Liz Sharples

Liz Sharples is a Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Portsmouth, Faculty of Business & Law, within the School of Organisations, Systems and People. She serves as the Senior Learning Designer, supporting academic and service teams in redesigning courses and modules through active blended learning approaches. She is also affiliated with the Centre of Excellence in Defence, Risk & Resilience.

Her research centers on the tourism experience, particularly pre-consumption behaviors and internal communications during crises in the cruise sector. Drawing from her professional background in airlines, tour operators, and cruise companies—including British Airways, Thomson, and P&O—her work bridges industry practice and academic inquiry.

• Tourism Experience
• Cruise Industry Communications
• Pre-consumption Behavior
• Blended Learning Design
• Crisis Management in Tourism
• Construal Level Theory Applications

Her recent publications explore crisis communication strategies during the pandemic, workforce resilience in the cruise industry, and innovative learning design. Using theoretical frameworks such as Construal Level Theory and Regulatory Focus Theory, her research contributes to both academic and practitioner knowledge in tourism and education.

Notable awards include her status as a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute. She has contributed to public discourse through articles in The Conversation and media appearances on topics such as pre-holiday stress and the monarchy as a tourist attraction.

Liz has supervised numerous undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations and previously held leadership roles in degree apprenticeship programs, including Course Leader and Lead Apprenticeship Coach. She actively engages in peer review for The Independent and The Conversation and has participated in academic conferences and editorial activities.

She is involved in the Centre of Excellence in Defence, Risk & Resilience, contributing expertise in risk communication and organizational resilience, particularly in tourism contexts. Her current work emphasizes sustainable and resilient practices in both education and the tourism industry.