Dr Keith Wilkes

Dr Keith Wilkes – Dean of the School of Tourism

Keith’s career has taken him from University College, Swansea, where he completed his undergraduate degree, to doctoral research at University of Liverpool and then to BU, where he’s become a key figure in both the life of the School and the wider University over the past 20 years.

Keith has risen up through the ranks at BU, holding key positions which encompass course development and quality, the student experience, enterprise and income generation and staff management. He is a Fellow of both the Royal Geographical Society and the Tourism Society.

Keith’s research focuses on tourism development, visitor attractions, heritage management and tourism education and he is actively involved in cultivating the next generation of researchers within the School. Most recently he’s supervised PhD students on a range of topics including nature-based tourism, visitor motivation and behaviour at garden attractions and World Heritage Sites, such as Thailand and The Jurassic Coast. Other topics include post-conflict tourism, community-based festivals, the social impacts of the 2008 UEFA Championship, urban regeneration and the 2012 Olympics and the values of UK heritage providers and consumers.

Keith continues to engage in research and consultancy with organisations including English Tourist Board, Merseyside County Council, Sealink/Wightlink Ferries, Southern Arts and the Isle of Wight Tourist Office. As a member of the Association for Tourism in Higher Education (ATHE) Executive Committee and a Quality Assurance Agency Subject Specialist Reviewer, he’s also played a significant role in the development of tourism education in the UK.