Dr Zoe Roberts

My current role is Programme Leader for BSc (Hons) International Tourism Management and BA (Hons) Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management. 

I have been a lecturer at the University of Plymouth since 2021. Currently, I lecture at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in a broad range of subjects including, but not limited to, the impacts of tourism, destination marketing and management, creative industries and crime and sustainable tourism. 

Additionally, I supervise a number of undergraduate and MSc students in a range of subjects including sustainable tourism in island destinations, food tourism and wildlife tourism. 

Qualifications

• PhD Tourism and Literature
• PGCAP
• ResM Tourism and Hospitality - Travel Writing
• BSc (Hons) Tourism Management 

Professional membership

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Member of the Tourism Management Institute (MTMI)

Teaching interests

Undergraduate level:

• Tourism Impacts and Society
• Destination Planning and Management
• Creative Industries 
• Crime and Sustainable Tourism 

Postgraduate level:

• Sustainable Destination Development and Disaster and Crisis Management in Tourism and Hospitality

Research interests

I recently completed my PhD titled: Literary Tourism: Linking Cultural Capital, Tourist Experiences and Perceptions of Authenticity. 

Within my doctoral research, I explored and conceptualised the nexus between tourist and site guardian personal cultural capital and perceptions of authenticity at literary sites associated with Winston Graham's Poldark novel series.

In 2018 I completed my ResM Tourism and Hospitality titled: Mapping Generic Territory: The Pedagogy and Practice of Travel Writing.

The thesis engaged with travel writing at two levels: pedagogically and practically. Primary linguistic data were collected from travel texts collated within a portfolio of my own negotiated and sustained practice as a travel writer. A close reading of these portfolio texts was presented, along with the introduction of the Aim, Design, Assessment (ADA) apparatus - a tool developed to aid the analysis and understanding of travel writing for writers, commissioning editors and tourism professionals. Within its conclusions, the thesis reflected on my ResM degree and provided suggestions for how the genre can be taught academically, thus, positioning the work within the discipline of applied research, where the science of academic research disclosures can be recycled into the pedagogic education and professional practice of travel writing. Examining travel writing from an interdisciplinary perspective (Tourism Knowledge, Design & Literary Studies) the thesis also contributed to the volume of new tourism knowledge and introduces travel writing's role as a toureme conduit.

My other research interests include the following:

• Literary Tourism 
• Film Tourism
• Creative Industries

Other research

I have participated as a delegate for many research activities at the University of Plymouth including the Riverias Travel Writing Atelier and the Writing & Art Interpretation Literature study day.

Conferences organised

Organiser and speaker at the River Tourism: The Pedagogy and Practice of Place Writing Conference, University of Plymouth, 3rd June 2015