Dr Craig Wight

Craig Wight is a Lecturer in Hospitality and Tourism and is Programme Lead for the undergraduate Hospitality Management programmes in the Department. He is interested in destination development and narratives of cultural heritage, including 'genocide heritage' as these relate to the construction of destination discourses. He has a background in commercial consultancy for tourism organisations, having worked at the Moffat Centre in Glasgow during most of the 2000s. He led a range of consultancy and research projects including an annual socio-economic impact study for the 'Freedom' music festival in Hull. He also contributed to a review of tourist information services for Visit Hull and East Yorkshire and wrote strategies for the Scottish Borders and West Dunbartonshire tourism partnerships. Craig has advised both the Scottish and UK National Tourism Organisations having undertaken an analysis of the structures and budgets of International NTOs for VisitBritain and having co-authored a scenario planning report with VisitScotland. He led on a number of socio-economic impact analyses and consultation exercises in Scotland and the UK. He has presented at several tourism conferences including the WASET Cultural Heritage Conference in Paris France (2017), the 'Myths of Tourism' conference in Zadar, Croatia (2012) and the 2nd Advances in Hospitality and Tourism conference in Corfu, Greece (2011). He also presented research at the first National Association of Interpretation conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2006 (on Lithuanian heritage) and the second in this series in Vancouver, Canada in 2007 (on network marketing in rural tourism). He has a PhD from Plymouth University and his work is published in a number of tourism subject journals including in the 4 star Annals of Tourism and Tourism Management journals. 

Qualifications

PhD (Plymouth University, 2014), PgCAP (Plymouth University, 2012), Masters in Research with Distinction, (Glasgow Caledonian University, 2006), BA Hons (First Class) International Travel with Information Systems (Glasgow Caledonian University, 2004).

Professional membership

I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy 

Roles on external bodies

Reviewer for Tourism Management

Teaching interests

Consumption of tourism and hospitality services; Dark tourism; Research methods; Destination development; Business development and strategy

Staff serving as external examiners

I am External Examiner at the University of Suffolk (appointed 2015) 

Research interests

I undertake research into destination development and this is my principal area of expertise. This encompasses the consultancy work which I have undertaken which includes strategies, options appraisals, product development, impact studies and providing advice to key agencies including VisitBritain and VisitScotland. My academic outputs which are published in major journals such as Tourism Management and Annals of Tourism speak to cultural heritage, and specifically discourse production and consumption in European genocide museums. I also develop academic outputs specifically about tourism related research methodologies. I am interested in post structuralist approaches to knowledge creation, and I typically take orientation from Foucauldian thinking in my own research. I have published widely on these subjects in accredited journals and books and I try to make it along to at least one major international conference per year to presented my research. 

Other research

See 'grants and contracts' for a comprehensive chronology of commercial research.

Grants & contracts

I have undertaken impact studies on festivals and events and also research into museums and memorials in terms of interpretation, national discourses and marketing. I have completed the following business consultancy outputs recently: • A consultation with a cross section of businesses in West Dunbartonshire to develop a visitor loyalty product • A review of the impact of modernisation on the tourist information service infrastructure in Hull and East Yorkshire • Training and management consultancy towards the launch of a Virtual Tourism Information Centre for Visit Hull and East Yorkshire • A service quality training programme titled St Lucia First on the island of St Lucia • A Stakeholder Consultation and Tourism Strategy for West Dunbartonshire Council • A strategic review of attractions consortia in North Wales. • A case study analysis of the structures and budgets of National Tourism Organisations in 6 countries • A Cultural Tourism ‘Learning Journey’ in Glasgow for Norwegian Business owners and academics (learning from best practice amongst Glasgow’s cultural spaces). • Scenario planning (Scotland’s Tourism in 2030, Key Challenges). This has involved in depth industry consultation through a series of workshops, interviews and desk research. • Socio-Economic impact Analyses of the Freedom 2008/09 Festivals in Hull, East Yorkshire. • Project Manager of the William Wilberforce 2007 Bicentenary celebrations in Hull, East Yorkshire for Hull City Council. I managed the primary research element of this project interviewing several events audiences, Members of European Parliament and members of the public to understand awareness and perceptions of William Wilberforce in Hull with ramifications for tourism focussed urban regeneration. I analysed all data sets for this project and produced reportage. • Project Officer for the ICONS Branding (EQUAL) project. This has involved a rigorous, two year period of research and business development activity in two pilot regions within Scotland. The research has piloted the potential of regional tourism icons in the tourism business growth process. Outputs include an established network of micro-business operators in South Lanarkshire with a shared goal and vision to develop the profile of tourism for the region. I have also managed the development of www.visitclydevalley.co.uk to completion in December 2007 as part of this project. The project is currently being mainstreamed to a number of policy influencing figures in Scotland. • Project manager for economic impact analyses of the Burns 2007/2006 celebrations and project support for economic analyses of the /2005/2004 Festivals in Ayrshire for the Burns Festival company • Input towards a ‘Tourism Intelligence Unit’ benchmarking study which included the undertaking of interviews with a number of international tourism experts (from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Ireland) • Joint project leader reviewing travel trade show formats for the Canadian Tourism Commission

Reports & invited lectures

Author of a report commissioned by Visit Britain titled 'The Structures and Budgets of International Tourism Organisations'. I gave a presentation, by invitation to an audience at the Dundee Centre for Contemporary Arts. The presentation was titled 'Dark Tourism - from Death Camps to Disgraced Monuments'.

Conferences organised

I organise a day-long conference every year titled 'Hospitality and Tourism Futures'. The aim of this conference is to connect  students with industry experts and to bring these experts together in a forum that addresses contemporary developments in the marketplace.