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Members of LaReTSA are also doctors whose Ph.D. thesis and research interests concern either directly Tourism Satellite Account or the area of tourism related sectors of production through which basic supporting data for the development of Tourism Satellite Account can be derived.

Namely (in Greek alphabetical order):

Avramopoulos Abraham, Ph.D.

Ph.D. Thesis:

"The strategies for developing and extending low-cost carriers and Greek tourism".

http://hdl.handle.net/10889/5650

Summary of research work:

This doctoral dissertation deals with inbound tourism to Greece within the context of air transport and specifically through the strategic choices of a singular form of air transport, such as low-cost carriers. The growth of these companies is one of the most significant global developments in the air transport industry. This "new" type of air transport has thoroughly and decisively stirred up the status quo in air transport and specifically, the so-called traditional air transport networks, through the introduction of the low-cost model that permits these airlines to offer economically competitive tickets to their customers. The low-cost carriers (LCCs) are a significant dimension in the modern development and competition strategies of the air transport industry. The dissertation focuses upon defining the determinant factors in the development strategies of the LCCs, as well as the influence of these strategic choices upon Greek tourism. The dissertation's purpose is to describe their business model and to record the strategies that they follow. The case study research approach was selected in relation to the methodology in order to investigate the strategies of the low-cost carriers and their potential influences on inbound tourism to Greece. This choice is largely dependent upon the nature of the objective and the questions that are raised, which takes into consideration the restrictions relating to the scarce and fragmented statistics that are available on the low-cost carriers, at least in relation to Greece and their air connections to it. In conclusion, we could say that air transport is an integral part of the tourist product and that optimism has prevailed in recent years on the interconnection by air of the central and regional airports in Greece with European destinations. The entry by new airlines into AIA (Athens International Airport), which directly connect the European destinations to Athens, as well as the developments in Eastern Europe, through the incorporation of many nations into the European Union, has created a new status quo for air transport and the connection of Athens to the Central and Eastern European airports. The chartered flight airlines that were traditionally connected to the growth of Greek tourism have attempted to review their business model, so as to compete with the low-cost carriers. Greece is considered to be a high-cost market, due to the various charges on the air transport duties. The State needs to act in collaboration with all authorities involved in order to retain and support the presence of LCCs at Greek airports, in addition to the need to also compete with the other traditional markets.

Vlami Aimilia, Ph.D

Ph.D. Thesis:

"Financing and Geographical Development of Greek Tourism: The case of Greek Hotel Sector, 1950 - 2005".

http://hdl.handle.net/10889/1755

Summary of research work:

International experience has indicated that while tourism concentrates on space and time as a particular form of a changing private consumption with its subsequent production and distribution problems, which diffuse society and economy as a whole, it requires the state's regulatory intervention.

The particular approach of the Greek case is made because tourism evolves in a developing country like Greece, which at the same time is a member of the European Union (EU). This means that it is gradually subject to the wider framework of the developed EU member states.

Particularly, this research effort examines the impact of the indirect financing policy, for the production and distribution of the tourism product in Greece, mainly through the examination of the regional variation of public tourism investments program and development incentives in the hotel industry.

The financing policy of Greek tourism is promoted as a basic development instrument for regions and especially for socio-economically disadvantaged regions.

This effort is divided into two parts:

▪State Intervention in Tourism Development: this research attempts to view and interpret state interventionism in the development of tourism from the perspective of host countries.

▪The Financing and Regionalization Policy of Greek Tourism: The financing in Greek hotel sector as a means of forming the necessary tourism capital with the aim to establish its tourist product in the global tourism market is highly emphasized in the international tourist literature and is related to the use of tourism for the development of areas which indicate signs of economic decline and shrinking populations (Burkart A.J. & Medlik S. 1981; Hall C.M. 1994; Holloway J.C. 1998; etc.).

The study of the financing policy in tourism is in its infancy in Greece, which is mainly due to the lack of necessary and reliable statistical data, since there is no state body officially responsible for the collection, treatment and provision of statistical data for the private tourist investments.

In view of providing an approach and an interpretation of the complex state intervention for tourism development, a combining empirical research is attempted in competent bodies (Ministry of Economy and Finance, GreekTourism Organization, Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, etc.). In particular a correlation and interpretation over time shall be carried out as regards (a) the incentive zones shaped under development laws, (b) the data regarding private financially assisted hotel investments (investments made, new and modernised beds, new jobs, average cost per bed, average allocations etc) and (c) the data as regards the functional formation and evolution in space and time of hotel capital.

Giannopoulos Konstantinos, Ph.D.

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Ph.D. Thesis:

"Tourism Satellite Account. Theory and practice of a national accounting tool and the Greek approach".

http://hdl.handle.net/10889/3491

Summary of research work:

The exploration for the methodical development of the necessary for the Greek economy "Tourism Satellite Account (TSA)" and, generally, the complete and detailed presentation of the Greek case as to the progress on the development of TSA and, especially, the critical methodological and empirical approach of the relevant actions, constitute the objective of this thesis. The analysis starts with the presentation of the System of National Accounts (SNA) and its weakness to address the tourism phenomenon as a distinct and analytical category of the national economy. Continue with full analysis of the issue of TSA and close specifically with the Greek case. Thus, for Greece, it is provided for the first time a comprehensive and customized presentation and analysis of that issue of concern, while empirical and methodological review of the relevant actions is carried out. That leads to documenting and casting light on various issues, of which of principal importance is that of "tourism sector" and "tourism industry".

The continuous updating of the various research fields of this thesis is part of the research activities of the Laboratory of Research and Tourism Satellite Account (LaReTSA). These fields are summarized as follows:

▪Identifying the elements of SNA-ESA which are essential for establishing TSA.

▪Analysis of the limitations of SNA due to the consistent logic of its structure and addressing this problem through the Satellite Account (SA).

▪Principles of Satellite Accounts.

▪Why the way TSA is developed should be consistent with SNA. Benefits and any restrictions. Relationship and differences.

▪Documentation of why the TSA does not constitute an additional economic research/study on the impact of tourism on an economy but a comprehensive framework linked to the basic principles, concepts, rules, etc., of economics principles and perceptions about the working of an economy, and directly associated with the relevant existing macroeconomic frameworks.

▪TSA Methodology.

▪General principles of statistics to be kept in TSA.

▪Evolution and growth of tourism. Thorough Historical Background of the development in research on the economic dimensions of the impact of tourism on an economy. The culmination to TSA. Further steps to date.

▪Today world accepted TSA and Tourism Statistics Frameworks.

▪Interdependence of TSA and System of Tourism Statistics (STS).

▪The "principle of comparability" in developing TSA, with both the sectoral structure in an economy based on the SNA-ESA, and internationally between countries.

▪Statistical data to be compiled (the Demand and Supply side).

▪Analysis of productive sectors and products in relation to tourism: Tourism Products and Tourism Industries.

▪Classification of Products and Activities/Industries, at Word, European Union and Greek level. Other relevant classifications.

▪The impact of tourism on the whole economy, not only in certain industries traditionally qualified as a tourist.

▪Documentation for the wrong use of the term "Tourism Sector/Branch".

▪Tourism Macroeconomics Aggregates.

▪Tourism and Employment.

▪Tourism Non-monetary Aggregates.

▪TSA Tables: What is included and presented and what is not, and what information stands in the background.

▪Critical approach to the extensions of the TSA framework: necessary or possible areas for future research:

- Regional TSA.

- Quarterly TSA - Time series - Indices - Projections.

- Measurement of the indirect and induced economic effects of tourism.

- Relationship and differences between TSA and Balance of Payment (BoP).

- TSA and System of Environmental and Economics Accounts (SEEA).

▪TSA International Approval. Supranational organizations work for the dissemination of the TSA. Which countries have made steps, more or less, towards the development of TSA. The current situation.

▪Work in the European Union on the development of TSA and STS.

▪The principal national actors for the purposes of TSA development. (Inter-institutional platform).

▪The use of the term TSA (The TSA Brand).

▪Simulated TSA from Word Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Oxford Economics (OE). Analysis and criticism of their methodology. Relationships and differences with the internationally approved standards. Review of international comments to this methodology as TSA.

▪Progress in Greece for the development of TSA. Critical empirical and methodological approach.

▪Terminology.

Dionysopoulou Panagiota, Ph.D.

Ph.D. Thesis:

"Procedures for the constitution of a Tourism Policy in the European Union".

Kotsanidis Andreas, Ph.D.

Ph.D. Thesis:

"A comparative study of the competitiveness between Greek and Turkish Tourism, 1953 - 2007)".

http://hdl.handle.net/10889/2471

Summary of research work:

Since mid-1950's tourism industry has entered a prolonged as well as stable period of development internationally. Taking into consideration this growth of tourism on a global level, the aim of the current piece of work is to lay particular stress on the Southeastern part of the Mediterranean Basin, trying to rough out the competitiveness of Greek and Turkish tourism for the 1953-2007 era. The assessment, however, of competitiveness of the evolutionary route of tourism of both countries is facilitated through the utilization of specific physical and economic figures upon which useful conclusions can be drawn. In this effort, the researcher has used overall tourism arrivals, arrivals of specific travel-markets, tourism receipts and per capita tourism expenditure. The selected travel-markets utilized are those emanating from the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France and Holland, since those countries do constitute the five major sources of international tourism demand for the destinations of Greece. The writer has also determined the market-share of each one of those five countries in relation to overall tourism demand for both competitors (i.e. Greece and Turkey). In the First Chapter, the reader is introduced briefly into the evolution of tourism at an international level during the last fifty years. Chapter Two is referring to the notion of ‘Competitiveness' and the theoretical background of the study (Tourism Area Life Cycle). Chapter Three is devoted to the evolution of tourism for Greece for 1953-2007, whereas Chapter Four is sketching-out the evolution of Turkey's tourism for the same period of examination (i.e. 1953-2007). Chapter Five, eventually, is concluding the research through the direct cross-examination of both competitors´ performance in relation to the physical (arrivals) and economic figures (tourism receipts, per capita expenditure) used by the author.

Papagiannis Dimitrios, Ph.D.

Ph.D. Thesis:

“Leadership styles and motivation in the greek hospitality industry”.

Tsamos Georgios, Ph.D.

Ph.D. Thesis:

"Geographical Analysis of the Tourism Capacities as the Main Tool of Policy Planning for Tourism Development on island destinations: the case of Kefalonia island".

Summary of research work:

The purpose of this thesis is to define a methodological approach -mainly geographical- to analysis over-time:

▪processes and forces leading to the formation of the tourist space and continue to influence change and development, and

▪the role, importance and effects of policy planning for tourism development as a process of intervention and control of tourism space.

Specifically, this research effort aims at understanding the way of changing the socio-economic structure in a rapidly developing island destinations, such as Cephalonia. This survey deals with the geographical perspective of tourist capacities and their development emphasing to the last 35 years (1975-2009).

Based on the aformentioned, this effort have developed a data with title "Geographical Analysis of Tourism Capacities of the Cephalonia island", correlating over time information about tourism demand and supply in eight spatial scales, which are the human geographic units of the island (Argostoli, Livathos, Erisos, Livathous, Paliki, Sami Pilareon and Omalon). In particular, the above data regards the following:

▪policy planning issues,

▪public and private investments of tourism infrastructure and superstructure,

▪formation and evolution in space and time of tourism capital.

This research effort aimed at an overall approach and interpretation of the policy planning for the development and management of tourism in the islands of Cephalonia. This study covers a dual purpose:

▪contribute to improve the quality of research on tourism planning on rapidly developing island destinations, and

▪offers the possibility of evolutionary analysis and interpretation of the tourist capacities diversified island tourism product.

Hatzimarinakis Stavros, Ph.D.

Ph.D. Thesis:

"Regional Tourism Satellite Accounts. General theory - methodology and readjustments for the Hellenic case."

http://hdl.handle.net/10889/5041

Summary of research work:

Designing and implementing Regional Tourism Satellite Accounts (R-TSA) in Greece is one of the key objectives in terms of tourism and general economic policy at regional level. This thesis approaches the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) framework and its methodological adaptation to regional level. It proposes the necessary methodological adjustments in a systematic framework recommended by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) for documenting tourism statistics for TSA compilation. Framework adjustments take place at a twofold level: a) expanding the analytical capability at regional level and b) adapting the structure according to the theoretical and methodological revisions that have taken place in recently revised international standards for tourism statistics, Tourism Satellite Accounts and the macroeconomic frameworks with which they are linked. Greece has been chosen as a case study for applying the adjusted framework at regional level. The followed methodological and evaluative approach has improved the UNWTO framework for documenting tourism statistics and has led to a systemised mapping of the Greek statistical system in relation to the analytical needs projected for the compilation of R-TSAs, constituting one of the first fundamental steps towards a long and demanding process.

Xristidou Agni, Ph.D.

Ph.D. Thesis:

"European tourism policy…Greek hotel sector…”.

http://hdl.handle.net/10889/5980

Summary of research work:

The present thesis deals with the tourism policy-making in the European Union, following its steps from the birth of the European Communities to date . It traces the impact of the European institutional developments and more precisely of the European policies on the Greek hotel sector. The first part is dedicated to the historical framework of the evolution of tourism and to the presentation of the global, European and national dimensions of tourism development. A profile of the Greek hotel sector is then provided , since it will be the vehicle for screening the European policies that are affecting the daily operation of the hotel enterprises. The second part addresses the process of European integration from the establishment of the European Communities up to the Lisbon Treaty and highlights the periods when institutional changes played a key role to the foundation of European tourism policy The third part focuses on European policies that have a significant impact on the tourism sector and on the Greek hotel industry. The fourth part provides the context of the national tourism policy model and the transition from the national model to the European one, seeking to estimate the impact of the European measures on the Greek hotel enterprises.