Articles tagged with: David Fennell

  • Applications open for Walt Disney World Resort internship

    Friday, January 06, 2023 | By

    STORY FROM THE BROCK NEWS | FRIDAY, JANUARY 06, 2023 | by 

    Jonah Graham holds an internship completion certificate while standing between Mickey and Minnie Mouse

    Tourism and Environment alumnus Jonah Graham (BA ’19) celebrated his completion of the University of Florida/Walt Disney World Resort Internship in 2017. The program has been on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic but will be offered this spring for the first time since 2019.

    For the first time since 2019, Brock students have a chance to complete courses at the University of Florida and a paid internship at Walt Disney World Resort starting this spring — but the application deadline is coming soon.

    The University of Florida/Walt Disney World Resort Internship is open to all Brock students over the age of 18 who have 10 credits and a 75 per cent overall average, with preference given to majors in Tourism Studies.

    Students who are accepted to the program will complete two online courses delivered by the University of Florida starting in May.

    Then, in August, successful applicants will begin a third course and their paid internship at Walt Disney World Resort, which will run until December.

    In total, students earn the equivalent of 2.5 Brock credits. The internship may also qualify as a co-op work term.

    The program, which had been suspended due to public health restrictions on travel since 2020, provides an opportunity for students to see the inner workings of one of the world’s most popular tourism destinations.

    Christina Bosilo, Director of Brock International, says the partnership provides students with the opportunity to gain academic credit and valuable work and training experience.

    “The benefits of participating in a study abroad experience help to prepare graduates, professionally and personally, for future opportunities post-graduation, and this particular opportunity is limited to only a handful of post-secondary institutions within Canada,” she says. “Any Brock student with an interest in learning more about tourism, hospitality and marketing from industry experts will find this to be a valuable experience.”

    Professor David Fennell in the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies agrees, noting that one of the program’s best features is the way students can match University of Florida courses in topics such as Lodging Operations and Management or Theme Park and Attraction Management with two different internship options at Disney.

    “The Disney Internship provides students with an opportunity to work in one of the world’s most impressive companies, with both formal and informal management and leadership training as an important addition to what students need to compete for jobs in the future,” he says. “Furthermore, the opportunity to work and learn alongside students from Brock and other institutions in Canada, along with international students, provides a great platform from which to build relationships and contacts.”

    Interested students are invited to learn more about the details of the program on the Brock International website. Applications are due on Friday, Jan. 13.

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  • Brock researchers seek to educate on animals and entertainment

    Thursday, November 24, 2022 | By

    FROM THE BROCK NEWS | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2022 | by 

    A cheetah in the savannah with a safari van in the background

    Professor David Fennell and Sarah Coose, a graduate student in the MA in Geography, wrote about animals and entertainment for a new book on animal welfare.

    Humans using animals for entertainment is the subject of a recent collaboration between Professor David Fennell and Master of Arts (MA) student Sarah Coose in Brock’s Department of Geography and Tourism Studies.

    The researchers recently contributed a chapter entitled “Animals in Entertainment” to The Routledge Handbook of Animal Welfare looking at the role of animals in tourism and media industries, from wildlife viewing to sport to advertising, which shows how animals are used for human profit and how the social cost of mistreating animals can be one of the biggest drivers of change in inconsistently regulated fields.

    Science, agriculture and some areas of entertainment, such as film locations, set rules or follow legislation around animal welfare, but tourism venues are often unregulated. Fennell says tourism is “generally perceived as simply an act of leisure or recreation — but we need to recognize that it is arguably the world’s largest industry.”

    book cover for The Routledge Handbook of Animal Welfare features several yellow chicks

    The Routledge Handbook of Animal Welfare was published as part of the Routledge Environment and Sustainability Handbooks series earlier this year.

    Fennell and Coose believe education is the key to improving this situation, because while research in the area is growing worldwide, teaching, classroom learning and public awareness has not kept pace.

    “The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has a global code of ethics for tourism, but grassroots initiatives are required to build capacity for changes at broader levels,” says Fennell. “What we are trying to do here at Brock, and now more widely, is establish normative change at different scales and in different contexts to map out a more responsible industry.”

    Coose, who studied Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour in her undergraduate degree at Boise State University, is currently undertaking research about ethics, animal welfare and the efficacy of conservation related to animals and ecotourism under Fennell’s supervision.

    “My MA thesis is aimed at assessing to what degree the preconceived beliefs that tourists hold on animal ethics colour their perceptions of the ethicality of the animal tourism venues they visit,” says Coose. “Collaborating on this chapter allowed me the opportunity to do a deep dive into the literature on animal ethics and to get to know the topics of discourse and terminology used in the field, which is incredibly useful.”

    One of the key takeaways from the chapter is that tourists themselves hold much of the power to effect change, since in the absence of laws and fines, consumer attitudes toward a venue’s care for animals is a key motivator.

    “Tourists vote with their dollars and their views,” says Coose. “If you think someone is providing an unethical product, don’t give them your money or exposure.”

    Fennell adds that he has worked with Tourism Studies undergraduate student Val Sheppard (BTS ’03, MA ’05) to develop “a framework that encourages tourists to assess and then rate wildlife tourism attractions, not unlike TripAdvisor, on aspects of governance, conservation and welfare,” which would increase public awareness and accessibility of information.

    While the chapter presents examples of public and activist pressure resulting in the decline of unethical treatment of animals, such as elephant rides, the authors say there is more work to be done.

    “The industry has responded by refusing to use some animals, but long-standing cultural practices and economic realities continue to deny the welfare, rights, agency and interests of animals,” says Fennell.

    He is clear that education “has to be the driving force” of a change in attitudes.

    “If we want a more responsible and sustainable tourism industry when it comes to animals, education is the key,” says Fennell. “Much of my research is now dedicated to animal ethics literacy, social contract theory and curriculum development to work against the anthropocentrism and speciesism in our field.”

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  • David Fennell makes global list of top scientists

    Monday, November 07, 2022 | By

    FROM THE BROCK NEWS | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 07, 2022 | by 

    High-angle shot of Brock University campus.

    Brock University President and Vice-Chancellor Lesley Rigg has provided an update on the upcoming transition of leadership in the Human Rights and Equity Office.

    Nearly three dozen Brock University researchers appear on Stanford University’s recently updated list of the world’s top two per cent of scientists with the most citations.

    First created in 2019 by Stanford University health researcher John P. A. Ioannidis, the list rates scientists globally on metrics that measure the types and numbers of citations they have.

    Citations, which appear in academic papers, are references made to earlier research. The number of times a researcher’s work is referenced in other peer-reviewed work is one important indicator of their research impact and reputation.

    The latest update to this list includes a career-long database containing 195,605 researchers globally, or about two per cent of researchers worldwide. Though billed as a list of scientists, the ranking includes social sciences and humanities scholars.

    Thirty-five of these researchers are from Brock University.

    “This ranking shows the strong place that Brock researchers hold among the most influential and high-impact scholars worldwide,” says Vice-President, Research Tim Kenyon. “It is a powerful illustration of the world-class inquiry happening at Brock every day, in every discipline.”

    The Brock University researchers who are among the top two per cent of scientists with the most citations are:

    • Stephen Anco, Professor, Mathematics, Faculty of Mathematics and Science
    • Michael Ashton, Professor, Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences
    • Anthony Bogaert, Professor, Health Sciences, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
    • Uwe Brand, Professor, Earth Sciences, Faculty of Mathematics and Science
    • Ian Brindle, Professor Emeritus, Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Science
    • Katrina Brudzynski, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Mathematics and Science
    • Stefan Brudzynski, Emeritus Professor, Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences
    • Stephen Cheung, Professor, Kinesiology, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
    • Vincenzo DeLuca, Professor, Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Science
    • Ivo Düntsch, Professor Emeritus, Computer Science, Faculty of Mathematics and Science
    • Bareket Falk, Professor, Kinesiology, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
    • Thomas Farrell, Professor, Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Social Sciences
    • Maurice Feldman, Professor, Applied Disabilities Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences
    • David Fennell, Professor, Geography and Tourism Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences
    • Martin Head, Professor, Earth Sciences, Faculty of Mathematics and Science
    • Gordon Hodson, Professor, Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences
    • Herbert Holland, (late) Professor, Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Science
    • Tomas Hudlicky (late) Professor, Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Science
    • Princely Ifinedo, Professor, Information Systems, Goodman School of Business
    • Frans Koffyberg, Professor, Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Science
    • Neil McCartney, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences (no longer at Brock)
    • Cheryl McCormick, Professor, Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences
    • Donald McCreary, Adjunct Professor, Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences (no longer at Brock)
    • Catherine Mondloch, Professor, Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences
    • Georgii Nikonov, Professor, Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Science
    • Gary Pickering, Professor, Biological Sciences and Psychology, Faculty of Mathematics and Science
    • Piers, Faculty of Mathematics and Science (no longer at Brock)
    • Ryan Plummer, Professor, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, Faculty of Social Sciences
    • Peter Rand, Emeritus, Biological Sciences, Faculty of Mathematics and Science
    • Andrew Reynolds, Professor, Faculty of Mathematics and Science (no longer at Brock)
    • Kirill Samokhin, Professor, Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Science
    • Sidney Segalowitz, Professor Emeritus, Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences
    • Martin Tammemägi, Professor Emeritus, Health Sciences, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
    • Peter Tiidus, Professor, Kinesiology, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
    • Teena Willoughby, Professor, Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences

    The Stanford-based list of top researchers uses a number of methods to create a single ranking, in spite of large differences in the customs and practices of citation across disciplines.

    Citation indices do not universally capture the impacts of all research types, Kenyon also notes, including work published in books rather than in journals.

    “No single type of measure tells the whole story of great research,” he says. “A great deal of excellent, high-impact research and creative inquiry leads directly to policies, community practices, live performances or works of art, rather than to other academic publications.”

    Brock’s representation in the Stanford University list has grown substantially from the original 2019 list.

    “This as a valuable sign of Brock’s continued development of research excellence and intensity across disciplines,” says Kenyon.

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  • Virtual tourism study seeking Brock students for short survey

    Tuesday, April 26, 2022 | By

    TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2022 | by   |  REPOSTED FROM THE BROCK NEWS

    A portrait of Abigail Mensah.

    Abigail Mensah, a Geography master’s student, hopes students will respond to a survey on virtual tourism in support of her thesis research.

    Master’s student Abigail Mensah has questions about the future of sustainable tourism — and she is hoping to get answers from fellow Brock University students.

    With supervisor and principle investigator Professor David Fennell in the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies, Mensah has developed a survey that can be completed in about 15 minutes online to explore the use of technology to facilitate remote tourism.

    The project, “Rethinking Consumerism, Innovation and Tourism Sustainability in a Post-Viral World: A Case of Virtual Tour Innovation Usage in Niagara’s Geoparks,” supports Mensah’s thesis research in the Master of Arts in Geography program.

    Mensah, who holds a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, says her research connects “the influence of the COVID-19 crisis on people’s future travel preferences and the role of virtual tour innovations, such as Personalized Interactive Real-time Tours (PIRTs), in meeting tourism needs while promoting sustainability.”

    Once completed, results of the study will be shared with the Brock community as well as the board of the Niagara Peninsula Aspiring Geopark.

    Mensah says that PIRTs are an “ethical and responsible alternative” to high-emission travel because they allow tourists to stay home and connect with local tour guides in a live, interactive, virtual experiences facilitated by technology.

    She adds that safe and accessible tourism opportunities for those with restrictions on mobility, transportation or costs for travel and revenue to support local employment, conservation and environmental protection are additional benefits to the model.

    All Brock students are invited to complete the survey.

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  • Brock research teams awarded federal funding for community partnerships

    Tuesday, September 21, 2021 | By

    FROM THE BROCK NEWS | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2021 | by 

    A partnership with the forest school Nature School and Education Centre in Lincoln is among three Brock community research collaborations that were recently funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    Three Brock University teams have received a boost in funding for projects that aim to help Niagara organizations meet the needs of women and children during the pandemic and provide opportunities for Indigenous communities in the region’s tourism industry.

    The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) has awarded the researchers a total of $57,477 through the Partnership Engage Grant (PEG) program, which provides short-term support for partnered research activities that respond to immediate needs and time constraints facing public, private or not-for-profit organizations in non-academic sectors.

    With the funding, Political Science Professor Charles Conteh and his Niagara Community Observatory (NCO) group are working with the YWCA Niagara Region to raise awareness of the need for safe and affordable housing for women locally and to identify systemic barriers facing under-represented women.

    Assistant Professor of Educational Studies Monique Somma and her team are partnering with the not-for-profit forest school Nature School and Education Centre in Lincoln to get a better understanding of how forest schools impact students’ mental health and well-being.

    Professor of Geography and Tourism Studies David Fennell and colleagues have teamed up with the Niagara Regional Native Centre to develop new tourism opportunities for Indigenous people through the Niagara Peninsula Aspiring Global Geopark, an initiative that explores how the region’s unique cultural and Indigenous heritage has been influenced by the peninsula’s underlying geology.

    Vice-President, Research Tim Kenyon says the PEG awards are a testament to Brock’s effectiveness in forming dynamic community research partnerships.

    “The projects headed by Dr. Conteh, Dr. Somma and Dr. Fennell are powerful examples of how researchers and community organizations can come together to create positive change,” he says. “Each partner brings valuable knowledge to the table that, when combined, can make a tremendous difference in the lives of those around us,” says Kenyon.

    “Brock has long seen success with the NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) version of these grants, between science researchers and industry partners,” he says. “With the advent of PEG awards for social science and humanities research, we are seeing the breadth and intensity of Brock researchers’ engagement with the wider community.”

    The NCO and YWCA formed a partnership last year following an NCO presentation on research dealing with affordable housing. The YWCA executive director was a panelist at that event.

    “The co-applicants, Joanne Heritz, Kathy Moscou and myself determined that an NCO-YWCA partnership to advocate for affordable housing would provide an excellent opportunity for the YWCA to advance its goals for affordable housing set forth in its strategic plan for 2019-2024,” says Conteh.

    The team aims to produce evidence-based research that would bring about policy changes to ensure that vulnerable women — particularly those who are Indigenous, racialized, seniors and low-income, among others — have access to emergency, transitional and affordable housing.

    “Further, the YWCA-NCO partnership aims to provide policy options to address housing needs resulting from poverty and worsened by the economic disruption of COVID-19,” says Conteh.

    He says that in 2020, 607 women, 55 men and 51 children in Niagara found sanctuary in YWCA emergency shelters and 120 women, 10 men and 78 children accessed YWCA transitional housing programs.

    Somma’s work with the Nature School and Education Centre follows up on earlier research that the two pursued from the time their partnership formed in 2017. Those results revealed “an increasing need for more focused inquiries on mental health and well-being,” says Somma.

    Forest schools are full- or part-time educational programs conducted in a variety of outdoor contexts, environments, age groups and climates. The programs take a ‘learner-centred’ approach in which children learn through playing, exploring and experimenting in woods or other natural settings.

    “Given the strong connection between time in nature and mental health benefits, outdoor nature programming is touted as one possible way forward to address some of the mental health challenges coming from the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Somma.

    Past research has shown that children aged six and younger have shown improvements in their overall health and well-being, increased motivation, concentration, confidence, knowledge of the natural environment and compassion by participating in forest schools, she says.

    The Nature School and Education Centre is seeking research on the impact of forest schools on older children to help the organization shape its programs and plans, says Somma. The Centre plans to offer about 10 tuition-free spots one day a week to new students and parents who would find this education approach helpful.

    Fennell says his work with the Niagara Regional Native Centre is looking at ways Indigenous people can “build new, cutting-edge tourism economies” connected to the Niagara Peninsula Aspiring Global Geopark.

    A ‘geopark’ is defined by the Global Geopark Network as an area that has ‘exceptional geological heritage’ that has scientific value, is rare, good for education or is particularly attractive.

    Opportunities for Indigenous communities exist in ‘smart tourism,’ which is the application of information and communications technologies to enhance tourism experiences and increase competitiveness, says Fennell. One example could be “personalized, interactive real-time tours,” he says.

    “The development of these new economies provides an opportunity to strengthen Indigenous tangible and intangible cultural and ecological heritage, through the telling of stories and celebration of historical connections with the Niagara region.

    Fennell says the research is meant to support the Niagara Regional Native Centre’s goal for Indigenous Peoples’ economic growth through principles and practices of sustainable development and is an “initial step” in developing a longer-term smart tourism project.

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  • Brock expert says decisive action required to make post-COVID-19 tourism sustainable

    Tuesday, June 02, 2020 | By

    FROM THE BROCK NEWS | TUESDAY, JUNE 02, 2020 | by

    David Fennell, a Professor in Brock University’s Department of Geography and Tourism Studies, believes COVID-19 is an opportunity to align tourism with sustainability.

    What will post-pandemic tourism look like?

    A Brock University tourism expert believes COVID-19 is an opportunity to “reset tourism along the lines of sustainability, if our country, and the world, make massive changes in order to be more integrative and resilient.”

    The federal government designated $4.5 million from the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund for Niagara Falls Tourism over the weekend, with an eye on marketing to domestic travellers as a response to a drop in international visitors.

    “With the potential to lose 50 per cent or more of tourism revenue this year because of COVID-19, marketing and promotion has to be one of the solutions to the problem, so it’s great to see Niagara Falls receive $4.5 million to get the ball rolling,” says David Fennell, a Professor in Brock’s Department of Geography and Tourism Studies. “We see how important Niagara Falls is as a major gateway community in Ontario and Canada, relative to other large urban centres such as Toronto, which received $7.9 million.”

    However, Fennell, who also serves as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Ecotourism, sees much bigger opportunities to strengthen tourism by improving the environmental sustainability around the industry, provided there is strong leadership and ample education.

    “For many, sustainability is just a term that gets in the way of economic benefit,” Fennell says. “However, increasingly — especially if we look at the actions of other countries — future success in tourism is being embedded in a sustainability agenda.”

    This is due in part to consumer demand, with travellers “now more than ever, demanding low-carbon options in accommodation and transportation, greener technologies, and other sustainability dimensions,” he says.

    Fennel suspects that even when international travel resumes on a larger scale, tourists may avoid popular destinations, partially because of the risks now associated with crowds, and partially because of what he anticipates will be a higher “social cost” associated with tourism.

    He notes that in Niagara, the mass tourism of Niagara Falls itself is contrasted by many other specialized attractions, such as wineries to art venues, which don’t always see the constant traffic of casinos and hotels and find it more difficult to rebound after a disaster. He suggests that with greater co-operation across the region, this might improve.

    “Getting sustainability right in our geopark is of considerable importance, because we feel it can be an excellent model for Ontario, Canada and the rest of the world,” Fennell says.

    He sees two possible scenarios that could result from efforts to build sustainability in tourism.

    One involves new technologies, policies, practices and knowledge around how people and organizations navigate the new realities. The second is business-as-usual, where “others are left holding the bag with all the negative socio-cultural, economic and environmental problems that go along with tourism.”

    “We often succumb to akrasia, or weakness of will, as tourists,” Fennell says. “Even though we know that Option A is the right or good course of action, we often choose Option B because it enhances our experience, even at the cost to something or someone else — like a ride on a donkey or elephant that has been severely abused.”

    For this reason, Fennell says, “educating tourists and the tourism industry on the impacts that we create from our travel is absolutely critical if we are to make the right changes.”

    STORY FROM THE BROCK NEWS

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  • Brock research encourages Niagara to explore becoming a UNESCO Global Geopark

    Monday, May 27, 2019 | By

    REPOSTED FROM THE BROCK NEWS
    FEBRUARY 07, 2019     | by 

    Carol Phillips, Research Co-ordinator with the Niagara Community Observatory, presents a brief she wrote about the possibility of Niagara becoming a UNESCO Global Geopark.

    With the mighty cataracts, vineyards producing critically acclaimed wines and vast networks of bicycle paths, tourists coming to Niagara have many options of what to see and experience. There’s also a world of rocks, canyons, waterfalls and other land features that even many locals don’t know about.

    Niagara’s unique, rich geology — and the economic and cultural activities connected to these features — might be better known if the region was to become a UNESCO Global Geopark, says new research from Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory (NCO).

    “Being designated a UNESCO Global Geopark allows Niagara to brand itself internationally as a destination for geotourism,” says Carol Phillips, author of the NCO policy brief Ohnia:kara: An Aspiring Global Geopark.

    “Niagara has a fascinating Earth history that has created so many beautiful sites, culminating in Niagara Falls,” says Phillips. “And this brand allows us to showcase those sites as well as the history and culture that has developed around them.”

    The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) describes a Global Geopark as being a “single, unified geographical area where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development.”

    Spearheading efforts for Niagara to become a UNESCO Global Geopark is the geographic educational non-profit group called Geospatial Niagara. The NCO policy brief says the group has identified more than 78 geosites in the region that are of geological, environmental or cultural interest.

    These include the Welland Canal, the Wainfleet Bog, Beamer Falls, Balls Falls, the Mewinzha Archaeology Gallery in Fort Erie and historical sites from the War of 1812, among others.

    The NCO policy brief says, under a geopark system, Niagara Falls would still remain the major draw for visitors to the area. But the tourism industry could be expanded by creating a niche for geotourists interested in seeing Earth history and the historical and cultural sites that have evolved from these unique and significant land features.

    The brief notes that the Niagara Escarpment, on which Brock University sits, has been a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve since 1990. A geopark designation with infrastructure such as visitor centres and plaques with QR codes “can help the Biosphere Reserve tell its story by guiding people to lesser known geosites as the escarpment winds to its greatest asset, Niagara Falls,” says the brief.

    Darren Platakis, Executive Director of Geospatial Niagara, says another big advantage of Niagara being designated a UNESCO Global Geopark is that it could provide a strong educational component for Niagara students from kindergarten to Grade 12.

    “A Geopark will provide opportunities for students to not only learn and begin to understand our geology and how it is so interdependent with our environment, culture and history, but they can also gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the 12,000 years of Indigenous history in Niagara,” says Platakis.

    “This Indigenous history is an extremely important element to the overall development of the application and programming for the Geopark,” he says. “Students, local residents and tourists will see Niagara with a new set of eyes.”

    Platakis says the designation could also attract researchers and students to the area, with programs and services connecting into a wide range of studies at Brock and Niagara College.

    Geospatial Niagara submitted an expression of interest to the Canadian National Committee for Geoparks and is in the process of applying to UNESCO to become a Global Geopark.

    The NCO’s policy brief looks at the costs and benefits of geoparks in China, the United Kingdom and France and concludes that a UNESCO Global Geopark designation could benefit all 12 municipalities in Niagara.

    “This policy brief encourages all levels of government and sectors of society in Niagara to consider the benefits of a UNESCO Global Geopark and how they may each play a part to make it a reality,” says NCO Director Charles Conteh.

    “The vision behind the Global Geopark initiative in Niagara is closely aligned with the sociocultural and economic advancement of the region,” he says. “Leveraging and promoting this initiative should be a fundamentally community-driven effort if it is to be sustainable.”

    The NCO brief lays out a number of “next steps” in making the UNESCO Global Geopark a reality in Niagara, emphasizing that it will take a broad community effort across the environment, education and tourism sectors.

    Story reposted from The Brock News.

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  • Global geopark promises ‘potential and opportunity’

    Monday, May 27, 2019 | By

    Brock University releases policy brief on initiative

    REPOSTED FROM THE ST. CATHARINES STANDARD
    February 07, 2019 | By: Allan Benner

    Geopark

    Carol Phillips from the Niagara Community Observatory at Brock University discusses the potential held by establishing a UNESCO Geopark in Niagara. – Allan Benner , The St. Catharines Standard

    Niagara’s tourism potential should not be limited to Niagara Falls.

    And an initiative launched about five years ago by Geospatial Niagara should help the region boost its potential for drawing visitors to some of the more remote attractions the peninsula has to offer.

    Niagara Community Observatory research co-ordinator Carol Phillips presented a new policy brief Thursday morning that focuses on the potential that developing a UNESCO Global Geopark could hold for Niagara — such as bringing more tourists to the area and giving them reasons to stay longer.

    Phillips said a proposed geopark, to be called Ohnia:kara, would encompass the entire Niagara Region and highlight at least 78 attractions in all 12 local municipalities — “from Beamer Falls in Grimsby to Niagara Falls, from the Wainfleet Bog and Welland Canal, all the way on down.”

    She described it as an “international geo-tourism brand” that can be used by communities to promote natural and heritage resources while focusing on sustainable economic development and fostering conservation and education.

    For a tourism-focused region such as Niagara, she said being designated a UNESCO Global Geopark “is a way to advertise to potential visitors that this is a geography that you need to see and experience, and that includes everything from its geology through to its cultural history and its economic character.”

    She said there were 12.9 million person visits to Niagara in 2017, of which 8.4 million were visitors from elsewhere in the province, and those visitors spent $2.36 billion during their stays.

    “But less than half of those visitors stayed overnight, and of those who did the bulk of them only stay one night, maybe two,” Phillips said.

    A geopark designation, she added, will help promote Niagara “as more than just the day trip.”

    Phillips stressed that there is no regulatory limitations associated with the UNESCO designation that would further limit land use planning in the region.

    The initiative was first proposed about five years ago by Geospatial Niagara founder Darren Platakis, who first learned about a geopark in southern New Brunswick called Stonehammer.

    “When I stumbled upon the Stonehammer geopark site, all I saw was potential and opportunity,” Platakis said.

    He said the initiative is “all about creating those opportunities and living up to the potential that Niagara has, globally — beyond Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake.”

    “We have such a wealth of sites to see, opportunities,” he added.

    Platakis said the initiative holds a great deal of educational potential, too.

    Although a mandate of Geospatial Niagara is promoting geo-literacy, he said many Grade 12 students can’t identify all the municipalities within Niagara Region.

    “That’s because they’re not invested in their communities. They don’t learn about their communities.”

    The global geopark initiative is “a way to attract students to Niagara to do research, to keep students here, for students that are from Niagara that go away to university it’s a stronger pull factor for them to come back to their communities if they become involved,” he said.

    Geospatial Niagara secretary Ian Lucas said funding will be needed to continue moving the project forward.

    “We have lofty goals and realistic expenses,” he said, responding to a question from an audience of about 40 people.

    “We will be coming to the point very soon where we will be actually coming out and saying, here’s our ask. This is what we would like in terms of financial support, idea support, in-kind support.”

    Lucas said the organization will continue meeting with municipal councils to discuss plans and potential.

    Phillips said much of the preliminary work has been completed by Geospatial Niagara.

    For instance, she said a formal expression of interest has been submitted to the Canadian National Committee for Geoparks, allowing Ohnia:kara to officially be identified as an aspiring geopark.

    Platakis struggled with emotion while reflecting on the progress that had been made towards making a project he started five years ago a reality.

    “If you would have said to me last year at this time we’d be here today doing this, I probably wouldn’t have believed it.”

    But thanks to the work of Geospatial Niagara members, Niagara Community Observatory and community support, Platakis said efforts to establish the geopark have reached “the end of one chapter and the beginning of another one.”

    Story reposted from The St. Catharines Standard.

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  • Brock research explores potential new tourism niche in Niagara through UN designation

    Monday, May 27, 2019 | By

    REPOSTED FROM THE BROCK NEWS
    FEBRUARY 04, 2019     | by 

    New research by Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory (NCO) says there’s potential to enhance Niagara’s vibrant tourism industry if the region were to become a UNESCO Global Geopark.

    Visitors coming to Niagara have lots to see and do thanks to the region being a top tourism destination.

    New research by Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory (NCO) says there’s potential to enhance Niagara’s vibrant tourism industry if the region were to become a UNESCO Global Geopark.

    A Global Geopark is an area containing “sites and landscapes of international geological significance,” according to UNESCO.

    “Being designated a UNESCO Global Geopark allows Niagara to brand itself internationally as a destination for geotourism,” says Carol Phillips, author of the NCO’s policy brief Ohnia:kara, An Aspiring Global Geopark.

    “Niagara has a fascinating earth history that has created so many beautiful sites, culminating in Niagara Falls,” she says. “This brand allows us to showcase those sites as well as the history and culture that has developed around them.”

    The policy brief discusses the concept of a geopark in more detail, describes the efforts of the geographic educational non-profit Geospatial Niagara to apply to become a geopark, offers case studies from other areas of the world and outlines “next steps” in the application process.

    The NCO will launch the policy brief Ohnia:kara, An Aspiring Global Geopark Thursday, Feb. 7 at Brock University. A panel will discuss the brief and the way forward for Niagara.

    What: Launching of NCO policy brief Ohnia:kara, An Aspiring Global Geopark
    When: Thursday, Feb. 7 from 9 to 11 a.m.
    Where: Room 207, Cairns Family Health and Bioscience Research Complex, Brock University
    Who: Carol Phillips, Research Co-ordinator, Niagara Community Observatory
    Panelists: Darren Platakis, Geospatial Niagara, Ohnia:kara Steering Committee; David Fennell, Professor, Geography and Tourism, Brock University, Ohnia:kara Steering Committee; Walter Sendzik, Mayor, St. Catharines; Phil Davis, Indigenous Culture Liaison, Ohnia:kara Steering Committee.

    Story reposted from The Brock News.

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  • New research looks into the social world of female fly anglers

    Thursday, October 11, 2018 | By

    New research by Geography and Tourism Studies professor, Dr. David Fennell, and Tourism and Environment alumna, Meaghan Birbeck (’14), was published last month in the Journal of Gender Studies. Read more below.

    Abstract
    Bourdieu’s theory of habitus was used to determine if a comprehensive identity exists amongst female fly anglers. Past research has emphasised a need to address ‘doing gender’ and ‘gender performativity’ in sport and recreation to understand ideology surrounding male superiority and the marginalisation of women. Fly fishing is a traditional male-dominated and masculine sport, where women are slowly emerging as prominent figures. Fly fishing presents a setting to then understand the performance of gender and the influence of social norms. A snowball sample of female fly anglers (n = 63) was obtained from an online survey, which was administered between December 2015 and January 2016. Descriptive statistical analysis of a structured closed-category online survey was used to determine if a distinct symmetry and set of practices exist in defining the identity of female fly anglers. Results indicate that a separate habitus is emerging for these women built around adventure, being in nature, identity, freedom, lack of guilt, commitment, empowerment, independence, anti-control and anti-domination, and the maintenance of stereotypical feminine characteristics through participation in this activity.

    Reference
    Fennell, D. A., and Birbeck, M. (2018). Broads with rods: The social world of female fly anglers. Journal of Gender Studies, DOI: 10.1080/09589236.2018.1515068

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