Encourages deep understanding and curiosity.
Professor Brent Lovelock is a professor in the Department of Tourism within the University of Otago's Otago Business School. He joined the department in 2000, having earned an honours degree in Forestry Science and a PhD from the University of Otago in 2001 on interorganisational relations and sustainable tourism in Canada. His research specializations encompass sustainable tourism development, emphasizing social and environmental outcomes, community-based tourism that generates value for local communities, and visitor experiences and impacts within natural areas. Lovelock conducts applied research in collaboration with organizations including the Department of Conservation and Fish and Game New Zealand. He also investigates the ethics of tourism, addressing issues such as consumptive wildlife tourism involving hunting and fishing, medical and dental tourism, and travel to politically contested destinations. He co-authored the book The Ethics of Tourism – Critical and Applied Perspectives. Throughout his career at Otago, Lovelock has served as Co-Director of the Centre for Recreation Research, PhD Co-ordinator until June 2025, and instructor in Destination Development at undergraduate and master's levels. He holds committee roles including membership on the University Senate, the Board of Studies for the Bachelor of Arts (Tourism Languages and Cultures), and the Higher Education Development Centre.
Lovelock has supervised 25 PhD students to completion, with recent theses covering topics such as the role of NGOs in indigenous community-based tourism in Bangladesh, food heritage and tourism in the Italian Dolomites, food security for tourism destinations in Ethiopia, water use planning for hotels in Singapore, unions in Nepal's hotel and airline sectors, and dark tourism in Salem, USA. He leads the Marsden-funded project "Bad Nature: The social dimensions of invasive species in New Zealand" (2020–2023), which examines community relationships—including those of tourists, the tourism industry, Māori, Pasifika, recent immigrants, and young people—with invasive species and implications for management. Key recent publications include "Integrating scenario planning with futures wheels: A sequential framework for exploring tourism futures" (Journal of Tourism Futures, 2026, with A.H.L. Nomm and J. Albrecht), "Linking wellness tourism and community well-being within a regenerative tourism paradigm" (Tourism Recreation Research, 2026, with S. Houge Mackenzie and J.M. Pung), "Fostering community wellbeing via regenerative destination planning: An Aotearoa New Zealand case study" (Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 2026, with H. McKeeman and S. Houge Mackenzie), and "Role of religion in engaging religious tourists in pro-environmental behaviour" (2025, with M.N. Islam and J.N. Albrecht). Lovelock is a member of the editorial boards for Tourism Planning & Development, Journal of Ecotourism, and Human Dimensions of Wildlife.