Research focus for tourism conference

6 December 2004

Research focus for tourism conference

Research and the role that it plays in New Zealand's economy and society is the focus of a major conference on tourism to be held at Rutherford House (23 Lambton Quay) this week.

Organised by the Tourism Group in Victoria University's Victoria Management School, the theme of the fifth biennial New Zealand Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference, which runs from December 8-10, is "tourism research: advances and applications."

Dr Adam Weaver, Lecturer in Tourism Management, says many of the 95 papers at the conference will address recent advances in tourism and hospitality research.

Tourism makes important contributions to the New Zealand economy; it creates employment, generates foreign exchange earnings and attracts investment. Tourism has become one of the country’s most prominent industries and is responsible for almost 10 percent of New Zealand's GDP.

Research is critical to understanding the current state of the industry. Research findings are useful to policymakers, business owners, educators and members of the wider community.

Dr Weaver says conference sessions will address a wide array of themes and topics: planning and management, sustainability, tourism education, risk, entrepreneurship, and wine tourism. Delegates include tourism and hospitality researchers from New Zealand and 15 other countries.

The Minister of Tourism, Hon Mark Burton, will open the conference at 9am on December 8 and host a reception for delegates at Parliament in the evening.

On December 8, a special afternoon session co-hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and the Tourism Research Council New Zealand: Smart Information, Smart Decisions – Applying Research in Tourism. The purpose of the session, to be held at Rutherford House at 2pm, is to generate dialogue between research providers and users. The session will be chaired by Lex Henry (TRCNZ Chair) and panellists include Vaughan Schwass (Tourism New Zealand), Bruce Bassett (Ministry of Tourism), Julie Warren (CRESA), Professor Douglas Pearce (Victoria University of Wellington), and Campbell Moore (InterIsland Line). This session is free entry, but please RSVP.

ENDS

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