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Dr Heather Zeppel

Heather Zeppel

AssDip (Wildlife & Park Management) (SCAE)

BSc(WAust) GDipMusCur (James Cook)

GCertEd(Tertiary Teaching) (James Cook)

PhD (James Cook)

Senior Lecturer

(On extended leave)

Cairns

Contact Details

Telephone:

(07) 4042 1446 (Australia)

+ 61 7 4042 1446 (International)

Facsimile:

(07) 4042 1474 (Australia)

+ 61 7 4042 1474 (International)

Email:

heather.zeppel@jcu.edu.au

Publications (from Research Online)

Archived Publications (as of 10 November, 2010)

General interest areas

I am interested in Indigenous cultures, wildlife and natural environments and how these are integrated in tourism. This includes Indigenous cultural perspectives on landscapes, wildlife and natural resource management. I am also interested in tourist responses to Indigenous cultural experiences and wildlife encounters in different tourism settings. My Indigenous tourism research has been conducted in Borneo, Australia, New Zealand and western Canada. Indigenous ecotourism in tropical developing countries is also examined in a new book. Key issues covered in this research are cultural authenticity, Indigenous rights, visitor benefits and sustainable tourism management of land, wildlife and cultures.

Current projects

During 2006/07, I am completing research on rainforest Aboriginal tourism in the Wet Tropics and other publications on marine wildlife tourism and Indigenous ecotourism.

Short biography

I grew up on a farm in South Australia and started my working life as a national park ranger at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the Northern Territory. This developed my life-long interest in Aboriginal cultures, wildlife and natural environments. I completed an Associate Diploma in Wildlife and Park Management, a BSc in Perth and a Graduate Diploma in Museum Curatorship at JCU Townsville. During 1991-94, I completed my Ph.D. thesis at JCU titled ‘Authenticity and the Iban: Cultural tourism at Iban longhouses in Sarawak, East Malaysia’. From 1996-2000, I completed postdoctoral research on Indigenous cultural tourism in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. I have lectured on tourism at JCU Cairns since 2000, devising a new Australian ecotourism subject in 2002. My first book is Indigenous Ecotourism: Sustainable Development and Management (CABI, 2006).

Research

My key research interests include Indigenous Tourism, Ecotourism, Wildlife Tourism and Environmental Best Practice in tourism. Other research areas include Cultural Tourism & Interpretation, Heritage Tourism, Museums & Festivals, Tourist Marketing of Indigenous Cultures, Anthropology of Tourism; Conservation & Indigenous Resource Management.

Research projects include:

  • 2006/07: Aboriginal Tourism in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, JCU.

  • 2003/04: Environmental Practices of Tourism Operators in Douglas Shire, Douglas Shire Council.

  • 2001: Atherton Tableland Tourism Training Needs Analysis, Tablelands Tourism.

  • 2001: Community-based Ecotourism & Conservation in the Pacific Islands, terra firma associates, South Pacific Region Environment Program.

  • 1999/2000: Indigenous Wildlife Tourism Project, CRC for Sustainable Tourism.

  • 1996: Tours of Aboriginal Rock Art Sites in Ku-ring-gai National Park, Tourism Feasibility Study for Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, ATSIC-Sydney.

  • 1996-2000: Indigenous Cultural Tourism in Australia, New Zealand & Canada, The University of Newcastle & Charles Sturt University.

Awards and distinctions

Some awards and achievements I value are:

  • First PhD in Tourism awarded in 1995 at James Cook University, Townsville.

  • First Doctoral Study of Tourism in Borneo on ‘Authenticity and the Iban: Cultural tourism at Iban longhouses in Sarawak, East Malaysia’ (1991-94).

  • First Research Fellow in Tourism at Charles Sturt University, Albury, 1996.

  • First Australian Research Council (ARC) Postdoctoral Fellow in Tourism awarded in Australia at The University of Newcastle, 1997-2000.

Recent professional work

During 2006/07, I further developed my diverse research interests in environmental tourism by attending conferences on wildlife tourism, coastal and marine tourism, anthropology, interpretation and heritage, held in Australia and New Zealand.

Research Supervisions

PhD Supervisions

  • Adrian Mendoza Ramos (Principal Supervisor) - Stakeholders' Perspectives on Sustainable Tourism Development: Case Studies in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

  • Peter Wood (Principal Supervisor) - Development of Marine Research Tourism in Australia

  • Grace Guaigu (Principal Supervisor) - Ecotourism as a catalyst for sustainable rural development in rural Papua New Guinea (PNG) communities

  • Patricia Erfurt (Principal Supervisor) - Study of Hot Spring Tourism

  • Lisa King (Co-Supervisor) - Investigating the role of the world heritage brand in attracting visitors to world heritage destinations in Queensland, Australia

  • Cristina Rodrigues (Co-Supervisor) - Backpacker Tourism: An Alternative for Local Development in Brazil.