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RESOURCES: PAPERS & PRESENTATIONS

Author : Sara Currie & Lindsay Turner
School/Work Place : Victoria University, Australia
Contact : lindsay.turner@vu.edu.au
Year : 2014

Since Timor-Leste gained its independence in 2002, tourism has been promoted by both government and NGOs as a means to create jobs, build businesses, create income for national and local economics and improve regional economic imbalances (Timor-Leste Government, 2011). Further, there are few options outside tourism for the young, oil-dependent nation to diversity its economy, and Timor-Leste is fortunate to be blessed with the natural, cultural and historic assets that make it an ideal candidate for tourism. However, since independence, progress has been slow. Data for tourism arrivals is scarce and in many cases contradictory, while poor infrastructure, inflated prices and limited choice with regard to accommodation and restaurants continue to impede development.

Further, due to its tumultuous history, Timor-Leste also struggles from a negative international perception. Despite a decade of relative peace and safety, the perception persists that Timor-Leste is dangerous and unstable (Carlos & Carlos, 2011). While tourists are reluctant to visit countries they believe to be prone to political strife and perceived internal problems (Ryan & Silvanto, 2010) in some cases, this perception is based on stereotypes in the media or past political unrest (Vitic & Ringer, 2008). In the case of Timor-Leste, it could be argued the country’s ‘image’ of instability is taking longer to repair than the instability itself and having a detrimental effect on tourist numbers.

Since independence, the Timor-Leste government has promoted sustainable tourism as an important means to diversify the young nation’s economy and create much needed employment, particularly outside the capital of Dili (Cabasset-Semedo 2009; Timor-Leste-Government 2011). Thus marketing the destination as ready for tourism will be as crucial as tourism planning itself.

Unfortunately, there is still an absence of marketing literature from a supply-side perspective. While a considerable amount of research has been undertaken into the desires, motivations and behaviours of tourists, host perspectives still remain largely overlooked (Brickell, 2012). A lack of supply-side perspective leaves us ‘somewhat in the dark’ and is problematic given the representation of one’s culture evokes emotions in many societies and cultures (Konecnik & Go, 2008). Therefore, this paper seeks to better understand the current tourism environment of Timor-Leste from an internal stakeholder perspective. In doing so, it aims to enhance stakeholder collaboration to develop cohesive and effective marketing ideas for the development of tourism in Timor-Leste.


List of Articles
No. Subject Viewssort Date
274 Think Tank XII Slow Travellers - Who Are They, and What Motivates Them? file 5035 Nov 06, 2013

Tourism’s contribution to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is estimated to be around 5% and is forecast to grow rapidly, to around 16% of global emissions by 2020. Future strategies for mitigation must address the levels of demand for t...

Author: Derek Robbins & Jaedong Cho 

Year: 2012 

OPA: 2012 Outstanding Paper Award Winner 

273 Think Tank XIV Influence of Assets and Capital Structure on the Perfo... file 5126 Jun 26, 2014

The global economic and financial crisis could be seen as old news according to the UNWTO’s data on international tourist arrivals. Europe recorded a solid 5% growth in 2013, and Mediterranean countries performed even better with 6% growth i...

Author: Kir Kuščer & Domen Trobec 

Year: 2014 

272 Think Tank XVI CSR in Medical Toursim – new markets, new responsibili... file 5132 Jul 02, 2016

Governments, hospitals, clinics and facilitators go about their business of marketing health tourism to international patients and their relatives. While they focus on making money researchers should ask questions about changes raised by th...

Author: Kerstin Heuwinkel 

Year: 2016 

271 Think Tank XV The role of souvenir vendors in the cultural sustainab... file 5140 Jul 27, 2015

The research investigated the role of souvenir vendors in sustaining the social-cultural authenticity of Chichen Itza’s host community, a Mexican UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS) (UNESCO, 2015a). The case study evaluated the Maya-descent ven...

Author: Ady Milman 

Year: 2015 

» Think Tank XIV Stakeholder Collaboration and Contestation in Tourism ... file 5156 Jun 26, 2014

Since Timor-Leste gained its independence in 2002, tourism has been promoted by both government and NGOs as a means to create jobs, build businesses, create income for national and local economics and improve regional economic imbalances (Ti...

Author: Sara Currie & Lindsay Turner 

Year: 2014 

269 Think Tank VIII Tourism-led Amenity Migration and the Transformation o... file 5202 Oct 13, 2013

Global economic and political change has stimulated an explosion in tourism-led migration flows resulting in unprecedented transformation in the form and condition of impacted communities (Woods, 2006). This increase in human migration to ar...

Author: Alison M. Gill 

Year: 2008 

268 Think Tank XIV Sustainability and the Politics of Place in Resort Des... file 5202 Jun 26, 2014

The nature of a resort will reflect the varying coalitions, partnerships and discourses that emerge from the relative power of actors within the dominant political regime (Gill 2007). In this paper we examine the evolving discourse around th...

Author: Alison M. Gill & Peter W. Williams 

Year: 2014 

267 Think Tank XVII The Role of Tour guide for Sustainable Tourism with th... file 5241 Aug 17, 2017

The emergence of information technology has a profound impact on tourism industry. Today, visitors are more inclined to have searched the Internet to gain more pre-tour knowledge for the destinations than before. The advances of the various ...

Author: Daisy Suk-fong FUNG 

Year: 2017 

266 Think Tank XV Perceptions of local communities participation in rura... file 5247 Jul 27, 2015

In order to maximize the benefits and minimize the costs, rural communities should be able to participate actively in all aspects of tourism, including planning and management. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the local communit...

Author: Limpho Lekaota & Jarkko Saarined 

Year: 2015 

265 Think Tank VIII A Framework for Work-Life Balance Practices in the Tou... file 5262 Oct 13, 2013

This paper addresses the key issues surrounding the debate over work-life balance. It provides an overview of current thinking in the general work environment, with specific focus on the issue within the tourism industry. This paper present...

Author: Margaret Deery & Leo Jago 

Year: 2008 

OPA: 2008 Outstanding Paper Award Winner 

264 Think Tank IV Tourism focused NGO's - An Online Content Analysis file 5271 Oct 13, 2013

The number of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) increased from 31,246 to 37,281 (19.3%) between 1990 and 2000, (Human Development Report, 2002). The importance of NGOs is documented in United Nations Local Agenda 21 Chapter 27, 'Strength...

Author: Meng-Mei Chen & James Holleran 

Year: 2004 

263 Think Tank VI Corporate Social Responsibility and Employees in Susta... file 5292 Oct 13, 2013

The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has developed significantly over the last decade and has taken on a myriad of meanings. For many companies, it is a philosophy that helps guide their actions in the external environment. E...

Author: Margaret Deery & Leo Jago 

Year: 2006 

262 Think Tank XV Social Representations of Tourist Selfies: New Challen... file 5306 Jul 27, 2015

A number of recent incidents have focussed media attention on the phenomenon of tourist selfies, described their negative consequences for tourist destinations and identified a number of challenges for tourist site managers. This paper repor...

Author: John Pearce & Gianna Moscardo 

Year: 2015 

261 Think Tank X Re-thinking Resort Growth and Governance: An Evolution... file 5360 Oct 13, 2013

Rapid growth in resort areas, combined with environmental and market stresses, has recently created concern amongst resort decision-makers about future paths of development. Growth models have operated effectively in maintaining resort comp...

Author: Alison M. Gill & Peter W. Williams 

Year: 2010 

260 Think Tank XIV Exploring the Relationship between General Environment... file 5362 Jun 26, 2014

These challenges raise the questions of how to determine who is environmentally friendly, i.e. who is potentially part of this group acknowledging the range and diversity in environmental behaviours and their uptake. An alternative approach ...

Author: Anja Hergesell 

Year: 2014 

259 Think Tank XIII City Slicker to Roo Carer: The Journey of a Wildlife V... file 5390 Nov 06, 2013

The level of interest and participation in voluntourism has progressively become a major sector in contemporary tourism. The notion of combining a novel and pleasurable tourism experience with the fulfillment of contributing a worthwhile cau...

Author: Eunice Tan 

Year: 2013 

258 OPA award Sustainable Tourism on a Mass Tourism Island: An Explo... file 5418 Oct 23, 2019

Key words: sustainable tourism, mass tourism, sustainable urban development, environmental sustainability Page: 86-114 Sustainable Tourism on a Mass Tourism Island.pdf Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ ta...

Author: Kate Devor Leuhusen 

Year: 2019 

257 Think Tank X Agenda 21, the Internet and Globalization – Creating a... file 5495 Oct 13, 2013

This paper discusses the contemporary meeting of three large-scale systems or processes - Agenda 21, the Internet and globalization - and what this historical conjunction means for networking sustainable tourism development. It is important...

Author: Gordon Sillence & Herbert Hamele 

Year: 2010 

256 Think Tank XII Mobile Learning for Sustainable Tourism Development: T... file 5495 Nov 06, 2013

This paper examines how mobility in higher tourism education may contribute to a dynamic leaning environment capable of integrating transnational and intercultural learning for sustainable tourism development. Central to this is the opening ...

Author: Janne J. Liburd 

Year: 2012 

255 Think Tank IV After the Sydney Olympic Games: Sustainable Infrastruc... file 5516 Oct 13, 2013

Olympic Games epitomize the definition of a mega event, due to the size and scope that these events have in terms of participation, worldwide viewing and infrastructure development. However with the commercialization of these events over the...

Author: Sacha Reid 

Year: 2004 

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