Griffith University Launches PhD Scholarship to Tackle Tourism’s Sustainability Challenges

Griffith Business School and the globally renowned sustainability leader EarthCheck have joined forces to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing the tourism industry today with a new co-funded PhD scholarship. This collaboration will see the Griffith Institute for Tourism (GIFT) working closely with EarthCheck to deliver innovative research aimed at developing sustainable solutions for tourism hot-spots.

This longstanding partnership underscores the value of academia and industry working together to create impactful research. By teaming up with EarthCheck, the world’s leading scientific benchmarking and advisory group for sustainable travel, GIFT reinforces its commitment to driving sustainability and resilience in tourism.

As part of the partnership, a new co-funded PhD scholarship, worth AUD$42,192 per year offers aspiring researchers the chance to bridge academic theory with real-world industry practices. PhD candidate Ly Nguyen, the first scholarship recipient, has just begun her research project focused on empowering local communities to manage over-tourism and promote sustainable tourism practices.

Ly’s research, which integrates the sustainability expertise of EarthCheck with Griffith’s forward-thinking research methodologies, aims to develop a practical framework that incorporates local insights into tourism management. The goal is to create sustainable solutions by involving residents in assessing the carrying capacity of their hometowns.

“Being co-funded by EarthCheck and Griffith offers me the benefit of having two strong support systems. On one hand, I receive academic and methodological guidance from Griffith University, and on the other hand, I gain industry insights from EarthCheck, which may not be available to traditional PhD students.”

The collaboration between GIFT and EarthCheck not only strengthens industry-academic ties, but also reinforces the Institute’s commitment to developing sustainable tourism strategies that consider economic, social, and environmental impacts.

Dr Truc Le, one of Ly’s PhD supervisors, has championed the co-funded scholarship with EarthCheck, leveraging her work experience as a research consultant with EarthCheck in 2021-2022