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Dr. Ian Yeoman – Futurist

Ian is probably the world’s only professional futurologist dedicated to specializing in travel and tourism. Ian learned his trade as the scenario planner for VisitScotland, where he established the process of futures thinking within the organisation using a variety of techniques including economic modelling, trends analysis and scenario construction. Today he is a leading academic researcher at Victoria University of Wellington, where he is science leader on a project commissioned by the New Zealand Ministry of Economic Development to examine and position the future of tourism in the country along a timeline to 2050. As a Visiting Professor at Stenden University’s European Tourism Futures Institute he is a team member of a €7m futures research programme examining tourism in the Friesland province of the Netherlands.

Ian has published extensively within the field of tourism futures, with articles published in leading academic journals such as Futures, Tourism Management, Journal of Travel Research and Journal of Vacation Marketing on a variety of topics from climate change, artificial intelligence and consumer trends – all within the context of travel and tourism. He is a popular keynote speaker at conferences such as ITB, Travel and Tourism Research Association, UNWTO Logic, New Zealand Commerce Commission and Failte Ireland on topics including sleep, digital behaviour, technology, future timelines, food tourism and consumers.

Ian has a PhD in Management Science from Edinburgh Napier University, BSc (Hons) in Catering Systems from Sheffield Hallam University and presently completing a postgraduate teaching certificate. Previously, Ian was Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Hospitality Management at Edinburgh Napier University and University College, Birmingham. He has extensive experience within the hospitality industry, for which he was a hotel manager with Trusthouse Forte.

Ian has received a number of awards in recognition of his research including his appointment as an Honorary Professor of Tourism Management at Stirling University, Visiting Research Fellow at Sheffield Hallam University, Charles Forte Foundation Scholarship and the Mike Simpson Award from the Operational Research Society.

Ian is the founding editor of the Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Globalisation Studies and Research in Hospitality Management. Ian is also a member of a number of industry expert panels including Techcast and UNWTO.

He is the author/editor of 12 books including Demography, Revenue Management, Family Tourism and Festivals & Events Management. Forthcoming books include The Future of Events and Festivals, The Future of Food Tourism and the Future of European Tourism. Within New Zealand, Ian serves as a committee member on the Futures Trust and is Vice Chair of the Millennium Project.