鈥淎s a leader in hospitality management, we鈥檙e thrilled to partner with 麻豆原创鈥檚 Rosen College to create this unique program that will engage our local residents and businesses in showing visitors to our area just how special it is,鈥� said Elliott Falcione, executive director, BACVB. 鈥淲hat better way to tell our story than by those who are living it?鈥�

The Certified Destination Ambassador Program was tailored to reflect the specifics of visitation to the Bradenton, Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key area. The BACVB worked closely with the research arm of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Rosen College to develop the professional development program, which was designed to have academic integrity. The resulting Certified Destination Ambassador Program encourages members of the community to have a working knowledge of the area in regards to visitation.

鈥淥ur mission is to support the tourism industry throughout Central Florida,鈥� said Dr. Robertico Croes, director of the Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies at 麻豆原创鈥檚 Rosen College. 鈥淭hrough this partnership, we will provide training programs and research support to the BACVB, which will ultimately help strengthen the area鈥檚 tourism industry.鈥�

Steps to becoming a Certified Destination Ambassador include attending BACVB Ambassador Summits, offering suggestions and recruiting other Ambassadors within industries, and creating personal plans to influence return visitation to the area.

In addition, the Ambassadors are asked to support the BACVB and the Ambassador Program by using social media to promote the area, displaying the Ambassador identification at business locations and actively represent the area as a member of their local industry associations. The Certified Destination Ambassador program is an earned, permanent designation and can be viewed as a part of each Ambassador鈥檚 professional credentials.

For more information regarding the application process, please visit .

The Bradenton, Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key area is located on Florida鈥檚 gulf coast between St. Petersburg and Sarasota.聽The Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau promotes tourism to Bradenton, Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key area and the rest of Manatee County, including Palmetto, Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach, Cortez, Ellenton, Myakka City, Ft. Hamer, Lakewood Ranch and Parrish, through domestic and international advertising, public relations and marketing efforts. For more information on the Bradenton, Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key area, please visit .

Since 1979, the Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies has been conducting proprietary and public domain research, promulgating information to the public at large about the contributions of the hospitality and tourism industry, especially along economic, sociological, environmental, and quality-of-life dimensions, and carrying out credit and non-credit educational activities. Research has been conducted in countries, such as Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, China, Aruba, Ecuador, South Africa and South Korea for destination management organizations, convention and visitor bureaus, hotels, hospitals, vacation homes, restaurants, theme parks and more.

鈥淭he hospitality industry is currently by far the most important pillar of our local economy,鈥� said Gregory E. Elias, founder, organizer and sole financial sponsor of the Festival. 鈥淓vent tourism is picking up speed and is now the most important addition to enhancing our hospitality sector. That is why it鈥檚 important to assess and improve this service.鈥�

According to the study, event organizers invested $5.6 million in the 2012 Festival, which was 14% more than in 2011. The 2012 festival churned out nearly $20 million in the local economy, exceeding last year鈥檚 festival by more than 20%.

The average tourist, whose main purpose to visit Curacao was attending the Festival, spent an unprecedented $299 per day, which is equivalent to $1,854 per trip. A total of 5,312 tourists attended the 2012 Festival, an increase of nearly 8% from 2011.

鈥淭he Festival has been a spectacular success for the island, attracting crowds of visitors during the two days of the Festival and enhancing the destination鈥檚 image,鈥� said Dr. Robertico Croes, associate director of the Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies. 鈥淒ue to the Festival, a significant amount of promotion was provided to the island of Curacao, the image of Curacao has become more positive and stronger, and the economic impact of the Festival has been momentous.鈥�

Over the past three years, the Festival has attracted 12,542 tourists, generated nearly $22 million in direct spending, and helped contribute nearly $40 million to the Curacao economy.

Satisfaction and quality level have improved significantly since 2010, indicating that the Festival has been able to continuously exceed attendees鈥� expectations. Additionally, the experience gathered at the Festival is becoming more memorable, and the value perception of attendees has increased significantly over the past three years. High levels of memorable enjoyment and socialization indicate why more Festival attendees return to Curacao annually to enjoy the Festival.

Since 1979, the Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies has been conducting proprietary and public domain research, promulgating information to the public at large about the contributions of the hospitality and tourism industry, especially along economic, sociological, environmental, and quality-of-life dimensions, and carrying out credit and non-credit educational activities.

Research has been conducted in countries, such as Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, China, Aruba, Ecuador, South Africa and South Korea for destination management organizations, convention and visitor bureaus, hotels, hospitals, vacation homes, restaurants, theme parks and more.

Through an extensive survey of Aruban visitors and potential visitors, the study revealed that a mobile travel guide app, with specific capabilities, would overwhelmingly be accepted by Aruban tourists.

鈥淩oughly 87% of those surveyed expressed that a smartphone app would most definitely improve their travel experience,鈥� said Dr. Manuel Rivera, who co-led the research project. 鈥淲e also found that tourists were looking for specific features that would not only make the app functional, but also practical in today鈥檚 digital age.鈥�

The Official Aruba Travel Guide app, available through iTunes and Google Play, operates offline, which allows Aruban visitors to access many of the app鈥檚 features without connecting to the internet and being subsequently charged a roaming fee by their wireless carrier. Some of the offline capabilities include: maps and navigation tools; ratings and reviews for the top attractions, restaurants, bars, hotels and shops; customized itineraries based on the user鈥檚 travel interests and trip dates; access to coupons and vouchers; and an augmented reality function, which displays pop-up factoids about a particular place or business simply by focusing the user鈥檚 mobile device camera on a specific location.

The virtual travel guide also consists of online, interactive features that allow users to share their own reviews, as well as their photos with various social networks. According to Dr. Rivera, the interactive features serve a dual purpose: helping tourists enhance their travel experience, while also promoting Aruban tourism and businesses through the app鈥檚 social networking functions.

鈥淪ocial networking acts as word-of-mouth marketing, so if a user shares their vacation photos through the app, then people within their social network, who see those photos, might be enticed to come to Aruba to have a similar experience,鈥� said Dr. Rivera. 鈥淭he flipside is that the original app user may not have otherwise discovered all of their travel experiences in Aruba if it weren鈥檛 for the app. So the app really serves a dual purpose.鈥�

According to Rayon Koolman, digital marketer for the Aruba Tourism Authority, no data has been collected yet regarding the app鈥檚 impact on Aruban tourism; however, the app has already generated nearly 10,000 downloads since its summer 2012 launch.

鈥淲e have no real figures or indicators on the impact the app has had on tourism yet, but we have received a lot of positive feedback,鈥� said Koolman. 鈥淭he research that Dr. Rivera and his team conducted proved to be very useful in the development of the app.鈥�

Dr. Rivera, Dr. Robertico Croes and Yun Ying Zhong were recognized earlier this year for their involvement in the app, as their research article Developing Mobile Tourism Services For A Destination: The Case Of Aruba won the Best Paper award at the 17th annual Graduate Education and Graduate Student Research Conference in Hospitality and Tourism.

Research for the app is part of an ongoing partnership between the聽Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies and the聽Aruba Tourism Authority to strategically enhance Aruba’s tourism industry.

The report, Maintaining Relevance in a Changing World, builds on past studies of the supply perspective of Bok Tower Gardens by adding a detailed exploration of the visitors鈥� standpoint, which has never before been analyzed at the garden attraction. The study explored the impact of the visitors鈥� experience on post behavioral intentions to return to the garden or to talk favorably about the attraction.

鈥淭his study is a major contribution to the garden attraction market, as it offers a dynamic approach that has never before been examined,鈥� said Croes. 鈥淲e analyzed the intangibles of the visitor experience, and learned that nature isn鈥檛 the core of their experience, but rather the medium that helps facilitate it.鈥�

Through a variety of quantitative and qualitative techniques, the report reveals that employee performance, atmosphere, promotion and social activities, ambiance, and amenities are the five main factors that shape a visitor鈥檚 experience at the Bok Tower Gardens.

Bok Tower Gardens鈥� management will use the report to develop strategies to raise awareness and increase visitation for their attraction.

鈥淲e identified relevant variables and trends that influence the business, and proposed strategic and tactical planning to Bok Tower Gardens,鈥� said Ph.D. candidate 鈥淛enna鈥� Seung Hyun Lee.

The unique study began as a five-stage assignment in a doctoral-level course taught by Croes, but evolved into a research partnership between the Bok Tower Gardens and the Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies 鈥� the college鈥檚 research arm for public and private enterprises.

鈥淭he report was originally part of my Foundations in Hospitality and Tourism Research class, but the students and I quickly realized the potential of this unique study, and we decided to take it beyond the scope of the course,鈥� said Croes. 鈥淲e presented a research proposal to the Bok Tower Gardens鈥� management team, and after it was accepted, the students worked as a team to complete the study.鈥�

Bok Tower Gardens is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.聽Its mission is to share Edward Bok鈥檚 gift of a beautiful and serene garden with music, architecture, and nature, so that all who visit will be inspired by his vision: 鈥淢ake you the world a bit better or more beautiful because you have lived in it.鈥�

The DPI was commissioned by Aruba鈥檚 Minister of Tourism, Mr. Otmar Oduber, to formulate a ten-year tourism strategic plan for the island.

The summit, held in Aruba Dec. 8 and 9, featured keynote speaker Dr. Robertico Croes, the Interim Chair of Rosen College鈥檚 Tourism Events and Attractions department and the Associate Dean of the DPI.聽 Dr. Croes shared the initial results from a year-long study entitled, 鈥淪trategic Plan for the Development of Tourism in Aruba in the 21st Century.鈥�

The research team included Rosen College Dean Dr. Abraham Pizam, Dr. Manuel Rivera, and Ph.D. students Jenna Lee and Eric Olson. In addition to the paper presentation, Drs. Croes and Rivera lead break-out sessions.

Additional speakers at the event included: Otmar Oduber, Minister of Tourism, Transport & Labor; Carlos Vogler, Regional Director for the Americas of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); Greg Richards, Professor of Leisure Studies at Tilburg University; and John Checkett, Director of Route Planning for JetBlue.

Dr. Robertico Croes, assistant director of the Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management recently published a book titled,聽The Small Island Paradox: Tourism Specialization as a Potential Solution聽that defines and analyzes the growth and prosperity of small island destinations.

Dr. Croes explains the cyclic paradox as a conceptual trap, 鈥淪mall islands cannot grow in economic terms because they are small, and they are small in economic terms because they cannot grow.鈥� This direct correlation is influenced by the underlying premise that 鈥榮mall is ugly and big is beautiful.鈥�

This study assesses the complexities surrounding tourism growth within thirty islands in the Caribbean,聽Mediterranean聽and Pacific. Croes elaborates,聽鈥淚n my journey to get answers, I noticed how poorly endowed small islands are in terms of rigorous and comprehensive research, particularly in the tourism literature.鈥�

Croes鈥� book will be used as a supplemental resource guide for graduate courses taught at the Rosen College and is available for purchase through聽.

In addition to his extensive work with the Dick Pope Institute, Dr. Croes serves as interim chair of the Tourism, Events & Attractions department at the Rosen College.

DPI researchers completed a project titled 鈥淭he Economic and Tourism Potentials of the Aruba Soul Beach Music Festival.鈥澛� The six-day festival, held May 28-29, 2011, included a concert series with current Billboard chart artists, daytime events, nightclub parties and comedy events.

More than 250 festival attendees were surveyed with regards to their perceived value of the event and its overall economic contributions.聽 The survey assessment showed that the festival was successful from both a management and destination perspective, although there are several areas for opportunities.

The Institute will be preparing a strategic plan for the development of tourism in Aruba in the 21st century, aimed at maintaining and improving Aruba鈥檚 competitive position in the Caribbean in this century.

Additionally, the strategic plan will assist in generating sustainable growth in the tourism sector in a socially acceptable, environmentally sound and economically viable manner. The project will employ a variety of methodologies including focus groups, competitiveness analysis, surveys, marketing intelligence reports, supply analysis, and a variety of other tools. The Institute is expected to finish the project in November 2011.

The Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies was established in September 1979 in the College of Business Administration of the 麻豆原创, through a $25,000 donation by the Orange Blossom Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association. The funds for this donation were collected at an annual Roast and Toast of the Association, which honored the late Dick Pope Sr., then the owner of Cypress Gardens and the first commercial tourist entrepreneur in Florida.

The Institute’s mission is to improve the quality of the tourism product and increase the benefits of the tourism industry to the State of Florida and the local Central Florida community. For more information, please contact Robertico Croes, Ph.D., (407) 903-8028 or robertico.croes@ucf.edu.