CONTENTS DIRECTOR’S REPORT- HIGHLIGHTS OF 2012 ...................................................................................... 2 RESEARCH PROGRAMMES ................................................................................................................. 3 Cultural and Heritage Tourism ....................................................................................................... 4 Tourism and Community Development ......................................................................................... 5 Marine Tourism .............................................................................................................................. 6 Tourism and Technology ................................................................................................................ 8 Indigenous Tourism...................................................................................................................... 11 Pacific Islands Tourism ................................................................................................................. 13 Events ........................................................................................................................................... 14 Hospitality Research .................................................................................................................... 15 PROJECT OVERVIEW 2012 ................................................................................................................ 17 STUDENT TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING ............................................................................... 19 Graduate Completions ................................................................................................................. 19 Student’s stories .......................................................................................................................... 21 NZTRI International Internship Programme ................................................................................ 22 Cooperative Education ................................................................................................................. 23 INTERNATIONAL and NATIONAL OUTREACH ................................................................................... 24 NZTRI Workshops ......................................................................................................................... 25 NZTRI Seminar Series ................................................................................................................... 25 COMMUNITY OUTREACH ................................................................................................................. 27 PUBLIC RELATIONS ........................................................................................................................... 28 NZTRI in the Media ...................................................................................................................... 28 Web Developments ..................................................................................................................... 29 PUBLICATIONS .................................................................................................................................. 30 STAFFING .......................................................................................................................................... 36 1 DIRECTOR’S REPORT- HIGHLIGHTS OF 2012 2012 was a productive year for the New Zealand Tourism Research Institute. As the New Zealand economy began to emerge from the worst of the global financial crisis attention again turned to the need for tourism related research and development. With its wide portfolio of research skills and interests NZTRI was well positioned to respond to a new range of requests for local and national research – with one of the most exciting developments being the establishment of the ‘Get Local’ research program in Auckland City. As the new ‘super city’ grows, so it will need effective decision support systems to enhance visitor spend and community quality of life, NZTRI will play an ongoing role in supporting the development of Auckland tourism. The Institute was also engaged in a range of international projects throughout the year – with the South Pacific islands being a particular area of focus. The flow of new EU funds into the region to support the growth and development of tourism as a tool to create sustainable community development opened new research opportunities. The winning of an EU funded contract to review the tourism and hospitality human resource development needs of the regions’ tourism industry was a particular highlight and culminated in a regional workshop held in Samoa in December 2012. There were of course numerous other funded research highlights: important work conducted for DoC on the recreational use and value of New Zealand’s coastal environment; ongoing research into the nature of volunteers involved with the Rugby World Cup and significant research into the New Zealand museum sector. The Institute’s involvement with the Canadian Government funded Work in a Warming World project also continued to build AUT’s reputation internationally. The best thing about having a successful year in externally funded research activity, is that it enables the Institute to provide additional support for graduate students. Our students are presented with an opportunity to take part in tourism research that enhances their development as researchers and supplements their own thesis work. All new and existing students made very good progress during the year and we were also able to celebrate the successful completions of three PhDs and several MPhils. NZTRI continued to build links with the school of Hospitality and Tourism and with the broader Faculty. The Institute’s research officers have been responsible for assisting numerous staff with research and ethics related issues. NZTRI staff are also involved in a range of mentoring activities with School staff. The Institute also continued its tradition of crossing faculty and Institutional boundaries to develop inter-disciplinary research teams. 2012 was also a very positive year for community outreach and the generation of academic outputs. Our presence in the media together with direct interaction with communities, businesses and government through workshops and meetings, meant that we were able to continue to raise the profile of NZTRI and AUT both nationally and internationally. Our associate directors, staff and graduate students continued to publish cutting edge refereed journal articles, monographs and reports. The incredibly hard work of the NZTRI team in 2012, and our ongoing ability to build sustained relationships with a range of stakeholders in the community, public and private spheres, has placed us in a very strong position to develop research funding, academic outputs and graduate training in 2013. Simon Milne 2 RESEARCH PROGRAMMES The Institute’s Research Programme Areas (RPA) continued to develop and evolve. 2012 saw some rationalisation in the range of programme areas - with Health and Wellness being subsumed into the Hospitality and Community Development areas. The previous Access Tourism RPA was also phased out as a stand-alone entity and was instead added as a cross cutting theme across all programme areas. The RPAs at the end of 2012 (and their leaders) are: Cultural and Heritage Tourism – Jane Legget Supports the sustainability of museums, art galleries, historic buildings and other cultural and natural heritage enterprises. Tourism and Technology – Simon Milne, Ulrich Speidel and Carolyn Deuchar Strengthens collaborative and interdisciplinary research and development projects integrating the key themes of technology, tourism, social and economic well-being. Tourism and Community Development – Simon Milne and John Hull Assists local destinations in their efforts to meet the challenges and opportunities associated with the rapid globalisation of the travel and tourism industry. Coastal and Marine Tourism - Michael Lϋck and Mark Orams Key themes of coastal and marine tourism, the associated impacts, wildlife watching, education and interpretation, aquaria and marine parks, community development, small island tourism, the cruise industry, and related themes. Tourism Marketing – Ken Hyde Applies marketing theory and marketing research techniques to an understanding of tourists and the performance of businesses across tourism, travel and hospitality industries. Indigenous Tourism – Hamish Bremner Brings together people from a wide-range of backgrounds to support the development of appropriate indigenous tourism across the globe. Pacific Islands Tourism – Semisi Taumoepeau and Simon Milne Strengthens collaborative and interdisciplinary research and development projects that integrate tourism development with the social, cultural, environmental and economic well-being of the people in the Pacific Islands. Event Tourism – Geoff Dickson Research that adds value to industry, the professionals that work within it and the communities that they serve. Hospitality Research – Nigel Hemmington and Jill Poulston Undertakes research for the hospitality and related service industries, and seeks to improve connections between academia and industry. Each RPA works closely with the others and multi-faceted teams are often formed to address tourism stakeholder research needs. An additional strength of NZTRI is its ability to tap into 3 the resources