Roos Gerritsma
. Lab lead:
As the founder of the Urban Leisure & Tourism Lab, urban sociologist and associate professor Roos Gerritsma was there at the start of the lab in 2015.
Works at Inholland University of Applied Sciences as a lecturer in the Tourism Management program since 2019. Before that, she worked for many years as a product manager at adventure tour operators.
1. What focal points do you think are important for Amsterdam as a tourism and leisure city?
At the international bachelor program Tourism Management, I develop and teach lessons on tourism policy. Together with students, one of the things we look at is how to offer tourism in a responsible way. My main message here is 1) there are no simple solutions and 2) always put locals first.
2. What would you like to contribute to our learning community here in Amsterdam Noord (and surroundings)?
As a born and raised Amsterdammer, I know the city like the back of my hand. I now live in the heart of Amsterdam and it couldn’t be more central: on a ship in the Oosterdok. I can almost see Amsterdam Noord from my house.
One of the reasons why I joined the Urban Leisure & Tourism Lab Amsterdam is that I hope to make a link to the city center and learn from what is going on in Amsterdam Noord. I also hope to make a positive contribution to the lab, partly by focusing on community building in order to get the lab even more firmly established in Amsterdam Noord.
