Andries de Beer

My qualifications and work experience, both in the industry and academia, equip me for versatile positions. With regards to the industry, my aptitude for working with people and their stories (or histories) along with my academic capabilities which includes but are not limited to formulating informed hypothesis; systematically collecting and reviewing both primary and secondary data; presenting findings in a palatable way, both for the private sector and academia.

People and places, along with the stories behind them, have compelled me to follow a career of exploring. First as a tourist guide and later as an academic. Despite the geographical shift in my occupation, the questions remained the same. Where, what, why, and how? Besides, the practical experience gained from the tourism and event industry, my path in academia has also emphasized my thirst for understanding. 

My BTech in Adventure Tourism (Tshwane University of Technology) 2007 focused on place(s), (Adventure and Eco-Tourism Potential in Groenkloof Nature Reserve). My Masters (WITS), focused on the people (Employment Conditions in the South African Tourism Industry: An Analysis of Tourist Guides) and finally, my Ph.D. (UNISA) focused on both, people and places: a three-legged story pot, a marketing model for small-town tourism destinations development).