Karen Hughes

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Assoicate Professor at The University of Queensland

The Melbourne Cup is Australia's pinnacle horse racing event, attracting more than 80,000 physical attendees each year (pre-COVID-19), as well as numerous others watching via live broadcasts around the country and overseas. In recent times, however, there have been growing calls to boycott the event, following concerns over the treatment of horses....

As an emerging category of non-human influencers, virtual influencers (VIs) have received increasing attention on social media. While VIs generate high user engagement, the underlying factors that drive social media engagement are poorly understood. Informed by communication theory, this study aims to explore Instagram users’ perceptions of VIs and...

Food preferences have been demonstrated to be a proxy measure for adventurousness, in general. This study demonstrates that a single variable of food preferences unveils the four dimensions of adventurousness that are applicable in a general tourism context. The findings suggest that adding this simple semantic differential question to visitor surv...

This paper examines the reasons why some people have limited interest in tourism,. Departing from the traditionally accepted travel constraints approach, an alternative conceptualisation of this phenomenon is offered based on travel disinterest. One-quarter of residents of Queensland, Australia has either no interest in, or has ambivalent attitudes...

In China, interpretation of natural attractions usually includes references to traditional poems, artwork, legends, and stories. Recently, researchers have questioned whether this approach resonates with younger audiences. Guided by the interpretive paradigm, this exploratory study used focus group interviews to explore young Chinese adults’ percep...

Sustainability remains at the centre of debates around the impacts of travel and tourism. This study uses Reddit travel forums to understand the complexities of negotiating the meaning and practice of sustainability in travel contexts. Specifically, we focus on the emergence of “ sustainability paralysis”, a form of “analysis paralysis” where trave...

The value priorities, pro-environmental beliefs and pro-environmental behaviors of zoo/aquarium staff, volunteers, visitors and non-visitors are examined to test whether they differ in ways that may impact zoos’ effectiveness in communicating environmental messages. Online surveys were completed by 607 staff (including 157 educators), 339 volunteer...

Visitors to zoos and aquariums have diverse backgrounds, motivations, prior knowledge and life perspectives; however, for practical reasons, traditional interpretive methods do not allow for a nuanced approach that targets different visitor groups. Interpretation designed to appeal to the majority of visitors, who prioritize Self-Transcendence valu...

Nature-based tourism experiences have the potential to inspire visitors to adopt conservation behaviours that protect natural environments; however, to have global effect on environmentally sensitive areas such as the Great Barrier Reef, we may need to expand this influence to beyond just visitors. One way to reach large audiences is through digita...

As a service-oriented industry, tourism relies heavily on employees with good communication and problem-solving skills. Accordingy, higher education institutions are expected to produce graduates who possess a theoretical understanding of their field, as well as the skills and ability to adapt to new and challenging situations (Spowart, 2011). This...

Zoos and aquariums consider themselves agents of environmental change, yet systematic efforts to evaluate how diverse audiences perceive individual exhibits and interpretive messages are rare. In response to a growing interest in understanding how visitors’ values (i.e. broad motivational life goals) influence their experiences and learning outcome...

Creating authentic, non-invasive visitor experiences at fragile heritage sites is challenging. This paper explores the potential of replicas to address the negative impacts associated with over-tourism by examining tourists' reactions to four replica cave sites in Europe. Data were compiled from 1369 TripAdvisor reviews, and revealed that tourists...

The paper engages with the concepts of scapegoat ecology and heroisation to explore social media responses to Greta Thunberg’s activism. We sought to understand the broad sentiment towards her anti-flying (flygskam/flight shame) campaign, as symbolised by her 2019 sail to the United States to attend the United Nations Climate Action Summit. Specifi...

The concepts of ‘eco-guilt’ and ‘eco-shame’ are now well established in the broad environmental discourse, both scholarly and public. It is surprising, however, that both phenomena are yet to be explicitly broached in tourism studies. Using data from digital forums, this article unpacks the phenomena as they arise in tourism consumption contexts. T...

Photography is closely integrated with tourism. Tourist photographs can reveal what people view in a tourism landscape, and how they make sense of it, subsequently informing destination marketing and interpretation design. However, previous research in tourism photography has adopted primarily a Eurocentric standpoint, which may be inadequate to ex...

Given the well-documented increase in Chinese outbound tourists, it is no surprise that the Chinese market continues to attract considerable scholarly interest. Previous studies have been primarily quantitative, using methods and instruments administered prior to and/or immediately after visitation. While useful, such approaches may struggle to cap...

Heritage interpretation aims to enhance visitors’ appreciation and understanding of cultural events, customs and peoples. Increasingly, heritage sites are attracting culturally diverse audiences with a range of expectations, needs and perceptions. Accordingly, researchers argue that streamlined interpretation that accommodates these differences may...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to speculate how recent and emerging trends in information and communication technology (ICT) could change the way tourism businesses and organizations communicate with and manage their guests. Design/methodology/approach This paper applies elements of futures and design thinking to analyze current tourism ma...

While museums are widely recognized for their important roles in society, there are concerns about their relevance to young adults, who are claimed to rarely cross museums’ thresholds. This study explores social representations of museums held by 259 young Australian and Chinese adults. The analysis revealed a shared social representation of museum...

This study investigates attendees’ attachment to the place where a festival is held and their attachment to the festival itself as predictors of environmentally responsible behaviours (ERBs) at the festival. Pre- and post-visit surveys were conducted with 405 participants. The pre-visit survey, completed before attendance at a music festival, measu...

Although environmentally responsible behavioural intention is an interesting outcome of behavioural studies, actual behaviour is gaining more importance with recent research in pro-environmental behaviours observing that behavioural intentions do not always lead to actual behaviours. This paper tests this relationship and investigates the influence...

Many tourism corporate responsibility (CR) programmes require the support of guests, yet little attention has been paid to the design of strategies to encourage guests’ adoption of responsible behaviours. Research in the areas of tourist interpretation, social marketing and sustainability marketing has examined aspects of this issue across a range...

Wildlife tourism attractions, such as zoos and aquariums, are expected to play a major role in promoting environmental learning in society. This paper applies a refined version of Schwartz's (1992) Value Theory to develop a better understanding of zoo and aquarium visitors' personal values, and the impact of their values on their reflective engagem...

Wildlife tourism attractions such as zoos are uniquely placed to make an impact on people’s everyday environmentally responsible behaviors. However, research suggests that visitors who leave such sites with a heightened awareness and good intentions rarely translate their intentions into post-visit environmental actions. This article reports on the...

Museums worldwide have embraced digital technology and social media in their exhibitions and marketing, yet many discourage visitors' use of mobile communication devices (MCDs), claiming this detracts from the learning experience. This study was guided by mindfulness theory from social cognitive psychology which provides a framework for studying at...

Effective interpretation of Australia's unique landscapes has the potential to contribute to international tourists' understanding of natural processes, as well as enhance their perceptions and appreciation of this environment. Research indicates that mystery, familiarity, and comprehension all influence how humans view landscapes and that preferen...

Religious heritage sites have seen a remarkable increase in tourist visitation. To cater for the changing, and sometimes conflicting needs of visitors, many religious sites are developing interpretive plans to enhance the provision of on-site experiences. Interpretive plans are normally negotiated between the owners/managers of a site and an interp...

Mobile communication devices (MCDs) are a ubiquitous part of modern life, particularly for younger people. Early evidence about the impact of MCDs on both the leisure participation and leisure experiences of young people provides conflicting results with debate continuing about whether these devices distract from, or enhance, leisure experiences. T...

Mobile communication devices (MCDs) are a ubiquitous part of modern life, particularly for younger people. Early evidence about the impact of MCDs on both the leisure participation and leisure experiences of young people provides conflicting results with debate continuing about whether these devices distract from, or enhance, leisure experiences. T...

China is an important and growing market for the Australian tourism industry, yet our understanding of what Chinese independent tourists seek in the way of experiences is limited. Studies in Europe, USA and Australia show that Chinese international students tend to travel extensively while studying overseas, and consequently are able to provide ins...

This study investigated the differences and similarities between Chinese and Australian visitors' attitudes toward nature, animals and environmental issues, in order to inform the design of visitor experiences and interpretive programs that address the needs and interests of Chinese visitors to Australia. Questionnaires were completed by a total of...

Visitor experiences and interpretation at wildlife tourism sites are often designed to encourage visitors to adopt conservation actions. Typically, conservation messages are delivered via one-size-fits-all interpretive signage, with little consideration given to whether the same information attracts and engages different cultural groups. This study...

Tourism to religious sites is growing worldwide, yet our understanding of the motives, interests and needs of tourists at these sites is limited. Research in British cathedrals suggests that many regard religious sites as leisure or recreational attractions and correspondingly, seek interpretation of the secular as well as spiritual aspects. This s...

Research exploring visitor perceptions of heritage sites indicates that a site may hold different meanings for visitors depending on their cultural backgrounds. Little research has, however, identified visitor cultural preferences and so informed the development, delivery and management of on-site heritage interpretive experiences. This paper addre...

This paper compares four work-integrated learning (WIL) streams embedded in a professional Development course for tourism, hospitality and event management students. Leximancer was used to analyze key themes emerging from reflective portfolios completed by the 137 students in the course. Results highlight that student learning outcomes and experien...

Studies exploring the impact of environmental interpretation on visitors’ conservation knowledge, attitudes and behaviour often measure impacts as visitors exit tourism sites. For ease of measurement, their intentions are often used as indicators of behaviour change. Recent longitudinal studies suggest that intentions may be poor indicators of long...

Wildlife tourism experiences are often promoted for their ability to enhance visitors’ conservation knowledge, attitudes and behaviour; yet, studies exploring the long‐term influence of such experiences are rare. This research explores the impact of a wildlife tourism experience and post‐visit support on families’ adoption of conservation practices...

Interpretation at zoos, aquariums, and other wildlife tourism sites is generally designed to raise visitors’ awareness and appreciation of natural resources and alert them to the impact of human activities on wildlife populations. However, there has been little investigation of what prompts visitors to adopt conservation actions, and whether reinfo...

A compilation of first class international research which explores the nexus between landscape, geological phenomena and tourism. Covering landscape appreciation, geoheritage, management, interpretation, education and the future of geotourism, it sets the

Visitor information centers are primarily responsible for promoting local tourism products and services; and consequently, have direct impacts upon the economic, social, and recreational well-being of the region in which they are located. Research highlights the importance of tailoring center facilities and services to meet the needs and interests...

A common justification for developing wildlife tourism attractions is that they help to secure long-term conservation of wildlife and wildlife habitats. Managers and guides often highlight their role in protecting wildlife and its habitat, yet little is known about the interests, needs and preferences of the tourists who participate in such activit...

Botanic gardens attract a wide range of domestic and international tourists, as well as regular visitors from their local areas. As both conservation and education are among the objectives of botanic gardens, they are potentially well-placed to offer community education about conservation, to engender pro-conservation attitudes, and to encourage th...

Zoos and aquariums have shifted their focus over recent years, taking a much more active role in wildlife conservation and in promoting conservation learning among their visitors. Research in these settings provides a valuable foundation for the emerging field of non-captive wildlife tourism. In particular, valuable lessons regarding the potential...

Wildlife feeding is a wide-spread and controversial practice that can pose serious threats to the safety of both wildlife and visitors. The design and effectiveness of warning signs in recreational areas varies considerably and is rarely the product of theoretical models or scientific research. This study uses front-end and formative evaluation to...

This paper assesses the behaviour of international and domestic students on beaches in Queensland, Australia and their knowledge of beach safety practices. The data for the research was collected from Surf Life Saving Queensland lifeguards/savers, using a focus group interview and a questionnaire survey distributed to a convenience sample of studen...

Interpretive signs are used extensively in tourism and leisure settings to convey important messages and concepts to visitors. While the installation of signs ensures information is widely available and can be repeatedly accessed by large numbers of visitors, their static and inflexible nature means interpretive signs have to be particularly well-...

Peer assessment has been used successfully in higher education, with important benefits reported in terms of student learning. However, most of the literature has focused on its use with small groups of students taught by staff who are committed to the peer assessment process. This paper reports the development of peer assessment procedures for use...

Sixty-five ecotour guides attending training workshops in Queensland and Western Australia in 2000 were surveyed to ascertain perceptions of their role and responsibilities as well as the impact of the training materials upon their practice. Although literature points to the increasing complexity of the ecotour guide's role, the findings reveal tha...

This manual was devised to help overcome the professional isolation often experienced by staff working in Australian VICs (Visitor Information Centres). It is specifically designed to facilitate the sharing of ‘best practice’ approaches to information dissemination, customer service, staff training, sign and exhibit design and evaluation. Material...

Interpretive signs help visitors understand and appreciate important aspects of our natural and cultural heritage. But, to do this, they need to be designed in an effective, user-friendly way. This comprehensive guide provides a series of principles froe effective sign design, with instruction based on research, the latest in educational and psycho...

This paper presents the findings and recommendations from a study of the potential of e-learning to contribute to the operation of Visitor Information Centres in Queensland. These centres, staffed by mostly small teams of paid staff and volunteers, are located throughout urban, regional and remote areas of Queensland, and play vital roles in the to...