https://hdl.handle.net/2123/17761 2026-06-13T10:51:56Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/19137 The performance of ocean cruising in Australia and future prospects Paul, Hooper Transport researchers can gain important insights into traveller behaviour by examining the cruising phenomenon, and policy makers, especially those concerned with ports and maritime matters, need to be able to evaluate the potential of cruising. This paper describes the state of the cruise industry in Australia against the perspective of international developments, particularly those taking place in North America and Japan. Policy issues flow from this. Firstly, an assessment is required about the performance of the industry, particularly since one operator dominates sales in the market. An examination is made of growth prospects and the significance of cruising for ports and then, the Australian Government’s cabotage policy is commented upon. Finally, recommendations are made for further research in cruising. 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/19038 Total Factor Productivity Growth and Endogenous Demand: Establishing a Benchmark Index for the Selection of Operational Performance Measures in Public Bus Firms Hensher, David A. Performance measurement in the public sector is recognised as important for tracking progress. The selection of indicators of performance is somewhat arbitrary, and made difficult by the absence of any benchmarks for screening to establish a systematic link with the overall measurement of performance. In this paper we promote the idea of establishing a reference benchmark index in the guise of an index of total factor productivity growth. The index is used to provide a mapping between itself and a number of operational indicators as a way of assisting organisations in implementing change which is compatible with improvements in overall productivity. The paper questions the wisdom of using an exogenously specified demand-side measure of output and proposes a procedure in which an exogenous supply-side measure of output is linked to an endogenous demand side measure of output. The empirical study draws on seven years of data from the eight public bus operators in Australia to highlight the value of the approach. 1991-11-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/19040 THE ROLE OF STATED PREFERENCES AND DISCRETE CHOICE MODELS IN IDENTIFYING COMMUNITY PREFERENCES FOR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT DEVICES Hensher, David A.; Battellino, Helen C.; Gee, Julie L. Responsible local governments recognise the need to be sensitive to the local environmental implications of decisions taken in the course of developing strategies to ensure the efficient use of scarce resources. Rather than rely on the pressures of lobby groups to direct government behaviour in relation to community concerns, a preferred strategy is to identify the preferences and choices of the community as a whole and to use information from a representative cross-section from the community to aid in making environmentally-linked decisions which maximise the benefits to the affected community. This paper demonstrates how discrete-choice models can be used to identify community choices amongst alternative traffic management devices designed to improve the traffic environment within and in the vicinity of local residential streets. Using a "before" and "after" survey strategy, the study provides evidence to support the view that a set of guidelines representing the communities preferences for different devices should be based on an empirical model estimated on a sample of residents who have already had exposure to a range of devices. 1991-08-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/19036 PRIVATISATION AND DEREGULATION OF PASSENGER TRANSPORT: A SUMMING UP Beesley, Michael E.; Hensher, David A.; Talvitie, Antti 1991-02-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/19009 Developments in surface passenger transport. Implications for tourism Hensher, David A.; Hopper, P G; Smith, N C This paper was presented at the 1991 Tourism Outlook Forum (Australian Tourism Research Institute). It examines the state of play in the surface passenger transport system and comments on the implications of developments for tourism. Transport is increasingly being regarded as a weak link in Australian tourism, largely due to the declining standard of infrastructure. Nowhere is this more evident than in the road system. As governments at all levels attempt to cope with less resources, road funding is not keeping pace with traffic growth. As a consequence, some of the nation’s busiest highways are in need of major upgrading. The automobile, the most commonly used form of tourist transport, is becoming more fuel efficient as a result of technological developments and environmental pressures. The bus and coach industry is undergoing major changes as a result of competitive pressures both from within the industry and from other modes. Whilst the prospects for charter operations are sound, long-distance express services are under threat, especially as airline competition erodes their market. Conventional rail is also suffering in this environment, but the five government rail systems are under increasing pressure to curb the deficits on long-distance passenger services. The likely outcome is a more efficient rail operation with higher fares and better services on lines with the heaviest traffic. This should provide better opportunities to incorporate rail into tourism products, but rail’s roll will be limited. The proposal to introduce a network of high speed rail services connecting Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide with service levels similar to airline standards offers hope of a significant expansion of the travel market. The Very Fast Train proposal could have a major impact on air and other public transport modes, but would also aim to take a sizable proportion of people out of their cars. This would make it easier to develop attractive packages for a broader tourist market. Finally, Bass Strait has seen the introduction of a high speed ferry and the TT Line will replace the Abel Tasman in 1993 with a luxurious and larger vessel. The outlook for the future is a transport sector with a growing recognition that it is a vital part of tourism. 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/19010 Performance evaluation in passenger transportation: what are relevant measures? Hensher, David A. Measuring and monitoring the performance and productivity of passenger transportation has become a popular activity within public and private transit organisations. This lecture evaluates some of the indicators of performance that are widely used. We emphasise the need for data suitable for monitoring the performance of a single operator (i.e. what does the operator want to know to make operational decisions?) as well as data required for industry-based investigations. The contributions based on the economic interpretation of performance (i.e. measures of partial and total factor productivity) have tended to be industry-wide; however the need for translation down to individual operations is essential if the industry is to accept the new more relevant yet more complex measures of performance. Simple mapping procedures are available to implement the economist's approach at the operator level. To highlight some of the practical problems associated with selection of measures of performance we draw on data collected in Australia in the context of private transit. Items of particular interest include the measurement of the cost of capital, the composition of labour, and heterogeneity of output. We highlight the potential for misleading inference from univariate measures of performance. 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/2123/19011 The Spatial Distribution of Retail Expenditures: Joint Estimation of a Polychotomous Discrete-Continuous Choice System. Barnard, Peter O.; Hensher, David A. A polychotomous discrete-continuous choice system of the spatial distribution of retail expenditures is jointly estimated which allows the imposition of cross-equation restrictions between functions describing discrete and continuous choices as implied by economic theory. The empirical model fuses the shopping destination choices made by individuals with shopping expenditure decisions. The econometric and empirical model offers a rich insight into shopping behaviour and demonstrates the benefits of joint estimation of discrete-continuous choices in contrast to sequential estimation. The approach has wide applicability to many problems involving discrete and continuous choices which are jointly determined. 1991-08-01T00:00:00Z