Faculty

Dr. Mahmoud Abdou is an expert in cultural tourism and heritage conservation. He is a hands-on problem solver and a dedicated researcher. He earned his master's in Heritage Conservation and Site Management from two universities in two countries: Brandenburg University of Technology in Germany and Helwan University in Egypt. He has a multi-faceted background when delivering cultural preservation solutions, and this is due to his dual degree and the cultural difference of the countries where he earned this degree.

He is a researcher and has earned a reputation in the fields of heritage, memory, and identity. He has published in many international peer-reviewed journals including the Cultural Trends and the International Journal of Heritage and Museum Studies, and his next book chapter will be on the Arab Spring. His curiosity of the past is reflected in the ways factions in society renegotiate the past. He does not define heritage as an artifact that is static. His studies and papers investigate the memory of heritage, its reinterpretation, and in some cases, its contested recollections.

He is a tourism expert and that is evident in his passion for in-class activities. He played a pivotal role in the hospitality industry in Berlin, working with both Moxy Berlin Airport and Wilde Aparthotels near Checkpoint Charlie, and through these, he developed an understanding of his guests and their needs and learned the more intricate side of operating a service. He kicked off his career with a customer service role in Saudia, in his home country, as a travel agent for Memphis Tours in Egypt. These helped him appreciate customer service, as well as the more intricate side of travel.

As a faculty member in the Tourism and Recreation program at EAAS, his many years of work in the industry and years of research of this field help him provide students a broader picture of the field. He simplifies some of the theories of cultural heritage into the realities of the field of tourism and hospitality so the students can understand and appreciate how each side balances and adds value to the other.

Email: mahmoud.abdou@eaas.mt