Professor Peter Burns was presented with the Award for Understanding Global Complexity through Tourism by the Association for Tourism in Higher Education at their annual conference in Brighton today (Friday 8 Nov).

Prof Burns, who is the Director of the University’s Institute for Tourism Research (INTOUR), was awarded to accolade for his work in Vietnam, assessing the country’s vulnerability to climate change in relation to tourism.

The aim of the project was to make Vietnam’s tourism industry aware of its vulnerability to climate change (e.g. beach erosion, extreme weather events, changing seasonality etc.) and how to develop adaptive procedures to minimise tourism’s exposure. The study was part of a larger EU funded project on developing sustainable tourism for Vietnam.

As a result, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in Vietnam, signalling a new level of collaboration between the two ministries as they seek to help the tourism industry adapt to climate change.

On receiving his award, Prof Burns said: “I feel really honoured to receive this national award. What’s important is that it recognises the fact that I have always tried to ensure that my research has practical application and is able to influence policy, especially in the field of climate change.

"I am grateful for the help and assistance given to me by the Vietnamese authorities during my fieldwork earlier this year. I will continue to bring my experiences into the classroom to help educate and train the next generation of tourism leaders.”