Ms Cristina-Alexandra Trifan
I'm a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Candidate and Visiting Lecturer at the University of Westminster, United Kingdom. My Ph.D. is investigating the role and meaning of volunteer tourism for the happiness and wellbeing of local communities in Fiji. Drawing on a decolonising methodology and using the culturally embedded indigenous Fijian Vanua Research Framework, my study uses a participatory, collaborative approach in which research assistants actively participate in the investigation.
Before my Ph.D., I graduated with a Master of Arts in Tourism Management from the University of Westminster and a Bachelor's Degree in International Hospitality Management from the University College of Northern Denmark. My research interests intersect with tourism, cultural anthropology, development studies, happiness studies and Small Island Developing States. More recently, I’ve been interested in the nexus between the wine industry and hospitality management.