Building Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Sustainable Tourism (STTA Open Webinar No. 07 2024)

Sisco is a researcher at the Namibia University of Science and Technology. She holds a Ph.D. in community-based tourism development from Nelson Mandela University in South Africa. Her research interests include Sustainable Tourism, Dark Sky Tourism, Indigenous Astronomy, and Community Development. Before entering the academic space. She has spent more than 20 years working in the tourism sector in Europe, South Africa, and Namibia. She worked for the US Millennium Challenge Account -Namibia where she managed sustainable tourism projects. In 2019 she was a judge for the Africa World Travel Market Responsible Tourism Awards held in Cape Town, South Africa. Recently, she has just been selected as an associate member of Astro Accel, a US National Science Foundation (NSF) supported initiative pioneering a global interdisciplinary network for accelerating synergies through research on astronomy for culture, education, engagement, and communication. She is also the advisory executive member of Eco-Awards Namibia, an alliance of the private sector and government organisations that runs a sustainable tourism certification program for Namibia. During her spare time, Sisco enjoys traveling to remote locations with minimal light pollution to appreciate the magnificent beauty of the pristine Namibian night skies.

Judy Kepher Gona is a global sustainable tourism leader from Kenya. As the founder of Sustainable Travel & Tourism Agenda, Judy has been instrumental in advancing responsible tourism practices in the continent. Her efforts have been recognized globally, and she continues to be a leading voice for equity, inclusion, diversity and consciousness in tourism.