Book by VUT academic on Covid-19's impact on tourism now out in hard cover and ebook

The soft cover version of the book which profiles preliminary findings on the impact of the coronavirus on the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors was released towards the end of September 2020.

Dube, who is an Ecotourism Lecturer in the Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Public Relations Management in VUT’s Faculty of Human Sciences, wrote the work with fellow authors Dr David Chikodzi and Prof Godwell Nhamo.

Dube – one of only a few African few experts in tourism and climate change on the continent – has a keen interest in tourism and aviation in the context of climate change and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He is described as a passionate researcher with his studies covered by the media both in South Africa and internationally.

Holder of a doctorate in Environmental Management from Unisa, he was recently featured on a prime morning TV show in the United States, Good Morning America, where he was described as one of the world’s leading tourism geographers in the tourism and climate change field in Africa.

Among his research work is a study on the impact of climate change on the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Zambia after incorrect reports that the spectacular natural feature which attracts tourists from all over the globe was drying up!

A prolific author, he has been quoted as saying: “Climate change impact is a space that is grossly under-researched in the region and Victoria Falls was a starting point. We have since expanded the scope of research to examine South African national parks, the Okavango Delta, Cape Town and coastal tourism.

“Universities are at the centre of driving innovation – we need to infuse content on climate change in our curriculums in line with Agenda 2020 on SDGs so we can produce students who can articulate and deal with challenges created by climate change,” said Dube

He has been interviewed extensively on TV and radio in South Africa and globally. He is a PhD and Masters examiner and has addressed a wide variety of prestigious conferences often as a keynote speaker.

Counting the Cost of Covid-19 on the Global Tourism Industry starts with a narrative relating the virus to the global development agendas and proceeds with a focus on global tourism value chains and linkages between Covid-19 and SDGs. The book examines the coronavirus’s impact on various sectors and industries including aviation, airports, cruise ships, car rentals, hotels, restaurants, sport, pilgrimage and religious tourism, gaming and entertainment, and the stock market.

It is published by Springer.