Stijn Reijnders

Stijn Reijnders is Full Professor of Cultural Heritage, in Particular in Relation to Tourism and Popular Culture, at the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication, Erasmus University Rotterdam. He is also Vice-Dean of Research at ESHCC and plays a key role in academic leadership and public engagement.

His research lies at the intersection of media, culture, and tourism. Major areas of interest include film tourism, fan cultures, transnational identity, and the role of imagination in shaping cultural heritage experiences. He leads two major international projects: Worlds of Imagination (ERC-funded) and Locating Imagination (NWO-funded), both exploring how media representations influence place attachment and tourism behavior.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend in interdisciplinary research, combining cultural studies, human geography, and tourism studies. Themes include Bollywood tourism among diasporic communities, media’s role in Scottish heritage preservation, and theoretical frameworks for understanding imagined places. His work often employs qualitative methods such as in-depth interviews and discourse analysis.

• NeSCoR dissertation award for Holland op de Helling (2006)

Reijnders has supervised numerous research projects and PhD students, and he co-founded the Master’s programme Tourism, Culture & Society. He is actively involved in academic service, including editorial roles and leadership in professional associations like NEFCA. He also contributes to public discourse through media appearances on topics such as film tourism and cultural identity.

He is a core member of the ERMeCHS research cluster, particularly within the HI - Heritage & Identity theme, and collaborates internationally across Europe and Asia. His work is highly cited in the fields of tourism and media studies, reflecting his influence in shaping contemporary understandings of media-induced travel and cultural belonging.