Russell Staiff holds a doctorate in art history from the University of Melbourne and is an adjunct fellow in the cultural heritage and tourism program within the School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University and an adjunct professorial fellow in the architectural heritage and tourism program in the Faculty of Architecture, Silpakorn University, Bangkok. His research interests are two-fold: (1) the various intersections between cultural heritage, communities and tourism with a particular emphasis on Southeast Asia and (2) heritage as a socio-cultural phenomenon. He has recently co-edited a volume on Heritage and Tourism for Routledge (with Robyn Bushell and Steve Watson) and his monograph, Re-Imagining Heritage Interpretation: Enchanting the Past/Future, was published by Ashgate in early 2014. Also in 2014, and published by Ashgate, came two co-edited volumes Travel and Imagination and Travel and Transformation.  Another co-edited volume Travel and Representation: Past, Present, Future is in press with Berghan Books.