Brian’s research and consulting work in British Columbia includes destination development, community tourism strategic planning, Tourism and Hospitality educational system design, garden tourism sectorial development, cultural and arts-based planning, and First Nations eco-tourism planning. International experience includes human resource policy and planning, community capacity-building, cultural tourism, garden tourism, and eco-tourism initiatives. Consulting and research contracts with a variety of clients have been successfully undertaken in Vietnam, China, Bulgaria, France, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Guam, Thailand, and Costa Rica.
After completing his MA at SFU in 1972, he founded the Outdoor Recreation Management department at Capilano College in 1972 and the Tourism Management department in 1986.
His personal interests include a lifetime passion for nature, horticulture, and hiking. For over four decades, he was involved in mountaineering and wilderness expeditions.
Experience
Prior to moving to RRU he was senior faculty member and Coordinator at Capilano College Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Department (now University) from 1972 until 2007 and in his last ten years worked with the University of British Columbia in cloud forest horticultural research in Vietnam. He developed tourism labour force policy for the World Travel and Tourism Council, where he was the senior human resource policy advisor from 1997 to 2001. Besides focusing on Community Tourism research, He has been heavily involved in program administration at RRU as School of Tourism and Hospitality Management Director 2007-214; Acting Dean of the Faculty of Management 2014-2015; MATM Program Head 2015-2020; and Program Head BAGTM 2020.
Education
1999
PhD in Human Geography
Simon Fraser University
Awards
2009
William Van Horne Visionary Award
BC Tourism Industry Conference
2004
Educator of the Year
Canadian Tourism Industry
Publications
Video vignettes: Garden Tourism BC; Tofino Botanical Gardens; Forest Bathing; 2018-2019.
Anthropogenic Change on the Summit of South East Asia: A 2016 expedition to Mt. Fansipan, Research report, Vietnam (RRU), 2017.
Pacific Rim Education Tourism Market Research and Development. With Dr. Laura Loucks, Dr. Geoffrey Bird, Catherine Thicke, and Rod Harris. WAMA, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, District of Tofino, District of Ucluelet, Ucluelet First Nation, Nov. 2014.
BC Tourism and Hospitality Education: Status Report. Link BC, 2013.
With Bruce Whyte, et al., Cultural and Heritage Tourism Development. Tourism Business Essentials, Government of BC, January 2013
With Terry Hood, and Bruce Whyte: Cultural and Heritage Tourism: A Handbook for Community Champions. Federal-Provincial Minister’s Table on Cultural and Heritage Tourism. Vancouver: Link BC, June, 2012
BC Tourism & Hospitality Programs: Where should the BC Tourism Learning System be going? Vancouver: Link BC, May, 2012
With Geoffrey Bird, Terry Hood, and Caroline Fisher: Transforming Communities through Tourism: A Handbook for Community Champions Vancouver: LinkBC, 2009.
With Donald Hawkins: Sarawak’s Protected Areas and Rural Communities: Biotourism Policy Findings from the Year of Ecotourism Proceedings of the International Conference on Biotourism 2003, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia, Mara University of Technology and Sarawak Ministry of Tourism, May 2003.
Approaching an Operational Ecotourism Policy Framework for Bulgaria (in) Proceedings of the Forum on Ecotourism, Mountains and Protected Areas, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, UNEP and USAID, Sofia, Bulgaria, October 2002.
Global Trends in Ecotourism Policy (in) Proceedings of the International Ecotourism Colloquium, Sarawak Development Institute, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, January 2002.
With Geoffrey Bird and Helen Williams: Building the Workforce for Travel and Tourism: Global Challenges, Local Solutions (in) Proceedings, Seventh Asia Pacific Tourism Association Conference, Makati City, Philippines, July, 2001
With Geoffrey Bird and Terry Hood: A Pan-Canadian Tourism Learning System: Are We Dreaming in Technicolor? Association of Community Colleges Sectoral Study, 2001.
With Helen Williams: Labour Force Trends in Travel & Tourism Education and Training: Good Practices from the Asia Pacific. (in) Proceedings, Sixth Asia Pacific Tourism Association Conference, Phuket, Thailand July 2000.
With Helen Williams: Trends in Travel and Tourism Education and Training; (in) World Travel and Tourism Development Journal, London, UK, Issue #7, 2000.