Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Geographia

Identify Appropriate Variables Through Scenario Planning Perspective for Creative Tourism in Iran

2024-01-12T09:21:57+00:00

This study explores the major factors affecting the creative tourism market in Iran and their potential to drive national and regional development in the long run. The study employs the MicMac and Scenario Wizard software to identify the variables and their relationships and influence on each other. The study finds that communication infrastructure is a general factor that affects all guest communities, while others are specific to capital attraction from Middle Eastern countries. These include improving political relations with these countries and digital advertising and marketing of Iran’s development. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a new teaching methodology on student performance in mathematics. The methodology involved a combination of interactive lectures, group discussions, and hands-on activities. A quasi-experimental design was used, with one group of students receiving the new methodology and a control group receiving traditional teaching methods. The study was conducted over the course of one semester with pre- and post-tests administered to both groups. The results showed a significant improvement in the performance of the experimental group compared to the control group. The experimental group had a mean post-test score of 87.5, compared to the control group’s mean score of 76.2. The influence graph shows the relationships between the variables and how they influence one another, and the spatial structure of the direct driving forces of creative tourism development in Iran is indicated at a rate of 25%. This research offers insights and recommendations for policymakers, tourism practitioners, and scholars interested in the development of creative tourism in Iran. These findings suggest that the new teaching methodology can be an effective way to improve student performance in mathematics. Further research could explore the impact of this methodology on other subjects and in different settings.

Seeking Economic Balance: Spatial Analysis of the Interaction Between Smart Specialisation and Diversification in Romanian Mountain Areas

2024-01-12T09:40:58+00:00

This research article delves into the intricate relationship between smart specialisation and economic diversification within the unique context of Romanian mountain regions. As regions characterized by their geographical isolation and distinctive socioeconomic challenges, mountain areas in Romania stand as vital territories where balanced economic development is crucial. In this study, we employ a comprehensive spatial analysis to explore how the European Union’s concept of "smart specialisation" and the imperative for diversification intersect within these mountainous areas. The investigation combines both qualitative and quantitative methods, utilizing spatial data and GIS techniques. Findings reveal the intricate interplay between smart specialisation and diversification efforts, highlighting the necessity for adaptable policies that respond to the unique challenges and opportunities present in Romanian mountain areas. The study also offers recommendations for policymakers, emphasizing the importance of custom-tailored approaches that consider the geographic, social, and economic idiosyncrasies of these regions. Ultimately, this research article contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between regional development strategies and the specific needs of mountainous territories. By shedding light on the practical implications of smart specialisation and diversification in Romanian mountain areas, it offers valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners working towards sustainable and balanced economic growth in similar regions worldwide.

Anthropogenic Hazards and Their Impact Upon the Historical Cultural Landscape in Roșia Montană Area

2024-01-12T10:14:49+00:00

The cultural landscape is a result of the continuous human actions of satisfying the communities’ various needs and the response of the natural system, in its attempt to balance its components in relation to the modelling factor - the human society. Thus, the cultural landscape displays the imprint of the infinite possibilities of the human and natural joint manifestation, sometimes hazards bringing their own contribution to the shaping of the cultural landscape. Hazards, whether natural or anthropogenic, are unforeseen phenomena in terms of space or time of their manifestation, and most often have considerable negative consequences. In particular, anthropogenic hazards, which are directly or indirectly related to human activities, appear mainly as a manifestation of the resilience of natural elements in the cultural landscape, as a complex system. Thus, major interventions, such as mining in Roșia Montană area (an activity that had been lasting for over 2000 years) in relation to the unpredictable evolution of the social, economic, technological and political context (on local, national and global level) have favoured the manifestation of some unforeseen events with a negative connotation such as: complex pollution, depreciation of the living standards (in Roșia Montană area mostly due to the cessation of mining activities), demographic aging, etc. The complex analysis of these implications in the above mentioned area allows us to outline an eloquent assessment of the present state of the local cultural landscape and to identify the opportunities of systemic resilience. These include: the awareness of the planning, protection and conservation of the local historical cultural landscape as a primary need, restoration of the cultural landscape (through the aesthetic rehabilitation of degraded cultural elements), the implementation of projects that target the sustainable development of Roșia Montană, as a source of identity and sustainable development, the tourism conversion of activities, etc.

Assessing the Attractivity and Accessibility of the Romanian Airports

2024-01-12T10:22:51+00:00

The research examines the changing dynamics of Romanian airports within the framework of European air transport deregulation and the subsequent “open skies” policy. A basic accessibility assessment method was applied, which involved weighting destinations according to their relative significance. The results highlight the dominance of certain airports and the limited competition for global hubs. The study concludes by emphasizing the need for detailed airport analysis to develop an attractiveness model specific to Eastern-Central Europe, incorporating economic, geographic, demographic, political, and infrastructure factors.

Analysing the Capacity of the Urban Road Transport Network Using a Dynamic Assignment Model in The Bistrița - Târgu Mureș Geographical Axis

2024-01-12T10:29:15+00:00

Network capacity in a transportation system becomes an important measurement for transport planning and management because it addresses its capability to satisfy an efficient network traffic flow reducing the inefficiency of congestion phenomena. This work provides a discussion of road urban transport network capacity including existing definitions in literature and the validation of new measurement methods. The study explores some of the properties of network-wide traffic flow relationships in a large-scale complex urban street network using real-time simulated results obtained from a dynamic traffic assignment model, periodically updated by data from radar sensors through rolling horizon technics. The basic variables used in the methodology, such as network flows and speeds, are characterized using a network model calibrated in the urban area of the geographical axis Bistrița-Târgu Mureș. For a comprehensive yet simple analysis, equations, and graphs are utilized to resume the obtained results related to different days and several time intervals of the day. The focus of sustainable urban transportation development lies in realizing the untapped capacity potential of the existing road network and enhancing its operational efficiency without expanding its physical footprint. To quantify the supply capacity of road networks in mountainous cities, this paper converts the problem of solving the capacity of road networks into the problem of solving the minimum cut set in road networks from the perspective of road network capacity, using the idea of the auxiliary diagram method in graph theory. This procedure proved to be suitable for investigating the properties of network-level traffic flow relationships and concluding remarks include suggestions for further research in this highly promising area.

Virtual Reality in Destination Marketing: The Why, The Who and The When

2024-01-12T10:34:32+00:00

Virtual reality (VR) is one of the fastest growing areas in information and communication technologies. Starting with the 1990s, the technology has also been successfully employed in tourism. Among other purposes, VR is used in tourism to provide a more effective marketing of a destination than classical means such as (paper) brochures. While the literature on the use of VR in destination marketing has been steadily growing, it is still scarce and fragmented. The main objective of this study is to better understand how could VR be used to improve the marketing of tourism destinations. To gather data for this study an experiment was used: participants were invited to take an online virtual tour of a very popular landmark in Paris, and then fill out a questionnaire in order to share their experience. The data from the 89 questionnaires collected were then processed using SPSS. The results have shown that almost all of our respondents were satisfied with their VR experience. Moreover, the VR experiment has improved the users’ image of and satisfaction with the destination. This, in turn, has positively influenced their intention to visit or re-visit the destination and to recommend it to others. The study also found that some socio-demographic groups (female, older than 25 years) may be more suitable targets for destination marketing using VR than others. Finally, we learned that, although the use of VR is effective for destination marketing both before and after tourists visit the site, the technology may be more useful in improving the image of the destination when applied before the physical visit.

Analysis of the Cultural Landscape Elements in the Municipality of Bistrița and Their Potential for Tourism Valorization

2024-01-12T10:40:35+00:00

The study of the cultural landscape elements in the urban area of Bistrița determines clear tourist values that refer to the attractiveness of both natural elements and that of cultural ones. This study highlights the specific natural environment, the churches and other buildings that have a characteristic function, belonging to different historical periods, starting from the Middle Ages. All of these benefit from an appropriate infrastructure that favors tourist access and capitalization, currently to a modest extent, but which as a whole can constitute the basis of a new integrated development strategy of the city. Thus, the study reveals both the analysis of the elements with real tourist values, as well as the main objectives to be achieved for the subsequent development of the area.

The Reintroduction of Bobâlna Hill into the Tourist Circuit

2024-01-12T10:52:16+00:00

Bobâlna Hill is the highest part of the Cluj and Dej Hills, an integrated part of the Someșan Plateau, with an altitude of 693 m. From a geomorphological point of view, it falls within the erosive-structural level formed on the horizon of the Dej tuff, of Lower Pannonian age. At the foot of the hill, a series of subsequent valleys developed, such as Olpret Valley to the north, northeast and east, Măr Valley and Lujerdiu Valley to the south, and Luna Valley to the west and southwest respectively. From a geological point of view, Bobâlna Hill is composed by the Dacitic tuff of Dej, interspersed with marls, clays, sandstones with coals and marly shales. Due to its altitude and the rocks it is made of, Bobâlna Hill determined the meaning of the evolution of the other natural components of the environment, flora, fauna, soils, as well as the hydrography. The development of human communities in the adjacent communes was deeply influenced by the presence of Bobâlna Hill. The hill is located about 30 km west of Dej City. Its area of polarization is more visible on the territories of Bobâlna, Aluniș, Cornești, Recea-Cristur and Panticeu communes. Bobâlna Hill has been the source of building materials for houses and other buildings for a long time. There are still buildings made of “Băbdiu stone” today. In addition to resistance over time, tuff has a beautiful appearance and was accessible to people. In June 1437, an army of peasants gathered on Bobâlna Hill, armed with pitchforks and scythes, ready to fight to regain their rights and freedom. The uprising in Bobâlna took place as a result of burdensome feudal obligations towards the state, the feudal lord and the Catholic church, but also because of numerous abuses. On June 8, 1937, the leaders of the villages in the Olpret area formed an initiative committee to build a monument in honour of the peasants who revolted in 1437, on Bobâlna Hill, at an altitude of 693 meters. The initiative was successful and a limestone monument was built, unveiled on December 21, 1957. Starting from 1968 and up to 1989, popular celebrations were organized, most of them just above, on the Bobâlna plateau. The heroes of the 1437 uprising were commemorated and it was an occasion of joy, reunion and party for the inhabitants of the area. Between the years 1989-1999, the celebrations stopped, but they were resumed in 1999, 2001 and 2002. The last celebration was in 2015, in the school yard in Bobâlna commune, but it had a smaller scale. In the years 2021 and 2022, the first two editions of the Revolution Race event took place, on Bobâlna Hill. Revolution Race is a sporting event that highlights nature, history and rural traditions. The “Înflorești” Sports Club Association participated to the organization of the two events in partnership with the Go4Fun Association and the administration of the municipalities of Bobâlna and Cornești. Over 300 runners from Romania and abroad participated in each edition. Starting from the advantages offered by the natural setting, the presence of Bobâlna Hill, and the significance of the historical event of 1437, Bobâlna municipality is currently designing a long-term development strategy based on ecological rural tourism.

Senegal: A Typically African Country?

2024-01-12T10:58:44+00:00

The young nation of West Africa, part of the former French colonial system, has a long history showing a clear integration within the context of the Sahel region. After independence, it followed a particular evolution: though its economic and social development was not free of the contradictions and the failures so characteristic for former colonies, compared to other African states, Senegal showed a considerable political stability, successfully avoiding civil wars, military coups and dictatorships and maintaining a multiparty system. However, recent evolutions show a certain tendency towards constitutional instability, a weakening of the rule of law and certain signs of drift towards authoritarian governing. The present international situation of the Sahel and of West Africa represent a further challenge for Senegal, because it can play a crucial role there showing a positive example, on the condition of preserving its stability and democracy.

Pe margini de cărți: Volker Wollmann, 2010-2021, "Patrimoniul preindustrial și industrial în România", Vol. I-IX, Editura Honterus, Sibiu

2024-01-12T11:03:11+00:00

Pe parcursul perioadei 2010-2021, la Editura Honterus din Sibiu a văzut lumina tiparului în condiții tipografice de excepție, un veritabil monument de cultură: „Patrimoniul preindustrial și industrial în România”, lucrare monumentală în nouă volume, a cărui autor este neobositul și pasionatul cercetător Volker Wollmann. Prin materializarea pasiunii sale într-o operă de o așa anvergură, cercetătorul se înscrie în galeria autorilor, rarissimi astăzi, cu adevărat dedicați cercetării, materializată între coperți de cărți, și ale cărei roade sunt diseminate apoi publicului.