Katerina Mukhina
Writer. Researcher. Adventurer

Katerina Mukhina

Research

Thought-provoking research on what fascinates me most: tourism, cultural differences, human behaviour and wellbeing.

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Social and cultural dynamics, focusing on how people interact, form communities, and navigate identity within diverse contexts. It also addresses how traditions, norms, and cultural practices influence human behavior and societal development.

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As a researcher, I deploy targeted methods to get actionable insights: Surveys (personal/QR-code/social media-enabled to understand visitor feedback and quantify trends), In-Depth Interviews (uncovering local stakeholder perspectives and reveal ‘why’ behind data), Field Research (direct observation of real-world behaviors in tourism settings to capture authentic interactions), and Controlled Experiments (testing interventions like volunteer programs or application of new tourism …

Professional Summary & Researcher Expertise

A tourism developer and former hotel manager with a journalist’s storytelling craft and mental health background – now using those insights to share insights about meaningful tourism, cultural differences, mental wellbeing, and authentic human nature.

Tourism & Hospitality Leadership

With a Master’s in Tourism Management from Royal Roads University and hands-on hospitality experience at Marriott, Accor, and Best Western, I’ve built expertise across hotel operations - from front desk agent to Starbucks supervisor and team leader to manager position. My work now focuses on destination development, auditing, and marketing, including projects like ocean conservation voluntourism.

Storytelling & Journalism

My Bachelor journalism degree from Moscow State University of Lomonossov and Master Degree at Mastere Franco-Russe de Journalisme and experience as a travel journalist, also writing on social and cross-cultural topics. It now allows me to combine analytical research with compelling storytelling. I worked at GEO magazine and Russia Beyond The Headlines.

Communication and Cultural Analysis

My studies at the School of Communication and Culture (RRU) equipped me with expertise in cultural analysis, which I now apply to tourism and social initiatives. It gives me tools to understand cultural differences and see beyond stereotypes how people truly live, connect, and find meaning across different societies.

Mental Health & Well-being

At a neurological center, I worked as both a social worker and journalist, studying how illness transforms identity and emotional resilience. This rare dual perspective now shapes my therapeutic tourism initiatives that support mental wellbeing and helps understanding human behaviour.

Tourism research

My main research focuses on two areas

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  • Research
Meaningful Tourism
August 20, 2025

is transforming, authentic tourism that boosts well-being. It is a regenerative travel model  where visitors are moving beyond superficial sightseeing and immerse themselves in local life. I call it 3Ls: ‘Live Like a Local’ - a vacation that transforms tourists into temporary community members, creating authentic experiences rooted in reciprocity rather than consumption. 

Authentic Destination Development
August 20, 2025

Most important is to find the “heart of the destination” - its competitive advantage that helps it stand out of other similar destinations. It is the soul that visitors remember and communities cherish; unique, authentic essence that sets it apart. This strategic approach helps build sustainable demand, avoiding mass tourism traps by targeting niche markets that value authenticity. This strategic...

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  • Research
Emotions in Tourism
August 20, 2025

Emotion is a feeling. It is not a thought. Such as happiness, love, fear, anger, or boredom. Emotions can be caused by a specific situation that you are in. Or by a specific experience that you have. Explore the alchemy of authenticity in Indigenous tourism - where ancestral wisdom meets modern curiosity. I examine how BC’s First Nations create transformative experiences...

Tourism as Region Driver
August 20, 2025

This paper examines the remarkable transformation of Siberia's Priiskovy region, where winter tourism development overcame political resistance to become a catalyst for social and economic revival. Seven years ago, visionary entrepreneurs recognized the untapped potential of Priiskovy's pristine wilderness, initiating snowmobile and cat skiing operations despite government indifference. Their success story reveals how tourism can revitalize post-industrial communities while reshaping...

Social & Culture
August 20, 2025

Social and cultural dynamics, focusing on how people interact, form communities, and navigate identity within diverse contexts. It also addresses how traditions, norms, and cultural practices influence human behavior and societal development.

Research Methods
August 20, 2025

As a researcher, I deploy targeted methods to get actionable insights: Surveys (personal/QR-code/social media-enabled to understand visitor feedback and quantify trends), In-Depth Interviews (uncovering local stakeholder perspectives and reveal ‘why’ behind data), Field Research (direct observation of real-world behaviors in tourism settings to capture authentic interactions), and Controlled Experiments (testing interventions like volunteer programs or application of new tourism attractions).

Articles

Dombai is one of the most popular ski resorts in the Caucasus. The Dombai mountains are located in Karachay-Cherkessia, at …

Discover how school holidays differ worldwide. In Canada and Australia, students enjoy extended breaks with opportunities for reading challenges and …

Town born from postwar industrial ambition, vast taiga landscapes, the country’s only Clock Museum. with wooden gears and space-bound …

Stories

A midnight flat tire on Vancouver Island's loneliest road. Rescued by a bear hunter. We hiked more than 50km - …

Delayed flights, vanished luggage, lost passport, airport meltdown, French-Canadian bureaucracy, grief, stubborn optimism, and a ‘little black dress’. Real-time chronicling …

At Starbucks, the supervisor is part floor general, part therapist, part janitor. They orchestrate workflow, assign roles, motivate the team …

Book chapters

What do we all reminisce about on New Year’s Eve? If we focus on the good, then good will happen. …

New Year feels like a melting snowman losing its buttons. But there’s J to hold everything together and put back …

She lingers in grief’s bargaining stage, refusing to believe her father is truly gone. A desperate self-deception: her mind pretending …

Quote of the day

Literature is invention. Fiction is fiction. To call a story a true story is an insult to both truth and art

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