AUT Research Institutes, Centres and Networks

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https://hdl.handle.net/10292/10767
AUT Research Institutes, Centres and Networks bring focus to research activity. The objectives are to:
  • Ensure that resources are concentrated in areas where AUT has capability
  • Be the key concentration of research activity
  • Provide an education, mentoring and training role for postgraduate students
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Browsing AUT Research Institutes, Centres and Networks by Supervisor "Gillovic, Brielle"

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  • Item
    Online Information for Visitors About the Accessibility of Museums in New Zealand
    (Auckland University of Technology, 2021) Upson, Laura Dannielle
    Research attests to the reality that people with disabilities are not provided for, or offered the same opportunities as those without disabilities; nor are they seen as a valued market segment of the tourism sector. Accessible tourism is viewed as the opportunity to enable people with disabilities equal opportunity to participate in tourism services and environments, with the same level of independence, equity, and dignity. For museums within the tourism sector, it is important that they consider the importance of accessibility and information provision, because if they do not, people with disabilities miss out on the museum experience as a whole, so they are not capturing or providing for an important market. The aim of this research was to examine the current provision of online information for visitors about the accessibility of five selected museums in New Zealand: Auckland Museum, Puke Ariki, Te Papa, Canterbury Museum, and Otago Museum. The research had two key objectives. Firstly, it aimed to critically examine the online website content of selected museums in New Zealand to determine the extent to which they communicated information about the accessibility of a museum visit. Secondly, it aimed to benchmark the website content provision of the selected museums against international tourism accessibility standards. This was achieved through the implementation of a content analysis and a case study methodology; the research adopted a qualitative and interpretive approach. The findings of this research revealed conclusions about website navigation, the inclusive approach of website communications, content about accessibility, and access to the museum experience, in the five selected museums. This research concluded that there are multiple gaps between the international accessibility standards of best practice, and the practices of the selected museums in New Zealand. To meet international accessibility best practice, it is important that New Zealand guides or sets recommendations for accessibility standards to which tourism organisations can refer. The contribution this research brings is that it identifies and highlights the online information provision and accessibility problems that museums in New Zealand are not solving for people with disabilities.
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    Stakeholders’ Perceptions of the Future of Accessible Beach Tourism in New Zealand: A Case Study of Mount Maunganui and Pāpāmoa
    (Auckland University of Technology, 2021) Hayden, Sophie
    This research intends to contribute an understanding of a significant type of tourism for New Zealand for a segment of the population that is consistently underserved; that is, access to beaches for tourists with disabilities. The research follows an interpretive paradigm and uses face-to-face semi-structured interviews to gather the perspectives of stakeholders in a case study beach destination in the North Island of New Zealand. Content analysis reveals critical findings about the need for ‘inclusion,’ ‘information,’ and around ‘public perceptions and assumptions,’ ‘designing for access,’ and the ‘expense of access.’ The findings reveal barriers which prevent beach access, and therefore, tourism participation, for tourists with disabilities. The importance of New Zealanders being able to access the beach is seen as an inherent national right due the country’s strong beach culture. The importance of active provision of information is highlighted as essential to ensure tourists with disabilities know what facilities and amenities are available to them at the beach. The attitudes of the public are identified as a hindrance, as well as attitudes to cost. This research is the only study in New Zealand that has investigated beach access for tourists with disabilities. It has generated some recommendations for the tourism industry and local and national governments in New Zealand which may help to further scope the accessibility market in the country and enable greater participation in a popular tourism activity.
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