Lincoln University Welcomes Double Success

Media Release – Embargoed until 2pm
18 July 2007

Lincoln University Welcomes Double Success

Tourism Research Wins Full Support

Lincoln University’s tourism research centre is one of the big winners in the latest allocation of funding from the Foundation for Research Science Technology, with funding approved for two major programmes designed to improve the industry’s long term outlook.

The University will receive $962,000 for a programme to help the industry adapt to rising oil prices; and $1.5million to improve the profitability of tourism businesses through a model for targeting high-yield visitors. The funding is for three years and four years respectively.

The research around global oil prices follows on from an earlier Lincoln University study which examined indicators of energy intensity for New Zealand’s top 10 international visitor markets. It aims to provide tourism industry organisations with a set of policies, systems and products to manage the risk of further oil prices rises and improve economic yield from international markets. Lincoln University’s Dr Susanne Becken will manage the research, with key collaborations being provided by the Ministry of Tourism, private-sector research unit Covec Ltd, and Landcare Research, a Crown Research Institute.

The “spatial yield” programme will aim to improve financial yield per visitor by developing a model for identifying the spending patterns for various types of tourists and itineraries, so that new tourism products and interventions can be developed. Professor David Simmons, the programme leader and Director of the University’s Tourism Recreation Research and Education Centre (TRREC) says the model will be available to a range of tourism planning organisations, including Local Government New Zealand and Ngai Tahu Tourism, and will also be used by Transit New Zealand. Key research providers are the Department of Conservation and the Ministry of Tourism.

Lincoln University Vice Chancellor Roger Field says the research is vital to plan for a robust and adaptive tourism sector. “Tourism contributes 19% of New Zealand’s export revenue, but is highly vulnerable to the price of oil. It is critical that these risks are managed so that the industry’s contribution to the economy, currently around $8.1billion per year, can be maintained and grown.

“The development of a tourism sector model of visitors’ choices and spending decisions is an important goal for an industry which needs to improve financial yield to encourage further investment. A 5% increase in yield would produce an additional $33million in export revenue.”

“The success of these programmes is a real milestone for the tourism sector. It is also a reflection of the strong collaborations that have been formed between Lincoln University and key stakeholders in tourism planning, and the linkages we have with the industry.”

Ends

© Scoop Media