Stephen Taylor is part of the Rural and Visitor Economy team and joined the University in January 2022. He has previously held academic positions at Edinburgh Napier (2009-2022) Strathclyde (1998-2009) and Dundee (1991-1998) universities. He is currently Programme Director for the MBA Tourism Management and Co-Programme Director for the Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA).
Stephen has a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).
Stephen's primary research interest concerns the governance of natural areas, with a specific focus upon natural area tourism. He has a particular interest in mountain-based tourism and this is currently reflected in research (since 2017) centred upon the 7,134 metres Lenin Peak located on the Kyrgyzstan/Tajikistan border. This involves working in partnership with a number of public and private sector tourism organisations in Kyrgyzstan.
Recent publications/outputs
- Taylor, S. (2025). The good, the bad and the ugly: Mountain safety in Kyrgyzstan. Tourism in Kyrgyzstan: Practice, Problems and Solutions, 20 (1).
- Taylor, S. (2025). Sustainable high mountain tourism on Kyrgyzstan's Lenin Peak (7,134m). Tourism in Kyrgyzstan: Practice, Problems and Solutions, 20 (1).
- TAYLOR, S. (2024). Designing a rescue and safety system for mountaineering tourism on Lenin Peak. Tourism in Kyrgyzstan: Practice, Problems and Perspectives, 19 (1).
- TAYLOR, S. (2023). The co-management network governance system for sustainable natural area tourism in Kyrgyzstan. Tourism in Kyrgyzstan: Practice, Problems and Perspectives, 18 (1) pp.29-33.
- Komissarov, V., TAYLOR, S. & Turova, M. (2021). How to solve the problems of solid waste pollution at high altitudes in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan: The case of Lenin Peak. Tourism in Kyrgyzstan: Practice, Problems and Perspectives, 17 (1) pp.21-24.
- Komissarov, V. and TAYLOR, S. (2019). Critical assessment of mountaineering tourism on Peak Lenin, Kyrgyzstan: current problems and possible solutions. Results of the 2018 study. Tourism in Kyrgyzstan: Practice; Problems and Perspectives, 15 (1) pp.47-65.
- TAYLOR, S (2019). An investigation of the rubbish debris generated by commercial mountaineering operations on Lenin Peak. A Research Report submitted to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Kyrgyz Republic, December 2019.
- TAYLOR, S (2019). The highs and lows of acclimatising: Strategies and stories from Lenin Peak, Invited presentation at the British Mountain Medicine Society (BMMS) Science Day, Bamford, 13th November.
