Marcus Stephenson

Professor of Tourism and Hospitality Management & Dean

  • AdvDip in Professional Development in Education: ‘Teaching and Learning in Higher Education’ (Accreditation as a Teacher in Higher Education — Staff and Educational Development Association), University of North London, UK (1999)
  • PhD in Social Tourism, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK (1998)
  • MA in Sociology and Anthropology of Tourism and Travel, Surrey University, UK (1990) BSc (Hons) Sociology and Social Administration, Surrey University, UK (1989)

About

Marcus L Stephenson is Professor of Tourism and Hospitality Management and Dean of the School of Hospitality. Prior to his appointment in October 2017, he was Professor and Head of the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management at the University of the South Pacific, Fiji. He also worked at Middlesex University Dubai, United Arab Emirates as Chair of Research and Associate Professor from 2005 to 2014. Professor Stephenson is the co-author of Tourism and Citizenship: Rights, Freedoms and Responsibilities in the Global Order (2014) and co-editor of International Tourism Development and the Gulf Cooperation Council States: Challenges and Opportunities (2017). Both books are Routledge publications. He has also published extensively on the sociology of tourism, especially concerning nationality, race, ethnicity, culture and religion. His current research focuses on tourism development in the South Pacific and the Middle East.

Research Interest(s)

  • Tourism: Citizenship, rights and responsibilities
  • Tourism and hospitality in the Middle East and the Islamic world
  • Race, culture and ethnicity in the tourism and hospitality industries
  • Tourism in the South Pacific: Tourism impact and tourism mobility
  • Tourism and ethnographic study

Notable Publication(s)

  • Stephenson, M. L., & Vyas, A. (2017). The environmental impact of tourism development in Dubai: Moving towards a sustainable and environmental citizenship agenda. In M. L. Stephenson & A. Al-Hamarneh (Eds.), International tourism development and the Gulf Cooperation Council states: Challenges and opportunities (pp. 204–221). London: Routledge.
  • Batzner A. N., & Stephenson, M. L. (2017). Towards a GCC ground transport network — Fostering tourism and regional integration. In M. L. Stephenson & A. Al-Hamarneh (Eds.), International tourism development and the Gulf Cooperation Council states: Challenges and opportunities (pp. 76-91). London: Routledge.
  • Ekiz, E. H., Oter, Z., & Stephenson, M. L. (2017). Tourism development in Saudi Arabia — Assessing the challenges. In M. L. Stephenson & A. Al-Hamarneh (Eds.), International tourism development and the Gulf Cooperation Council states: Challenges and opportunities (pp. 124-139). London: Routledge.
  • Stephenson, M. L. (2017). Introduction: Deciphering international tourism development in the GCC region. In M. L. Stephenson & A. Al-Hamarneh (Eds.), International tourism development and the Gulf Cooperation Council states: Challenges and opportunities (pp. 1-25). London: Routledge.
  • Stephenson, M. L., & Al-Hamarneh, A. (Eds.). (2017). International tourism development and the Gulf Cooperation Council states: Challenges and opportunities. London: Routledge.v
  • Bianchi, R. V., & Stephenson, M. L. (2014). Tourism and citizenship: Rights, freedoms and responsibilities in the global order. London: Routledge.
  • Stephenson, M. L. (2014). Deciphering ‘Islamic hospitality’: Developments, challenges and opportunities. Tourism Management, 40, 155-164.
  • Stephenson, M. L. (2014). Tourism, development and destination Dubai: Cultural dilemmas and future challenges. Current Issues in Tourism, 17(8), 723-738.
  • Bianchi, R. V., & Stephenson, M. L. (2013). Deciphering tourism and citizenship in a globalised world. Tourism Management, 39, 10-20.
  • Steiner, C., Richter, T., Dörry, S., Neisen, V. M., Stephenson, M. L., Lemma, A. F., & Mitchell, J. G. B. (2013). Economic crisis, international tourism decline and its impact on the poor. An analysis of the effects of the economic crisis on the employment of poor and vulnerable groups in the tourism sector. Madrid, Spain/Geneva, Switzerland: UNWTO/ILO.
  • Karnik, A., & Stephenson, M. L. (Eds.). (2011). Emerging research paradigms in business and social sciences. Conference Proceedings. United Arab Emirates: Middlesex University Dubai.
  • Stephenson, M. L., & Ali-Knight, J. (2010). Dubai’s tourism industry and its societal impact: Social implications and sustainable challenges, the ‘Middle East and North Africa special issue’. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change, 8(4), 278-292.
  • Stephenson, M. L., & Ali, N. (2010). Tourism, travel and Islamophobia: Post 9/11 journeys of Muslims in non-Muslim states. In N. Scott & J. Jafari (Eds.), Tourism in the Muslim world (pp. 235– 251). Bingley, England: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
  • Stephenson, M. L., Russell, K. A., & Edgar, D. (2010). Islamic hospitality in the UAE: Indigenization of products and human capital. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 1(1), 9-24.
  • Barron, P., Ali-Knight, J., & Stephenson, M. L. (2009). Preferred Learning styles: the case of students at a satellite campus in the Middle East’. International Journal of Excellence in Tourism, Hospitality and Catering, 1(2), 1-41.
  • Luck, D., & Stephenson, M. L. (2009). An evaluation of the significant elements of customer relationship management within the hotel industry. Tourism Today, 9, 7-26.
  • Stephenson, M. L., & Bianchi, R. V. (2007). ‘Journeying into the lives of others’: A critical analysis of ethnography, tourism and tourists’. International Journal of Excellence in Tourism, Hospitality and Catering, 1(1), 1-41.
  • Park, H. Y., & Stephenson, M. L. (2007). A critical analysis of the symbolic significance of heritage tourism. International Journal of Excellence in Tourism, Hospitality and Catering, 1(2), 1-41.
  • Stephenson, M. L. (2007). The socio-political implications of rural racism and tourism experiences. In J. Tribe & D. Airey (Eds.), New directions, critical challenges and fresh applications in tourism research (pp. 171–184). UK: Elsevier.
  • Stephenson, M. L. (2006). Travel and the ‘freedom of movement’: Racialised encounters and experiences amongst ethnic minority tourists in the EU. Journal of Mobilities, 1(2), 285-306.
  • Stephenson, M. L., & Hughes, H. L. (2005). Racialised boundaries in travel and tourism: A case study of the UK Black Caribbean community. Leisure Studies, 24(2), 137-160.
  • Stephenson, M. L. (2004). Tourism, racism and the UK Afro-Caribbean diaspora. In T. Coles & D. Timothy (Eds.), Tourism, diasporas and space (pp.62–77). London: Routledge.
  • Stephenson, M. L. (2002). Travelling to the ancestral homeland: The aspirations and experiences of a UK Caribbean community. Current Issues in Tourism, 5(5), 378-425.
  • Stephenson, M. L., & Hughes, H. L. (1995). Holidays and the UK Afro-Caribbean community. Tourism Management, 16(6), 429-435.