His areas of teaching and research interests include social and environmental justice, human rights, community-based tourism, responsible tourism, sustainable tourism, tourism and zoology, tourism and species conservation, human and wildlife trafficking, hotel strategic management, destination marketing and national identity, sustainable tourism, heritage tourism, destination management, social sciences research, leadership, strategic management and organizational behaviour.

Simon Pawson is Associate Dean, Hospitality, Torrens University Australia. Simon has worked seventeen years in the tourism and hospitality industry and fifteen years teaching and researching in universities in Australia. He asked in his PhD thesis what might be learnt regarding tourism development, communities and particularly community-based tourism as one viable means of sustainable rural development in Cambodia. Simon is interested in environmental and social justice, and how sustainable outcomes of tourism can positively contribute to the protection of endangered species, minority communities and associated cultural heritage