Assistant Professor
Expertise
Biography
Peter Varga, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the EHL. His research interests center on sustainable sociocultural dynamics of current tourism practices in host societies; cultural intelligence in intercultural service encounters; and symbolism in food and eating habits from a cultural perspective.
He earned a Doctor in Social Sciences, Specialisation in Anthropology of Tourism, from the University of Guadalajara and Master of Arts in Sociology with an emphasis in Economy and Society, from the Central European University and University of Lancaster. He lives in the Geneva area with his wife and his two children.
Awards
Education
Courses Taught
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Article
Sociocultural hurdles of sustainable hospitality management
Sustainability in the hospitality industry has been an area of growing interest among stakeholders in the last decades. However, sustainable projects that are often proposed by foreign/international stakeholders have met various obstacles during...
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Article
Insights from images posted on social media : examining the motivations of volunteer tourists
Extensive research has been conducted on the motivations of volunteer tourists; however, the scope has not included how motivation is expressed through the posting of images on social media. This study examines the relationship between volunteer...
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Article
The symbolic understanding of milk in Swiss gastronomy
In the 21st century, in a context where milk and dairy products are at the centre of many debates, this article wonders how doubts about these products are perceived in a gastronomic context where they are particularly appreciated and used. This...
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Article
Ethical concern for Dumbo : elephant tourism in Thailand
There is a growing interest in the treatment of animals used in the tourism industry, yet the academic literature on the animal welfare consideration exhibited by tourists is limited. This exploratory study seeks to identify if demographic...
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Article
KITRO : technology solutions to reduce food waste in Asia-Pacific hospitality and restaurants
This teaching case addresses sustainable hospitality in Asia-Pacific, specifically practices to reduce food waste. Hospitality and foodservice firms often require a third party to manage the introduction of sustainable practices. KITRO is a Swiss...
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Article
To go or not to go, that is the question : using social influence to reduce hot beverage cup waste
While most consumers today feel concerned by environmental issues, the consumption of hot beverage in disposable cups remains very important. In this study, we use influence strategies related to social norms to reduce these behaviors and get...
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Article
Currently, higher education (HE) institutions include sustainability concepts into their programs. Previous literature examined the opportunities and challenges of integrating sustainability at an institutional, curricular, and instrumental level....
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Article
Welcome to my home : Muslim residents’ perceptions of Western tourists
Religion influences people and their perceptions. This paper examines Muslim hosts' perception of Western mass tourism using the tourist island of Gili Trawangan in Indonesia. The study's primary purpose is to show how the beliefs and practices of...
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Laaksonen, S. and Varga, P. (2024). Assessing the impact of selfie-taking tourists on local tour guides in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone: A netnographic analysis of a dark tourism location. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 19(3), 331-346.
Zizka, L., & Varga, P. (2021). Teaching sustainability in higher education institutions: Assessing hospitality students’ sustainability literacy. Journal of hospitality & tourism education, 33(4), 242-257.
Martin-Rios, C., Zizka, L., Varga, P., & Pasamar, S. (2020). KITRO: Technology solutions to reduce food waste in Asia-Pacific hospitality and restaurants. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 25(10), 1128-1135.
Terrier, L., Varga, P. Scaroni, A., & Zizka, L. (2020). To go or not to go, that is the question: Using social influence to reduce hot beverage cup waste, Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 23(4), 350-357.
Leroy, P., & Varga, P. (2019). The symbolic understanding of milk in Swiss gastronomy. Research in Hospitality Management, 9(1), 25-34.
Worwag, S., Varga, P., & Zizka, L. (2019). Tourists’ Ethical Concern for Dumbo: Elephant Tourism in Thailand. Journal of Travel, Tourism and Recreation, 1(2), 17-27.
Haslebacher, C., Varga, P. & Murphy, H.C. (2019). Insights from images posted on social media: Examining the motivations of volunteer tourists. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 18(2), 259-273.
Varga, P., & Binder, A. (2015). Sociocultural Hurdles of Sustainable Hospitality Management. Asia-Pacific Journal of Innovation in Hospitality and Tourism, 4(1), 77-92.