Professional Background

Dr Elicha Jonker joined the Department of Tourism and Event Management at the Central University of Technology, Free State, in 2020. She holds a BCom degree, an Honours degree and a Master's degree in Tourism Management from North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus.

Her passion for travel led her to work in Key West, Florida, USA, in 2009. After returning to South Africa, she served as Project Manager at Networx for Career Development, where she managed a social development initiative of the National Department of Tourism aimed at training and placing unemployed youth within the tourism industry. She continues to contribute to the project as a consultant.

From 2014 to 2020, Dr Jonker served as a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at North-West University, Mafikeng Campus. She completed her PhD in Tourism Management in 2019, with her doctoral research focusing on tourism and the creative industries.

Areas of Expertise

• • Creative Tourism
• • Tourism and the Creative Industries
• • Cultural and Creative Assets in Tourism
• • Sustainable Economic Development through Tourism
• • Community-Benefit Tourism Development