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WebinarOnline

Destination marketing in the digital age: From academic theory to global campaign success

  • 09:00–09:55 UK time55 minutes
  • Online, on Zoom, inside ScholardemiaRegister, then join on this page from 08:50. How to join
  • Dimitris KoutoulasChaired by Dr. Stella Kladou, convened by Prof. Eugenia Wickens

Learn how research, place identity and better measures can improve digital campaigns and their value to destinations.

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About this event

Speaker update, 2 October 2026: Dimitris Koutoulas is confirmed as the academic speaker. The industry speaker will be announced once confirmed.
Digital platforms enable destination organisations to reach international audiences with exceptional speed and precision. At the same time, fragmented social media environments, commercial creators and algorithmic distribution increasingly shape how places are represented. This webinar examines how destination image theory, consumer psychology and research on place identity can inform effective campaigns without reducing complex communities to simple products. It will consider the relationship between projected brand narratives, visitor expectations and the ways residents understand their own destination.
Panellists will move beyond clicks, impressions and follower counts as the principal measures of campaign success. The discussion will assess visitor dispersal, seasonal balance, length of stay, resident sentiment and demand from visitor groups that create greater local value with lower impact. It will also address ethical data use, cultural representation and the responsibilities involved when working with influencers or user-generated content. Campaign objectives will be examined in relation to destination capacity and wider management priorities.
Participants will learn how to translate academic research into a clear creative brief, appropriate channel choices and a defensible evaluation plan. They will consider how audience segmentation can be used without relying on discriminatory assumptions or excessive personal data. The session will provide questions for testing whether imagery, language and performance measures reflect the lived realities of a destination. Delegates will be equipped to design marketing that supports strategic public goals and authentic representation rather than pursuing visibility and volume as ends in themselves. This approach connects promotional effectiveness with responsible destination governance and strategic planning.

How to join

This webinar runs on Zoom. You join it here on Scholardemia, where the meeting opens inside the page with the chat, questions and polls beside it. You do not need a Zoom account or a Zoom link.

  1. RegisterFree, with your Scholardemia account.
  2. Come back on the dayThe room opens at 08:50 on Friday 4 December. We email you reminders with the Join button 24 hours and 1 hour before.
  3. Press JoinSign in with the same account. The meeting opens here, with questions, polls and the group chat beside it.

Use an up-to-date Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox. Allow sound when your browser asks, and use headphones if you can.

Featured speakers

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Dimitris Koutoulas

Dr · University of Patras

Scholardemia
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Destination marketing in the digital age: From academic theory to global campaign success

WebinarOnlineSession 5 of 29

Learn how research, place identity and better measures can improve digital campaigns and their value to destinations.

  • 09:00–09:55 UK time
  • Online, on Zoom, inside Scholardemia · 55 minutesRegister, then join on this page from 08:50. How to join
  • Dimitris KoutoulasChaired by Dr. Stella Kladou, convened by Prof. Eugenia Wickens

About this webinar

Speaker update, 2 October 2026: Dimitris Koutoulas is confirmed as the academic speaker. The industry speaker will be announced once confirmed.
Digital platforms enable destination organisations to reach international audiences with exceptional speed and precision. At the same time, fragmented social media environments, commercial creators and algorithmic distribution increasingly shape how places are represented. This webinar examines how destination image theory, consumer psychology and research on place identity can inform effective campaigns without reducing complex communities to simple products. It will consider the relationship between projected brand narratives, visitor expectations and the ways residents understand their own destination.
Panellists will move beyond clicks, impressions and follower counts as the principal measures of campaign success. The discussion will assess visitor dispersal, seasonal balance, length of stay, resident sentiment and demand from visitor groups that create greater local value with lower impact. It will also address ethical data use, cultural representation and the responsibilities involved when working with influencers or user-generated content. Campaign objectives will be examined in relation to destination capacity and wider management priorities.
Participants will learn how to translate academic research into a clear creative brief, appropriate channel choices and a defensible evaluation plan. They will consider how audience segmentation can be used without relying on discriminatory assumptions or excessive personal data. The session will provide questions for testing whether imagery, language and performance measures reflect the lived realities of a destination. Delegates will be equipped to design marketing that supports strategic public goals and authentic representation rather than pursuing visibility and volume as ends in themselves. This approach connects promotional effectiveness with responsible destination governance and strategic planning.

How to join

This webinar runs on Zoom. You join it here on Scholardemia, where the meeting opens inside the page with the chat, questions and polls beside it. You do not need a Zoom account or a Zoom link.

  1. RegisterFree, with your Scholardemia account.
  2. Come back on the dayThe room opens at 08:50 on Friday 4 December. We email you reminders with the Join button 24 hours and 1 hour before.
  3. Press JoinSign in with the same account. The meeting opens here, with questions, polls and the group chat beside it.

Use an up-to-date Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox. Allow sound when your browser asks, and use headphones if you can.

Speaker, chair and convenor

Dr. Dimitris Koutoulas

Presenter

University of Patras

Scholardemia profile

Dr. Stella Kladou

Chair

Hellenic Mediterranean University

Greece

Stella Kladou is an Assistant Professor at the Hellenic Mediterranean University in Crete, Greece. She has published in academic journals and books of prominent international publishers (e.g. Elsevier, Emerald, CABI, Routledge) and presented at well-esteemed international conferences. She has also been involved in nationally- and internationally-financed marketing, cultural and tourism development projects. Her research interests include place branding, sustainable development, cultural tourism, tourism and hospitality marketing.

Scholardemia profileHellenic Mediterranean UniversityORCIDGoogle Scholar

Prof. Eugenia Wickens

Convenor

OTS Academy

United Kingdom

Professor Eugenia Wickens edits the Journal On Tourism & Sustainability (JOTS) and the Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Education (JTHE), and chairs Scholardemia webinar sessions. Her research covers tourist experience and typologies, tourism routes and rural development, volunteer tourism, and event and cultural tourism. Formerly Reader in Tourism at Buckinghamshire New University, she has helped plan tourism education in Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Serbia, Greece, Ireland and Turkey.

Scholardemia profileORCIDGoogle Scholar

Organised by Scholardemia.

Committee

Organising Committee

Operational leadership and event delivery team.

Dr. Stella Kladou

Chair

Hellenic Mediterranean University

Greece

Stella Kladou is an Assistant Professor at the Hellenic Mediterranean University in Crete, Greece. She has published in academic journals and books of prominent international publishers (e.g. Elsevier, Emerald, CABI, Routledge) and presented at well-esteemed international conferences. She has also been involved in nationally- and internationally-financed marketing, cultural and tourism development projects. Her research interests include place branding, sustainable development, cultural tourism, tourism and hospitality marketing.

Scholardemia profileHellenic Mediterranean UniversityORCIDGoogle Scholar

Prof. Eugenia Wickens

Convenor

OTS Academy

United Kingdom

Professor Eugenia Wickens edits the Journal On Tourism & Sustainability (JOTS) and the Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Education (JTHE), and chairs Scholardemia webinar sessions. Her research covers tourist experience and typologies, tourism routes and rural development, volunteer tourism, and event and cultural tourism. Formerly Reader in Tourism at Buckinghamshire New University, she has helped plan tourism education in Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Serbia, Greece, Ireland and Turkey.

Scholardemia profileORCIDGoogle Scholar

Scholardemia

Organizer

Event committee

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Photos

  • How destination images are made. Illustrative photograph — Ari He / Unsplash.

  • Turning research into a creative brief — AI-generated editorial illustration.

  • Representation checked with the people portrayed — AI-generated editorial illustration.

  • Campaigns can shape when and where people visit — AI-generated editorial illustration.

  • Measuring outcomes beyond clicks — AI-generated editorial illustration.

Next in this series

All 29 sessions
  1. Fri 11 Dec17:00Persuasion in the digital realm: AI, chatbots and the ethics of influencing traveller choices onlineSession 6
  2. Fri 8 Jan09:00Ecotourism in action: Balancing sustainable development, resident perceptions and conservation realitiesSession 7
  3. Fri 15 Jan09:00The destination lifecycle revisited: Navigating overtourism and fostering sustainable growth in a post-pandemic worldSession 8
  4. Fri 22 Jan16:00The soul of tourism: Anthropological perspectives on cultivating true destination stewardshipSession 9