Andrea Valentin
PhD Candidate
email: avalentin@business.otago.ac.nz
PhD Title
To Go Or Not To Go – The Burma Travel Boycott
Supervisors
Associate Professor Neil Carr and Dr Brent Lovelock
Research Abstract
Using political psychology as a research framework, this thesis examines the impact of political values - such as liberalism or conservatism - on backpackers' decision-making process. The particular focus in this inquiry is the Burma travel boycott and opinions on the wider issue of sanctions (isolation or engagement?). Past research within tourism and psychology have either focused on motivational approaches, travel careers or personalities, whilst tourism literature on politics largely remains centered on the institutional level - somewhat overseeing the individual. This thesis attempts to bridge such gap in that it assumes both psychology and politics are important to understand tourist behaviour.
This thesis combines theories relating to a person's decision-making process, reviews literature on backpackers as a distinct group of travellers, before focusing on the wider issue of moral judgement and ethical consumerism. The political issues surrounding Burma-sanctions, and especially the Burma travel boycott, serve as a case study in the attempt to understand why some people support 'isolation', and others 'engagement'. Ethical theory is applied throughout, and is combined with my general paradigm of critical inquiry. This thesis therefore seeks to integrate present theories in tourism psychology by adding the component of political values into an understanding of destination perception, image and choice.
Education
BA(Hons) in Tourism Management at the University of Brighton, UK
MTour, University of Otago
Publications
Valentin, A. (2006) ‘Political activism through travel non-participation?’,
ATLAS Asia Pacific Conference: Tourism after oil, Dunedin, New Zealand,
December 2006
Hall, C.M. and Valentin, A. (2005) ‘Content analysis’, in Ritchie, B.W., Burns,
P., and Palmer C., Tourism Research Methods – Integrating Theory with Practice,
CABI Publishing, Wallingford UK
Valentin, A. (2004) ‘Terrorism, tourism and the issue attention cycle. An
exploratory, longitudinal investigation of student perceptions of travel to the US post
September 11’, A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Tourism at the
University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
Valentin, A. and Leopold, T. (2002) ‘Don’t mention the war’; Germany’s
Image”. New Zealand Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference: Rotorua, New
Zealand, December 2002
Valentin, A. (2001) ‘The image of Germany as a tourist destination as
perceived by the British’. A dissertation submitted for the degree of BA Honours in
Tourism Management at the University of Brighton, United Kingdom
Scholarships and Awards:
University of Otago Postgraduate Scholarship
Teaching Experience:
2003-present, Department of Tourism, University of Otago
Assistant lecturer for Principles and Business of Tourism (TOUR 101), and
Global Tourism (TOUR 102). Lecture themes included:
“Human rights, political instability and tourism in South East Asia”
“Terrorism and tourism in the Middle East”
“Tourism, security and the media”
2003-2006, Department of Tourism, University of Otago
Teaching Assistant and Tutor Co-ordinator
Co-ordination of undergraduate tutors including tutor recruitment,
training, management and appraisal
Responsible for building tutorials
Administrative work with students, extensions, class representatives
2002-2003, Department of Tourism, University of Otago
Tutor for Principles and Business of Tourism & Global Tourism
Research Assistant
Assisted in projects investigating the impact of tourism in the Catlins
Quantitative data entry and interpretation
Hobbies:
In tourism
The political side of tourism, tourist psychology, tourism development issues,
sustainable tourism practices, responsible tourism, the ethics of travel, and the
media
In private
Snowboarding, squash, backgammon, yoga, and my Macbook.