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Nigel Bond could be accused of having a poor work / life balance. He is constantly immersed in research projects, whether in his role as research officer for the School of Tourism, as Registrar for the Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology (Caboolture, Qld) or working to complete his PhD.

 

Exploring the Centre is the working title of Nigel’s doctoral thesis, which investigates the relationships between pilgrims and religious tourists and the implications for the management of religious and cultural heritage sites. The research will analyse the challenges facing religious and pilgrimage sites that also function as major tourist attractions by exploring a range of visitor needs, experiences and behaviours. Practical issues of site management will be addressed in order to determine how religious sites can better meet the differing needs of visitors.

 

As Registrar and associate curator for the Abbey Museum, Nigel has been instrumental in the development of the Museum's curatorial and registration procedures. He has been associated with the museum for over six years, after initially volunteering as a collection researcher.

 

Nigel is currently involved in three major projects with the Tourist Behaviour and Visitor Experiences Research Team within the School: examining the positive potential of museum visits; exploring successful business strategies for Indigenous tourism operators and comparing conservation learning in captive and non-captive wildlife settings across cross-cultural settings.