Pau is a reader in tourism at the University of Sunderland. He obtained his PhD in Human Geography from the University of Durham in 2004. He also holds a degree in Sociology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. His research interests lie at the intersection of cultural geography and Tourism. The principal concern of his research is an interest in tourism theory. He has also work on the nature of embodiment in tourism, on island and coastal tourism and on cultural industries and its intersection with tourism. Pau has published extensively, including one book, several book chapters and journal papers. He has presented papers at international conferences and has been invited as key note speaker at a number of academic events both in the UK and abroad. He is a member of several professmore...
Pau is a reader in tourism at the University of Sunderland. He obtained his PhD in Human Geography from the University of Durham in 2004. He also holds a degree in Sociology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. His research interests lie at the intersection of cultural geography and Tourism. The principal concern of his research is an interest in tourism theory. He has also work on the nature of embodiment in tourism, on island and coastal tourism and on cultural industries and its intersection with tourism. Pau has published extensively, including one book, several book chapters and journal papers. He has presented papers at international conferences and has been invited as key note speaker at a number of academic events both in the UK and abroad. He is a member of several professional bodies and reviews for a number of high impact journals. He is a cluster leader for tourism and REF UoA26 leader.
His engagement with tourism draws on post-disciplinary concerns about its centrality both within contemporary societies and the Social sciences, along with an awareness of the growing relevance of tourism in transnational time.
The principal concern of his research is an interest in tourism theory. His highest impact contribution in this area is the development of Heidegger’s notion of dwelling into tourist studies. He has also developed theoretical constructs that are sensible to the familiar character of tourism in an attempt to re-socialise tourism theory.
Another important concern running through his work is the nature of embodiment in tourism studies, focussing in particular on haptic articulations of the sensible. His work on the beach is widely credited to be one of the first to explore the sensibilities of touch in tourism.
A third area of interest is in island and coastal tourism. His work in this area, which spans from emotional geographies of the beach to tourism policy, focuses on mass tourism and its impact on Mediterranean Modernities.
His fourth and most recent area of interest is in the cultural industries and the intersection of these with tourism. He has been recently involved in various artistic projects that explore the creative and transformative qualities of travel and tourism.
