Profile

Philip Stone

Senior Lecturer in Tourism, Editor: The Dark Tourism Forum

School of Sport, Tourism and The Outdoors

Greenbank Building, Room 130

+44 (0) 1772 894769

pstone@uclan.ac.uk

Philip is a Senior Lecturer with the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and joined the School of Sport, Tourism and The Outdoors in September 2004.

Prior to his appointment at UCLan, Philip was employed as a Lecturer with Blackpool and The Fylde College, where he delivered Lancaster University degree programmes in tourism and hospitality management. Previously, Philip had been employed as a Management Consultant with the Coverpoint Consultancy Group, now based in Reading. His main task here was to provide strategic and operational business advice and guidance to a diverse range of blue-chip companies and independent operators throughout the UK, Europe, and the Middle East. British clients included Pfizer plc (Kent), Pearson plc (London), Inns of Court (City of London), Safeway (London & UK), Roadchef (UK), International Centre for Life (Newcastle), as well as a range of major property development and retail organisations, including LendLease (UK), Bluewater (Kent), Trafford Centre (Manchester), Liffey Valley (Dublin) and The Mall at Cribbs Causeway (Bristol).

Before engaging as a Management Consultant, Philip spent a number of years working for the Parkdean Holidays Group, with a final position of General Manager. His main task here was to manage holiday park business operations within the Group’s Scottish portfolio at Perth (Erigmore House) and Ayr (Sundrum Castle). Philip also spent a number of years working for Vardon plc, where he was employed as a Project Manager opening up new build catering operations within leisure complexes at Doncaster, Sheffield, Gloucester & London. Philip, a qualified chef, has also undertaken engagements with Swallow Hotels, Bass, Toby Grills, Newcastle Ruby Club and the NHS, either in a management or operational capacity. Philip is also a School Governor for Montgomery High School (A Language College) which is located in Bispham, Lancashire.

Philip’s academic portfolio includes a Higher National Diploma (Newcastle College) and Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Hotel, Catering and Institutional Management (Lancaster University); a Postgraduate Diploma and a Master of Arts degree in Tourism Management (University of Northumbria) – both awarded with Distinction; and a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE - University of Huddersfield). In addition, Philip is near completion of his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree with his thesis entitled ‘Consuming Dark Tourism in Contemporary Society: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis’ (UCLan).

Current Teaching Activities

Philip teaches across a range of tourism, hospitality and event management undergraduate and postgraduate programmes within the School, combining his extensive operational management and consultancy experience with his business and social science education.  Current teaching modules include:

• Dark Tourism: Macabre Attractions & Exhibitions
• Festivals & Events in Society
• Arts, Entertainment & Cultural Events
• Marketing for Hospitality, Tourism & Events

Philip sits on a variety of academic panels and committees within the Faculty of Management. He also is a Visiting Tutor for UCLan Interns who are placed across the UK and Europe, USA, China, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand

Research

Thesis Title
Dark Tourism

Current Research Projects
Philip’s current research interests revolve around the concept of dark tourism, the act of travel and visitation to sites, attractions and exhibitions which has real or recreated death, suffering or the seemingly macabre as a main theme. In particular, Philip is interested in the fundamental interrelationships between tourists and dark tourism sites, attractions and exhibitions with the wider cultural condition of society.

Philip is also founder and Editor of The Dark Tourism Forum, the premier online subject resource facility for dark tourism and a global alliance of dark tourism scholars and industry practitioners (visit http://www.dark-tourism.org.uk/). Other research interests include rural landscape ideology and rural tourism governance, and the role of festivals and events within society. Philip has been Academic Convenor for a number of national and international conferences at UCLan. He is also an Editorial Board Member for the academic journal ‘DIFFUSION’. Philip also acts as a Peer Reviewer for a range of international academic journals

Publications

Sharpley R. & Stone P.R. (eds) (2010) Tourist Experiences: Contemporary Perspectives. London: Routledge.

Stone, P.R. (2010) The Dark Tourist Experience: Mediating Between Life and Death In Sharpley R. & Stone P.R. (eds) (2010) Tourist Experiences: Contemporary Perspectives. London: Routledge.

Sharpley, R. & Stone, P.R. (2010) Introduction: thinking about the tourist experience. In Sharpley R. & Stone P.R. (eds) (2010) Tourist Experiences: Contemporary Perspectives. London: Routledge.

Sharpley R. & Stone, P.R. (eds) (2009) The Darker Side of Travel: The Theory and Practice of Dark Tourism. Aspects of Tourism Series, Bristol: Channel View Publications. 

Stone, P.R. (2009) Making Absent Death Present: Consuming Dark Tourism in Contemporary Society. In Sharpley R. & Stone, P.R. (eds) The Darker Side of Travel: The Theory and Practice of Dark Tourism. Aspects of Tourism Series, Bristol: Channel View Publications. 

Stone, P.R. (2009) Dark Tourism: Morality and New Moral Spaces. In Sharpley R. & Stone, P.R. (eds) The Darker Side of Travel: The Theory and Practice of Dark Tourism. Aspects of Tourism Series, Bristol: Channel View Publications. 

Sharpley, R. & Stone, P.R. (2009) (Re)presenting the Macabre: Interpretation, Kitschification and Authenticity. In Sharpley R. & Stone, P.R. (eds) The Darker Side of Travel: The Theory and Practice of Dark Tourism. Aspects of Tourism Series, Bristol: Channel View Publications. 

Stone, P.R. (2009) ‘It’s a Bloody Guide’: Fun, Fear and a Lighter Side of Dark Tourism at the Dungeon Visitor Attractions, UK. In Sharpley R. & Stone, P.R. (eds) The Darker Side of Travel: The Theory and Practice of Dark Tourism. Aspects of Tourism Series, Bristol: Channel View Publications.

Sharpley, R. & Stone, P.R. (2009) Life, Death and Dark Tourism: Future Research Directions and Concluding Comments. In Sharpley R. & Stone, P.R. (eds) The Darker Side of Travel: The Theory and Practice of Dark Tourism. Aspects of Tourism Series, Bristol: Channel View Publications. 

Stone, P.R. (2009) Review: Prison Tourism: Cultural Memory and Dark Tourism. Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol 15(2): 195-197.

Stone, P.R. (2009) Durkheim, Dark Tourism and Morality: Collective Effervescence and New Moral Spaces. Tourist Experiences – Meanings, Motivations, Behaviours International Conference, University of Central Lancashire, UK, April 1-4.

Stone, P.R. & Sharpley R (2008) Consuming Dark Tourism: a thanatological perspective. Annals of Tourism Research, 35(2): 574-595.

Stone, P.R (2008) Review:  The 25 Best World War II Sites: European Theatre.  The ultimate traveller’s guide to battlefields, monuments and museums.  Tourism Review International.

Stone, P.R (2007) ‘Death, Dying & the Consumption of Dark Tourism: a thanatological perspective’ Invited Paper, Department of Earth Sciences, California University of Pennsylvania, USA, 12th April.

Stone, P.R (2007) Making Absent Death Present: Dark Tourism and Mortality within Contemporary Society. Dark Tourism – Current Themes, Issues & Consequences Conference, University of Central Lancashire, UK, 27th March.

Stone, P.R (2007) ‘Confronting Mortality Moments: Dark Tourism and Death Sequestration in Contemporary Society' LBS Research Symposium, University of Central Lancashire, UK, 21st June.

Stone, P.R. & Sharpley R. (2007) Making Absent Death Present: Death, Dying and Dark Tourism. 8th International Conference on the Social Context of Death, Dying and Disposal.  University of Bath, UK Sept 2007.

Stone, P.R. (2007) Review: KZ – a feature length film documentary by Rex Bloomstein. The Dark Tourism Forum, UCLan (Available: http://www.dark-tourism.org.uk/)

Stone, P.R. (2007) Dark tourism: the ethics of exploiting tragedy. Travel Weekly, April.

Stone, P.R (2007) The Attraction of Death and Disaster: An Insight into Dark Tourism.  Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen.

Stone, P.R. (2006) A Dark Tourism Spectrum: Towards a typology of death and macabre related tourist sites, attractions and exhibitions. Tourism: An Interdisciplinary International Journal 52(2): 145-160.

Stone, P.R (2006) Making Absent Death Present: dark tourism and the sequestration of death in contemporary society. Tourism – The Spiritual Dimension International Conference, University of Lincoln, UK, April 2006.

Stone, P.R (2005) Consuming Dark Tourism - a call for research.
eReview of Tourism Research 3(5): 109-117. http://ertr.tamu.edu/

Stone, P.R (2005) Dark Tourism – an old concept in a new world. Tourism, The Tourism Society, Quarter IV, Issue 125, p.20

Stone, P.R. (2005) Review: Niche Tourism – Contemporary Issues, Trends & Cases. Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol 11(2): 191-192

Stone, P.R. (2005) Review: Dark Tourism - Cashing in on Tragedy? The Dark Tourism Forum, The Tourism Society, London (Available: http://www.dark-tourism.org.uk/)

Stone, P.R (2004) ‘Consuming Dark Tourism: a facet of post-modernity?’ PhD Conference, University of Northumbria, UK.

External Activities

Philip acts as a Media Consultant on the subject of dark tourism to various press and broadcast institutions across the world. Clients include:

• BBC (UK)
• The New York Times (USA)
• Travel Weekly (UK)
• Independent on Sunday (UK)
• The Guardian (UK)
• Barna-Alpher Film Productions Inc (Canada)
• Endemol Productions (Netherlands / UK)
• The Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (Germany)
• Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (Austria).
• The New Scientist (UK)
• Blackpool Gazette (UK)
• Rex Entertainment Productions (UK)
• … and a host of independent / freelance print media from the UK, France, USA, Denmark, and Brazil

Additionally, Philip has acted as an External Examiner at various UK universities.