Prestigious fellowship for tourism professor

4 November 2015

Prestigious fellowship for tourism professor

Lincoln University’s Professor of Tourism has achieved high international acclaim this year by being elected as a Fellow of the top global organisation for tourism academia.

Professor David Simmons says the core members of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism (IAST) are experts in disciplines such as economics, geography, psychology, sociology and anthropology.

“However, my nomination for the fellowship was based around my background in human geography and Lincoln University’s applied approach to tourism.”

Professor Simmons acknowledges the support he has received at Lincoln University over the course of his career, especially the founding years spent with his mentor, Professor Pat Devlin.

“The Government’s previous investments in tourism research for the public good has also been fundamental, as it has allowed my Lincoln-based teams to undertake world leading research,” he says.

Professor Simmons was nominated for the fellowship by Professor Larry Dwyer, of the UNSW Australia Business School, and Tourism and Hospitality Management Professor Christopher Ryan, of the University of Waikato.

The IAST, founded in Europe in 1988, aims to further international tourism research and encourage the exchange of tourism knowledge.

The organisation draws membership from across the globe, but is limited to 75 members at any one time. Fellows are elected for their outstanding scholarly contribution to the field.

Professor Simmons also notes the depth of tourism research in New Zealand, which now has three members of the Academy. The other two members are Professor Douglas Pearce, of Victoria University and Professor Ryan.

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