PhD Research Student
David Ermen
Title of Research: A framework for tourism destination marketing in networked destination structures
Degrees: BCom in Marketing, PGDipCom (with distinction) in Marketing
Email: david.ermen@otago.ac.nz
Area of PhD Research: Destination Marketing, Corporate Communications, Network Theory
Start of PhD: March 2004
Supervisors: Associate Professor Juergen Gnoth, Professor Rob Lawson and Associate Professor John Knight
Short description of research topic:
This PhD focuses on the marketing of networked tourism destinations, where a group of actors together are responsible for providing the tourism experience and marketing the destination as a comprehensive tourism product.
The study compares three destinations, Wanaka in New Zealand, St Moritz in Switzerland, and Åre in Sweden on how these destinations market themselves. The underlying communication between actors and stakeholders are examined to better understand how the organizational structure of the destination impacts on marketing strategy. Qualitative research, in the form of semi-structured interviews supported by documents and observation, were used as the method for the research.
The results of this study will contribute to the literature on destination marketing and will aid marketing practitioners in destination to communicate more effectively.