Christof Pforr

Professor Christof Pforr is a leading academic in tourism studies at Curtin University’s School of Management and Marketing (Faculty of Business and Law). He holds a PhD in Political Science (Charles Darwin University) and a Staatsexamen in Political Science/Geography (University of Tübingen). His research focuses on sustainable tourism policy, destination governance, medical/wellness tourism, and special interest tourism, with over 200 publications and significant editorial roles.

Education: PhD (Political Science) from Northern Territory University (now Charles Darwin University), Australia; Staatsexamen (Political Science & Geography) from University of Tübingen, Germany.

Research Interests:
- Sustainability and policy networks in tourism
- Destination governance (network management)
- Special interest tourism (wellness, medical, geotourism)
- Policy analysis and wicked problems in tourism.

Recent Trends in Publications: Focus on evidence-based policymaking, Airbnb’s socio-economic impacts, UNESCO heritage challenges, and Indigenous tourism development. His work bridges policy, governance, and sustainability across Australia, Germany, and Asia.

Awards:
- 2017 AIEST Best Contribution Award (shared)
- 2015 School of Marketing Researcher of the Year
- 2004 German Association for Australian Studies Dissertation Award.

Advising & Grants:
- Registered Supervisor (Level A) at Curtin.
- Over $2.5M AUD in external/internal grants (e.g., Fitzroy Valley tourism potential, Airbnb impact studies, Asia-Pacific tourism observatories).
- Advisory roles include Tourism Think Tank WA, Australian Consortium for Indonesian Studies, and Western Australia’s Department of Parks and Wildlife.

Labs/Teams: Active in Curtin’s Tourism Research Network, leading projects on resilience, health tourism, and policy networks. Collaborates internationally via visiting professorships (e.g., Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt).