Tourism, Hospitality and Events - Western Sydney University

15/04/2026

Yesterday Tourism, Hospitality and Events — Western Sydney University's Dr Donna James appeared on ABC News and was quoted in an ABC News article regarding the fuel crisis, outback tourism and backpackers.

The news story highlights how the current fuel crisis is reshaping travel behaviour, with significant impacts on regional economies. In some areas, visitor numbers have dropped dramatically, with businesses cutting staff (including backpackers / Working Holiday Makers) and delaying hiring as uncertainty grows.

Dr James explained that:

✅️ Backpackers / Working Holiday Makers are not like other tourist groups.

✅️ They often stay longer in remote areas, and put a large portion of their incomes back into local goods and services.

✅️ They are also a critical part of Australia’s labour infrastructure, particularly in remote and regional areas, and provide numerous social benefits.

This case highlights that when mobility is disrupted by global crises, the effects ripple across tourism, hospitality, and local livelihoods.

You can read the article in this post 👇

From roadhouses to stations, outback workers are losing their jobs as tourists stay away. Skyrocketing fuel prices, as well as concerns around the availability of fuel in remote locations, are causing a 76 per cent loss of revenue for tourist-dependent businesses.

02/04/2026

Congratulations to Tourism, Hospitality and Events — Western Sydney University's Professor Joseph M. Cheer and Dr Donna James who, alongside Professor Chunhui Zheng (from Guangzhou University, China), recently secured an Alliance of Guangzhou International Sister-City Universities (GISU) research grant.

The funded project 'Shaping Cultural and Tourism Landscape Imaginaries through Video Games: Black Myth Wukong (BMW) as Exemplar' will see the team carry out field work in China to explore the extent to which the popular video game Black Myth Wukong is transforming cultural and tourism landscapes in places featured in the game.

Early indications suggest that BMW could provide an invaluable example of how new creative cultures help underline rural revitalization efforts where tourism plays a central role.

We look forward to updates regarding what they find!

11/11/2025

Did you know Tourism, Hospitality and Events — Western Sydney University's Professor Joseph M. Cheer is the Co-Editor in Chief of the leading academic journal Tourism Geographies?

How lucky are our students to have the opportunity to learn from a leading expert who is shaping the field.

You can read about Professor Cheer's significant contributions to global tourism and geography scholarship through the journal in this post!

Prof. Cheer shares more on his role and the industry's insights, reflecting on his vision for advancing meaningful and accessible tourism research. Read more on his views on emerging trends in tourism and his advice for researchers aiming to make an impact.

11/11/2025

Congratulations to Tourism, Hospitality and Events — Western Sydney University's Dr Donna James who recently co-published a paper in a leading tourism journal.

The paper explores how local women in Yogyakarta, Indonesia use the dating app Tinder to generate cross-cultural encounters with visiting tourists.

If this sounds familiar to our students, it's because many of them have heard about this study in the subject TOUR3001 Tourism, Events and Technology.

The study presents a great example of why technology promoted for use in tourism needs to be analysed in relation to specific contexts, and with consideration of both its opportunities and risks.

For those less familiar, you can read the paper here:
📱 James, D., Kurniasari, K. K., & Condie, J. (2025). Tinder and tourist intimacy: women’s digital encounters with tourists in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Tourism Geographies, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2025.2582657

This paper examines how women residing in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, are using the popular dating app Tinder to reconfigure their encounters with visiting tourists. By drawing on text-based interview d...

16/10/2025

Hi Tourism, Hospitality and Events — Western Sydney University students!

🛫 Want to travel while you study?

💡 Expressions of interest are now open for the Autumn 2026 running of (Poly)Crisis, Cross-Cultural Responses & Resilience (HUMN2064).

🌏 This Level 2 elective subject, which is coordinated by the brilliant Dr Kathleen Openshaw, is focused on (poly)crisis, responses and resilience strategies in cross-cultural contexts.

🇮🇩 It includes a two week trip to Yogyakarta, Indonesia where students are buddied up with Indonesian students to share and learn with each other! Our very own Dr Donna James will be accompanying students on this trip.

🍃 As part of this 10 credit point subject, students will also complete the embedded Western Sydney University micro-credential ‘Sustainability: Think, Care, Do”. This is a very prestigious micro-credential considering Western Sydney University is ranked number one in the world for sustainability in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings four years in a row!

Find out more here:
https://lnkd.in/gdugesbj

Please submit your EOI by 11:59pm on the 10th of November, 2025 via this form:

https://lnkd.in/gkjYbD4r

We will be holding an online information session after this date.

Drop us an email if you have any questions:

Dr Kathleen Openshaw: [email protected]

Dr Donna James:
[email protected]

Terima kasih! [Thank you!]

♻️ Western colleagues and students, please repost this to your networks to increase its visibility!