
Christy Hehir
Academic and research departments
School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Environmental Psychology research group, Centre for Sustainability and Wellbeing in the Visitor Economy.Biography
I am an environmental psychologist and conservationist, passionate about the relationship between humans and the natural world. I joined the University of Surrey as a PhD Researcher and ESRC Scholar in October 2016, and have since taken on a Teaching Fellow role within the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.
Prior to academia, I have 10 years’ travel industry experience having held positions at Walt Disney World, Bournemouth Tourism, The Tourism Society, VisitEngland and, most recently, VisitBritain.
My environmental interest was ignited when I travelled to Antarctica with Students on Ice, having been elected as the UK’s student representative of International Polar Years in 2007-2008. I then joined the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) on a research expedition to Svalbard in 2011. Such experiences led to my award winning Master’s thesis, The future of Antarctica. Is tourism an ally or an enemy? The publication of my first book, Arctic Reflections: Moment of Inspiration, a Lifetime of Action (Tomac., Hehir. 2013) and now my PhD.
Areas of specialism
Panelist on the Human and Social Sciences Workshop at Explore 2019 at the Royal Geographical Society, London. (November 2019)

Invited to attend the Antarctic Parliamentarians Assembly to contribute to the tourism session. Parliamentarians and observers were invited from the 54 signatories of the Antarctic Treaty. (December, 2019)

Elected (Aug 2019) and re-elected (Sept 2020) as Post Graduate Representative 2019-2021 for the RGS (Royal Geographical Society) Geographies of Leisure and Tourism Research Group.

Hunting Aliens in Antarctica. Our Public Engagement and Biodiversity Campaign on invasive species – published in the Polar Special Issue of ECO Magazine ecomagazine.com (October 2020)

Tourism’s role in conservation. RGS-IBG (Royal Geographical Society) Interview/Blog for Postgraduate Forum (Oct 2020)

Tourism for nature. PhD research featured in the sustainability special issue of Perspective Magazine (Spring 2020)
Research projects
Recognised and funded by the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council), my environmental psychology based PhD research collaborates with leading tour operators and international wildlife charities to measure the actual value travelling has for conservation across the booking journey. Outcomes of this research identify the types of experiences/activities that add value and engage tourists to emotionally connect with the environments they visit, and pinpoint triggers in travel that inspire philanthropic donations both onsite and subsequently.
My teaching
I am passionate about teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
My module leadership and teaching spans across many of the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events modules including:
MANM050 Visitor Attractions Management (Module Leader)
MANM150 Destination Management and Marketing (Module Leader)
MAN3149 Leadership (Module Leader)
MAN1106 Global Citizenship
MAN2101 Tourism Policy and Development
MAN2112 Managing Organisations and Human Resources
MAN3162 Mentoring and Professional Development
MAN3156 Strategic Brand Management in Tourism
Courses I teach on
Undergraduate
Postgraduate taught
My publications
Publications
Additional publications
Hehir, C., Stewart, E.J., Maher, P.T. and Ribeiro, M.A., 2020. Evaluating the impact of a youth polar expedition alumni programme on post-trip pro-environmental behaviour: a community-engaged research approach. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, pp.1-20. Open access/free download available via: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09669582.2020.1863973
Denley, T.J., Woosnam, K.M., Ribeiro, M.A., Boley, B.B., Hehir, C. and Abrams, J., 2020. Individuals’ intentions to engage in last chance tourism: applying the value-belief-norm model. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, pp.1-22.