Michael Lever is a graduate of the M.Sc. in Management program at the University of Ottawa, with a specialization in consumer behaviour and human geography. His thesis research on cross-border shopping spawned a strong interest in the way we navigate our planet. Specifically, he is interested in understanding the underlying community and subcultural differences among various regions and events, as well as how those differences are projected onto destination image and brands. He would like to elaborate on his interests in consumer communities, ethnic tourism, and international relationships from a marketing perspective. For example, he would love to evaluate the relationship between a country’s residents and the affect that a neighbouring country has on their identity, especially from a technological viewpoint.
The following is a complete list of his areas of interest to date:
- Heritage and wellness tourism
- Brand communities
- Dark tourism
- Amusement park psychology
- Cross-border shopping
- Souvenir and gift-giving behaviour
- Green tourism
- The effect of media on travel destination choices
- Desire to travel
- Changes in consumer behaviours while abroad (e.g., savers becoming spenders, introverts becoming extroverted, etc.)
- Product-country image
- Psychology of crowds in foreign places
The purpose of this blog is to delve deep into these topics using a combination of academic material and current affairs. By understanding how we navigate the world, I ultimately hope to portray the fact that our sense of adventure and discovery is both innate and universal, and speaks to our need to explore.
My promise to you is weekly-updated, relevant, and contemporary ideas relating to travel and tourism around the world. I hope you enjoy what you find, and that it may inspire you to consider a type of trip that you previously didn’t before (or, at the very least, evolves an existing trip into something even better). Enjoy!
Travel and Tourism Research 