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We are pleased to announce Dr. Geoffrey Wall as the winner of the 2011 Canadian Association of Geographers’ Award for Scholarly Distinction in Geography. As of January 1st of this year, Dr. Wall retired as Professor of Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Waterloo, after a long and distinguished career.
Geoff Wall’s research interests and contributions are in the field of tourism; more specifically he explores the implications of tourism of different types for destination areas with different characteristics. He has also published in other areas of geographical inquiry—from natural hazards and climate change to rural landscapes of Canada and the United Kingdom.
Dr. Wall has published several books. His 1982 book entitled, Tourism: Economic, Physical and Social Impacts, co-authored with Alister Mathieson, quickly emerged as a leading text in the field; and has been cited over 1200 times on Google Scholar. More recently, Geoff has co-authored another leading text, entitled Tourism: Change, Impacts and Opportunities. Other theme-based monographs deal with marketing tourism destinations, community and economic impacts of tourism, and tourism and sustainable development.
Dr. Wall has also published numerous scholarly articles—more than 150 journal articles and more than 100 book chapters. Many of these publications have been co-authored with his students, and indeed his record on graduate supervision is remarkable. Incredibly, he has supervised 97 graduate students to completion, and he continues to be an active advisor in the Waterloo-Laurier Joint Graduate Program in Geography.
In addition, he has acted as a consultant for such agencies as the Asia Development Bank, the Canadian International Development Agency, the International Joint Commission, the U.S. Office of Technology Assessment, Environment Canada, the Department of Canadian Heritage, various Ontario Ministries, and other such organizations as the Ontario Science Centre and the Association of Canadian Orchestras.
He has directed multi-year projects on coastal zone management in Hainan, China, and on eco-planning and environmental management strategies for coastal cities in China. He has participated in tourism planning initiatives throughout China, earning him the affectionate nickname, “The Great Wall of China”.
Dr. Wall was awarded the Roy Wolfe and Rooney Awards of the Association of American Geographers in 1991 and 2000, respectively, for his contributions to the understanding of tourism and recreation. He is an Honorary Professor of Nanjing University and Dalian University of Technology and was given a Friendship Award by the Province of Hainan, China. He is also a founding member and past President of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism.
Geoff Wall’s research publications are highly cited, and his work is acknowledged worldwide. Given his many achievements over the course of 37 years, Dr. Wall is a most worthy recipient of the Canadian Association of Geographers’ highest recognition of scholarship.
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