Professional Profile

Lecturer and applied tourism researcher specialising in digital marketing, smart tourism destinations, destination branding, online reputation, and consumer behaviour. I combine higher education teaching, research supervision, and stakeholder-facing analytics to develop market profiles, segmentation frameworks, decision-ready dashboards, and applied insights for tourism strategy, visitor experience optimisation, and policy-oriented reporting.

At a Glance
Location
Limerick, Ireland
Affiliation
University of Limerick | National Centre for Tourism Policy Studies
Current Role
PhD Researcher · National Centre for Tourism Policy Studies, University of Limerick
PhD Research
Smart tourism, real-time visitor profiling, and Wi-Fi analytics at the Cliffs of Moher. Expected submission July 2026.
Languages
English (C1) · Spanish (Native) · French (B1)
Core Highlights
Higher education lecturer with experience in postgraduate module leadership, undergraduate teaching, and dissertation supervision.
Digital marketing, e-commerce, and online reputation teaching and research applied to tourism and service contexts.
Big data visitor profiling and market segmentation using Wi-Fi access surveys + mobility signals.
Destination benchmarking across attractions, hotels and destinations using TripAdvisor + Google Reviews.
Brand perception and destination image modelling (incl. SEM) translated into practical guidance for policy and industry.
Decision-ready dashboards, monitoring frameworks and stakeholder-facing reporting.
Expertise & Skills
Market segmentation & profiling Market portfolio thinking & benchmarking Visitor survey design & analysis Primary data collection & sampling Monitoring & Evaluation (KPIs, reporting) Destination image & brand perception analysis Tourism product and modality analysis Digital Marketing Service Marketing E-commerce in Tourism Online Digital Reputation Management Research Methods & Marketing Research Project Management & Project Evaluation R (Shiny/Flexdashboard) Modelling & forecasting UGC mining: TripAdvisor/Google Reviews Sentiment analytics Microsoft Project
PhD
University of Limerick, Ireland
Expected 2026

My doctoral work at the University of Limerick focuses on smart tourism and the development of new methods to collect and interpret real-time data in visitor attractions, using the Cliffs of Moher Experience as a case study.

PhD in Organisational Management
University of Holguín, Cuba
Sep 2018 – Jun 2024

Doctoral research focused on the strategic role of tourism in the Cuban economy and the management of induced destination image online. Developed a destination image management model, implementation methodology, and operational tools; validated through structural equation modelling and applied to Cuban tourist destinations.

MA in International Tourism, Tourism and Travel Services Management
University of Limerick, Ireland
2019 – 2020 · First Class Honours

Postgraduate degree completed with First Class Honour Award.

MSc in Tourism Management
University of Holguín, Cuba
2014 – 2016

Master of Science in Tourism Management.

BSc in Tourism
University of Holguín, Cuba
2009 – 2014 · First Class Honour Degree

Undergraduate degree completed with First Class Honour Degree.

Head Lecturer / Module Leader
University of Limerick
2023 – 2024 · Limerick, Ireland

Led TM5111: Tourism Principles and Practice in the MA in International Tourism; responsible for preparing, organising, delivering, and evaluating the module, including a final written examination.

Member, Doctoral Programme in Organisational Management
University of Holguín
Sep 2025 – Present · Remote

Member of the doctoral academic board; supervises and evaluates research in tourism management within the PhD in Organisational Management.

University Lecturer (Full-time) / Assistant Professor
University of Holguín
2018 – 2021 · Holguín, Cuba

Full-time lecturer in undergraduate Tourism Management programmes; taught, supervised dissertations, coordinated GESTUR, and contributed to international research projects and advisory work.

University Lecturer (Full-time) / Instructor
University of Holguín
2014 – 2018 · Holguín, Cuba

Full-time lecturer in undergraduate Tourism Management programmes with theory and practice teaching in hospitality, research methods, tourism modalities, project evaluation, and information management.

836+
Teaching Hours
10
Modules
7
Dissertations
Modules Taught
TM5111: Tourism Principles and Practice
University of Limerick Postgraduate 24 hrs total
1 year ▾

Module leadership for the MA in International Tourism; prepared, organised, delivered, and evaluated the module, including assessment through a final written examination.

Academic Year Hours Delivery
2023–2024 24 h Lecture
Information Resource Management in Tourism
University of Holguín Undergraduate 120 hrs total
4 years ▾

Use and management of information resources for tourism decision-making, analysis, and management.

Academic Year Hours Delivery
2020–2021 30 h Theory and Practice
2018–2019 30 h Theory and Practice
2017–2018 30 h Theory and Practice
2016–2017 30 h Theory and Practice
Tourism Entrepreneurship
University of Holguín Undergraduate 48 hrs total
1 year ▾
Academic Year Hours Delivery
2018-2019 48 h Theory and Practice
Competitive Inteligence in Tourism
University of Holguín Undergraduate 48 hrs total
1 year ▾
Academic Year Hours Delivery
2018-2019 48 h Theory and Practice
Electronic Commerce
University of Holguín Undergraduate 36 hrs total
1 year ▾
Academic Year Hours Delivery
2017-2018 36 h Theory and Practice
Tourism and Hospitality IV: Methodology of Research (Primary Information)
University of Holguín Undergraduate 64 hrs total
2 years ▾

Primary data collection for tourism and hospitality management, including questionnaire design, surveys, interviews, observation, focus groups, sampling, data processing, cross-analysis, reporting, and pedagogical techniques in higher education.

Academic Year Hours Delivery
2015–2016 32 h Theory and Practice
2014–2015 32 h Theory and Practice
Tourism and Hospitality V: Work Placement
University of Holguín Undergraduate 320 hrs total
2 years ▾

Practice-based teaching in the design, application, processing, and reporting of primary research instruments, including bilingual report production (Spanish/English) and oral defence in English.

Academic Year Hours Delivery
2015–2016 160 h Theory and Practice
2014–2015 160 h Theory and Practice
Tourism and Hospitality VI: Tourism Modalities
University of Holguín Undergraduate 48 hrs total
1 year ▾

Management of major tourism modalities, including sun-and-beach, cultural and city, nature, health, sports and adventure, and business/professional tourism; market segments, distribution channels, promotional communication, product development, sustainability, event management, and benchmarking.

Academic Year Hours Delivery
2015–2016 48 h Theory and Practice
Integrated Project Management and Project Evaluation
University of Holguín Undergraduate 64 hrs total
1 year ▾

Integrated project management applied to tourism, including project lifecycle, risk and feasibility analysis, logical framework matrix, work breakdown structure, budgeting, change control, Microsoft Project, procurement, and financial evaluation of investment projects.

Academic Year Hours Delivery
2015–2016 64 h Theory and Practice
Tourism and Hospitality III: Hospitality and Processes
University of Holguín Undergraduate 64 hrs total
1 year ▾

Hospitality, visitor attention, service systems design, service management, customer value, complaints handling, process design/redesign, indicators, and process documentation.

Academic Year Hours Delivery
2014–2015 64 h Theory and Practice
Undergraduate Dissertations Supervised
7 theses · University of Holguín · BSc Tourism
Year Thesis Title Student Grade
2017–2018 Procedure for destination image management in city tourist destinations Chandra Li Hernández Joa Sobresaliente
2017–2018 Procedure for managing induced destination image on the Internet. Application in Holguín Ana María García Montero Sobresaliente
2017–2018 Procedure for managing the design quality of tourism experiences in hotels. Application at Hotel Caballeriza Sandra Cristina Vega Sosa Sobresaliente
2017–2018 Design of the specialised restaurant "El viejo y el mar" at Hotel Club Amigo Atlántico Guardalavaca Marlen Sánchez Losada Sobresaliente
2017–2018 Design of the Smirnoff bar at Hotel Club Amigo Atlántico Guardalavaca Roxana Elisabet Ramos Herrera Sobresaliente
2019–2020 Influence of tourist destination image of Holguín on consumer loyalty Beatriz Serrano Leyva Sobresaliente
2020–2021 Projection of the experiential imaginary of the tourist experience at Hotel Club Amigo Atlántico Guardalavaca Indira Campos Velázquez Sobresaliente
Academic & Professional Service
Activity Organisation Dates Description
Undergraduate dissertation supervision University of Holguín 2014–2021 Supervised 7 undergraduate dissertations (BSc Tourism) on destination image, tourism experience design, hospitality concepts, and consumer loyalty.
Coordinator, GESTUR International Symposium University of Holguín 2019 Coordinated the 2019 edition of the symposium.
Coordinator, GESTUR International Symposium University of Holguín 2021 Coordinated the 2021 edition of the symposium.
Marketing advisor Tourism companies and Holguín Tourism DMO Ongoing Advisory work on marketing and destination-related issues.
International research collaboration University of Holguín / Argentina (Binational project) 2018–2022 Researcher in "Smart Tourism Destinations: Integration and Sustainability" (binational Cuba–Argentina, 2018–2022).
Published
12 works
Title Journal / Venue Q Year
Leveraging Big Data from the Wi-Fi network for visitor profiling in visitor attractions
Conference Proceedings
23 Confreso AECIT 2024
Technology Usage in Visitor Attractions: Leveraging Big Data from the Wi-Fi network
Conference Proceedings
VI Spring Symposium on Tourism Development 2024
Technology for the Management of Tourist Destination Images on the Internet
Journal Article
Investigaciones Turísticas Q3 2024
Cliffs of Moher Activity Report
Research Report
2024
Consumer behavior prediction in tourist destinations
Journal Article
Investigaciones Turísticas Q3 2023
Influence of Internet on tourism consumer behaviour: A systematic review
Journal Article
Advances In Hospitality And Tourism Research Q4 2021
Influence of tourism destination image on consumer behaviour
Journal Article
Universidad y Sociedad Q3 2021
The Impact of COVID-19 on International Tourism: Implications for the Cuban Tourism Template
Book Chapter
2021
Cognitive image of tourism destinations. An approach from Holguin tourism destination, Cuba
Journal Article
Tendencias 2021
Tourism destination image on the Internet. The case of Cuban destinations
Book Chapter
Editorial Académica Española 2021
The creation of slogans for the international tourist destinations
Journal Article
Pensar la Publicidad 2020
Bibliometric study of tourism destination image in Science Direct
Journal Article
Interamerican Journal of Environment and Tourism 2020
Under Review
3 manuscripts
Title Journal Q Since
Wi-Fi data for visitor profiling in smart tourism attractions. The case of the Cliffs of Moher Current Issues in Tourism Q1 2026
Machine-Learning Estimation of Daily Visitation and Spatio-Temporal Patterns from Wi-Fi Networks Tourism Management Perspective Q1 2026
Virtual reality usage in high-volume visitor attractions: empirical insights from the Cliffs of Moher Experience Visitor Studies Q1 2026
In Preparation
2 papers
Title Target Journal Q Expected
Paradigm shift in the tourism marketplace. Emerging trends and research agenda Tourism Futures Q1 2026-06-01
Tourists as sensors of urban sustainability: Evidence from online reviews of attractions in Dublin and Malaga Tourism Management Q1 2026-07-01
Affiliations & Memberships
Organisation Role Dates Location Description
Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) Academic Affiliate Jun 2019 – Oct 2025 Remote / Washington Contributed to research and knowledge exchange on small-scale tourism development and sustainable tourism; collaborated on two academic books and organised the GESTUR 2019 Tourism Management Symposium.
Spanish Research Society in Ireland Associate Member 2023 – Present Ireland Professional membership and participation in the Spanish research community in Ireland.
Research Grants
Project Funder Amount Dates
Visitor Intelligence at the Cliffs of Moher Clare County Council & NCTPS, University of Limerick €80,000 2022-2026
MA Research Grant National Centre for Tourism Policy Studies (NCTPS), University of Limerick €20,000 2019-2020
Sustainable Tourism Project Center for Responsible Travel, USA €5,000 Sept. 2019
Blind Peer Reviewer
Journal Scopus
European Journal of Tourism Research Q2
Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research Q3
Suma de Negocios Q4
Business and Management Research Journal
Pensar la Publicidad
Benchmarking Attractions, Hotels & Destinations – TripAdvisor + Google Reviews
Ireland | 2025–Present
Details ▾
Challenge

Managers needed a consistent way to compare 'experience performance' and brand perception across places and tourism products.

What I Did
  • Built datasets from TripAdvisor + Google Reviews (250k+ reviews).
  • Applied sentiment and emotion profiling (NRC/Bing/AFINN) to track perception and experience signals over time.
  • Created comparative dashboards to benchmark ratings distribution, review volume trends and experience themes.
Delivered
  • Benchmark dashboards for attractions/hotels/destinations
  • Perception indicators (ratings, trends, sentiment/emotion profiles)
  • Competitive positioning insights for strategy and communications
Impact
  • Made brand/experience comparisons actionable through simple visual indicators.
  • Supported evidence-based positioning and experience optimisation.
Cliffs of Moher – Visitor Intelligence & Segmentation
Ireland | 2022–Present
Details ▾
Challenge

Attractions needed up-to-date visitor insight without relying on slow, high-level stats.

What I Did
  • Integrated Wi-Fi access surveys + mobility signals (3.3M+ records) with ticketing inputs and on-site survey work.
  • Built market profiles (nationality, age, party structure, transport mode, booking behaviour) and year-on-year/seasonal benchmarks.
  • Designed dashboards that translate analysis into operational decisions (flows, peaks, mix, segment shifts).
Delivered
  • Visitor segmentation framework + market profiles
  • Interactive dashboards for monitoring, benchmarking and reporting
  • Cliffs of Moher Activity Report 2024 + strategy inputs (2040 planning)
Impact
  • Enabled evidence-led decisions for visitor management and experience design.
  • Improved visibility of transport mix and timing to support operational planning and sustainability.
Smart Tourism Destinations, Integration and Sustainability
Cuba–Argentina | 2020–2022
Details ▾
Challenge

Tourism authorities needed a comparative view of smart destination models to guide innovation and governance decisions.

What I Did
  • Comparative assessment of governance, technology adoption and innovation practices.
  • Delivered findings to the Ministry of Tourism (Science, Technology & Innovation Directorate).
Delivered
  • Comparative report and recommendations for policy use
Impact
  • Supported evidence-based discussion on smart destination transformation.
Advancing Sustainability and Supporting Responsible Travel in Cuba
Cuba | 2018–2019
Details ▾
Challenge

Small-scale, household-based tourism required clearer pathways for sustainable development and stakeholder coordination.

What I Did
  • Evaluated challenges and opportunities in Cuban destinations.
  • Co-organised sustainable tourism workshops (Holguín) with international speakers.
  • Translated research into practical outputs (collaboration on two books + workshop knowledge transfer).
Delivered
  • Two book publications
  • Sustainable tourism workshop and stakeholder exchange
Impact
  • Strengthened applied learning and policy dialogue around sustainable, small-scale tourism.
Online Reputation and Digital Positioning for Hotels in Holguín Tourism Destination
Holguín, Cuba | 2018–2019
Details ▾
Challenge

Hotels needed practical guidance to improve online visibility and align messaging with destination image goals.

What I Did
  • Advised leadership teams on digital positioning and TripAdvisor optimisation.
  • Used review patterns and visitor feedback to identify quick wins and strategic actions.
Delivered
  • Actionable recommendations for reputation and positioning
Impact
  • Improved managerial understanding of digital consumer behaviour and reputation levels.
Managing Holguin Tourism Destination Image
Cuba | 2016–2019
Details ▾
Challenge

Tourism authorities lacked a structured method to manage induced image online and translate it into positioning decisions.

What I Did
  • Developed a destination image management model integrating cognitive and affective dimensions.
  • Validated the framework using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM).
  • Produced implementation guidance and research outputs linked to public-sector needs.
Delivered
  • Doctoral thesis + peer-reviewed publications
  • Evidence-backed model + practical methodology for image management
Impact
  • Provided a structured approach to diagnose and strengthen destination online positioning.
New Post-Pandemic Tourist Profiles
Open University for Adults (UAPA) · 2025 · Dominican Republic
Smart Tourism and the Challenges of Data-Driven Marketing
MSc in Marketing, Consumption and Society. University of Limerick · 2025 · Ireland
Tourism Image and Branding: Contributions from Destination Management Training
EAE Business School Barcelona · 2025 · Barcelona, Spain
Towards Smart Tourism Attractions. The case of the Cliffs of Moher Experience
University of Holguin · 2025 · Holguin, Cuba
Visitor Attraction Marketing: Segmentation and Wi-Fi Dashboard Insights at the Cliffs of Moher
MSc in Marketing, Consumption and Society. University of Limerick · 2024 · Ireland
Tourism Destination Image: Definitions and Approaches
Ostelea Tourism Management School · 2023 · Barcelona, Spain (Online)
Tourism Megatrends Defining Travel
University of Holguin · 2023 · Holguin, Cuba
Book Presentation: COVID-19 and Climate Change. A Double-Edged Sword for Tourism in Cuba & Beyond
Expotur · 2023 · Holguin, Cuba (Online)
Tourism Marketing
Technological University of Huejotzingo · 2021 · Mexico
Rethinking the Concept of International Tourism in Post-COVID-19 Times
Technological University of Tlaxcala · 2020 · Mexico
The importance of data for policy-making: A smart tourism approach
UL Economics Day · 2026 · University of Limerick, Ireland
Tourism beyond numbers: Enhancing the visitor experience
Thesis in Three (KBS Winner) · 2026 · University of Limerick, Ireland
Applying Big Data in the Visitor Attraction Sector
Doctoral College Showcase · 2025 · University of Limerick, Ireland
Application of Big Data in the Visitor Attraction Sector
Turitec · 2025 · University of Malaga, Spain
Opportunities of Responding to a Paradigm Shift in the Tourism Marketplace: Using the Wi-Fi Network to Profile Visitors in Tourism Attractions
CIETCUBA · 2024 · Havana, Cuba (Online)
Technology Usage in Visitor Attractions: Leveraging Big Data from the Wi-Fi Network
Spring Symposium of Tourism Development · 2024 · Gran Canaria, Spain
National Centre for Tourism Policy Studies – Research Week
Research Week · 2024 · University of Limerick, Ireland
Challenges and Opportunities of Responding to a Paradigm Shift in the Tourism Marketplace: The Case of the Cliffs of Moher Experience
Doctoral Colloquium IAM · 2023 · University of Galway, Ireland
Research in Three
Spanish Research Society in Ireland · 2022 · Dublin, Ireland