Rate My Professor Julia Albrecht

Associate Professor Julia N. Albrecht serves in the Department of Tourism at the University of Otago, located within the Otago Business School. She joined the department in April 2015 with an academic background in geography, landscape ecology, political studies, and tourism. Her research centers on tourism and destination management for sustainable tourism, encompassing tourism strategy and planning, visitor management, and nature-based tourism. Key projects include investigating destination managers' perceptions of sustainability and their implementation of sustainable initiatives through a comparative study of nature-based tourism destinations in Austria and New Zealand; exploring visitor pledges as innovative tools for visitor impact management, including strategic considerations, marketing, implementation, and outcomes from stakeholders' perspectives; examining tourism management as a third-sector function; and analyzing organizational roles, functions, and structures in visitor management within New Zealand ecosanctuaries to enhance understanding of protected areas and tourism destinations generally.

Albrecht coordinates courses including TOUR219 Destination Management, TOUR305 Tourism Product Development, TOUR101 Introduction to Tourism, and the distance version of TOUR102 Global Tourism. Appointed PhD Coordinator from July 2025, she is a sought-after supervisor, having earned the OUSA Supervisor of the Year award in 2023 and the Otago Business School’s Best Contribution to the Research Environment award in 2020. She contributes to the University of Otago Human Ethics Committee and the Otago Business School Research Committee. Albrecht co-edits the Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism and sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, advancing scholarship in her field. Her publications feature in premier outlets such as Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Tourism Management, and Annals of Tourism Research. Notable recent works include 'Integrating scenario planning with futures wheels: A sequential framework for exploring tourism futures' by Nomm, Albrecht, and Lovelock (2026, Journal of Tourism Futures); 'Leadership and stewardship in destination management' by Albrecht and Haid (2025); 'Role of religion in engaging religious tourists in pro-environmental behaviour' by Islam, Albrecht, and Lovelock (2025); 'Justice in tourism destination governance: Current knowledge and future research directions' by Albrecht and Torabian (2025); and 'From research “on” to research “with” children: What can childism offer to tourism studies?' by Canosa, Albrecht, Shiraani, and Raymond (2026).