Tourism

Denis Tolkach

Associate Professor, Tourism and Hospitality Management
denis.tolkach@jcu.edu.au

Gianna Moscardo

Professor of Tourism
gianna.moscardo@jcu.edu.au

Travel Vlogs: gathering new evidence for tourism research in the digital era

Tingzhen Chen - Tourism

25 Mar 2020 - 31 Dec 2020

This project aims to: - to understand tourist experience in the digital era, by applying the Orchestra Model to analysis tourists’ Sensory, Affective, Cognitive, Behaviour and relationship, that are presented in vlogs; - to examine how technology (here, the vlogs) influences tourist’ memory of holiday experience; and - to evaluate the impact of UGC videos on destination image management.

Exploring the social-media related factors that contribute to responsible behaviour between Japanese and Indonesia tourists

Tingzhen Chen - Tourism

01 May 2026 - 31 May 2026

This research investigates responsible tourism behaviours among young travellers, examining how cultural backgrounds influence perceptions, intentions, and practices. Focusing on a cross-cultural comparison between Japanese and Indonesian travellers, the study seeks to highlight both universal and culture-specific aspects of responsible tourism. The research objectives are twofold: first, to explore similarities and differences in responsible tourism behaviours between the two cultural groups; and second, to examine how social media content influences travellers’ intentions for responsible travel, mediated by cultural factors.

Examining interplay between tourism seasonality and sustainability in Cairns

Tingzhen Chen - Tourism

31 May 2025 - 31 May 2026

Seasonality presents persistent and complex challenges for sustainable tourism development across the world. High seasonality results in unevenly spread temporal contribution of tourism to local economy, creates stresses on destination's resources and local population in high season, and endangers livelihoods dependent on tourism in low season (Martin Martin et al., 2020; Zvaigzne et al., 2022). While numerous methods, such as Gini coefficients, seasonality indexes (Petrevska, 2012; Rana, 2014), and time series analyses - have been applied to identify seasonal trends, empirical evaluation of proposed mitigation strategies remains limited. Meanwhile, the tourism industry is undergoing a paradigm shift towards integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns into business practices and performance metrics (Lin et al., 2024; Zheng et al., 2025). Existing literature has yet to explore whether and how the sustainability perceptions influence seasonality of tourism demand.

Reconnecting through roots: Exploring the role of diaspora tourism in mental health literacy among Indonesian migrants in North Queensland, Australia

Tingzhen Chen - Tourism

01 Sep 2025 - 31 Aug 2026

This project investigates how reconnecting with cultural roots through diaspora tourism can improve mental health literacy (MHL) and emotional wellbeing among Indonesian migrants in North Queensland, Australia. By examining the lived experiences of migrants who return to Indonesia, the study aims to identify how cultural reconnection supports mental health understanding, reduces stigma, and promotes help-seeking behaviours. Insights will be translated into culturally responsive tools and recommendations for multicultural health services.

Bridging Tropical Business Communities: Reaching out to the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the South Pacific (Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia and Polynesia) and Enhancing Research Collaborative Venture and Student's Mobility (Old ID 22956)

Tingzhen Chen - Tourism

01 Sep 2016 - 31 Dec 2017

This project is threefold. The first objective is to bridge the North Queensland business community with French Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand, Polynesia). The second objective is to follow up the MOU signed between JCU and Tahiti Business School in relation to students' exchanges in view of a forthcoming Erasmus application. The third is flag JCU research expertise and identify avenues for research development, in particular in the field of tourism, in association with the Observatoire International de l'Emploi et du Development Economique de Polynesia Francoise (OIEDE-PF).

Smart Islands Program: Fostering Collaboration between Australians and Polynesians (Old ID 26900)

Tingzhen Chen - Tourism

01 Jun 2020 - 31 Jul 2024

This project primarily aims at contributing to the French Polynesian Smart Islands program, a spearhead initiative of the Polynesian Government. Research wise, the objective is to focus on two of the four core pillars of the program: Tourism and the Circular Economy. While applied research and transfer of expertise remain the catalyst of our contribution as a team, the project also involves broader aspects: education to issues specific to the Pacific (e.g. climate change) and student exchanges (DFTA NCP); commercial relations through the French Polynesia Regional Group and institutional partnership with Tahiti Business School, of key importance to diplomatic funding.

Townsville Tourism Growth Initiative (Old ID 26634)

Jenny Panchal - Tourism

16 Sep 2019 - 31 Jul 2022

The aim of the Townsville Regional Visitor Survey would be to form a cooperative of regional tourism business to build a research tool that provides local tourism businesses and destination stakeholders with access to data on the profiles, preferences and satisfaction of visitors to the Townsville region. It would also provide specific information on the performance of tourism products and industry sectors within visitor markets. This localised information would be specific to the needs of Townsville businesses and would supplement the data collected through International Visitor Surveys/National Visitor Surveys from Tourism Research Australia.

Innovative Agri-Tourism an Entrepreneurial Acumen

Jenny Panchal - Tourism

30 Jul 2025 - 30 Jan 2026

We are applying for additional funding for our project that was approved with CITBA with 50% revised budget. We have been successful in securing a competitive grant under the 2025 CITBA Small Grant Scheme. The approval of our project by CITBA serves as a strong endorsement of its methodological rigour, theoretical soundness, and practical relevance. This recognition not only affirms the quality of our research design and ethical standards but also highlights the project's potential to contribute meaningful insights and impact within our field of study. As we work through the final details of our research proposal, we have realized that the originally approved miscellaneous budget of $1000 will not be sufficient. We had initially requested $3500 under this category to accommodate several essential components of our fieldwork. Many of the agrotourism farms we plan to visit require paid entry, which significantly contributes to the overall cost. Additionally, as outlined in our proposal, we intend to offer small incentives to tourists, farm owners, and other stakeholders who participate in interviews and data collection activities. On behalf of my collaborators, I would like to respectfully request that Internal grant approval committee considers approving an additional $1150 to support this work. This funding will greatly enhance our ability to carry out more comprehensive and inclusive data collection across the field sites.

Agrotourism and Innovation

Jenny Panchal - Tourism

01 Jul 2025 - 31 Dec 2025

This project is approved with CITBA. This project examines how Agri-tourism acts as a transformative rural development model, fostering self-reliant, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable communities. Grounded in sustainable development, endogenous growth, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and social capital theories, it aims to: 1. To investigate the impact of Agri-tourism hub on employment, income generation and sustainable development of the community. 2. To develop a sustainable business framework integrating agriculture, culture, and tourism