Chinese Outbound Tourism 2.0

Dr. Xiang (Robert) Li is a professor and Washburn Senior Research Fellow at the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was formerly a professor at the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management at the University of South Carolina, and Associate Director of USC’s Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Travel & Tourism Industry Center and International Tourism Research Institute. Dr. Li’s research mainly focuses on destination marketing and tourist behavior, with special emphasis on international destination branding, customer loyalty, and tourism in Asia. He has authored nearly 100 scientific publications and is serving on the boards of 11 journals and book series. He is currently guest-editing a special series on "Emerging-Market Tourist Behavior" for the Journal of Travel Research. He also guest co-edited a special issue for the Journal of Business Research and one for the Journal of China Tourism Research. Dr. Li’s academic work has been recognized by a number of awards, including the 2013 "Emerging Scholars of Distinction" Award by the International Academy for the Study of Tourism and the first-ever "Best Emerging Scholar in Tourism (B.E.S.T.)" Award by the International Tourism Studies Association.

Dr. Li has conducted extensive tourism research in various areas and has been awarded over $1.14 million in research funding. His clients include the United State Department of Commerce/Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTTI), China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), the United States Travel Association (UST, formerly TIA), and National Tour Association (NTA), as well as numerous destination marketing organizations and companies. His research on China and Japan outbound tourism and destination marketing has been cited by a number of American and international media, such as USA Today, Time, Las Vegas Sun Times, The Globe and Mail (Canada), and China Daily. During 2012–13, Dr. Li served on the Global Insights Advisory Council for Brand USA. He holds/held adjunct or visiting faculty appointments in universities in Australia, Hong Kong, and Mainland China. He is also a frequent speaker at numerous international and industry conferences.