Prof. Dr Martin Balas has been the newly appointed Professor of Sustainable Destination Management at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE) since 1 January 2025. He joins the team at the Faculty of Sustainable Tourism Management.

The focus of Prof. Dr Martin Balas' work is teaching on the Master's study programme Sustainable Tourism Management with a focus on Sustainable Destination Management.

He is also involved in teaching Sustainable Economics and Management and Biosphere Reserves Management. His goal is to dovetail the teaching concept of the degree programme more closely with other degree programmes and to make the course more international and application-oriented by involving practice partners.

He will expand his research activities and combine third-party funded projects with specific academic publications. Martin Balas would also like to become involved in the planned nationwide doctoral programme.

Sustainable destination management has many overlaps with other specialist areas such as Biosphere Reserves Management, Sustainable Corporate Management, Sustainable Economics & Management and Sustainable Regional Development. The focus on the sustainable development of destination management is particularly important: the management and implementation of sustainability processes in tourism areas with the participation of different stakeholder groups is becoming increasingly important and is fundamental to tourism sustainability processes.

Commenting on his appointment at HNEE, Martin Balas says: "I am delighted to be able to work in the team at HNEE as a place of focussed teaching, strong applied research and a place of inspiration for a consistent focus on sustainability."

After completing his Bachelor's degree and gaining professional experience at the German National Tourist Board, he went on to complete a Master of Arts at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development. He then gained valuable practical experience as an entrepreneur of his own tourism business in Berlin and as a consultant for tourist destinations. As the founder of the sustainability consultancy reCET create.empower.transform, he has already implemented various national and international sustainability projects.
However, scientific work did not let him go: Martin Balas researched for years at the Centre for Sustainable Tourism (ZENAT) and as an academic employee at HNEE on the topics of sustainability measurements in tourism, operational sustainability management, certifications, regional economic effects in large protected areas and climate protection in tourism. Among other things, he was involved in the development of a new approach to measuring the sustainability impacts of national tourism. This project, funded by the Federal Environment Agency, was recognised by the World Tourism Organisation as a key pioneering project.
He completed his doctorate with the title Dr rer. pol. at the Biosphere Reserves Institute and Leuphana University.
Balas has already gained a wealth of experience in committees and organisations such as the World Tourism Organisation, the OECD, the European sustainability network Ecotrans and the certification organisation TourCert. He founded and headed the Excellence Initiative Sustainable Destinations, a network of the most sustainable tourism destinations in Germany, which he continues to support.

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