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Dr Heather is Skinner is a Senior Fellow of the Institute of Place Management (IPM), a widely published author on place marketing, branding and tourism, and an Associate Editor of the IPM’s official journal, the Journal of Place Management and Development. Now retired, she is founding chair of the Corfu Symposium on Managing and Marketing Places (2014-2019) and has been Chair of the IPM’s Visiting Places Special Interest Group, and Co-Chair of the Academy of Marketing’s Place Marketing and Branding Special Interest Group. Following a highly successful 15-year academic career in the UK at the University of South Wales (formerly the University of Glamorgan) Heather now lives on the Greek island of Corfu where she had continued to research and write about place management, marketing, and branding issues that are related to responsible tourism.
A focus on continued year-on-year economic growth was beginning to be seen as unsustainable even before the COVID-19 crisis forced many tourism destinations to rethink their marketing and branding. This paper adopts a critical marketing stance to explore the relationship between place branding and two recent extreme conditions affecting the tourism industry: overtourism, as exemplified when the issue became headline news in popular media from the summer of 2017, as many examples were offered of places struggling to cope with their success; and the COVID-19 crisis that effectively brought global tourism to a standstill in 2020, as the industry attempts to rebuild from this current unprecedented crisis. This article is not designed to suggest normative place-branding strategies. Rather, through the presentation of an original model that conceptualizes the cyclical process of rebuilding from crises and coping with success, it aims to provide a warning that whatever place-branding strategies are implemented in a post-pandemic world, for whatever type of tourism, in whatever type of destination, a rein must be employed in order that the drive for recovery from undertourism through successful place branding does not lead to the return of overtourism.
Heather Skinner. Place Branding—The Challenges of Getting It Right: Coping with Success and Rebuilding from Crises. Tourism and Hospitality 2021, 2, 173 -189.
AMA StyleHeather Skinner. Place Branding—The Challenges of Getting It Right: Coping with Success and Rebuilding from Crises. Tourism and Hospitality. 2021; 2 (1):173-189.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHeather Skinner. 2021. "Place Branding—The Challenges of Getting It Right: Coping with Success and Rebuilding from Crises." Tourism and Hospitality 2, no. 1: 173-189.
The tourism and hospitality industries have been particularly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, with widespread closures and later re-opening times than other areas of economic activity. However, little is known about the resilience of these industries in light of the current pandemic, within the context of English towns. This paper surveys businesses dependent on tourism located in English towns, to explore perceptions of resilience in this crisis context. We consider the nuances involved in resilience to disturbances such as Covid-19, revealing the temporal dimensions of resilience. Moreover, we identify influences informing differing resilience levels within and between industries. The paper also contributes a novel Business Resilience Composite Score, which enables academics, practitioners and policy-makers to draw comparisons between tourism and hospitality industry resilience and other economic activity in urban locations.
Nikos Ntounis; Cathy Parker; Heather Skinner; Chloe Steadman; Gary Warnaby. Tourism and Hospitality industry resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic: Evidence from England. Current Issues in Tourism 2021, 1 -14.
AMA StyleNikos Ntounis, Cathy Parker, Heather Skinner, Chloe Steadman, Gary Warnaby. Tourism and Hospitality industry resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic: Evidence from England. Current Issues in Tourism. 2021; ():1-14.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNikos Ntounis; Cathy Parker; Heather Skinner; Chloe Steadman; Gary Warnaby. 2021. "Tourism and Hospitality industry resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic: Evidence from England." Current Issues in Tourism , no. : 1-14.
While there is a growing interest in the tourism and hospitality literature on authenticity, evidence is scarce regarding how tourists judge the authenticity of restaurants at the pre-purchase stage in a tourism destination. Our results identify the key criteria by which authenticity is judged in these settings, evidencing the importance of eating where the locals eat, in restaurants offering limited menus, with local wines and freshly prepared local speciality dishes. Authenticity relies less on interior design and restaurant décor than is the case for ethnic-themed restaurants. While localness is valued more than authenticity, the two concepts are linked.
Heather Skinner; Elena Chatzopoulou; Matthew Gorton. Perceptions of localness and authenticity regarding restaurant choice in tourism settings. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 2020, 37, 155 -168.
AMA StyleHeather Skinner, Elena Chatzopoulou, Matthew Gorton. Perceptions of localness and authenticity regarding restaurant choice in tourism settings. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing. 2020; 37 (2):155-168.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHeather Skinner; Elena Chatzopoulou; Matthew Gorton. 2020. "Perceptions of localness and authenticity regarding restaurant choice in tourism settings." Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 37, no. 2: 155-168.
Purpose Anecdotal evidence suggests that in times of economic constraints particularly in countries such as Greece that have long been stereotyped as corrupt, business practices amongst small- and medium-sized organisations that make up the majority of these nations’ tourism operators may become less than ethical or legal. The purpose of this paper is to explore these issues empirically in order to understand the impact of both cultural values and economic constraints on tourism businesses’ practices. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory case study using mixed methods has been adopted. Quantitative data were gathered from tourism business owners, managers and employees via questionnaires to establish the nature and scope of various unethical, illegal or immoral practices. Qualitative data were gathered to explore the ways these issues are considered and enacted. Findings Results show that there are many unethical and illegal practices that have been witnessed first-hand. Businesses’ attempts at acting in an ethical and socially responsible manner tend to be affected by not only cultural issues, but also economic constraints, yet there remains a desire to act in a way that does not impact negatively on tourists or on the local society and environment. Originality/value This research fills a gap in the literature relating to the ethical stance and practices of tourism entrepreneurs. It also presents an original conceptualisation of these issues in light of their location within the extant literature on ethics, corporate social responsibility and both sustainable and responsible tourism.
Heather Skinner. The impact of cultural values and economic constraints on tourism businesses’ ethical practices. International Journal of Tourism Cities 2019, 5, 169 -187.
AMA StyleHeather Skinner. The impact of cultural values and economic constraints on tourism businesses’ ethical practices. International Journal of Tourism Cities. 2019; 5 (2):169-187.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHeather Skinner. 2019. "The impact of cultural values and economic constraints on tourism businesses’ ethical practices." International Journal of Tourism Cities 5, no. 2: 169-187.
Heather Skinner. Ethnic and Cultural Identity in Music and Song Lyrics. Arts and the Market 2018, 8, 113 -114.
AMA StyleHeather Skinner. Ethnic and Cultural Identity in Music and Song Lyrics. Arts and the Market. 2018; 8 (1):113-114.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHeather Skinner. 2018. "Ethnic and Cultural Identity in Music and Song Lyrics." Arts and the Market 8, no. 1: 113-114.
This paper explores brand management decisions concerning the terroir product of an authentic beer brand. Findings are based on a single case study of a Greek microbrewery informed by in-depth interviews with the company owner and senior management team. Additional customer insights into the issues were gathered from 191 questionnaire responses. Results identify the way this company has approached territorial brand management based on a clear understanding of potential consumer perceptions and reactions to clues about place brand origin in its brand names when targeting its main groups of domestic, export, and tourist consumers. This research offers practical insights into territorial brand management decisions, especially those concerning brand names that offer clues to a product's place of origin. These insights may offer practical strategies for SMEs operating in markets serving both local and tourist consumers, and who wish to defend the terroir claims of their products against large multi-nationals.
T.C. Melewar; Heather Skinner. Territorial brand management: Beer, authenticity, and sense of place. Journal of Business Research 2018, 116, 680 -689.
AMA StyleT.C. Melewar, Heather Skinner. Territorial brand management: Beer, authenticity, and sense of place. Journal of Business Research. 2018; 116 ():680-689.
Chicago/Turabian StyleT.C. Melewar; Heather Skinner. 2018. "Territorial brand management: Beer, authenticity, and sense of place." Journal of Business Research 116, no. : 680-689.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual framework based on an understanding of the principles of popular mobile-enabled games, indicating how organisations in the tourism sector could meet the needs of Millennials and Generation Z through engaging with the existing gamified location-based practice of geocaching as an information and communication technology enabled gamified enhancement to the destination experience. Design/methodology/approach As a primarily conceptual paper, the authors take an inductive qualitative approach to theory building based on the understanding of an existing practice (geocaching) that is undertaken among a community of practitioners (geocachers), which results in the presentation of a conceptual framework, which is the theory itself that the authors have constructed from the understanding of what is going on and which principles can then be applied across other tourism practices. Findings Findings indicate that through engaging with geocaching, smaller entrepreneurial businesses even in non-urban destinations that fall outside of the remit of smart city developments, and in tourism destinations on the less technologically enabled or resource-rich side of the digital divide, can reap the benefits associated with employing the principles and practices associated with smart tourism to meet the needs of this new generation of tourism consumers who seek richer digital and often gamified tourism experiences. Originality/value This paper fills a gap in the literature regarding the way many different types of tourism destinations could meet the needs of Millennials and Generation Z tourists.
Heather Skinner; David Sarpong; Gareth R.T. White. Meeting the needs of the Millennials and Generation Z: gamification in tourism through geocaching. Journal of Tourism Futures 2018, 4, 93 -104.
AMA StyleHeather Skinner, David Sarpong, Gareth R.T. White. Meeting the needs of the Millennials and Generation Z: gamification in tourism through geocaching. Journal of Tourism Futures. 2018; 4 (1):93-104.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHeather Skinner; David Sarpong; Gareth R.T. White. 2018. "Meeting the needs of the Millennials and Generation Z: gamification in tourism through geocaching." Journal of Tourism Futures 4, no. 1: 93-104.
The purpose of this paper is to explore aural representation of the countryside and English rurality through the contemporary cultural product of folk song. A textual analysis was undertaken of the sleeve notes and lyrics of Steve Knightley, songwriter and founder member of the folk/roots band Show of Hands. The concept of the rural idyll is thoroughly debunked in the majority of these lyrics. Many songs make specific reference to place, and these, in the main, focus on the historical and contemporary hardships of living in rural England, in many cases also making explicit reference to the historical or contemporary social issues deemed by the lyricist to be at the root of the problems faced by people living in English rural communities. This paper analyses data obtained in lyrics of only one songwriter within only one music genre, but the artist is one of the most respected within the contemporary folk genre, and Show of Hands have won a number of prestigious nationally recognised folk awards. The extant literature contains little concerning aural representations of place identities through song. The contribution this paper makes is therefore in presenting a conceptual framework that shows how folk song, as a contemporary cultural product contributes to the construction and communication of rural place identities.
Heather Skinner. Representations of rural England in contemporary folk song. Arts and the Market 2017, 7, 137 -158.
AMA StyleHeather Skinner. Representations of rural England in contemporary folk song. Arts and the Market. 2017; 7 (2):137-158.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHeather Skinner. 2017. "Representations of rural England in contemporary folk song." Arts and the Market 7, no. 2: 137-158.
Heather Skinner. 4th Corfu Symposium on Managing and Marketing Places, 24-27 April 2017. Journal of Place Management and Development 2017, 10, 299 -301.
AMA StyleHeather Skinner. 4th Corfu Symposium on Managing and Marketing Places, 24-27 April 2017. Journal of Place Management and Development. 2017; 10 (3):299-301.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHeather Skinner. 2017. "4th Corfu Symposium on Managing and Marketing Places, 24-27 April 2017." Journal of Place Management and Development 10, no. 3: 299-301.
Heather Skinner. Call for papers. Journal of Place Management and Development 2017, 10, 302 -302.
AMA StyleHeather Skinner. Call for papers. Journal of Place Management and Development. 2017; 10 (3):302-302.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHeather Skinner. 2017. "Call for papers." Journal of Place Management and Development 10, no. 3: 302-302.
Heather Skinner. Guest editorial. Journal of Place Management and Development 2017, 10, 102 -105.
AMA StyleHeather Skinner. Guest editorial. Journal of Place Management and Development. 2017; 10 (2):102-105.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHeather Skinner. 2017. "Guest editorial." Journal of Place Management and Development 10, no. 2: 102-105.
Nicola Williams-Burnett; Heather Skinner; Julia Fallon. Reality television portrayals of Kavos, Greece: tourists behaving badly. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 2016, 35, 336 -347.
AMA StyleNicola Williams-Burnett, Heather Skinner, Julia Fallon. Reality television portrayals of Kavos, Greece: tourists behaving badly. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing. 2016; 35 (3):336-347.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNicola Williams-Burnett; Heather Skinner; Julia Fallon. 2016. "Reality television portrayals of Kavos, Greece: tourists behaving badly." Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 35, no. 3: 336-347.
Action research is applied, problem-based research, which usually involves the researcher as an active participant in an interactive, collaborative, and iterative process. The action research process is usually designed not only to generate knowledge, but also to employ that knowledge. In this context, the knowledge that is generated through the research process would be applied to design, adapt, re-design or improve social marketing initiatives. Action research is one of the formative research methods that tends to require and demonstrate one of the highest levels of researcher involvement. Thus, this chapter will include a consideration of the role of the researcher involved in formative action research, along with a consideration of the uses of this method in social marketing settings. The case study included in this chapter will highlight a real-world action research project that was used to design and deliver changes to a UK-based program offering supported housing to homeless street drinkers. Other examples provided in this chapter will be drawn from real-world social marketing experiences across a range of health, fitness, and social care settings.
Heather Skinner. Action Research. Formative Research in Social Marketing 2016, 11 -31.
AMA StyleHeather Skinner. Action Research. Formative Research in Social Marketing. 2016; ():11-31.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHeather Skinner. 2016. "Action Research." Formative Research in Social Marketing , no. : 11-31.
This paper presents the analysis of internet content relating to the UK family seaside resort of Barry that has been the key location setting of a popular television comedy series, which appears to be contributing positively to changing the town's destination image. While offering insights into the regeneration of UK seaside towns in particular through diversification into the creative and cultural industries, this study offers clues to the way destinations in general may draw together fragmented antenarratives from popular media representations, social media and the internet, and incorporate these when planning campaigns to affect the induced destination image. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Heather Skinner. What's Occurring? Barry since Gavin & Stacey. International Journal of Tourism Research 2014, 18, 251 -259.
AMA StyleHeather Skinner. What's Occurring? Barry since Gavin & Stacey. International Journal of Tourism Research. 2014; 18 (3):251-259.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHeather Skinner. 2014. "What's Occurring? Barry since Gavin & Stacey." International Journal of Tourism Research 18, no. 3: 251-259.
This paper explores online and social media users’ contributions to place identity creation, challenging the role and importance of various actors in the place brand identity and place brand image formation process. Findings arise from a content analysis of 149 separate photographs of a unique event that takes place on the Greek island of Corfu as part of the Orthodox Easter festival. Findings are also informed by autoethnographic reflexivity from the researcher’s own participation in and observation of the event, and 84 images from the researcher’s own photographic record of the event. Comparisons are drawn between social media users’ images and those communicated by the local Municipality through 7 relevant images reproduced in the official Easter on Corfu brochure. The images uploaded by social media users were not vastly different in terms of content from those of the local authority, and were also similar to those taken by the researcher. Perhaps it may be time for place branders to not only voluntarily give up their perceptions of control over at least part of the identity formation process and encourage contributions from wider stakeholders, but to no longer perceive them as mere consumers of the brand, but also as its co-creators. However, this will require another shift in academic understanding of place brand identity and place brand image, which may be difficult to achieve considering that there has only recently been reached a certain level of agreement within the extant literature about the various definitions of terms associated with these constructs.
Heather Skinner. Who really creates the place brand? Considering the role of user generated content in creating and communicating a place identity. Communication & Society 1970, 9 -24.
AMA StyleHeather Skinner. Who really creates the place brand? Considering the role of user generated content in creating and communicating a place identity. Communication & Society. 1970; ():9-24.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHeather Skinner. 1970. "Who really creates the place brand? Considering the role of user generated content in creating and communicating a place identity." Communication & Society , no. : 9-24.