Biography

Ercil hails from the nation of Antigua & Barbuda – the most tourism-dependent country in the world.  Thus, he considers Tourism to be a vital part of his existence.  Indeed, there is collegiality locally in the unofficial tourism slogan in Antigua which says “Tourism is everybody’s business!”

A self-described zealous perfectionist, before commencing his Ph.D. candidacy, he gained an International Olympic Committee Scholarship which helped him earn his BSc. (Hons) in Tourism Management from the University of Technology in Jamaica in 2004 and a Commonwealth Scholarship helped his attaining an MSc. (Dist) in Tourism Development from the University of Surrey in 2009.  Within this time, he also acquired his teaching qualifications from the University of the West Indies in 2007. 

Previously, Ercil held the position of Facilitator at the Antigua/Barbuda Hospitality Training Institute, where he tutored in Caribbean Studies, Introduction to the Tourism and Hospitality Industry, and Quality Customer Care. In addition, he has held brief tenures at the Jamaica Tourist Board and within the Antiguan accommodation and transportation sectors. Together, these have served to strengthen his devotion to the formal study of Tourism. 

Research Interests

Presently, his post graduate research is concerned with the potential salience attached to tourism policy concerns within political communication in Antigua & Barbuda.  Supervised by Dr. Donna Chambers and Professor John Tribe, the working title of the thesis is: The Politicization of Tourism: Delineating the Salience of Tourism within the Electoral Dynamic of Antigua & Barbuda.  The theoretical considerations of the thesis revolve around political communication, salience, issue voting, political economy, and political agenda.

Apart from this, his other research interests lie in the areas of tourism policy and planning, cognitive development within tourism education, and tourism co-opetition.

After completing his Ph.D. tenure, Ercil aims to become involved in a career focused on tourism public policy development, academia, and political advisory.