Yu-Fai Leung

Yu-Fai Leung received his bachelor and master’s degrees in geography from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and his PhD in forestry from Virginia Tech (USA). He is a Professor and Director of Graduate Programs in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University (USA). Yu-Fai’s program of research aims to advance the science and practice of sustainable visitor (recreation and tourism) management in parks and protected areas globally, with a special focus on recreation ecology and visitor use/impact monitoring. He also applies geospatial technology and monitoring as public education/engagement and capacity building tools. He is active in research, education and training programs in the Americas and East Asia. He joined the 2019-2020 Ecuadorian Expedition Team to the Antarctic Peninsula to study tourist effects on penguin behaviour and visitor compliance of wildlife viewing guidelines. Yu-Fai is a member of the IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas and its Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist (TAPAS) Group. He served as the Editor-in-Chief for the Tourism and Visitor Management in Protected Areas: Guidelines for Sustainability (IUCN Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Series, No. 27; 2018).

• Research projects / interests:
  • Tourism management in Antarctica
  • Visitor impact monitoring and assessment
  • Compliance with tourism guidelines and regulations
  • Evaluation of management effectiveness

Keywords: Antarctic tourism; visitor management; management frameworks; indicators; monitoring; recreation ecology