Sheela Agarwal

Dr Sheela Agarwal - ()

Job title: Associate Professor (Reader) in Tourism Management, School of Tourism and Hospitality (Plymouth Business School (Faculty))
Address: Room 338, Cookworthy Building, Drake Circus,
Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA
Telephone: +441752585602
Email: S.Agarwal@plymouth.ac.uk

Role

Currently, I lecture at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in a wide range of subjects including 'Sustainble Tourism and 'Tourism Environments and Behaviour' and 'Disaster and Crisis Management in Tourism and Hospitality'. In addition, I am Programme Manager for the MSc Tourism and Hospitality Management. This role involves activities such as the provision of academic and pastoral guidance, the over-seeing admissions particularly of non-standard applications, marketing, the monitoring of academic standards and programme development.

Qualifications & background

Completed a Ph.D at the School of Geography, Exeter University, UK in 1995 and before arriving at Plymouth University in 2000, I worked for the Centre for Tourism, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield as a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in Tourism Management.

Professional membership

Former Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society / Institute of British Geographers

Former Co-opted Executive Member of the Association of Tourism in Higher Education (2003-2007)

Member of the Association of Tourism in Higher Education

Roles on external bodies
Former Trustee of Victim Support Devon

Teaching interests
Specialise in the teaching of tourism and the environment, tourist behaviour, sustainable tourism, tourism planning and disaster and crisis management in tourism and hospitality

Staff serving as external examiners
External Examiner for the BA Tourism Degree, Trinity College Carmarthen, Carmarthen

External Examiner for Tourism and Hospitality Undergraduate degress, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds

External Examiner for several PhD's

Research interests

I am interested in the ways in which space and place may be theorised. Beginning from primarily an economic foci, particularly around the effect, influence and consequences of processes of structural change on nations, regions and local areas, this line of research is expanding to explore other areas of geographic interest, notably the nature of tourism consumption and production, the changing role of the state, local governance, social exclusion, collaboration, collective action and other issues associated with the planning and sustainability of tourism.

UoP Research group membership

Law and Criminal Justice Centre (LCJC)
Marine Institute
Service & Enterprise Research Centre (SERC)

Other research

Research degrees awarded to supervised students

Ph.D completions: (5 in total)

Murphy-Underhill, C. (2005) The influence of nationality on interpretations of Ireland's destination imagery. PhD, Thesis, Plymouth Business School, Plymouth University, UK.

Gutic, J. (2003) Stakeholder identification and assessment in a Venezuelan National Park. Ph.D Thesis, School of Leisure and Food Management, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK.

Yuksel, F. (2003) Centre-local relations and tourism planning in Belek, Turkey. Ph.D Thesis, School of Leisure and Food Management, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK.

Medeiros de Araujo, L. (2002) Stakeholder assessment and collaborative tourism planning. The Costa Dourada Project, Brazil. Ph.D Thesis, School of Leisure and Food Management, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK.

Yuksel, A. (2000) Food service experience and tourist satisfaction: implications for destination management. Ph.D Thesis, School of Leisure and Food Management, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK.

Grants & contracts

Global-local interactions in English seaside resorts (British Academy, 2003-2004, £3237)

Differential Economic Performance in Rural Areas (DEFRA, 2003-2004 £c. 80,000)

MARKETOWNS: the role of small towns in rural development (European Commission 2001-2004, 1.2 million Euros)

The South Yorkshire Tourism Business Development Project (European Union, Objective 2, 1998-1999).

Creative practice & artistic projects

Publications
Agarwal, S. and Shaw, G. (in progress) Heritage, Screen and Literary Tourism. Clevedon, Channel View.

Lee, B. and Agarwal, S. (in progress) Understanding travel needs among segments of people with disabilities: implications for the development of Accessible Tourism Information Schemes.

Lee, B. Agarwal, S. and Kim, H J. (2011) Influence of travel constraints on people with disabilities intention to travel: an application of Seligman's helplessness theory. Tourism Management.(doi: 10.1016/j.tourman.2011.06.011).

Agarwal, S. (2011) Relational Spatiality and Resort Restructuring. Annals of Tourism Research. (doi: 10.1016)

Shaw, G. and Agarwal, S. (2011) Disability, representation and access to tourism. In S. McCabe, L. Minnaert and A. Diekmann (Eds.) Social Tourism in Europe. Theory and Practice. Channel View Publications, Bristol, pp. 145-162 (IBSN-13: 978-1-84541-233-3).

Shaw, G. and Agarwal, S. (2012) Changing geographies of coastal resorts: development processes and tourism spaces. In J. Wilson (Ed.) Routledge Handbook of Tourism Geographies. New Perspectives on Space, Place and Tourism. Routledge: London (978-0-415-56857-9).

Agarwal, S. and Rahman, S. and Errington, A. (2009) Measuring the determinants of relative economic performance of rural areas. Journal of Rural Studies, 25(3), 309-321. (DOI:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2009.02.003)

Agarwal, S. (2007) Local authority perceptions of global-local interactions in English coastal resorts. In S. Agarwal and G. Shaw (eds) Managing Coastal Resorts: a Global Perspective (pp. ). Clevedon, Channel View Publications.

Shaw, G. and Agarwal, S. (2007) Developing and managing coastal resorts: a global perspective. In S. Agarwal and G. Shaw (eds), ‘Managing Coastal Resorts: A Global Perspective’, (pp. ). Channel View, Clevedon.

Agarwal, S. and Shaw, G. (2007) Agarwal, S. (2007) Engineering coastal resorts in Latin America: management implications. In S. Agarwal and G. Shaw (eds) Managing Coastal Resorts: A Global Perspective. (pp. ). Clevedon: Channel View.

Agarwal, S. and Shaw, G. (2007) Conclusion: future implications for the development and management of coastal resorts. In S. Agarwal and G. Shaw (eds) Managing Coastal Resorts: A Global Perspective. (pp. 270-283). Clevedon: Channel View.

Agarwal, S. and Brunt, P. (2006)"Social exclusion and crime in English seaside resorts: implications for resort restructuring". Tourism Culture and Communication 6(1), 19-36.

Agarwal, S. and Brunt P. (2006) "Social exclusion in English coastal resorts". Tourism Management 27(4), 654-670.

Agarwal, S. (2006) "Coastal Resort Restructuring and the TALC Model". In R.W. Butler (ed.) The Tourist Area Life Cycle. Conceptual and Theoretical Issues. Clevedon, Channel View Publications. pp. 201-218.

Agarwal, S. (2005) "Global-local interactions in English coastal resorts". Tourism Geographies 7(4), 351-372.

Agarwal, S. (2002) "Restructuring seaside tourism. The resort life-cycle". Annals of Tourism Research 29(1):25-55.

Shaw, G., Agarwal, S. and Bull, P. (2000) "Tourism consumption and tourist behaviour: a British perspective". Tourism Geographies 2(3): 264-298.

Williams, A.M., Agarwal, S., Ball, R., and Shaw, G. "The geography of production: a review". Tourism Geographies 2(3):241-263.

Agarwal, S. (1999) "Restructuring and local economic development: Implcations for seaside resort regeneration in Southwest Britain". Tourism Management 20(4): 511-522.

Agarwal, S. (1998) "What is new with the resort cycle? Reply to Opperman". Tourism Management 19(2):181-182.

Agarwal S. (1997) "The resort cycle and seaside tourism: an assessment of its applicability and validity". Tourism Management 18(2): 65-73.

Agarwal, S. (1997)The public sector: planning for renewal. In G. Shaw and A.M. Williams (eds.), The Rise and Fall of British Coastal Tourism, pp.117-158. Cassell, London.

Agarwal, S. (1994) The resort cycle revisited: implications for resorts. In C.P. Cooper and A. Lockwood(eds)., Progress in Tourism, Recreation and Hospitality Management, Vol.5:194-207.

Reports & invited lectures

Courtney, P., Agarwal, S., Moseley, M. and Rahman, S. (2004) The Determinants of Relative Economic Performance in Rural Areas. Draft Final Report commissioned by DEFRA. University of Plymouth, Plymouth.

Ford, S., McGeorge, A., Agarwal, S. and Errington, A. (2003) The Role of Small and Medium Sized Towns in Rural Development: A National Report. Plymouth University.

Ford, S., McGeorge, A., Agarwal, S. and Errington, A. (2003) The Role of Small and Medium Sized Towns in Rural Development: Study Area Report for Towcester. Plymouth University.

Ford, S., McGeorge, A., Agarwal, S. and Errington, A. (2003) The Role of Small and Medium Sized Towns in Rural Development: Study Area Report for Leominster. Plymouth University.

Ford, S., McGeorge, A,. Agarwal, S. and Errington, A. (2003) The Role of Small and Medium Sized Towns in Rural Development: Study Area Report for Burnham-on-Sea. Plymouth University.

Ford, S., McGeorge, A., Agarwal, S. and Errington, A. (2003) The Role of Small and Medium Sized Towns in Rural Development: Study Area Report for Saffron-Waldon. Plymouth University

Ford, S., McGeorge, A., Agarwal, S. and Errington, A. (2003) The Role of Small and Medium Sized Towns in Rural Development: Study Area Report for Tiverton. Plymouth University.

Ford, S., McGeorge, A., Agarwal, S. and Errington, A. (2003) The Role of Small and Medium Sized Towns in Rural Development: Study Area Report for Swanage. Plymouth University.

Errington, A., Agarwal, S., Courtney, P. and Moseley, M. (2003) The Determinants of Relative Economic Performance in Rural areas. Progress Report 2. Plymouth University.

Agarwal, S. Andrews, D., Bramwell, B., and Broom, G. (1999)South Yorkshire Tourism Business Development Project: The Final Report. Sheffield Hallam University.

Conferences organised
Co-organised with South West Tourism, NECSTouR Sustainable Tourism Conference, 17th-19th June 2009, University of Plymouth, Plymouth.

Additional information

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