Professor Anne Hardy: Why Tourism Research Matters - Behaviour, Data and Antarctica
Episode Description
In this episode of Tourism Matters, Carmen Bold speaks with Professor Anne Hardy — tourism researcher, consultant, academic, and Chair of Destination Southern Tasmania — about how research can shape tourism decisions.
Anne shares the story of her career in tourism academia, from studying tourism’s impacts on communities to leading innovative projects like Tourism Tracer, which used smartphone technology to track how visitors move through destinations. She also discusses her research in Antarctica exploring whether travel experiences can influence environmental behaviour.
The conversation explores why tourism operators rarely access academic research, how behaviour change theories can improve visitor experiences, and why the industry needs stronger connections with universities.
Anne also reflects on redundancy after a 20-year academic career and her mission to help researchers communicate their work more effectively with industry.
What You'll Take Away From This Episode
• How tourism researchers study visitor behaviour and decision-making
• The Tourism Tracer project and how technology tracked visitor movement
• What Antarctica tourism reveals about behaviour change and sustainability
• Why tourism businesses should engage more with academic research
• How behaviour change theory can improve visitor experiences and operations
About Anne
Professor Anne Hardy is a tourism researcher whose work focuses on tourism behaviour, mobility, sustainability, and research communication.
Across a 20-year academic career she has published more than 80 journal articles and four books, with her research cited over 3,000 times. Her work has been presented at international forums including the United Nations World Tourism Organization and the United Nations Environment Program.
Anne is particularly known for pioneering projects such as Tourism Tracer, which tracked visitor movement across destinations using mobile technology, and for her research exploring how travel experiences — particularly in Antarctica — can influence environmental behaviour.
She is currently Chair of Destination Southern Tasmania and now works to bridge the gap between tourism research and industry practice.
Organisations Referenced
Destination Southern Tasmania: https://southerntasmania.com.au/
Omineca Consulting: https://www.ominecaconsulting.com/
Antarctic Treaty System: https://www.ats.aq/
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/
University of Tasmania: https://www.utas.edu.au/
Episode Chapters
02:58 Travel Preferences and Experiences
05:58 Early Life and Education in Tasmania
08:55 Career Path: From Law to Tourism
11:58 Academic Journey and Research Focus
14:58 Impact of Family on Career Choices
17:59 Understanding Academia and the PhD Process
21:00 Communicating Research and Industry Engagement
23:42 The Evolution of Academic Communication
26:46 Anne’s Career Journey and Experiences
31:44 Innovative Research and Technology in Tourism
38:04 Transformative Travel Experiences
49:31 Navigating Career Changes and Future Aspirations
53:39 Embracing the Radical Sabbatical
56:38 Navigating Academic Careers
01:00:07 Understanding Human Behaviour in Tourism
01:04:50 The Importance of Communication in Research