Julia N. Albrecht

Networking for sustainable tourism – towards a research agenda

This paper proposes a research agenda for networking for sustainable tourism research based on a collaborative workshop of international tourism academics and researchers and an extensive review of the relevant literature. Each year, Building Excellence in Sustainable Tourism – an Education Network (BEST EN) holds a Think Tank on a topical issue in sustainable tourism education. One aim of the Think Tank is to develop a relevant research agenda that draws on the collective knowledge of participants and acknowledges the interdependent economic, environmental and social objectives in sustainable tourism. Six main areas were identified as important for a research agenda on networking for sustainable tourism and its implementation: theory, methodology and conceptual issues; actors, culture and power; lifecycle, evolution and dynamics of networks; knowledge transfer; macro-perspectives and strategic action, vision, innovation and management of networks. This paper presents and discusses these research themes in the context of a literature review on networks and networking for sustainability in tourism. It is found that substantial progress has been made in the investigation of private sector networks at the destination levels; research on networks involving public sector stakeholders and networks across sectors and levels of governance, however, remains limited.

Authentic Learning and Communities of Practice in Tourism Higher Education

This article examines the potential of guest lectures to function as tools for authentic learning in a tourism management program. Using a qualitative interpretive approach, semistructured interviews were conducted with a sample of 20 students from 11 undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Interview questions addressed the guest lectures as well as aspects of social learning insofar as they relate to authentic learning. It is found that guest lectures can contribute to authentic learning by adding an applied dimension to tourism higher education while simultaneously providing inspiration for career choice. Implications for program and curriculum development are considered.

Challenges in Tourism Strategy Implementation in Peripheral Destinations—The Case of Stewart Island, New Zealand

Peripheral tourism destinations face a variety of characteristic management challenges that differ from those experienced in more central destinations. While there is much literature addressing tourism strategy and management approaches in general, strategy implementation in peripheral destinations has not been investigated in great depth. This paper addresses this literature gap and examines tourism strategy implementation on Stewart Island, New Zealand. It is based on a qualitative investigation of implementation processes using content analysis, semi-structured and in-depth stakeholder interviews. First, challenges in tourism strategy and management in peripheral areas are presented and discussed with a specific focus of the roles and significance of various stakeholders. Implementation challenges identified include issues related to control over the implementation environments, the involvement of volunteers and low levels of government support. The serendipitous nature of planning at the community level adds to the lack of control over potential outcomes of tourism management in peripheral destinations.

Micro-mobility patterns and service blueprints as foundations for visitor management planning

This paper proposes the use of micro-mobility patterns and service blueprints in visitor management planning. It argues that such planning approaches can improve management outcomes as well as visitor experiences whilst adding efficiency to the relevant management processes. The paper is based on the findings of visitor research on visitor flows and perceptions of visitor management in a nature-based tourism attraction in Wellington, New Zealand. These findings are used to adapt a service blueprint for the overall attraction to separately reflect visitor experiences of international visitors and New Zealanders. The paper posits that it is thus possible to identify and subsequently address the visitor management requirements of different visitor groups. Implications are discussed at three levels; first, for the case study attraction; second, for tourism attractions more broadly; third, conceptual implications for visitor management research are considered. Specific findings include the differences in micro-mobilities found across different market sectors, the need to improve signposting to offer distance and time guidance, the importance of topography, the potential to spread usage pressures across sites and the future potential to use mobile GPS units to obtain more detailed information.

Roles of intangible cultural heritage in tourism in natural protected areas

ABSTRACT The ‘new paradigm’ for protected areas emphasizes communities and their cultural assets, including intangible cultural heritage, as critical and inseparable parts of these areas. As tourism can be a significant factor in the economic framework of natural protected areas (NPAs), the prominent role of the community can have important implications. This paper reports on one of the first empirical studies on the interaction between intangible cultural heritage and tourism in an NPA with a special focus on the role of intangible cultural heritage. It is based on six months of qualitative ethnographic fieldwork in Qeshm Geopark, in the South of Iran. Local intangible cultural heritage is found to manifest and be used in tourism in three distinct ways: First, as a source of attraction and addition to any tourism offerings; second, as conservation tool, especially where the natural environment has strong cultural meanings for the local community; and third, as a driver for facilitating culturally and naturally sensitive behaviour by visitors. Concluding statements address any conceptual and practical implications.