Professor Elizabeth du Preez is a senior lecturer in the Department of Marketing Management in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of Pretoria. Her research centres on destination marketing, tourist behaviour, events and sports tourism, and she has a specific interest in experiences, cultural influences and environmental behaviour.

Prof Du Preez, who received a Y2 rating from the National Research Foundation in 2020, has published in internationally recognised journals such as Current Issues in Tourism, the Journal of Sustainable Tourism, the Tourism Recreation Review, the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, the Journal of Sport & Tourism, and Development Southern Africa.

She was part of a team that conducted research for the national Department of Tourism and South African National Parks. She has also been a project leader and sole researcher for organisations such as Interkultur (World Choir Games); ATKV Resorts; the Culture, Art, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA); Sport and Recreation South Africa; Red Bull South Africa; and the City of Tshwane.

Prof Du Preez currently supervises PhD studies that are focused on brand identity and the image of emerging destinations; the use of virtual reality as part of the post-COVID-19 recovery strategy; virtual sport events; and changing travel behaviour in the domestic market, taking into account ethnic, cultural and socio-economic differences.