Dr Nika Balomenou

Associate Professor in Tourism and Visual Sociology

Business

+44 (0) 1792 602930

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Office 341 - 341
Third Floor
School of Management
Bay Campus

Available For Postgraduate Supervision

Research Links

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7644-5143

ResearchGate

Google Scholar

About

Nika is an Associate Professor in Tourism and Visual Sociology at the Swansea School of Management. She is co-chair of the Visual Methods in Tourism Research Special Interest Group of the Association for Tourism and Leisure Education and Research SIG. Her research interests include visual methods and the use of participant-generated images in tourism research with a special focus on host community empowerment.

Nika joined Swansea University in September 2021, following 12 years at the University of Hertfordshire, where, amongst other responsibilities, she headed the Enterprise and Value Research Group and was School Research Tutor for the Hertfordshire Business School. Nika is now leading the MSc International Tourism Management as its Programme Director. Nika publishes her work in internationally excellent journals. She is in the Editorial board of the Journal of Destination and Marketing Management and Tourism Planning and Development.

Areas Of Expertise

Tourism
Visual Sociology
Strategic Tourism Planning
Community Empowerment
National Parks
Host and Guest interaction and experience

Publications

Research Highlights

Balomenou, N., Balomenou, N., & Garrod, B. (2019). Photographs in tourism research: Prejudice, power, performance and participant-generated images. Tourism Management, 70, 201-217.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.08.014, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa43608
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.08.014
Balomenou, N., Balomenou, N., Garrod, B., & Georgiadou, A. (2017). Making sense of tourists' photographs using canonical variate analysis. Tourism Management, 61, 173-179.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2017.02.010, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa35833
Balomenou, N., Balomenou, N., & Garrod, B. (2015). A Review of Participant-Generated Image Methods in the Social Sciences. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 10(4), 335-351.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1558689815581561, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa35830
http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84987784592&partnerID=MN8TOARS
Garrod, B. & Balomenou, N. (2021). Visual research methods: volunteer-employed photography (VEP). Handbook of Research Methods for Marketing Management Edward Elgar Publishing
https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788976954.00016, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa56603

All Research

Journal Articles

Balomenou, N., Balomenou, N., & Garrod, B. (2019). Photographs in tourism research: Prejudice, power, performance and participant-generated images. Tourism Management, 70, 201-217.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.08.014, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa43608
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.08.014
Balomenou, N., Balomenou, N., Garrod, B., & Georgiadou, A. (2017). Making sense of tourists' photographs using canonical variate analysis. Tourism Management, 61, 173-179.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2017.02.010, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa35833
Balomenou, N., Balomenou, N., & Garrod, B. (2015). A Review of Participant-Generated Image Methods in the Social Sciences. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 10(4), 335-351.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1558689815581561, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa35830
http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84987784592&partnerID=MN8TOARS

Book Chapters

Garrod, B. & Balomenou, N. (2021). Visual research methods: volunteer-employed photography (VEP). Handbook of Research Methods for Marketing Management Edward Elgar Publishing
https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788976954.00016, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa56603

Supervision

The Double-Edged Sword of ADHD: Understanding the Pros and Cons of ADHD in the Workplace (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Prof Brian Garrod
Authentic Ainu culture or colonial spectacle for tourism? Ainu cultural representation: exposing the visual narrative. (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Prof Sarah Nicholls
The impact of commercialisation on risk perception and transfer in high altitude mountaineering: The case of Mount Everest (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Dr Carl Cater

Taught Modules

MN-2058 Contemporary Issues in Tourism

Tourism is often said to be the world¿s first truly global industry and is also considered to presently be one its largest in economic terms. Tourism is therefore a very important economic sector in many regions and countries. At the same time, tourism is a service-based and people-oriented business, in which the `product¿ is co-constructed by a wide diversity of consumers and producers in the complex context of a tourism destination. As such, tourism carries with it impacts on the cultural and social fabric of those destinations, as well as on their natural environment. The latter is also impacted upon by the means of transport tourists use from their home to their destination, around the destination, and then back home again. As such, tourism is replete with controversial issues that have significant implications for society, economy and environment. The purpose of this module is to take a number of contemporary issues related to tourism and to consider them critically.
MN-2062 Visitor Experience Design and Management

Today, consumers search for extraordinary and memorable experiences. However, rapidly changing marketplaces and technologies present opportunities and challenges to tourism mangers, who must create, deliver, assess and redesign impactful visitor experiences. This module will examine the dynamics of tourism experiences, and equip students with relevant skills to design and critique design and management initiatives for visitors from multiple cultural contexts.
MN-2564 Tourism in Practice

Tourism development brings a range of marketing challenges and impacts that may be observed first-hand. This course combines a discussion of tourism development and marketing with a visit to a tourism destination. Students will investigate the destination development and interact with relevant tourism operators, marketers and policy makers. This will provide students with the opportunity to observe destination management issues first hand and to assess career options in the sector. There is also opportunity for students to practice research skills in this environment.
MN-3012 Marketing Research

The Marketing Research course examines both the theoretical and practical sides of the marketing research process. Overall, the module is designed to equip participants with the knowledge to be able to design and implement theoretically sound marketing research projects in a commercial environment.
MN-3060 Tourism Planning

For people engaged in the tourism and recreation industries decision making at local and larger spatial scales normally takes place against a background of some form of strategic planning. This module will begin with an examination of tourism's contribution to development goals, and some of the issues surrounding this. This module will then introduce students to the components of planning and will look at the techniques and tools available to the planner and will consider examples of documentation associated with strategic planning. It will also critically assess the contribution of tourism to broader development objectives.
MN-M595 Business Project Foundations

As preparation for your business project, this module focuses on how to successfully undertake a business project and develops associated career enhancing employability skills. Case studies on related business topics (drawing on concepts covered in other modules) will be used to illustrate this application within the lectures and practical workshops. Across the sessions in this module, students will be provided with the necessary knowledge and skills to enable them to embark on their business project. Practical seminars will provide the opportunity to apply and evaluate what is learned in the lectures.

Dr Nika Balomenou

Telephone number

Email address

LinkedIn Account

Research Links

About

Areas Of Expertise

Publications

Research Highlights

All Research

Journal Articles

Book Chapters

Supervision

The Double-Edged Sword of ADHD: Understanding the Pros and Cons of ADHD in the Workplace (current)

Authentic Ainu culture or colonial spectacle for tourism? Ainu cultural representation: exposing the visual narrative. (current)

The impact of commercialisation on risk perception and transfer in high altitude mountaineering: The case of Mount Everest (current)

Taught Modules

MN-2058 Contemporary Issues in Tourism

MN-2062 Visitor Experience Design and Management

MN-2564 Tourism in Practice

MN-3012 Marketing Research

MN-3060 Tourism Planning

MN-M595 Business Project Foundations