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Visitor Economy Research Group
Who We Are
The Visitor Economy Research Group (VERG) harnesses the research energies of a number of colleagues, both early career and well established, who are working in the areas of tourism, mobilities, hospitality, heritage, events, sport and leisure.
Through our research activities, VERG provides insight into and deepens understanding of the visitor economy in diverse contexts, both locally and internationally, and from a range of perspectives and multi-disciplinary approaches.
Our members come from different research areas with interests in destination management, branding and place making; culture and heritage management; tourism marketing; migration, equality and social justice; tourism and hospitality labour; sustainability and social entrepreneurship; events management, consumer culture and consumer behaviour.
We run a number of undergraduate programmes (BA International Tourism Management, BSc Events Management and BA Sports Business Management) as well as postgraduate programmes MSc International Tourism Management, MA Culture and Heritage Management, MSc International Sports Business Management
If you are interested in joining us and/or exploring research collaboration opportunities, please get in touch with Dr. Agnieszka Rydzik at arydzik@lincoln.ac.uk.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Research at the ºìÐÓÓ°Ôº is supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which are an urgent call for action to tackle some of the world's most pressing problems, now and into the future.
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Research Seminars and Public Engagements
Find out about research seminars and public engagement activities from the Visitor Economy Research Group.
Our Research
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Heritage at Risk and Wellbeing
Funded by Historic England, this is a project to understand the impact on volunteers with their involvement in ‘heritage at risk’ projects by conducting interviews and surveys across ten sites in England. We will develop a toolkit to understand the nature of wellbeing impacts and how Historic England can enhance the benefits to volunteers. (Project Lead: Prof Heather Hughes)
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Inclusive Boston (2018-2020)
Funded by the UK government, this project aimed to promote social cohesion and inclusion in Boston communities. The project involved various stakeholders, including Lincolnshire Community and Volunteer Service, Boston Borough Council, community leaders and policymakers. (Dr. Agnieszka Rydzik and Liz Price)
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Lincoln Christmas Market Project
This ongoing project involves conducting research for the Lincoln City Council on visitor satisfaction at, and the economic impact of, the Lincoln Christmas Market (Farhan Ahmed, Dr. Martin Elliott-White).
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Celebrating Sincil Bank – Events Training for Community Engagement
A collaboration developed between Dr Georgiana Els and Lincoln City Foundation (LCF) to assist volunteers with planning and delivering community events in the Sincil Bank area of Lincoln.
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Lincolnshire Tourism Observatory
An initiative within the Department of Tourism, Languages and Marketing to provide expertise, produce high-quality research and generate evidence-driven analysis of tourism-related data with the aim of supporting the Lincolnshire visitor economy, informing policy debates and assisting local stakeholders with data-informed decision making.
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Understanding Intergenerational differences in visitors’ sustainable behaviours
Dr. Samira Zare’s project explores intergenerational differences in sustainability-related behaviours within the broader leisure context to inform both theory and practice about the implications of such behavioural differences
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Using cultural capital for acculturation
Dr Connie Mak’s study draws on the sociological perspective of practice theories to explore the ‘process’ of how educated and affluent immigrants from the Mainland China adapt to their new life and identities in Hong Kong through the consumption and acquisition of cultural capital
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Hospitality, Now!
Dr Agnieszka Rydzik is launching a campaign ‘Hospitality, Now!’. Working in collaboration with a range of stakeholders, the aim is to change the culture of student employment in the hospitality sector. The campaign is funded by the QR Policy Support Fund and emerged from a research project on student-workers on zero-hour contracts in UK hospitality.
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Reimagining Lincolnshire
Postdoctoral researcher Dr V. Araj and Prof H. Hughes, together with project volunteers, continue to uncover fascinating stories from this region that have been neglected or purposely forgotten. For Black History Month, they launched Lincoln’s first Black History Trail, which will soon be available as a downloadable, self-guided tour.
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Lincoln’s engineering heritage
Dr Abi Hunt, Prof Heather Hughes and Tom Kitchen have been involved in an initiative to preserve vital collections of papers, films and objects relating to the history of Ruston’s, Lincoln’s most prominent engineering manufacturer. The city’s industrial heritage is increasingly being recognised as an important part of the city’s visitor offer.
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Sense of Belonging in Sports Business Management
Sense of belonging on Sports Business Management programmes – this research by Prof. Hanya Pielichaty examines the experiences of students studying white, male-dominated degree programmes in connection with belonging.
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Developing destination brand love: An intersectionality perspective
Dr. Abigail Ehidiamen and Dr. Connie Mak’s study focuses on understanding marginalised tourists’ experiences through the lens of women from ethnic minority groups in the UK. In particular, the research critically examines how the intersected identities of gender, race, and social class influence and shape the development of emotional bonds, attachments, and love for a destination brand.
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Connect with Us
Lincoln International Business School
ºìÐÓÓ°Ôº
Brayford Pool Campus
Lincoln
LN5 7AT