Views from outside the academy : An interview with Dr Leo Jago, Chief Economist of Tourism and General Manager of Tourism Research Australia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to gain an insight into the perspectives of a senior policy‐maker on university‐industry partnerships and, especially, on the utilisation of academic research in policy formation and evaluation. Design/methodology/approach – An informal interview with Dr Leo Jago was undertaken via email. Dr Jago has recently been appointed as the Chief Economist for Tourism and General Manager of Tourism Research Australia (TRA). TRA is the branch of the Australian Government's Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism (RET) that provides statistics, research and analysis to support industry development, policy development and marketing for the Australian tourism industry. Dr Jago was previously a Professor of Tourism and Director of university research centres in Australia and the UK. For six years he was Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Director of Research for the Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism (STCRC). He has published widely and is Co‐Editor of the International Journal of Event and Festival Management . Dr Jago also has 18 years' experience of owning and operating small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism sector. Findings – The interview provides valuable lessons for researchers who wish to engage effectively with policy‐makers and other practitioners. Originality/value – The transcript offers a rare opportunity to garner a more detailed understanding of the values, experiences and practices of this elite interviewee than is usually possible in academic publications.