Now showing 1 - 10 of 17
  • Publication
    Beyond panic buying: consumption displacement and COVID-19
    (Emerald Publishing Limited, 2020-07-17)
    Hall, Michael C
    ;
    Prayag, Girish
    ;
    ;
    Dyason, David
    Purpose - This study evaluates consumption displacement, the shift in consumption that occurs when consumers experience a change in the availability of goods, services and amenities to which they are accustomed as the result of an external event, and which is characterised by the points in space and time where consumption occurs and by the movements to, from, and between those points, that is occurring as a result of the effects of COVID-19 on the services sector in the Canterbury region of New Zealand.
    Design/methodology/approach - Based on consumer spending data, the authors identify patterns of consumption displacement for the hospitality and retail sectors as defined by ANZSIC. We answer where, when, how, what and why consumption displacement happens.
    Findings - The findings provide evidence of spatial and temporal displacement of consumption based on consumer spending patterns. Evidence of increased spending in some consumption categories confirms stockpiling behaviours. The hospitality sector experiences a sharp decline in consumer spending over lockdown.
    Originality/value - Given the lack of studies analysing the impacts of crises and disasters on the services sector and consumption displacement, this study provides evidence of different forms of consumption displacement related to COVID-19.
  • Publication
    Exploring CBD Retail Performance, Recovery and Resilience of a Smart City Following COVID-19
    (MDPI AG, 2023-05-19) ;
    Prayag, Girish
    ;
    Dyason, David
    ;
    Rice, John
    ;
    Hall, C Michael

    The city of Christchurch, New Zealand, incurred significant damage due to a series of earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. The city had, by the late 2010s, regained economic and social normalcy after a sustained period of rebuilding and economic recovery. Through the concerted rebuilding effort, a modern central business district (CBD) with redesigned infrastructure and amenities was developed. The Christchurch rebuild was underpinned by a commitment of urban planners to an open and connected city, including the use of innovative technologies to gather, use and share data. As was the case elsewhere, the COVID-19 pandemic brought about significant disruptions to social and economic life in Christchurch. Border closures, lockdowns, trading limitations and other restrictions on movement led to changes in traditional consumer behaviors and affected the retail sector's resilience. In this study, we used CBD pedestrian traffic data gathered from various locations to predict changes in retail spending and identify recovery implications through the lens of retail resilience. We found that the COVID-19 pandemic and its related lockdowns have driven a substantive change in the behavioral patterns of city users. The implications for resilient retail, sustainable policy and further research are explored.

  • Publication
    ‘Pull’ motivation: an activity-based typology of international visitors to New Zealand
    (Routledge, 2019) ;
    Prayag, Girish
    ;
    Bruwer, Johan
    Using the push and pull framework, this study examines the relationship between tourist activities in New Zealand and behaviours such as tourist spending, travel style (group vs. independent travel) and length of stay. Data from the International Visitor Survey were analysed for a 19-year period (1997-2015). The findings, based on 62,288 respondents, identified 9 typologies of international visitors over this period. For example, type one visitors are primarily pulled by the nature-based activities offered in New Zealand while type two is pulled by adventure activities. Some of the typologies have activities that overlap reflecting the needs of international visitors. Significant relationships were found between the nine typologies, tourist spending, travel style and length of stay. Implications for destination marketing purposes are highlighted.
  • Publication
    The tourism value of international freedom campers to New Zealand
    (Routledge, 2020) ;
    Prayag, Girish
    ;
    Hall, C Michael
    ;
    North, Chris
    This study evaluates the economic contribution of international freedom campers to New Zealand over the period 1997-2018. Using the International Visitor Survey (IVS) data, we categorise tourism activities undertaken by freedom campers as free, low value and high value and estimate whether over this period the proportion for each category increases or decreases. We also compare the economic value of the activities undertaken by freedom campers with those undertaken by tourists staying in commercial accommodation. The findings show that over the last 21 years, freedom campers have undertaken more free activities compared to those staying in hotels, motels and luxury accommodation. However, their uptake of high expense activities are similar to tourists staying in B&Bs or homestay, and camping/national park. Accordingly, this research note demystifies the perception that freedom campers are cheap tourists with nothing to contribute economically.
  • Publication
    Freedom Campers in NZ: An Activity-Based Analysis of their Economic Contribution
    (2019) ;
    Prayag, Girish
    ;
    Hall, Colin Michael
    Freedom camping is undertaken by diverse tourist demographics including young budget travellers, couples with children, and retirees. These tourists tend to stay longer than the pleasure traveller, but because they tend to avoid campsite fees, and make use of public infrastructure without charge these tourists are frequently labelled “freeloaders”. Freedom campers’ contributions to local economies through purchase of supplies and services have been disregarded while the larger-scale economic activity associated with RV purchases and rentals is often overlooked. Freedom campers can often visit remote regions, thus contributing to local economic development. Another argument in favour of freedom camping postulates that the funds saved on accommodation will be used for other tourist endeavours, such as activities. Quantitative evaluations of the economic contribution of freedom camping are missing in debates over its impact. Specifically, comparisons of the economic value of the activities undertaken by freedom campers against tourists staying in other forms of accommodation (e.g. hotels, motels, backpackers and B&Bs) are non-existent. In this study, we aim to determine whether freedom campers are “low value” tourists based on the activities undertaken and their spending behaviour in New Zealand. We employ a pooled cross-sectional design that uses data spanning the period from 2013 to 2018 sourced from the NZ International Visitor Survey. We find that freedom campers engage in an above-average number of free activities compared to other tourists. However, when considering medium and high expense activities freedom campers’ profiles are similar to other visitors to New Zealand.
  • Publication
    Freedom Camping
    (Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, 2022-07-28)
    Prayag, Girish
    ;
    Freedom camping can be defined as the activity whereby tourists occupy an automobile or recreational vehicle (RV) as a mode of accommodation in an open or public space free of charge and in an unregulated fashion. It is also referred to as boondocking, dispersed camping, motor camping, off-site camping and wild camping in different parts of the world and undertaken by a wide range of domestic and international tourists.
  • Publication
    International Visitors' Perceptions of Sustainability in New Zealand and the Canterbury Region: Insights from UGC and IVS
    (University of Canterbury, 2018-12-21)
    Prayag, Girish
    ;
    Hall, Michael
    ;
    Chen, Chris
    ;
    This report has two sections. The first section presents the findings of an analysis of UGC from Trip Advisor and Expedia for the year 2013 to 2018 with the aim of identifying trends and patterns in the words that occur most frequently in online reviews on New Zealand and the Canterbury region. The second section presents an analysis of the environmental practice ratings in the IVS from 2014 to 2018.
  • Publication
    When staying long enough is enough?
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2021-03) ;
    Prayag, Girish
    ;
    Hall, C Michael
    ;
    ;
    Gössling, Stefan
    Length-of-stay is a critical variable of interest to tourism destinations as it influences spending (Barros & Machado, 2010) and resource use. While worldwide tourists are undertaking more shorter duration trips (Gössling, Scott, & Hall, 2018), existing studies suggest that length-of-stay is determined by destination attributes, tourist socio-demographic, and trip characteristics (Jackman, Lorde, Naitram, & Greenaway, 2020; Wang, Fong, Law, & Fang, 2018). Tourist budgets, available holiday time and activities, and accommodation related decisions are key determinants of length-of-stay, thus affecting expenditure (Barros & Machado, 2010; Hall, 2005; Jackman et al., 2020; Jacobsen, Gössling, Dybedal, & Skogheim, 2018).
  • Publication
    The Triple Blow Effect: Retailing in an Era of Disasters and Pandemics-The Case of Christchurch, New Zealand
    (MDPI AG, 2022-02-04)
    Dyason, David
    ;
    ;
    Prayag, Girish
    ;
    Hall, C Michael

    In the last two decades, the retail sector has experienced unprecedented upheaval, having severe implications for economic development and sustenance of traditional inner-city retail districts. In the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, this effect has been exacerbated by a series of earthquakes in 2010/2011 which destroyed much of the traditional retail precinct of the city. After extensive rebuild activity of the city’s infrastructure, the momentum of retailers returning to the inner city was initially sluggish but eventually gathered speed supported by increased international visitation. In early 2020, the return to retail normality came to an abrupt halt after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study uses spending and transaction data to analyze the compounding impact of the earthquake’s aftermath, shift to online shopping, and the retail disruption in the Christchurch central retail precinct because of COVID-19. The findings illustrate how consumers through their spending respond to different types of external shocks, altering their consumption patterns and retail mode (offline and online) to cope with an ever-changing retail landscape. Each event triggers different spending patterns that have some similarities but also stark differences, having implications for a sustainable and resilient retail industry in Christchurch. Implications for urban retail precinct development are also discussed.

  • Publication
    Panic Buying and Consumption Displacement during COVID-19: Evidence from New Zealand
    (MDPI AG, 2021-04-01)
    Hall, C Michael
    ;
    ;
    Prayag, Girish
    ;
    Dyason, David
    Panic buying and hoarding behavior is a significant component of crisis- and disaster-related consumption displacement that has received considerable attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding such purchasing and stockpiling behavior provides critical information for government, disaster managers and the retail sector, as well as policy makers to adjust crisis response strategies and to better understand disaster management, including preparedness and response strategies. This study examines consumer purchasing behavior, retail spending and transactional data for different retail sectors between January 2017 and December 2020 using data for the greater Christchurch region in New Zealand. Once COVID-19-related panic buying began, overall spending increased sharply in anticipation of lockdowns. Transactional spending increased and subsided only slowly to a level higher than pre lockdown. The magnitude of the panic buying event far exceeded historical seasonal patterns of consumer spending outside of Christmas, Easter and Black Friday, although daily spending levels were comparable to such consumption events. The results of the study highlight the importance of comparing panic buying to other events in terms of purchasing motivations and also considering that so-called panic buying may contribute to greater individual and household resilience. The volume of sales alone is not adequate to define panic buying. Instead, the extent of divergence from the normal daily spending value per retail transaction of a given population provides a much more accurate characteristic of panic buying.