RESEARCH INTERESTS
I have
summarised my research interests below. Note that some sections contain hyperlinks that
will take you to my research activities in these areas.
- Tourist Attractions – It is generally accepted that attractions
are not well understood. Attraction research has tended to focus on the
characteristics of visitors, with little attention given to the characteristics of
attraction businesses. I am specifically interested in the supply side of attraction
research - their characteristics, how they function, what makes them successful and so
forth.
- Tourism Management and Marketing – I am very interested in how
tourism organisations manage and market themselves. The managerial characteristics of
tourism firms seem to be under-researched and there are opportunities to identify areas of
excellence as well as opportunities for improvement. Specific areas include strategic
planning, marketing and management styles.
- Tourism Technology – Virgo's are supposed to be technocentric, and
this is definitely the case when it comes to my interests. I have a strong interest in new
technological innovations and how they can benefit tourism. Specific interests include the
Internet, ocean cruise liners, space tourism, virtual reality
and so forth.
- Regional Tourism
– I have always felt that a large proportion of the real
action in Tourism happens at a regional level. I am interested in how regional bodies go
about planning for tourism and also in finding ways to improve management and operations
at the regional level.
If you have any questions or
feedback please email me at: Pierre.Benckendorff@jcu.edu.au |
