David Simmons

Professor Emeritus David Simmons worked at Lincoln University for 40 years until he retired as Professor of Tourism in 2020. At Lincoln, David established New Zealand’s first undergraduate degree in tourism management, and he was instrumental in evolving the national park ranger training programme working alongside the late Pat Devlin.

In 2020 he was awarded the prestigious Sir Jack Newman Award which recognises an ‘outstanding industry leader who has completed outstanding service to the tourism industry, including a substantial degree of personal involvement over and above what is normally expected’.

David continues to work in international tourism development consultancy. He is Chair of the EarthCheck Research Institute, Fellow of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism, and CAUTHE Adjunct Professor, Griffith University, Australia.