Eliza Raymond

Eliza Raymond is a Lecturer in Tourism Management and the Programme Director for Tourism Management at the School of Management, Victoria University of Wellington. She completed her PhD in Tourism Management from the same university in 2024. Prior to her academic career, she worked in the tourism industry for 15 years, including as co-founder of a social enterprise focused on sustainable tourism.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in Tourism Management, Victoria University of Wellington, 2024
• Master of Tourism (MTour), University of Otago, New Zealand
• Bachelor of Arts (Geography major, Spanish minor), University of Otago, New Zealand

Eliza's research focuses on the intersection of tourism and global citizenship, particularly how tourism can advance cross-cultural understanding. As a qualitative researcher, she specializes in innovative research methods and incorporating under-represented voices, especially children and young people, into tourism research. Her work covers sustainable tourism, visitor management, and volunteer tourism. Her recent publications reveal a strong trend toward examining how tourism can be leveraged for positive social change, with particular attention to behavior change mechanisms like visitor pledges and the role of tourism in developing global citizenship. Her research on national destination pledges (Icelandic Pledge, Palau Pledge, New Zealand Tiaki Promise) demonstrates how emotional engagement and commitment strategies can influence visitor behavior toward more sustainable practices.

Her professional recognition includes:

• Associate Fellow (AFHEA) Te Arawai Ako/Advance HE (December 2023 - present)

Eliza teaches courses including Tourism Organisations (TOUR202), Event Management (MGMT303), and Managing People and Work (HRER201). Her teaching spans from 2025 through 2026, demonstrating her active role in the university's educational programs. Her research collaborations indicate strong connections with colleagues in tourism studies, particularly in areas of sustainable tourism and visitor behavior management. She has made significant contributions to understanding women's experiences in adventure tourism guiding and the psychological well-being implications for guides, expanding the literature on gender dynamics in tourism workplaces.