Rate My Professor Susan Mackenzie

Associate Professor Susan Houge Mackenzie joined the Department of Tourism in the Otago Business School at the University of Otago in 2017. She earned her PhD in Sport Psychology and Adventure Recreation/Tourism from the University of Otago in 2009 and a B.A. in Psychology from Pomona College in 2002, graduating summa cum laude. Her prior academic appointments include Assistant Professor in the Experience Industry Management Department at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo from 2013 to 2017, Assistant Professor in the Movement Sciences Department at the University of Idaho from 2011 to 2013, and Lecturer in Adventure Tourism Management at Queenstown Resort College from 2007 to 2011. Mackenzie brings extensive practical experience from roles such as senior guide and assessor for Serious Fun Riversurfing in New Zealand from 2002 to 2011, risk management consultant for Galakiwi Adventures in the Galapagos Islands in 2010, trip leader for Aventur Tourismo in Pucon, Chile from 2010 to 2011, and consultant for organizations including New Zealand riverboarding, the United States Forest Service, New Zealand Ministry of Tourism, and the History Channel.

Mackenzie's research integrates psychology and tourism by developing and applying positive psychology theories, including flow, self-determination theory, and reversal theory, to adventure tourism, sport, recreation, and education. Her interests encompass links between nature-based adventure and well-being for tourists, recreationalists, tourism guides, and host communities; regenerative tourism in Aotearoa New Zealand, particularly community well-being; and translational research for the tourism industry using mixed methods. Notable publications include 'Multiple Motives for Participating in Adventure Sports' (Kerr & Mackenzie, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 2012, 339 citations), 'Stress and Emotions at Work: An Adventure Tourism Guide's Experiences' (Mackenzie & Kerr, Tourism Management, 2013, 242 citations), 'Adventure Recreation and Subjective Well-Being: A Conceptual Framework' (Houge Mackenzie & Hodge, Leisure Studies, 2020, 215 citations), 'Fostering Community Wellbeing via Regenerative Destination Planning: An Aotearoa New Zealand Case Study' (McKeeman, Houge Mackenzie, & Lovelock, Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 2026), and book chapters such as 'Psychological Well-Being and Adventure Tourism: Implications for People and Places' (Houge Mackenzie, Routledge International Handbook of Adventure Tourism, 2025). She serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership and on advisory boards for Tourism Central Otago, the Adventure Tourism Research Association, and the Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning. Awards include the University of Otago Postgraduate Publishing Bursary (2009) and the Duffus Lubecki Award for Applied Sciences (2006-2009).