Can-Seng Ooi

A short introduction

I started out dreaming of becoming a novelist but ended up as a sociologist, anthropologist, university professor - and a different kind of writer altogether.

Currently, as a Professor in Cultural and Heritage Tourism, I focus my research on the fascinating intersection of tourism and society. Some of my key interests include the impacts of tourism, tourism policy, tourist experience, and the ever-relevant topics of sustainable and responsible tourism.

Beyond tourism, my work focuses more widely on the creation and maintenance of intangible values in society. This focus spans into art worlds and cultural development, place branding, the creative economy, friendship, faith and cross-cultural interaction. One of my passions is drawing comparative insights between the diverse places that have shaped my journey: Denmark, Singapore, China, Antarctica and most recently, Australia.

Tasmania has been home since late 2016, marking my fourth place of residence. My journey began in Singapore, which I left at 31. I then spent two decades in Copenhagen - apart from a one-year teaching stint in Glasgow at Glasgow Caledonian University after the submission of my PhD thesis. Denmark became home, initially thanks to a generous PhD scholarship from Copenhagen Business School, and then thanks to a position at that university.

Before pursuing my doctoral studies in Scandinavia, I earned my BA, BSocSc (Hons), and MSocSc from the National University of Singapore. After graduation, I was employed at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and then Singapore's Housing and Development Board (HDB). And, during my national service, I spent two and a half years as a soldier - an experience that kick-started my adulthood.

Current Appointments

Professor of Cultural and Heritage Tourism, University of Tasmania

Interim Head of School (from July 2024), School of Social Sciences, Univeristy of Tasmania

Co-Director, Tourism Research and Education Network (TRENd), University of Tasmania

Vice-President (Program, World Congress of Sociology), Research Committee 50 (International Tourism), International Sociological Association

Advisory Board Member, imagine.. Creative Industries Research, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark

Editorial Board Member of various journals, including Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, International Journal of Tourism Cities, Copenahgen Journal of Asian Studies, Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching, Contemporary Chinese Political Economy and Strategic Relations: An International Journal.