Department of Tourism, University of Otago

04/05/2026

wonderful day meeting prospective students and their parents and teachers at Tertiary Open Day

✨ There’s an excellent Open Day bustle in the Otago Business School atrium today. Future Commerce students are mingling and chatting to lecturers about the tasty academic smorgasbord of business offerings.

🫱🏽‍🫲🏽 Our friends from Humanities are also in the building showing off their academic wares, so there’s some good cross-divisional energy in the air too 🫶🏽

26/03/2026

TPS2026...what is the IVL funding? Could more assist nature or communities facing visitor impacts?

The projects funded by the IVL are examples of how visitors have directly contributed to the unique natural heritage they enjoy, and the infrastructure they use while they’re here.

26/03/2026

Congratulations to the hard working academic staff, PhD colleagues, and students on this international recognition 👏 🙌 👍

26/03/2026

The department is currently hosting the 2026 Tourism Policy School. Nature is key to the sector and we need to speak up for nature. Huge congratulations to Caroline Orchiston, one of our alumni, for her recent oped about how mining in Central Otago will not enable a sustainable future for te taiao and cultural landscapes. Wish you could be at TPS Caz.

24/03/2026

The 2026 Tourism Policy School commences this Thursday. Here's a taster of what to expect

https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/03/24/how-nz-tourism-can-beat-the-algorithm-blues/

An op-ed from three TPS participants including TPS co-director Susan Houge Mackenzie, who is an Associate Professor at the University of Otago.

Comment from Otago University: Tourism needs to be shaped by the people who know this place best – not by algorithms optimised for someone else’s profit

28/02/2026

Congratulations to Dr Stu Hayes ...fab footwork on the field saw a Masters Games Gold for Stu, Prof Ro and Peeters and their team mates. Murat provided the story attached at
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GucgDGnx5/

We are very proud of our Head of the Department of Economics, Professor Ronald Peeters.

Ronald Peeters and Stu Hayes (back row, second left and fourth left respectively) have proven that they are just as commanding on the field as they are at the lectern.

Professor Peeters (Department of Economics) and Dr Hayes (Department of Tourism) are positively glowing after triumphing at the New Zealand Masters Games, held in Dunedin in February 2026.
Competing in the Men’s 50+ nine-a-side football category, they led their squad to gold medal glory after a demanding tournament against elite opposition.

A magnificent achievement — congratulations to both on bringing home gold! 🥇

13/12/2025

Congratulations to all our graduands this weekend...we shared the day with them at Pacifica Grad, official morning tea and procession and officially at the Town Hall. 3 more 'doctors" with the exceptional Dr Fathimath Shiraani, Dr Meysam Ramyar and Dr Sarani Pitor Pakan receiving PhDs - whilst Qing Chang and Amrutha Pookatkunnath Sasidharan received Masters degrees. The sons of Honorary Professor James Higham (congratulations George!) and alumna Yusuf Riza crossed the stage!).

12/12/2025

Congratulations all.... especially happy for Susan and Wiebke both being recognised with their exemplary teaching

12/12/2025

Congratulations Evangeline Meti Nicholas and Menorah Otineru ...enjoy the Pacific Graduation and Town Hall ceremonies. Graduating today with BComm majors in Tourism. Our graduates are all amazing and will go far as tourism professionals' with their Otago degrees, humanity, skills and unique presence. We look forward to seeing what Menorah and Evangeline will do in future. Ka rawe, Department of Tourism, University of Otago

11/12/2025

Dr Pooneh Torabian and colleagues are hosting the Crossing Borders Symposium at University of Otago/Ōtakou Whakaihu Waka 17-18 February 2026...details attached in LinkedIn.

Tēnā koutou/Greetings to you all, Please see below the call for papers for the Crossing Borders Symposium, to be held at Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka | University of Otago, Aotearoa New Zealand, on 17-18 February 2026. We look forward to receiving your abstracts by 18 December 2025!