Neil Leiper

Neil Leiper retired in 2006 after a long and esteemed career as Professor of Tourism Management at Southern Cross University. Prior to his first full-time university placement in 1987, Neil worked for fifteen years in management consultancy and market research for companies, industry associations and the United Nations. His book "Tourism Management" was a finalist in New York for the 1995 Global Business Book Award with a 2nd edition published in 2003 by Pearson Education Australia.

Neil Leiper is currently enjoying semi retirement, working intermittently as a Research Professor at Naresuan University, Bangkok. When in Australia he continues to supervise PhD researchers at SCU and serve as editor for a number of international research journals. He is conducting a number of small-scale research projects in Thailand, Indonesia and Australia.

Neil Leiper is one of tourism academia’s greatest assets and the Centre is grateful to benefit from his expertise and experience. 

Ian Oelrichs

A landscape architect and urban designer, Oelrichs is passionate about regional development issues. Some of his many hats include being Chair of the Regional Development Board, founder of the Northern Rivers Urban Design Awards; founding member of the Australian Architecture Association, and President of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects. He established the Nature Tourism Task Force to implement Australia’s first regional ecotourism plan.

Ian runs his family’s private investment company and in his spare time you will find Ian working on sustainable development and conservation projects, including working with international non-governmental organisations, chairing a research team looking at improving ways to deliver aid to third-world countries, developing eco-lodges in Indonesia to help protect endangered wildlife such as orangutans and elephants.

“Regional Australia will make a huge contribution to the nation’s tourism industry in the next decade. If planned cleverly regional tourism can contribute high quality and distinctive experiences and significantly lift Australia’s image for high end travel product. It is essential we have good research to support wise planning and as I see it, this is what the ARTRC is well placed to achieve” – Ian Oelrichs

Dr Dianne Dredge

Dr Dianne Dredge currently works in the School of Environmental Planning at Griffith University and has recently joined the team at the ARTRC in the capacity of Adjunct Senior Research Fellow. Dianne began her career as a town planner and has a wealth of national and international experience derived from consulting and research appointments in Mexico, Canada, China and Australia. Dianne's diverse career has involved tourism and recreation master planning, local government tourism planning, tourism stakeholder audits, analysis of tourism organisations, environmental impact assessment of tourism projects and tourism policy analysis.

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Mary Hollick

Mary Hollick is a lecturer in tourism and marketing in the School of Business, University of Ballarat, Victoria and has considerable experience as an educator, commentator and consultant in tourism policy and planning.  She has a strong background in museum services combined with extensive experience in the fields of staff development, training and visitor services, specialising in social history and Australian heritage management. Mary has provided consultant services in attractions management and areas of social and built history conservation and presentation.

Mary's areas of interest and expertise include: tourism attraction management; pathology of tourism business failure; sustainable heritage management; micro tourism enterprise skills development; community capacity building and service quality measurement. Mary has recently completed doctoral studies with the University of Queensland, focussing on the role of attractions in destination development.

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