Victorian MPs honour PhD student

An RMIT University student was recognised for her research into employment clusters within the Victorian tourism industry at the recent "MPs 4 Tourism 2012" event.

Anjali Chhetri, a PhD student in the School of Mathematical and Geospatial Sciences, identified significant employment clusters and generated employment statistics on each of the tourism regions in Victoria.

Her research aims to help Victorian MPs evaluate the role and significance of the tourism and hospitality sector in their local areas.

The "MPs 4 Tourism 2012" event was organised by the Victorian Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) to provide an opportunity to share views and discuss issues and opportunities facing the Victorian tourism industry.

The VTIC is the peak policy council for the Victorian tourism industry. It represents key industry associations, operators and government agencies, providing one united industry voice.

Louise Asher, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, Minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business, and Minister for Tourism and Major Events, spoke about the vision and future growth plans for tourism in Victoria.

Dianne Smith, CEO of the VTIC, discussed the importance of cluster theory as a management framework for best practice tourism planning.

Associate Professor Colin Arrowsmith, School of Mathematical and Geospatial Sciences, said: "These clusters can be used as a capacity building tool to enhance regional tourism growth in Victoria."

Professor Prem Chhetri from the School of Business IT and Logistics agreed that the benefits of Ms Chhetri's research were far-reaching.

"These tourism clusters have the potential to act as growth centres by facilitating inter-firm collaborations and promoting sharing of resources between firms within the same value chain," he said.

More news

Subscribe to RMIT news RSS feeds