Abstract: In the challenging global tourism market, achieving, enhancing and sustaining competitiveness is crucial in order to gain a share of the visitor market. While a range of destination attributes contribute to sustainable tourism competitiveness, collaboration amongst stakeholders is argued by many as central to destination success and an important element of sustainable tourism development.

Abstract: The visit to a winery’s tasting room incorporates an element of service which plays a fundamental role in the wine tourism experience. A number of themes contribute to the winery experience which includes the winery surroundings, the level of service received, the product and ultimately the desire to purchase wine. An understanding of wine tourists purchasing behavior in relation to their perceptions of service delivery therefore remains vital to those who wish to succeed in the wine industry. The discussions in this paper are based upon the author’s Master’s thesis studies.

Abstract: Communication, culture, and ecology provide contexts for the rapidly growing practice of ecotourism. One way to begin to illustrate and critique the sustainable or restorative powers of ecotourism is to investigate the human discourses at play during ecotours and the cultural paradigms these discourses bring to light. Dr. Tema Milstein will discuss the ways culture and communication shape human relations with nature and the ways particular environmental relations are shaped in the settings of ecotourism. She will share examples from her current ethnographic study in New Zealand on wild dolphin swim tourism and her past ethnographic study on endangered orca tourism in North America.

Abstract: Portugal started its connection with the sea in the XVth Century, through the discovery of new territories in America, Africa and Asia. Due to the maritime traffic with the former colonies, the connections with the sea were important until 1974.

Portugal joined the European Union in 1986, and then the political choices led to priority investment in main land activities. As a consequence, Portugal almost lost its maritime vocation.
Beyond 2013 the EU will release a trust fund to support major important maritime affairs. With the current crisis and the tourist vocation and tradition that Portugal has, there is an urgent need to take this opportunity to relaunch the economy, bringing the population back to connect with the sea.

Abstract: Despite the recent efforts to revive the discourse on peace and tourism and the launch of two important publications: The Journal of Tourism and Peace Research and the text Tourism, Progress and Peace (Moufakkir & Kelly, 2010), this subject of study struggles to gain sufficient scholarly interest and remains under-researched. The broad ‘church’ of Tourism Studies, together with Hospitality Studies and the emerging field of Event Studies provide prisms through which the intricate relationships of objects, people, places, and environments can be further explored critically.

NZTRI is currently conducting an online Visitor Survey for the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation (CITC). This research is designed to provide a deeper understanding of the characteristics of visitors to the Cook Islands including their expectations and expenditure.Feedback from visitors to the Cook Islands will enable CITC to improve the visitor experience as well as support it to make good decisions about tourism in this beautiful island nation.

Are we doing enough to protect our visitors? It seems that almost daily the newspapers report on tourists, young and old, who have lost far more than a camera or a bag: on some occasions everything they are travelling with. Thankfully these events are almost always followed by genuinely heart-warming stories of Kiwis rallying around to help the victims.

NZTRI is working with the Albert-Eden Local Board (Auckland Council) on a research programme that is designed to stimulate local economic activity by raising the profile of the Albert-Eden area as a visitor destination. This type of local economic development can best be achieved by working with local businesses, visitor attractions and with residents to better understand the area’s identity and create a shared vision for local tourism.

Abstract:

The individualisation of tourism research has led to limited and fragmented research on families.

Abstract:The British Columbia tourism industry—post Olympics—is in a state of transition, and this presents an opportunity to compare practices with similar overseas destinations. There are enough similarities with the New Zealand tourism industry (population base, comparable range of tourism experiences, Pacific Rim location etc.) that we can benefit by exploring, and learning from each other, particularly in the field of tourism education and research. Terry Hood will present a brief and informal overview of the tourism infrastructure in “Super, Natural British Columbia”, and highlight current issues that are high on the radar for tourism professionals in the province.