Evaluating research performance in tourism: the UK experience

Abstract

This paper is a critical commentary on the measures now being used to evaluate the quality of tourism research in the UK. The paper examines the nature of the UK Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) and its evolution since 1992. A detailed analysis of the 2001 RAE in relation to tourism is reviewed, using the returns made by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). This is complemented by a content analysis of the origin of authors who published in Tourism Management and Annals of Tourism Research 1996–2002, to examine the contribution of UK academics to tourism outputs in these journals.