University of Central Lancashire Ecotourism and PhD graduate, Asaf Leshem, has worked his way across the globe to become a tour guide in Berlin.
At a young age, growing up in northern Israel, Asaf helped his travel agent parents with their work and has continued to be employed in tourism as an adult, firstly in Poland and then in Beijing.
Asaf then moved to New Zealand, where he studied at a hotel management school. He chose ecotourism from the curriculum as his third-year module and decided that he wanted to learn more about this area. After one year at the college, Asaf transferred to University of Central Lancashire to study an ecotourism-focussed course.
Following graduation in 2006, Asaf conducted some consultation research in Ethiopia before moving in 2007 to Berlin, where his grandfather was originally from. In 2010, he went on to complete a master’s course in Integrated Natural Resource Management at Humboldt University, Berlin, and was successful in gaining a role as a tour guide in the city.
Talking about his decision to be a tour guide, Asaf said: “My love for travelling, researching and telling stories made it natural for me to start working as a guide."
"I was always fortunate to have respectful and encouraging lecturers and supervisors. The teaching quality is high and that makes me always motivated to improve myself. "
— Asaf Leshem, BSc Ecotourism and PhD graduate
In 2021, Asaf graduated again from UCLan with a PhD, which he gained from our Institute for Dark Tourism Research where he studied how tour guides interpret the dark chapters of Berlin's history. In February 2021, Asaf was awarded his PhD and he celebrated at his PhD graduation in September 2021.
Alongside the usual tours he conducts, Asaf has started his own one-person guiding service called Cycling Berlin Brandenburg, where he conducts guided cycling tours around Berlin and the federal state of Brandenburg. Together with a friend, who is also a University of Central Lancashire graduate, Asaf has been working on developing a cycling tour of the Berlin Wall trail that will enable people to cycle the path where the Berlin Wall once stood, spanning a length of approximately 160km (100 miles).
In addition to his tour guide work, Asaf also works as a Social Scientist at a company based in Potsdam called Social Science Works. As part of this role, Asaf and his colleagues create partnerships with local tourism attractions and museums and go on educational tours to ensure they’re up to speed with all that is happening in Berlin’s tourist industry.
Reflecting on his time studying at University of Central Lancashire, Asaf stated: “There was always something inspiring about my fellow students and my teachers. They made me love ecology and evolution so much. Both my supervisors inspired me with the subject matter of ecotourism and taught me to be inquisitive and analytical. The atmosphere was always one of creativity and original research.”