The Professor Philip Pearce Award for the CAUTHE Conference Best Full Paper is named in honour of Prof Philip L. Pearce, the Foundation Professor of Tourism in Australia and an ardent supporter of CAUTHE from its outset. Prof Pearce is best known for his works on tourist behaviour, tourist motivation and the psychology of tourism. He is also widely recognised as one of the leaders in the field who established tourism research in the Australasian region.

This award is open to all full papers submitted and accepted for the conference. The award is for refereed papers submitted to the Conference Committee in full, by a date specified by the committee. A double-blind, peer reviewed selection process is used for conference papers. Referees are requested to nominate the best papers submitted to the conference. The nominated papers are judged by a sub-committee of the Conference Committee. The winner is presented with a certificate at the Annual Conference Dinner or Closing Ceremony).

Selection Criteria

Topic – of relevance and importance to the wider field of tourism, hospitality and events research
Content – innovative, original and support a set of findings, implications and conclusions with significant potential and value
Choice and implementation of methodology – clearly explained by the author(s)
Writing style – accurate, clear, concise and readable

Previous Winners

2024 Assoc Prof Uwe Hermann, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa and Pieter Hertzog Du Toit, University of Pretoria, South Africa  Exploring the desired attributes of postgraduate tourism students by means of an international delphi study

2023 Dr. Mohammad Shahidul Islam from the Brac University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Experiences of smiles and eye contact at hotels: A video elicited focus group study

2022 Dr Lizette Olivier, University of Newcastle, Towards a conceptual model of perceived value in hallmark events in a ‘post-COVID-19’ marketplace

2021 Dr Denis Tolkach, James Cook University, Transformations of Capoeira through travel 

2020 Dr. Émilie Crossley, Otago Polytechnic, Time and temporality: qualitative longitudinal research in tourism studies

2019 Hera Oktadiana and Philip L. Pearce, James Cook University, Losing touch: Uncomfortable encounters with tourism technology

2018 Richard Aquino, Michael Lück and Heike Schänzel, Auckland University of Technology, Tourism Social Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Community Development: Review and Conceptual Framework

2017 Associate Professor Pierre Benckendorff and Mengya Shu (Lavender), The University of Queensland, Playing the numbers: Research impact benchmarks for tourism, hospitality and events scholars

2016 Philip Pearce, James Cook University, Australia; Hera Oktadiana, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong and Zhe Wang, Shanghai International Studies University, China ‘How do I look?’ An ethological study of posing for the tourist photograph

2015 Professor Condrad Lashley, Stenden University of Applied Sciences, UK, Identifying and measuring hospitableness

2014 Girish Prayag, University of Canterbury, Spirituality and Tourism Impacts: The Ayahuasca Experience. Co-authors: Dr Paolo Mura, Prof Michael Hall and Julien Fontaine

2013 Kevin Moore, Lincoln University and Mark McNeill, AgResearch, Lincoln, The Research Interface Between Biosecurity and Tourist Behaviour

2012 Alana Harris, William Angliss Institute, Victoria, Preceding Factors in Joining a Social Network: The Case of Sunbird Caravanners in Northern Australia.

2011 Dianne Dredge, Southern Cross University; Pierre Benckendorff, University of Queensland; Michele Day, Southern Cross University; Michael J. Gross, University of South Australia; Maree Walo, Southern Cross University; Paul Weeks, Sydney Hotel School/Southern Cross University; Paul Whitelaw, Victoria University; Conceptualising the Perfect Blend in the Tourism and Hospitality Curriculum Space

2010 Karen Smith, University of Wellington, NZ and Kirsten Holmes, Curtin University, WA, Volunteers and tourism destination services: Challenging the limits of tourism volunteering research

2010 Additional sponsored awards

• Demand, Consumer Behaviour and Marketing stream, sponsored by Tourism Research Australia: Hotel restaurant dining: the relationship between perceived value and intention to purchase, Ann Suwaree Ashton and Noel Scott, University of Queensland
• Destination Management stream sponsored by UNSW: Volunteers and tourism destination services, Karen Smith, Victoria University of Wellington and Kirsten Holmes, Curtin University
• The Ethics, Environment and Sustainability stream sponsored by Taylor and Francis: Identifying the ecotourist market using the core criteria of ecotourism: is there a true ecotourist that seeks nature, learning and sustainability? Narelle Beaumont, University of Southern Queensland
• Tourism and Hospitality Education stream sponsored by Elsevier: Challenging undergraduate hospitality students – the use of debates as interactive teaching and assessment tools, Johan Edelheim, Southern Cross University
• Heritage Tourism stream sponsored by UTAS Faculty of Business: World Heritage-themed souvenirs for Asian tourists: Asian modernity melds with Macau cultural heritage, Hilary du Cros, Institute For Tourism Studies, Macau
• Combined Stream sponsored by the UTAS Faculty of Business: An integrated approach to research and innovation in food production, Svetlana Rodgers, University of Western Sydney
• Best Curriculum Paper sponsored by the ALTC Curriculum Project: Indigenous Australia and Tourism Education: An exploratory analysis of Indigenous cultural content in undergraduate tourism curricula, Andrew Peters, Swinburne University of Technology
• New Directions for Tourism and Hospitality Theory stream sponsored by John Wiley: Young women and their physical appearance on holiday, Jennie Small, University of Technology, Sydney
• Sport and Event Tourism stream sponsored by UTAS Faculty of Business: Event governance: the rhetoric and reality of the World Rally Championship, Northern Rivers, NSW, Dianne Dredge, Emma-Jane Ford, Matt Lamont, Giang Phi, Michelle Whitford and Peter Wynn-Moylan, Southern Cross University

2009 Pierre Benckendorf, James Cook University, Queensland, Themes and trends in Australian and New Zealand tourism research: a social network analysis of citations in two leading journals (1994-2007).

2008 Associate Professor John Hall, V John Basarin and Dr Leonie Lockstone, Deakin University, Analysis of satisfaction at Gallipoli on Anzac Day, 2007: results of a survey of event participants.

2008 Additional awards

• Scientific Committee Award for Research Information Exchange Presentation: Dr. Taketo Naoi, Okayama Shoka University, Japan, Applying the caption evaluation method to research historical districts as tourism destinations.
• Best Research Paper Reviewer: Dr Robert Mason, Victoria University, Australia

2007 David Solnet, University of Queensland, Employee-customer linkages: a social identification perspective in a hotel industry context.

2006 Tom Baum, University of Strathclyde, Reflections on the nature of skills in the experience economy: challenging traditional skills models in hospitality.

2005 Bruce Prideaux, James Cook University, Brian King, Victoria University and Larry Dwyer, University of New South Wales, Effect of unethical business practices on Australian Inbound Package Tourism.

2004 Dean Carson and Kim Adams, Southern Cross University, Strategic knowledge management in tourism: Effectiveness and constraints.

See BEST PAPER AWARD TESTIMONIALS