CACTUS

By Ramazan Karaman, Hayriye Duman

This study aims to evaluate the evolution and intellectual structure of the literature on intangible cultural heritage in the field of gastronomy over time through bibliometric analysis. The research dataset was obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection database and includes a total of 3,155 articles and review studies indexed in SCI, SSCI, ESCI, and AHCI between 2006 and 2025. The data were analyzed using VOSviewer software to reveal publication trends, prominent countries, influential authors and journals, citation relationships, collaboration networks, and thematic transformation in the research area. The analysis results show a significant increase in the number of publications, especially since the mid-2010s, and indicate that intangible cultural heritage research in the context of gastronomy is becoming an increasingly visible and institutionalized academic field. Furthermore, the findings reveal that the field is not limited to gastronomy alone; it has an interdisciplinary structure that develops in interaction with subfields of cultural studies, sustainability, tourism, anthropology, and the social sciences. When evaluated by country, Spain and Italy are among the leading countries in terms of both publication productivity and citations. However, the increase in academic contributions from developing countries indicates that the research field has a wider geographical spread. Keyword association and thematic mapping results show that the research focus has changed over time. While conservation and preservation themes were prominent in early studies, current research shows that topics such as sustainability, local development, food identity, cultural tourism, community participation, and sociocultural transformation have gained importance. In conclusion, this study examines the development of intangible cultural heritage research in gastronomy from a holistic perspective and provides a guiding framework for future interdisciplinary studies.

By Ling Ling, Timothy Webb, Zvi Schwartz

Rate disparity remains a widely used but poorly understood pricing strategy in the hotel industry. While previous research generally assumes that lower prices shift demand toward less expensive channels, this study investigates whether such effects occur in practice. Using high-frequency booking and pricing data from five full-service hotels across multiple online travel agencies (OTAs), we analyze how rate disparity relates to the distribution of demand across channels. The findings show that the impact of price differences is limited, highly non-linear, and strongly dependent on contextual factors. Channel market power and hotel-specific characteristics seem to play a more significant role than price advantages under the observed conditions. Rate disparity reallocates demand across channels rather than increasing total demand within the sample studied, and its effectiveness varies across demand seasons and competitive environments. These results challenge the prevailing focus on price-based competition and suggest that platform dynamics and hotel attributes may play a more central role in distribution outcomes.

By Jitka VOLFOVÁ, Kamila MATYSOVÁ, Vlad DIACONESCU, Andrada-Jawel ISTANBOULY

As digital transformation accelerates and artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more accessible, tourism organizations display uneven adoption patterns. This study examines how Romanian tourism organizations cluster based on cultural-strategic profiles and whether objective demographic characteristics are associated with membership in specific maturity profiles. Using survey data from 325 Romanian tourism professionals, the article applies K-means cluster analysis to seven cultural-strategic dimensions: the four archetypes of the Competing Values Framework and the three dimensions of strategic agility. The resulting typology is validated with ANOVA tests on external variables, and associations with organizational demographics are analyzed using chi-square tests and binary logistic regression. The analysis identifies three ordered maturity profiles – Laggards (16.6%), Moderates (36.0%), and Leaders (47.4%)—with medium to large differences across AI adoption, technology-organization-environment (TOE) readiness, digital culture, strategic agility performance, and perceived digital transformation impact. None of the demographic predictors in the logistic model (organization size, geographic scope, respondent experience) significantly predicts Leader membership, and organization type is also non-significant in chi-square analysis. However, geographic scope and organization size have independent effects on actual AI adoption levels. These findings indicate that digital maturity in tourism is closely linked to cultural-strategic capability patterns, while objective resources do not determine profile membership. Given the cross-sectional and self-reported nature of the data, the results should be interpreted as associative rather than causal. The study has implications for policies and managerial interventions that integrate capability-building with measures addressing resource constraints, particularly in SME-dominated tourism contexts.