2017 projects

National parks have an iconic status in people’s minds but a limited amount is known about how well they are meeting societal needs. This project analysed the ‘position’ that parks occupy in Australian society. Interventions to re-position parks were tested and evaluated. In tandem, experimental approaches and cutting edge models were used to analyse the influences on park visitors’ experiences and their loyalty. The project enhanced national parks as an integral part of today and tomorrow’s society as well as providing a suite of research tools for park managers and the recreation and leisure industry.

TRC Researchers: A/Prof Ross Taplin
Other researchers: Moore, S.A., Weiler, B.V., Newsome, D., Hall, E.J., Zanon, D. and Smith, A.
Funding: ARC – Australian Research Council Linkage Research Project 2011201

Further information:

• Moore, S.A., Rodger, K. and Taplin, R.H. (2017). Developing a better understanding of the complexities of visitor loyalty to Karijini National Park, Western Australia. Tourism Management, 62: 20-28.
• Taplin, R.H., Rodger, K. and Moore, S. (2016). A Method for Testing the Effect of Management Interventions on the Satisfaction and Loyalty of National Park Visitors. Leisure Sciences. 38(2) 140-160. DOI http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01490400.2015.1077178.
• Rodgers, K, Taplin, R. and Moore, S. (2015). Using a randomised experiment to test the causal effect of service quality on visitor satisfaction and loyalty in a remote national park. Tourism Management, 50: 172-183.
• Moore, S.A., Rodger, K. and Taplin, R. (2015). Moving beyond visitor satisfaction to loyalty in nature-based tourism: a review and research agenda. Current Issues in Tourism, 18: 667-683.
• Smith, A.J., Tuffin, M., Taplin, R.H., Moore, S.A and Tonge, J. (2014). Visitor segmentation for a park system using research and managerial judgement. Journal of Ecotourism, 13: 93-109.
• Moore, S.A. and Taplin, R (2014). A benchmarking method for visitor management by national park agencies. Visitor Studies, 17: 107-127.

The rapid growth of the sharing economy in recent years has challenged traditional economies. A very prominent example in tourism is the online platform Airbnb that enables people to list, find and book accommodations. Although Airbnb has also become a reality in Western Australia (WA) information on its extent and impact on the state’s tourism sector was scant. This study has significantly contributed to closing the existing knowledge gap on the Airbnb phenomenon in WA. Its findings offer new empirical insights, which are of interest to government agencies and the tourism sector and provide a valuable source of data to inform policy debate.

TRC Researchers: A/Prof Christof Pforr, Dr Michael Volgger
Other researchers: Dr Kylie Coulson (Curtin University)
Funding: Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, Tourism Western Australia

Since the 1970s, Australia and New Zealand have emerged as attractive destinations and are now firmly integrated in the international tourism industry. Yet there have been few if any explorations of this theme in the German-speaking academic literature. Written by international experts, this book makes a major contribution to understanding the unique features of the tourist economy of these destinations. The book will be published in October 2017 by De Gruyter Oldenbourg.

TRC Researchers: A/Prof Christof Pforr
Other researchers: Dirk Reiser (Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Germany)
Contributors are from Germany, Austria, Australia and New Zealand
Further information: https://www.degruyter.com/view/product/450026

• Pforr, C. and Reiser, D. (eds) 2017. Tourismus in Australien und Neuseeland. Berlin: De Gruyter Oldenbourg (ISBN 978-3-11-042454-6, in print)