International Centre for Ecotourism Research
The International Centre for Ecotourism Research provides a focus for ecotourism research at Griffith University and worldwide. ICER is headquartered at the University's Gold Coast campus, in Queensland, Australia. The Gold Coast is one of the principal tourist destinations in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Centre was opened on 8 August 1993 by the Honourable Michael Lee, former Commonwealth Minister for Tourism.
From 1994 to 1997 ICER played a major role in the establishment of the Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism, and from 1998 to 2002, much of ICER's research was integrated with CRCST.
Since 2003, ICER has been a Strategic Research Centre of Griffith University and no longer involved with CRCST. During 2008, ICER leads new Griffith University strategic research investment in sustainable tourism.
ICER's interests are indeed international and cover the environmental impacts and management of tourism, the management of visitors and resources in protected areas, the contribution of ecotourism to conservation and a range of related issues, including climate change and triple-bottom-line accounting.
In addition to academic journal articles and project reports, ICER is producing a series of books on various aspects of ecotourism. Ten have been published from 2001-2008, and two more are due for completion over the next three years.