Rate My Professor Tekle Shanka

Dr. Tekle Shanka is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Management and Marketing within the Faculty of Business and Law at Curtin University. He holds a PhD from Curtin University's School of Marketing, along with a Master of Business (MBus), Postgraduate Diploma in Business (PGradDip(Bus)), and Bachelor of Arts (BA). Shanka teaches Tourism Marketing courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and supervises higher degree by research (HDR) students. His career at Curtin University spans from earlier roles as a Lecturer in the School of Marketing at Curtin University of Technology to his current senior lecturing position. He is actively involved in the Tourism Research Cluster as an executive member and has co-chaired conference streams, such as for the Advances in Hospitality & Tourism Marketing and Management conference.

Shanka's research interests include tourism marketing, tourism motivations, events and festival tourism, destination image, memorable tourism experiences, destination loyalty, community participation in nature-based tourism, generational changes in tourism segments like European river cruises, socio-demographic influences on tourism, and tourism in developing countries such as Ethiopia. His publications appear in journals like Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, Journal of Vacation Marketing, and Tourism Geographies. Key works include 'Factors Influencing International Students' Choice of an Education Destination—A Correspondence Analysis' (2005, with V. Quintal and R. Taylor), 'Community Participation and Quality of Life in Nature-Based Tourism: Exploring the Antecedents and Moderators' (2020, with M.B. Ali), 'Implications of Generational Change: European River Cruises and the Emerging Gen X Market' (2019, with D. Cooper, C. Pforr et al.), 'Tourism Destination Attributes: What the Non-visitors Say' (2008), and 'The Perception of Ethiopia as a Tourist Destination: An Australian Perspective' (1999, with F.A. Frost). His Google Scholar profile records over 2,700 citations. Shanka received a 2015 Highly Commended Paper Award. He has contributed to understanding international student travel preferences, destination perceptions, and emerging tourism markets.