01-02 / 2022 / Volume 11

The pandemic COVID-19 led to almost "zero tourism" worldwide, with unforeseen consequences for a certain period of time. The hospitality industry was one of the hardest hit sectors of tourism, resulting in unprecedented versatility of lodging establishments. This paper examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the hospitality industry, focusing primarily on the socio-demographic aspect of domestic demand in the Czech Republic. The gender of guests was found to have a strong impact on various safety requirements, such as maintaining a safe distance, reduced hotel capacity, or provided disinfection. In addition, women rated all COVID-19 measures higher than men. Other socio-demographic aspects, such as age and education, also have an impact on safety requirements. Consequently, the research findings can help develop new hotel strategies that keep the guest experience and profit optimization in mind.

Chatbots are rapidly growing application area of conversational artificial intelligence. The aim of the paper is to explore the evaluation of user experience with chatbot applications in museums and galleries. Introduction to principles of chatbots, their creation and testing is provided. Methods of user experience evaluation are explained and the indicators that can be used to assess user experience with chatbots are listed. History and classification of museum chatbots is briefly summarized. A systematic review according to the PRISMA methodology was conducted to map the latest trends in museum chatbots’ development and namely to answer two research questions: (1) What chatbots have been developed for the needs of museums and galleries? and (2) Was the visitor experience with these chatbots evaluated? The research gap in measuring visitor experience with chatbots was identified.

The paper contributes to the extensive knowledge on the impacts of high-speed transport systems on transport-related human behaviour. The paper presents the case of the Czech Republic – a small transit country in Central Europe where the government plans to build high-speed transport systems to improve transport connectivity within Europe. This step will certainly be met with a response. So, the aim of the paper is to find out how high-speed rail (HSR) influences tourism development in the Czech Republic. Therefore, the paper focuses on behaviour of travellers and analyses its intention to switch from a certain mode of transport to HSR. In order to predict future tourism development, determinants of transport mode choice are analysed and tested to learn more about travellers’ preferences and their potential change in their behaviour. The findings reveal that HSR would stimulate international tourism and for certain circumstances it would help to recover MICE tourism.

Having in mind that the tourism industry has been seen as highly complex and competitive, which is driven also by the rapid change in technology, the paper examines the perceptions and practices of Macedonian travel agencies that have intentions to boost their international exposure and find new strategies to perform. Data were collected from 96 employees’ responses to identify external macro and competitive environment factors as well as to further investigate of the patterns and perceptions regarding their international strategy practices. Two considerations are taken into the discussion. What travel agencies might do in view of changes in the global environment and in view of its abilities and what entry mode is most suitable.  Hence, the findings from the paper support the notion for greater internationalization and for encouraging travel agencies to establish new strategic alliances. Also, it can provide relevant and useful information for the policy makers which can be used for improving the overall tourism country internationalization efforts.

Medical  tourism  in  the Czech  Republic  is  a  relatively  new  phenomenon,  so  far,  no  research  has been conducted in this area to collect relevant data. This research aims to analyse and evaluate the  experience  of  medical  tourists  and  find  out  what  is  important  and  what  influences  them  in choosing  a  destination  where  they  will  undergo  the  selected  procedure.  Based  on  qualitative research,  which  was  conducted  in  the  form  of  interviews  with  medical  tourists  who  underwent medical  intervention  in  the  Czech  Republic,  the  problems  faced  by medical  tourists,  and  factors influencing their decision-making processes were identified. Finally, suggestions for improvement were  found.  The  research  focused  on  the  areas  of  communication,  behaviour,  decision-making processes, and factors that lead to patient satisfaction. The results are important not only for the healthcare facilities themselves but also for the creation of an adequate marketing strategy, as it was found that the most important tool in the decision-making process is the word of mouth. It was found that medical tourists choose the country mostly based on the recommendation of family or  friends,  mostly  those  who  have  already  undergone  medical  treatment  in  that  country. Therefore,  it  is  important  that  patients  leave  satisfied  so  that  they can  continue  to  recommend going for treatment abroad or particularly in the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic now has 16 monuments of cultural and natural heritage on the UNESCO list; given the size of the country, it is one of the best concentrations in the world. Newly nominated monuments  in  the  Czech  Republic contribute significantly  to the  development  of  local  tourism, particularly in inbound tourism. Thus, they attract a culturally oriented clientele with a sufficient view   and   interest   in   historical   monuments. The   quality   framework   of   the   destination is predetermined by their identity.