Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Professor Rhodri Thomas
Professor
Rhodri Thomas is Professor of Tourism Management. He has undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in economics (Leeds) and two PhDs; one in management studies (Exeter) and one on public policy and small firms in tourism (LBU). He holds a PGCE (Leicester), is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and Fellow of the Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT).
Rhodri has secured grant and non-grant research funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as well as from the European Commission, OECD, British government departments and various other agencies. Much of this work has been concerned with understanding (i) public policy designed to influence the practices of small firms in tourism and (ii) knowledge acquisition in tourism and the impact of academic knowledge production on practitioners.
Rhodri is currently examining how theorising on small firms in tourism articulates with work undertaken by researchers with an interest in other sectors. He was recently part of a School-based research team led by Professor David Parsons on digital skills in tourism (the results have been published as an open access article).
In addition to dissemination via academic journals and books, Rhodri has made invited keynote presentation to academic conferences in China, India, numerous European countries, and the USA. He has also accepted invitations to speak at major international practitioner events including those in Argentina (International Congress and Convention Association), Malta (Association of Independent Tour Operators), Spain and Italy (Institute of Travel and Tourism) as well as in the UK (e.g. Association of British Travel Agents [ABTA] and Association of British Professional Conference Organisers [ABPCO]). Rhodri was a member of the Business and Economics Panel of the New Zealand Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF), that country’s periodic system for research evaluation. He is Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events.
Current Teaching
- PhD Supervision
Research Interests
Current research is primarily concerned with the impact of academic knowledge production on non-academic constituencies within the context of public policy debates about performance-based research funding.
Ask Me About
- Sustainable tourism
- Higher Education
- Economics
- Events
- Sustainability
- Tourism
Selected Outputs
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Parsons D; Choi M; Thomas R; Glyptou K; Walsh K (2023) The policy responses of tourism agencies to emerging digital skills constraints: A critical assessment of six countries. International Journal of Tourism Research
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Hahm JJ; Weber K; Getz D; Thomas R (2021) Guest Editorial. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 33 (7), pp. 2305-2313.
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Hahm JJ; Weber K; Getz D; Thomas R (2021) Guest editorial for JHTI Vol 4 Issue 2 2021. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 4 (2), pp. 137-141.
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Yeung E; Thomas R (2021) The ‘long tail’ of event management research: evidence from the field’s main journals. Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events, pp. 1-8.
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Tomassini L; Font X; Thomas R (2020) Narrating values-based entrepreneurs in tourism. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change, pp. 1-17.
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Thomas R (2020) Problematising ‘The impact of tourism research’ : A reply to Brauer, Dymitrow, and Tribe (2019). Annals of Tourism Research, pp. 102968-102968.
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Thomas R (2020) Affective subjectivation or moral ambivalence? Constraints on the promotion of sustainable tourism by academic researchers. Journal of Sustainable Tourism
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Tomassini L; Font X; Thomas R (2019) The case for linguistic narrative analysis, illustrated studying small firms in tourism. Tourism Geographies
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Kornilaki M; Thomas R; Font X (2019) The sustainability behaviour of small firms in tourism: the role of self-efficacy and contextual constraints. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 27 (1), pp. 97-117.
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Li S; Cang S; Thomas R; Hyun S (2017) Residents’ perceptions of convention centres: A distance decay analysis. Event Management: an international journal, 21 (6), pp. 729-746.
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Yaning Li N; Wood EH; Thomas R (2017) Innovation implementation: harmony and conflict in Chinese modern music festivals. Tourism Management, 63 pp. 87-99.
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Thomas R; Ormerod N (2017) The (almost) imperceptible impact of tourism research on policy and practice. Tourism Management, 62 pp. 379-389.
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Thomas R; Ormerod N (2017) Founts of knowledge or delusions of grandeur? Limits and illusions of tourism research impact: A reply to Wood. Tourism Management, 62 pp. 394-395.
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Thomas R (2017) A remarkable absence of women: a comment on the formation of the new Events Industry Board. Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events, 9 (2), pp. 201-204.
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Koens K; Thomas R (2016) "You know that’s a rip-off": Micro-enterprises and poverty alleviation in South African township tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism
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Thomas R (2016) Entrepreneurship in Hospitality and Tourism: A Global Perspective. TOURISM MANAGEMENT, 55 pp. 309-309.
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Kosmaczewska J; Thomas RW; Dias F (2015) Residents’ perceptions of tourism and their implications for policy development: Evidence from rural Poland. Community Development
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Thomas R; Wood E (2015) The absorptive capacity of tourism organisations. Annals of Tourism Research, 54 pp. 84-99.
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Koens K; Thomas R (2015) Is small beautiful? Understanding the contribution of small businesses in township tourism to economic development. Development Southern Africa, 32 (3), pp. 320-332.
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Fu Y; Thomas RW; Long P (2014) Guanxi and the organisation of Chinese New Year festivals in England. Event Management, 18 (3), pp. 247-263.
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Thomas RW; Wood E (2014) Innovation in tourism: Re-conceptualising and measuring the absorptive capacity of the hotel sector. Tourism Management, 45 pp. 39-48.
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Thomas R; Thomas H (2014) 'Hollow from the start'? Professional associations and the professionalisation of tourism. Service Industries Journal, 34 (1), pp. 38-55.
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Thomas R (2013) International perspectives on small firms in tourism: A synthesis. , pp. 1-12.
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Thomas R; Thomas H (2013) What are the prospects for professionalizing event management in the UK?. Tourism Management Perspectives, 6 pp. 8-14.
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Li S; Blake A; Thomas R (2013) Modelling the economic impact of sports events: The case of the Beijing Olympics. Economic Modelling, 30 (1), pp. 235-244.
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Thomas R (2012) Business Elites, Universities and Knowledge Transfer in Tourism. Tourism Management, 33 (3), pp. 553-561.
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Sampaio A; Thomas R; Font X (2012) Why are some engaged and not others? Explaining environmental engagement among small firms in tourism. International Journal of Tourism Research, 14 (3), pp. 235-249.
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Sampaio A; Thomas R; Font X (2012) Small Business Management and Environmental Engagement. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 20 (2), pp. 179-193.
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Walmsley A; Thomas R; Jameson S (2012) Internships in SMEs and career intentions. Journal of Education and Work, 25 (2), pp. 185-204.
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Thomas R; Shaw G; Page S (2011) Understanding Small Firms in Tourism: A perspective on research trends and challenges. Tourism Management, 32 (5), pp. 963-976.
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Thomas R (2011) Academics as Policy-Makers: (Not) Researching Tourism and Events Policy from the Inside. Current Issues in Tourism, 14 (6), pp. 493-506.
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Laing W; Xu H; Thomas R (2011) Study on the Motivations and Objectives of Life-styled Tourism Businesses in Dali Ancient City. Tourism Tribune, 2 pp. 47-53.
http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTOTAL-LYXK201002015.htm
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Thomas R (2018) Questioning the Assessment of Research Impact Illusions, Myths and Marginal Sectors. Springer.
