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To apply for a research degree, please make sure you fulfill the entry requirements and then complete the online research degree application form and upload your supporting documents.
You should have a good honours degree (2:1 or above) or masters degree or equivalent in the relevant subject area.
International applicants should be aware of our research degree English language requirements
The Observatory on Tourism in the European Islands (OTIE) develops statistic surveys and research studies in order to identify current issues of tourism in European islands. OTIE offers an opportunity to compare the development of tourism in the islands with First Report on Tourism in the European Islands, of which main results will be presented in advance on 22nd and 23rd March 2012 in Brussels, during the seminar “New trends of Tourism in European Islands”.
The workshops will be held by experts who are both researchers from EU-27 Member States and members of OTIE Technical Scientific Committee. The event is a very important opportunity for delving into the development of European islands tourism.
INTOUR will be supporting the workshop as a technical sponsor. Further information -
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The Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism is a global initiative launched in 2011 to inject sustainability principles into the mainstream of tourism policies, development, and operations. It emerged as a more permanent successor to the International Task Force on Sustainable Tourism Development (ITF-STD). The Secretariat is hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme, Division of Technology, Industry, and Economics (UNEP-DTIE).
INTOUR has recently been become a member of the partnership whose mission is to transform tourism around the world by making it more sustainable. It encourages networking and cooperation to promote the long-term economic health of the tourism sector, the success of which depends on attractive natural and built environments and vibrant communities.
Dr Nazia Ali, a Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Events Management, and Inge Hermann, a PhD degree student in the University of Bedfordshire’s Institute for Tourism Research (INTOUR), both recently won a best conference paper award at the First International Conference on Emerging Research Paradigms in Business and Social Sciences hosted by Middlesex University Dubai.
Dr Nazia Ali, who won the best tourism paper award, presented her research involving women, diaspora tourism and diasporic networking, which discussed the role of UK Pakistani migrant women in maintaining connections with the ancestral homeland. Nazia discussed the role played by Pakistani migrant women in the UK in maintaining connections with the ancestral homeland Pakistan.
Inge, who won the best research student paper award, presented her explorations on representational and non-representational stances in tourism studies, aiming to encourage theoretical and methodological awareness towards ‘more-than-representational’ analysis concerning touristic spaces. Inge, an international student from the Netherlands, began her research in September 2009 and is now in the final stages of her PhD research on Cold War tourism. She will graduate at the end of this year. Her supervisors are Dr Sally Everett and Professor Keith Hollinshead.
The international conference, organised by Middlesex University Dubai, was attended by 140 delegates from 110 different countries. The conference took place at the Pullman Hotel, Dubai, 22 – 24 November, 2011.
Dr. Bob Gibson is a freelance researcher and lecturer with a mix of industry and academic experience encompassing tourism management, heritage and culture resource management, transport and local history. Industry experience began as a management trainee for a major bus and coach operator and went on to include major travel companies British Airways and Thomas Cook. In the seminar he will talk about the Thomas Cook business and the 1841 Myth.
The Thomas Cook business grew within fewer than fifty years to be a worldwide name by the end of the 19th century; a status it retains in the early years of the 21st century more than one hundred and seventy years since Thomas Cook organised rail transport to a temperance meeting in Loughborough some eleven miles from his adopted town of Leicester. It will be suggested that this July 1841 train hire is often misquoted as the ground-breaking event for the growth of the package holiday and modern tourism industry.
This Seminar will argue this idea is utterly misleading and that it has become a well-established myth in the often, selective memory of social history. Examples of other travel organisers from the 19th century will be cited, including that was at one stage as large the Cook business.
It will also suggest there is a need for more in depth research by social and tourism historians on the backgrounds of some of the early travel organisers to help debunk the ‘1841 myth’.
Seminar will take place on the 11th of January, 5-6pm in room G004, Campus Centre, Luton.
Dr Sherif Elroubi, Senior Lecturer in Tourism Management will be presenting 'Tourism and Inward Investment' on the 7th December, 5-6pm in room G004, Campus Centre, Luton.
Sherif’s professional expertise spans a range of functions including valuation, market and feasibility studies, best use studies, strategic advisory and brokerage services. His sector coverage centres on hotels and resorts, mixed-use developments, and development land.
Please see the first newsletter of the Institute for Tourism Research (INTOUR) in which you will find the latest news, activities and publications of the INTOUR team.
INTOUR Newsletter -
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Rob Early, Head of International Business at Oxford Archaeology will be giving the talk entitled 'Cultural heritage management and tourism - some case studies'.
Rob Early has qualifications in archaeology and conservation and has worked in the heritage sector for over 18 years. In addition to numerous academic and popular publications based on his archaeological research, Rob has extensive management experience of rural development and sustainable heritage projects. He has worked on numerous heritage projects in the UK including the UNESCO World Heritage Site at the Tower of London, and has successfully managed large-scale heritage projects in Peru, France, Turkey and the UK.
Seminar will take place on Wednesday 2nd November, 5-6pm in room C420, Campus Centre, Luton
The Institute for Tourism Research (INTOUR) and the Division of Tourism and Leisure at the University of Bedfordshire are pleased to jointly organise this conference which will offer a forum for knowledge exchange and debate on the role of tourism in global society, attempting to evaluate its centrality as an agent of social change.
For more information please email intour2012@beds.ac.uk
Conference website www.beds.ac.uk/intour2012
The international conference was successfully attended by over 70 delegates from diverse countries, including India, South Africa, Mauritius, Italy, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Spain. Keynote speakers included Professor Simon Mile, Director of the New Zealand Tourism Institute (NZTI) of AUT University, New Zealand; Professor Peter Burns, Professor of Tourism and Development and Director of the Centre for Tourism Policy Structures (CENTOPS), University of Brighton, UK; and Dr. Joel Sonne, Director of Policy and Planning, Ministry of Tourism, Ghana.
Professor Andrew Holden has been invited as a keynote speaker at the conference that marks the 20th Anniversary of the special issue of Annals of Tourism Research (1991, Vol 18, No.1) entitled: Advancing the Social Science of Tourism. Professor Holden, author of the book Tourism Studies and the Social Sciences by Routledge, will give the presentation 'Relevance and Insights: The Relationship of the Social Sciences with Tourism Studies'. He will explore the importance of the social science understanding of tourism for society, the processes and dynamics of which created it in its contemporary form and have elevated it to its current level of importance.
For millions, the risqué, saucy seaside postcard was once an integral part of the holiday routine. But no more. Postcards have, to a large extent, been superseded by technology. And, many would argue, by changing tastes. The saucy seaside postcard is of another time. Or is it? From pier revue to peer re-view, the paper explores the legacy of Donald McGill – the undisputed doyen of the genre.
Date: Tuesday 24th May 2011
Time: 17.30-18.30
Location: Campus Centre, Luton; room G225
For further information please contact: Professor Andrew Holden (andrew.holden@beds.ac.uk)
Negotiating the Tide of Change: Research Institute Survival in a Rapidly Evolving Academic Environment.
Universities around the world face very different funding, teaching and research development environments from those that existed a decade or two ago. As budgets tighten, student fees increase and research performance reviews become ever more intense, academics and the departments, faculties and research institutes they work in, are forced to negotiate a period of considerable change. In this paper I reflect on the experience of developing and sustaining the New Zealand Tourism Research Institute (NZTRI) over the past 11 years, a period that has seen a range of far reaching tertiary sector reforms being introduced. I focus in particular on the New Zealand Performance Based Research Funding (PBRF) initiative and examine how NZTRI has attempted to negotiate the tide of change that has followed in its wake. I focus on simple, cost-effective strategies that can be used to enhance the long term viability of research institutes and examine the vital role these institutes can play in helping academics ‘keep their head above water’.
The University of Technology, Mauritius and the University of Bedfordshire’s Institute for Tourism Research (INTOUR) are pleased to jointly organize this conference focusing on tourism’s influence and role in shaping environmental and social change. This international conference will embrace significant sub-themes relating to Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Poverty Reduction. The conference will bring together scholars, professionals and practitioners from various disciplines and countries and provide them with a unique forum for sharing the latest theories and practices. To provide useful feedback on your paper, a discussant will be assigned to provide constructive comments. Papers are expected to address theoretical and practical issues relevant to the themes of the conference.
Professor Andrew Holden was recently invited to Ghana by the Ministry of Tourism and Diasporic Relations. The purpose of his visit was to identify future collaborative projects with the Ministry and other stakeholders. He gave a lecture on the role of Community Based Tourism at a seminar organised by the Ministry in Accra. This was attended by members of local government, the private sector and non-governmental organisations. He then travelled to Elmina, the location of one of the most infamous slave trade forts, to look at how tourism was interacting with poverty reduction. This visit included meeting members of the Municipal Assembly and representative of the University of the Cape Coast. In consultation with the Ministry, Professor Holden identified two main areas where research is needed to enhance tourism policy in Ghana. The first is the establishment of an efficient framework for data collection for policy decision-making. The second is to gain a better understanding of how tourism can integrate with poor communities to provide livelihood opportunities and reduce poverty.
You are invited to the first INTOUR seminar for October titled 'Tourism research and 'Global-Elites': the elephant in the room' to be presented by Tiffany Low who is a PhD student sponsored by the Forte Foundation (Director of Studies: Dr. Sally Everett). The theme of Tiffany's presentation is:
Small in number, but high in net worth and influence are a group of so-called 'global elites'. Their actions are scrutinised and emulated by many, and such their power is considerable. The 'global elites' are influential in the creation of and desire for "unattainable and unsustainable levels of consumption portrayed as luxury, privilege, prestige and 'class'" (CeMoRe, 2010). The size of the tourism and travel industry, coupled with the significance, both economic and societal, of the global elites, demands research attention. Why this group and their behaviours have largely been ignored in a tourism context to date, provides the focus of this discussion. The presentation will explore conceptual characteristics of this group, suggest possible reasons for the lack of academic attention, and propose directions for further research in this area.
Date: Thursday 28 October 2010
Time: 1700-1800
Location: H306 Vicarage Street
For further information please contact: Professor Andrew Holden (andrew.holden@beds.ac.uk)
Dr. Sally Everett and Dr. Susan Slocum have secured a tender bid in the amount of £4,186 from Experience Bedfordshire, the destination management organisation (DMO) for Bedford Borough Council, Luton Borough Council, and Central Bedfordshire Council. The project, entitled “Research into Business Engagement for Experience Bedfordshire”, seeks to identify key strategic areas where the public sector can add value to the private sector offer and what public sector services and activities are valued and needed by the sector. Findings will assist the Councils in the reassessment of the functions of the DMO and how Experience Bedfordshire should be funded and governed.
