Destination Canada and University of Guelph Support Canadian Tourism Research

New two-year research agreement includes tourism research grant opportunities

VANCOUVER, Nov. 4, 2016 /CNW/ - Destination Canada, the University of Guelph, and the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA) have teamed up to support tourism researchers across Canada. The partnership includes both a funding component and an open tourism research database where researchers can access thousands of raw datasets.

The database includes over 52,000,000 data points about travellers' perceptions of Canada, representing survey results from approximately 118,226 people surveyed from 2007-2013.

In addition, in partnership with the TTRA and University of Guelph, Destination Canada is offering one or more grants to support the advancement of Canadian tourism research. Researchers from any Canadian academic institution can apply for funding of up to $10,000 for tourism-related projects.

"This program allows us to bring "big data" to tourism researchers, for the first time ever," said Chantz Strong, Destination Canada's Executive Director of Consumer and Market Intelligence. "We are really looking forward to working with the successful applicants to improve the quality and quantity of tourism-related research in Canada."

"We're excited by the research possibilities that the accessibility of this data provides to students and faculty," said Statia Elliot, Director, School of Hospitality, Food & Tourism Management of the College of Business and Economics, University of Guelph. "We hope this will contribute to the advancement of Canada's market intelligence."  

Research projects should focus on the evolution of Canada's tourism brand, in particular how external events (political, economic, social media or other) have an effect on perceptions over time, and how those perceptions influence destination choice.

Grant recipients will be asked to present their findings at the next TTRA International conference in June 2017 in Quebec City or at the TTRA Canada Conference in Halifax.

More details will be posted on the TTRA website in the coming days at www.ttracanada.ca

To view the database, see: https://dataverse.scholarsportal.info/dataverse/dc

About Destination Canada

Destination Canada markets Canada internationally as a premier four-season tourism destination. In collaboration with partners in the Canadian tourism industry, Destination Canada creates marketing campaigns designed to showcase the best our country has to offer. Destination Canada also provides research and industry data to our partners - equipping them to optimize their businesses.

Destination Canada
Twitter: @DestinationCAN
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/destination-canada
Web: DestinationCanada.com 

SOURCE Destination Canada