Dr Mark Hampton, Kent Business School Reader in Tourism Management, visited Indonesia in March to represent KBS and the University of Kent at British Council education fairs.
Dr Hampton visited the capital Jakarta, the second city of Surabaya, and the historic university city of Yogyakarta. As well as visiting education fairs, Dr Hampton also delivered a guest lecture on his research on coastal tourism and inclusive growth to staff and postgraduate students at Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta.
Indonesia has been called the ‘sleeping giant’ – it is the fourth largest country in the world by population and is predicted to be in the world’s largest seven economies by 2030.
Dr Hampton who has researched and written on tourism in Indonesia for many years said: “This trip was excellent. I was impressed by the quality of young Indonesians interested in studying at the University of Kent and hope that we can be part of the country’s story by helping train and inspire the next generation to help their rapidly changing economy.”
Dr Hampton has research interests in tourism in developing countries, especially concerning its socio-economic impacts in islands and coastal areas. He has worked on backpackers and small-scale tourism; scuba dive tourism, island tourism, cross-border tourism, and urban enclaves.
Dr Hampton’s trip strengthens Kent Business School‘s international relations, and aims to inspire many Indonesian students to study at the University of Kent.
Read more about Dr Mark Hampton.