Indigenous Heritage

Michelle Whitford is Associate Professor and Dean (Learning and Student Outcomes) in the Office of the Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor at Griffith University. Her research expertise is in the field of policy, planning, sustainable development and management of Indigenous tourism and events. Whitford's expertise includes co-coordinating projects in the area of Indigenous tourism and events with a focus on supply and demand, capacity development, entrepreneurship, authenticity and commodification and management. She has co-coordinated research projects for various organisations including the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Studies, Indigenous Business Australia, National Environmental Science Program and numerous Australian Federal State and Local Government agencies.

Lisa Ruhanen is Professor in Tourism and the Director of Education for the UQ Business School, The University of Queensland. She has undertaken more than 30 academic and consultancy research projects in Australia and overseas in the areas of Indigenous tourism, sustainable tourism and policy, planning and governance. Lisa has more than 100 academic publications and in 2017 she and colleagues co-edited a book on Indigenous Tourism: Cases from Australia and New Zealand. Lisa teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in sustainable and responsible tourism, ethics and tourism in developing countries. She has worked closely with the United Nations World Tourism Organization over the last decade and is currently an Advisory Board member and auditor for the UNWTO's TedQual accreditation program.