A/Prof. Kevin Lyons

Biography

I have published refereed articles and book chapters reporting the findings of my research that examines the transformative impact of travel and tourism upon youth. recenlty, I have broadened my research to consider the role tourism plays in regional development. I have also maintianed a strong research interest in environemntally sustainable leisure and tourism sevices. THis includes work on tourism in protected areas. My research informs my teaching in the areas of tourism planning, marketing and leisure and visitor behaviour.

I was co-chair of CAUTHE (Council of Australian Universities Tourism and Hospitality Educators) special interest group on volunteering and tourism, am a founding member of the World Leisure Commission on youth and leisure and drafted this Commission’s strategic plan 2004-2008. I am actively engaged in tourism development at aregional level and have conducted research projects for local government, tourism associatons and protected areas agencies. I have been a board member of the regional toruism association in the Hunter since 2008 which included acting as Deputy Chair for two years. Recently, I have taken on key responsibilities for building the community engagement profile of the University of Newcastle and am conducting research in this area.

Qualifications

• Doctor of Education, University of Georgia (USA)
• Master of Arts, University of Georgia (USA)
• Associate Diploma in Recreation, Kuring-Gai College of Advanced Education
• Bachelor of Science (Human Services), Thomas Edison State College (USA)

Research

Research keywords

• Destination Planning
• Tourism Employment and Careers
• Volunteer Tourism
• Youth and Travel

Research expertise

Kevin has made nationally and internationally recognised contributions to research that examines the intersections between community volunteering, tourism and youth development. Recently, He edited a book on volunteer tourism. This book attests to his growing reputation as a scholar of notable international repute. He has contributed a chapter to a book published by Sage London that showcases expert viewpoints about the future of tourism business. He has also published his research on the ambiguities and overlaps between volunteer tourism, cultural exchange and independent travel of youth in leading leisure and tourism journals. He has presented several papers at a number of international and national tourism conferences and symposia on cultural exchange travel, volunteer tourism and youth development. In 2008 he was an invited speaker at a national symposium on volunteer tourism and was invited to co-chair a special interest session on international volunteer tourism and social development at the CAUTHE (Council of Australian Universities Tourism and Hospitality Educators) National Conference. he also co-convened the first international Symposium on Volunteering and Tourism in Singapore in 2009. He was guest editor of a special Issue of Annals of Leisure Research on Volunteering and Tourism.

In addition to his research on volunteering, cultural exchange youth development, Kevin has conducted research that considers community as it develops in and through diverse leisure and tourism settings. He has published several refereed journal articles and conference papers on community as it manifests in youth camps, among volunteers, and among older adult. His international reputation as leading research in the area of community and leisure was confirmed when he was invited to guest edit a special issue of 'World Leisure' journal on community leisure services in outdoor environments. His research on leisure and community also considers issues of gender and equity. He was invited to write a commentary on men, gender and leisure in the pre-eminent Leisure Sciences journal which was published in 2006. He has also authored a chapter for the 3rd edition of a major text on Leisure and Gender to be published by Venture publishing in 2011. His work on non-resident father's leisure with their children was published in the highly regarded Leisure Studies Journal. This research on fathers and leisure has attracted significant attention from national and local media and was the focus of a special session I co-chaired at the Australian and New Zealand Leisure Studies conference in January 2008. His research on fathers, men and gender issues in leisure research more broadly, is being used to inform the World Leisure Association's efforts to work with UNESCO on improving international policies on youth and children's access to leisure. This work has also informed the International Right to Play Association's 2006-2008 strategic plan. His work on time-pressure, gender and leisure in the Leisure Sciences journal provides a frequently cited model for assessing chronic time pressure - an important issue that impacts equitably distributed and accessible community leisure services.

Fields of Research

Centres and Groups

Centre

Memberships

Editorial Board.

• Associate Editor - Leisure Sciences Journal

Appointments

Founding Member World Leisure Commission for Children and Leisure (United States)	01/01/2004 - 01/12/2006
Assistant Dean - Research Faculty of Business and Law -University of Newcastle (Australia)	01/01/2009 - 01/07/2009
Treasurer Australian and New Zealand Assocation for Leisure Studies (Australia)	01/01/2006

Awards

Recognition.

2006	Vice-Chancellor's Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning Univeristy of Newcastle (Australia) Developed teaching intitiatives based on research-based scholarship

Invitations

Learning and Teaching Forum, Adelaide Australia Teaching and Learning Initiatives Showcase IRU Australia, Australia (Conference Presentation - non published.)

2006

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Teaching

Teaching keywords

• Leisure behaviour
• touirsm marketing
• touirsm planning

Courses

• LEIS1130 - Leisure Behaviour and Development
• LEIS2420 - Adventure Tourism and Recreation
• LEIS2240 - Outdoor Recreation Management
• LEIS3150 - Tourism Policy and planning