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Michael O'Regan

Senior Lecturer in Events and Leisure, Bournemouth University
Michael O'Regan worked alongside the National Tourism Development Authority of Ireland when he joined Gulliver - Ireland's Information and Reservation Service in 1997 after he completed his two-year research Masters at the University of Limerick. He joined Wicklow County Tourism, Ireland as Marketing Executive in 1997 for three years before starting a PhD programme at the School of Sport and Service Management, University of Brighton, UK which he completed in 2011. He spent four years in China, before joining Bournemouth University in 2015 as a Senior Academic.

Michael's research is focused on tourist, urban, historic, future, alternative, lifestyle, slow and cultural mobilities, as well as emergent cultural events. His PhD study, entitled ‘Backpacker Mobilities: The Practice And Performance Of Travellerscapes in a Global World’, supervised by Professor Peter Burns and Dr. Lyn Pemberton, opened up a series of questions about the processes by which distinct forms of tourism emerge, expressing themselves as flows with distinctly mobile patterns of consumption. Among the focus of my research has been the rise and fall of Couchsurfing.com, a tourism business that was an early adopter of the B Corporation certificate, and the role B Corporation status played as it dealt with a schism with its community of users.

Youth hostels face tough times – but they are perfect for authentic, spontaneous experiences

Oct 11, 2023 03:45 am UTC| Business

When the New Zealand branch of the Youth Hostel Association (YHA) collapsed in 2021 and the countrys 11 hostels were forced to close, staff and punters alike were shocked. General manager Simon Cartwright cited the...

B Corp certification won't guarantee companies really care for people, planet and profit

Oct 09, 2019 13:48 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law

Weeks after the collapse of his restaurant group and the loss of 1,000 jobs, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver announced that he was creating an ethical B Corporation or B Corp, a sort of company certification designed to show...

Economy

RBC Capital: European Medtech Firms Show Minimal Middle East and Energy Risk Exposure

European medical technology companies remain largely insulated from Middle East geopolitical tensions and rising energy costs, according to a recent RBC Capital Markets analysis. The investment bank found that sales...

Gold Prices Rebound in Asia Amid Iran War Ceasefire Hopes

Gold prices climbed in Asian trading on Tuesday, recovering slightly after suffering steep losses throughout March. The partial rebound came as investors reacted to reports that U.S. President Donald Trump was weighing an...

Dollar Surges to Monthly High as Middle East Conflict Rattles Global Markets

The U.S. dollar is on track for its strongest monthly performance since July, emerging as the dominant safe-haven asset amid escalating Middle East tensions that have sent oil prices soaring past $100 per barrel and...

Oil Prices Surge to Record Monthly Highs as Middle East War Rattles Global Markets

Global financial markets closed out a turbulent month under heavy pressure as the ongoing Middle East conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran continued to shake investor confidence. Oil prices surged to...

Asian Stocks Mixed in March 2026 Amid Iran War Fears and Tech Selloff

Asian equity markets closed out March 2026 on shaky ground, with most regional indexes posting significant monthly losses as the ongoing U.S.-Israel war on Iran rattled investor confidence and disrupted energy markets. A...

Politics

EU Leaders Visit Kyiv on Fourth Anniversary of Bucha Massacre

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas, alongside multiple EU foreign ministers, made a significant visit to Kyiv on Tuesday to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the Bucha massacre. The...

U.S. Senators Challenge FCC Chair Over Nexstar-Tegna Merger Approval

Two prominent U.S. Senators have raised serious concerns over the Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) recent decision to greenlight a major media merger. Republican Senator Ted Cruz and Democratic Senator Maria...

Trump Weighs Ending Iran Campaign With Strait of Hormuz Still Closed

President Donald Trump is reportedly open to halting U.S. military operations against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Monday. The development marks a...

California's AI Executive Order Pushes Responsible Tech Use in State Contracts

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a landmark executive order Monday, setting new standards for artificial intelligence governance in state contracting. The directive requires companies seeking government contracts to...

Iran Strikes Oil Tanker Near Dubai Amid U.S. Threats and Ongoing Middle East Conflict

Iran launched an attack on a fully loaded crude oil tanker off the coast of Dubai on Monday, setting the Kuwait-flagged vessel Al-Salmi ablaze in one of the most dramatic escalations since the United States and Israel...

Science

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Technology

Cybersecurity Stocks Tumble After Anthropic's Claude Mythos AI Leak Sparks Market Fears

Major cybersecurity stocks took a sharp hit Friday following reports that Anthropic accidentally exposed details about its next-generation AI model before its official launch. CrowdStrike fell 7%, Palo Alto Networks...

Chinese Universities with PLA Ties Found Purchasing Restricted U.S. AI Chips Through Super Micro Servers

Procurement records reveal that four Chinese universities, two of which have direct ties to the Peoples Liberation Army, acquired Super Micro Computer servers loaded with restricted Nvidia AI chips over the past year. The...

Federal Judge Blocks Pentagon's Blacklisting of AI Company Anthropic

A federal judge has temporarily prevented the Pentagon from enforcing its designation of Anthropic as a national security supply-chain risk, dealing an early blow to the Trump administration in a growing dispute over...

SMIC Allegedly Supplies Chipmaking Tools to Iran's Military, U.S. Officials Warn

Chinas top semiconductor manufacturer, SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation), has reportedly been transferring chipmaking equipment to Irans military industrial complex, according to two senior Trump...

Google's TurboQuant Algorithm Sends Memory Chip Stocks Tumbling

Major memory chipmakers took a significant hit on Thursday after Google researchers introduced a groundbreaking compression algorithm that threatens to reduce artificial intelligence demand for memory chips. Samsung...