Pacific Tourism Futures Research Group

The AUT Pacific Tourism Futures Research Group leads regenerative tourism intelligence across the Pacific region, delivering rigorous, data-driven insights that empower governments, industry stakeholders and communities to build resilient, sustainable tourism futures.

Our vision

Leading sustainable and regenerative tourism insights, advancing knowledge, shaping Pacific tourism futures.

Our mission

The Pacific Tourism Futures Research Group advances sustainable and regenerative tourism in the Pacific by delivering rigorous, evidence-based intelligence that addresses the region’s diverse priorities.

We work in close partnership with governments, industry stakeholders, and communities to design and implement robust data collection and analysis, ensuring tourism policy, planning, and investment are informed by reliable insights. With expertise spanning tourism economics, visitor experience, industry performance, and community perspectives, we provide actionable knowledge that supports resilient, inclusive, and culturally grounded tourism futures across Pacific destinations.

  • Tourism economics – Measuring visitor expenditure patterns and their economic contributions
  • Visitor experience and satisfaction – Monitoring perceptions, satisfaction levels and travel behaviours
  • Industry performance – Assessing tourism business performance and resilience through industry surveys
  • Community perspectives – Evaluating community awareness, attitudes, and aspirations related to tourism
  • Tourism decision support systems – Integrating diverse data sources to support strategic planning and policy development
  • International Visitor Surveys (IVS) – Core data collection in each destination, capturing visitor satisfaction, spending and experience
  • Tourism industry surveys – Providing a business perspective on tourism performance and operational challenges
  • Community attitudes surveys – National-level assessments of how communities perceive and value tourism
  • Tourism decision support systems – Developing integrated tools that combine visitor, industry, and community data for informed decision-making

Pacific Tourism Data Initiative (PTDI)

The Pacific Tourism Data Initiative (PTDI) is the flagship regional research and monitoring programme designed to fill the long-standing gap in reliable, comparable, and timely tourism data across Pacific Island countries. Funded by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and delivered in partnership with regional and national stakeholders, PTDI establishes coordinated, long-term data systems that support evidence-based decision-making for governments, industry, and communities, ensuring tourism growth aligns with sustainable development.

In 2023–2024, operational responsibilities were transitioned to the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), embedding regional ownership and long-term sustainability through training, database transfer, and technical guidance. The AUT Pacific Tourism Futures Research Group continues to enhance the value of PTDI data through analysis, research, and knowledge sharing across the region.

Origins & expansion – The initiative began in the Cook Islands, where the IVS has run continuously since 2012 alongside business and community surveys.

Impact – PTDI outputs inform national tourism strategies, destination marketing, infrastructure planning, and community engagement, ensuring tourism growth aligns with sustainable development goals. Tailored training is provided for National Tourism Offices (NTOs), National Statistics Offices, and other partners in survey design, data analysis and reporting

2015: Expanded to Vanuatu and the Federated States of Micronesia (Yap) with IFC/World Bank and US Department of Interior support.

2017: New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade extended the programme to Samoa, Niue, and Solomon Islands, and assumed funding for Vanuatu.

2017: IFC/World Bank introduced the IVS in Papua New Guinea, now funded by the PNG Government.

2021: Onboarded Tonga, Kiribati, and Timor-Leste.

Resources and outputs of the Pacific Tourism Data Initiative

Select a country below to learn more about the resources that have been developed.

International visitor survey

Presentations

Business survey and confidence index

Cook Islands community attitudes toward tourism survey

Datamining

  • Cook Islands - IVS Insights - Aitutaki - NZ Visitors - 2012 to 2020
  • Cook Islands - IVS Insights - New South Wales visitors travelling with Air NZ - 2014 to 2021
  • Cook Islands - IVS Insights - New South Wales visitors - 2014 to 2021
  • Cook Islands - IVS Insights - California visitors - 2014 to 2020
  • Cook Islands - IVS Insights - Access Tourism 70+ visitors - 2016 to 2021
  • Cook Islands - NZ Travel Bubble Visitors - May 2021 to June 2021
  • Cook Islands - Datamining for Marine Ecosystem Services Valuation - December 2020
  • Cook Islands - Covid-19 Visitor Insights - September 2020
  • Cook Islands - Soft Adventure Visitor Characteristics - 2016 to 2019
  • Cook Islands - Wedding Party and Honeymoon Segments 2012-2017 - August 2018
  • Cook Islands - Pearl Shopper Characteristics - July 2018
  • Cook Islands - Wedding Party Visitor Characteristics - January 2017
  • Cook Islands - Soft Adventure Visitor Characteristics - January 2017
  • Cook Islands - Te Maeva Nui Event Analysis - April 2016
  • Cook Islands - Visitor Characteristics by Accommodation Type - August 2015
  • Cook Islands - Outer Island Visitor Characteristics and Impacts - August 2015
  • Cook Islands - Market Segment Analysis - October 2014

International visitor survey

Business survey

Datamining

International visitor survey

Business survey

Training

Datamining

International visitor survey

Business survey

Community survey

Datamining

International visitor survey

Presentations

Domestic expatriate tourism

Business survey

Datamining

The New Zealand Tourism Research Institute was engaged by the IFC/World Bank to conduct the Papua New Guinea International Visitor survey from 2017.

NZTRI worked with the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority to collect data on the ground.

The data collected from the survey provides insight into the travel trends and market needs of international visitors. Information collected from the survey has helped Papua New Guinea develop its national tourism policy.

To learn more about this project you can also visit PNG Tourism Promotions Authority.

International Visitor Survey

Papua New Guinea informational videos

Yap is a small island state and part of the Federated States of Micronesia. The Yap Visitors Bureau and NZTRI partnered from 2015 on to facilitate an International Visitors Survey. NZTRI also undertook the development of the Visit Yap App, a mobile app for visitors to the island.

NZTRI involvement in this research

The research information on this web page was formerly conducted under the auspices of the New Zealand Tourism Research Institute (NZTRI).

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