Meet the team: Western Norway University of Applied Sciences

🌟 Meet the TourEdu Team from Western Norway University of Applied Sciences

Say hello to Ove Oklevik, Grzegorz Kwiatkowski, Helene Maristuen & John Olav Brekke!

🔹 Ove Oklevik – Professor of Marketing & Tourism and Project Coordinator of TourEdu. Ove’s research focuses on brand management, tourist behaviour, and event management. He has published extensively in leading journals such as Annals of Tourism Research and Journal of Sustainable Tourism, and brings long-standing experience in managing externally funded research projects.
🔹 Grzegorz Kwiatkowski – Associate Professor with a PhD in Business Administration. His research explores the regional impacts of tourism and events, food-related business ecosystems, and innovation. Grzegorz has published in journals including Journal of Rural Studies, Current Issues in Tourism, and Event Management.
🔹 Helene Maristuen – Associate Professor in Tourism and Head of the Bachelor Programme in Tourism, Marketing and Management. With strong professional experience from the tourism industry, Helene has led curriculum development, lifelong learning initiatives, international exchange programmes and Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs). Her research and teaching focus on events, sustainable destination development, entrepreneurship, and special interest tourism.
🔹 John Olav Brekke – University Lecturer in Tourism and Business. John teaches innovation and services, event management, reputation and strategic communication, and sustainable destination development. He is currently leading a project at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences’ School of Business aimed at strengthening collaboration between industry, municipalities, and education, drawing on extensive experience as a tourism entrepreneur, consultant, manager, and board member.

🏔 Did you know?
Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is one of Norway’s largest higher education institutions, with around 17,500 students across five campuses along the west coast. It has offered tourism education for over 40 years, with strong ties to industry and regional development.

This team coordinates the TourEdu project, ensuring strong academic leadership, effective collaboration across countries, and smooth implementation of all project activities – not a small feat!