VU researchers share ideas on future of tourism at annual conference
VU researchers last week joined the first ever online annual conference of the Council for Australasian Tourism and Hospitality Education, CAUTHE2021, to share ideas on the future of the region’s tourism, hospitality and events industries.
CAUTHE was established in 1992, and represents higher education providers of bachelor degree level and above in Australia and New Zealand involved in the teaching, research and/or administration of the sector.
Seven VU papers were among the conference’s 137 papers presented on this year’s conference theme: Transformations in Uncertain Times: Future perfect in tourism, hospitality and events.
VU papers at CAUTHE2021
Community-Related Factors Influencing ‘Investment-Readiness’ Of Local Government Areas in Regional Australia
(Alexandra Law, Joanne Pyke, Terry DeLacy, and Michael G. McGrath)
Through semi-structured interviews, this paper investigated community factors influencing the investment-readiness of local government areas in regional Australia with an aim to better understand why some major tourism investment projects suddenly face unexpected community backlash despite the project aligning with the council’s strategic direction.
The Importance Of Multi-Level Connections For Tourism Destination Resilience
(Gabrielle Lindsay-Smith, Ancy Gamage , Salsabil Shaikh, Joanne Pyke, and Terry de Lacy)
This research was based on two case studies in the regional tourism destinations of Echuca-Moama and Bright – both of which were impacted by COVID-19 and the 2019-2020 bushfires. With an aim to explore the adaptive capacity of tourism destinations to disasters, it found a human-centred socioecological framework was useful to explore adaptive capacity from the bottom up.
Surviving Multiple Shocks: Vulnerabilities And Resilience Of Tourism SMEs In Victoria, Australia
(Ancy Gamage, Joanne Pyke, Van Khan Nguyen, and Gabrielle Lindsay - Smith)
This paper explores the impact of bushfires and COVID-19 on small and medium-sized tourism businesses in Victoria to identify factors that contribute to their vulnerability and resilience.
Influence Of Stakeholders On Environmental Sustainability
(Ajay Khatter, Leanne White, Joanne Pyke, and G. Michael McGrath)
Through one-on-one interviews with hotel managers, this study presented findings of the influence of stakeholders on Environmentally Sustainable Policies and Practices (ESPPs) in the Australian hotel industry, finding that implementing environmental sustainability in the sector industry is complex due to the presence of many stakeholders with differing agendas.
Resident Behavioural Support For Cruise Tourism: A Case Study Of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
(Tien Bich Ma, Anne-Marie Hede, Thu-Huong Nguyen, and Romana Garma)
In light of the setbacks the global cruise industry experienced in 2020, this research explored the relationships between cruise tourism and residents’ quality of life, with findings showing it plays an important role in the development of successful recovery policies and strategies of cruise tourism.
Mobile Marketing Effects On Customer Restaurant Selection In Saudi Arabia
(Mshari Aljabra, Romana Garma, and Colin Drake)
This study introduced a conceptual model of factors influencing customer adoption of mobile marketing channels, Instagram and Google maps when they select dine-in restaurants in Saudi Arabia.
Modelling Factors Affecting Religious Tourism Flows To Saudi Arabia
(Eman Alanzi,, Nada Kulen Kulendran, and Thu-Huong Nguyen)
This study looked at the impact of several variables in religious tourism demand, which is a major contributor to Saudi Arabia’s economy and will play an important role in the "Vision 2030", which seeks to diversify the Saudi Arabia's economy.
