Prof. Dr. Natalie Stors

Tourism Management
Destination Development

Professional Experience

Since 10/2024: Professor of Tourism Management (Marketing and Market Research) at Hochschule Harz, Wernigerode, Germany.

Since 03/2024: Lehrauftrag at Hochschule Weihenstephan-Triesdorf for Destinationsmanagement (Master).

04/2024 - 09/2024: Substitute Professor of Tourism Management (Marketing and Market Research) at Hochschule Harz, Wernigerode, Germany.

04/2021 - 03/2024: Head of market analysis at the German National Tourist Board, Frankfurt, Germany.

08/2019 - 03/2021: Postdoctoral researcher at the Chair of Leisure and Tourism Geography at University of Trier, Germany

09/2019 - 10/2019: Project-based work on “Technology Investment and Tourism Growth” led by Associate Professor Rob Hallak at UniSA Business School, University of South Australia, Australia

08/2013 - 07/2019: Doctoral researcher at the Chair of Leisure and Tourism Geography at University of Trier, courses held, among others are Advanced Methods and Techniques in Human Geography: Statistical Methods in Human Geography (Master), Advanced Regional and Location Analysis: Gentrification in Berlin (Master), and Tourism Mobility in Berlin (Master)

05/2017: Planning and organization of the international conference Touristified everyday life – mundane tourism: Current perspectives on urban tourism, Georg Simmel Center for Metropolitan Studies, Berlin, Germany

04/2011 - 07/2014: Lecturer at University of Trier, courses held, among others: Research project: Tourism in the Ahr valley (Bachelor, research project in cooperation with the chamber of commerce, Koblenz) and Introductory seminar: Basics of leisure and tourism geography (Bachelor)

03/2012 - 08/2012: Internship at the tourism strategy consulting agency PROJECT M GmbH in Berlin, Germany

03/2008 - 06/2010: Student assistant at the Chair of Leisure and Tourism Geography at University of Trier, Germany (intermittently)

04/2007 - 10/2010 Student assistant in the department of marketing at Landal GreenParks GmbH in Saarburg, Germany (intermittently)

Education

08/2013 - 07/2019: Dr. phil. (PhD), Geography, University of Trier, Germany
Title of dissertation: Airbnb hosts as actors in new urban tourism: Studies on short-term rental and the construction of tourism space in Berlin

01/2015 - 06/2015: Scholarship at the Georg Simmel Center for Metropolitan Studies at Humboldt-University Berlin, Germany

03/2011 - 08/2013: Master of Arts, Applied Human Geography with focus on Tourism Development and Destination Management, University of Trier, Germany
Title of thesis: Interrelation between Gentrification and Tourism: An Analysis of Copenhagen’s Bridge Quarters

08/2010 - 03/2011: Erasmus Master student at Lund University, Sweden

10/2007 - 08/2010: Bachelor of Science, Applied Geography with a focus on leisure and tourism geography, University of Trier, Germany
Title of thesis: Analysis and Optimization of the complaint management in the company Landal GreenParks to increase customer satisfaction

09/1998 - 03/2007: Abitur, Staatliches Gymnasium Saarburg, Germany

Engagements

Associations

  • Since 2025: Board member (Schatzmeisterin) of the Arbeitskreis Tourismusforschung in der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Geographie e. V. (AKTF)
  • Since 2019: Board member of the Initiative Tourismus Forschung e. V. (ITF)
  • Since 2015: Member of the Arbeitskreis Tourismusforschung in der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Geographie e. V. (AKTF)
  • Since 2015: Co-initiator of the Urban Research Group New Urban Tourism at the Georg Simmel Center for Metropolitan Studies (GSZ), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

University committees

  • Since 2025: Berufungskommission for the W2-Professorship Tourism Management at Hochschule Harz
  • Since 2025: Zulassungskommission for the Master program Tourism Destination Management at Hochschule Harz
  • 2015-2017: Elected representative of Ph.D. students for Faculty VI in the Graduate Center, University of Trier, Germany

Reviews

Reviewer for the following academic journals:

  • Tourism Geographies
  • Zeitschrift für Tourismuswissenschaft - Journal of Tourism Science
  • Raumforschung und Raumordnung - Spatial Research and Planning
  • Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism
  • Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction - CSCW

Grants & Funding

  • 2025: Forschungsförderung — Organisation der DGT-Fachsession “Frauen im Tourismus und in der Tourismusforschung” im Rahmen der DGT-Jahrestagung 2025 in Berlin (Förderrichtlinie zur Stärkung der Gleichstellung, Hochschule Harz)
  • 2025: Forschungsprojekt “Klimafußabdruck des Tourismus im Harz” (Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Energie, Klimaschutz und Umwelt des Landes Sachsen-Anhalt, via FSP-NaRET)
  • 2024: Vortragsförderung — Teilnahme an der ATLAS Annual Conference 2024 in Breda, Niederlande (Förderrichtlinie zur Stärkung der Gleichstellung, Hochschule Harz)
  • 2024: Lehrauftragsförderung (LAP) “rein-in-die-hörsäle” (Landeskonferenz der Frauen- und Gleichstellungsbeauftragten an bayerischen Hochschulen für angewandte Wissenschaften)
  • 2018: Reisekostenstipendium — CSCW 2018 in Jersey City, USA (Mary-Kingsley-Fonds / Forschungsfonds Universität Trier)
  • 2017: Reisekostenstipendium — ATLAS Conference in Viana do Castelo, Portugal (Forschungsfonds Universität Trier)
  • 2017: Drittmittelförderung — Konferenz “Touristified everyday life – mundane tourism: Current perspectives on urban tourism” (KOSMOS Dialog, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
  • 2016: DAAD-Kongress- und Vortragsreiseförderung — AAG in San Francisco, USA
  • 2015: Forschungs-Stipendium — Georg-Simmel-Zentrum für Metropolenforschung, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
  • 2015: Reisekostenstipendium — CATference in Prag, Tschechien (Mary-Kingsley-Fonds, Universität Trier)
  • 2014: Reisekostenstipendium — RGS-IGB Annual International Conference in London, UK (Mary-Kingsley-Fonds, Universität Trier)