Dr Eben Proos
| NRF RATING | Y |
| DESIGNATION / POSITION* | Senior Lecturer |
| QUALIFICATIONS |
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| PORTFOLIO | Dr Eben Proos is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Tourism & Event Management Department at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT). After he matriculated, Eben obtained a B-Tech Tourism Management degree, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education, an M Tech Master’s degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management, followed by his Doctor of Management Sciences in Business Administration (DBA) in 2019. Eben is a Certified South African Specialist, Tour Guide, and completed short courses including SA Host, the South African Wine Course, and the Beer Ambassador Certificate. He received the CUT Faculty of Management Sciences’ Early Career Teaching Award, Early Career Researcher Award, and the Staff Excellence Award for Innovation. Further, he also received the CUT Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Award for Early Career Teaching in 2019. In 2024, Eben was selected as one of the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans in the Tourism & Hospitality category. He is currently a member of the National Heritage Council, the War Museum Council, and previously the Chairperson of the Friends of the War Museum. He has published numerous articles in academic journals, newspapers, books, and magazines. Eben is currently a NRF Y Rated Researcher. |
| AREAS OF EXPERTISE | Dr Eben Proos focuses his research on niche tourism, heritage tourism, dark tourism, tourism development, events, marketing, management, and tourism routes. |
| PUBLICATIONS | • Eben Proos, Sekoele Ramajoe, Desere Kokt. 2025. Human Resource Management Practices as a Predictor of Employee Turnover Intentions in the Hospitality Industry: Mediating Role of Psychological Capital. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 23(0), a3178 • Eben Proos. 2025. Sports Tourism: Breaking the Tackle at Rugby Stadiums. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 14 (2): 250-258. • Eben Proos. 2025. Astro-Tourism: A search for the unknown in Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa. Development Southern Africa, 42 (1): 93-106. • Eben Proos, Bianca de Klerk. 2024. Small Town Tourism and Marketing: Is a Destination Marketing Organisation the Answer? African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 13(3): 655-663. • Eben Proos. 2022. Profile and Motivations of Artisanal Beverage Tourists to the Free State Province, South Africa. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 11(4): 1595-1608. • Eben Proos, Johan Hattingh. 2022. Tourism and Churches: Profiling, Behaviour and Motivations of "Church Chasers" in South Africa. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 11(SE1):511-524. • Eben Proos, Johan Hattingh. 2020. Dark tourism: Growth potential of niche tourism in the Free State Province, South Africa. Development Southern Africa, 39(3): 303-320. • Eben Proos, Johan Hattingh. 2019. Advancing heritage tourism in the central Karoo: The South African War Battlefields Route. Development Southern Africa, 37(4): 678-693. • Eben Proos, Rene Haarhoff. 2018. The fat lady has sung for the Gariep Arts Festival, Kimberley, South Africa - what now? African Journal of Business and Economic Research, 13(3): 205-223. • Eben Proos, Desere Kokt, Johan Hattingh. 2017. Marketing and Management Effectiveness of Free State Section of Maloti Drakensberg Route. SA Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation, 39(1): 135-147. |
| BOOK(S) OR CHAPTER(S) IN BOOK(S) | • Eben Proos, Johan Hattingh. 2024. "Battlefield Tourism as an Agent of Tourism Development", Akbulut, O., Ekin, Y., Güler, M.E. and Saribaş, Ö. (Ed.) Battlefield Tourism (Tourism Security-Safety and Post Conflict Destinations), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 157-172. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83909-990-820241012 • Proos, E., Saayman, A., Dube-Xaba, Z., Slabbert, E., Tseane-Gumbi, L. & Matiza, T. 2023. Chapter 6.2 Hospitality and Tourism. South Africa Covid-19 Country Report [Second Edition]. DPME (Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation), GTAC (Government Technical Advisory Centre) & NRF (National Research Foundation), Pretoria. 2025. • Eben Proos, Johan Hattingh. 2022. Apartheid Dark Tourism. Encyclopedia of Tourism Management and Marketing. Edward Elgar Publishing. • Eben Proos, Johan Hattingh. 2022. Dark Tourism: South African War. Encyclopedia of Tourism Management and Marketing. Edward Elgar Publishing. |
| PRESENTED CONFERENCES, SEMINARS, WORKSHOPS | Presentations at National Conferences • 2025: Friends of the War Museum events in Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa: What does the future look like for heritage organisation? The 36th Southern Africa Institute for Management Scientists (SAIMS) Conference 2025 (Sun City, South Africa) • 2025: Heritage Tourism and “Church Chasers” in South Africa. South African Society for Cultural History Congress (Philippolis, South Africa) • 2023: Marketing and Management Effectiveness of small-town tourism in the Free State Province, South Africa. The 34th Southern African Institute of Management Sciences (SAIMS) Conference 2023 (Centurion, South Africa) • 2022: Heritage Tourism Attractions in Bloemfontein and Their Importance. Engaging the World Through the African Perspective (EWTAP) Conference (Bloemfontein, South Africa) • 2019: Dark Tourism: Unlocking the niche tourism potential of the Free State Province. 31st Southern African Institute of Management Sciences (SAIMS) Conference 2019 (Port Elizabeth, South Africa) • 2018: A theoretical Perspective towards Route Tourism Development. 30th Southern African Institute of Management Sciences (SAIMS) Conference 2018 (Stellenbosch, South Africa) • 2017: The South African War: Battlefield Route Development in the central Karoo. 29th Southern African Institute of Management Scientists (SAIMS) Conference 2017 (Bloemfontein, South Africa) Presentations at International Conferences • 2024: Utilising the social development theory of Vygotsky as a framework for route tourism development. Social Sciences International Research Conference (SSIRC) 2024 (Mauritius) • 2022: Tourism as an instrument of preserving the heritage of women and children during the South African War (1899 – 1902). The Unsung Heroines and Youth of South Africa Violent Histories and Experiences of South African Women and Children during Wars, Conflicts and Pandemics International Hybrid Conference (Bloemfontein, South Africa) • 2021: Religious Tourism and entrepreneurial opportunities in South Africa. 3rd Virtual International Conference on Entrepreneurship Development 2021 (Bloemfontein, South Africa) • 2019: Proposed Battlefields Route for the central Karoo. 120-year Commemoration of the Anglo-Boer (South African) War International Conference (Bloemfontein, South Africa) • 2017: The Maloti Drakensberg Route: An overview of the facilities and services provided by the entrepreneurs on the route. 1st International Conference on Entrepreneurship Development 2017 (Bloemfontein, South Africa) |
| EXTERNAL PROFILES | LinkedIn ResearchGate Google Scholar ORCID |
Contact Us
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Dr Eben Proos
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Tel: +27(0) 51 507 4038
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eproos@cut.ac.za