https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/296 2026-10-31T23:27:36Z 2026-10-31T23:27:36Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149670 2026-10-05T08:38:08Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Digital transformation and AI-enabled accommodation platforms: Implications for destination marketing, governance and development Editors: Lehto, Xinran Abstract: This special issue seeks to advance understanding of how digital platforms and AI are reshaping destination marketing and management through their influence on accommodation systems. The guest editors invite contributions that reconceptualize accommodation from a traditional infrastructural requirement for tourism growth, into a strategic and digitally mediated component of destination marketing ecosystems, where platforms: (i) Curate and prioritize destination visibility through algorithms; (ii) Influence destination image formation via reviews, ratings and content; (iii) Shape demand distribution across locations and property types; and (iv) Mediate pricing and perceived value through AI-driven tools. Therefore, prospective contributions can examine the interplay between digital platforms, AI systems and destination stakeholders, including DMOs, local authorities, hotels, hosts and residents. It is imperative that all submissions include empirical testing based on multiple sources of data (e.g., mixed datasets, multi-level data, stakeholder perspectives, longitudinal evidence, and/or triangulated methods). Studies should move beyond descriptive analysis to offer theoretically grounded insights and meaningful implications for policy, governance and managerial practice. Interdisciplinary perspectives are welcome, provided that the study maintains a clear focus on destination-level outcomes and implications. Indicative themes Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Digital intermediation and destination marketing • The role of accommodation platforms in shaping destination visibility and image • Algorithmic curation and its impact on destination branding and positioning • User-generated content, reviews and AI-generated content in destination representation • Platform-mediated storytelling and the construction of place narratives AI and the transformation of tourism demand: • AI-driven recommendation systems and their influence on destination choice • Dynamic pricing and perceived destination value • Personalization, segmentation and demand forecasting in platform ecosystems • The role of generative AI in marketing accommodation and destinations Destination governance and strategic management • The evolving role of DMOs in platform-dominated ecosystems • Governance challenges arising from platform power and data asymmetries • Regulatory responses to platform-mediated accommodation and AI systems • Public–private coordination in destination marketing and management Spatial dynamics and demand distribution • The redistribution of tourist flows through platform algorithms • Neighbourhood-level impacts and micro-destination development • Overtourism, undertourism and spatial imbalances linked to platform visibility Competition and destination competitiveness • Competitive dynamics between hotels and P2P accommodation in digital marketplaces • The influence of platform metrics (ratings, rankings) on destination competitiveness • The effects of market concentration and platform dominance on destination offerings Sustainability and destination development • Impacts of accommodation platforms on sustainable destination development • Community well-being, housing pressures and social carrying capacity • Infrastructure and environmental implications of platform-driven demand Stakeholders and power relations • Power asymmetries between platforms, DMOs, accommodation providers and regulators • Stakeholder collaboration and conflict in destination marketing ecosystems • The impact of data access and digital skills on stakeholder’s decisionmaking Future trajectories of destination systems • The integration of AI in destination marketing strategies • The future of hotels within platform-mediated ecosystems • Future scenarios for the evolution of destination management in the context of platform-based ecosystems. In sum, this special issue seeks to develop a system-level perspective that positions AI-enabled accommodation platforms as both market mechanisms (i.e., systems that match supply and demand, set prices and govern transactions) as well as promotional channels. It calls for research that critically examines how these digitally mediated systems are reshaping destination visibility, competitiveness and governance. Moreover, prospective contributions can provide insights into how stakeholders can avail themselves of these smart technologies to ensure sustainable, inclusive and strategically coordinated destination development.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Erben, Şeyma Esin https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149534 2026-09-30T09:29:53Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Differential representation and epistemic inequality : how generative AI systems frame overdevelopment and ecological harm in Malta Authors: Erben, Şeyma Esin Abstract: This study examines how generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) systems represent overdevelopment and associated ecological harm in Malta. The analysis draws on 96 out puts from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and DeepSeek, coded at the meaning-unit level using a comparative qualitative approach and a hybrid deductive–inductive framework. Representations varied across systems and prompt conditions. Consequence-oriented prompts foregrounded habitat loss, biodiversity decline, and ecosystem degradation, while causal prompts made speculative development pressures, regulatory weaknesses, and construction-driven economic growth more visible. These between-family differences are treated primarily as task-conditioned variation rather than, by themselves, as evidence of epistemic inequality. Actor visibility also varied within comparable prompt conditions. The Planning Authority and environmental NGOs appeared relatively frequently, whereas local councils, EU institutions, and citizens/residents showed more pronounced prompt-specific gaps within the expected-actor framework. The study therefore distinguishes differential representation from epistemic inequality: the former concerns variation in the actors, ex planations, and policy responses made visible, while the latter is used more narrowly for prompt-specific uneven visibility of expected actors beyond what follows from the prompt task. The findings position Gen AI systems as components of epistemic mediation rather than neutral channels of information.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149253 2026-09-18T10:43:03Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: How can Maltese films be sold internationally : a qualitative approach to distribution research Abstract: This study explores fundamental topics that serve as the foundation on how Maltese films can be sold abroad. Three crucial research questions emerged from the literature analyzed which shape the direction of this study: what are the distribution channels open to Maltese filmmakers internationally?; how do sales agents facilitate the sales of films from small countries?; and what do Maltese films require to be sold abroad? In-depth semi- structured interviews were carried out with both Maltese filmmakers and foreign sales agents to identify whether their expectations correlate. The findings of this study confirm that multiple distribution channels are accessible to Maltese filmmakers, with sales agents utilizing key strategies, such as film festivals, diverse markets - including VOD, and non- commercial opportunities, to maximize their effectiveness. Furthermore, the results highlight that while there is no specific criteria Maltese films must follow to be sold abroad, there are factors which contribute to making such efforts a reality, such as following certain legalities. This notion further adds weight to why attaching a sales agent to a film production is crucial since they hold the necessary knowledge and expertise that guide filmmakers through unfamiliar territories. This study’s research also outlines other elements which contribute to the necessity of global distribution for Maltese films, including the enrichment of the indigenous film industry, a widening of opportunities for Maltese cinema, and the resulting understanding in the difference of local and global distribution dynamics. Description: B.Comms. (Hons)(Melit.)

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149247 2026-09-18T10:15:08Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The influence of film adaptations on book cover design : a qualitative study on readers and non-readers Abstract: This study investigates the relationship between film adaptations and book cover design, to address how film imagery influences the perceptions readers and non-readers have of the original literary works. It takes a look at Frankenstein (1818), Dracula (1897), and The Phantom of the Opera (1909)—three frequently adapted novels—in order to confirm whether visual changes made from book to screen have been conflated with what was originally written. It also addresses how these visual changes printed on book covers affects consumer expectations and purchasing behaviour. Qualitative methods were used, including a semiotic analysis on some of the OFCs (outer front covers) belonging to the aforementioned novels; and focus groups divided between readers and non-readers. The semiotic analysis guided the selection of covers presented in the focus groups, which allowed the participants to engage with the discourse surrounding book cover design, and to gain a deeper insight into their thoughts and opinions. This helped to establish the symbiotic relationship shared between film and book cover design; and how certain imagery impacts recognition, perceived accuracy, and purchase appeal. The results indicate that both reader and non-reader perception of the novels is notably influenced by film imagery; and that the most significant difference between the two groups is in their book cover design preferences: although both favoured accuracy, the reader group preferred having a vague representation of a book’s content. However, design was noticeably favoured to accuracy on a case-by-case basis, even though what they often all considered to be accurate was also what they thought had the best design. This could provide a reason for why film imagery continues to be reused in both new film and TV adaptations, and on book covers, in spite of its tentative connection to the original work. Description: B.Comms. (Hons)(Melit.)

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z