World VIUPoints International Mountain Day

International Mountain Day 2021 - Webinar: Global Perspectives on Sustainable Tourism in Mountain Regions

International Mountain Day is a United Nations designated day which marks the importance of mountain regions across the globe. This year's theme is 'Sustainable Mountain Tourism' and despite mountain tourism destinations being heavily impacted by COVID-19, there is also "an opportunity to rethink mountain tourism and its impact on natural resources and livelihoods […] and to harness it towards a more resilient, green and inclusive future" (United Nations). This session brings together tourism researchers with expert knowledge of mountain regions in North America, Europe, and Asia, to share their global insights on mountain tourism.

International Speakers:

Natalie Ooi is a Teaching Associate Professor in the Outdoor Recreation Economy program at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her passion lies in collaborating with industry and communities to contribute to a resilient and just tourism/outdoor recreation economy. Her research interests include the sustainability and resilience of mountain resort destinations with a particular interest in stakeholder relationships.

Cenk Demiroglu is an Associate Professor of Geography at Umeå University. His research is focused on climate change and ski tourism, serving as an expert to several destination development projects. Since 2018, he has been Co-chair of the Commission on Climate, Tourism and Recreation of the International Society of Biometeorology.

Marius Mayer is a post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Strategic Management, Marketing and Tourism, Team SME & Tourism at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. He has a PhD in Geography (University of Würzburg). His research interests cover sustainable regional (tourism) development, destination evolution, the tourism-climate change nexus, discourse analyses and tourism in protected areas.

Sanjay K. Nepal is a Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Waterloo. He has a PhD in Geography (Uni Berne). His research focus is on snow leopard conservation in the Nepalese Himalaya, natural disasters, social and cultural capital in tourism dependent communities in Asia.

Rudi Hartmann is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado, Denver. He has conducted research in the Colorado High Country with focus on the practices of sustainable development of ski resorts. Over the years, he has published numerous articles and book chapters on the subject of sustainable tourism in mountain regions.

VIU Host:

Patrick Brouder holds the British Columbia Regional Innovation Chair in Tourism and Sustainable Rural Development at Vancouver Island University. Patrick serves as President of the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation and on the steering committee of the International Polar Tourism Research Network.