Gareth's research interests include sustainable tourism, the social impacts of tourism on communities, heritage tourism management and human mobilities. He is currently Co-Editor in Chief of the Journal of Heritage Tourism, and has produced almost 50 research outputs on themes including the impacts of tourism development on communities, and tourist mobilities. His work has been cited in policy documentation for the World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), as well as in several government tourism development strategies around the world.

Gareth recently worked on the Federally-funded Passport to Recovery project on Kangaroo Island that built citizen science projects to support 2019-20 bushfire recovery, a project that was selected as a Finalist for the Australian Museum’s 2024 Eureka Prize for Innovation in Citizen Science.

Beyond Australia, Gareth presently holds the title of Senior Research Affiliate at the University of Johannesburg and continues to work on funded research projects in rural South Africa and Lesotho. 

Sustainable tourism development, community engagement, tourism mobilities, heritage tourism, socio-cultural impacts of tourism, independent travel, national parks.

Straiton, P. (2022). Assessing the Economic and Sociocultural Value of Maritime Cultural Heritage Sites: An Interdisciplinary Pilot Study [Doctoral dissertation, Flinders University].

Tikhonova, D. (2020). The Place of Challenge and Post-Travel Culture Involvement in Small Group Tourism [Doctoral dissertation, Flinders University].

• Visitor Motivations and Expectations at Naracoorte Caves National Park (1)

Straiton, P. (2022). Recipient of the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Doctoral Thesis Excellence [Flinders University].