building research capacity for pro-poor tourism

about us

the project has established a network consisting of five partner organisations in Asia and Europe:

London Metropolitan University

London Metropolitan University has a track record of research on tourism dating back to 1986 when the Centre for Leisure and Tourism Studies (CELTS) was founded. This has since expanded to become the International Institute for Culture, Tourism and Development. In 2002 the Institute acted as a consultant to the Asian Development Bank on tourism in the Mekong Delta, and is currently working with the London Borough of Hackney on an EU Asia Urbs project in Vietnam. The Institutes Director also contributed in 2002 to the Ministry of Culture and Informations in-country training programme on heritage management, which is funded by the Ford Foundation.

Udayana University

Udayana University in Indonesia has one of the largest multi-disciplinary research centres focusing on tourism in the ASEAN region. The research is carried out on behalf of the university by the Bali Human Ecology Studies Group (Bali-HESG), which seeks solutions to local problems of crucial importance to sustainable development. Bali HESG has been involved in North to South and South to South transfers of knowledge, and has a high profile in the ASEAN region. Bali HESG organised the International Seminar on Human Ecology, Tourism and Sustainable Development in Bali in 1990, and since 2000 been involved in organising a series of solution generating workshops, known as SHIP, that have attracted a wide variety of stakeholders. SHIP stands for Systemic Holistic Interdisciplinary Participatory and it is proposed that the first conference in this link programme should follow the Balinese model. Bali HESG has been invited to continue using this model at the national level in Indonesia.

University of Liege

The University of Liege conducts research on globalisation and economic and social change, especially with regard to tourism and heritage in the LDCs. This research is carried out by the Laboratory of the Anthropology of Communication, which has established links with Vietnamese researchers. In 2000 the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) agreed to co-finance a conference in Hanoi with the Ministry of Culture and Information in Vietnam, and the French-speaking Community of Belgium and the Walloon Region of Belgium. The conference was also supported by the Wallonia/Brussels Delegation in Hanoi and was organised by the Laboratory of the Anthropology of Communication. The conference took place in November 2001 and of its 52 participants 32 came from 8 Asian countries and 20 from 9 EU countries. The proceedings were published in English and French in 2002 with the title Cultural Heritage, Man and Tourism. The laboratory is working with the Europaisisches Tourismus Institut at the University of Trier to establish a VW-Foundation on tourism.

National Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities

The National Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities in Hanoi is the largest multi-disciplinary research centre devoted to the social sciences in Vietnam. The university has been active in conducting empirical research on a wide range of urban and rural development issues, including work on tourism and heritage. The university in Hanoi worked closely with the University of Liege in organizing the Cultural Heritage, Man and Tourism conference and a delegation of researchers from Vietnam visited London Metropolitan University in 2002 with a view to establishing a joint academic exchange programme.

National University of Laos

The National University of Laos was established in 1995 when Vientiane Forestry College combined with the Agricultural College in Nabog. The Faculty of Forestry has been conducting research on the impacts of tourism development and resource assessment in Pak Ou Caves Luangprabang World Heritge, Loa PDR, supported by the EU through the ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation. Presently, the Faculty of Forestry continues to develop curricula and syllabi to meet aims and needs of the sector.

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