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Office OBS 8.12
Email neil.carr@otago.ac.nz

Background

Since obtaining his PhD in tourism geography from the University of Exeter in 1998, Neil has worked as a lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire (UK), a lecturer and senior lecturer at the University of Queensland (Australia), and a senior lecturer at the University of Otago (New Zealand).

Research interests

Neil's research encompasses a variety of interests that utilise tourism and leisure experiences as a cross-disciplinary lens through which to view behaviour; with a particular emphasis on children and families, identity formation, risk, gender, animals (particularly, but not exclusively, dogs) and animal rights, zoos, freedom, and sex and the sexual. As such, his research is firmly situated within a social science/humanities framework but at the same time clearly links into the applied reality of tourism and leisure as both social phenomena, areas of academic research, and global industries.

Recent external research funding

  • Content Creation – CAPES Cultural Acumen Training Programme. Southeast Asia, North Asia & Latin America Centres of Asia-Pacific Excellence (2021). $173,377. Neil Carr, Craig Lee & Wiebke Finkler.
  • CAPEs Culture Ready Workshops – Development and Delivery. Southeast Asia, North Asia & Latin America Centres of Asia-Pacific Excellence (2021). $31,158. Neil Carr, Craig Lee & Wiebke Finkler.
  • CAPEs Culture Ready Evaluation. Southeast Asia, North Asia & Latin America Centres of Asia-Pacific Excellence (2021). $29,012. Neil Carr, Craig Lee & Wiebke Finkler.
  • Workshop for students and operators to develop understanding of how to manage and interact with tourism clients from Vietnam. Southeast Asia Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence (2020). NZ$2,050. Neil Carr, Craig Lee & Wiebke Finkler.
  • Cultural acumen tourism training. North Asia Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence (2019). NZ$163,198. Neil Carr & Craig Lee.
  • Cultural acumen tourism training. Latin America Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence (2019). NZ$25,875. Neil Carr & Craig Lee.
  • Cultural acumen tourism training. Southeast Asia Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence (2019). NZ$69,000. Neil Carr & Craig Lee.
  • Virtual Assistance Dogs: Improving Learning for Disadvantaged Youth. Vodafone Innovation Fund (2019). NZ$11,500. Neil Carr, Wiebke Finkler & Brendon Woodford.
  • Latin American international working holiday visitors to New Zealand: A mechanism for establishing international business linkages. Latin America Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence (2018). NZ$122,221. Neil Carr & Craig Lee.
  • Identifying the business needs of Tourism SMEs for the Latin America market. Latin America Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence (2018). NZ$12,435.55. Neil Carr, Craig Lee & Mingming Cheng.
  • Identifying the business needs of Tourism SMEs for the Southeast Asian market. Southeast Asia Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence (2018). NZ$18,599.28. Neil Carr, Craig Lee & Mingming Cheng.
  • Cultural acumen tourism training. Latin America Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence (2018). NZ$29,669. Neil Carr, Craig Lee & Mingming Cheng.
  • Cultural acumen tourism training. Southeast Asia Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence (2018). NZ$29,669. Neil Carr, Craig Lee & Mingming Cheng.
  • Cultural acumen tourism training. North Asia Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence (2018). NZ$306,893. Neil Carr, Craig Lee & Mingming Cheng.
  • International tourists' road rule and safety awareness. Transport Research and Educational Trust (2018). NZ$5,000. Neil Carr.

Journal editor/associate editor

Tourism Cases editor in chief

Current PhD and DBA supervision

Reni Binti Polus. The spiritual journey of international volunteer tourists.

Xiaofeng Kan (DBA). Examine the Motivation and Involvement for Chinese Recreational Diving Consumer.

Taufik Abdullah. Culinary tourism attributes: its influence towards tourists' intention to purchase traditional street food.

Golnaz Nazem. How can waste reduction practices become institutionalized among food festival organizers and vendors?

Mei Yaojiong (DBA). Study on the Impact of the Theme Park Route Planning on the Secondary Family Consumption from the Perspective of Tourist Satisfaction.

Shiraani Fathimath. Able-ling the Disabled: A Study of New Zealand Travel and Tourism.

Kishor Chitrakar. Community Based Home-Stay Tourism as a Sustainable Tourism Model in Nepal.

Past PhD and DBA supervision

Karun Rawat. The silent Choreographers of Mount Everest: An ethnography study about Sherpa as Mountain Tour Guide.

Parisa Saadat. How age impacts the photos we take on holiday.

Xiaofeng Kan (DBA).Examine the Motivation and Involvement for Chinese Recreational Diving Consumer.

Reni Binti Polus.The spiritual journey of international volunteer tourists​.

David Adeloye. When is close too close? Geographical perception of terrorism and its influence on domestic tourists' travel behaviour.

Leonardo Nava.Territorial analysis of New Zealand's recreational camping system under the paradigm of Sustainable Development.

Ismail Shaheer.Tourism boycott calls by Twitter users due to concerns for the welfare of animals.

Kevin Bigham.An Ethnography of Urban Exploration: Unpacking its Social Spaces and Understanding its Communities.

Maureen Ukaegbu. Heritage tourism and authenticity in the middle belt region of Nigeria.

Sandeep Basnyat.Post-Conflict Violence And Tourism: The Nepalese Experience.

Samuel Spector.Ski resort environmental communications and the shaping of environmental awareness.

Felix Bello.Socio-cultural impacts of tourism development and community planning in developing countries: The case of Malawi.

Gabriella Nagy.Institutionalisation of tourism services: Hop on, hop off services and their influence on the tourism industry.

Fernando Oyarzun Lillo.Comparative Analysis of Public Policies for Development and Competitiveness of Special Interest Tourism: New Zealand and Chile.

Neil Walsh.The relationship between the guidebook, backpacker-culture and place in New Zealand. PhD awarded March, 2014

Norhanim Abdul Razak.Tourism and mythology. PhD awarded May, 2013

Sandro Carnicelli.Emotional Labor: Pleasure and fear at work for Whitewater Rafting guides. PhD awarded June, 2011

Julie Tate-Libby.Tourism and commoditisation of religion. PhD awarded September, 2010

Andrea Valentin.Role of personal political values in tourism destination decision making process. PhD awarded April, 2010

Paolo Mura.Tourists' perception of fear. PhD awarded July, 2009

Scott Cohen.Long term travellers in search of 'self'. PhD awarded July, 2009

Daniela Schilcher.Influence of super-national organisations on national tourism development policies in the South Pacific. PhD awarded March, 2008.

Supatcharajit Jitpraphai.Gambling tourism in Thailand. PhD awarded, March, 2008.

Filipo Tokalau.Assessing the impact of communal use of land on tourism development in Fiji. PhD awarded January, 2008

Chompunch Jittithavorn.Cross border international tourism marketing in Southeast Asia. PhD awarded July, 2007.

Therdchai Choibamroog.Civil society as a strategic factor in collaborative tourism planning for sustainable tourism development in Thailand. Awarded May, 2003.

Past Masters supervision

Li, Zhi,"A Study into International University Students as Tourists in New Zealand", 2011-

Lau, Sze-En,"Ecotourism and Learning", 2011-

Emma Lowe"Novel destinations: Dunedin, city of literature?", 2009-

James Jesudhass"Couchsurfing beyond Borders: A Qualitative Study on Couchsurfing Members and Their Practice in Hanoi, Vietnam", 2008 - 2011

Simone Eisenhauer"Sports Events and Risk Management in New Zealand: How Safe is Safe Enough?", 2004 – 2005.

Books and edited volumes

Publications

Tully, P., & Carr, N. (2024). Stray domestic animals and tourism. In A. M. Morrison & D. Buhalis (Eds.), Routledge handbook of trends and issues in tourism sustainability, planning and development, management, and technology. (pp. 186-195). Abingdon, UK: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003291763-18

Polus, R., & Carr, N. (2023). From pilgrimage to volunteer tourism: A spiritual journey in the contemporary world. Anatolia. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/13032917.2023.2289610

Carr, S., & Carr, N. (2023). Leisure studies researchers: Gender biased or balanced? Leisure Sciences. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/01490400.2023.2299309

Abdullah, T., Lee, C., & Carr, N. (2023). Do survivalists deserve to be called entrepreneurs? The case of hospitality micro-entrepreneurs in Indonesia. Hospitality & Society, 13(2), 113-136. doi: 10.1386/HOSP_00064_1

Carr, N., & Carr, S. (2023). Sociology as the foundation of leisure studies: A critical analysis. Loisir et Société / Society & Leisure, 2274185. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/07053436.2023.2274185

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