PhD CandidateSupervision: Dr Simon Barber (Sociology), Associate Professor Sophie Bond (Geography)
Thesis: Envisioning the future: rebuilding tourism in times of crisis
Packaging Aotearoa's major attractions for tourist consumption draws the physical land through a nexus of competing interests and discourses and has an impact on the physical and social spaces that tourists traverse. Since the Covid19 pandemic has interrupted tourism in Aotearoa, voices including from the government, industry, academia, and iwi, have suggested the industry 'build back better', implying more ethical and sustainable operation. This research explores such future planning by the tourism industry, especially considering the climate crisis, to identify values that underpin the imagining of alternate futures.
Sonja grew up in Ōtepoti Dunedin, and spent many years living in the North Island and some time overseas. She completed her BA in Auckland and her MA in Wellington, and is happy to be back in the South and looking forward to building a deeper connection to the region through this research.