Sally Webster
Sally Webster is an author, academic and marketing communications professional with more than 20 years experience in marketing communications in Government, politics, education, tourism and the arts. She is currently lecturer in Advertising- Marketing Communications at University of Canberra, and is completing her PhD in Communication that investigates using travel novels as a new destination marketing tool to creatively market a city (the city of Barcelona) while also supporting cultural education. Her academic research focuses on creative tourism marketing, tourism writing, place branding and identity, cultural education, and the influence of young people as the current and future tourists. An interview with Sally about her travel novels is at: http://www.mediaforis.com/barcelona-guide-bureau/barcelona-guide-bureau-met-the-inspiring-australian-author-sally-webster/#more-1724
Sally’s experience and knowledge in marketing communications is well recognised. In 2009, she was selected to provide an experts briefing on Government Advertising to the Federal Parliamentary Joint Committee on Public Accounts and Audit to the Inquiry into the Role of the Auditor-General in Government Advertising http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/jcpaa/govtad/index.htm Through her presentation and submission http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/jcpaa/govtad/sub6.pdf she was able to influence the Australian Government’s reform of Government Advertising policy, which was implemented in February 2010.
As well, Sally is dedicated to researching effective practices within the Advertising-Marketing Communication industry that support the development of Work Integrated Learning curricula. She is currently working with the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) and marketing communications industry on ‘Strategies for the effective education of the next generation of marketers’. Through her teaching, Sally encourages active engagement with industry which supports students with learning that combines both research-led and practice-led approaches, and demands the highest professional standards. Her objective is to develop learning programs that inspire, motivate and challenge students, so as to produce creative graduates who are job ready and the future leaders in industry. She has been awarded the University of Canberra Union 2010 Service Award for Outstanding Support for Students http://www.uclife.com.au/blues-and-leadership-awards/ and in 2011 was awarded the University of Canberra award for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning.
Sally is a social commentator for Australian and international media, and is a regular guest on the top rating Alex Sloane Morning Radio Program ABC666 Canberra speaking on brand management, advertising, marketing communications, Government advertising and political communications. She regularly speaks at conferences in Australia and overseas on her areas of research and advertising-marketing communications.
Address: University Drive, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
Sally’s experience and knowledge in marketing communications is well recognised. In 2009, she was selected to provide an experts briefing on Government Advertising to the Federal Parliamentary Joint Committee on Public Accounts and Audit to the Inquiry into the Role of the Auditor-General in Government Advertising http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/jcpaa/govtad/index.htm Through her presentation and submission http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/jcpaa/govtad/sub6.pdf she was able to influence the Australian Government’s reform of Government Advertising policy, which was implemented in February 2010.
As well, Sally is dedicated to researching effective practices within the Advertising-Marketing Communication industry that support the development of Work Integrated Learning curricula. She is currently working with the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) and marketing communications industry on ‘Strategies for the effective education of the next generation of marketers’. Through her teaching, Sally encourages active engagement with industry which supports students with learning that combines both research-led and practice-led approaches, and demands the highest professional standards. Her objective is to develop learning programs that inspire, motivate and challenge students, so as to produce creative graduates who are job ready and the future leaders in industry. She has been awarded the University of Canberra Union 2010 Service Award for Outstanding Support for Students http://www.uclife.com.au/blues-and-leadership-awards/ and in 2011 was awarded the University of Canberra award for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning.
Sally is a social commentator for Australian and international media, and is a regular guest on the top rating Alex Sloane Morning Radio Program ABC666 Canberra speaking on brand management, advertising, marketing communications, Government advertising and political communications. She regularly speaks at conferences in Australia and overseas on her areas of research and advertising-marketing communications.
Address: University Drive, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
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Papers by Sally Webster
Amid university course outcomes, university and workplace policies and administrative requirements, critical elements for success are the perceptions and expectations of the participants in the workplace learning environment. A positive and well-informed relationship between student and workplace colleague/supervisor/mentor enhances the opportunity to provide a more productive learning experience. While this relationship has received some attention in the literature of some discipline areas such as teacher education and health education, there is little that looks at work integrated learning more widely. While each of the ‘players’ in the learning experience deserves detailed study, this paper provides a preliminary view to better understanding WIL relationships by focusing on the perceptions and expectations of the workplace mentor/supervisor. The findings of a pilot study conducted across three disciplines in one higher education institution are discussed in the context of existing literature. Differing expectations of what kind of learning will take place, how student learning will be facilitated, the benefits and the risks of having a student in the workplace, are some of the factors that influence the nature and outcomes of work-integrated learning placements
Workshop participants were encouraged to find an artefact or item within the Museum’s collection that would inspire them to write an historically-based story. The aim was to use the Museum’s collection and promote the collection through creative interpretation.
The short story, 'Tears for Coranderrk', written by Canberra-based writer Sally Webster, was inspired by a range of observations and artefacts featured within the National Museum of Australia. This included the Museum’s tour guides; its foyer featuring the eucalypt shaped windows; the families and children visiting the Museum; the First Australian exhibition, especially the audio recording of Bob Randall's song Brown Skin Baby; and the temporary exhibition Selling an American Dream: Australia's Greek Café (11 July – 16 November 2008). This photographic exhibition highlighted the key role that Greek Australians played during the formative years of Australian culture. The photographs explored how many Greek migrants who came to Australia embraced a Californian Dream of setting up milk bars and soda shops. As highlighted in the stories of the Greek migrants, many of them came from Kythera, Greece, and some had employed Stolen Generation children to work in their cafes.
The following links feature aspects of the National Museum of Australia that were the basis of the inspiration for the short story, 'Tears for Coranderrk' written by Sally Webster.
http://www.nma.gov.au/visit/virtual_tour/.
http://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/now_showing/first_australians/.
http://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/selling_an_american_dream_australias_greek_cafe/.
Yankunytjatjara Elder and a traditional owner of Uluru (Ayers Rock), Bob Randall on You Tube performing Brown Skin Baby (They Took Me Away) for the GlobalOneness Project 2007, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3ytJioxKzI.
Talks by Sally Webster
What we experience when we are young, including the stories we read, can and does shape how we will see the world and ourselves within it. Novels especially take us on a journey and allow us, the reader, to discover. They give us the opportunity to escape and experience something different.
In this presentation, Sally will discuss the impact of stories on cultural education and how this can promote empathy and understanding.
This is an opportunity to hear and provide feedback to Sally’s research that will be featured in the following upcoming events:
• TEDx Canberra – 24 September, National Library of Australia http://tedxcanberra.org/
• 2nd Applied Linguistics Associations of Australia (ALAA) and New Zealand (ALANZ) conference, Canberra Langfest 2011, 30 November – 2 December
• Universitat de Barcelona CETT Linguistic Conference, April 2012, Barcelona as guest speaker.
[1] Blyton, Enid: Adventures of the Wishing Chair, George Newnes Ltd, London, 1950 (part of The Magic Faraway Tree series).
[2] Lewis, C S: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Puffin Books, London, 1959 (first published Geoffrey Bles, 1950).
[3] Dahl, Roald: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. George Allen and Unwin Ltd, London, 1967
University of Canberra's Monitor online magazine discusses my TEDx Canberra talk in more detail http://www.canberra.edu.au/monitor/2011/oct/tedx
Client Relationship Management, a core subject within the Bachelor of Advertising and Marketing Communication degree at the University of Canberra, successfully demonstrates that WIL can be delivered beyond internships and practical placements, and still support our future professionals.
This unit taught on campus, has transformed the conventional WIL concepts to an innovative, creative approach that delivers on the objectives of the students, the industry and the University.
This has been achieved by
- engaging and listening to industry, including potential employers, industry associations and alumni;
- remaining up to date with industry practices, and incorporating new approaches and industry standards within the curriculum;
- incorporating authentic assessment approaches that have demonstrable practical applications and provides tangible items for students’ portfolios;
- providing an environment that encourages students to evolve in a professional setting and share their experiences in a professional manner;
- delivering the subject as a workshop and in a boardroom setting, thus discarding the traditional lecture – tutorial approach usually staged in a classic class room setting; and
- educating students of the importance of WIL and how the approaches within the unit will support them with practical experience in any work situation.
This presentation will discuss how an undergraduate unit taught face-to-face, on campus can be transformed into a dynamic, informative Work Integrated Learning unit. And, how this is achieved while still supporting the expectations of industry, the learning outcomes of the University, and motivates students to participate, learn and engage - all with the objective of assisting students to be job ready and to deliver a vibrant and informative course that will encourage future students.
Young people can have and do have influence on where families’ holiday, yet DMOs do little to market to this audience. Young people enthusiastically embrace brands more than other marketing approaches. Whey they develop a relationship with a brand they tend to stay intensely loyal to the brand…but to achieve this, organisations, such as DMOs, need to consider creative approaches that are credible otherwise young consumers are not engaged and a brand relationship is unlikely to be formed.
This presentation will examine the importance of destination branding, and why it is critical to target young people when developing destination branding products, and the need to do this in innovative and creative ways with practical implications. It will discuss ways of reaching a young audience through creative tourism that encourages activity and engagement – key factors when capturing young consumers.
In 2008, Queensland Tourism approached a local agency CumminsNitro to develop a destination marketing campaign that would have cut-through in an oversaturated sun and sea holiday market. Queensland Tourism was aware that if it was to survive the Global Financial Crisis, increasing unemployment, decrease in market share, and strong competition, it must differentiate itself. Even though CumminsNitro was given a ridiculously low budget for the total campaign (AUD$1.5 million) or perhaps because of this, it convinced Queensland Tourism to go beyond the traditional marketing approaches of brochures, websites, television commercials and billboards, and instead focus on an innovative brand campaign that embraced new approaches and new media so as to showcase the personality of Queensland, revealing its unique characteristics and identity.
Using the ‘Best Job in the World’ as a case study, this paper will discuss the developments in destination branding; why Destination Marketing Organisations must embrace destination branding over traditional destination marketing approaches in order to differentiate themselves; why strategic objectives must be identified before brand development; and the impact on the integrity of the brand when this is not undertaken.
Creative Tourism is a relatively new concept that uses the creative industries to promote a destination. In 2006, UNESCO developed a definition of Creative Tourism as: ‘travel directed towards an engaged and authentic experience, with participative learning in the arts, heritage, or special character of a place. It provides a connection with those who reside in this place and create this living culture.’
Barcelona boasts approximately 11 million tourists a year and could be considered the embodiment of Creative Tourism with its showcase of art, sculpture, music, design, food, and distinct Catalan culture. However, Barcelona’s key Destination Marketing Organisations have yet to develop an integrated Creative Tourism Marketing strategy. Perhaps because of this it is now grappling with a range of local issues due to the impact of tourist numbers: its need to support local tourism operators, maintain community interests, and yet encourage the cultural tourist. [Camins, 2008 and Smith, 2007]
This conflict means it is timely for Barcelona to consider how ‘place branding links place identity with projected and perceived images through communication and experience.’ [Govers & Go, 2009, p25]
This paper will discuss the approaches available to Barcelona in developing a destination branding campaign that creatively markets a city by focusing on cultural education and supports sustainable tourism.
References:
Camins, Eva. Direcció General, Turisme de Barcelona. Discussion with author. 19 June 2008.
Govers, Robert and Go, Frank. Place Branding. Palgrave Macmillan, England, 2009. Page 25.
Herbert, David T. Literary Places, Tourism and the Heritage Experiences. Annals of Tourism Research 28 (2), 2001.
Smith, Andrew. Monumentality in ‘Capital’ Cities and Its Implications for Tourism Marketing: The Case of Barcelona. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, Vol 22(3/4) 2007, The Haworth Press.
UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=35257&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
Considering that tourism marketing, especially destination marketing, must constantly reinvent itself to ensure that tourist numbers increase, it is surprising that little has been done (outside of family holiday packages and theme parks) to specifically target youth as a niche market.
Children’s ability to persuade parents on where to holiday was highlighted in Visit Britain’s Families Research undertaken in 2006. While this research focussed on the influence of children on family and leisure activities and holidays within Britain, its finding can also be considered for other destinations when developing marketing strategies.
Spain consistently remains a top international travel destination. The United Nations World Tourism Organization highlighted in its 2007 data that Spain was again ranked second in both International Tourist Arrivals and International Tourism Receipts.
One of the most popular destinations within Spain is Barcelona – a city rich in cultural heritage, history and modern creativity. The Turisme de Barcelona (tourist office of Barcelona) and many international travel agents aggressively market the city of Barcelona to adults, yet they tend to neglect older children and teenagers who have enormous influence over their parents on where the family will spend its holidays and what they will do.
As part of her postgraduate research studies, Sally Webster has developed a concept to creatively reach the youth audience through the development of travel novels for both the younger / middle reader (8-14 year olds) and young adult (14-18 year olds) markets. In particular, she has focussed on Barcelona, a city that already boasts approximately 1 million visitors a month and must maintain its cultural heritage in order to sustain and increase tourist numbers.
Sally will discuss the importance of creative tourism marketing for the youth market, the influence youth has on the decisions made by adults (generally their parents) and how this impacts on tourist spending power, and the need to enhance cultural awareness with youth in order to support sustainable tourism.
Instead of my creative thesis controlling the direction of my exegesis, it is now my exegesis (and the academic research) that is inspiring my novel writing. As a consequence, I will be undertaking a PhD upgrade seminar early 2008 on: Celebrating Barcelona - one city, many journeys; marketing, literature and the travel novel.
'Lotus', through the characters of the novel, will explore the following question:
Does ‘being different’ mean that a person experiences injustice and inequality because many others find the difference to be confronting, and this then challenges a person’s identity and sense of belonging?
As an Australian writer, Sally Webster, will be narrating the story through a young, Australian woman, Anne, who discovers as a teenager that she was born elsewhere (Vietnam) and that she ‘is different’ because her natural mother was Vietnamese and natural father an Australian soldier. 'Lotus' is set in Melbourne in 1995.
The question of identity is also reflected in the other main characters, including her uncle, a Vietnam veteran, whom Anne shares a special bond with; her adoptive mother who struggles to come to terms with taking another person's child; Vietnamese friends who fled South Vietnam as refugees; and the family Anne befriends in Hanoi when she travels to north Vietnam as part of her journey of self-discovery.
'Lotus' is a journey about being different, discovering identity and a sense of belonging.
'Lotus' explores social and cultural issues through another's eyes. As an Australian writer, Sally Webster, will be narrating the story through a young, Australian woman, Anne, who discovers as a teenager that she was born elsewhere and that she is different. The question of identity is also reflected in the other main characters, including her uncle, a Vietnam veteran; her mother who struggles to come to terms with taking another person's child; Vietnamese friends who fled Southern Vietnam as refugees; and the family Anne befriends in Hanoi when she travels to north Vietnam as part of her journey of self-discovery.
Lotus' is set in Melbourne in 1995. Anne, 20, lives with her parents and younger brother. Anne loves her family and does not question their love for her, but she looks different to the rest of her family and has always felt like an outsider. When she was 15, Anne discovered she was born in Vietnam and adopted. She learns her birth mother was Vietnamese and her father a western soldier. As she got older she was curious to know more about where she came from. She has a special bond with her uncle, a Vietnam veteran, who shares many of Anne's anxieties.
'Lotus' is a journey about being different, discovering identity and a sense of belonging.
'Lotus' is set in Melbourne in 1995. It is based around the life stories of: Anne, an adopted Vietnam war baby, whose father was a western soldier and mother Vietnamese; her mother, who feels she has stolen another women's baby; her uncle, a Vietnam veteran; and a family she meets in Hanoi, Vietnam, during her travels.
Anne, 20, lives with her parents, younger brother and sister. Anne loves her family and does not question their love for her, but she looks different to the rest of her family and has always felt like an outsider. When she was 15, Anne discovered she was born in Vietnam and adopted. As she got older she was curious to know more about where she came from. She has a special bond with her uncle, a Vietnam veteran, who shares many of Anne's anxieties. 'Lotus' is a journey about being different, discovering identity and a sense of belonging.
'Lotus' will explore social and cultural issues through another's eyes. As an Australian writer, Sally Webster, will be narrating the story through a young, Australian woman who discovers as a teenager that she was born elsewhere and that she is different. The question of identity is also reflected in the other main characters, including her uncle, a Vietnam veteran; her mother who struggles to come to terms with taking another person's child; Vietnamese friends who fled Southern Vietnam as refugees; and the family Anne befriends in Hanoi when she travels to north Vietnam as part of her journey of self-discovery.
Amid university course outcomes, university and workplace policies and administrative requirements, critical elements for success are the perceptions and expectations of the participants in the workplace learning environment. A positive and well-informed relationship between student and workplace colleague/supervisor/mentor enhances the opportunity to provide a more productive learning experience. While this relationship has received some attention in the literature of some discipline areas such as teacher education and health education, there is little that looks at work integrated learning more widely. While each of the ‘players’ in the learning experience deserves detailed study, this paper provides a preliminary view to better understanding WIL relationships by focusing on the perceptions and expectations of the workplace mentor/supervisor. The findings of a pilot study conducted across three disciplines in one higher education institution are discussed in the context of existing literature. Differing expectations of what kind of learning will take place, how student learning will be facilitated, the benefits and the risks of having a student in the workplace, are some of the factors that influence the nature and outcomes of work-integrated learning placements
Workshop participants were encouraged to find an artefact or item within the Museum’s collection that would inspire them to write an historically-based story. The aim was to use the Museum’s collection and promote the collection through creative interpretation.
The short story, 'Tears for Coranderrk', written by Canberra-based writer Sally Webster, was inspired by a range of observations and artefacts featured within the National Museum of Australia. This included the Museum’s tour guides; its foyer featuring the eucalypt shaped windows; the families and children visiting the Museum; the First Australian exhibition, especially the audio recording of Bob Randall's song Brown Skin Baby; and the temporary exhibition Selling an American Dream: Australia's Greek Café (11 July – 16 November 2008). This photographic exhibition highlighted the key role that Greek Australians played during the formative years of Australian culture. The photographs explored how many Greek migrants who came to Australia embraced a Californian Dream of setting up milk bars and soda shops. As highlighted in the stories of the Greek migrants, many of them came from Kythera, Greece, and some had employed Stolen Generation children to work in their cafes.
The following links feature aspects of the National Museum of Australia that were the basis of the inspiration for the short story, 'Tears for Coranderrk' written by Sally Webster.
http://www.nma.gov.au/visit/virtual_tour/.
http://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/now_showing/first_australians/.
http://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/selling_an_american_dream_australias_greek_cafe/.
Yankunytjatjara Elder and a traditional owner of Uluru (Ayers Rock), Bob Randall on You Tube performing Brown Skin Baby (They Took Me Away) for the GlobalOneness Project 2007, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3ytJioxKzI.
What we experience when we are young, including the stories we read, can and does shape how we will see the world and ourselves within it. Novels especially take us on a journey and allow us, the reader, to discover. They give us the opportunity to escape and experience something different.
In this presentation, Sally will discuss the impact of stories on cultural education and how this can promote empathy and understanding.
This is an opportunity to hear and provide feedback to Sally’s research that will be featured in the following upcoming events:
• TEDx Canberra – 24 September, National Library of Australia http://tedxcanberra.org/
• 2nd Applied Linguistics Associations of Australia (ALAA) and New Zealand (ALANZ) conference, Canberra Langfest 2011, 30 November – 2 December
• Universitat de Barcelona CETT Linguistic Conference, April 2012, Barcelona as guest speaker.
[1] Blyton, Enid: Adventures of the Wishing Chair, George Newnes Ltd, London, 1950 (part of The Magic Faraway Tree series).
[2] Lewis, C S: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Puffin Books, London, 1959 (first published Geoffrey Bles, 1950).
[3] Dahl, Roald: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. George Allen and Unwin Ltd, London, 1967
University of Canberra's Monitor online magazine discusses my TEDx Canberra talk in more detail http://www.canberra.edu.au/monitor/2011/oct/tedx
Client Relationship Management, a core subject within the Bachelor of Advertising and Marketing Communication degree at the University of Canberra, successfully demonstrates that WIL can be delivered beyond internships and practical placements, and still support our future professionals.
This unit taught on campus, has transformed the conventional WIL concepts to an innovative, creative approach that delivers on the objectives of the students, the industry and the University.
This has been achieved by
- engaging and listening to industry, including potential employers, industry associations and alumni;
- remaining up to date with industry practices, and incorporating new approaches and industry standards within the curriculum;
- incorporating authentic assessment approaches that have demonstrable practical applications and provides tangible items for students’ portfolios;
- providing an environment that encourages students to evolve in a professional setting and share their experiences in a professional manner;
- delivering the subject as a workshop and in a boardroom setting, thus discarding the traditional lecture – tutorial approach usually staged in a classic class room setting; and
- educating students of the importance of WIL and how the approaches within the unit will support them with practical experience in any work situation.
This presentation will discuss how an undergraduate unit taught face-to-face, on campus can be transformed into a dynamic, informative Work Integrated Learning unit. And, how this is achieved while still supporting the expectations of industry, the learning outcomes of the University, and motivates students to participate, learn and engage - all with the objective of assisting students to be job ready and to deliver a vibrant and informative course that will encourage future students.
Young people can have and do have influence on where families’ holiday, yet DMOs do little to market to this audience. Young people enthusiastically embrace brands more than other marketing approaches. Whey they develop a relationship with a brand they tend to stay intensely loyal to the brand…but to achieve this, organisations, such as DMOs, need to consider creative approaches that are credible otherwise young consumers are not engaged and a brand relationship is unlikely to be formed.
This presentation will examine the importance of destination branding, and why it is critical to target young people when developing destination branding products, and the need to do this in innovative and creative ways with practical implications. It will discuss ways of reaching a young audience through creative tourism that encourages activity and engagement – key factors when capturing young consumers.
In 2008, Queensland Tourism approached a local agency CumminsNitro to develop a destination marketing campaign that would have cut-through in an oversaturated sun and sea holiday market. Queensland Tourism was aware that if it was to survive the Global Financial Crisis, increasing unemployment, decrease in market share, and strong competition, it must differentiate itself. Even though CumminsNitro was given a ridiculously low budget for the total campaign (AUD$1.5 million) or perhaps because of this, it convinced Queensland Tourism to go beyond the traditional marketing approaches of brochures, websites, television commercials and billboards, and instead focus on an innovative brand campaign that embraced new approaches and new media so as to showcase the personality of Queensland, revealing its unique characteristics and identity.
Using the ‘Best Job in the World’ as a case study, this paper will discuss the developments in destination branding; why Destination Marketing Organisations must embrace destination branding over traditional destination marketing approaches in order to differentiate themselves; why strategic objectives must be identified before brand development; and the impact on the integrity of the brand when this is not undertaken.
Creative Tourism is a relatively new concept that uses the creative industries to promote a destination. In 2006, UNESCO developed a definition of Creative Tourism as: ‘travel directed towards an engaged and authentic experience, with participative learning in the arts, heritage, or special character of a place. It provides a connection with those who reside in this place and create this living culture.’
Barcelona boasts approximately 11 million tourists a year and could be considered the embodiment of Creative Tourism with its showcase of art, sculpture, music, design, food, and distinct Catalan culture. However, Barcelona’s key Destination Marketing Organisations have yet to develop an integrated Creative Tourism Marketing strategy. Perhaps because of this it is now grappling with a range of local issues due to the impact of tourist numbers: its need to support local tourism operators, maintain community interests, and yet encourage the cultural tourist. [Camins, 2008 and Smith, 2007]
This conflict means it is timely for Barcelona to consider how ‘place branding links place identity with projected and perceived images through communication and experience.’ [Govers & Go, 2009, p25]
This paper will discuss the approaches available to Barcelona in developing a destination branding campaign that creatively markets a city by focusing on cultural education and supports sustainable tourism.
References:
Camins, Eva. Direcció General, Turisme de Barcelona. Discussion with author. 19 June 2008.
Govers, Robert and Go, Frank. Place Branding. Palgrave Macmillan, England, 2009. Page 25.
Herbert, David T. Literary Places, Tourism and the Heritage Experiences. Annals of Tourism Research 28 (2), 2001.
Smith, Andrew. Monumentality in ‘Capital’ Cities and Its Implications for Tourism Marketing: The Case of Barcelona. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, Vol 22(3/4) 2007, The Haworth Press.
UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=35257&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
Considering that tourism marketing, especially destination marketing, must constantly reinvent itself to ensure that tourist numbers increase, it is surprising that little has been done (outside of family holiday packages and theme parks) to specifically target youth as a niche market.
Children’s ability to persuade parents on where to holiday was highlighted in Visit Britain’s Families Research undertaken in 2006. While this research focussed on the influence of children on family and leisure activities and holidays within Britain, its finding can also be considered for other destinations when developing marketing strategies.
Spain consistently remains a top international travel destination. The United Nations World Tourism Organization highlighted in its 2007 data that Spain was again ranked second in both International Tourist Arrivals and International Tourism Receipts.
One of the most popular destinations within Spain is Barcelona – a city rich in cultural heritage, history and modern creativity. The Turisme de Barcelona (tourist office of Barcelona) and many international travel agents aggressively market the city of Barcelona to adults, yet they tend to neglect older children and teenagers who have enormous influence over their parents on where the family will spend its holidays and what they will do.
As part of her postgraduate research studies, Sally Webster has developed a concept to creatively reach the youth audience through the development of travel novels for both the younger / middle reader (8-14 year olds) and young adult (14-18 year olds) markets. In particular, she has focussed on Barcelona, a city that already boasts approximately 1 million visitors a month and must maintain its cultural heritage in order to sustain and increase tourist numbers.
Sally will discuss the importance of creative tourism marketing for the youth market, the influence youth has on the decisions made by adults (generally their parents) and how this impacts on tourist spending power, and the need to enhance cultural awareness with youth in order to support sustainable tourism.
Instead of my creative thesis controlling the direction of my exegesis, it is now my exegesis (and the academic research) that is inspiring my novel writing. As a consequence, I will be undertaking a PhD upgrade seminar early 2008 on: Celebrating Barcelona - one city, many journeys; marketing, literature and the travel novel.
'Lotus', through the characters of the novel, will explore the following question:
Does ‘being different’ mean that a person experiences injustice and inequality because many others find the difference to be confronting, and this then challenges a person’s identity and sense of belonging?
As an Australian writer, Sally Webster, will be narrating the story through a young, Australian woman, Anne, who discovers as a teenager that she was born elsewhere (Vietnam) and that she ‘is different’ because her natural mother was Vietnamese and natural father an Australian soldier. 'Lotus' is set in Melbourne in 1995.
The question of identity is also reflected in the other main characters, including her uncle, a Vietnam veteran, whom Anne shares a special bond with; her adoptive mother who struggles to come to terms with taking another person's child; Vietnamese friends who fled South Vietnam as refugees; and the family Anne befriends in Hanoi when she travels to north Vietnam as part of her journey of self-discovery.
'Lotus' is a journey about being different, discovering identity and a sense of belonging.
'Lotus' explores social and cultural issues through another's eyes. As an Australian writer, Sally Webster, will be narrating the story through a young, Australian woman, Anne, who discovers as a teenager that she was born elsewhere and that she is different. The question of identity is also reflected in the other main characters, including her uncle, a Vietnam veteran; her mother who struggles to come to terms with taking another person's child; Vietnamese friends who fled Southern Vietnam as refugees; and the family Anne befriends in Hanoi when she travels to north Vietnam as part of her journey of self-discovery.
Lotus' is set in Melbourne in 1995. Anne, 20, lives with her parents and younger brother. Anne loves her family and does not question their love for her, but she looks different to the rest of her family and has always felt like an outsider. When she was 15, Anne discovered she was born in Vietnam and adopted. She learns her birth mother was Vietnamese and her father a western soldier. As she got older she was curious to know more about where she came from. She has a special bond with her uncle, a Vietnam veteran, who shares many of Anne's anxieties.
'Lotus' is a journey about being different, discovering identity and a sense of belonging.
'Lotus' is set in Melbourne in 1995. It is based around the life stories of: Anne, an adopted Vietnam war baby, whose father was a western soldier and mother Vietnamese; her mother, who feels she has stolen another women's baby; her uncle, a Vietnam veteran; and a family she meets in Hanoi, Vietnam, during her travels.
Anne, 20, lives with her parents, younger brother and sister. Anne loves her family and does not question their love for her, but she looks different to the rest of her family and has always felt like an outsider. When she was 15, Anne discovered she was born in Vietnam and adopted. As she got older she was curious to know more about where she came from. She has a special bond with her uncle, a Vietnam veteran, who shares many of Anne's anxieties. 'Lotus' is a journey about being different, discovering identity and a sense of belonging.
'Lotus' will explore social and cultural issues through another's eyes. As an Australian writer, Sally Webster, will be narrating the story through a young, Australian woman who discovers as a teenager that she was born elsewhere and that she is different. The question of identity is also reflected in the other main characters, including her uncle, a Vietnam veteran; her mother who struggles to come to terms with taking another person's child; Vietnamese friends who fled Southern Vietnam as refugees; and the family Anne befriends in Hanoi when she travels to north Vietnam as part of her journey of self-discovery.