CURRENT & PLANNED RESEARCH
Cape Auguet Light house
CURRENT RESEARCH
Cruise Ship Passenger Survey
The purpose of this survey is to identify the effects that labour shortages in the tourism industry on Cape Breton Island have had on the experience of cruise ship passengers as well as on their net promoter score. It attempts to identify the extent to which labour shortages impact their experience while visiting Cape Breton Island and identify weather Cape Breton is an outlier in cruise ship passenger experiences when it comes to issues of labour and service.
Former Tourism Industry Employees Survey
The purpose of this research is to identify factors that led former employees in the tourism industry to leave tourism and to identify incentives or changes to the industry that could convince them to return. This research is intended to provide insight into contributing factors to labour force issues in Cape Breton’s tourism industry and potential actions that could help alleviate those issues.
Current Tourism Industry Employees Survey
The purpose of the Tourism Employee Survey is to identify impacts on the levels of satisfaction and well-being of individuals currently employed in the Cape Breton Tourism industry to identify strategies that could be employed to improve employee job satisfaction and retention. The survey seeks to (1) identify areas that tourism employees find enjoyable and valuable within their work environment and duties, (2) identify areas that tourism employees find detracts from their overall level of happiness, job satisfaction, well-being, and could lead them to leave the tourism industry.
Tourism Operator Survey
The Tourism Operator Survey is intended to gather statistical information from Cape Breton tourism operators on areas identified as important by industry stakeholders. The data collected in the Tourism Operator Survey will focus on areas of employment and staffing, housing, tourist experience and expectations (from the operator’s perspective), capacity, training, investing, and decision-making.
PLANNED RESEARCH
Characteristics of a Successful Tourism Employee
This research is intended to support a promotional campaign to identify, attract, and recruit individuals to the tourism industry who will be successful and more likely to remain in the industry.
BHTM New and Current Students Survey
The purpose of this survey is to identify the plans that BHTM students have regarding where they will work in their future careers and the factors that influence their decisions to leave or stay on Cape Breton Island.
BHTM Former Student Survey
Like the survey of BHTM New and Current Students, this survey is intended to identify important factors that influenced the decisions of former BHTM students to leave or remain on Cape Breton Island. This survey also examines factors that influenced their decision to stay or leave employment in the tourism and hospitality industry.
Tourists' Labour Shortage Field Survey
The purpose of the Tourists’ Labour Shortage Field Survey is to quantify the impact that the tourism industry’s labour shortage is having on the experiences that individuals visiting Cape Breton are having and measure the impact that labour shortages are having on the island’s net promotor score. This information is intended to support decisions made by Cape Breton tourist site operators, Nova Scotia government officials, and other stakeholders involved in the tourism industry.
Case Study Research
The CBITTN is putting together a collection of case studies related to issues of tourism and workforce on Cape Breton Island. In addition to providing insight into the island’s tourism labour force concerns, these case studies will provide a resource for CBU instructors in the Bachelor of Hospitality and Tourism Management Program to help students explore and better understand Cape Breton Island’s tourism industry.
Indigenous Community Tourism Industry Outlooks
The purpose of the Indigenous Community Tourism research is to better understand relationships between indigenous peoples of Cape Breton Island and the Cape Breton Island tourism community. This research explores how those relationships intersect with labour force issues within the Cape Breton Island tourism industry. This research is being constructed in consultation with representatives of the Cape Breton indigenous community. Interviews will be conducted by a member of the Cape Breton Island Indigenous community using a qualitative ethnographic methodology that has been approve by the Mi’kmaw Ethics Watch.