Tourism Futures

This Research & Knowledge Exchange Doctoral Project brief summarises our priority areas of research interest under the heading of: Tourism Futures: Seeking Sustainable and Regenerative Solutions.

We welcome all research degree applications aligned with and in response to this brief.

Cornwall hosts, approximately 24 million staying visitor days and 14-million-day visitor days per year (Visit Cornwall 2024).  The visitor experience is shaped by the county’s people and the environment of place.  There is a rich cultural heritage in Cornwall, which acts as dialogue between its residents, their communities, and the visitor.  Culture is valued, and subsequently used to promote and represent the cultural capital of people and place.  However, with the valorisation of culture and the promotion of these assets, the landscape for tourism in the country has shifted.   

The focus has shifted from promoting Cornwall as a tourism destination, to establishing how the quality of life for Cornwall’s residents can be improved, and how the Local Visitor Economy Partnership can provide sustainable and regenerative solutions for the country, through tourism.  Interest is therefore welcomed from individuals who believe their research can aid Cornwall’s move towards ‘2030 and Beyond’ (Visit Cornwall 2024) and become a driver of positive change. This can be designed through mono- or multi-methods and can be specific or broad in nature.  For example, key research questions may explore: 

• How place-based storytelling can shape a deeper connection to the community, for everyone. 
• How residents can reclaim their identity and re-discover their place whilst building resilience into the tourism industry. 
• If adopting an innovative, co-creative approach to sustainable destination development, can lead to building resilience in rural communities. 
• How marginal groups can co-create and respond to the impacts of (over)tourism. 
• The LVEPs role in building and managing a sustainable, resilient, and regenerative destination. 

The core requirement is that the proposal considers how tourism can be a force for good, provides an innovative or creative output, and the perceived impacts of the project align with future sustainable and regenerative agendas of place. 

Projects deriving from this brief are expected to sit within the Research & Knowledge Exchange strategy and the following department.

All successful research degree project proposals must emphasise a clear alignment between the project idea and our Research & Knowledge Exchange strategy.