Professor Roya Rahimi: Inaugural Lecture

The University of Wolverhampton is delighted to host an inaugural lecture with Professor Roya Rahimi.

Destinations in a Digital World: Marketing, Innovation and the New Visitor Economy

In this inaugural lecture, Professor Roya Rahimi reflects on the personal and professional experiences that have shaped her academic journey and research. Her path has been influenced not only by travel, but also by living, working, and collaborating across different countries, cultures, institutions, and industries. These experiences sparked a deep interest in understanding how people, places, and organisations connect in an increasingly globalised tourism and visitor economy.

Drawing on her research in marketing, digital transformation, and emerging technologies, Professor Rahimi explores how tourism, hospitality, and the wider visitor economy are evolving in response to changing traveller expectations, global mobility, and rapid technological change. Her work examines how destinations, tourism organisations, and hospitality businesses can use digital innovation and responsible marketing practices to create engaging visitor experiences, build trust, and support sustainable growth within the sector.

Through reflections on her life journey alongside insights from her research, the lecture will explore how personal experiences often shape the questions scholars pursue. It will highlight the important role that interdisciplinary research across marketing, entrepreneurship, innovation, and the tourism and hospitality sectors can play in strengthening destinations, supporting businesses and entrepreneurs, and contributing to resilient and sustainable visitor economies.

18:00 Refreshments
18:30 Lecture
19:15 Q&A
19:30 Networking
20:00 Close

This event will take place in the lecture theatre in Mary Seacole Building (MH002). Refreshments will be provided.

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Host or Publisher University of Wolverhampton