Philip L. Pearce is the Foundation Professor of Tourism and a Distinguished Professor at James Cook University, Australia. He has written and edited 18 tourism books and has around 300 publications. His long-standing interests are studies in tourist behaviour and experience. He is well known for his work on travel motivation, and approaches to tourists' experience as well as special topics including humour stemming from positive psychology. He works with his PhD students and international colleagues using a variety of methods and approaches. Most studies are done in settings in Asia, Australia and Europe.