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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
25 Think Tank XIV Exploring Youth Perspectives on Quality of Life and To... file 2712 Jun 26, 2014

The concept of Quality of Life (QoL) is implicit in conceptualisations of tourism, especially those used to develop and guide tourism policy and planning. At the individual level it is assumed that travel offers a number of different ways to...

Author: Anna Blackman, Gianna Moscardo, Andrea Schurmann & Laurie Murphy 

Year: 2014 

24 Think Tank XIV Sustainability and the Politics of Place in Resort Des... file 3017 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 

23 Think Tank XIV The Prospects for Sustainable Tourism in Vanuatu in th... file 3293 Jun 26, 2014

This paper explores the feasibility for Vanuatu of implementing several key international recommendations for policy-makers for the sustainable development (SD) of national tourism sectors (UNEP-WTO, 2005). It shows that the remarkable fragm...

Author: Valentina Dinica 

Year: 2014 

» Think Tank XIV Stakeholder Collaboration and Contestation in Tourism ... file 3348 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 

21 Think Tank XIV Hospitality of Sustainable Tourism Encounters: Experie... file 3634 Jun 26, 2014

Global tourism is, at least to some extent, based upon to the vast inequalities between wealthy and impoverished (Cole & Morgan 2010, xv). Neglecting, or actively forgetting, the legacy of colonialism and the modern forms of economic and...

Author: Emily Höckert 

Year: 2014 

20 Think Tank XIV Residents' Support for Tourism from the Standpoint of ... file 3789 Jun 26, 2014

Therefore, being of a different nature than sustainability pillars, political sustainability (Mihalic et al., 2012) is a requirement for sustainable tourism development (Edgell, DelMastro Allen, Smith & Swanson, 2008; UNWTO, 2004). This ...

Author: Tanja Mihalič, Tina Šegota, Ljubica Knežević Cvelbar, Kir Kuščer 

Year: 2014 

19 Think Tank XIV Leadership at the Nexus: Exploring the Connection betw... file 4099 Jun 26, 2014

The development of sustainable and competitive tourism destinations is contingent upon many factors including the creation of inclusive policy (Pforr, 2006), the development and implementation of strategic plans (Jordan, Vogt, Kruger, and Gr...

Author: Whitney Knollenberg & Nancy Gard McGehee 

Year: 2014 

18 Think Tank XIV Sustainable Tourism Mobility: Recommended Strategies f... file 4187 Jun 26, 2014

Transport is a vital and integral component of the tourism system yet it contributes the most emissions in tourism (Dubois, Peeters, Ceron, & Gössling, 2011; Peeters & Dubois, 2010). In line with the global concerns for sustainabilit...

Author: Diem-Trinh Le-Klähn 

Year: 2014 

17 Think Tank XIV Local Networks as Sustainable Policy Instruments: A Ca... file 4236 Jun 27, 2014

In this case study, a communication network among local hotel managers was examined, first to assess the extent of communication among hotel managers, and second to identify influential members within the network. Communication with respect ...

Author: Karen Irene Thal & Tracy Burkett 

Year: 2014 

16 Think Tank XIV Tourism Concessions in National Parks: Neo-liberal Too... file 4803 Jun 26, 2014

For the tourism sector the government aims to “Grow the number of new business opportunities on public conservation land in order to deliver increased economic prosperity and conservation gain” (New Zealand Government, 2012: 23). In relation...

Author: Valentina Dinica 

Year: 2014 

15 Think Tank XIV Exploring the potential of Community Based Ecotourism ... file 5179 Jun 27, 2014

Development in developing countries often results in mass land-use change and subsequent increase in greenhouse gas emission by deforestation or forest degradation. For instance, approximately a-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions was a...

Author: Stephen Wearing, Paul Chatterton, Amy Reggers & Hanna Sakata 

Year: 2014 

14 Think Tank XIV The Emergence of Cross-border Governance Structures: t... file 5256 Jun 26, 2014

It is well recognized that the local borders of a tourism destination are not easy to delineate as they are constantly changing through complex practices and discourses due to historical, political, and economic factors. In fact, recent stud...

Author: Dani Blasco, Jaume Guia & Lluís Prats 

Year: 2014 

13 Think Tank XIV Psychological Empowerment as Good Policy for Governanc... file 5264 Jun 26, 2014

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the potential impact psychological empowerment can have on sustainable tourism policy objectives, including improving resident attitudes toward tourism, enhancing destination competitiveness, and maint...

Author: B. Bynum Boley & Nancy Gard McGehee 

Year: 2014 

12 Think Tank XIV Exploring Policy, Politics and Governance through Stak... file 5283 Jun 27, 2014

This paper looks at the development of an ecotrekking industry on the Kokoda Track and demonstrates how the use of participatory methods in community based tourism can align two different “regimes of truth” (that of the community and of the ...

Author: Stephen Wearing, Paul Chatterton & Amy Reggers 

Year: 2014 

11 Think Tank XIV Development of a Certification System for Sustainable ... file 5448 Jun 27, 2014

Tourism destinations are complex entities that can be defined as geographical areas of different sizes that are being visited by tourists. Most definitions then differentiate between the perspectives of those living in and managing a destina...

Author: Wolfgang Strasdas 

Year: 2014 

10 Think Tank XIV Can "Slow Travel" Contribute to Sustainable Tourism? file 5791 Jun 27, 2014

Slow travel as a research field has increased in popularity in the last decade. The concept started to gain attention through online communities, and tourism researchers have become interested in the possible benefits that slow travel may ha...

Author: Tina Roenhovde Tiller 

Year: 2014 

9 Think Tank XIV The Roles of the Public, Private and Voluntary Sector ... file 6351 Jun 26, 2014

Social tourism refers to initiatives that aim to include groups into tourism that would otherwise be excluded from it. The earliest definition of social tourism by Hunzicker (1951) described social tourism as ‘‘the relationships and phenomen...

Author: Lynn Minnaert 

Year: 2014 

8 Think Tank XIV A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Sustainab... file 7202 Jun 26, 2014

Emerging tourist destinations can challenge ecological, economic, social, and quality of life barriers. These issues draw attention towards the consequences of increasing complexity that are often found as a tourist marketing system grows an...

Author: Sarah Duffy & Larry Dwyer 

Year: 2014 

OPA: 2014 Outstanding Paper Award Winner 

7 Think Tank XIV A Multi-Stakeholder Perspective on Sustainable Tourism... file 7326 Jun 26, 2014

In this study, I take up the task to work towards a theoretical and methodological framework that allows using sustainability as a threshold concept for critically evaluating the assumptions embedded in both tourism management theory and pra...

Author: José-Carlos García-Rosell 

Year: 2014 

6 Think Tank XIV Sustainable tourism, market failures and the challenge... file 10968 Jul 07, 2014

David's presentation outlines the major market failures in tourism production and consumption and questions the changing role of (public sector) governments in market regulation and ‘economic’ development. The presentation focuses specifical...

Author: David G. Simmons 

Year: 2014 

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