Dr. Aiwa Romy
Hailing from Kerala, South India, Aiwa completed her Bachelor’s degree in Travel and Tourism from Pazhassiraja College, Calicut University, Kerala in 2014. Following graduation, she moved to Malaysia to pursue her MSc. in Tourism by research from Taylor’s University (2014-2017) , and continued there until the completion of her Doctoral studies in 2021. During her period at Taylor’s, she engaged with various teaching, research, as well as departmental activities under the Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management. Thereafter, she worked as an Invited Faculty and Visiting Resource Person at State and Central Universities in India.
Since her Master’s, she established her expertise in qualitative research and elevated her interpretive skills. Aiwa’s research interests include exploring niche areas in tourism, tourists’ behaviour, perceptions, and preferences. Besides that, she is an independent researcher, speaker, and thinker who works towards inculcating ethical thoughts and qualitative behaviour in daily life.
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Doctor of Philosophy (2017 – 2021)
Taylor’s University, Malaysia
Thesis: Women bikers in India: An ethnography on contemporary motorcycle subculture and motorcycle tourism - Master of Science (MSc.) Tourism (2014 -2017)
Taylor’s University, Malaysia - Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Travel and Tourism Management (2011-2014)
Calicut University, India
PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS
- British University Vietnam (BUV)
Lecturer (2024 – Current)
- Central University of Andhra Pradesh (CUAP) (India)
Invited Faculty (2021, 2023)
Voc Tourism and Travel Management - Mahatma Gandhi University (India)
Visiting Resource person (2021 – 2022)
School of Tourism Studies, MGU - Taylor’s University (Malaysia)
Tutor (2014 – 2019)
Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management
RESEARCH AREAS / FIELDS
- Qualitative Research Methodology
- Ethnography, and Sub-cultural Studies
- Niche Tourism
RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS
- Romy, A. & Dewan, M. (2020)
The Bikerni: An ethnographic study on women motorcyclists in modern India. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change. Doi: 10.1080/14766825.2020.1849242 - Thomas, T. K., Mura, P., & Romy, A. (2018)
Tourism and the ‘dry law’ in Kerala – exploring the nexus between tourism and alcohol. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change. doi:10.1080/14766825.2018.1471085
RESEARCH & CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS / EXHIBITIONS
- Romy, A. (2022).
Disruptive methods in Qualitative Research – (Workshop)
2022 3rd Asian Tourism Research Conference
Christ University, Bangalore, India - Romy, A. (2021)
Thought of Young Minds – (Keynote Address)
2021 2nd Asian Tourism Research Conference
Far Eastern University, Manila, Philippines (Online) - Romy, A. (2022)
Due to desire or trend? Exploring the socio–psychological motivations behind the choice of stay-cations during the pandemic – (Paper presentation)
2022 National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management (NITHM)
Hyderabad, India (Online) - Romy, A. (2019)
Women Bikers in India: An Account of Current Scenario
2019 Indian Tourism and Hospitality Congress (ITHC)
Vythiri Village Resort, Wayanad, India - Romy, A. (2015)
Fear of Outbound Tourists in the Event of Tragedies: A Review
2015 9th Graduate Research Colloquium
Taylor’s University, Malaysia
RESEARCH PROJECTS
- Country-level Case Researcher, India (2022-2023)
Documenting linkages between farmers and the tourism and hospitality industry in Asia and the Pacific ($4000) Southeast Asian Regional Centre for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) (Mahatma Gandhi University, India) - Team Member (2015-2016)
Tourism Industry Sector Study, Mega Science Framework Study
Commissioned by the Academy of Sciences, Malaysia (Taylor’s University, Malaysia) - Administrative Assistant (2014-2015)
Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism Capacity Development Programme, funded by the European Union (ESRT-EU) (Taylor’s University, Malaysia)
AWARDS & HONOURS
- Honoured as Distinguished Alumni (2020)
De Paul English Medium Higher Secondary School, Angamaly, India - Taylor’s Vice-Chancellor Award (2017)
Taylor’s University, Malaysia - Best Paper Award (2015)
Graduate Research Colloquium, Taylor’s University, Malaysia - Tutorship Scholarship (2014)
Taylor’s University, Malaysia - Central Sector Scholarship (2012)
Central Government of India
- Share
Read more 
Senior Lecturer
Dr. Viju PrakashRaised and educated in India, Viju Prakash completed a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Anna University. Following graduation, in 2005, he completed a Master of Computer Science and Engineering from Anna University. He later completed his PhD titled, “A Power Aware Routing Protocol in Wireless Sensor Networks” in Computer Science and Engineering. […]
Lecturer
Dr. Chris KirraneChris, originally from the UK, has built a distinguished career abroad, specializing in economics, international political economy, and education. He holds a Ph.D. focused on the Asian Currency Crisis, along with a Master’s in International Political Economy, a PGCE in Tertiary Education (Economics), and a B.A. (Hons.) in Politics and Economics. With extensive experience in […]
Senior Lecturer
Dr. Shashi ChaudharyShashi, born and raised in Nepal, completed a Bachelor’s degree (BA) in Economics and Mathematics and a Master’s degree (MA) in Economics from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. He started his career in higher education as a Lecturer in Economics at the School of Business, Pokhara University, Nepal, where he worked for two years before moving to […]
Lecturer
Dr. Cao Thuy LinhDr. Cao Thuy Linh earned her Ph.D. in Business from Feng Chia University, Taiwan (AACSB-accredited) with a full scholarship, along with an MSc in International Business. She got a bachelor’s degree in International Business and Economics in Foreign Trade University, Vietnam. She has extensive teaching experience at FPT University and British University Vietnam, delivering modules […]
Lecturer
Dr. Adrian WengAdrian joined BUV Hanoi in 2020, having previously taught at RMIT Vietnam for more than 10 years. Before teaching, he worked as a Training Manager in KPMG Malaysia, an international accounting firm headquartered in the Netherlands. Adrian also worked as a stock analyst and a real estate negotiator in Kuala Lumpur before finding his calling […]
Lecturer
Head, English Department
Raised and educated in Volgograd, Russia, Yulia completed a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Volgograd State Pedagogical University in 2003, followed by a Master’s Degree in Language Education in 2005 from the same university. A full-time postgraduate student, Yulia developed her Master’s research into a doctor’s degree and completed her PhD thesis in Cognitive Linguistics […]
Senior Teaching Fellow
Joey LaiJoey is from Malaysia, and she has been teaching at international universities/colleges for more than 15 years. Before joining the education industry, she had worked in banking and financial services in Malaysia. Joey came to Vietnam in 2007 and has served in BUV since 2016, leading the Accounting and Finance (AF) programme. In addition, she […]
Lecturer - Academic Ambassador
Dr. Bui Ngoc MaiRaised in a small town in Hanoi, Mai moved to live and study in the United Kingdom from 2011. Mai completed her Msci degree in Mathematics and Statistical Science at the University College London (UCL) in 2017. She then received the UCL’s Research Excellence Scholarship to undertake doctoral research at UCL. In 2022, she was […]
Senior Teaching Fellow
Discipline Lead - Business (University of London)
Born in Canada, raised and educated in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Mark completed a B.Sc. (Econ) at the University of Buckingham, England. Following graduation in 1984, he worked with an Economics Consultancy for a year before returning to Buckingham as a tutor. While completing his Master’s degree, he worked his way up to Lecturer before leaving […]
Associate Professor
Assoc. Prof. Anchit BijalwanDr. Anchit Bijalwan is an academician, researcher, consultant and mentor with 15 years of teaching experience for graduate, postgraduate students, and Ph.D. He successfully completed many projects from the UN, DST and AMIT. Dr. Anchit has authored two books and published more than forty research papers in reputed international journals and conferences. He is also […]
