News and Events

BU graduate wins Best Thesis award

8 December 2009

BU masters graduate Christy Hehir in Antarctica

An outstanding BU masters graduate has won a leading European tourism science award for Best International Thesis.

BU masters graduate Christy Hehir, has won the ‘ITB Science Award’ of the German Tourism Science Association (DGT), for her research on Antarctica.

The European-wide annual award honours outstanding research by young graduates and researchers in the area of leisure and tourism.

Christy, who recently graduated from BU with a distinction for her Masters in Tourism Management and Planning, will collect her award at the official ceremony in Berlin, March 2010, where she will also present her thesis ‘The Future of Antarctica: Is tourism an ally or an enemy?’

The thesis explains the trend of how people are moving away from traditional ‘sun, sea, sand’ holidays to travel experiences, leading to fragile environments like the Polar Regions becoming increasingly popular as tourist destinations.

Christy undertook research with those who had visited the continent to compare their environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviours with those who had never visited the region, and conducted a follow-up study 18 months on.

The research found that participants’ attitudes towards the need to protect the continent grew considerably 18 months after the trip. Environmental attitudes had improved as more participants increased their use of public transport, yet there was a general decline in the number of participants regularly involved with an action or conservation group.

The thesis also highlighted how visiting Antarctica increased participants’ knowledge of the region and that visits to the continent can increase advocacy, care and support for the region.

Christy recently attended the Royal Geographical Society’s 'Responsible Travel... In Antarctica' conference, acting as the UK representative for 'Students on Ice' – the company who she traveled with to Antarctica to carry out her dissertation research.

A copy of her dissertation has now been requested by the Royal Geographical Society, Scott Polar Research Institute and the British Antarctic Survey for their libraries.

Commenting on her award success Christy said: “I am so excited about Berlin and will embrace this opportuinity to present my findings at the awards ceremony. I am totally honoured to have achieved this and for BU.”