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  • Dr Greg Willson

    Dr Greg Willson

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Dr Gregory Willson

Senior Lecturer

Staff Member Details
Telephone: +61 8 6304 2558
Email: g.willson@ecu.edu.au
Campus: Joondalup  
Room: JO2.232  
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9300-6361

Dr Greg Willson is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Business and Law.

Key Research Areas

  • Spirituality and travel
  • Life-threatening illness/terminal illness and travel
  • Meaningful tourism experiences ( life-changing travel)
  • Travel and peace
  • Heritage tourism

Biography

Greg's work has explored the ways in which travel helps people find meaning and connection in life, as well as its role in facilitating healing or personal growth after experiencing a life-defining moment (such as a serious illness).

Specialising in qualitative research, he has also explored: the potentiality of tourism as an avenue to achieve peace, Maori cultural issues, sustainable tourism development in the South Pacific and India and the personal meaning individuals imbue onto heritage.

ECU Research Themes

Theme two: Society and Culture; Diverse, equitable, informed and productive communities, schools and workplaces

Theme three: Natural and Built Environments; Human-environment interaction

Awards and recognition

2019 - Vice-Chancellor’s Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning

Professional associations
  • Council of Australian Tourism and Hospitality Educators (CAUTHE)

Qualifications

  • PhD Thesis - Exploring Travel and Spirtuallity, New Zealand, 2010.
  • Master of Management Studies - Tourism Management, New Zealand, 2006.
  • Bachelor of Management - Tourism Management, New Zealand, 2005.

Research Outputs

2024

Journal Articles

  • Raisi Varkani, H., Barratt-Pugh, L., Baggio, R., Willson, G., Huang, S., Esfandiar, K. (2024). Developing a weighted model to measure knowledge diffusion in a tourism destination network. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 2024(Article in press), 18 pages. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2024.2335253.
  • Wilk, V., Morgan, A., Willson, G., Sibson, R. (2024). Framing theory insights: The co-existence of frame coupling and frame mirroring in social media and online news about a disaster-affected destination. Tourism Recreation Research, ahead of print(ahead of print), ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2024.2423117.
  • Raisi Varkani, H., Esfandiar, K., Barratt-Pugh, L., Willson, G., Baggio, R. (2024). Towards a model to measure the efficiency of inter-organizational knowledge transfer for tourism destinations. Tourism Management Perspectives, 53(2024), article number 101282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2024.101282.

2023

Journal Articles

  • Willson, G., McIntosh, AJ., Cockburn-Wootten, C. (2023). Tourism And Final Wish Making: The Discourse Of Terminal Illness And Travel. Tourism Recreation Research, 2023(Article in Press), TBD. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2023.2207155.

2022

Book Chapters

  • Willson, G., McIntosh, A. (2022). Volunteer tourism: A spiritual and religious journey of meaning, transcendence, and connectedness. The Routledge Handbook of Religious and Spiritual Tourism (243-253). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429201011-20.

2021

Journal Articles

  • Suhud, U., Allan, M., Willson, G. (2021). The relationship between push-pull motivation, destination image, and stage of visit intention: The case of Belitung Island. International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Systems, 14(1), 9-20. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworkspost2013/9310.
  • Morgan, A., Wilk, V., Sibson, R., Willson, G. (2021). Sport event and destination co-branding: Analysis of social media sentiment in an international, professional sport event crisis. Tourism Management Perspectives, 39(July 2021), Article number 100848. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2021.100848.
  • Willson, G., Wilk, V., Sibson, R., Morgan, A. (2021). Twitter content analysis of the Australian bushfires disaster 2019-2020: futures implication. Journal of Tourism Futures, 7(3), 350-355. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-10-2020-0183.

2020

Journal Articles

  • Raisi Varkani, H., Baggio, R., Barratt-Pugh, L., Willson, G. (2020). A network perspective of knowledge transfer in tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 80(January 2020), Article number: 102817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2019.102817.
  • Suhud, U., Allan, M., Wibowo, S., Sabrina, E., Willson, G. (2020). Measuring customer satisfaction of a café and coffee shop colony at a traditional market. Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 23(2 January 2020), 78-94. https://doi.org/10.1080/15378020.2019.1686897.

2019

Book Chapters

  • Willson, G., McIntosh, A. (2019). Spirituality and tourism. The Routledge International Handbook of Spirituality in Society and the Professions (103-110). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315445489_12.

Journal Articles

  • Suhud, U., Willson, G. (2019). Low-cost green car purchase intention: Measuring the role of brand image on perceived price and quality. International Journal of Economics and Business Administration, 7(3), 238-249. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworkspost2013/7253.

2018

Journal Articles

  • Suhud, U., Willson, G. (2018). The image of India as a Travel Destination and the attitude of viewers towards Indian TV Dramas. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 7(3), 1-13. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworkspost2013/4538.
  • Raisi Varkani, H., Baggio, R., Barratt-Pugh, L., Willson, G. (2018). Hyperlink Network Analysis of a Tourism Destination. Journal of Travel Research, 57(5), 671– 686. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287517708256.
  • Willson, G., McIntosh, A., Morgan, A., Sanders, D. (2018). Terminal illness and tourism: a review of current literature and directions for future research. Tourism Recreation Research, 43(2), 268-272. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2018.1443053.

Conference Publications

  • Suhud, U., Wibowo, S., Khairi, A., Willson, G. (2018). Behavioural Intention of Taxi-Hailing Online App Users. Proceedings of the 31st International Business Information Management Association Conference, IBIMA 2018: Innovation Management and Education Excellence through Vision 2020 (81-90). International Business Information Management Association, IBIMA. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworkspost2013/11291.

2017

Book Chapters

  • Shibish, L., Dowling, R., Willson, G. (2017). Aboriginal tourism in Western Australia: A case study of Yawuru Nagulagun Roebuck Bay Marine Park.. Indigenous Tourism: Cases from Australia and New Zealand (45 - 66). Goodfellow Publishers Ltd.

Conference Publications

  • Suhud, U., Willson, G. (2017). Favourable and unfavourable attitudes of young female residents toward middle eastern male tourists. Advanced Science Letters (422-426). American Scientific Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1166/asl.2017.7204.
  • Suhud, U., Rohyati, ., Willson, G. (2017). Destination Image and Place Attachment on Car Free Day Events Revisit Intention: A Gender Perspective. Proceedings of the 29th International Business Information Management Association Conference - Education Excellence and Innovation Management through Vision 2020: From Regional Development Sustainability to Global Economic Growth (945-957). International Business Information Management Association, IBIMA.

2016

Journal Articles

  • Vermeersch, L., Sanders, D., Willson, G. (2016). Generation Y: Indigenous tourism interests and environmental values. Journal of Ecotourism, 15(2), 184-198. https://doi.org/10.1080/14724049.2016.1165233.
  • Willson, G., Maccarthy, M. (2016). Discontentment with modern life: The case for tourism.. Journal of Tourism Challenges and Trends, 9(1), 31-46.
  • Willson, G. (2016). Conceptualizing spiritual tourism: Cultural considerations and a comparison with religious tourism. Tourism, Culture and Communication, 16(3), 161-168. https://doi.org/10.3727/109830416X14750895902927.
  • Sanders, D., Willson, G., Susomrith, P., Dowling, R. (2016). Fly in to work; fly out to Bali: An exploration of Australian fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) workers leisure travel. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 26(1), 36-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2015.11.002.

Conference Publications

  • Suhud, U., Willson, G. (2016). Giving Over Taking/Receiving in Volunteer Tourism The impact of motivation, attitude, and subjective norm on stage of readiness and its implication on social marketing. Asia Tourism Forum 2016 (ATF-16): The 12th Biennial Conference of Hospitality and Tourism Industry in Asia: A New Approach to Wonderful Tourism (319-325). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/atf-16.2016.43.
  • Maccarthy, M., Willson, G. (2016). Revisiting D-Day and Holt’s Model. Engineering the Visitation Experience. Marketing in a Post-Disciplinary Era (1030-1036). University of Canterbury.
  • Maccarthy, M., O'Neill, M., Willson, G. (2016). Suppressing Suppressors: Australia's Prohibition of Sound Moderation in Firearms.. Marketing in a Post-Disciplinary Era (106-112). University of Canterbury.
  • Suhud, U., Willson, G. (2016). The impact of attitude, subjective norm, and motivation on the intention of young female hosts to marry with a Middle Eastern tourist: A projective technique relating to Halal sex tourism in Indonesia. Heritage, Culture and Society: Research agenda and best practices in the hospitality and tourism industry - Proceedings of the 3rd International Hospitality and Tourism Conference, IHTC 2016 and 2nd International Seminar on Tourism, ISOT 2016 (237-242). CRC Press/Balkema.

2015

Journal Articles

  • Willson, G., Sanders, D., Scott, O. (2015). In the news: an investigation into Australian print media reports on Bali. Journal of Tourism Challenges and Trends, 8(2), 105-122.
  • Maccarthy, M., Willson, G. (2015). The business of D-Day: an exploratory study of consumer behaviour. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 21(7), 698-715. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2014.1001423.

2013

Journal Articles

2011

Journal Articles

  • Panakera, C., Willson, G., Ryan, C., Liu, G. (2011). Considerations for sustainable tourism evelopment in developing countries: Perspectives from the South Pacific. Tourismos: an international multidisciplinary journal of tourism, 6(2), 241-262.
  • Lee, M., Han, H., Willson, G. (2011). The Role of Expected Outcomes in the Formation of Behavioral Intentions in the Green-Hotel Industry. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 28(8), 840-855. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2011.623049.

Research Student Supervision

Current Supervisions

Associate Supervisor

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Migrant residents' pro-destination marketing behaviours towards their residential place: A case study of Chinese migrant residents in Western Australia

Completed Supervisions

Principal Supervisor

  • Master of Business by Research, Stakeholder perceptions of geopark establishment: An exploratory study of Rottnest Island, Western Australia as a potential geopark site
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Inter-organisational transfer of knowledge in tourism

Associate Supervisor

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Examining the effects of sensory visitor experience and expectation confirmation on visitor emotions: The moderating role of mood
  • Doctor of Philosophy, A moment to give, no moment to take: A mixed-methods study on volunteer tourism.
  • Master of Tourism Management by Research, The evolution of joint management in Western Australian parks and the indigenous tourism nexus
  • Master of Business by Research, Residents' perceptions of geotourism in qeshm island unesco global geopark, iran
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