BU Research Blog

I have recently returned from a BU Fusion Fund sponsored visit to Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) where I attended a series of meetings with tourism, events and transportation science academics working within the Transportation Engineering Program (PET) at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). The purpose of the visit was to enhance existing and establish new contacts with Brazilian researchers whose interests rest within the remits of sustainable urban development, tourism and mega-events.

As part of my visit, I delivered a series of guest lectures to the student and broader academic / research communities at UFRJ. The student lectures focussed on the topic of environmental management as applied in the tourism and hospitality context and featured a number of seminal studies developed by colleagues from the Faculty of Management at Bournemouth University. The academic / research community orientated lecture presented the outcome of my recent research project on the carbon footprint of the World Football Cup 2014 in Brazil. Given the geographical proximity of the topic and its relevance to the issue of urban transportation and sustainable tourism development in Rio de Janeiro, the lecture was well perceived by the audience which had found reflection in the substantial number of questions posed and comments made. Due to the identified mutual research interest in improving sustainability of the Olympic Games 2016, Brazilian colleagues took me on an exclusive study trip which provided access to the primary venues of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, including the legendary Maracanã Stadium.

The key outcome of my visit is enhanced collaborative opportunities with Brazilian academics who I am now writing a joint research paper with on the environmental implications of the Olympic Games 2016. It is envisaged that the established contacts will be maintained and harnessed via joint applications for research funding and student exchange projects.

For more information about this project, please contact Dr Viachaslau Filimonau