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Lavender tourism is known in countries such as France and England and is a growing activity in Turkey and East Asia. In Spain, however, this kind of tourism project is just beginning to emerge. Consequently, the literature on its scope and impact is also still in its early stages. This paper aims to explain the potential role of creativity and experiential activities in promoting lavender tourism, describe the structure of existing tourism products associated with Spanish lavender fields and elucidate the part these have played in economic diversification in rural areas, some of which are experiencing a severe rural exodus. These specific goals will contribute to a better understanding of the distinctive features of Spanish lavender field tourism and will help improve planning and management of its implementation in new territories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced employment in the Spanish tourism sector from a gender perspective and aims to infer its impact on sustainability. We use employment data from 2002 (Q1) to 2020 (Q4) on women and men in the Spanish hospitality sector and employ fractional integration methods to determine the temporary scope of the shock. Our results suggest that the impact of the pandemic will have a permanent effect, unless strong policy measures are adopted to resume pre-crisis trends. We also found that persistence is higher for women's than for men's employment. Therefore, women seem to be more vulnerable to the shocks of COVID-19, making sustainable development of tourism in Spain more difficult. Based on our results, we offer policy recommendations to counter the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender equality and tourism sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) came into force, cruise line companies have been required to make human resource (HR) organizational changes in order to comply with the corresponding rules on employees' rights. This article offers an overview of the role and organization of HR in the Spanish cruise line company Pullmantur. This research suggests that cruise HR managers face greater challenges, compared to those of other sectors, not only because of the specific regulations affecting cruise line companies, but also because of the complexity of the processes from recruitment to incorporation. Pullmantur's case illustrates a particular way of organizing the HR planning and assignment of its personnel, reflected in their Crew Cycle Life (CCL). After having reviewed different documents as well as interviews carried out with Pullmantur's HR management, this article describes and examines the different positions, functions, and responsibilities of HR "on ship and shore." It concludes that HR's function within a cruise ship company is more stressful and complex, but at the same time, more vibrant and challenging than in other industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Th e purpose of this paper is to identify the main soft skills demanded by the hospitality industry, under the perception of master's degree students and the influence of limiting beliefs in skills development. After a literature review, we lead a fi eldwork based on workshops in which we conducted two questionnaires and we analyze the behaviour of students through the method of tutor observation. The results show a relationship between their soft-skills, and a significative negative correlation between perceived skills and the limiting beliefs. With this exploratory paper, we try to contribute to the better knowledge of new factors that may be hindering the development of the soft skills demanded in postgraduate students in the hospitality sector. Th ese preliminary conclusions can be useful for both postgraduate schools and companies in their selection and training processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]