Ara Pachmayer

Co-Chair / Associate Professor / Recreation Administration

Biography: 

Ara Pachmayer has a PhD in community resources and development and is an associate professor of tourism management at Cal Poly Humboldt.

Areas of Interest: 

Resident attitudes towards tourism, cannabis tourism, cultural competency in study abroad students

Research: 

Her research interests include understanding how visitors experience tourism at a destination and the impacts of tourism development on communities and individuals. Ara has collaborated on a number of projects regarding tourism development in rural areas.  As well, she has experience working in the tourism industry in a variety of capacities.

Teaching: 

In her classes, Ara prepares Humboldt students to enter the tourism and hospitality industry by offering a variety of local hands on projects.  Students explore how communities and tourist destinations can harness the power of tourism to improve quality of life, conserve the natural environment, and promote balanced economic development.

Degrees: 
Ph.D. Community Resources and Development, Arizona State University
M.S. Recreation Management and Tourism
B.A. Political Economy and Policy Studies
Courses Taught: 
REC 100 Leisure in Society
REC 220 Leisure Programming
REC 315 Travel Industry Management
REC 420 Legal and Financial Aspects of Recreation
REC 435 Sustainable Tourism
REC 455 Career and Internship Preparation
REC 485 Senior Seminar
Publications: 
Meisel, J., Corva, D., & Pachmayer, A. (2023). Cannabis, Communities, and Place:(Re) constructing Humboldt’s Post-Prohibition Present. Humboldt Journal of Social Relations, 1(45), 152-168.
Pachmayer, A., Switzer, R., & Reilly, S. (2021). Cannabis Tourism and the Community: Resident Attitudes in Humboldt County, California. IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Humboldt State University, 5(1), 6.
Pachmayer, A., & Andereck, K. (2019). Enlightened Travelers? Cultural Attitudes, Competencies, and Study Abroad. Tourism Culture & Communication, 19(3), 165-182.
Pachmayer, A., Andereck, K.L. & Goodman, R. (2017). Internationalizing the tourism curriculum through study abroad. In International Handbook of Teaching and Learning in Tourism, Benckendorff, P. & Zehrer, A. (Eds).
Pachmayer, A., Zhao, S., & Andereck, K. L. (2015). Theoretical perspectives in the study of community residents and tourism. In Demystifying theories in tourism, Bricker, K. S. & Donohue, H. (Eds). Wallingford, UK: CABI Publishing.
Dr. Ara Pachmayer
(707) 826-4128
KA 330