, preferences, sociodemographic, and travel-related characteristics. Using samples of 496 Mainland Chinese and 532 U.S. senior responses, this research determined that three persona...

No industry has been immune to the #MeToo movement since its inception. The restaurant industry is especially susceptible to incidents of sexual harassing behaviors due to certain characteristics of the business itself. The purpose of this research paper is to evaluate restaurant employees' perceptions of sexual harassment and the effects of the #M...

The unprecedented growth of tourism over the last century has led to increasing concerns over the sustainable development of many popular tourism destinations throughout the globe. High concentrations of tourists and residents, especially in urbanized areas, have heightened this concern with the arrival of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic....

This study investigates how the structural mix of USA regional economies affects their volatility of economic growth. Four exogenous sectors are chosen for this investigation: Federal Government, construction, manufacturing, and tourism. Perhaps unsurprisingly, evidence suggests that a larger share of Federal Government employment in an economy red...

The popularity and the number of short-term rentals (STRs) in residential areas that are enabled by platform businesses are increasing, for the touted benefits of asset sharing, more authentic tourism experience, and travel democratization. However, evidence is accumulating to reveal that STRs are sources for various community disturbances and exac...

Augmenting academic advising in the era of smart cognitive computing technologies creates new dynamics of engagement that can help academic advising evolve toward a learning-centered paradigm. We examined the self-directed learning readiness of students selected through demographic variables. The results indicate that differences in employment expe...

The economic impact of film induced tourism is of great interest to governments, tourist authorities, local businesses as well as residents. Film tourism reveals a positive economic impact on a featured location. This study investigates Walt Disney´s animated film Frozen and the impact the film has on tourism in Norway. Although the movie Frozen ta...

This study explored the relationship between employment in the foodservice industry and higher risk of alcohol consumption, with consideration to job satisfaction and job escapism. A mixed method approach was used to examine whether a correlation exists between employment in the foodservice industry and a higher risk for heavy alcohol use. Job diss...

The impact Walt Disney’s animated film Frozen is having on Disney’s bottom line and on tourism within Norway is highlighted. Although Frozen takes place in fictional Arendelle, movie producers incorporated Norwegian inspired scenery, imagery, and culture. Using a bi-lingual survey (English and Norwegian), we analyzed how the movie has increased tra...

As today’s world is flattening, the landscape of tourist destinations is becoming similar. In turn, an increasing number of destinations are seeking to effectively promote themselves. For these reasons, this study investigated the differences in the advertising effectiveness of destination promotions by message appeal and endorsement type. The main...

Hawaii is one of only a few states without any form of legalized gambling. The purpose of this research paper is to measure the perceptions and attitudes of Native Hawaiians on the legislation of casino gaming in Hawaii, especially on Hawaiian Sovereign land. Knowing the history of Hawaii should be of some help in making an informed decision about...

The connection between movies/television programs and tourism to locations depicted in them has been studied extensively. Increases in the desire or actual travel to locations depicted in completely fictionalized settings (such as New Zealand as the film location for the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy) or even negative depictions (such as Australia as...

With 8.36 million visitors to Hawaii spending more than $13.5 billion dollars annually, the success of Hawaii’s economy is inexorably linked to the strength of its tourism industry. Over the past several years, Hawaii tourism officials have gained a growing awareness of the susceptibility of this industry to losses through increased terrorism, high...

Abstract This research will focus on the impact of social media on today’s hotel industry. Reference will be focused on TripAdvisor due to its dominant market position within the travel industry market segment. This research project will discuss how (1) social media technologically connects and interfaces customers for feedback, reviews and survey...

Transformational Learning Hospitality and Tourism Education With the increasing mobility of students in higher education, the integration of experiential learning opportunities can provide transformational experiences to meet the challenges in hospitality and tourism. As globalization continues with the investment and development of multi-national...

The goal of this study is to assess the effects the Korean food featured on the Korean TV drama series Daeganggeum has on the perceptions of national image and intention to visit Korea by residents of Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Thailand. Estimates of structural equation models are used for samples from the three countries to produce information for com...

ABSTRACT. The goal of this study is to assess the effects the Korean food featured on the Korean TV drama series Daeganggeum has on the perceptions of national image and intention to visit Korea by residents of Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Thailand. Estimates of structural equation models are used for samples from the three countries to produce informati...

A key to the quality of hospitality, restaurant, and tourism management (HRTM) graduates is the preparedness of the students when they enter the program as undergraduate students. The purpose of this study was to report the perceptions of a random selection of HRTM faculty from institutions granting four-year degrees regarding student preparedness...

Cultural Festival Prospects in the Maldives The Maldives is a luxury tourism destination that has rapidly developed over the past 40 years. Nearing almost one million tourists at the end of 2012, the Maldives has experienced significant growth from its near beginnings when 1,097 tourists arrived in 1972 (World Tourism Organization, 2011). Now boas...

Critical to the image of a tourism destination is the perceptions of the local residents which can have a significant impact on the product itself or the associative images often created by the visitor. The aim of this study is to examine the residents’ perception of the Faroe Islands as a vacation destination. Positive growth opportunities facilit...

Long-haul pleasure travelers to Tahiti make a significant investment in their vacation in terms of time and money. As a result, it is essential for a destination like Tahiti that these visitors have a satisfying experience so they will spread positive word-of-mouth and revisit the islands in the future. For that reason, tourism organizations are in...

A Korean TV drama series (Daejanggeum), with a story line focusing on Korean food, was exported to over 50 countries resulting in a surprisingly popular mega-hit. The popularity of this TV drama, transcended across countries and cultural boundaries, has brought an enhancement to the national image of Korea or national brand, and led to a surge in s...

Abstract Customer-based brand equity is one of the widely used concepts to measure and evaluate brand performance. This study covers an evaluation of the customer-based brand equity of Coca-Cola in the Maldives including the concept of customer-based brand equity, an analysis of demographic factors that affect the dimensions of customer-based brand...

ABSTRACT␣ Previous␣ academic␣ and␣ trade␣ analyses␣ have␣ eluded␣ to␣ the␣ phenomenon␣ that␣ hospitality␣ students␣ and␣ industry␣ employees␣ display␣ more␣ frequent␣ alcohol␣ consump␣on␣ than␣ do␣ their␣ non␣ hospitality␣related␣ counterparts.␣ ␣ The␣ aim␣ of␣ this␣ study␣ was␣ to␣ use␣ social␣ learning␣ theory␣ as␣ a␣ basis␣ to␣ inves␣gate␣ the␣...

Long-haul pleasure travelers to Tahiti make a significant investment in their vacation in terms of time and money. As a result, it is essential for a destination like Tahiti that these visitors have a satisfying experience so they will spread positive word-of-mouth and revisit the islands in the future. For that reason, tourism organizations are in...

Abstract Customer-based brand equity is one of the widely used concepts to measure and evaluate brand performance. This study covers an evaluation of the customer-based brand equity of Coca-Cola in the Maldives including the concept of customer-based brand equity, an analysis of demographic factors that affect the dimensions of customer-based brand...

ABSTRACT. A Korean TV drama series (Daejanggeum), with a story line focusing on Korean food, was exported to over 50 countries resulting in a surprisingly popular mega-hit. The popularity of this TV drama, transcended across countries and cultural boundaries, has brought an enhancement to the national image of Korea or national brand, and led to a...

page/terms-and-conditions This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any re...

Customer-based brand equity is one of the widely used concepts to measure and evaluate brand performance. The aim of this research was to adopt a widely used customer-based brand equity model in the context of the Maldives. Analysis of the customer-based brand equity of Coca-Cola in the Maldives including the concept of customer-based brand equity,...

Published to: Journal of Foodservice Management & Education 6(2), 16-20

This study examines the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and three coping strategies (task-, emotion-, and avoidance-oriented coping) using an adult, hospitality industry population specifically in hotel and restaurant work environments. The hierarchical regression indicates that EI is by far the most dominant predictor of task copi...

This book examines the political order and the issues, processes and approaches in applying governance insights to tourist destinations. The book consists of 16 chapters presented in three parts. Part I introduces the reader to the issues and considerations of tourist destination governance. The four chapters in this part address the diversity of q...

Managing and co-ordinating tourism in a destination requires the organisation and co-operation of a large number of sectors, businesses, local authorities and individuals. Since tourism is an important driver in many economies destination governance in tourist destinations needs to be done well, to achieve economic aims and maintain sufficient infr...

This book examines the political order and the issues, processes and approaches in applying governance insights to tourist destinations. The book consists of 16 chapters presented in three parts. Part I introduces the reader to the issues and considerations of tourist destination governance. The four chapters in this part address the diversity of q...

This book examines the political order and the issues, processes and approaches in applying governance insights to tourist destinations. The book consists of 16 chapters presented in three parts. Part I introduces the reader to the issues and considerations of tourist destination governance. The four chapters in this part address the diversity of q...

This book examines the political order and the issues, processes and approaches in applying governance insights to tourist destinations. The book consists of 16 chapters presented in three parts. Part I introduces the reader to the issues and considerations of tourist destination governance. The four chapters in this part address the diversity of q...

This book examines the political order and the issues, processes and approaches in applying governance insights to tourist destinations. The book consists of 16 chapters presented in three parts. Part I introduces the reader to the issues and considerations of tourist destination governance. The four chapters in this part address the diversity of q...

Tourism is the most economically important industry to the United States' only island state, Hawaii. With Hawaii's highest spending and largest international tourist segment, Japanese, decreasing significantly (a loss from over 2,000,000 in 1997 to just over 1,000,000 Japanese visitors in 2009), Hawaii needs to prepare to replace the significant de...

The Honolulu Marathon has a significant economic impact on the state of Hawaii's economy. Some 25,000 runners registered for the 2007 Honolulu Marathon, making it the sixth largest in the world as well as the third largest marathon in the USA, trailing only New York (34,729) and Chicago (32,332). Of the 25,000 Honolulu Marathon runners, over 17,000...

This article focuses on the idea of “social capital” as a mechanism to discuss and describe the role and importance of camel wrestling in Turkey's larger framework of cultural tourism. There are numerous examples of historic settings being commercialized, including the Great Wall of China, and being transformed into tourist attractions. Ongoing cul...

This study assessed the role of family decision makers in participating in a festival according to five stages of festival participation. A survey process was conducted using two sampling groups: the sample for families with children and the sample for families without children. According to the results of the study, a number of marketing implicati...

The travel industry in Hawaii has been experiencing a trend towards more authentic tourism, which reintegrates Hawaiian culture into the visitors' experience. This study investigated the reintegra-tion of Hawaiian culture into the tourism experience on the Hawaiian Islands by reviewing existing lite-rature, and by analyzing primary data collected t...

Tourism is the largest and leading industry in Okinawa, Japan, and it has been increasing over the past few years. Okinawa's entire economic situation however, has faced unprecedented challenges. Consistently with the lowest average salaries in Japan and a high unemployment rate as well as the local government dependence on subsidies from the Japan...

As competition for tourists becomes more global, understanding and accommodating the needs of international tourists, with their different cultural backgrounds, has become increasingly important. This study highlights the variations in tourist industry service--particularly as they relate to different cultures. Specifically, service failures experi...

Journal of Tourism Challenges and Trends

The power of personal experience is one of the driving forces behind the curiosity to travel to a unique destination. While numerous travel motivations are discussed throughout the tourism literature, experiential learning is one area of tourism in general and dark tourism in particular, that has multi-dimensional implications. With an increasingly...

Abstract: Tourism is the largest and leading industry in Okinawa, Japan, and it has been increasing over the past few years. Okinawa’s entire economic situation however, has faced unprecedented challenges. Consistently with the lowest average salaries in Japan and a high unemployment rate as well as the local government dependence on subsidies from...

https://scholarworks.umass.edu/refereed/CHRIE_2010/Saturday/8/ This study examines the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and three coping styles (task-, emotion-, and avoidance-oriented coping) using an adult, hospitality industry population. The hierarchical regression indicates that EI is by far the most dominant predictor of task...

The Honolulu Marathon has consistently provided a positive economic impact to the state of Hawaii's economy. The purpose of this study was to assess the economic benefits of the 2007 Honolulu Marathon by runners from outside the state of Hawaii and their traveling companions on the city of Honolulu. Another purpose of this study was to compare the...

Self-service technology is rapidly changing how casino organizations are delivering services. Fueled by consumer demand, self-service technology is providing value added options for customers in all areas of the casino industry. The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between technology, World Wide Web (WWW) usage and the self-d...

Alpine regions offer tourists unique experiences and opportunities to enjoy the fresh air, water, and diverse landscapes of the mountain terrains. With an increasing competitive tourism environment, even the most remote destinations are faced with the challenge of market differentiation. Mountain regions that relied on snow sports and event will ha...

The Honolulu Marathon has consistently provided a positive economic impact to the state of Hawaii’s economy. The purpose of this study was to assess the economic benefits of the 2007 Honolulu Marathon by runners from outside the state of Hawaii and their traveling companions on the city of Honolulu. Another purpose of this study was to compare the...