New Silk Road infrastructure opportunities in developing tourism environment for residents better quality of life

Research on glass imitation jade culture in the ancient Chinese Silk Road

This paper undertakes a multi-dimensional exploration of the glass imitation jade culture under the context of the ancient Silk Road, tracing the historical trajectory of glass manufacturing technology from West Asia to China, especially after the Han Dynasty, when the flourishing trade along the Silk Road facilitated the integration of foreign glass craftsmanship with China's indigenous imitation jade tradition. This integration prompted Chinese glass artifacts to not only incorporate foreign techniques but also emphasize the texture and cultural symbolism of jade. Through systematic archaeological excavations and historical text analysis, this study delves into the unique phenomenon of glass imitation jade on the ancient Silk Road in China, providing detailed exposition on the formation, characteristics, and profound impact of this cultural practice. Imitation jade culture extends beyond physical forms, permeating material selection, technological innovation, and cultural symbol inheritance. As a gem of ancient Chinese craft art, the glass imitation jade culture offers valuable insights into understanding the aesthetic features of ancient cultures, cultural exchange patterns, and the evolution of craft technologies. This paper innovatively proposes that ancient glass-making practices imitation jade can serve as a new means to actively protect natural jade resources in modern times, offering a fresh perspective for the exploration and study of the Silk Road cultural heritage.

An empirical research based on spatial-temporal evolution of high-quality tourism development in Fujian Province of China

The high-quality development of tourism is crucial to the sustainable development of regional economy. To evaluate high-quality tourism development, this paper has developed an index system with 6 second-level indicators and 24 third-level indicators and used methods of entropy-weight, AHP, and TOPSIS to empirically assess the high-quality tourism development of 9 cities in Fujian Province. According to the results, there are obvious regional differences in the development of high-quality tourism in Fujian Province. From 2016 to 2019, the overall development trend of cities in Fujian Province was consistent, showing a steady upward trend. Green development in tourism has the best performance, which was less affected by the COVID-19. Fuzhou and Xiamen contribute most to the tourism development of Fujian Province, while other cities are lagging behind for various reasons and the lack of innovation and shared development are two of them. Based on the results of the research, we put forward the following suggestions: Fujian should coordinate the planning of the province's green eco-tourism resources to maximize the use of resources. It should combine the advantages of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries and fully develop both advanced regions and under-developed regions. It should also explore areas of potential growth in the tourism sector, such as Sanming, Longyan, and Nanpin, by strengthening digital innovation and sharing resources with Xiamen, Fuzhou, Quanzhou and other highly-developed tourism regions.

New model of sports tourism with sustainable tourism development to increase tourist arrivals in Central Aceh Regency, Indonesia

Introduction

This study explores the development and implementation of a new sports tourism product called "Run H2O Ride" as a strategy for sustainable tourism in Indonesia.

Methods

The research employs a research and development (R&D) methodology, focusing on identifying potential issues, conducting literature reviews, designing the product, validating the design, and undergoing product development. A combination of discussion group forums (FGD) and expert judgment decisions was used to design the new sport tourism model.

Results

The effectiveness of the model was assessed through limited product tests, main product tests, and operational product tests involving respondents from the local community and tourists. The results indicate that the "Run H2O Ride" model has been well-received, with positive feedback on its suitability and effectiveness in attracting tourists and enhancing the local economy.

Discussion

The study concludes by recommending further research to refine the model and emphasizes the importance of local government support and community participation in sustainable tourism development. Theoretical implications highlight the significance of sports tourism events in promoting tourism, while practical implications suggest alternative solutions for increasing tourist visits and improving destination image. Policy recommendations for local governments are proposed to adopt and implement sports tourism events, aligning with long-term development plans for regional tourism growth.

Strategic information planning and performance of SMEs: A structural equation modelling approach

BACKGROUND: The business environment is getting unstable due to which execution of decision support systems has become significant to maintain competitive advantage. Small and medium enterprises in particular confront issues, such as insufficiency of devising strategic planning, strategic decision-making, and information exchange, as well as difficulty increasing performance. Because functional strategic management and decision-making are required, strategic information systems planning is employed to accumulate information and assist decision-makers in developing and implementing the best strategy for gaining superior performance. Executives in information systems focus on technical difficulties while ignoring decisions to support strategic plans. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to investigate how strategic information systems planning contributes to increased performance in SMEs. METHODS: Data was gathered through questionnaires distributed to information system executives in SMEs, primarily in Jordan. The data was collected with the help of questionnaires adopted from prior studies. For Analysis after applying the diagnostic tests, structural equation modelling has been applied to test the framework developed based on the literature. RESULTS: A structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted, the individual loadings of the SEM items are investigated, reliability and discriminant validity is tested, and path coefficients of hypothesized relationships of the developed model are tested. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggested that managers should prioritize implementing strategic information systems planning so that they can gain superior performance with better agility in the future. This research not only enhances the current understanding of the significance of strategic information systems planning but also assists supervisors to improve the procedure.

The Impact of Economic Corridor and Tourism on Local Community's Quality of Life under One Belt One Road Context

Economic corridors unlock new economic opportunities and tourism development in the region to achieve sustainable development goals. Green economic growth is conducive to environmental sustainability. Economic mega-projects of CPEC promote tourism that leads to communities' well-being and better quality of life. Modern infrastructure development contributes significantly to economic growth and tourism activities. This study's objectives emphasize exploring tourism and sustainable development pursuits under OBOR economic projects that open doors to improving residents' quality of life. The growing world is an eyewitness to a continuous rise in emissions and its severe consequences for humankind. It is necessary to show off the leading factors that result in tourism and economic activities causing environmental pollution rather than blame policymakers. Undoubtedly, many studies previously focused on demonstrating the influence of socio-economic factors that lead to better environmental quality. However, the empirical literature on tourism, social well-being, foreign direct investment, and the Environment in Belt and Road developed economies needed improvement. This research applied a series of advanced estimators that help demonstrate the study's probable results. This study explores the role of Social well-being (HDI), tourism development, FDI, renewable energy, information & communication technology (ICT), and urbanization on CO2 emissions in Belt and Road (BRI) developed economies.Estimated results exhibited the significant contribution of ICT and renewable energy to sustainability. Besides, FDI contributes to emissions reduction after its threshold level. Conversely, urbanization and tourism activities contribute to environmental pollution. The study outcomes stated inverted/EKC U-shaped hypotheses related to specified economies. Finally, the analysis based on the D-H panel causality test constructs exciting results.The present study concludes that economic corridor plays a vital role in tourism development, the community's well-being, and SDGs goals (sustainable development) impact on environmental safety. The findings suggest essential and applicable policies to attain the desired sustainability level. Findings contribute to the literature on tourism, well-being, and sustainability. Further studies can use insights using this methodology.

Let us take a walk to the sustainable tourism practices: a qualitative study through the lens of tourism experts

The rising opportunities of sustainable tourism have brought many policies to control the exploitation of the environment and increase the reach of luxurious, safe, and authentic experiences to the different segments of tourists. This study seeks to prioritize the variables influencing the development of sustainable tourism and pinpoint key success factors that align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It adopts a tri-dimensional framework encompassing economic, social, and environmental aspects, further delineated into eleven sub-dimensions, to provide a quantitative evaluation of sustainable tourism. We conducted interviews with 26 tourism industry experts hailing from eight countries, analyzing their responses using interval type-2 fuzzy sets. The results underscore the critical role of specific components in advancing sustainable tourism. In the economic dimension, "financial resources and tourism costs" emerge as vital factors. In the social dimension, "health and safety" takes center stage, while "green infrastructure" plays a pivotal role in the environmental dimension. These findings underscore the significance of these aspects in promoting sustainable tourism. Furthermore, this study explores the strategic importance of sustainable tourism equity in shaping tourism planning and development for emerging markets.

Empowering Malaysian tourism with clean energy, sustainable environment, and inward FDI: evidence from symmetric and asymmetric assessment

This study aims to assess the effects of clean energy, environmental sustainability, and inward FDI on tourism growth in Malaysia data spanning from 1990 to 2019. The study employs the Bayer-Hanck cointegration test, ARDL bound testing, nonlinear ARDL, Toda-Yamamoto causality, and Fourier TY causality test. Additionally, dynamic OLS, fully-modified OLS, and CCR are employed to ensure robust coefficient testing. The study's findings demonstrate a noteworthy and favorable correlation between the utilization of clean energy, the advancement of tourism, and the subsequent rise in inward foreign direct investment (FDI). Moreover, the NARDL model reveals the complex interplay between adopting clean energy, environmental sustainability, and tourism growth. The causality tests, such as Fourier TY, offer valuable insights into the direction and intensity of the identified causal relationships. The study's implications are diverse and complex. Firstly, it highlights the crucial significance of clean energy as a catalyst for Malaysia's sustainable tourism development. Furthermore, this research offers valuable insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders seeking to leverage the economic and environmental advantages of integrating clean energy. Finally, this study contributes to the growing body of literature on the interplay between clean energy, tourism, and inward foreign direct investment (FDI), establishing a solid basis for future research in comparable settings. In conclusion, this research contributes to the enhanced comprehension of the intricate relationship between clean energy, the expansion of tourism, and inward foreign direct investment (FDI) in Malaysia. The utilization of various methodologies provides a comprehensive viewpoint on the dynamic relationships, emphasizing the potential for promoting sustainable development while simultaneously achieving economic benefits.

The moderating role of technological innovation between tourism and carbon emission: short and long-run panel analysis

In contemporary times of globalization, tourism and travel are among the fastest-growing economic sectors and are highly related to climate change; however, technological innovations as a powerful tool positively contribute to the environment. The present study examines the tourism receipt and CO2 emission relationship and the triple interaction effect of technological innovation, energy consumption, and tourism receipts on CO2 emissions in the short and long run. To achieve study objectives, we utilized panel data of 64 Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries over the period of 1995 to 2019. Considering the cross-sectional dependence in the panel data set, we employed a series of econometric panel data estimation techniques-including the panel unit root tests, panel co-integration tests, and the generalized method of moments (GMM). The panel unit root results confirmed the level of stationarity, and the panel co-integration results verified the long-run relationship among study variables. The sys-GMM results indicate that tourism receipts and CO2 emissions have an inverse relationship for 64 BRI countries. In addition, the negative coefficients for joint interaction imply that tourism receipts, technological innovation, and energy consumption reduce CO2 emissions. Considering the theoretical underpinnings of the study outcomes, we discussed significant policy implications to reduce CO₂ emissions and achieve sustainable tourism.

The role of transportation in developing the tourism sector at high altitude destination, Kinnaur

As a supporting factor, transportation is an important element of destination image that provides a base for the successful tourism industry. It is like the blood vessels of an area and is considered a determinant in developing a tourist destination. The article aims to characterize the status or problem of transportation accessibility in Kinnaur. GARMIN hand GPS (Global Positioning System) has been used to identify the damaged roads from their start to endpoints. In addition, a simple random sample technique has been used to register the opinion of 280 tourists about the transport facilities. Study results suggest that the bad condition of National Highway-22 is one of the barriers to tourism development in Kinnaur. There were no significant differences found between the selected destinations. Overall, the district headquarters, Kalpa, has been perceived significantly higher agreements by tourists. The government should ensure that the Border Road Organization, the organization entrusted with the responsibility of construction and maintenance of roads in international border areas, has sufficient resources to invest in transport development and its maintenance.

Effects of tourism and eco-innovation on environmental quality in selected ASEAN countries

Environmental issues have gained the attention of regulators and researchers worldwide. This present study empirically examines the validation of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) in the selected ASEAN economies for the period 1995-2018 in the presence of eco-innovations and tourism. This study assesses the short-run and long-run relationship between carbon dioxide emission, tourism, eco-innovations, and economic growth in ASEAN countries. To fulfil the objectives of the study, Westerlund and Edgerton (Oxf Bull Econ Stat 70:665-704, 2008) and Banerjee and Carrion-i-Silvestre (J Time Ser Anal 38:610-636, 2017) co-integration analysis have been applied to estimate the co-integration among variables because cross-sectional dependence (CSD) and slope heterogeneity was present. The short-run and the long-run empirical estimation have been done through cross-sectional auto distributive lag model. The findings provide evidence that an inverted U-shape nexus exists between carbon (CO2) emissions and economic growth in the ASEAN countries, a validation of EKC. Eco-innovations and tourism are found to be the factors that mitigate CO2 emissions. AMG and CCEMG results also confirm the robustness of short-run and long-run results. The findings of the study suggest that governments in ASEAN countries should promote tourism and eco-innovations (i.e., research and development) to mitigate CO2 emission, which poses serious threats to environmental sustainability. Also, tourism and eco-innovations are the drivers of economic growth, and growth reconciles with environmental sustainability in the selected ASEAN countries. This study provides guidelines to the policymakers while formulating the regulations related to environmental degradation.

Effects of tourism and eco-innovation on environmental quality in selected ASEAN countries

Environmental issues have gained the attention of regulators and researchers worldwide. This present study empirically examines the validation of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) in the selected ASEAN economies for the period 1995-2018 in the presence of eco-innovations and tourism. This study assesses the short-run and long-run relationship between carbon dioxide emission, tourism, eco-innovations, and economic growth in ASEAN countries. To fulfil the objectives of the study, Westerlund and Edgerton (Oxf Bull Econ Stat 70:665-704, 2008) and Banerjee and Carrion-i-Silvestre (J Time Ser Anal 38:610-636, 2017) co-integration analysis have been applied to estimate the co-integration among variables because cross-sectional dependence (CSD) and slope heterogeneity was present. The short-run and the long-run empirical estimation have been done through cross-sectional auto distributive lag model. The findings provide evidence that an inverted U-shape nexus exists between carbon (CO2) emissions and economic growth in the ASEAN countries, a validation of EKC. Eco-innovations and tourism are found to be the factors that mitigate CO2 emissions. AMG and CCEMG results also confirm the robustness of short-run and long-run results. The findings of the study suggest that governments in ASEAN countries should promote tourism and eco-innovations (i.e., research and development) to mitigate CO2 emission, which poses serious threats to environmental sustainability. Also, tourism and eco-innovations are the drivers of economic growth, and growth reconciles with environmental sustainability in the selected ASEAN countries. This study provides guidelines to the policymakers while formulating the regulations related to environmental degradation.

Consequences of the accessibility of the mountain national parks in Poland

In Poland, mountain national parks are visited by about 8 million tourists annually. As a result, national parks must have a properly developed infrastructure to accommodate such a large number of people. Tourism development in mountain national parks satisfies the needs of tourist participants and should increase the attractiveness of the area, fit into the cultural concepts of a given region, and promote its development. The research aims to determine the consequences of making mountain national parks available in Poland and determine the factors determining the attractiveness of the protected area and the related tourist burden. Nine mountain national parks located in Poland were selected for the research. An interview was conducted with employees of mountain national parks concerning (a) the tourist burden on the national park, (b) the tourist management of the national park and its surroundings, and (c) the impact of tourist traffic on the natural environment. Parameters characterizing the intensity and spatial character of tourist traffic, tourist management, and the influence of tourist traffic on the natural environment of mountain national parks are discussed. The study presents the parameters determining: tourist traffic density, tourist route density, and tourist traffic intensity. A map of the development of the surroundings of national parks was presented, and its influence on tourist traffic was determined. The obtained results were discussed in the context of the consequences of tourist traffic in mountain national parks. The result of the work was the development of a map of the tourist load of mountain national parks in Poland. Tourism is of crucial importance for the proper functioning of national parks. However, if not properly cultivated, it threatens the fauna and flora of such areas. Rational use of natural resources by tourists visiting mountain national parks is crucial to maintain the balance between man and nature. Proper supervision and management in the national park, as well as the collective responsibility of tourists visiting national parks and the community living in their vicinity, is of fundamental importance for the proper functioning of the system in national parks and nearby tourist destinations.

Extreme risk spillover from uncertainty to carbon markets in China and the EU-A time varying copula approach

Emissions Trading Schemes (ETS) rely on market signals like price stability and predictability, which are affected by the volatility of the financial market and the energy market. Risk is an important indicator of price stability. Using a time-varying copula method, this study analyzes the extreme risk impact of uncertainties (including Economic policy uncertainty (EPU), financial market (VIX) and energy market uncertainty (OVX)) on carbon markets in China and the European Union (EU). This paper also measures the asymmetry of that risk spillover; that is, we identify the impact of increasing and decreasing uncertainties on ETS market risk (stability). Our results show that increased uncertainty in economic policies, financial markets and energy markets will lead to a decline in ETS prices in China and the EU. Chinese and European ETS market risks are most significantly affected by energy market uncertainty changes, and least affected by economic uncertainty changes. Although European ETS markets are riskier than Chinese ETS markets, European ETS prices are more stable. Downside and upside analysis show that risk spillovers to Chinese and European carbon markets are significantly asymmetric and dynamic. Specifically, the downward volatility of uncertainty has a stronger risk impact on ETS than the upward volatility does. Our research provides a useful reference for policy makers to improve ETS market price stability and guide expectations, providing investors with a reliable method to predict market risks.

The value of tourism public opinion management in social governance: A study on the impact of electronic word-of-mouth perception on people's livelihood well-being

In the process of tourism market upgrading and tourism iteration, tourism companies will face a more complex public opinion environment. Designing a socialized public opinion management method for tourism with social governance to improve people's livelihood and well-being has become the primary concern of the tourism industry. Therefore, the existing literature has extensively focused on the role and influence of public opinion word of mouth from the perspective of tourist or consumer behavior. However, moderating role of individual tourist characteristics and environmental elements has not yet been deeply explored. Therefore, integrating with the background of the social media, this study examines how electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) is related to the well-being of people's livelihood, and explores the interaction between individual characteristics and eWOM perception in Study 1. Furthermore, in Study 2, we provided novel boundary conditions, namely environmental elements (i.e., physical, social and historical environment). We used mixed methods (i.e., quantitative and experimental designs) to reveal that tourists' perceptions of eWOM have a significant positive effect on tourists' well-being experience. The results show that tourists' eWOM perception has a significant positive impact on their well-being experience. In addition, individual characteristics and environmental elements showed significant moderating effects between eWOM and well-being of people's livelihood. This study discusses the theoretical and practical implications, exploring the value of tourism public opinion management in social governance centered on tourists' eWOM perception, which helps tourism companies to effectively prevent and resolve risks affecting social harmony and stability in the field of cultural tourism and create a safe and stable cultural tourism market environment.

Analyzing the Effects of Covid-19 on Food Supply Chains: A Case Study on Ranking the Obstacles with ANP Methodology

Coronavirus pandemic has severely affected the supply chain network of many industries. Various activities have been disrupted throughout supply chains due to the increasing number of patients, death rate growth, quarantine regulations, social distancing, closed borders, and the phenomenal decrease in travel rate. Furthermore, the pandemic had dramatic effects on consumers' behavior all over the world, making them more eager/reluctant to purchase certain industrial products. In this paper, considering the actual supply chain of an Iranian company, the disruptive obstacles that the pandemic can create against properly undertaking activities in a food supply chain, are investigated. The examined obstacles are ranked and prioritized using the Analytical Network Process (ANP) technique. For this purpose, pairwise comparison questionnaires have been designed and completed by 28 managers and supervisors active in the food supply network. The answers are collected and the geometric mean of the matrices and their incompatibility rates are calculated. Based on the obtained results "labor shortage" and "low flexibility" have respectively the highest and lowest priorities among all analyzed obstacles.

Relevance of COVID-19 vaccine on the tourism industry: Evidence from China

BACKGROUND

Vaccination is indeed one of the interventional strategies available to combat coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This study emphasizes the relevance of citizens' acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine in assisting global recovery from the pandemic and aiding the tourism industries to return to normalcy. This study further presented the impact of COVID-19 on the tourism industry in China. Also, the study confirmed the past performance of tourism in China to the current tourism-related COVID-19 effects from a global perspective by employing Australia's outbound tourism data from 2008 to 2020 on top 6 destinations, including China, Indonesia, New Zealand, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

METHODS

Jeffrey's Amazing Statistical Program (JASP) was used to analyze this study. The JASP statistical software was employed to accurately analyze the vaccines administered in China from December 15, 2020, to March 28, 2021.

RESULTS

The study results demonstrate an overwhelming acceptance of vaccines in China which will positively and significantly impact the globe's travel and tourism industries. Also, the study findings indicated that industries in tourism are hopeful of regaining the past losses. Further, the study results showed an enormous decline in death and new cases.

CONCLUSION

Vaccine acceptance is relevant for the eradication of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, neighborhood and individual-level acceptance of the vaccine will help reduce the challenges facing the tourism industries and the world. The researchers recommend that authorities should strictly check the vaccination certificates of visitors. Furthermore, hoteliers should put adequate measures to monitor all visitors who visit the various tourist destinations.

Policy Intervention and Financial Sustainability in an Emerging Economy: A Structural Vector Auto Regression Analysis

The purpose of the study is to observe the impact of policy intervention on financial sustainability using the structural vector autoregression (SVAR) analysis. The population of the study is the manufacturing sector of Pakistan, which is an emerging economy. Data for 249 firms operating in the manufacturing sector are taken, collected from Datastream from 2005 to 2019, with total observations of 2,400. To conduct the analysis, R software is used for its better visualization. Results show that firm performance, corporate governance, and sectoral policies have a positive and long-term impact on financial sustainability, whereas earning management and financialization not only have a negative impact, but this impact affects the operations of the corporate for a longer period. This study would be helpful for policymakers as it gives a framework for financial sustainability based on the policies and strategies developed by the sector.

The role of clean energy in the development of sustainable tourism: does renewable energy use help mitigate environmental pollution? A panel data analysis

The tourism industry has long been accused of being the major driver of global warming as a result of the size of the industry and its subsequent high energy consumption, most of which comes from sources that emit carbon dioxide. However, in spite of the criticism directed towards tourism due to its negative effects on the environment, there is a scarcity of research that has aimed to ascertain its impact on the environment, thus revealing the existence of a gap in the literature. The current study uses a dynamic GMM model for 38 OECD countries from 2008 to 2019 for the purpose of filling the gap in the literature by investigating the effects of tourism development on the environment, as well as ascertaining the role of renewable energy in mitigating environmental impact. Unlike past studies that have alluded to the fact that tourism development exacerbates the emissions of carbon dioxide and hence global warming, the current research shows that in the OECD countries, tourism does not have any significant link with greenhouse gas emissions. This is because OECD nations have long started to shift from the use of fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy that do not exacerbate greenhouse gas emissions. However, the current research concurs with the findings of past studies that renewable energy consumption significantly decreases greenhouse gas emissions. The use of renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels should continue to be encouraged in all nations for the purpose of achieving the carbon neutrality goal of the United Nations.

Belt and road initiative as a catalyst of infrastructure development: Assessment of resident’s perception and attitude towards China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

The Chinese Government commenced the One Belt One Road (OBOR) project in 2013 for the multidimensional development to restore the historical Silk Road paradigms. The Economic Corridor provides networks and connections based on two geographical territories. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is one of them, a chunk of the Silk Road Economic Belt’s economic corridors. CPEC would be an economic game-changer for Pakistan. It will generate businesses, minimize poverty, generate employment opportunities, and improve local communities’ health and education. However, it is more lucrative for the Chinese economy because CPEC is a safe, cheapest, and shortest route for importing energy rather than other routes. The present study investigates the social, infrastructural, and tourism effects of CPEC through the mediation role of rural development and knowledge sharing, including income, employment, business, land-use change variables, and CPEC adoptability for a local community in Pakistan. This study is based on four different regions of Gilgit Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh in Pakistan. The study incorporates the collected data from the respondents living on the CPEC routes via face-to-face interviews from citizens (cities, villages, and towns). Besides, the study applied univariate and Structural Equation Model techniques to draw the results. The study results reveal that CPEC plays a significant role in Pakistan’s socio-economic and rural development. This mega project’s expectations might bring positive changes in infrastructure development, energy sector, and social development projects in Pakistan. The Results also indicated that CPEC would link rural areas to urban areas, which would offer development opportunities for rural regions to achieve sustainable development.

Perceived Rural Development in UNESCO Global Geoparks in Spain

The tourism management of geoparks is an excellent way of achieving sustainable development in rural areas and improving the quality of life of the resident population while respecting their natural and cultural heritage. Spain is the country with the second highest number of geoparks in the world and the first in Europe. This study aims to find out how rural development is perceived by the highest political representatives of the municipalities affected by the declaration of geoparks in Spain, considering the dimensions of economic and social development and the infrastructures of the environment. Data were collected through a questionnaire and analysed with the structural equation modelling technique. The results reveal that the local perception of the geopark declaration is conditioned, firstly, by the perceived economic and tourism development, followed by the development of the surrounding infrastructure and social development. In conclusion, good tourism planning in these areas, increased recreational use, and the services offered by local businesses are necessary to improve the way of life for these rural populations.

Digital Entrepreneurship and Creative Industries in Tourism: A Research Agenda

Recently, digital entrepreneurship and creative industries in tourism have been emerging strongly, possibly as a result of the global pandemic of the last two years. Their growth in the last decade has been due to the penetration of technology into the daily life of the tourist and the desire for tours that combine intangible value and a differentiated experience. This paper presents the findings of a research agenda that aims to identify key factors and research dimensions in the adoption of digital entrepreneurship and the creative industries in tourism. The study includes a critical analysis based on a literature review through a filtered search method of statistical information from 20 relevant scientific publications listed in the Scopus and Google Scholar databases. Additionally, this research addresses research gaps and recommends directions for future research. Finally, the conclusions are presented.

From Cultural Tourism to Social Entrepreneurship: Role of Social Value Creation for Environmental Sustainability

Cross-cultural exchanges among the locals and the tourists have been beneficial in terms of social value creation and sustainability. The present study has examined the role of cultural tourism and social entrepreneurship on social value creation and environmental sustainability. The study has drawn a sample through a non-probabilistic convenience sampling method for desired data collection, as investigators approached tourists visiting the tourism destinations. The study reports data received with the help of tourists visiting cultural heritage in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. The study has employed the PLS_SEM approach for analysis purposes to draw the results. The findings showed a significant relationship between cultural tourism, environmental sustainability, and social value creation that significantly predicts environmental sustainability. The results revealed a significant positive association between social entrepreneurship, social value creation, and environmental sustainability. Besides, results showed that social value creation mediates the relationship between cultural tourism and environmental sustainability and social entrepreneurship and environmental sustainability. The study's findings climax the importance of cross-cultural interactions that enriches the cultural understanding and gives new perspectives to the existing cultural traditions. Pursuing environmental sustainability through social value creation requires an excellent combination of the administrative and political collaborative strategy that integrates cultural tourism and social entrepreneurship in tourist destination development and aims to attain improved tourist attractions. Besides, this research identifies a significant effect of cultural tourism on environmental sustainability. However, the relationship between tourism and environmental sustainability is bidirectional. It might provide direction for further study. The findings deliver valuable insight into global cultural tourism and social entrepreneurship activities that provide tourism destinations for community development. This investigation produces a systematic and holistic research framework to help explore the influence of cultural tourism and social value creation on the environmental sustainability at tourism destinations. The generalizability of the findings supplies helpful directions for future research on environmental sustainability related to social entrepreneurship and cultural tourism that leads to social value creation.

Investigating the Effects of Capital Structure and Corporate Governance on Firm Performance: An Analysis of the Sugar Industry

The objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of capital structure and corporate governance on firm performance. To test the hypothesis of study, data was collected from annual reports of sugar sector companies listed in PSX. This study data covers from 2015 to 2020. The results of study showed that both proxies of capital structure, i.e., D/A and D/E negatively influence the company performance. Whereas two out of three proxies of corporate governance, i.e., board size and chairman/CEO duality negatively indicate association with company performance while audit committee size has a positive impact on the company performance.

Monitoring and Efficiency in Governance: A Measure for Sustainability in the Islamic Banking Industry

Corporate governance is a set of rules, regulations, procedures, processes, and practices through which an organization is controlled and directed. The present study aimed to examine the monitoring methods used in Islamic banking, including standardized measures for better performance, an individual's aptitude towards Islamic financial markets, risk propensity, and the level of efficiency of the Islamic banking industry in Pakistan and Malaysia. There is room to improve monitoring systems for Islamic banking operations and standardized measures could improve efficiency, leading to more sustainable performance. The study uses a self-developed semi-structured scale based on literature and expert interviews, after content and context validity to gain a wide range of diverse information. In Pakistan and Malaysia, individuals' perceptions are different because of differences in the banking environment and preferences. Eventually, the Islamic banking growth rate may differ in Pakistan and Malaysia. Thus, there should be regular monitoring to improve banking performance. Similarly, standardized measures for Islamic banking operations and governance performance in Pakistan and Malaysia will result in more sustainable performance. The antecedents of Islamic corporate governance could be improved to enhance banking performance, which helps individuals make decisions based on available product information. The business growth of the banking industry is based on convenient monitoring policies, standardized performance measures, and, most importantly, excellent corporate governance mechanisms. Improved monitoring measures will further enhance these business operations.

Exploring the co-movements between COVID-19 pandemic and international air traffic: A global perspective based on wavelet analysis

The travel and tourism industry was one of the fastest-growing industries before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, to avoid COVID-19 spread, the government authorities imposed strict lockdown and international border restrictions except for some emergency international flights that badly hit the travel and tourism industry. The study explores the nexus between international air departures and the COVID-19 pandemic in this strain. We use a novel wavelet coherence approach to dissect the lead and lag relationships between international flight departures and COVID-19 deaths from January 2020 to September 2020 (COVID-19 first wave period). The results reveal that international flights cause the spread of COVID-19 spread during May 2020 to June 2020 worldwide. The overall findings suggest asymmetries between daily international flight departures and COVID-19 deaths globally at different time-frequency periods due to uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The study will be conducive for the policymakers to control the upsurge of COVID-19 spread worldwide.

Exploring the Co-creation Value of Residents to Tourists From the Perspective of Place Attachment and Economic Benefits

Local development enhances the economic capacity and quality of life of the residents and, in particular, attracts tourism to the area. The co-creative value of the residents and the tourists can improve the consensus of the residents on the sustainable development of the place. This study focuses on the factors influencing the co-creation of value between residents and visitors in the Tamsui area near Taipei. The research hypothesis is based on the components of local attachment, economic benefits brought by tourists, environmental costs, social and cultural welfare of the place, life satisfaction of the residents, and the value of co-creation between residents and tourists. A total of 430 questionnaires were collected through a questionnaire survey and statistical data were analyzed using a structural equation model, including descriptive statistical analysis, measurement reliability and validity verification, model fit, and structural model analysis to validate the research hypotheses. The study found that place attachment positively and significantly affects the economic benefits, environmental costs, and socio-cultural welfare of residents about tourists. Resident satisfaction is positively and significantly affected by the environmental costs from visitors and by socio-cultural welfare, but there is no significant impact from economic benefits. Finally, based on the findings of the study, practical recommendations were made for enhancing co-creation value between Tamsui residents and visitors, including enhancing residents’ feelings of place attachment and construction of local social culture and welfare. For the residents of Tamsui, unlike the local government and enterprises, need to be able to create value with tourists in order to have a friendly relationship with them and develop regional tourism in a sustainable manner.

Corporate Business Strategy and Tax Avoidance Culture: Moderating Role of Gender Diversity in an Emerging Economy

Tax payments stimulate business enterprises to choose tax management through tax avoidance activities, which is the legal practice to reduce the amount of tax payable. In developing economies, taxation is considered more critical for budget and revenues of a country. This paper investigates whether various business strategies influence corporate tax avoidance decisions of firms by adopting business strategies. Besides, it explores how gender diversity can ease this relationship. This study has chosen a sample of organizations from non-financial sector in Pakistan. The time frame is 5 years, including once a year. The present model employed a generalized moment method (GMM) and tested the proposed hypothesis to draw the results. The study has taken the size, leverage, and business profitability as control variables of firms. The study outcomes by using the GMM method demonstrate that the presence of female directors reduces tax avoidance behavior in prospector companies. This study provides insight into future research for stakeholders, government officials, tax authorities, and policymakers. The findings offer valuable recommendations and practical insights and implications. The findings provide future directions for research to test different frameworks to attain beneficial results to promote the responsibility of tax payment culture.

Examining the Relationship Between Product Market Competition and Chinese Firms Performance: The Mediating Impact of Capital Structure and Moderating Influence of Firm Size

This study emphasized the relationship between the Chinese companies' product market competition and organizational performance. This article explored the mediating effect of capital structure and the moderating impact of firm size in achieving better performance of Chinese companies. This study employed a sample of 2,502 Chinese firm observations and identified that market competition positively influenced firm performance. Additionally, capital structure partly mediated the relationship between product market competition and firm performance. Similarly, the present study also tested the moderating effect of firm size (both small and large) on the association between product market competition and firm performance. The results showed that moderating large businesses affects the nexus between product market competition and firm performance. Conversely, small firms' moderating role revealed a substantial adverse impact on the association between product market competition and firm performance. These findings contribute to the literature on the complex implications of market competition on business firms' performance. The results provide insightful and practical implications for future research directions.

Policy Evaluation of Drama-Related Intangible Cultural Heritage Tourism for Boosting Green Industry: An Empirical Analysis Based on Quasi-Natural Experiment

Drama-related intangible cultural heritage is rich in connotations, and the development of tourism value of drama-related intangible cultural heritage can promote the service industry and boost the development of green economy. Using panel data of 31 provinces, municipalities directly under the central government and autonomous regions in China from 2000 to 2019, this paper empirically analyzed the global picture of the effectiveness of sustainable policies for drama-related intangible cultural heritage tourism through the double difference method of quasi-natural experiment, then analyzed the different performance of policies among regions with different geographical characteristics, and finally analyzed the patterns of four batches of policies in time sequentially in multiple periods. The results found that sustainable policies for drama-related intangible cultural heritage tourism can promote the development of green service industries. These policies can promote the service industry in areas with a relatively backward economy, a single industrial sector, and a low degree of openness, but with outstanding ethnic characteristics, and can effectively promote rural revitalization. Besides, these policies first promote the growth rate of the green service industry, and the effectiveness of the policies has a certain time lag. As the effect of the policies accumulates, the growth rate of the green service industry slows down, the scale benefits appear, and the proportion of the industry is obviously increased.

Examine the Economic and Social Effects on Lao People’s Perceived Benefit Attitudes towards BRI

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) plays a vital role in mobilizing economic and social development and improving national and international connectivity. This research proposes to examine residents’ perceptions of economic and social effects of BRI in Lao PDR. Moreover, it attempts to test the moderating effect of location. A total of 412 survey responses were collected across the country via online survey, and structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis were used to estimate a research model and moderation. The findings reveal that both economic and social determinants have a positive influence on perceived benefit attitudes towards BRI. Specifically, education, tourism, and foreign direct investment (FDI) are the main drivers of the socio-economic benefits, whereas employment and living standards are not. The result confirms the nonexistence of the moderating effect of the location. Our study sheds light on the knowledge of BRI in the Lao PDR context by examining the socio-economic determinants on the perceptions of the local citizens and the moderating effect of location. The government and BRI authority are informed about the factors that explain the benefit of BRI; this information will be useful for future studies.

Tourists' Health Risk Threats Amid COVID-19 Era: Role of Technology Innovation, Transformation, and Recovery Implications for Sustainable Tourism

Technology innovation has changed the patterns with its advanced features for travel and tourism industry during the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, which massively hit tourism and travel worldwide. The profound adverse effects of the coronavirus disease resulted in a steep decline in the demand for travel and tourism activities worldwide. This study focused on the literature based on travel and tourism in the wake global crisis due to infectious virus. The study aims to review the emerging literature critically to help researchers better understand the situation. It valorizes transformational affordance, tourism, and travel industries impacts posed by the virus COVID-19. The study proposed a research model on reviving the international tourism activities post COVID-19 pandemic to gain sustainable development and recovery. The scholars have debated seeking the best possible ways to predict a sustainable recovery of travel, tourism, and leisure sectors from the devastating consequences of coronavirus COVID-19. In the first phase, the study describes how the current pandemic can become transformational opportunities. It debates the situation and questions related to the emergence of the COVID-19 outbreak. The present research focuses on identifying fundamental values, organizations, and pre-assumptions related to travel and tourism revival and help academia and researchers to a breakthrough in initiating the frontiers based on research and practice. This study aims at exploring the role of technological innovation in the crisis management of COVID-19 tourism impacts, tourists' behavior, and experiences. The travel and tourism industry's main stakeholders include tourism demand and organizations that manage tourists' destinations and policymakers. They have already experienced the stages of responses, recovery, and resetting tourism recovery strategies. The study provides valuable insight into the coronavirus consequences on travel and tourism and practical implications for global tourism and academic research revitalization.

Comprehensive partitions and optimisation strategies based on tourism urbanisation and resources environment carrying capacity in the Yellow River Basin, China

A better understanding of the spatial coordination relationship between tourism urbanisation and resources environment carrying capacity (RECC) is vital for the regional selection of key eco-liveable tourist cities in the Yellow River Basin. This study addressed this research issue by evaluating and partitioning tourism urbanisation level and RECC of the Yellow River Basin in 2005, 2011, and 2018 using a geographic information system (GIS) technology, spatial autocorrelation model, and partition method. Empirical results suggest that the tourism urbanisation level of Shaanxi Province maintains its leading position, while Shanxi Province has great development potential. The high-value areas of RECC are concentrated in Gansu, Inner Mongolia, and Shandong provinces. The degree of spatial agglomeration of the tourism urbanisation level and RECC has been improved. The RECC exhibits a greater restrictive effect on the current high-level areas of tourism urbanisation, and the spatial correspondence between them is weak. Based on the findings of this study, a series of optimisation strategies have been proposed to promote the sustainable development of tourism urbanisation in the Yellow River Basin.

Women's Entrepreneurial Contribution to Family Income: Innovative Technologies Promote Females' Entrepreneurship Amid COVID-19 Crisis

Women entrepreneurs innovate, initiate, engage, and run business enterprises to contribute the domestic development. Women entrepreneurs think and start taking risks of operating enterprises and combine various factors involved in production to deal with the uncertain business environment. Entrepreneurship and technological innovation play a crucial role in developing the economy by creating job opportunities, improving skills, and executing new ideas. It has a significant impact on the income of the household. The study focused on investigating the role of women's entrepreneurship and innovation technologies in contributing to household income in the challenging situation of the pandemic COVID-19. The paper emphasized identifying the determinants of female entrepreneurial contribution toward household income. This study collected data from selected rural and urban areas of district Faisalabad through a self-administered questionnaire. Investigators interviewed female entrepreneurs and chose them through the snowball sampling technique from a population of purposively selected female-run businesses. Interviews were conducted with women entrepreneurs to gather relevant information for the survey investigation at their workplaces and home. The effects of various factors, including age, education, family size, income from other sources, time allocated to entrepreneurial activity, firm size, and location (rural/urban) were estimated empirically using an ordered logit model. The study findings exhibited a positive and significant role of respondents' education, family size, time allocated to entrepreneurial activities, and firm size. The survey outcomes also indicated that the contribution of entrepreneurial income to household income in the rural areas is significantly higher than that in urban areas. This study signifies that regulations against gender discrimination in public and private institutions are helpful. Besides, encouraging an environment for entrepreneurial culture among women in the country would increase family income. The study's findings and policy implications directly link to Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) 5 of Gender Equality (GE) and SDG 8 related to decent work and economic growth.

Community Wellbeing Under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor: Role of Social, Economic, Cultural, and Educational Factors in Improving Residents' Quality of Life

This present article explores the effects of cultural value, economic prosperity, and community mental wellbeing through multi-sectoral infrastructure growth projects under the Belt and Road Initiative. The implications of the social exchange theory are applied to observe the support of the local community for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This study explores the CPEC initiative, it's direct social, cultural, economic development, and risk of environmental factors that affect residents' lives and the local community's wellbeing. CPEC is a multibillion-dollar project to uplift economic growth and free trade between Pakistan, China, and other regional stakeholders. Although CPEC is still in its initial phases with partial startups, policymakers and government officials claim this mega project as a "game-changer" in the region, mainly for Pakistan and China. This gigantic project offers the significant potential to generate business slews and employment opportunities with international outreach. Due to the term's newness, numerous studies have recently explored the macro and microeconomic benefits of the CPEC initiatives; still, these projects are theoretical. The existing literature insufficiently explored how helpful CPEC would be to a specific group and how residents perceive its advantages. This study fills in the literature gaps and explores the likely advantageous potential of the CPEC for the regional states. The study applied a convenient sampling technique for the data collection process. It used a mixed-method approach to gain scientific results, with a standardized questionnaire survey of 459 people (300 men and 159 women) from five major cities of Pakistan. The study results designate that residents believe that CPEC infrastructure projects will significantly improve residents' life quality through more job openings and community poverty reduction. Still, they raised their concerns regarding environmental protection issues in the region. The findings specified that residents had an optimistic approach to better educational productivity by adopting environment-oriented policies. Policymakers should establish new CPEC study centers in different areas, and investors should be encouraged to participate in the industrial sector. Officials can overwhelm community worries about environmental degradation. Government officials in both countries can utilize the findings to raise public awareness about CPEC's social, economic, cultural, mental wellbeing, and ecological implications.

Product Market Competition and Firm Performance: Business Survival Through Innovation and Entrepreneurial Orientation Amid COVID-19 Financial Crisis

The product market competition has become a global challenge for business organizations in the challenging and competitive market environment in the influx of the COVID-19 outbreak. The influence of products competition on organizational performance in developed economies has gained scholars' attention, and numerous studies explored its impacts on business profitability. The existing studies designate mixed findings between the linkage of CSR practices and Chinese business firms' healthier performance in emerging economies; however, the current global crisis due to the coronavirus has made product market completion fierce, which ultimately affects business firms' performance. This study focuses on this logical global challenge, investigates the rationale, and examines product-market completion impact on firms' performance operating in the Chinese markets. The study collected data from the annual reports of Chinese business organizations with A-share listing and registered with the database of China Stock Markets and Accounting Research (CSMAR). The study employed a Generalized Method of Moment technique and investigated the connection between product market competition and Chinese firm performance. The empirical analysis of this study highlights the conclusion that market competition positively and significantly affected business firms' performance. This study specified that product market competition play a dynamic and indispensable role in achieving healthier firm performance in the Chinese markets. This study provides valuable insights on practical implications and future research directions for the scholars to draw interesting results with new study models.

Study of citizen satisfaction and loyalty in the urban area of Guayaquil: Perspective of the quality of public services applying structural equations

This study investigates the satisfaction and adequacy of citizens through the expected quality and perceived quality in the areas of planning and territorial viability, experience in the provision of municipal services and citizen experience in environmental issues, in order to provide tools for territorial decision making for the citizens' well-being. In our research PLS software is used for the analysis of hypotheses. A questionnaire was delivered to a sample of 521 citizens, representing the spectrum of the population, and the statistical study of the responses yielded results on citizen satisfaction and loyalty. Our research includes the study of moderating effects on the causal ratio of perceived value and satisfaction in territorial planning and viability, the perceived quality in the provision of municipal services and the perceived quality in the citizen experience in the environmental management of the territory on the value relationship perceived by the citizen and general satisfaction. A second objective of the study is to see if there are significant differences in the hypotheses raised by gender by performing a multigroup analysis. This difference has been appreciated in two of the hypotheses. The study shows that the policies exercised by the territorial managers of the different areas have a significant influence on the value perceived by citizens, satisfaction and loyalty, which shape their general well-being. Areas for improvement in territorial policies and municipal services such as citizen security, air quality, public lighting and sports services have been identified. Knowing these shortcomings allows politicians to focus their efforts on improving the quality of life in cities.

Differences in behavior, engagement and environmental knowledge on waste management for science and social students through the campus program

It is proven that the educational environment contributes to increasing knowledge about waste. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the environmental education process in higher institutions with various policies and programs in good waste management. It focuses on the behavior, engagement, and environmental knowledge of students in the science and social department at Syiah Kuala University, Indonesia. Furthermore, it examines the differences in behavior, engagement, and environmental knowledge of waste management through campus programs. This study collected data from 279 social science and science students with characteristics of 123 males and 156 females with an average age of 18.4 years from 18-20 years spread across Syiah Kuala University, Indonesia. The study data were collected through a questionnaire involving 279 students related to environmental behavior, engagement, and knowledge in waste management. Data analysis used descriptive and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) one-way using SPSS version 23 application for windows. The results showed that the students have good environmental attitudes, engagement, and knowledge in waste management with various existing policies and programs. Generally, the average score majoring in social and science from the behavioral variables is [(3,71), (3,62)], engagement is [(3,39), (3,52)] and environmental knowledge is [(3,43), (3,67)] for waste management. Their environmental behavior majoring in social science was higher. Similarly, in environmental engagement and knowledge, students majoring in science were higher than in social science. These results provide an understanding that programs and policies related to environmental conservation have a significant impact on environmental behavior, engagement, and knowledge for sustainable development free of waste. Therefore, institutions at all levels should provide education on environmental conservation with various policies and programs to support a free waste environment.

Spatio-temporal Evolution and Driving Factors of the High-quality Development of Provincial Tourism in China

Accelerating the promotion of high-quality development of tourism (HQDT) is of great significance to the sustainable development of tourism. This paper defined the concept of HQDT, and then built an evaluation system for HQDT measurement to analyze the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics of China's HQDT based on provincial panel data from 2010 to 2019, using Geodetector to explore the similarities and differences between driving factors of HQDT and tourism development scale (TDS). The results show that: 1) Taking the development concepts of innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing as the guidance, and considering the organic unity of quantity and quality, the evaluation index system of the HQDT consists of six dimensions of economic stability, innovation driving, coordination and linkage, green and sustainability, openness and cooperation, and sharing and harmony, which respectively represent the basis, momentum, means, orientation, direction and purpose of the HQDT; 2) The level of China's HQDT shows an upward trend, presenting the characteristics of eastern region > central region > western region > northeastern region in 2019. The regional differences in China's HQDT show a downward trend, and the intra-regional differences have replaced the inter-regional differences as the main source of regional differences; 3) China's HQDT shows the characteristics of higher in the east and lower in the west along the Hu line, while the improvement speed of HQDT shows the characteristics of faster in the west and slower in the east, making the decline of east-west differentiation of China's HQDT and the movement of the gravity center towards southwest; 4) Both HQDT and TDS are obviously driven by tourism capital investment and regional consumption. In terms of differences, the HQDT is more driven by government guidance, innovation driving force, and opening up, while the main driving factors of TDS are more biased toward capital elements and hardware facilities, including informatization, tourism resource, traffic, and eco-environment.

The Relationship Between CEO Duality and Business Firms' Performance: The Moderating Role of Firm Size and Corporate Social Responsibility

This study focuses on exploring the relationship between chief executive officer (CEO) duality and firm performance. We focus on how the size and corporate social responsibility (CSR) of firms moderate this relationship. In terms of size, business organizations are of two types: small and large firms. This study uses datasets of listed Chinese business firms included in the China Stock Market and Accounting Research database. It employs a generalized method of moment's technique to explore the connection between CEO duality and the performance of Chinese business firms through double mediation effects. Our empirical analysis showed that CEO duality has a significant negative relationship with firm performance. We also explored the moderating effects of firm size (small and large) and CSR practices on the relationship between CEO duality and improved performance of Chinese firms. Large firms and CSR practices showed significant and positive moderating effects on the relationship between CEO duality and firm performance. Conversely, with CEO duality, small firms showed a negative moderating influence on firm performance. This inclusive model provides valuable insights into how the dual role of the CEO of a firm affected the performance of Chinese firms through the moderating role of CSR practices and firm size for better business performance. The study offers empirical and theoretical contributions to the corporate governance literature. This research framework might help researchers in designing robust strategies to evaluate the effects on firm performance. Researchers may gain helpful insights using this methodology.

Driving Factors of the Health and Wellness Tourism Industry: A Sharing Economy Perspective Evidence from KPK Pakistan

In the recent years, the health and wellness tourism industry has become one of the new emerging industries in Pakistan. In terms of the sharing economy, the driving mechanism of the health and wellness tourism industry has undergone significant changes. Based on a combination of theoretical and practical research, the paper explores the dynamic system and mechanism of innovation development of health and wellness in the tourism industry in Pakistan. Firstly, it theoretically constructs the driving factors in four aspects, which include market demand, industrial supply, infrastructure, and external environment. Secondly, taking Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (KPK) as an example, it uses the entropy method and Grey relational analysis to test the driving factors system. The empirical results show that four aspects jointly influence the innovation of the health and wellness tourism industry in Pakistan. Finally, this study discusses several practical implications for the development of the health and wellness tourism industry of KPK for academics, policymakers, business owners, and scholars, with recommendations for future research.

Crisis management, transnational healthcare challenges and opportunities: The intersection of COVID-19 pandemic and global mental health

The existing literature has paid insufficient attention to crisis management of global health challenges in the advent of epidemics and pandemics. This study articulates resilience importance and opportunities in the COVID-19 from crisis management challenges in essential ways. The second wave of the COVID-19 infectious disease's rapid global spread has developed a severe threat to global peace, which has posed global mental health and crisis management issues worldwide. Public health implementations' aggressive actions recommended a series of precautionary safety measures by the health specialists to suppress, sustain, and manage the local transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores adverse consequences of the COVID-19 on communities' behavioral and interventional changes that might specify transmission dynamics. This present study recommends two model strategies that help sustain the rapid transmission and COVID-19′s adverse impacts on mental health in the general population and patients needing treatment. This study proposes mitigation and suppression models in the absence of a vaccine to decrease and manage the healthcare systems' burdens of treating patients. This global health emergency has challenged the global healthcare systems worldwide, and Governments are struggling to upgrade the healthcare systems to provide the best possible healthcare facilities to the patients. The healthcare systems in Pakistan are undeveloped to manage this global health emergency efficiently. Scientists' have already initiated experimental trials worldwide to develop vaccines to treat this infectious disease; however, the proposed two models are useful in managing the health emergency in the present situation. This study discusses global healthcare challenges, crisis management, and two model interventional strategies that help minimize the COVID-19′s rapid spread with practical crisis management preventive measures to reduce burden on healthcare systems.

The paradigm shift for educational system continuance in the advent of COVID-19 pandemic: Mental health challenges and reflections

Background

The coronavirus pandemic appeared as the worst global health disaster of the century. Since the advent of the Second world war-2, humankind has experienced the most challenging health emergencies. The novel respiratory disease (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in Wuhan at the end of December 2019.

Aim

The study focuses on providing education through the educational system with a mode of delivery using digital solutions with a new paradigm method.

Method

This research incorporates the statistical data related to the Pakistani Ministry of Health's coronavirus epidemic to draw the results.

Results

WHO reported more than 51.949 million confirmed COVID-19 patients in more than 200 territories and countries. This epidemic caused more than 1.282 million deaths; however, more than 36.49 million people have recovered from the infection of the deadly disease COVID-19, as of November 11, 2020. The COVID-19 has put forward unique challenges in personal and social life spheres. The precautionary measures, including social distancing, called for abrupt closure of educational institutions, leaving the digital solutions as the primary mean of continuity in educational activities.

Conclusion

The current review looks into the dynamics of embracing the change in the educational system, ranging from delivery mode to shifting to a new paradigm moving to digital solutions. This study looks into the challenges, issues, barriers, and success parameters of Pakistan's online learning management system. From the preparedness phase to the actual implementation of the learning system at higher education, the level is noteworthy. The private sector has provided higher, secondary, and primary levels; the private sector came forward to maintain learning continuity. The review suggests a way forward ahead for the educational system's continuity and sustainability in the coronavirus pandemic and educational institutions' crises.

Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on tourism: transformational potential and implications for a sustainable recovery of the travel and leisure industry

The study stipulates phases to observe the proposed mechanism in formulating the travel and leisure industry's recovery strategies. The present pandemic COVID-19 has resulted in global challenges, economic and healthcare crises, and posed spillover impacts on the global industries, including tourism and travel that the major contributor to the service industry worldwide. The tourism and leisure industry has faced the COVID-19 tourism impacts hardest-hit and lies among the most damaged global industries. The leisure and internal tourism indicated a steep decline amounting to 2.86 trillion US dollars, which quantified more than 50% revenue losses. In the first step, the study explores the consequences and settings of the COVID-19 pandemic and how innovation and change can contribute to the tourism industry's revival to the next normal. Thus, the study determines that tourism enterprises and scholars must consider and change the basic principles, main assumptions, and organizational situations related to research and practice framework through rebuilding and establishing the tourism sector. In the second step, the study discusses direct COVID-19 tourism impacts, attitudes, and practices in gaining the leisure industry's boom and recovery. In the third phase, the study proposes to observe the characteristics and COVID-19 tourism consequences on the travel and tourism research. The findings provide insights in regaining the tourism industry's operational activities and offer helpful suggestions to government officials, scholars, and tourism firms to reinvest in the tourism industry to set it back to a normal position.

Pathways to Financial Success: An Empirical Examination of Perceived Financial Well-Being Based on Financial Coping Behaviors

The current study empirically tests a financial well-being (FWB) model built on financial socialization (FS) and early childhood consumer experience (ECCE). The current study was conducted based on primary data obtained through structured questionnaires. By using a convenient sampling technique, data were collected from 1,500 respondents from Pakistan. Results advocated that childhood experiences directly affect the FWB in adults. In addition, FS agents, such as parents, have direct and indirect effects on the FWB in adults. Findings revealed that financial coping behaviors mediate the relationship among FS agents, such as parents, students, and the FWB. Surprisingly, FS agent peers do not impact adult FWBs. The study concluded that FWB could be improved by socializing with parents and teachers and using childhood experiences. Considering the importance of the role of parents and teachers, they should discuss financial issues with children. Policymakers should work to provide some opportunities for children so that they can practice and gain experience.

Experiences of Polish Tourists Traveling for Leisure Purposes during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The research presented in this paper examines the experiences of Poles traveling for leisure purposes in the summer season of 2020, taking into account the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved the analysis of source data, including statistical data, and a survey administered via the computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) method. The survey questionnaire was created on the Google platform. The link to the questionnaire was provided via social media to participants of travel groups in the period from 30 November 2020 to 15 February 2021. The sampling was purposive (included only travelers) despite efforts to maintain the gender balance; the proportion of women was higher. Therefore, caution must be applied when interpreting the results which may not be transferable. The survey included questions regarding the respondents’ travel behavior and risk perceptions. 433 correctly completed questionnaires were collected. The dataset was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Descriptive statistics measures and correlation coefficients were used in the analysis of the results. The study shows that some respondents decided against traveling because of the pandemic situation, while those who decided to travel adjusted their behavior by avoiding crowded places and resigning from traveling abroad. Compliance with hygiene standards in the area of tourism services varied, and was the highest in the case of accommodation services. Women rated hygiene standards in chain cafes statistically higher than men and younger people rated hygiene on public transport, trains, air transport and in fast food services higher than older people. The higher the tourism expenditure, the lower the assessment of sanitary standards in tour guide services, air transport and chain cafes decreased.

Effects of tourism, financial development, and renewable energy on environmental performance in EU-28: does institutional quality matter?

Institutional quality largely influences the ways in which economic agents align their production and operational behaviors towards expanding the share of renewable energy in the total energy mix and enhancing environmental performance. This study therefore explores the panel data for the EU-28 countries to assess the dynamic effects of institutional quality, tourism development, financial development, and renewable energy on environmental performance over the period 2002 to 2014. Using a two-step dynamic system generalized method of moments (GMM), the empirical results broadly suggest that institutional quality can be explored to dampen the potential negative effects of tourism and economic growth on environmental performance. In addition, financial development and renewable energy are positively related to environmental performance. This suggests that financial stability and energy consumption transition to renewable energy are necessary requirements to improve environmental performance. The policy implication for this study is that strengthening of institutional quality, financial stability, and adjusting to alternative and clean energy systems are the surest ways to achieve a cleaner and sustainable environment in the EU region.

Impact of Investment in Tourism Infrastructure Development on Attracting International Visitors: A Nonlinear Panel ARDL Approach Using Vietnam’s Data

Investment in tourism infrastructure development to make destinations and services increasingly attractive is considered a key measure in developing a country’s tourist destinations. This paper investigates the impact of investment in tourism infrastructure components on international visitor attraction using data from Vietnam for the period 1995–2019. The results of analyzing panel data by the nonlinear Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach show that, in the long-run, investing in the three components of tourism infrastructure, namely transport and communications infrastructure, the hotel and restaurant industry, and recreation facilities, has a strong and positive impact on international visitor attraction. In addition, different short-run impacts of the three tourism infrastructure components on the whole market and each major international visitor market are also found.

Motivational Antecedents, Value Co-Creation Process, and Behavioral Consequences in Participatory Sport Tourism

This study was designed to examine the structural relationships among tourists’ participation motivations, the value co-creation process (VCCP), and value co-creation behavior (VCCB) in terms of in-role and extra-role contributions. Based on a comprehensive review of literature, participation motivations were measured with four constructs, including need for uniqueness, need for self-control, need for social interaction, and need for leisure and entertainment. Research participants (N = 445) who had participated in two or more marathon events in China were recruited to respond to an on-site or online survey. Conducting structural equation modeling analyses, three motivational factors of need for uniqueness, need for social interaction, and need for leisure and entertainment were found to exert significant (p < 0.05) and positive impact on VCCP, which in turn had significant (p < 0.05) influence on in-role and extra-role contributions associated with VCCB. Discussions are centered on promoting specific areas of participants’ motivations in an effort to empower and energize the process of value co-creation and to ultimately activate and sustain participants’ in-role and extra-role behaviors.