Nikolaos Boukas | European University Cyprus (original) (raw)
Papers by Nikolaos Boukas
International Conference on Tourism Research, Mar 11, 2024
Routledge eBooks, Jul 5, 2017
This study examines the effects of the Olympic Games on Athens' cultural tourism and the city's p... more This study examines the effects of the Olympic Games on Athens' cultural tourism and the city's potential to leverage the Olympic legacy in synergy with its rich heritage in order to enhance its tourism product during the post-Games period. In doing so, a qualitative and interpretive approach was employed. This includes a literature review on Athens' 2004 Olympics to identify the sport facilities and regeneration projects, which constitute the Olympic legacy and heritage. Based on that, an empirical analysis was undertaken, by collecting official documents about the 2004 Olympics, and conducting five semi-structured interviews with tourism/administrative officials. The findings indicate that the Olympiad contributed significantly to Athens' built and human heritage, revealing the dimensions of new venues/facilities, infrastructure, transportation and aesthetic image of the city, and human capital enhancement. Hence, the Games contributed to the multifaceted representation and reconstruction of the city's identity and cultural heritage. However, the potential afforded from the post-Olympic Athens remains unrealised due to lack of strategic planning/management. The study concludes that there is a need to develop cross-leveraging synergies between the Olympic legacy and cultural tourism for the host city. Finally, a strategic planning framework for leveraging post-Games Olympic tourism is suggested in order to maximise the benefits of Athens' legacy and heritage in the city's tourism development.
Mobility for Smart Cities and Regional Development - Challenges for Higher Education
The Routledge Handbook of Popular Culture and Tourism, 2018
Tourism marketing in Western Europe, 2021
The chapter emphasizes the tourism products that the destination offers, highlighting rural touri... more The chapter emphasizes the tourism products that the destination offers, highlighting rural tourism as a macro niche that is worthy to be considered as a unique form of tourism, and suggests a series of strategies for the diversification and enhancement of the tourism offering for the holistic Greek destination experience. In this regard, this study was employed for: (i) discovering the role of rural tourism for the mountainous area of Kalavrita, highlighting the challenges and opportunities of the current tourism situation in the area; (ii) analysing the strategies formulated by tourism authorities to engage in rural tourism; and (iii) conceptualizing the current and potential rural tourism products that do, and could, lead to the appropriate diversification of the existing tourism product of the Kalavrita region, as a representative western European mountainous destination.
International Journal of Leisure and Tourism Marketing, 2016
The idiomorphic character of islands makes them important destinations worldwide. However, in an ... more The idiomorphic character of islands makes them important destinations worldwide. However, in an effort for islands to be competitive in the global economic sphere, their resources are often overutilised for the sake of tourism and the unregulated pressures of human development. Cyprus is an example of an island that, despite its long past in regard to tourism, faces problems of saturation, decreased competitiveness, and unbalanced development. As such, sustainability concerns regarding islands' future are raised and more emphasis towards their sustainable development is needed. Nonetheless, social entrepreneurship focussing on the creation of innovative products and procedures that would benefit the entire local community could become an important vehicle for sustainable development of sensitive destinations, such as islands. The aim of this conceptual paper is to explore the notion of social entrepreneurship in an island context focussing on the island of Cyprus. In this regard, the paper explores how islands' distinctive elements as small destinations can address the concept of social entrepreneurship in a sustainable manner. The paper proposes that niche tourism products and more specifically, volunteer, cultural heritage and eco-tourism, under the prism of social entrepreneurship, can become the means towards islands' product diversification and long-term environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
International Journal of Tourism Policy, 2017
The consumption of the tourist product relates to a series of visitor experiences that shape over... more The consumption of the tourist product relates to a series of visitor experiences that shape overall visitor evaluation. Such experiences pertain to how visitors sense, relate and act when consuming these products. Museums, safeguarding cultural heritage, contribute significantly to this experience by providing exclusive insights and interaction with (in) authentic exhibits of many areas, such as islands. Nonetheless, in many islands, museums have not been fully developed as destination features and thus, significant opportunities to utilise museums' visitor experience to enrich the tourist offering, are lost. In this respect, the paper examines the experiences of tourists with cultural museums in the island of Cyprus, from the policy makers and museums' managers' perspective. Specifically, through face to face interviews with 13 representatives of tourism policy/museums, the study indicates that the role of museums is important for the formation of visitor/tourist exper...
Most islands are developed as mass tourist destinations that aim to be competitive, sacrificing t... more Most islands are developed as mass tourist destinations that aim to be competitive, sacrificing though their precious resources and balanced development. In this regard, many problems of island destinations are related to their limited resources and segregation. Hence, is prosperity that tourist development brings, spread harmonically in the whole society-environment of islands? The paper examines how Cyprus can increase its competitiveness and deal effectively with globalisation, maintaining its attractiveness but also sustaining its attributes and ensuring the well-being of its residents/stakeholders. Based on in-depth interviews with Cyprus tourism stakeholders’ representatives and officials, the study reveals that in order for islands’ tourist development to be successful in the long-term, emphasis needs to be placed upon indigenous people peculiarities,characteristics and perceptions. Therefore, strategies for the incorporation of community’s views to the tourist policy making ...
The case of Cyprus embodies an island destination with an embryonic event industry, which raises ... more The case of Cyprus embodies an island destination with an embryonic event industry, which raises the question whether the emergence of new events can contribute to the sustainable tourism development of the island. The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of participants about the characteristics and attributes of two nascent smallscale sport events, the Limassol Marathon and the Tour o Cyprus Cycling Challenge, with a focus on their prospects for creating outcomes that can contribute to the rejuvenation of Cyprus as a tourism destination and its sustainability.
International Journal of Tourism Policy
International Journal of Tourism Anthropology
Small island states increasingly capitalize on staging small-scale sport events (e.g., marathons,... more Small island states increasingly capitalize on staging small-scale sport events (e.g., marathons, cycling, golf, sport festivals, etc.) to generate tourism revenues and enhance their quality of life. Thus, the question arising is what factors and processes enable the successful implementation of sport events and their potential contribution to the sustainable development of an island. Yet, there is a dearth of research on small-scale event tourism and the dynamics that influence the sustainability of sport events on islands. Cyprus represents a small island state where the need to diversify its tourism industry is leading to the creation of new sport events that enhance its tourism product. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to examine the emergence of two nascent small-scale sport events, namely the ‘Limassol Marathon GSO’ and the ‘Tour of Cyprus Cycling Challenge’. The study seeks to identify what event processes and attributes may promote effectively Cyprus as a tourism destination, while at the same time, enhancing its quality of life, thereby enabling their sustainability. The study applied a triangulation research technique. This entailed the employment of mixed methods combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with event organizer to elicit their perspectives about the processes that facilitate or constrain the attainment of successful outcomes. Also, a survey was conducted to examine the perceived experiences of the participants in the events. Findings illustrate the main processes and attributes that facilitate the sustainability of small-scale sport events in Cyprus and the subsequent potential of small-scale event tourism to contribute to the sustainable development of the island. Findings also shed light on the interrelationships of the two small-scale sport events that were examined and the potential to amplify their synergistic value. It is shown that the development of small-scale event sport tourism can enable the attainment of multiple purposes, such as enhancing local community development, building capacity, and enriching the tourist product. In so doing, it is posited that the intended outcomes of different small-scale events can be optimized if they are assembled in the whole island’s event portfolio. Within the context of an island-wide portfolio, it is discussed how the type of sport activities enacted in events can promote sport participation and an active lifestyle. Finally, theoretical and practical implications are drawn concerning the synergistic value of small-scale sport events and the strategic processes for creating a range of sustainable event outcomes.
Journal of Co-operative Organization and Management, 2014
ABSTRACT Even though the central role of advertising in consumer behaviour is well-documented, pe... more ABSTRACT Even though the central role of advertising in consumer behaviour is well-documented, pertinent research on financial advertising is limited for both investor-owned companies and co-operatives. This becomes especially important in today's turbulent financial times. To this end, the study investigated the effect of advertising on the selection and perceived loyalty of Cypriot consumers of financial co-operatives, prior and during the financial crisis and the restructuring of the island's banking industry. The findings suggest that advertising has a marginal role in the said decision-making stages but essentially provide insights that open a window of opportunity for financial advertisers to develop effective advertisements. It is proposed that during the crisis, corporate and informational advertising should mainly be employed and such advertisements should communicate the service elements that, as a result of the increased perceived risk evoked by the crisis, have become salient. These service dimensions relate for the selection stage to reliability factors, and for the cementing of loyalty to solvency and process factors associated with relationship building.
International Conference on Tourism Research, Mar 11, 2024
Routledge eBooks, Jul 5, 2017
This study examines the effects of the Olympic Games on Athens' cultural tourism and the city's p... more This study examines the effects of the Olympic Games on Athens' cultural tourism and the city's potential to leverage the Olympic legacy in synergy with its rich heritage in order to enhance its tourism product during the post-Games period. In doing so, a qualitative and interpretive approach was employed. This includes a literature review on Athens' 2004 Olympics to identify the sport facilities and regeneration projects, which constitute the Olympic legacy and heritage. Based on that, an empirical analysis was undertaken, by collecting official documents about the 2004 Olympics, and conducting five semi-structured interviews with tourism/administrative officials. The findings indicate that the Olympiad contributed significantly to Athens' built and human heritage, revealing the dimensions of new venues/facilities, infrastructure, transportation and aesthetic image of the city, and human capital enhancement. Hence, the Games contributed to the multifaceted representation and reconstruction of the city's identity and cultural heritage. However, the potential afforded from the post-Olympic Athens remains unrealised due to lack of strategic planning/management. The study concludes that there is a need to develop cross-leveraging synergies between the Olympic legacy and cultural tourism for the host city. Finally, a strategic planning framework for leveraging post-Games Olympic tourism is suggested in order to maximise the benefits of Athens' legacy and heritage in the city's tourism development.
Mobility for Smart Cities and Regional Development - Challenges for Higher Education
The Routledge Handbook of Popular Culture and Tourism, 2018
Tourism marketing in Western Europe, 2021
The chapter emphasizes the tourism products that the destination offers, highlighting rural touri... more The chapter emphasizes the tourism products that the destination offers, highlighting rural tourism as a macro niche that is worthy to be considered as a unique form of tourism, and suggests a series of strategies for the diversification and enhancement of the tourism offering for the holistic Greek destination experience. In this regard, this study was employed for: (i) discovering the role of rural tourism for the mountainous area of Kalavrita, highlighting the challenges and opportunities of the current tourism situation in the area; (ii) analysing the strategies formulated by tourism authorities to engage in rural tourism; and (iii) conceptualizing the current and potential rural tourism products that do, and could, lead to the appropriate diversification of the existing tourism product of the Kalavrita region, as a representative western European mountainous destination.
International Journal of Leisure and Tourism Marketing, 2016
The idiomorphic character of islands makes them important destinations worldwide. However, in an ... more The idiomorphic character of islands makes them important destinations worldwide. However, in an effort for islands to be competitive in the global economic sphere, their resources are often overutilised for the sake of tourism and the unregulated pressures of human development. Cyprus is an example of an island that, despite its long past in regard to tourism, faces problems of saturation, decreased competitiveness, and unbalanced development. As such, sustainability concerns regarding islands' future are raised and more emphasis towards their sustainable development is needed. Nonetheless, social entrepreneurship focussing on the creation of innovative products and procedures that would benefit the entire local community could become an important vehicle for sustainable development of sensitive destinations, such as islands. The aim of this conceptual paper is to explore the notion of social entrepreneurship in an island context focussing on the island of Cyprus. In this regard, the paper explores how islands' distinctive elements as small destinations can address the concept of social entrepreneurship in a sustainable manner. The paper proposes that niche tourism products and more specifically, volunteer, cultural heritage and eco-tourism, under the prism of social entrepreneurship, can become the means towards islands' product diversification and long-term environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
International Journal of Tourism Policy, 2017
The consumption of the tourist product relates to a series of visitor experiences that shape over... more The consumption of the tourist product relates to a series of visitor experiences that shape overall visitor evaluation. Such experiences pertain to how visitors sense, relate and act when consuming these products. Museums, safeguarding cultural heritage, contribute significantly to this experience by providing exclusive insights and interaction with (in) authentic exhibits of many areas, such as islands. Nonetheless, in many islands, museums have not been fully developed as destination features and thus, significant opportunities to utilise museums' visitor experience to enrich the tourist offering, are lost. In this respect, the paper examines the experiences of tourists with cultural museums in the island of Cyprus, from the policy makers and museums' managers' perspective. Specifically, through face to face interviews with 13 representatives of tourism policy/museums, the study indicates that the role of museums is important for the formation of visitor/tourist exper...
Most islands are developed as mass tourist destinations that aim to be competitive, sacrificing t... more Most islands are developed as mass tourist destinations that aim to be competitive, sacrificing though their precious resources and balanced development. In this regard, many problems of island destinations are related to their limited resources and segregation. Hence, is prosperity that tourist development brings, spread harmonically in the whole society-environment of islands? The paper examines how Cyprus can increase its competitiveness and deal effectively with globalisation, maintaining its attractiveness but also sustaining its attributes and ensuring the well-being of its residents/stakeholders. Based on in-depth interviews with Cyprus tourism stakeholders’ representatives and officials, the study reveals that in order for islands’ tourist development to be successful in the long-term, emphasis needs to be placed upon indigenous people peculiarities,characteristics and perceptions. Therefore, strategies for the incorporation of community’s views to the tourist policy making ...
The case of Cyprus embodies an island destination with an embryonic event industry, which raises ... more The case of Cyprus embodies an island destination with an embryonic event industry, which raises the question whether the emergence of new events can contribute to the sustainable tourism development of the island. The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of participants about the characteristics and attributes of two nascent smallscale sport events, the Limassol Marathon and the Tour o Cyprus Cycling Challenge, with a focus on their prospects for creating outcomes that can contribute to the rejuvenation of Cyprus as a tourism destination and its sustainability.
International Journal of Tourism Policy
International Journal of Tourism Anthropology
Small island states increasingly capitalize on staging small-scale sport events (e.g., marathons,... more Small island states increasingly capitalize on staging small-scale sport events (e.g., marathons, cycling, golf, sport festivals, etc.) to generate tourism revenues and enhance their quality of life. Thus, the question arising is what factors and processes enable the successful implementation of sport events and their potential contribution to the sustainable development of an island. Yet, there is a dearth of research on small-scale event tourism and the dynamics that influence the sustainability of sport events on islands. Cyprus represents a small island state where the need to diversify its tourism industry is leading to the creation of new sport events that enhance its tourism product. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to examine the emergence of two nascent small-scale sport events, namely the ‘Limassol Marathon GSO’ and the ‘Tour of Cyprus Cycling Challenge’. The study seeks to identify what event processes and attributes may promote effectively Cyprus as a tourism destination, while at the same time, enhancing its quality of life, thereby enabling their sustainability. The study applied a triangulation research technique. This entailed the employment of mixed methods combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with event organizer to elicit their perspectives about the processes that facilitate or constrain the attainment of successful outcomes. Also, a survey was conducted to examine the perceived experiences of the participants in the events. Findings illustrate the main processes and attributes that facilitate the sustainability of small-scale sport events in Cyprus and the subsequent potential of small-scale event tourism to contribute to the sustainable development of the island. Findings also shed light on the interrelationships of the two small-scale sport events that were examined and the potential to amplify their synergistic value. It is shown that the development of small-scale event sport tourism can enable the attainment of multiple purposes, such as enhancing local community development, building capacity, and enriching the tourist product. In so doing, it is posited that the intended outcomes of different small-scale events can be optimized if they are assembled in the whole island’s event portfolio. Within the context of an island-wide portfolio, it is discussed how the type of sport activities enacted in events can promote sport participation and an active lifestyle. Finally, theoretical and practical implications are drawn concerning the synergistic value of small-scale sport events and the strategic processes for creating a range of sustainable event outcomes.
Journal of Co-operative Organization and Management, 2014
ABSTRACT Even though the central role of advertising in consumer behaviour is well-documented, pe... more ABSTRACT Even though the central role of advertising in consumer behaviour is well-documented, pertinent research on financial advertising is limited for both investor-owned companies and co-operatives. This becomes especially important in today's turbulent financial times. To this end, the study investigated the effect of advertising on the selection and perceived loyalty of Cypriot consumers of financial co-operatives, prior and during the financial crisis and the restructuring of the island's banking industry. The findings suggest that advertising has a marginal role in the said decision-making stages but essentially provide insights that open a window of opportunity for financial advertisers to develop effective advertisements. It is proposed that during the crisis, corporate and informational advertising should mainly be employed and such advertisements should communicate the service elements that, as a result of the increased perceived risk evoked by the crisis, have become salient. These service dimensions relate for the selection stage to reliability factors, and for the cementing of loyalty to solvency and process factors associated with relationship building.