The Head of CQUniversity's Bachelor of Tourism program Dr Scott Richardson is continuing to forge international links that will provide immense benefits to the program and it's students.

Dr Richardson has been appointed as a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in South Africa, and the opportunity will allow for further internationalisation of CQUniversity's Tourism program.

"At CQUniversity, it's not just about education; it's about connecting, partnering and building relationships within Australia and internationally so we can achieve great things for our students and our host communities" said Dr Richardson.

The University of Johannesburg was born from the merger between the former Rand Afrikaans University (RAU), the Technikon Witwatersrand (TWR) and the Vista University in 2005.

UJ's School of Tourism and Hospitality has been in operation since 1969 when the Hotel School of the Witwatersrand College of Advanced Technical Education officially opened its doors in the Central Business District of Johannesburg.

"It's a pioneer for hotel schools worldwide" said Dr Richardson.

"The lessons we can learn from UJ's School of Tourism and Hospitality are immense. The school has existed for more than 40 years and there many aspects of their tourism and hospitality programs that we can implement in our curriculum. Our students will definitely benefit from this".

Dr Richardson also says there are many similarities between the two institutions, most notably that CQUniversity and UJ are both multi-campus universities and committed to embracing students from all walks of life.

Dr Richardson will remain as the Head of Tourism and Hospitality programs at CQUniversity based at the Noosa Campus, however this new role will allow him the opportunity to work with colleagues at UJ to conduct cross-institutional research that will benefit the tourism industry in Australia and South Africa.

The collaboration will also benefit students at CQUniversity as Dr Richardson and his colleagues will be able to help students gain a better understanding of issues that are facing the tourism industry worldwide.

"This link with UJ will allow CQUniversity to be involved in important research projects in South Africa and surrounding nations that we would not have otherwise had access to. This will be a great boost to our research and teaching capabilities".

Dr Richardson's appointment with the University of Johannesburg is ongoing, and will allow him to continue working from Noosa campus while maintaining regular contact with his colleagues in Johannesburg.