Bahar is a PhD candidate at QUT Business School. Following her passion and extensive tourism marketing experience, Bahar’s research focuses on individual perceptions and emotions about travel, which can lead to transformational experiences. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, Bahar investigates how individual mindsets and emotions can influence their learning process throughout the trip and change their perception of the world.
Bahar loves integrating storytelling into marketing and entrepreneurship strategies. She believes that people, the environment, and firms contain unique meanings and values that can positively transform communities, firms, and the planet. Therefore, before coming to Australia for her PhD, Bahar worked as a hotel manager and marketing advisor in the tourism industry in Iran. As a marketing strategist and brand identity expert, she has worked with several startups and hospitality organisations in Iran. She is also a member of the founding board of the Tourism Foundation (NGO), where she has applied entrepreneurship education to promote women’s empowerment and equality. In this NGO, Bahar provides coaching and business advice to rural women to help them develop their entrepreneurial skills and become more active in their communities.
Bahar has previously taught digital marketing, tourism marketing service experiences, meaningful marketing, and customer engagement units. Her research interests include transformation, good governance, destination branding and marketing, and gender equality.