Joe Pavelka PhD.

Travel and recreation are not merely acts of movement or leisure—they are social practices that shape identity, foster community, and cultivate a deeper connection to place and to one another

Expertise in Action…

Public Speaker

With over 300 keynotes, workshops, and presentations delivered, Joe Pavelka is a dynamic, engaging speaker who connects with audiences across sectors. From global travel trends to sustainable tourism and the future of public recreation, Joe brings fresh insight, humour, and hard-earned expertise to every stage.

Popular Topics Include:

  • The importance of travel in turbulent times

  • Travel trends & the future of tourism

  • Sustainable tourism done right

  • The art (and impact) of slow travel

  • How to be a good (and fun) tourist

  • Reinventing public recreation

  • Designing effective international field schools

  • Other topics upon request

Workshops Available:
Half- and full-day sessions tailored for communities, agencies, and educators ready to take action on sustainable tourism, recreation planning, and global education.

Book Joe to inspire your next event—and leave your audience thinking differently about travel, place, and purpose.

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Group of six outdoor students and adult smiling, wearing matching white t-shirts that say "Banff Crowding & Congestion Study". Paperwork, clipboards, backpacks, and bananas on the ground.

Planvison Consulting Ltd

Delivering over 30 years of expertise in sustainable tourism, and recreation. Joe has worked with public, private, and nonprofit clients across Canada and Latin America to create tourism strategies that align with local values and deliver long-term impact.

Consultancy include:

  • Sustainable tourism planning & destination development

  • Adventure & Regenerative Travel strategy

  • International field school design & execution

  • Risk management, training, and faculty mentorship

Whether through full consulting, project oversight, or workshops, Planvision helps organizations build smarter, more sustainable tourism solutions.

Work with Joe
A smiling man with curly gray hair wearing a dark gray shirt, apron, and jeans, standing in a kitchen with light green cabinets.

Meet
Joe Pavelka…

Your Trusted Tourism & Recreation Expert • Strategist • Educator • Storyteller of People and Place

For over 30 years, Joe Pavelka has been at the intersection of tourism, parks, and community planning—helping organizations and destinations grow sustainably, connect deeply, and create real impact.

Joe is a full Professor of Ecotourism and Outdoor Leadership at Mount Royal University and the Principal of Planvision Consulting, where he has led more than 200 successful projects across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. His work bridges academic insight with boots-on-the-ground experience—offering clients the perfect mix of strategy, creativity, and human-centered design.

From advising national parks and Indigenous tourism initiatives, to developing field schools in Latin America and Europe, Joe is known for his practical, collaborative approach and his deep respect for place, culture, and people. He’s a leading voice in today’s most important travel conversations: sustainability, overtourism, cultural authenticity, and the evolving motivations of modern travelers.


Why Work With Joe?

Proven Track Record: 3+ decades of hands-on consulting and academic leadership.

Engaging Communicator: Sought-after speaker, educator, and facilitator who brings energy and clarity to complex topics.

People-First Perspective: Joe listens deeply, leads collaboratively, and keeps community benefit at the centre of every project.

Strategic Thinker: Skilled at turning big ideas into real-world plans that work- on the ground and in the long term.


Whether you’re planning a community tourism strategy, seeking a compelling keynote speaker, or building sustainable travel experiences, Joe brings the experience, insight, and heart to help you do it right.

Let’s start a conversation.

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  • Dr. Pavelka has a unique ability to convey complex concepts with clarity and enthusiasm, engaging his audience in a way that fosters understanding and inspires curiosity. His extensive expertise allows him to draw connections across many disciplines, enriching discussions and providing invaluable insights. His commitment to education and his passion for sharing knowledge make him an exceptional communicator and an asset to any event or initiative. I highly recommend Dr. Joe Pavelka for any speaking engagements or collaborative opportunities.

    - Randall McKay, Manager, Strategic Initiatives + Special Projects
Banff, Alberta, Canada

  • “I have had the pleasure of attending workshops and presentations by Joe Pavelka and always impressed by his understanding of Recreation and Parks issues from a management and visitor experience perspective. His knowledge of trends municipal experience allows for a refreshing and informative perspective. His passion for Recreation and Parks has always left me motivated and enthused.”

    — Dave Ellis, Parks Manager, City of Lethbridge

  • “The Alberta Recreation and Parks Association (ARPA) has had the privilege of having a strong working relationship with Joe Pavelka over many years. He is a provoking, disturbing the status quo thinker and presenter. He is forward thinking and a motivating and captivating speaker; audiences will not be disappointed.”

    — Heather Cowie, Former President ARPA

  • "Joe Pavelka is an expert at capturing audiences and tailoring his content to the level his stage demands. The entire room at ArtsPlace was buzzing with surprise and delight at Joe's wit, experience and ability to distil complicated information in a friendly and thoughtful way.

    - Sonia Hrynchshyn

Book titled "It's NOT About Time!" by Joe Pavelka, standing against green foliage. The subtitle reads "Rediscovering Leisure in a Changing World." The cover has a blue background with an illustration of a clock with a scenic landscape inside.

Books…

It’s NOT about Time!

Remember the leisure predictions of the 1960s? By now we were supposed to be living a life of shorter work weeks, secure jobs, virtually no housework and a lot of free time. What happened? Most of us now can't even remember what free time feels like. How did we change from a leisure-focused society to one of the most time-stressed populations in the world? The future of leisure in North America is as rosy or dreary as we want to make it because it hinges on some tough decisions that each of us has to make. It's Not About Time challenges us to rethink leisure, but in simple, practical terms that are meaningful in daily life. It enlightens us on the range of everyday factors that impact our ability to experience leisure. Finally, it empowers us to negotiate our own leisure path, both now and in the future.

Available on Amazon
Cover of the book titled 'Ned: the story of Bear Six Nine three' by Joe Pavelka, featuring an illustration of a bear lying in a forest setting.

Ned The Story of Bear Six Nine Three

A young grizzly named Ned and his mother, Betty Lou, struggle with human encroachment on their habitat. Despite his mother's guidance, Ned becomes habituated to humans and encounters a predictable fate. But the bears experience many funny encounters and insightful moments along the way, and their story teaches readers about the natural world. Ned is a fun story that will enlighten and delight young and old alike, and because of its timeless theme, the book will remain relevant for years to come.

Available on Amazon

Not Just the Destination – The Connection.

From places to people its the travel that connects us.

On The Go With Joe…

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  • Presentation topics:

    What if we did nothing? The future of work and free time in the age of AI

    key points :

    - It's about the downstream end of AI job disruption - unstructured societal free time
    - Historically we've never been good at managing personal or collective unstructured free time. We usually drank it away or started rebellions.

    ... If work and free time were siblings work would the obedient stable one and free time the unruly wild one. (my colleagues in the leisure management stream)

  • Joe’s work is featured in Ways to Go by Bob Henderson and Torbjorn Ydegaard where Joe contributed a chapter about Purposeful Travel.

  • 1 hour presentation followed by a Q&A

    Global tourism's sophistication has surpassed destination communities' ability to cope with it adequately. Canmore and Bow Valley are no different. Terms such as overtourism and overdevelopment dominate our understanding of its effects, but little is offered to address the situation. However, communities are planning and making decisions in creative ways. Let's see how some of these measures can directly apply to Canmore and the region.

  • How some locals in tourism hotspots around the globe are pushing back against what they call 'overtourism'

  • Italy Slow Culture Field School

    Slow food, slow travel, and slow culture in Italy- a storied part of the world filled with beauty and contradictions.

    This month-long field school will explore what it means to be a global citizen in today's world. By experiencing Italy in a slow and thoughtful manner, participants will examine and contrast different ways of living and the meanings behind them.

    The field school begins with two-weeks in the Tuscan city of Florence where students will be immersed in Italian language and culture. Students will explore the nuances of Italian life through participation in language school, homestays, and immersive assignments. The group will then travel to Siena, a smaller city in Tuscany, where students will continue with assignments as well as cultural excursions including a bike tour of the countryside, wine tasting and cooking classes. Next the group will  travel to the fabled "blue-zone" island region of Sardinia where they will explore a different way of life and examine what makes that location a rare blue-zone region. Returning to the mainland, the experience will wrap up in Rome.

    This program is based on experiential learning. Participants will have assignments to complete before departure and while on the field school, however the goal is for participants to learn by doing.

  • Martha Honey is Co-Founder and Director Emeritus of the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST). She has been an integral part of the development and evolution of sustainable tourism for over five decades. In an interview style conversation with Joe Pavelka, Martha will speak of the key developments she has witnessed in her extensive career that have brought us to where we are today, and offer insights as to the future of travel, more specifically sustainable travel. 

    Purposeful Travel Summit 2024

  • How overcrowding impacts the world’s tourism hotspots

    https://theconversation.com/how-overcrowding-impacts-the-worlds-tourism-hotspots-235319?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=bylinecopy_url_button

  • Marva Ferguson, left, is joined by Joe Pavelka to discuss a variety of important topics, including the history of Black settlement in Canada, the impact of racism, and strategies to better actively practice anti-racism.

    https://www.mtroyal.ca/AboutMountRoyal/MediaRoom/Stories/2022/03/faculty-podcast-initiative-honours-the-stories-of-black-immigrants-in-canada.htm

  • https://mtroyal.academia.edu/JoePavelka

Three friends smiling and taking a selfie outdoors in a forest during daytime.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my website. Your journey here is appreciated. I hope you found inspiration, adventure, and a sense of connection—wherever your travels may take you next.

-Joe Pavelka