ABSTRACT
The importance of developing effective tourism distribution systems has been increasingly recognized in recent years, both in the tourism literature and by the tourism industry. As with other emerging areas of research, the literature on tourism distribution is at present rather fragmented and studies are partial in scope, providing researchers with considerable opportunities and challenges to develop this field further. This paper reports on a major five-year publicly funded project entitled ‘Innovation in New Zealand tourism through improved distribution channels’ that seeks to address many of these challenges and discusses some of the broader issues that have arisen. Begun in 2002, the project seeks to examine systematically different types of distribution channels, to identify the factors that influence the behaviour and motivations of all channel members, to assess the extent to which different channel structures, practices and relationships influence yield, and to recommend best channel management practices for different markets, regions and forms of tourism (Pearce, 2003).
