Dr Anke Winchenbach


Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Transport
Dipl Tourism Management, MA Tourism, Environment and Development, PhD
+44 (0)1483 686138
49 AP 02
Please email for an appointment

About

Biography

My research and consultancy are primarily focused on social dimensions of sustainability in tourism and related industries, intersecting with fisheries and marine social sciences, sociology, and social psychology. I am researching topics such as dignity and decent work, labour and human rights, social change, identity, livelihood transitions, coastal community resilience, as well as how we assess social value across individual, organisational and governance levels. I’m a Fellow of Surrey’s Future of Work Research Centre and the Institute for Sustainability, as well as the Centre for Sustainability and Wellbeing in the Visitor Economy. Currently I serve as the elected co-president of the International Tourism Research Committee (RC50) of ISA and hold several advisory roles with industry organisations.  

Prior to joining academia, I worked as senior consultant at NEF Consulting, the consultancy arm of the New Economics Foundation, UK’s leading think tank on transforming the economy that benefits people within planetary boundaries. My role focused on designing, delivering, and managing projects, as well as open and tailored training and workshops in the areas of evaluation & impact assessment, training & capacity building, and strategy & culture change for public, private, and third sector organisations. 

I also managed the innovative 'Total Impact Measurement and Management' (TIMM') project for The Travel Foundation in partnership with PwC, which measured TUI Group's holistic impact in Cyprus. I hold a Masters degree with distinction in Tourism, Environment and Development from King's College London, and have worked in travel and tourism management in my earlier career.

University roles and responsibilities

  • Member of the University's Ethics Committee
  • Module Leadership
  • Sustainability and Wellbeing research group
  • Menopause Champion
  • Personal tutoring
  • Programme Leader BSc International Tourism Management & International Tourism Management with Transport (AY 2021-22)
  • Academic Integrity Officer (2018-2021)

Affiliations and memberships

Co-president RC50 Tourism Research Committee of the International Sociological Association (ISA)
I’m currently serving a 4 year term as the elected co-president of RC50 International Tourism, the international tourism committee of the International Sociological Association. As part of my role, I’m guiding the RC50’s aim to secure and to develop contacts between sociologists of tourism and related disciplines throughout the world; to encourage the international dissemination and exchange of information on significant developments in the sociology of tourism and to promote the development of scientific activities throughout the world; to facilitate and promote international meetings and conferences, research, and publications in the field of sociology of tourism.
People in our network are researching on a wide range of themes, such as the quality of work and employment, migration, geopolitics, gender, accessibility, social justice, and sustainability to name just a few. We recently launched T3S Tourism Sociology Seminar Series, an online seminar series where we bring our research to wider audiences, invite guest speakers, and to make our work more visible and encourage debate and collaboration.
For more information please visit https://www.isa-sociology.org/en/research-networks/research-committees/rc50-international-tourism/ and connect with us on social media: https://www.facebook.com/groups/6567443666619519/
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9371249/

Research

Research interests

Research projects

Teaching

Publications

Anke Winchenbach, Paul Hanna, Graham Miller (2019)Rethinking decent work: the value of dignity in tourism employment, In: Journal of Sustainable Tourism27(7)pp. pp 1026-1043 Taylor and Francis

This paper focuses on establishing a conceptual grounding for the value of dignity in tourism employment for achieving decent work as part of the sustainable development agenda. Dignity is widely acknowledged as a key driver for ‘good’ work, but little conceptual grounding on the value of dignity in tourism employment has been established. This paper will contribute to the theoretical debate on sustainable tourism by providing a critical review of frameworks for decent work, workplace dignity (or its absence), and understandings of identity. We will explore how the context and conditions of tourism employment are conducive (or not) for offering dignified and sustainable employment. This paper makes two original contributions to knowledge. First, it introduces a psychosocial understanding of dignity in tourism employment, reflecting its deeply rooted individual, organisational, societal and policy aspects, and recognising the actors involved. Second, the critical importance of dignity in tourism employment for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is discussed, with future research directions identified.

ANKE WINCHENBACH, PAUL HANNA, GRAHAM MILLER (2022)Constructing identity in marine tourism diversification, In: Annals of tourism research95103441

Diversification into tourism is often suggested as a potential solution for the increasing concerns over globally declining fishing opportunities, particularly for small-scale fishers. Through the lens of psychosocial identity, qualitative data analysis from interviews with current and previous fishers in Cornwall shows how people are deconstructing and reconstructing their identities in the transition from fishing to tourism work, and that experiences of marine tourism diversification are dynamic, multifaceted, and embedded in social encounters. This article expands current discussions on work transitions by giving insight into the lived experiences of marine tourism operators from a psychosocial perspective, to go beyond the dominant economic narrative of diversification and social change, which has implications on how transitions into tourism work are facilitated.

Maria Della Lucia, Frédéric Dimanche, Ernestina Giudici, Blanca A Camargo, ANKE WINCHENBACH (2021)Enhancing tourism education: The contribution of humanistic management, In: Humanistic management journal6(3)pp. 429-449 Springer International Publishing

The tourism industry is a significant driver of the global economy and impacts societies all over the world that are currently experiencing radical change. Responding to these changes requires economic paradigms and educational systems based on new foundations. Humanistic tourism proposes a values-based disciplinary perspective for tourism at the intersection between humanistic and tourism management, and is rooted in human dignity and societal wellbeing. Integrating humanistic management principles into higher education tourism management programs, and changing the nature of what is taught and how, would benefit students, future managers and all stakeholders. This paper aims at improving higher education tourism programs by combining humanistic management education and the Tourism Education Futures Initiative’s (TEFI) values-based tourism education. It draws on an integrated Humanistic Tourism Education framework to help develop future tourism managers’ skills and abilities to adopt alternative leadership models within the sector and to foster critical and responsible tourism thinking and practice. With best-practice examples from three universities in three different countries, this study illustrates new pedagogical approaches and proposes recommendations for implementing humanistic tourism management in higher education with the aim of training ethical and responsible managers equipped with an awareness of the social, cultural, and environmental challenges – and possible solutions to these – in their respective destinations.

Blanca A Camargo, ANKE WINCHENBACH, Mario Vázquez-Maguirre (2022)Restoring the dignity of indigenous people: Perspectives on tourism employment, In: Tourism management perspectives41100946 Elsevier Ltd

The importance of dignity in tourism employment and the positive impact of Indigenous tourism activities are increasingly acknowledged. Nevertheless, the dignity and well-being of Indigenous people in urban tourism workplaces have received limited attention. Drawing on Indigenous Mexicans as a case study, we use cross-disciplinary concepts of dignity and humanistic management to address this gap by developing recommendations for restoring dignity to Indigenous groups through tourism employment in urban destinations. We explore how tourism employment has resulted in violations of the dignity of Indigenous peoples and illustrate how changes in employment practices across economic, sociocultural, and psychological dimensions can contribute to dignity restoration. By doing so, we advance a conceptual understanding of dignity and guide its practical implementation in tourism employment and management, and policy. Finally, we argue that dignity-restoring practices may also result in improved company performance and reputation as well as contribute to the sustainable development goals. •Poverty, climate change, and other pressures have forced Indigenous people migrate to cities in search of work opportunities•In urban areas, many Indigenous people are trapped in precarious forms of work that violate their dignity•Changes in tourism employment practices can contribute to dignity restoration of Indigenous people•Dignity-restoring employment practices can improve organizational performance while contributing to sustainable development goals

ALBERT NSOM KIMBU, Irma Booyens, ANKE WINCHENBACH (2022)Livelihood Diversification Through Tourism: Identity, Well-Being, And Potential In Rural Coastal Communities, In: Tourism review international Cognizant Communication Corporation

Traditional rural livelihoods are disappearing due to natural resource decline, climate pressure and, also modernization. This study explores livelihood diversification from primary economic activities into tourism employment in rural communities. We examine the developmental role of tourism in areas where traditional activities, in this case fishing, have declined and tourism is growing. This article presents the findings of two case studies: the coastal communities of Padstow (UK) and Paternoster (South Africa). The approach is qualitative and draws on sustainable livelihoods and social well-being notions to examine how affected people “cope with change” with respect to tourism diversification, and individual and community well-being. While the socioeconomic and sociopolitical contexts in the two research sites differ, the findings show that narratives about belonging and identity feature prominently with respect to fishing livelihoods in both cases. Small-scale fishing, perceived as a way of life for fishers, is under threat in both areas, yet there is limited evidence of concerted efforts to plan and manage the potential diversification processes into tourism. Nonetheless, we observe that tourism does provide some opportunities for fishing-dependent communities and outline some avenues for stronger collaboration, particularly by focusing on culinary tourism.

Additional publications