The Graduate School

Dr. Simon Kimber

Dr. Kimber is an experienced academic with over 15 years of teaching experience in tourism, hospitality and events management, and has taught both in the UK and in Asia. He has a PhD in Hospitality and Tourism Management from the University of Surrey along with a PGCE in Education from the University of Lancaster. He has just joined BUV from Swansea University in the UK, where he was Programme Director of International Tourism Management at Swansea University, and prior to that he was Director of Tourism Management at the University of Surrey’s overseas campus in China, Surrey International Institute (SII-DUFE).

Dr. Kimber’s research interests revolve around the rise of Asian backpacker tourism, smart tourism and the leisure uses of autonomous vehicles. Simon has published his research in academic journals and book chapter and presented at conferences. He has a number of research collaborations with academics from the UK and China.

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Surrey
PhD Hospitality and Tourism Management – 2015-2019
University of Lancaster
PGCE Education – 2004-2005
Royal Holloway, University of London
MA Geography – 1998-1998
Staffordshire University
BA (Hons) Geography – 1995-1998

PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS

British University Vietnam (Vietnam)
Head of School, The Graduate School (2024 – current)
Swansea University (UK)
Senior Lecturer and Programme Director BSc International Tourism Management (2022 – 2024)
University of Surrey (UK & China)
Senior Lecturer and Director Tourism Management (SII-DUFE) (2019 – 2022)
Associate Lecturer (SHTM) (2019)
Postgraduate Researcher (SHTM) (2015-2019)
Dalian University of Foreign Languages (China)
Lecturer Tourism & Academic English (2012 – 2014)
University College Birmingham (UK)
Lecturer Travel and Tourism (2007 – 2012)

RESEARCH AREAS / FIELDS

Critical Tourism Theory and Performativity
Backpacker Tourism
Smart Tourism

RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

Thomopoulos, N., Cohen, S., Hopkins, D., Siegel, L., & Kimber, S. (2020). All work and no play? Autonomous vehicles and non-commuting journeys. Transport Reviews, 1-22.
Kimber, S., Siegel, L., Cohen, S., & Thomopoulos, N. (2020). The wider use of autonomous vehicles in non-commuting journeys. Advances in Transport Policy and Planning, 5, 125-148.
Kimber, S; Cohen, S.A. and Yang, J; (2019) Performing love, prosperity and Chinese hipsterism: young independent travellers in Pai, Thailand. Journal of Tourist Studies. 19 (2)

RESEARCH & CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS / EXHIBITIONS

Kimber, S (2021) Performance, Performativity and Embodiment. 3-day guest lecturer invitation at Shanghai Normal University, 27th to 30th June 2021
Kimber, S (2020). Restarting tourism: the need for tourism stakeholders to better understand culturally influenced patterns of tourism production and consumption: a performance perspective. The 4th DUFE-Surrey Workshop. Tourism during challenging times. 18th December 2020.
Kimber, S (2017). Challenging Eurocentrism in Tourism Studies: How Performative and Embodied Empirical Insights into Chinese Backpackers and Professional Hosts Can Contribute to Discussions of Eurocentrism in Tourism Research, Critical Tourism Studies VII 2017, Palma Majorca, June, Critical Tourism Studies Proceedings

RESEARCH GRANTS

National Natural Science Foundation of China Research Grant (No. 42071177), “the spatio-temporal difference of backpacker travelers and its acting mechanisms from a mobility perspective”, RMB 550.000. Dr Xuan (Angela) Zhu, Shanghai Normal University, Prof Dallen Timothy, Arizona State University, Dr Simon Kimber, University of Surrey.

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