Department of Tourism, University of Otago

30/09/2026

Dental Tourism: New Zealanders’ experiences of seeking dental treatment overseas
Have you gone overseas for dental treatment in the last 5 years? We’d love to talk to you about your experience!
We are seeking up to 20 participants (aged over 18) for our study that explores the experiences of New Zealanders who have travelled overseas for dental treatment.
If you meet the above criteria and wish to take part in the study, we will interview you online - by Zoom or Teams – at a time that suits you. The interview will be more like a conversation, and we will talk about: Why you decided to travel overseas for dental treatment; How you chose your destination and dental provider; Your treatment experiences and post-treatment outcomes. Interviews will last between 30-45 minutes, depending on the amount of information you would like to share.
The results of this study will help us to develop policy and practise around advice and support for New Zealanders seeking dental treatment overseas.
You will receive a $25 digital gift voucher (a Prezzee card) for taking part in the study.
This study has been approved by the University of Otago Human Ethics Committee (Ref: 26/0435).
Want to know more? Interested in participating?
We will send you a project Information Sheet and Consent Form, to help you decide whether you would like to go ahead with an interview.

Please contact: Dr Trudie Walters
Department of Tourism, Otago Business School
University Telephone Number: (03) 479-8520
Email Address: [email protected]

Taking an inside look at dental tourism

16/07/2026

Here's a fab read about Antony Noyes making the most of his FIFA experiences...so will it be Spain or Argentina????

The prospect of keeping a crowd of 70,000 excitable humans flowing safely during a much-hyped global tournament would bring out the sweat beads on most foreheads.

09/07/2026

https://www.facebook.com/100063707674700/posts/pfbid02XrfC5hrafyLa3FoNUujtXK2vLE1UL7WFN9WBP4WKfcYe3iYe52NRsyqHFFPieXhdl/
Hosting Dr Emrah over Matariki has been a pleasure...we are enjoying his astrotourism and astrophotography insights from Turkiye!

✨ A visiting Erasmus scholar from Turkey’s Batman University (quite the best name ever) is more than a little excited about our imminent Matariki celebrations.

Dr Emrah Taşarer, pictured gazing star-wards at Dunedin’s Beverly-Begg Observatory, is currently based in the Department of Tourism (courtesy of Sakarya University of Applied Sciences, where he completed his PhD).

While here, he’ll plan a collaborative research project on astrotourism experiences with Professor Anna Carr. The study will include an exploratory section examining perceptions of the total solar eclipse that will take place in Dunedin in 2028 🌏🌕☀️

“One of the main reasons I chose to visit Aotearoa New Zealand was that it is recognised as one of the world's leading astrotourism destinations. Before coming here, I did not realise that astronomy is also such an important part of Māori culture. Discovering this has undoubtedly been one of the most rewarding aspects of my visit.” ❤️

“Matariki is particularly meaningful to me because the same star cluster is known in Türkiye (Turkey) as ‘Ülker’, and I have admired and observed it for many years. Being in Aotearoa during Matariki and seeing the same star cluster celebrated as an important part of Māori culture has made this visit even more special for me.” ✨

25/06/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1cwxMGGgpb/

🥁 Drumroll please…Otago Business School Te Kura Pakihi now has ‘triple crown’ accreditation status, having been awarded the Association of MBAs (AMBA) accreditation for both its MBA and DBA programmes.

👑👑👑 As only one per cent of business schools worldwide hold the prestigious triple crown of AACSB, EQUIS, and AMBA (the three major international accreditations) it’s considered a coveted hallmark of business education excellence. And, given that only nine other institutions worldwide hold AMBA accreditation for their DBA programme, it feels a little like having diamonds on our triple crown 💎

✨ Pro-Vice-Chancellor Commerce Maree Thyne says, "Achieving triple crown accreditation is a significant milestone for Otago Business School and a testament to the dedication of our staff, students, alumni, and industry partners. To now hold AMBA accreditation for both our MBA and DBA programmes places us in a very select group globally and reinforces our commitment to delivering business education that is academically rigorous, professionally relevant, and internationally connected. We are incredibly proud of this achievement and the opportunities it creates for our students, graduates, and wider community.” ✨

16/06/2026

NZ 2 Iran 2 FIFA World Cup...of course the department teaches Sports Tourism so academic staff, tutors, masters students and PhD candidates and whanau were supporting both teams! Antony Noyes, a recent department of Tourism Master's graduate has the dream job at FIFA in San Francisco...check his LinkedIn profile here

Sport is my favorite lens to engage with people, experience communities, and connect to… · Experience: FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States · Education: University of San Francisco · Location: San Francisco Bay Area · 500+ connections on LinkedIn. View Antony Noyes, M....

12/06/2026

Hot off the press. Congratulations Dr Pooneh Torabian, Freya and Rasul...this book will make a real difference in the world...we look forward to having this book launch in the Tourism Department!

‘This compelling book is what critical tourism scholars have been waiting for – a volume that encapsulates justice, equity, diversity and inclusion! From the impressive range of authors to the fascinating case studies (from foreign cleaners in German hotels to Indigenous-led, rights-based touris...

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.