![Associate Professor Karen Hughes](/sites/default/files/profiles/1528.png)
Overview
Background
Associate Professor Karen Hughes lectures at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the areas of sustainable tourism and visitor management. Her research interests include interpretation and environmental education, wildlife tourism, heritage tourism, visitor behaviour and sustainable tourism. She is particularly interested in exploring how interpretation can be used across a range of contexts to attract, engage and inspire visitors.
Karen’s PhD studies focused on designing and evaluating the impact of support materials on families’ adoption of environmental behaviours following a visit to Mon Repos turtle rookery. She has also explored public responses to environmental campaigns, public perceptions of replica sites as conservation tools, and the potential use of technology in connecting with new visitor audiences. Her most recent work involves designing and evaluating the impact of values-based interpretation on visitors’ long-term environmental behaviour. Karen has supervised four PhD students, three Masters students and two honours students to completion in the areas of interpretation, experience design and environmental behaviour change. Associate Professor Hughes has also been a lecturer and researcher at James Cook University, Charles Darwin University and Queensland University of Technology.
Availability
- Associate Professor Karen Hughes is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor (Honours) of Arts, James Cook University
- Masters (Coursework), James Cook University
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
Research interests
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Interpretation, Environmental Education and Ecotourism
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Conservation learning in zoos and wildlife tourism settings
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Pedagogies and partnerships in Outdoor and Environmental Education Centres
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Raising community awareness of safe cycling and pedestrian practices
Works
Search Professor Karen Hughes’s works on UQ eSpace
2022
Journal Article
Differences between zoo/aquarium staff and visitors’ values, beliefs, and pro-environmental behaviors: consequences for environmental communication
Packer, Jan, Ballantyne, Roy, Hughes, Karen, Sneddon, Joanne and Lee, Julie (2022). Differences between zoo/aquarium staff and visitors’ values, beliefs, and pro-environmental behaviors: consequences for environmental communication. Visitor Studies, 25 (1), 85-103. doi: 10.1080/10645578.2022.2032927
2021
Journal Article
Facilitating zoo/aquarium visitors' adoption of environmentally sustainable behaviour: developing a values-based interpretation matrix
Ballantyne, Roy, Hughes, Karen, Lee, Julie, Packer, Jan and Sneddon, Joanne (2021). Facilitating zoo/aquarium visitors' adoption of environmentally sustainable behaviour: developing a values-based interpretation matrix. Tourism Management, 84 104243. doi: 10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104243
2021
Journal Article
The effectiveness of virtual vs real-life marine tourism experiences in encouraging conservation behaviour
Hofman, Karen, Hughes, Karen and Walters, Gabby (2021). The effectiveness of virtual vs real-life marine tourism experiences in encouraging conservation behaviour. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 30 (4), 1-25. doi: 10.1080/09669582.2021.1884690
2021
Journal Article
Using values-based focus groups to evaluate visitors’ perceptions and interpretation of a wildlife exhibit
Sneddon, J. N., Hughes, K. and Ballantyne, R. (2021). Using values-based focus groups to evaluate visitors’ perceptions and interpretation of a wildlife exhibit. Visitor Studies, 24 (1), 1-42. doi: 10.1080/10645578.2020.1852809
2021
Conference Publication
Thinking outside the [escape] box Using game-based learning to test and reinforce students’ learning
Hughes, Karen, Macionis, Niki and Ye, Isabella (2021). Thinking outside the [escape] box Using game-based learning to test and reinforce students’ learning. CAUTHE2021, Virtual, 9-12 Feb 2021. Australia: Council for Australasian Tourism and Hospitality Education.
2021
Conference Publication
Interpreting landscapes and landscape interpretation Insights from Chinese visitors’ encounters with Uluru
Ye, Isabella Qing, Hughes, Karen, Walters, Gabby and Mkono, Mucha (2021). Interpreting landscapes and landscape interpretation Insights from Chinese visitors’ encounters with Uluru. CAUTHE2021, Virtual, 9-12 Feb 2021. Australia: Council for Australasian Tourism and Hospitality Education.
2021
Journal Article
Are you for real?! Tourists' reactions to four replica cave sites in Europe
Hughes, Karen, Mkono, Mucha, Myers, David and Echentille, Stella (2021). Are you for real?! Tourists' reactions to four replica cave sites in Europe. Tourism Management Perspectives, 37 100780, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.tmp.2020.100780
2020
Journal Article
Indigenous tourism in Panama: segmenting international visitors
Chercoles, Rosario, Ruhanen, Lisa, Axelsen, Megan and Hughes, Karen (2020). Indigenous tourism in Panama: segmenting international visitors. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 16 (2), 1-13. doi: 10.1080/1743873X.2020.1782923
2020
Journal Article
Effective conservation behaviours for protecting marine environments: the views of the experts
Hofman, Karen, Hughes, Karen and Walters, Gabrielle (2020). Effective conservation behaviours for protecting marine environments: the views of the experts. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 28 (10), 1460-1478. doi: 10.1080/09669582.2020.1741597
2020
Journal Article
Eco-guilt and eco-shame in tourism consumption contexts: understanding the triggers and responses
Mkono, Mucha and Hughes, Karen (2020). Eco-guilt and eco-shame in tourism consumption contexts: understanding the triggers and responses. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 28 (8), 1223-1244. doi: 10.1080/09669582.2020.1730388
2020
Journal Article
Hero or villain? Responses to Greta Thunberg’s activism and the implications for travel and tourism
Mkono, Mucha, Hughes, Karen and Echentille, Stella (2020). Hero or villain? Responses to Greta Thunberg’s activism and the implications for travel and tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 28 (12), 1-18. doi: 10.1080/09669582.2020.1789157
2020
Journal Article
Up close and personal: using high engagement techniques to study Chinese visitors' landscape perceptions
Ye, Isabella Qing, Hughes, Karen, Walters, Gabby and Mkono, Mucha (2020). Up close and personal: using high engagement techniques to study Chinese visitors' landscape perceptions. Tourism Management Perspectives, 33 100629, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.tmp.2019.100629
2019
Journal Article
ICT and the future of tourist management
Hughes, Karen and Moscardo, Gianna (2019). ICT and the future of tourist management. Journal of Tourism Futures, 5 (3) JTF-12-2018-0072, 228-240. doi: 10.1108/JTF-12-2018-0072
2019
Journal Article
For me or not for me? Exploring young adults’ museum representations
Hughes, Karen and Moscardo, Gianna (2019). For me or not for me? Exploring young adults’ museum representations. Leisure Sciences, 41 (6), 516-534. doi: 10.1080/01490400.2018.1550455
2019
Journal Article
Exploring Arab and Western visitors’ interpretive experiences at an Omani heritage site: does one size fit all?
Almuhrzi, Hamed, Hughes, Karen and Ballantyne, Roy (2019). Exploring Arab and Western visitors’ interpretive experiences at an Omani heritage site: does one size fit all?. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 15 (2), 1-20. doi: 10.1080/1743873X.2019.1632319
2019
Book Chapter
Shopping on the edge: identifying factors contributing to tourist retail development in heritage villages
Moscardo, Gianna, Murphy, Laurie, Hughes, Karen and Benckendorff, Pierre (2019). Shopping on the edge: identifying factors contributing to tourist retail development in heritage villages. The future past of tourism: historical perspectives and future evolutions. (pp. 188-200) Bristol, United Kingdom: Channel View Publications.
2018
Journal Article
The role of place attachment and festival attachment in influencing attendees’ environmentally responsible behaviours at music festivals
Alonso-Vazquez, Marisol, Packer, Jan, Fairley, Sheranne and Hughes, Karen (2018). The role of place attachment and festival attachment in influencing attendees’ environmentally responsible behaviours at music festivals. Tourism Recreation Research, 44 (1), 1-12. doi: 10.1080/02508281.2018.1545393
2018
Journal Article
Visitors' values and environmental learning outcomes at wildlife attractions: implications for interpretive practice
Ballantyne, Roy, Hughes, Karen, Lee, Julie, Packer, Jan and Sneddon, Joanne (2018). Visitors' values and environmental learning outcomes at wildlife attractions: implications for interpretive practice. Tourism Management, 64, 190-201. doi: 10.1016/j.tourman.2017.07.015
2018
Journal Article
Post-visit reinforcement of zoo conservation messages: the design and testing of an action resource website
Ballantyne, Roy, Packer, Jan, Hughes, Karen and Gill, Chelsea (2018). Post-visit reinforcement of zoo conservation messages: the design and testing of an action resource website. Visitor Studies, 21 (1), 98-120. doi: 10.1080/10645578.2018.1503871
2018
Journal Article
Protecting the Great Barrier Reef: analysing the impact of a conservation documentary and post-viewing strategies on long-term conservation behaviour
Hofman, Karen and Hughes, Karen (2018). Protecting the Great Barrier Reef: analysing the impact of a conservation documentary and post-viewing strategies on long-term conservation behaviour. Environmental Education Research, 24 (4), 521-536. doi: 10.1080/13504622.2017.1303820
Funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Karen Hughes is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
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Master Philosophy
From the brink of extinction: Exploring the role of replicas in managing the negative impacts of tourism at fragile heritage sites
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Mucha Mkono
Completed supervision
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Essays exploring methods of increasing individuals uptake of conservation behaviour to help protect the Great Barrier Reef
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Gabby Walters
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding Chinese tourists' landscape perceptions and meaning making at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Mucha Mkono, Associate Professor Gabby Walters
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Fake it to Make it: Exploring Instagram Users' Engagement with Virtual Influencers in Tourism
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Thomas Magor, Professor Pierre Benckendorff
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
The influence of cultural values on the environmental attitudes and behaviours of Chinese outbound tourists
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Pierre Benckendorff
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Factors that influence engagement in on-site environmentally responsible behaviours at music festivals
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Jan Packer, Associate Professor Sheranne Fairley
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Exploring Interpretive Experiences at an Omani Heritage Site: Insider-Outsider Visitor Perspectives
Associate Advisor
Media
Enquiries
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